gentlemen's coming to him of their own accord, and the course that had been afterwards held with them, was very truly fet forth; and that he had not heard of any hoftile act that had been done by any of them." But then he immediately fubjoins, what certainly was never intended for their fervice, viz. " and to enter into their hearts, and fearch what is there, is only peculiar to God. I am not able," adds he, "to judge whether any treafon was hatched there or no." And with this invidious infinuation, "he fubmitted it to the wisdom of that great council (the English commons) to advise when and where, and to whom, to diftribute mercy for the most advantage of the present fervice." The principal drift of which fervice, he perfectly well knew, was by all manner of means, to attaint the perfons, and confifcate the eftates, of all the catholic nobility and gentry of the kingdom."

CHAP.

"The lords juftices, who not only favoured the designs of their friends in England, but expected to have their own fervices rewarded by a large portion of forfeitures, were refolved to difcourage pacific difpofitions. The gentlemen who were sent in cuftody to Dublin, (on furrendering themselves to Ormond) though men of respectable characters and families, engaged in no action with the rebels, fome, fufferers by their rapine, averse to their proceedings, known protectors of the English, were all, indifcriminately, denied access to the juftices, closely imprisoned, and threatened with the utmost severity." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 163.

Mr. Carte informs us, "that he found in the Earl of Ormond's notes written with his own hand, that in April, 1643, there was a letter read at the council board, from an intimate friend of Sir William Parfons, who claimed a great merit to himself, in getting some hundreds of gentlemen indicted; and the rather that he had laid out fums of money to procure witneffes to give evidence to a jury for finding these indictments." Orm. vol. i. fol. 423.

СНА Р. XXII.

Barbarous orders of the lords juftices and council to the Earl of Ormond.

WERE there any room to call in question the accounts hitherto given of these lords juftices cruel and rapacious adminiftration, their own public orders, which were conftantly and rigorously executed, would authenticate and confirm them, beyond all poffibility of doubt. Out of thefe orders, I fhall felect two or three paffages, (for more would be fhocking to the reader's humanity,) with reference to the ends all along pursued by them, which evidently were, first to compel fuch of the Irish as were still quiet, to rise in their own defence, and afterwards to feize on their perfons and eftates for having yielded to fuch compulfion.

a

On the 23d of February, 1641, the Earl of Ormond, when on his march towards the Boyne, received the following refolution of the lords juftices, and council.' "It is refolved, that it is fit, that his lordfhip do endeavour, with his majesty's forces, to wound, kill, flay, and deftroy, by all the ways and means he may, all the faid rebels and their adherents, and relievers; and burn, fpoil, wafte, confume, deftroy and demolish, all the places, towns and houfes, where the faid rebels are, or have been, relieved or harboured, and all the corn or hay there; and to kill and deftroy all men there inhabiting, able to bear arms." "

On

a

Cart. Orm. vol. iii.

* Irish and rebels were then fynonimous terms.

"Can any one think after this, (fays Dr. Warner) that thefe lords juftices had any reafon to complain of the cruelties committed by the ignorant and favage Irish." Hift. of the Irish Rebel.

On the 9th of the following month, these lords justices and council, dispatched another order to the Earl of Ormond, then marching into the pale, with an army of three thoufand foot, and five hundred horse, to burn, fpoil, and destroy the rebels of the pale, without excepting any. By this order," those who offered to come in, were in no other manner to be taken in, than as prisoners, taken by the strength of his majesty's army; and if any of them fhould come to the army, the foldiers were to feize on them, before they had access to his lordship; and afterwards, they were to be denied access to his person."

In this manner, fuch of thofe unhappy noblemen and gentlemen as had been driven from Dublin by their lordfhips proclamation, on pain of death, had never offended the government, or were defirous. to return to their duty, if in any respect they had offended, were delivered up, without diftinction, to the mercy of foldiers, who thirfted after nothing more ardently than the blood of the Irish; and whom their lordships had before incensed, by all manner of ways, against the nation in general.

Doctor Nalfon affures us," that the feverities of the provoft marshals, and the barbarifm of the foldiers to the Irish, were then fuch, that he heard a relation of his own, who was a captain in that fervice, relate, that no manner of compaffion or difcrimination was fhewn either to age or fex;" but that the little children were promifcuously fufferers with the guilty; and that if any,

who

2 Hiftor. Collect.

"In the execution of these orders, the justices declare, that the foldiers flew all perfons promifcuoufly, not fparing the women, and fometimes not the children." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 172.

"Among the feveral acts of public fervice performed by a regiment of Sir William Cole, confifting of five hundred foot, and a troop of horse, we find the following hideous article recorded by the hiftorian Borlafe, with particular fatisfaction and triumph: "Starved and famifhed of the vulgar fort, whofe goods were seized on by the regiment, seven thoufand." Lel. ib.

who had fome grains of compaffion, reprehended the foldiers for this unchristian inhumanity, they would fcornfully reply, Why, nits will be lice, and fo would dispatch them." "Of Sir Charles Coote, provost marshal of Ireland, it is faid, that he would bid his Irish prisoners blow in his pistol, and then would discharge it."

"May 28th, 1642, the justices iffued a general order to the commanders of all garrifons, not to prefume to hold any correfpondence or intercourfe with any of the Irish or papists dwelling or refiding in any place near or about their garrifons; or to give protection, immunity, or difpenfation from spoil, burning, or other profecution of war, to any of them; but to profecute all fuch rebels, from place to place, with fire and fword, according to former commands and proclamations. Such," fays Mr. Carte on this occafion, "was the conftant tenour of their orders, though they knew that the foldiers, in executing them, murdered all perfons promifcuoufly, not fparing, as they themselves tell the commiffioners for Irish affairs, in their letter of the 7th of June following, the wo men, and fometimes not children."

CHA P. XXIII.

Orders of the English parliament, relative to Ireland.

PREPARATORY to these destructive orders of the juftices and council of Ireland, their partizans in the English parliament had procured a refolution to be paffed,' on the 8th of December 1641, never to tolerate the catholic religion in that kingdom; and in February

3 Leyburne's Mem. Pref. p. xxviii. 4 Cart. Orm. vol. i. Hughes's Abridgment. Borl. Hift. of the Irish Rebel.

a "It was refolved, upon folemn debate, on the 8th of December 1641, by the lords and commons in the parliament

of

February or March following, the fame parliament voted the confiscation of two millions and a half of acres of arable, meadow and pasture land, when very few perfons of landed property were concerned in the infurrection. On occafion of this refolution concerning religion, Lord Clanrickard expoftulated, with just and spirited refentment, in a letter to the Earl of Effex; who, it was then thought, would have come over lord lieutenant, with orders to execute it. "It is reported," fays he, "that the parliament hath refolved to make this a war of religion, that no toleration thereof is to be granted here; nor any pardons, but by confent of parliament; to fend one thousand Scots into this kingdom, and yourself to come over lord lieutenant. If fuch be the refolutions of England, I should esteem it the greatest misfortune poffille, to fee you here upon fuch terms; but if you come over as becomes the perfon, honour, and gallant difpofition of the Earl of Effex, and not as the agent of perfecution, it may produce much happiness to your own particular, and to this kingdom in general. And, if I may prefume to speak my fenfe, it will not agree either with the honour or fafety of England, to make use of fuch a power of Scots to destroy or over-run us here. My lord, recollect yourself, and draw together your best and braveft thoughts; confider that, by this violent proceeding, contrary to the religion of the whole kingdom, you will put us into desperation, and fo hazard the deftruction of many noble families."

In confequence of the English vote, for the confifcation of two millions and a half of Irish acres, "the lords justices,' in a private letter to the speaker of the house of commons in England, May 11th 1642, without the reft of the council, befought the commons,

to

of England, that they would never give confent to any toleration to the popish religion in Ireland, or any other his majesty's dominions. Which vote (adds my author) hath been fince adjudged a main motive (by the infurgents) for making the war a caufe of religion." Borl. Irish Rebel. f. 52.