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from these depositions. And, in truth, if they were to be admitted as proofs, or evidence in any degree, there is hardly any thing so incredible or absurd, that might not with equal reason, be obtruded upon us for genuine history.23 Every suggestion of phrenzy and melancholy; miraculous escapes from death, visions of spirits chaunting hymns; ghosts rising from rivers, brandishing swords, and shrieking revenge," would have a just and rational title to our belief, having all of them received the sanction of these vouchers.

CHAP. IV.

The original depositions now in the possession of the university of Dublin considered.

I SHALL now briefly consider the nature of that evidence which has hitherto induced so many people, learned and unlearned, to give, or at least seem to give, credit to those horrible relations of murders and massacres which have been imputed, to these insurgents. Evidence that, in itself, is so manifestly futile, contradictory, or false, that I am persuaded every person of common sense would be ashamed to produce the like upon any ordinary occasion.

The evidence I mean, is that huge collection of manuscript depositions (consisting of thirty-two folio volumes) which are said to have been sworn, on the subject of the outrages and depredations committed by the insurgents, in this war, and are now in the possession of the university of Dublin. From this enormous heap of malignity and nonsense, Temple and Borlaset

23 Lel. Hist. of Ireland.

"Any one (says Mr. Carte) who has ever read the examinations and depositions here referred to, which were generally given upon hearsay, and contradicting one another, would think it very hard upon the Irish, to have all those without distinction, to be admitted as evidence.-Orm. vol. ii. fol. 263.

I have already given a short sketch of Temple's character as an historian, from Dr. Nalson; the following is that given to Dr. Borlase's history of the Irish rebellion, by the same impartial writer. "As for Dr. Borlase, (says he) besides the nearness of his relation to one of the lords justices, and his being openly and avowedly a favorite of the faction, and the men

have selected such examinations* as appeared to them the least exceptionable, and consequently the most likely to obtain credit to their horrible narrations. To these therefore I shall refer the reader as a select specimen of the rest: after I have submitted to his consideration, what Dr. Warner (who, it seems, underwent the drudgery of perusing and examining the whole collection,) has left us his opinion of it." Besides the exami nations," says he, " signed by the commissioners, there are se veral copies of others, said to be taken before them, which are therefore of no authority; and there are many depositions taken ten years after, which are still less authentic. As a great stress,” adds the doctor, " has been laid upon this collection in print and conversation, among the protestants of Ireland; and as the whole evidence of the massacre turns upon it, I spent a great deal of time in examining these books; and I am sorry to say, that they have been made the foundation of much more clamor and resentment, than can be warranted by truth and reason."

"There is one circumstance in these books, not taken notice of by any before me, which is, that though all the examinations

History of the Irish Rebellion.

and actors of those times; he is an author of such strange inconsistency, that his book is rather a paradox than a history; and it must needs be so; for I know not by what accident the copy of the manuscript written by the right hon. the earl of Clarendon, happening to fall into his hands, he has very unartfully blended it with his own rough and unpolished heap of matter, so that his book looks like a curious embroidery sown with coarse thread upon a piece of sack web: and truly had he no other crime but that of a plagiary, it is such a sort of theft to steal the child of another's brain, that may very well render him suspected not to be overstocked with honesty and justice, so necessary to the reputation of an unblemished historian. But it is far more unlawful to castrate the issue of another man's pen, and thereby disable it from propagating truth, and to teach it to speak a language which the parent never intended. And yet, this is the case of Dr. Borlase's history, in which he has taken great pains to expunge some and alter many passages, which he thought were too poignant against his favorites, or spoke too much in vidication of his late majesty and his ministers. -Introduction to vol. ii. of his Hist. Collec.

The twelve most select examinations in Temple (whom Borlase copies), sworn by what he calls “ persons of good quality and known integrity and credit," concerning cruelties committed by the insurgents in the four provinces, are all taken on mere hearsay and report, and as to the subject matter of many of them, it is evidently trifling and superstitious.-See Temple's Hist. from p. 106 to p. 126.

signed by the commissioners are said to be upon oath, yet in infinitely the greater number of them, the words being duly sworn,' have the pen drawn through them, with the same ink with which the examinations are written; and in several of those where such words remain, many parts of the examinations are crossed out. This is a circumstance which shews, that the bulk of this immense collection is parole-evidence; and what sort of evidence that is, may be easily learned by those who are conversant with the common people of any country, especially when their imaginations are terrified, and their passions heated by sufferings. Of what credit are depositions worthy," adds he, "(and several such there are), that many of the protestants, that were drowned, were often seen in erect postures in the river, and shrieking out revenge?"*

"Hundreds of the ghosts of protestants," (says Temple, from these depositions)" that were drowned by the rebels at Portnadown-bridge, were seen in the river bolt-upright, and were heard to cry out for revenge on these rebels. One of these ghosts was seen with hands lifted up, and standing in that posture from the 29th of December to the latter end of the following lent."

2 Hist. of the Irish Rebellion.

Dr. Maxwell, afterwards bishop of Kilmore, the most seemingly credible of these deponents; and "who," says Borlase, "was a person, whose integrity and candor none ever dared to question," has given a kind of sanction to these fictions, having described, in his own prolix examination, the different postures and gestures of these apparitions; "as sometimes having been seen, by day and night, walking upon the river; sometimes brandishing their naked swords; sometimes singing psalms; and at other times, shrieking in a most fearful and hideous manner." He adds, "that he never heard any man so much as doubt the truth thereof; but that he obliged no man's faith in regard he saw them not with his own eyes; otherwise he had as much certainty as could morally be required of such matters,"-Bort. Hist. of the Irish Rebell. Append. fol. 392,

CHAP. V.

The original examinations further considered.

AT the same time that Dr. Warner rejects the depositions now in the possession of the university of Dublin, he informs us,' “that he has, in his own possession, a choice and duly attested copy of such of these examinations only, as were taken on oath; which," says he, "demonstrates the falsehood of the relation, in every protestant history of this rebellion." Had the doctor favored the world with a publication of these choice examinations, or even with an abstract of them, we should then be in some measure able to judge of their authenticity; whereas at present we have only his bare word for it. However, from an anecdote which he himself has related, concerning the first real and original examinations, we may fairly conclude that his favorite copy of them, however well attested, deserves not a jot more credit than those which he has already so justly condemned. That anecdote imports, "that soon after the restoration, when the claims in favor of innocents were canvassed, and the house of commons desired,* that none of those whose names could be found in the depositions, might be heard, relating to such claims of innocency; the duke of Ormond, though no friend to the Irish, for good reasons, rejected the proposal. The duke," adds he, "probably

Hist. of the Irish Rebel. 2 Ib. see Carte's Ormond, vol. ii. The whole house, with their speaker, waited on his grace the duke of Ormond, with an address to that purpose; in which they proposed, among other things, "that all examinations and depositions whatsoever, taken for discovery of the rebellion, or proceedings of the rebels and their adherents, as well during his late majesty's reign, as in time of the usurped authority; and that all books, rolls and writings remaining in any office, &c. should be taken for good evidence, in behalf of his majesty, to bar such person or persons of their innocency.”—Journ. of the Irish Com, vol. ii. fol. 260.

†The commons became so refractory on this refusal, that lord Arlington in a letter to his grace, in 1663, mentioning" the distempers into which the house had fallen on that occasion, and the extravagant demands they had made to his grace," tells him," that he was commanded by his majesty to let his grace know, that his majesty expressed such an entire dislike and dissatisfaction on that account, that he was persuaded nothing but their disavowing what they had done, and the restoring themselves to that duty and moderation which became them, (and them especially, adds his lordship,

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knew too much of these examinations, and of the methods used in procuring them to give them such a stamp of authority; or otherwise it would have been the clearest and shortest proof of the guilt of such as were named in them."

Upon this occasion, I submit it to the consideration of every candid and intelligent reader, whether depositions found insufficient to convict the persons, or confiscate the properties of the Irish then living, ought to be now deemed proper and competent evidence, to impeach the characters or principles of their innocent descendants at that time unborn? or whether any per son now existing, can be thought to be so well qualified, either by the want of partiality to the Irish, or by the knowledge of their case, to judge of the weight or futility of that evidence, as the duke of Ormond was at that juncture? and conscious of this material defect in the original examinations, with what probability of success could Dr. Warner rely on his own copy of them, how well soever attested, as capable of ascertaining the facts, which he has too confidently related out of it ?*

CHAP. VI.

Concerning the number of murders.

DR. WARNER, after having established, as he thought, the authenticity of his select copy of depositions," endeavors to 1 History of the Irish Rebellion.

after so many acts of grace and indulgence on his majesty's part towards them), would keep them tolerable in his opinion; and hoped the insecurity of their condition there, and the support his majesty might probably have from his English parliament, then sitting, in any thing that tended to their discountenance, would oblige them to retract what they had done.”—State Letters, p. 281-2.

This house of commons consisted almost entirely of anabaptists, independents and levellers, partizans of the late usurpers. Carte's Ormond,— Some of them afterwards formed a dangerous conspiracy on account of this refusal. See Carte, Ib.

Warner himself confesses," that so many of the rebels' sayings to their protestant and Fuglish prisoners, which are recorded, even in the choice manuscript collection of depositions in his custody, are so ridiculous, incredible, or contradictory to one another, as shew plainly, that they spoke what their own, or different passions of their leaders prompted them to.” --16.

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