which provoked his excellency to fay, doubtlefs with more anger than truth," that the Roman catholics, who stood fo rigidly with the king upon religion, and that, as they called it, in the splendour of it, were then with difficulty withheld from fending commiffioners to intreat him to make ftables and hofpitals of their churches." But if, indeed, these people were at first fo much terrified by this monfter's unparalleled cruelties, they foon refumed fufficient courage to reject feveral more advantageous conditions, from his favourrite and confident, Ireton, even in point of religion, than the Marquis of Ormond could ever be prevailed upon by the moft urgent neceffity of his majesty's affairs, to allow them. For when that regicide, in his march to Munfter, fent propofals to the citizens of Limerick,'" offering them the free exercise of their religion, enjoyment of their eftates, churches and church-livings, a free trade and commerce, and no garrifons to be preffed upon them, provided they would only give a free paffage to his forces into the county of Clare; these citizens absolutely rejected the

But Oliver Cromwell, befides his execrable policy of facilitating the conqueft of Ireland, by the fame of his cruelties, had taken care, before he left Dublin, to publish a proclamation forbidding his foldiers

2 Id. ib.

4

3 Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 123. Lel. Hift. vol. iii. p. 370. 4 Cart. Orm. vol. ii. f. 90.

on

homes, they engaging not to bear arms against the states of England; and lastly, of life to the officers. Yet (adds my author) in great confternation, fear having feized the townmen and citizens before the commiffioners return, they endeavoured to pafs over the water for the safety of their lives; which Cromwell's foldiers perceiving, clapt fcaling ladders to the walls, and entered the town without any refiftance; wherein all found in arms were put to the fword, to the number of two thousand; among whom Sir Edmund Butler was killed, before he had been two hours in the city. Cromwell, in the interim, not lofing twenty men in the whole fiege." Id. ib.

on pain of death, to hurt any of the inhabitants, or take any thing from them, without paying for it in ready money. This was fo ftrictly executed, that even in his march from Dublin to Drogheda, where he was guilty of that horrid butchery, and breach of faith before-mentioned,' he ordered two of his private foldiers to be put to death, in the face of the whole army, for ftealing two hens from an Irishman, which were not worth fixpence.

6

Upon this strict obfervance of the proclamation, together with pofitive affurances given by his officers, that they were for the liberties of the commons, that every one should enjoy the freedom of his religion, and that those who served the market at the camp, fhould pay no contribution, all the country people flocked to them, with all kind of provisions; and due payment being made for the fame, his army was much better fupplied, than even that of the Irish had ever been."

On this occafion, a congregation of twenty catholic archbishops and bishops having, on the 4th of December 1649, affembled, of their own accord, at Clonmacnoife, published a declaration, wherein " they admonished

b

all

5 Doctor Gorges's Letter to Colonel Hamilton. Append. to Lesley's Anf. to King's State of the Protestants under K. James. Carte, ubi fupra.

6

"The whole Irish party, (fays Leland) was anxious for the event of this self-appointed council, and looked for nothing less. important than a violent proteftation against the government of Ormond. Happily the temper of one of their bifhops, Ever Mac Mahon, the Romish prelate of Clogher, difappointed these expectations. From the time of the accommodation between Ormond and O'Nial, in which Mac Mahon had been instrumental, the mar quis frequently converfed with him on public affairs, and inspired him with an high opinion of his talents for government, and his zeal for the interests of Ireland; with these sentiments he entered the affembly of his brethren, where he had the confequence naturally derived from fuperior abilities. He filenced the factious, he encouraged the moderate, he defeated all the fecret practices of Antrim; and at length, with difficulty, prevailed on the prelates to declare, by a formal inftrument, that no fecurity for life, fortune, or religion, could be expected from

Cromwell,

all their people, not to delude themselves with vain expectations of conditions to be obtained from that

99 7

merciless enemy. And they befought the gentry, and the rest of their countrymen, for God's glory, and their own fafety, to contribute, with patience, to the utmost of their power, towards the support of the war against him. They, particularly, exhorted those who were enlifted in the army, to persevere conftantly in their oppofition to the common enemy, as they expected the bleffing of God upon their endeavours. The Marquis of Ormond, in a letter to the king, observed," that, in this affembly there were divers fpeeches made, tending to the fatisfaction of the people; and to incline them to obedience to his majesty, and amity among themselves, in oppofition to the rebels." It must be, therefore, observed, in juftice to these bishops, that it was in this letter to the king that the marquis first asked his majesty's permiffion to leave the kingdom, as being abfolutely indefenfible against the rebels, by what powers he could then command. So very distant from truth is that general affertion of our hiftorians, that it was the refractoriness, disobedience, and even rebellious difpofition of the Irish clergy, that first made him refolve upon quitting the government of Ireland at that juncture.

CHAP.

Borl. Irish Rebel. fol. 290. 8 Cart. Coll. of Orig. Pap.

Cromwell, to express their deteftation of all odious diftinctions and animofities between old Irifh, English and Scottish royalists, and their refolution of punishing all the clergy who fhould be found to encourage them." Leland's Hift. vol. iii. p. 359.

"It cannot be denied (fays Borlafe from Clarendon) that the conclufions which were made there, feemed full of respect for the king's fervice, and wholfome advice and counsel to the pcople." Irish Rebel. fol. 293.

CHAP. VI.

Owen O'Nial fubmits to the peace; Inchiquin's forces

revolt to the rebels.

OWEN O'Nial, who commanded an army of five thousand foot and five hundred horse, having been incenfed beyond measure at the affembly's proclaiming him a traitor; and at the fame time flattered by Sir Charles Coote and Colonel Monck, with hopes of a toleration of his religion, and the restitution of his eftate, had entered into a treaty with the latter, and relieved the former, when closely befieged in Derry, the only place of ftrength that was then in the rebels poffeffion in the province of Ulfter. But the English parliament foon after condemned his treaty with Monck, and rejected his further fervice.b This

I

'Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 77.

a "Invited by Sir Charles Coote with an offer of 5000l. for that fervice." Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 76.

Owen O'Nial was in great want of ammunition; to procure a fupply, he fent Hugh M'Patrick Dubh M'Mahon to make a treaty with Monck, who readily entered into an agreement with him, engaging to fupply him with the neceffaries he wanted." Id. ib. fol. 73.

Monck's propofals to O'Nial were: ft. Liberty of conscience to all his party and their iffue. 2d. A competent command to O'Nial himself in the rebel army. 3d. An act of oblivion for all they had done fince 1641. 4th. His party to be restored to all the lands they poffeffed before that time. 5th. That O'Nial be put into poffeffion of his ancestors eftate. 6th. That O'Nial fhall be provided with a convenient fea-port in Ulfter, and his army provided for in all points, as the reft of the army fhall be." Hift. of Independency, p. 237.

Sir Charles Coote in a letter to the council of ftate in England, August 15th, 1649, informs them, "that O'Nial freely offered him his affiftance, profeffing much affection to the parliament of England, and earnest defire to maintain their intereft; that he had found O'Nial and his army very punctual and faithful in all their promises and engagements; and he made no

doubt

C

This is commonly thought to have been the cause of his quitting that party, and seeking an alliance with the Marquis of Ormond," to whom two blanks had been fent, about that time, under his majesty's hand and feal, to be made ufe of in any treaty or transaction with him."

Wherefore, through the agency of colonel Daniel' O'Nial, that general's nephew, whom the Marquis of Ormond fent to folicit him for that purpose, "Owen O'Nial,' on the 12th of October 1649, concluded and figned an agreement, on certain conditions, with his excellency; which, though himself lived not to accomplish, dying at Cloughouter-castle, in the county of Cavan, in the beginning of December, was shortly after performed."

2 Cart. Collect. of Orig. Pap. vol. ii. p. 317.

3 Cart. Orm. vol. ii.

Mr.

doubt but they would continue fo to the end. But after all, in the cant of the times, defires them to call to mind, that it is no new thing with the most wise God to make use of wicked inftruments to bring about a good design for the advancement of his glory." Hift. of Independency, p. 245-6.

Many were of opinion (fays Borlafe) that all that was done both by Sir Charles Coote and by Monck (with O'Nial) was tranfacted by the privity, if not confent, of the grandees in England; but the grounds to faften this upon them could never be found, though the business hath been narrowly searched into; known it was, that there was a person sent over, and many overtures made by a priest, O'Reilly, to the committee of Derbyhouse, but with what reception, the certainty yet remains in the clouds." Irish Reb. fol. 276.

• There is a very different cause affigned for this accommodation of O'Nial with Ormond, in a letter from Secretary Nicholas to Ormond himself, which he fays came from a very good author, Lord Brudenell. It is there exprefsly faid, "that O'Nial had written to Cromwell to thank him for the care he had taken of himself and his army; but defired him withal to confider, that his promise (to affift him) was but conditional, as prefuppofing the Pope's approbation, which he could never obtain; but, on the contrary, had received a peremptory command from him, to do nothing prejudicial to the crown of England." Cart. Collect. of Orm. Orig. Papers, vol. i. p. 298.