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CHA P. V.

Contrivances of Sir Charles Coote and Lord Broghill.

"THE 'king's interest had been so totally extinguish

ed in Ireland, for many years past, that there was no perfon of any confideration there, who pretended to revive it. At the death of Cromwell, and at the depofition of his fon Richard, Henry Cromwell was invested with the full authority in Ireland; the two prefidents of Munster and Connaught, were Lord Broghill and Sir Charles Coote, both equally depending on the lord lieutenant; and they the more depended upon him, and courted his protection, by their not loving one another, though ftill agreeing in a long averfion to the king, by multiplications of guilt. Amidst the many fucceeding changes in the government, the two prefidents remained in their several provinces, with full power; either because they had not deserved to be fufpected, or because they could not be easily removed." Some fufpicion, however, there was of Lord Broghill, which he took uncommon pains to remove; for, but a few months before the king was reftored, he wrote to Secretary Thurloe," "that he had heard, he and his friends were mifreprefented in England, as perfons, that intended to fet up for themselves, and to make Ireland a back door to let Charles Stewart into England; and thereby, at one blow, to cut up by the roots the precious rights they had been fo long contending for. But he profeffed, that he knew nothing further from the thoughts of all his acquaintance and friends; for that intereft, as well as duty, would keep them from fo ruinous a wickedness.” a

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'Clarend. Life, vol. ii. p. 107. 2 War. Hift. Ir. Reb.

In

Broghill's biographer, panegyrift and chaplain, tells us, that at a council of the ufurpers in the time of Richard Crom

well,

In the confufion that now arose, from different revolutions in the state, Sir Charles Coote took an opportu- . nity to send an express to the king, with a tender of his obedience, and with great cautions, as to the time of appearing; only defiring,' " to have fuch commiffions in his hands, as might be applied to his majesty's fervice in a proper conjuncture; which were fent to him, and never made ufe of by him. He expreffed great jealoufy of Broghill, and unwillingness that he fhould know of his engagement. Coote found affiftance to feize upon the castle of Dublin, and the perfons of those that were in authority, who were imprisoned by him; and the government was fettled in fuch a manner, as was thought most agreeable to the prefbyterian humour; until, upon the king's restoration, General Monck was declared lord lieutenant of Ireland; foon after which, the king was proclaimed at Dublin, and in every other part of the kingdom."

b

3 Clarend. ubi fupra.

СНАР.

well," he offered a teft to purge the army, which was, that all fhould be turned out of it who would not fwear to defend the government as it was then established under the protector and parliament." Morrice's Mem. prefixed to Orrery's State Letters, P. 56.

But even after the king was proclaimed, "the pulpits, filled with Scots covenanters, rang with nothing but warm exhortations to stand by the covenant, even unto blood, virulent invectives against the bifhops and vehement harangues against epifcopacy and liturgies. These were the only fubjects of their preachings for four months together." Cart. Orm. vol. ii. f. 208. "It was by the underhand encouragement of fome great men (who did not care to declare themselves openly) that the fectaries grew fo bold at this time, as to petition against bishops, and fo refractory as to infult the laws, which obliged them to conformity." Id. ib. f. 210.

CHA P. VI.

Commiffioners fent from Ireland; their characters and defigns.

As foon as the king was proclaimed, Sir Charles

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Coote and his affociates fent commiffioners to his majefty, whom they called commiffioners from the state and a present of money from the fame, accompanied with all those profeffions of duty, which could be expected from the best of subjects.

Thefe commiffioners were the Lord Broghill, Sir Audley Mervin, Sir John Clotworthy, and feveral other perfons of quality, much the greater number whereof "had been always notorious for the differvice they had done the king. All these commiffioners from the state had inftructions, to which they were to conform, in defiring nothing from the king, but the fettling of his own authority amongst them, the ordering the army, the reviving the execution of the laws, and fettling the courts of justice, and fuch other particulars, as purely related to the public; and their public addreffes were to this, and no other purpose. But then,' to their private friends, and fuch as they defired to make their friends, most of them had many pretences of merit, and many expedients by which the king might reward them, and out of which they might be able liberally to gratify their patrons. And by these means, all who ferved the king were furnished with fuits enough to make their fortunes, in which they prefently engaged themselves, with very troublesome importunity to the king himfelf, and all others, who, they thought, had credit, or power to advance their defires."

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Lord Broghill appeared fo very generous, and to be without the leaft pretence to any advantage to himfelf, that he quickly got himself believed; and having free

1 Clarendon's Life.

4 Ib. vol. ii.

2 Id. ib.
p. IIO.

3 Id. ib.

free access to the king, by mingling apologies for what he had done, with promises of what he would do, he made himself fo acceptable to his majefty, that he heard him willingly, because he made all things easy to be done and compaffed; and gave fuch affurances to the bed-chamber men, to help them to good fortunes in Ireland, which they had reafon to despair of in England, that he wanted not their testimony on all occafions, nor their defence and vindication, when any thing was reflected upon to his disadvantage or reproach."

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The ground-work of the before-mentioned expedients, propofed by these commiffioners for the public service of the kingdom, was the calling a new parliament, confifting only of proteftant peers, and commoners; a general pardon, and indemnity to all the protestants; and that nothing fhould be done to the prejudice of the adventurers or foldiers; or towards qualifying the Irifh for recovering poffeffion of their eftates.

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The Irish catholics excluded out of the general act of oblivion.

IT was apprehended that the act of oblivion, and general pardon, which the English parliament had been drawing up to be presented to the king at his landing, might be fo extenfive as to comprehend the Roman catholics of Ireland.' To prevent this, other agents were sent over by perfons concerned in the new purchafes; all these attended the houfe of commons, fuggesting continually, that they never could be fecure in any parliament, that could be called in Ireland, if it did not exclude out of that act of general indemnity, all perfons who had any hand in the rebellion; under which notion, they comprehended promifcuoufly all

Carte's Orm. vol. ii,

• Id. ib. f. 205.

thofe

thofe of the Roman catholic religion, who had been fequestered or in arms.

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4.

Reports alfo were industriously spread by these agents that the Irish were ready to rife into a new rebellion. But this was a thing impoffible to be conceived by any body that knew the miserable condition of these people.' There were, indeed, fome perfons, who had been deprived of their eftates, fo tranfported with the thoughts of regaining them upon the king's being proclaimed, that they endeavoured to take poffeffion of them immediately, without having recourfe to thofe methods which the law prescribes, in cafe of being unlawfully dif-feized. Thefe were chiefly of those Irish gentlemen, who had been found innocent, when in Cromwell's time, inquifition was made into the guilt of perfons concerned in the rebellion; and who were afterwards by him forced to quit their ancient eftates, and accept of other lands in Connaught or Clare in lieu thereof. They had fuffered grievously in the exchange, and having been transplanted by an ufurped power, eafily imagined, they might warrantably re-enter upon their former poffeffions, and eject the intruders, as all in England did, whose estates had been taken from them' by the ufurpers. Hence arofe feveral riots and difturbances, which the convention at Dublin taking hold of, published on May the 20th, a declaration for preferving the peace, and quieting poffeffions; and the fevere laws and ordinances lately made by the ufurpers against the Irifh, were hereupon put in execution. They were not allowed to go from one province to another, to tranfact their bufinefs; abundance of the estated men were imprisoned, all their letters to and from Dublin intercepted, and the gentry forbid to meet, and thereby deprived of the means of agreeing upon agents to take care of their interests, and of an opportunity to represent their griev ances."

CHA P.

2 Id. ib. f. 205.

3 Id. ib.
s Id. ib. vol. ii. f. 398.

4 Id. ib. f. 206.

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