Marquis of Clanrickard, affifted by fuch as the late general affembly had appointed; who, as they were beft judges of their own condition, fo they had free liberty from his majefty, in cafe of high neceffity, to endeavour their own prefervation, even by receiving conditions from the rebels, which must be much more contrary to his interefts, than to receive them from any other, almost upon any terms.' He afterwards reminds his lordfhip,' " that he had already made his application, where the king commanded he should, and that fo he was fairly quit of the matter."

This

3 Clanrick. Memoirs.

< The king himself, in a letter to Lord Clanrickard, condescended to apologize for these commiffioners. For, after having told that lord, "that they excufed their having confented to this treaty with the Duke of Lorrain, only by the remedilefs neceflities they then conceived Ireland to be in, and the abfolute defpair they had to procure a prefent fupply by any other means," he informs him, "that they kept both parts of the articles in their hands, till his pleasure should be known; and that they had not, in that tranfaction, any purpose of undutifulness or disrespect towards him, which," adds his majefty, "we are willing to believe, and graciously accept their future fervice; and we recommend them to your good opinion and favour, to the end, that upon their application to you, you may receive them into the fame place of confidence and efteem, you have formerly had of them, and use their advice and service as heretofore." Clanrick. Mem. Dub. ed. p. 120.

And in a letter to the Duke of Lorrain himself, after the treaty was broken off, his majefty fays, " he believed thofe offers which the commiffioners made him in that treaty, proceeded rather from the smart, anguish and despair those gentlemen felt; and from the languishing and gafping condition of their miferable country, than from their want of affection and duty to him, and his interefts." Ib. p. 123.

The king in a letter to Lord Taaffe, from Johnstone, January 2d, 1650, ufes these words, relative to this treaty with the Duke of Lorrain. "The ways here for my affairs in Ireland being obftructed, I have heretofore entreated the queen to take that care upon her; and if therefore the fhall direct you in any thing, you may fafely follow her advice and direction, and have my consent to it." Id. ib. p. 76.

Thefe

This is the true ftate of that negociation for the Duke of Lorrain's affiftance and protection. But we will fuppofe, for a moment, the common invidious representation of it to be juft, namely, "that the catholics of Ireland, when theirs and the king's forces were almost entirely reduced, invited the Duke of Lorrain over, engaging, upon his appearing among them with his forces, to deliver up the whole ifland into his hands, and declare him their fovereign." I fay, even fuppofing this to have been the cafe, let the candid and impartial judge, from the difmal fituation of these catholics at that juncture of time, whether a better or more justifiable project could have been thought of.

E 2

0

These commiffioners, in their apology observe," that to encourage them farther, and to take off all fcruples (in concluding the treaty), as well concerning the power, as the willingness of those who were next in trust to his majesty in the affairs of Ireland, Lord Taaffe fhewed us two feveral letters; one from his majefty, intimating, that he referred the affairs of Ireland to his mother, the queen; and the other from the lord lieutenant to Lord Taaffe, approving his treaty with his highness." Id. ib. p. 134.

e The Duke of Lorrain's propofals were: That he should be declared and acknowledged, protector of Ireland; and that fome towns should be put into his hands, and garrisoned by his own troops, as fecurity for the re-payment of the money he fhould expend in recovering the kingdom from the English rebels. To the latter of these propofals Lord Clanrickard and the Marquis of Ormond, principally objected; although Ormond himself, in a letter to his majefty, in the year 1649, told him, "that if money to support the Irish war against the Englifh rebels could not be got otherwife than by giving fome of his majesty's fea-towns or ports in Ireland, as caution for the re-payment of what fum his majesty could borrow, he humbly conceived that condition was not to be ftuck at." Carte's Collect. of Orm. Orig. Papers, vol. ii. p. 400.

And on the 11th of February, in the fame year, Secretary Nicholas wrote to the Marquis of Ormond in thefe words: "Your excellency, I conceive, will do well to advertise his majesty, whether there be any strong towns or places in Ireland that may be fit and conveniently engaged as caution, to fuch as will lend his majesty money for the recovery of Ireland.” Id. ib. vol. i. p. 344.

66

of.

4

So

They were then reduced to flavery and beggary, by the English rebels; many thousands of them murdered, and the reft deprived of their eftates. that the question will turn upon this, whether the catholics of Ireland, in this wretched fituation, and in utter despair of ever feeing the monarchy restored, for the prefervation of which they had fuffered fo much, were to be blamed for calling in a foreign prince of their own religion, who had a confiderable army to fupport them, rather than submit to so infamous an ufurper as Cromwell, or fuch a bloody and ignominious conventicle, as the rump-parliament! Many proteftants, both diffenters and conformists, who have been converfant in the history of thofe times, have freely confeffed, that, confidering the miferable condition the Irish were then in, they could not have thought of a braver or more virtuous attempt; by which they might have been inftruments of reftoring the lawful monarch, at leaft, to the recovery of England and Scotland, from thofe betrayers, and fellers, and murderers of his royal father."

And, indeed, his majefty's affairs were then fo abfolutely defperate, in every part of his dominions, that, after this treaty with the Duke of Lorrain was entirely broken off, the Marquis of Ormond himself, abhorrent as he always feemed to be, from any connection with the Irish catholics, and efpecially with their clergy, advised, that speedy recourfe might be had to their fupreme fpiritual head, the Pope himfelf, as the only vifible means of retrieving them; which he feemed to think might be happily effected by his Holinefs's mediation and influence with the other catholic princes and states. "To come fhortly," fays he in a letter to the Marquis of Clanrickard on that occafion, "to what I would be at, wherein you may be concerned, I conceive fome one must be found, that hath power, if not with all, yet with most chriftian princes and ftates. Among the proteftants there is none fuch;

4 Swift's Works.

5 Carte's Col. of Orm. Orig. Papers, vol. i. p. 461.

5

and

and among the Roman catholics, it is vifible, that the Pope has most of authority and perfuafion; and it fhall be, without fcruple, my advice, and that speedily, that fitting ministers may be fent, and apt inducements propofed, to him for his interpofition with all princes and ftates."-----Here the fentence is left abruptly broken off, with what view, if done defignedly, may be eafily conjectured from the foregoing fragment.

AN

The Marquis of Clanrickard leaves Ireland, now entirely fubject to the English rebels.

THE affairs of the confederate catholics being now absolutely irretrievable,' the Marquis of Clanrickard,

in

a Borlafe obferving how eafily and quickly (in a few months) the ufurpers got poffeffion of Ireland, adds, "fuch a winter's campaign, by fo inconfiderable a party, against so confiderable a kingdom, was never read or heard of; confidering especially, that to the fupport of the Irish interests from January, 1649, to January, 1650, there was raised 533,564l. 10s. 11d. befides meal, beeves, wheat, winter-quarters, king's customs, excife, and enemies eftates, if we may credit the relation of Mercurius Politicus." Reduct. of Irel. p. 256. Of fo little avail are the greatest supplies to the moft numerous army, when divifions among its members, and diftruft of its principal leader, prevail in it.