jects. Thus the fame credulity, real or affected, of thefe two contending parties, by increafing their numbers, equally anfwered their different purposes. But the motives, by which it operated in each, were very different; that of the infurgents being an honeft, though misguided, intention of ferving his majesty against a factious and difloyal administration; and that of the others, an avowed defign to carry on and foment the rebellion against him. But the regicides, having now gotten into their hands the known author of the forgery, and imagining that he would not hesitate to accept of any condi tions that might extricate him from his prefent dangerous fituation, expected to be able to convince the world, by his own teftimony, that he had levied and carried on that war, by a real commiffion from his majesty; hoping, by that means, to wipe away, or at leaft extenuate, their own guilt, in the late king's murder; as if they had only by that act, rid the world of the author and abettor of a rebellion, which they every where represented as most odious and deteftable. Full of these hopes, they privately offered him his pardon, and the reftitution of his eftate, if he would make public confeffion and proof, of the genuineness and authenticity of this commiffion; but they being answered, "that it was impoffible for him to do fo," refolved to try what the terror of their high court of justice would do; and therefore brought him to his trial,' where his judges publicly repeated the fame VOL. II. tempting F " Nalfon's Historic. Collet. "By this artifice (fays a contemporary writer) they murdered the king in the hearts of his fubjects, by ftifling therein all sentiments of refpect and duty, long before they brought him to the block." Sale and Settlement, &c. "He had been frequently folicited thereunto by fair promifes and great rewards, while he was in prifon." Carte's Orm. vol. ii. fol. 181. "Sir Richard Kennedy, made baron of the exchequer of Ireland by king Charles II. who attended Sir Phelim in prifon, as his counfel, ufed frequently to mention this as told him there by Sir Phelim, with great detestation of the offer." Id. ib. Note. tempting offer, and enforced it with fhameless importunity; but he perfifting refolutely in his denial of the fact, his fentence was deferred till the next day; and then again, for the fame reason, poftponed to the third, in order, as his judges told him,' to give him time to reflect on their friendly propofal. But Sir Phelim still acquitting his majefty of having any hand in that commiffion, and even calling witneffes to prove, that he had himself fixed the feal to it in the manner beforementioned, fentence of death was pronounced against him. But even then they did not cease to tempt him; for at the very place of execution, and after he had mounted the ladder, Ludlow fent him an offer of his life, and estate, if he would then accuse his majesty of having given him that commiffion. But he calmly anfwered, "I thank the lieutenant general for his intended mercy; but I declare, good people, before God and his angels, and all you that hear me, that I never had any commiffion from the king, for what I have done, in levying and profecuting this war." More of his fpeech, fays Dean Ker, who was prefent at both his trial and execution, "I could not hear, the guards beating off those that stood near the place of execution." Dr. Sheridan, the deprived bifhop of Kilmore, told Mr. Carte, May 20th, 1711, that he was prefent at the execution of Sir Phelim O'Nial in Ireland, for being the chief actor in the Irish maffacre; and that Colonel Hewfon coming towards the ladder, Sir Phelim made his public acknowledgments to him in a grateful manner, for the civil treatment he had met with during the whole 6 Nalfon's Hiftoric. Collect. His trial (fays Mr. Carte) was drawn out into a length of several days, in hopes that the criminal might in that time be wrought upon to fave his life, by blackening the memory of the late king." Orm. vol. ii. fol. 181. "Lord Macguire, alfo, who was privy to all the transactions of the infurgents, denied it to the lait (in 1644), with more fenfe of confcience, (faith his majefty in his anfwer to the parliament's two laft papers concerning Ireland,) than they who examined him expected." Borl. Irish Rebel. fol. 45. whole courfe of his imprisonment; and only wifhed that his life had been taken from him in a more honourable manner. To this Colonel Hewfon answered, that he might fave his life if he pleafed, only by declaring at that present to the people, that his first taking arms was by virtue of a commiffion under the broad feal of King Charles the firft: but Sir Phelim replied, that he would not fave his life by fo bafe a lye, by do ing fo great an injury to that prince. 'Tis true, he faid, that he might the better perfuade the people to come unto him, he took off an old feal from an old deed, and clapt it to a commiffion that he had forged, and fo perfuaded the people that what he did was by the king's authority, but he never really had any commiffion from the king. This, adds Mr. Carte, the bishop told me, he heard him fay."" Sir Phelim O'Nial is never mentioned in any history of this infurrection, but as a monster of cruelty, perfidy, and rebellion. I mean not to reprefent him as quite innocent in any of these refpects; but I am inclined to think, that these charges have been greatly aggravated in his particular; (for, fays Mr. Carte, "he had not the character of being an ill-natured man;"') as we find, they have certainly been, with regard to his affociates in this war. At his trial he fervently declared," that divers outrages committed by his officers and foldiers, though contrary to his intention, preffed his confcience very much." h And indeed, his F 2 7 Macpherson's Hift. Great Britain, vol. iil. p. 280. whole "He declared, that his confcience was already oppreffed by the outrages of his followers, and that he could not add to the feverity of his prefent feelings by an unjuft calumny of the king. Even at his execution, he was again tempted, and returned the answer above-mentioned aloud." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 395. "He is generally accufed of having given orders for the killing Lord Caulfield, on feizing his caftle of Charlemount; but he was on the contrary, fo highly provoked at that villainy, committed by some of his brutal followers, that in February, 1642, whole conduct on this melancholy occafion, seems to afcertain the fincerity of that declaration. In this charitable light, I am apt to confider that unfortunate gentleman, with refpect to his paft life; but when I compare his behaviour in this laft fcene of it, with that of his judges, I am at a lofs to determine, which fhould be deemed greateft, the heroifm of the former, or the villainy of the latter."i CHAP. having difcovered fix of the murderers, he ordered them to be firft hanged, and afterwards beheaded." MSS. Irish Jour. written by his chaplain. He appears to have been apprehended by Lord Charlemont's fucceffor, who applied to the houfe of commons, in 1662, for a reward for taking him, "confideration being had of the great fufferings of the Lord Caulfield and his family, and of the great fervice by him performed in apprehending Sir Phelim O'Ñial, and bringing him to juftice, as alfo regard being had to a reward promised by the lords juftices in the time of his late majesty, to fuch perfons as fhould bring the head of the faid Sir Phelim." (1000l.) Borl. f. 84. "Refolved, it fhould be reported to the house as their opinion, that the faid Lord Caulfield, who brought the faid Sir Phelim to juftice, fhall be confidered for that his fervice, out of the ufes intended to be fatisfied out of the money intended to be raised by bill." Com. Jour. vol. ii. f. 22. 'Notwithstanding the confeffed truth of the above relation of the trial and execution of Sir Phelim O'Nial, a late learned hiftorian cenfures Mr. Carte, as rather uncharitable for faying, "that they would have pardoned and rewarded him, if he had been profligate enough to have falfely accufed the late king." And he even afferts on this occafion, that Sir Phelim " was not tempted to accuse the king: and that his pardon was not promifed on any such condition, but that he was to purchase it by producing a material and authentic proof of his guilt." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. ii. p. 395. Now I cannot comprehend, what, or whofe guilt is here to be understood. Sir Phelim O'Nial had already confeffed himself guilty of the infurrection, but ftill denied that the king had given him a commiffion for commencing it. It is not to be fuppofed that they would have pardoned and rewarded him, for producing material and authentic proof of that guilt, which he had already confefled; it therefore remains, that they wanted him to confefs, and produce proof of the king's guilt in granting him the commiflion in queftion, which he could not do, because CHA P. IV. Henry Cromwell's administration in Ireland. HAD Henry Cromwell, fecond fon to Oliver Crom well, been placed earlier in the government of Ireland; or when he was fo placed, had he been fuffered to follow the bent of his own humane difpofition, the Irifh of that period would have had much fewer and lefs grievous caufes of complaint than were then given them; for to his favourable representation and influence it was entirely owing, that the protector's council did not add new grievances, and oppreffions, to those they already fuffered. His letters in Thurloe's collection fhew his abilities and fkill in governing.' As chancel lor 'Bate's Elenchus Motuum Nuperor. in Anglia, part ii. p. 57. because no fuch commiffion had been granted. And it is fufficiently evident, from all the circumftances of his trial and execution, that had he been profligate enough to yield to their importunity, by producing any proof, however immaterial and unauthentic, or even by fimply avowing that calumny in any public manner, it would have gone very far towards contenting them. Dean Ker, who was prefent, teftifies exprefsly, " that on the fecond day of his trial, fome of the judges told him, that if he could produce any material proof, that he had fuch a commission from Charles Stewart (for fo they called his late majefty,) to declare and prove it, before fentence of death was paffed against him, and that the faid Sir Phelim fhould be restored to his estate and liberty." See Nalf. Collect. Cart. Orm. "Doctor William Sheridan, formerly bishop of Kildare," fays Mr. Carte," and the late Mr. Locke, a very worthy man, and member of parliament, were present at the fame time; and have, to many gentlemen now living, confirmed the truth of Dean Ker's relation." Life of Orm. vol. ii. a "The affeffments which the Irish paid were above a fourth as much as thofe of all England and Wales; which, he told his father, in one of his letters, was ten times more than in due proportion they ought to be; and that they paid incomparably more other charges, owing to the devastations in the civil war, than any other of the three nations." Warn. Irish Rebel. p. 567. |