565. There were eleven bishops, fourteen lords, and 226 commoners. The assembly took upon themselves for the time the government of the country-or of that part of it outside the influence of Ormond-and appointed generals over the army: O'Neill for Ulster and Preston for Leinster. To manage affairs with greater facility they elected from their number a 66 Supreme council." And they issued a decree for raising money and for levying men, who were to be drilled by the officers that had come with Preston and O'Neill.

566. In 1643 the king endeavoured to come to terms with the Confederates, hoping to use them against his own refractory parliament: but the justices Borlase and Parsons, who though nominally in the king's service, really sympathised with the parliament, threw obstacles in the way of union; and the forces of the confederates and those of the king continued in open hostility.

567. Preston was at first successful in Leinster, but was badly defeated in March 1643 at Ross in Wexford, by the marquis of Ormond. In Ulster O'Neill, held his ground with difficulty, and was once defeated by one of Monro's generals. But in several other actions he was victorious.

568. Meantime in spite of the opposition of the lords justices, negotiations went on between the king and the confederates: In September 1643, a cessation of arms for one year was arranged; and the confederates agreed to send the king a gift of £30,000. But the English parliament directed the Puritan party in Ulster to pay no attention to the truce.

569. The king had removed Borlase from his post, and in 1644 appointed the marquess of Ormond lord lieutenant. But this did not mend matters; for Ormond played a double part. Pretending to act for the king, he really worked in the interest of the parliament, and he prevented any final peace between the king and the confederates.

570. The king, finding he could do nothing through Ormond, sent over the earl of Glamorgan in 1645, who made a secret treaty with the confederates. They were

to give the king men and money; he was to grant full toleration for religion. But when, a little afterwards, the parliament accidentally discovered this, king Charles, with his usual duplicity, disavowed it.

571. In this same year, 1645, the Pope sent to the confederates as Nuncio, Baptist Rinuccini archbishop of Fermo, who brought them a supply of money and arms. His object in coming was three-fold:-1. To propagate the Catholic religion: 2. To unite the old Irish and the AngloIrish Catholics, between whom there was still much jealousy: 3. To sustain the king against the parliament.

572. Matters were at this time in a bad way. The English parliament, contending successfully against the king, determined to put down the Catholics, and would have no peace and no dealings with the confederates. Ormond, in the service of his majesty, really sympathised with parliament. The feeble and double-faced king was trying to deceive both the Catholics and the parliament.

573. There was disunion in the confederation. The Anglo-Irish representatives would deal with Ormond (as representing the king) for peace on the basis of a free exercise of their religion: the old Irish party, with whom was Rinuccini, would have more than that-National independence and the re-establishment of the Catholic church in all its former grandeur.

574. The Anglo-Irish party prevailed in the assembly, and in March 1646 a treaty was signed between the confederates and Ormond who professed to act for the king; in which the only concession to the Catholics was exemption from the oath of supremacy. This gave great discontent to the Nuncio and to the old Irish all over the country.

575. The disunion among the Catholics extended to the army. There was bitter rivalry between Owen Roe who was a great general, and Preston who was an indifferent one. The Anglo-Irish party was on the side of Preston, and refused support to Owen Roe; and Monro continued to plunder and devastate Ulster without opposition.

576. At length O'Neill with great effort collected an

army of 5,000 foot and 500 horse; and marching north inflicted a crushing defeat on Monro and his more numerous army at Benburb on the Blackwater: an exploit quite as brilliant as that of his uncle Hugh at the Yellow Ford. This restored the influence of the old Irish party-the "Nuncionists," as they were called.

577. There was, however, increasing distrust between O'Neill and Preston, but for which they could easily have taken Dublin from Ormond. At length in July 1647 Ormond delivered up Dublin to the parliamentarians and went through England to France, and colonel Michael Jones, a parliamentary officer, became its governor.

578. The confederates now met with serious disasters. In August 1647 colonel Jones defeated Preston at Dungan Hill near Summerhill in Meath, and killed more than 5,000 of his men. And in November of the same year lord Inchiquin (formerly a royalist, now on the side of Parliament), known as "Murrogh the Burner" from his merciless ravages in Munster, inflicted quite as bad a defeat on the confederate army at Knocknanoss near Mallow, through the incompetency of their commander lord Taaffe.

579. In May 1648 Preston, against the wishes of the Nuncio and his party, signed a truce with Inchiquin in which it was agreed that the Catholics should not be molested in the practice of their religion. Quarrels and discussions and plots went on, till at length Ormond returned in 1648; and in January 1649 peace was finally signed between him and the confederation, on the main condition that the penal laws should be repealed: which ended a war that had lasted for seven years. About a fortnight after the conclusion of peace, king Charles was beheaded in England.

CHAPTER XX.

CROMWELL.

(1649-1652.)

580. In England the parliament had triumphed. The death of the king caused somewhat of a counter-movement in Ireland; and the royalist cause was now-1649sustained by the confederates, with Ormond the lord lieutenant, and Inchiquin-now agai, turned royalist-at their head, and by the Scots of Ulster. They proclaimed the prince of Wales king as Charles II.; and they were well pleased when, in February 1649, Prince Rupert on their side entered the harbour of Kinsale with sixteen frigates.

581. Rinuccini, seeing his mission a failure, returned to Rome in February 1649. O'Neill, the only great soldier now in Ireland, was at the head of a small army of old Irish; but the other confederate leaders kept him in the background through jealousy.

582. On the side of the parliament Jones still held Dublin, and Sir Charles Coote Derry. Inchiquin took from them Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, and Trim. Ormond besieged Dublin, first encamping at Finglas and afterwards at Rathmines. He sent major-general Purcell on 25th of July to fortify the old castle of Bagot Rath near Rathmines. But colonel Jones sallied forth in the night and surprised not only Purcell but Ormond himself, and utterly routed the whole army (2nd of August 1649). This great disaster was caused by the bad generalship of Ormond.

583. Oliver Cromwell was appointed by Parliament lord lieutenant and commander of the forces in Ireland, and landed at Dublin 14th August, 1649, with 9,000 foot, 4,000 horse, military stores, and £20,000 in money, accom

panied by his son-in-law Ireton as second in command. He issued a proclamation against plunder, ordering that all supplies taken from the natives should be paid for.

584. He first proceeded against Drogheda. It had been garrisoned by Ormond with 3,000 troops, chiefly English, under Sir Arthur Ashton. Cromwell began by battering down the steeple of St. Mary's church. Next day, the 10th September 1649, the cannonade continued, till towards evening two breaches were made. Two desperate attempts to enter were repulsed; but the third succeeded; and immediately, on Cromwell's order, the whole garrison, including the commander Sir Arthur Ashton, with many friars and townspeople, were massacred.

After this, Trim, Dundalk, Carlingford, Newry, and several other places in the North surrendered.

585. Cromwell returned to Dublin, and marching south, appeared before Wexford. It was well fortified and garrisoned with 3,000 men, under the command of David Sinnott. Cromwell began his cannonade on the 11th of October, and when some breaches had been made, Sinnott asked for a parley.

But meantime the commander of the strong castle just outside the walls treacherously delivered it up to Cromwell's troops. This enabled a party of the besiegers to get into the town and open the gates. The garrison retreated to the market place, where they found the townspeople congregated. Here they defended themselves in desperation for an hour, but were overpowered by numbers; and Cromwell's soldiers under his orders killed garrison and townspeople without distinction to the number of 2,000 (11th of October 1619).

586. The fate of Drogheda and Wexford struck the Irish with terror; and many towns now yielded on mere summons. New Ross was surrendered by Lord Taaffe; but Ireton failed in his attempt to take Duncannon. Cork, Youghal, Kinsale, and some other southern places were given up by their garrisons. Having failed to take Waterford, Cromwell marched to Dungarvan, which at once