view of obtaining succors from the parliament, refused to agree to it. At the same time, such was their inclination to peace, and the zeal for his majesty's service, that he proposed to lengthen out the cessation for six months, provided his lordship would, in the mean time, admit no more of the parliament's forces into his garrisons. But he absolutely refused to accept of a cessation for any longer term than three weeks." His reason for rejecting the offer of a six months cessation evidently was, that all hopes of agreeing with the parliament would have been thereby defeated,

CHAP. XVII.

Ormond delivers up the king's authority to the English

I

parliament.

UPON the hostages before-mentioned having been received in England, one thousand English foot, and four hundred horse, were ordered to march out of Ulster to Dublin; and on the 7th of June following, the parliament commissioners arriving with six hundred horse, and fourteen hundred foot more, the treaty between them, and the marquis of Ormond, "was concluded, and signed on the 19th of that month; by which his excellency was to quit the sword, on the 28th of the following month, or sooner, upon four days

mer;

7 Memoirs, p. 34.

Carte's Orm. vol. i, fol. 603. 2 Id. ib.

Irish for too long a time, lest in case their supplies should arrive sooner than they expected, it might prevent the going on with the war that sum and on the other side, not for to make it for too short a time, lest the many preparations requisite for a full supply, and other intervening accidents, might retard it so as not to arrive so speedily as they desired."— Carte's Orm. vol. iii. fol. 485.

* At this time the marquis of Ormond knew, that the Scots had delivered up the king to the parliament's commissioners. Bor. Hist. of the Irish Rebel. fol. 231.-" The time that the marquis of Ormond (says the same historian) agreed with the parliament commissioners, was near the time that the army had gotten the king into their hands, having taken him from Holmbey out of the custody of the commissioners, to whom the Scots had delivered him."—Id. ib. fol. 240.

notice." Thus did his lordship deliver up the king's authority to men, who soon after became, as he himself has described them,3" murderers of his royal person, usurpers of his rights, and destroyers of the Irish nation; by whom the nobility and gentry of it were massacred at home, and led into slavery, or driven into beggary abroad."*

up

"I am told," says the earl of Essex, lord lieutenant of Ireland in 1674, "that when the lord Ormond dilivered the sword to the parliament commissioners here, alderman Smith, then mayor of Dublin, aged near four-score years, and always reputed a man of great integrity and loyalty, came to the council-table, and acquainted my lord Ormond, that it was generally reported in town, and spread so far, as no man doubted it, that his excellency intended to deliver up the government to the parliament; that he came to acquaint his lordship, that himself was entrusted with the king's sword of the city, and that he would not resign it to rebels. Whereupon, my lord of Ormond gave him some check, and ordered him to withdraw; but upon further consideration, his lordship and the council thought fit to call him in again, and to commend him for the resolution he had shewn in maintaining his majes ty's authority; and withal read the letter from his majesty, requiring the lord lieutenant to deliver up the sword to the commissioners impowered by the parliament of England; whereupon, he said he would submit." This was a shameful imposition on the honest lord mayor, and could be no other than the letter of the 11th of June, the preceding year, extorted from the king by the Scots, when he was their prisoner, and forbidding the marquis of Ormond to proceed in the peace with the confederates, as we shall hereafter see.

194

The marquis, through this whole transaction with the English parliament, was sufficiently careful of his own private concerns; having stipulated, that a large sum of money should

3 Carte's Orm, vol. ii. Append. fol. 19. 4 State Lett. p. 344

Had the kingdom (says sir Edward Walker on this occasion) been given up to them (the confederate catholics,) and not as it was to the parliamentarians, the balance of government would have been kept more even, and these Irish would have become the better subjects."-Histor. Discourses,

be paid him on the conclusion of it; and that his estate (which was heavily incumbered at the beginning of the insurrection) "should not be subject to any debts contracted before that time."

But there appears no reason to believe, that he was equally, or at all, anxious in this agreement, for the interests or preservation of that church and government, for whose support and dignity, in all his negociations with the confede rates, he had affected to be thought so scrupulously zealous. For on the 24th of June, 1647, five days after the treaty with the parliament was signed, and a month after he had delivered up the sword, he suffered the parliament commissioners to publish an order, requiring all ministers of congregations, and others officiating in the several churches and chapels in Dublin, to observe the directory, and for the discontinuance of the li turgy and common prayer; although the act of uniformity was still in force in Ireland, and not so much as suspended by any order of either, or both houses of parliament. Accordingly, the established clergy ceased to associate, and the liturgy was left off in all the churches of the city, except that of Trinity. college, where Anthony Martin, bishop of Meath, and provost of that college, continued to use it."

These consequences, the marquis of Ormond must have certainly foreseen; because one of his first propositions to the English parliament, (which was rejected) was "that the covenant should not be imposed, nor the liturgy suppressed at present; lest it should divide the protestants, and hinder their joint prosecution of the war (against the Irish) and that nothing should be done in relation to either, but by act of parliament." Now, even supposing this proposition had been granted, what else could his lordship have expected, from an act of either the Irish or English parliament, at that juncture, but a more certain and rigorous imposition of the covenant, and suppression of the liturgy and common prayer in both kingdoms ?*

5 Borl. Hist. of the Irish Rebel. fol. 235. 6 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 605. 7. ib. vol. iii. fol. 586.

* The protestant clergy of the city of Dublin, in their petition to the parliament commissioners on this occasion, "prays that, in pity and compassion to the protestants of Dublin and to themselves, who were else, by their injunction, in danger of being exposed to banishment, loss of estate, and present subsistence, with their wives and families, they would restore

Both houses of the Irish parliament, then sitting, had, with great solemnity, presented an address of thanks to his excellency, on occasion of his treaty with the English rebels. In that address, they set forth," that his proceedings therein, being such a free earnest of his excellency's love to their religion, nation, and both houses, did incite them to come unto him with hearts filled with his love, and tongues declaring how much they were obliged to his excellency. And that in order to [perpetuate unto posterity, the memory of his excellency's merits, and their thankfulness, they had appointed that instrument to be entered into both houses, and under the hands of both speakers, to be presented to his lordship." To which address, his lordship politely answered," "that this acknowledgment of theirs was unto him a jewel* of very great value, which he should lay up among his choicest treasures; it being an antidote against the virulency of those tongues and pens, that, he was well assured, would be busily set on work to tra duce and blast the integrity of his present proceeding for their preservation." The reader will easily perceive, that those, for whose preservation he entered into measures so destructive of monarchy, and of the established religion in Ireland, were generally rabble of covenanters, who, conspiring with their brethren in the British parliament, prepared the way for, and at last, effectually brought about, the murder of the king in England!

8 Com. Jour. App. Borl. Hist. Irish Rebel. fol. 234.

9 Ib.

them to their churches, till such time as further order be taken by the convocation of the clergy, and an act of parliament, in Ireland." But in vain.Borl. Irish Rebel. fol. 239.

• Alluding to a jewel of £500 value, which he had some years before received from both houses of the English parliament, as a reward for his service in prosecuting the war against the Irish, in the manner we have seen, in a letter of thanks, "though I do not hear, (adds Borlase) that he did ever place the jewel or letter in his archieve."-Hist, of the Irish Rebel fol, 100.

2 T

CHAP. XVIII.

The marquis of Ormond ordered to leave the castle.

ON the 9th of June, 1647, "it is ordered that the persons herein under-named are appointed a committee forthwith to meet with a committee of four of the lords in the usual place, who are, in the name of both houses, to congratulate the commissioners (of the English parliament) that are now coming out of England."

"It is this day ordered, by the lords and commons in parliament assembled, that a committee of both houses do repair unto the honorable the commissioners from the most honorable the parliament of England, to congratulate their safe and happy arrival here; having expressed their good affections to the public service, in hazarding themselevs notwithstanding the crossness of the winds and other difficulties; and that the said committee do, in the name of both houses, acknowledge their hearty thankfulness to the most honorable the parliament of England, for their zeal and care in sending supplies into this kingdom, for the relief and preservation thereof, and to desire them to represent such their thankfulness to that most honorable parliament."

And on the 16th of July,3 these parliament commissioners gave notice to the marquis of Ormond, to remove, with his family, from the castle; and to deliver the regalia within four days, according to his agreement. But it being inconvenient to his lordship to embark so soon, he compromised the matter with them, by quitting the castle immediately, and deferring the ceremonial of the sword, till the day first agreed upon.+ "Yesterday,,' says his lordship, "I was summoned to leave the sword and castle, according to the direction of the committee of Derby-house; which, by the way, I note as no good sign, that committee consisting of all independents.”

Mr. Leyburne justly remarks, that this circumstance might have furnished his lordship with a good excuse for breaking off the agreement, as matters were then greatly altered; "for," says he, "the parliament with whom he had held his treaty, were presbyterian; but now it became independent,

1 Com. Jour. vol. i. fol. 576. 3 Cart. Orm, vol. i. fol. 605.

z Ib. fol. 577.

4 Cart. Orm.

$ Memoirs, p. 87.