Mr. Belling informs us," that when the news came of Ormond's being routed by Jones, at Rathmines, O’Nial assembled the chief officers of his army and addressed them thus. "Gentlemen, to demonstrate to the world, that I value the service of my king, and the welfare of my nation, as I always did, I now forget and forgive the supreme council, and my enemies their ill practices, and all the wrongs they did me from time to time, and will now embrace that peace which I formerly rejected out of a good intent." He sent his forces to Ormond, under Ever McMahon, bishop of Clogher, to whom the marquis had given a commission to command them. "It must be acknowledged," says Borlase, from Clarendon," that this bishop performed and observed the conditions very justly, as he was punctual in what he promised, and applied himself with all dexterity and industry to the advancement of his majesty's interest; so that, during his time, he restrained the clergy. from making any acts, which might discourage the people from their obedience to the king's authority." This bishop was afterwards taken prisoner in an engagement near Enniskil len, after having received many wounds; and ignominiously put to death, by the positive order of sir Charles Coote, whom, within less than a year, he had relieved when in great extremity." 6 The marquis of Ormond had received frequent warnings of the infidelity of Inchiquin's officers; and some probable reasons for withdrawing his confidence from Inchiquin himself. His excellency, in a letter to that lord, November 16th 1648, on occasion of the before-mentioned mutiny of these officers, told him plainly, "that he was very unwilling to have any thing to do with them; and seemed to think that they had but delayed their design, waiting for a more hopeful opportunity to accomplish their end, which he understood to be, to betray his lordship and himself to the independents." The defection of these officers soon after to the parliament, to which lord Broghill's* treachery and artifice not a little con 4 MSS. History. Hist. of the Irish Rebel. fol. 313. 6 Id. ib. fol. 312. Clarendon. Irish Rebel. 7 Cart. Orm, rol. iii. In an engagement near Clonmell, "this lord Broghill had taken the titular bishop of Ross prisoner, and promised to spare his life on condition that he should use his spiritual authority with the garrison of a fort adja 8 tributed, sufficiently justified these suspicions. For in this fa vorable conjuncture of the accession of O'Nial's forces, the dis tress of Cromwell's army, and the probability there was, by the advantage of a pass, of cutting off his provisions, and of making his retreat to Dublin very difficult, without losing a good part of his men; in these circumstances, I say, " on a sudden, and altogether, all the considerable places in the province of Munster, as Cork, Youghall, Kinsale, Bandon-bridge, Moyallo, and other garrisons,* under lord Inchiquin, revolted to the English parliament; and thereby gave them a safe retreat, free passage, and necessary provisions of all they wanted; as likewise har bors for their ships, to bring every thing to them they could de sire. This defection, in so fatal a juncture of time, when the straits of Cromwell was in by the winter, and want of provisions had raised the spirits of men; and when they looked upon themselves as like to have at least some hopeful encounter with him, was not (adds my author) a loss, or a blow; but a dissolution of the whole frame of their hopes and designs; and confirmed that spirit of jealousy and animosity in the army, which no dexterity nor interest of the lord lieutenant could extinguish or allay." * Clarend. Cart. Lel. Hist. vol. iii. p. 357. cent to the field of battle, and prevail on them to surrender. For this purpose he was conducted to the fort; but the gallant captive, unshaken by the fear of death, exhorted the garrison to maintain their post resolutely against the enemies of their religion and country, and instantly resigned himself to execution. His enemies" adds my author, "could discover nothing in his conduct but insolence and obstinacy; for he was a papist and prelate."-Lel. Hist. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 362-3. Broghill's chaplain and panegyrist, Mr. Morrice, informs us, that while his lordship was engaged in a battle against the king's forces in Ireland, "orders were once given by himself to the chief commanders, to give no quarters that day to any in arms."-Broghill's life prefixed to Orrerys State Lett. * These garrisons (says Cox) by the means of lord Broghill, &c. revolted all at once."-Hist. of Irel. p. 12. "Dungarvan was delivered up to Cromwell the 3d of December, 1649, where he found my lord Broghill, who partly by his own interest, and the disaffection in the soldiers to lord Inchiquin, had gotten in all the towns in Munster, that had formerly been under the parliament; a sèrvice most considerable, and such as was of very great advantage to Cromwell, who was now in great straits where to take up his winter quarter♥ This general defection of Inchiquin's forces seems to have given the first rise and occasion to the obnoxious proceedings of the congregation of bishops at James-town, they looking upon it as a new and corroborating proof of Ormond's being privately connected with the English rebels. For, although his excellency had been fully apprised by the confederates, of the ill affections and actual revolt of several of the officers of these garrisons,* before the general treachery now mentioned; yet he readily agreed to Inchiquin's suspicious stipulation, "that these garrisons to should be entirely left to his own disposal; nor could Inchiquin ever after be prevailed upon to admit any of the Irish forces, though actually in the king's service, into them." Before the peace of 1648 was concluded, the marquis of Ormond, in order to induce the prince of Wales to come over to Ireland, to take upon him the command of that army, told his highness," that in all judgments, his speedy access was become so obsolutely necessary, that there appeared little hopes that without it that army could be long contained from seeking its own security in a submission to the prevalent party in England; but that if his highness arrived speedily, the awe of his person might confirm such as were wavering." "1 And not long before the marquis's return to Ireland, as lord lieutenant, about the end of Sept. 1648, lord Inchiquin, by means of two of his colonels, Townshend and Derby, was said to have sent over to the committee at Derby-house, some propositions for the sur 9 Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 101-2. 10 Id. ib. vol. ii. fol. 102. for his sick and distressed regiments. His army, partly by leaving garris sons in several places he had taken in, being so much weakened and impaired, so as he brought not, of all the men he carried over with him, above five thousand horse and foot to Dungarvan."-Borl. Irish Rebel.fol. 289.-From Clarend. Yet," the above-mentioned revolting garrisons had been supplied by the Irish during the whole preceding summer, to their excessive charge." -Orm. Lett. to the king. Carte's Collect of Orig. Papers, vol. i. p. 419. * " To screen Inchiquin, these revolting officers seized and made prisoners of his wife and children, whom, (adds my author) not without much difficulty, he got re-delivered to him.”—Borl. Irish Rebel. fol. 287. † And Ormond's afterwards shewing particular favor and friendship to lachiquin, was one of the causes of the people's dislike and suspicion of render of the towns in Munster; upon which the committet at Derby-house, says Borlase, sent back colonel Temple with power to treat with the lord Inchiquin; but before his arrival there, sir Richard Fanshaw, the prince's secretary, was come from the prince to Inchiquin, with a declaration of the prince's design to send the duke of York into Ireland with such of the revolted ships as remained in Holland, and to let him know the hopes he had, that by his assistance and the army under his command, both he and his father might be restored. This (adds my author) so puffed up Inchiquin, that he would hear of no overtures from Derby-house, and made him absolutely disavow that he had any knowledge of the propostions sent over, though he was said with his own hand to have interlined and approved of them in several places. 12 CHAP. XXVII. The marquis of Ormond desires leave to quit the kingdom. HIS excellency, so early as December 24th, 1649, had requested, and shortly after obtained the king's permission,1 "to withdraw both himself and his majesty's authority out of the kingdom, if he should see occasion.” And the better to him. "Some of the principal persons (among the confederates) and with them some of the bishops, under shew of great confidence and trust, repaired to the lord lieutenant, at Limerick, 1649, and declared unto him, that all that indisposition and waywardness of the people proceeded from the prejudice they had against lord Inchiquin, who had always, they said, prosecuted the war against them with the utmost rigor and animosity, and the places and persons which had been most at his devotion, having treacherously revolted to the parliament, the people were not confident of him, and jealous that the marquis had too great a confidence in him; so that he would dismiss that lord, and discharge the troops that yet remained under his command, of which some frequently ran away to the parliament, not only that city (Limerick) but the whole nation, would, as one man, be at his disposal." Borl. Irish Rebel. fol. 303. From Clarendon. See what follows, ib. fol. 304.-Some leading persons applied to Inchiquin to take the command on him, as being of their ancient families; but 'tis certain that these hated both Inchiquin and Ormond, but on account of the former's family, would make choice of him as the lesser evil. secure his retreat on all sides, from a people whose losses under him, and jealousies of him, were daily increasing, his friend dean Boyle, privately procured him a pass from Oliver Cromwell; which being afterwards discovered, by the ungenerous use that regicide made of it, his lordship returned it by a trumpet, with a letter informing him, that it was officiously sought for and obtained by the dean, without either his consent or privity." His excellency's desire to withdraw himself out of the king. dom proceeded not, as has been already hinted, from the supposed refractory and disloyal behavior of the Irish clergy, but from his own consciousness of the people's great mistrust of him, and their consequent aversion to his government. For he himself justly observed on that occasion,3 "these people believing themselves betrayed, would think it vain to be persuaded into action, which might render them incapable of conditions from the enemy. Or if they should be got forth, perhaps with church censures, it would be with despair, not hope of success; whilst they suspected their leader of having made con, ditions for himself, upon their ruin.” Another of his reasons for desiring that permission was,+ "that it appeared every day more evidently than other, and would soon be visible to those of the shortest foresight, that upon any thing Ireland could afford, it would not be possible to make any resistance against the rebels; who then had the whole coast towards England, Waterford excepted, ready to receive their forces; commodious harbors for their shipping, and garrisons from whence they would immediately be in the heart of his best countries, and at the walls of his remaining towns." After which he thus proceeds, "what thoughts of submission (to the rebels) this may produce in these people, or the greater number of them, I know not; I therefore humbly desire that your majesty would be pleased to send me your com mands to withdraw myself hence.” Nay, his excellency seemed in some measure, to apologize for these people's aversion to his government, and their desire to get rid of it; "for many of the Irish," says he, “having promised themselves many advantages by their coming under 3 Cart. Collect, of Orig. Pap. vol. ii, 450, 2 Cart. Orm, vol. ii. fol. 121 + Id. ib. Id. ib. p. 419, 420. |