picked up by the party that surprised them. The morning proving extraordinary dark, contributed a good deal to this effect, and was of great service in another respect by keeping the enemy ignorant of their advantage. Trevor stood with the gross of his horse (which in all were about five hundred) on an adjoining hill, judging by the small resistance which he had heard made, that the rebels had been totally defeated by the first party which he had detached to attack them, and would thereby be so kept from rallying that he should have nothing to do when it was day but to pick up a scattered party, wholly strangers to the country. But that party who were ordered, in case they got into the quarter, to stay there and not pursue, but to keep the rebels from rallying, had, contrary to their orders, followed the pursuit of the guard, and so left the enemy, though all dispersed, to recollect themselves, and form into a body. The day breaking, Venables's men were sooner sensible of their own miscarriage than the king's troops could be, being drawn up at a distance from them. The rebels perceiving themselves in so great disorder, made the greater haste to unite; and having very suddenly rallied about fifty horse, drew them up on a small rising ground within the field of their encampment. Hereupon, those who had before hid themselves in holes and ditches, immediately took up their arms again, and repaired to the others; so that before it was so light that colonel Trevor's men could discern what the enemy was doing, or what was become of them, they had rallied four or five small bodies of horse, and an handsome party of 90 four hundred foot, all ashamed of what had passed, and eager to redeem their miscarriages by presently falling on the enemy. Other troops of their party joining them, they after a sharp dispute forced colonel Trevor to retire towards the Bann, and recovered major Viller and captain Usher, with other prisoners, and two standards that had been taken by major Chatfield, in his attack upon the camp, and carried by him into the town of Dromore. Venables being saved by these accidents, advanced that very day (Sept. 27) to Lisnegarvy, where major Bruffe joining him with a troop of horse of the country, he marched to Belfast, which within four days surrendered upon articles. Colerane was about the same time betrayed to sir C. Coote, who falling into the counties of Down and Antrim, forced sir G. Monroe to retire from thence, and made himself master of the country, except the castle of Carrickfergus, which was besieged; so that there being no longer any occasion for such a body of horse in those parts, Jones's regiment was sent back to reinforce Cromwell's army. 138 The season of the year was rather too late to make it advisable for that general to undertake any considerable enterprise. But he depended so much upon the correspondences he held in Munster, that he was resolved to make his way thither at any rate, and, notwithstanding the disadvantages of the season, did not question doing it by force either of arms or of money. m For this purpose he had intelligence both in the town of Wexford and the fort of Duncannon, and resolved to make an attempt upon these places. To avoid all obstructions in his march, and to be well supplied with provisions, he took his way through the county of Wicklow by the sea side; his fleet all the while attending upon the motions of the army, which consisted of seven thousand foot and two thousand horse and dragoons. To provide against all accidents, and engage the country to supply him with all necessaries, he published, before he left Dublin, a proclamation, forbidding his soldiers on pain of death to hurt any of the inhabitants, or take any thing from them without paying for it in ready money. This being strictly observed, and assurances given that they were for the m Z. 235, 358, 380, 386, 393, 400, and 417. liberties of the commoners; that every body should enjoy the liberty of their religion; that those who served the market at the camp should pay no contribution; all the country people flocked to his camp with all kind of provisions; and due payment being made for the same, his army was much better supplied than ever any of the Irish had been. Cromwell having in his march taken Arcklow, Ferns, and Enniscorthy, came with his army on Oct. I before Wexford. The marquis of Ormond had advice sent him that Cromwell had intelligence within this place and Duncannon, and that both would be betrayed into his hands. He had given notice thereof on Aug. 28 to the commissioners, but they made slight of the caution, and relied entirely on the care of the governor of the fort in the one case, and on the mayor and corporation in the other. These had refused to admit any garrison into Wexford, the inhabitants whereof were so dismayed at Cromwell's fleet appearing before the harbour on Sept. 29, and so angry at the lord Castlehaven, (who had been sent by the lord lieutenant to view the place and provide for its defence,) his having the day before put (a person whom they did not like, though the mayor had chose him as a confident of the bishop of Ferns) David Sinnot, lieutenant colonel of Preston's regiment, over them as a governor, that if sir Edmond Butler had not luckily come himself, they would have opposed Sinnot's entrance with his men, and have delivered up the town to the enemy at the first summons. This terror was in a great measure owing to the suggestions of Hugh Rochfort the lawyer, recorder of the town, who, having been a violent partisan of the nuncio's, 91 was now a correspondent with Cromwell, by the canal of Mr. Nicholas Loftus, who had formerly lived in that country, was still owner of a good estate in it, and was at this instant a very active instrument in engaging all the inhabitants thereof to be subservient to Cromwell's 139 purposes. Rochfort carried on the same work with greater artifice, pretending still to be zealous for the Irish cause; and having done all he could to intimidate the townsmen of Wexford, and persuade them to capitulate, quitted the place upon Cromwell's approach, and retired with his goods and effects to the fort of Passage; letting them see by that action his own terror, and inviting them to follow his example, in a juncture when their fears might be supposed to have the greatest influence on their conduct. The town was capable of being made very strong at a small expense, but the corporation had too long deferred the making of provision for their defence. The marquis of Ormond however resolved to leave no means unattempted for the preservation of the place, and with that view marched to the Graig with his forces, which were by this time come from Portlester, and were somewhat more considerable by the access of three hundred horse and one thousand foot, which the marquis of Clanrickard had sent to his assistance out of Connaught, under the conduct of major general Luke Taaffe. He was likewise joined on Sept. 30 by two regiments of lord Inchiquin's horse, but could not tell whether he should think himself the stronger for that reinforcement, those men having taken all opportunities of deserting to the enemy after the loss of Drogheda, (upon which major Wentworth and a captain of horse had first gone off with several of their troops,) and there being too just grounds to suspect their fidelity. Inchiquin was hindered from coming himself by a conspiracy of his own officers, in which he had reason to think too many of them were engaged, though he could never discover the bottom of the affair. "He was passing some days very secure in lieutenant general Barry's house of Castle Lyons, when the colonels Giffard, Townsend, and Warden conspired with sir Piercy Smith, n Z. 396, 418. 140 governor of Youghall, to secure that town, and at the same time the person of lord Inchiquin. An officer to whom it was broke, in order to engage him in the design, made a shift, as soon as he could, to ride to Castle Lyons, and give his lordship an account of the affair. This intelligence so far prevented the treachery that Giffard, Warden, Townsend, and some others were apprehended; but sir Piercy Smith, having notice of their being taken, seized upon colonel Wogan and some English cavaliers that were in Youghall, and stood upon his defence. Inchiquin invested the place; and Smith seeing Cromwell employed at too great a distance to come in time to his relief, offered to submit, upon assurance of indemnity, the release of the imprisoned officers, and removal of the cavaliers. His lordship either wanting power to reduce the place by force, or being willing to gain them by fair means and kindness, agreed to these terms; and after visiting his garrisons, and putting all things into such a state as (he imagined) rendered his further stay in those parts unnecessary, he returned to his charge in the army. In the mean time the marquis of Ormond having assembled what forces he could at the Graig, caused them to march to Ross, and went himself, with only his own retinue and attendants, to the fort of Duncannon, which lord Castlehaven, being sent to visit it, had represented as utterly unprovided, and in danger of being lost. The governor of it was one captain Thomas Roche, first deputy to Preston in that government, but afterwards opposing his entrance, and declaring for the nuncio, he was put into the supreme command by the latter's interest. He was a professed creature of the titular bishop 92 of Ferns, and kept a strict correspondence with N. Loftus above mentioned; some of whose intercepted letters the lord lieutenant had in his hands. He yet used no reproaches to Roche on that account, nor expressed the least distrust of him; but went into the fort, took an |