French and Danes, in king William's army, were highly oppreffive to the poor country people; whereas," fays he," their enemies (the Irish) had reduced themfelves to that order, that they exercised violence on none, but the properties of fuch as they knew to be abfent, or, as they phrafed it, in rebellion against them; whofe stock, goods, and estates were feized, and fet by the civil government, and the produce applied towards and for the charge of the war."

ALTHOUGH Dr. King confeffes," that the hearts of the Irifh foldiery were generally funk, and that they openly declared themselves defirous to lay down their arms, propofing to themfelves no other conditions, but to return to the station in which they were in at king James's acceffion;" yet he at the fame time reprefents that whole army as a band of furious freebooters and robbers,* "plundering the protestants VOL. II.

M

in

"This the doctor afferts without proof; but if we may rely on what Marfhal Schomberg fays of the officers under his command, we shall find them much worse than thofe of king James."The troops of Londonderry and Enniskillen," fays. he," (as well as the French) pillage on their fide. I must, however, tell your majefty, that if our Irish colonels were as able in war, as they are to pillage the country, and not to pay the foldiers, your majefty would be better ferved by them. I have worked all this week to regulate what the captains should give their foldiers, to prevent their cheating the men." Dalrymp. vol. iii. p. 50. In another letter to the king, wherein he cenfures one Major Broadnax, he fays, "there are many other officers whom I could wish in England. I never faw any more wicked, and more interefted." Ib. p. 33.

"Some of king William's regiments (in Munfter) lay as heavy on the country as the enemy could do; of which Fea

thard,

in every part of the country; and its new commissioned officers, under the denomination of rapparees, as committing fo many depredations and outrages on their protestant neighbours, that they could not be fafe in their houses." This confcious untruth, I fay, he was not ashamed to publifh in the body of his book, though, in his appendix to it, he has inferted a letter of Lord Chief Justice Keating, already cited, which testifies, "that the thefts and robberies then committed, were done in many places, by the cottiers and idlers in the country, and often by King William's foldiers, though generally fathered on king James's army." And even Burnet has owned,' that " many of king William's army were fufpected of robbing in their turns, though the rapparees carried the blame of all." b

2

1 See Append. 3 Hift. of his own Times, vol. ii.

Even

thard, in the county of Tipperary, afforded a melancholy instance, the day before the battle of Aughrim; which the army being about to leave, fwept clean off every thing, not sparing even the parfon's books and fermons; and the lofs that little town sustained, was computed to amount to 2000l. in money, plate and goods. But (adds my author) their damage was foon after repaired by a contribution from the several regiments concerned." Harris's K. William, f. 324.

Dr. King has exaggerated the number of robberies committed by the Irish foldiers to a ridiculous and incredible degree. He tells us that "in the year 1688, in the fpace of three or four months, hardly one proteftant in Ireland had a cow or a sheep left; that the value of what cattle they were robbed of amounted to a million and a half of money; that these sheep, cows, and bullocks fo taken from them, would, if rightly managed, have furnished an army of an hundred thousand men for three years. And that the Irish (inftead of turning what they had thus gotten to any benefit of their own) took off the skins of these cattle, and left their carcaffes to rot; at all which doings the government was not only not difpleased, but did plainly encourage them." State of the Proteftants, &c. p. 105.

"They (among the Irish) who received protections from king William's generals, and were yet plundered by his foldiers, ran with particular animofity to fwell the number of these ravagers." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 589. "The people ex

claimed,

Even king William's friends of higher rank, were greater robbers than these rapparees; as appears by the following refolution of the house of commons:

"RESOLVED,*

"That great quantities of forfeited goods, ftock and corn, in this kingdom, were feized by feveral perfons, by authority, or pretended authority, from the late Duke of Schomberg, for, and on their majefties account; which were, by the faid perfons, converted to M 2

+ Com. Journ. vol. ii. f. 527.

their

claimed, in the bitterness of grief, that the (English) army were worse than the rapparees." Ib. p. 590.

There

The following paffage from Bifhop Burnet, is applicable on this occafion: The king's (William's) army in Ireland was almost as heavy on the country, as the rapparees were. was a great arrear due to them; for which reason, when the king fettled a government in Ireland, of three lords juftices, he did not put the army under the civil authority, but kept them in a military subjection to their officers; for he faid, fince the army was not regularly paid, it would be impoffible to keep them from mutiny, if they were put under ftrict difcipline, and punished accordingly. The under officers finding, that they were only answerable to their fuperior officers, took great liberties in their quarters; and instead of protecting the country, they oppreffed it. The king had brought over an army feven thoufand Danes, but they were cruel friends, and though they were masters; nor were the English troops much better: but the pay, due for fome months, being now fent over, the orders were changed, and the army was made fubject to the civil government. Yet it was understood, that inftructions were fent to the lords juftices, to be cautious in the exercise of their authority over them; fo the country still suffered much by these forces." Hift. of his own Times, vol. ii. f. 39.

of

Even Harris confeffes, "that the disorders and robberies committed by king William's army, afforded matter for infinite complaints; that it was found by experience, that that army was almost as heavy on the country as the rapparees; that they took vaft liberties in their quarters, and inftead of protecting the country, oppreffed it. And that, notwithstanding the orders of the lords juftices, extravagant outrages were daily committed by it." Life of king William, f. 295-6.

• In the return of the sub-commissioners for feizing forfeited goods,

their own private advantage, and never accounted for to their majefties."

5

The accounts feriously given us of these Irish rapparees, by fome British writers, are really as ridiculous, as their treatment by the English foldiers was cruel and unjuft. We are told, "that they carried the locks of their mufkets in their pockets, and hid them in dry holes of old walls; and that they laid their muskets charged, and clofely corked up at the muzzel and touch-hole, in ditches with which they were acquainted; that their retreat was fafe; for that they hid themselves in the unequal furfaces formed by boggrafs; or laid themfelves all along in muddy water, with nothing but their mouths and noftrils above it."

6

But Mr. Lesley's account of them, who had much better means of information, is both piteous and fhocking. He relates it as a well-known fact, "that thofe, who were then called rapparees, and executed as fuch, were for the most part, poor harmless country people; that they were daily killed, in vaft numbers, up and down the fields; or taken out of their beds, and fhot immediately; which," adds he, ny of the. proteftants did loudly atteft; and many of the country gentlemen, as likewife feveral officers of king William's army, who had more bowels or justice than the reft, did abhor to fee what small evidence, or

d

ma

even

5 Sir John Dalrymp. Mem. of Brit. and Irel. part i. p. 176. 6 Answer to King. :

goods, we find the following article: "Goods difcovered to be taken away by fome of the army, 4350l. 10s." Com. Journ.

vol. ii. f. 628.

"Three days after (iffuing the proclamation) many of the Irish were plundered, who had stayed (at home) on the king's (William's) declaration, and frequent complaints. were made of it to the General (Douglas), without redrefs; and the practice was ftill continued. Notwithstanding which, feveral of the Irish apply. ed for protections, which were of little ufe to them when obtained, either for fecuring their properties or perfons; which violation, doubtlefs, caft a heavy blemish on the king's declara tion, which they began to confider as a fnare to them." Har

ris's

even presumption, was thought fufficient to condemn men for rapparees; and what fport they made to hang up poor Irish people by dozens, almoft without pains to examine them; they hardly thought them human kind." In Dean Story's lift of perfons who died in this war, there are, "of rapparees killed by the army or militia, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight; of rapparees killed and hanged by the foldiers, without any ceremony, one hundred and twenty-two."

7

7 Sir John Dalrymp. ubi fupra.

СНАР.

ris's king William, fol. 282. "The Irish finding they could have but little benefit from their protections (from king William's officers), now began to turn rapparees; and often stripped and killed ftragglers from Douglas's party." Id. ib. f. 283.

"Rapparees, upon being plundered contrary to the king's (William's) declaration, began to be very troublesome." Id. ib. f. 287.

"The army (king William's) itself, as poffeffing more force, and as little humanity, were even worse than the rapparees; murder, anarchy and mifery were feen every where.' Macpherfon's Hift. of Gr. Brit. vol. i. p. 616.

"At Birr (1690), the army (king William's) labouring under a fcarcity of bread, made that a pretence for stripping and robbing many of the Irifh, who had taken protections; which infamous practice enforced those people to go out upon their keeping, and turn rapparees; which raised numbers of enemies (to king William), who otherwife would have remained quiet." Harris's king William, f. 290.