some yeares continued his capitulations and treatings with the Catholicks of Irland and did indeed wijre-drawe them to theyr great losse both to the dishartning of their souldiers consumption of their treasures and letting slip great advantages of service great matters we expected from Ormond and noe lesse did our Commissioners tell us that he was ready to condescend to our demaunds and graunt us good things but in the end litle or nothing was don not withstanding all this any thing that seemed to be with the Kings interest or for the Kings service did much relish with the Catholicks and soe desirous and forward we were to make peace with any party the King owned to be his owne as we omitted to pursue vigorously a good warr and at long running wee made noe good peace for libertie Religion Fortunes or honour of the Nation CHAP. IIII. Glanmorgans peace rendered voide by the Kings disavoving any authoritie given to that effect Twice we concluded peace by our Commissioners the one off which have been with the Earle of Glanmorgan and the other with Ormond and in fin wee had neither peace nor the assurance of a peace the said Earle of Glanmorgan shewed us under the privat signet a faire and large commission he had from the King authorizing him to conclude a peace with us and to graunt us such favourable concessions for religion as Ormond the Kings Lieutenant who also had a comission under the great seale could not Publickly graunt or be seen in this peace made with Glanmorgan became voyd and of noe force the King disavowing any power given to that effect vnto Glanmorgan you shall find the Kings disavowing of any such power in his booke commonly caled Reliquiae Sacrae Carolinae pag the 29 in a message given as it is written in our court at Oxford the 29 lanu 1645. to the speaker of the house of Peeres pro tempore to be communicated to the two houses of Parliament at westminster and to the commissioners of the Parliament in Scotland His Majesties message of Ianuary 29. 1645. about Irland and his Majesties further Concessions and desire of a personal treaty Oxford C R His Majestie having receaved information from the lord Leutenant and Councel in Irland that the Earle of Glanmorgan hath without his or their orders or priuitie entered into a treaty with some Commissioners on the Roman Catholick partie there and alsoe drawne vp and agreed vnto certain articles with the said Commissioners highly derogatory to his Majesties honour and royal dignitie and most prejudicial vnto the protestant religion and church there in Irland wherevpon the said Earle of Glanmorgan is arrested vpon suspition of high treason and imprisoned by the said lord Leutenant and Councel at the instance and by the impeachment of the lord Digby who by reason of his place and former employment in these affaires doth best know how contrarie that proceeding of the said Earle hath been to his Majesties intentions and directions what great prejudice it might bring to his affaires if those proceedings of the Earle of Glanmorgan should â—e any way vnderstood to have been done by directions liking or approbation of his Majestie having in his former messages for a personal treaty offered to give contentment to his two Houses in the business of Irland hath now thought fitting the better to shew his clearer intentions and to give satisfaction to his two Houses of Parlament and the rest of his subjects in all his Kingdoms to send his declarations to his said houses containing the whole truth of the busines which is That the Earle of Glanmorgan having made offer vnto his Majestie to raise forces in the Kingdom of Irland and to conduct them into England for his Majesties service had a commission to that purpose and to that purpose only That he had noe commission at all to treat of any thing else without the privitie and direction of the lord Leutenant much lesse to Capitulat any thing concerning religion or any propertie belonging either to Church or Laity That it clearly appeares by the lord Leutenants procedings with the said Earle that he had noe notice at all of what the said Earle had treated and pretended to have capitulated with the Irish vntill by accident it came to his knowledge And his Majestie doth protest that vntill such time as he had advertisment that the person of the said Earle of Glanmorgan was arrested and restrained as is aboue said he neuer heard nor had any kind of notice that the said Earle had entred into any kind of treaty or capitulation with the Irish commissioners much lesse that he had concluded or signed these articles soe destructiue both to Church and State and soe repugnant to his Majesties publick professions and knowne resolution And for the further vindication of his Majesties honour and integritie heerin he doth declare that he is soe far from considering any thing contained in those papers or writings framed by the said Earle and those commissioners with whom he treated as he doth absolutly disavow him therein and hath giuen commandements to the lord Leutenant and the Councel there to proceed against the said Earle as one who either out of falseness presumption or folly had soe hazarded the blemishing of his Majesties reputation with his good subiects and soe impertinently framed those articles of his owne head without the consent privitie or directions of his Majestie or the lord Leutenant or any of his Majesties Councel there but true it is that for the necessarie preservation of his Majesties protestant subiects in Irland whose case was dayly represented vnto him to be soe desperat his Majestie have given commission to the lord Leutenant to treat and conclude such a peace there as might be for safty of that Crowne the preservation of the protestant religion and noe way derâ—gatery to his owne honour and publick professions You see plainly by this his Majesties disavowig letter of any power given to Glanmorgan as to the effect of peace to be concluded with the confederat Catholicks how Glanmorgans peace came to nothing and of noe validitie though much labour paines and monnies it cost to the confederat Catholicks and not without great discredit to the said Earle As for the peace made with Ormond yeare 1646. who had the Kings commission vnder the great seale it had noe better issue then the former as shal be made cleare out of the aboue specified divine his writings reasons arguments and woords as they are put downe And in as much as the Bishops and Cleargy their opposition to that peace hath drawne vpon them the implacable anger of Ormond pervsing what I shall write you shal be able to iudge the reasons given by the Prelats were valid and themselves honest in their intentions and vpright in their proceedings and that they haue done nothing but what pietie and the obligation of their pastoral care did require consequently yon will graunt that the dukes anger and rancour came by noe
shall acquaint the Lord Lieutenant that wee and the Prince doe authoriz and apoint him to fill vp all the said blanks in such manner and to such purpose and with such contents as hee shall think most proper for the service of our dearest Lord the King in his Irish affaires and you shall assure him the said Lord Lieutenant that as wee and the Prince repose this trust and confidence in him that hee shall make vse of them as hee shall think fitt for the advancement of the peace in Ireland soe will both of vs at all tymes auow and Iustify those Instruments soe to be filled vp by him as our owne acts and as don by our owne particular directions and commaund you shall more particularly acquaint the Lord Lieutenant from vs and the Prince that if in the treaty of peace or in the conclusion therof hee desires to be assisted with any further Authority grounded vpon any letters sent to him from the King or otherwise in our power then wee desire him the said Lord Lieutenant to fill vp the blanks signed by vs or the Prince with such authority from vs or from vs and the Prince or from the Prince only in such manner as hee shall finde most proper and conducing to such a peace You shall likwise particularly acquaint him the Lord Lieutenant that if hee shall finde it proper for the advancement of the peace there that your selfe or your selfe with any others now in Ireland should in our name and authorised by vs repaire to the assembly Generall now held at Kilkennie or the supreme Counsel of the Irish or to any other body or persons with the overtures of a treaty or any particular in order to concerning or conducing to the same our desire is and wee hierby authorise him the said Lord Lieutenant accordingly that hee should fill vp one or more of the said blancks signed by vs in the nature of a commission letter or instructions with such authority from vs and in such manner as hee shall think fitt and that hee would accordingly insert the name of such person or persons as hee shall think fitt to be Ioyned with you in this Imployment from vs. These particulares you are to communicate to none but the Lord Digby and Lord Clanrikard vnless the Lord Luetenant shall think fitt to give you other orders concerning the same Then followeth the Princes approbation of all the instructions of both sortes with his commaund to put them in execution in these words Charles Prince VVEe have perused and doe fully approve of your instructions bearing date herwith and Signed by our Royal Mother and doe appoint and authorize you soe far as you shall finde vs named therin to put the same in execution Charles Prince VVEe have perused and doe fully approve of your private instructions bearing date herewith signed by our Royall Mother and hierby appoint and authorise you soe farre as you shall finde vs named therin to put the same in execution With these instructions and many letters not only to my Lord Lieutenant Lord Clanrikard and Lord Digby but alsoe from the Queen to the Nuncio and Cleargie to O Nelle and Preston with all the considerable persons then a mongst the Irish I parted from Paris a bout the 16. of march 1647. in Companic of my Lord Crafford c. From Nantes I landed at Waterford the 6'th or 7'th of Aprill and yet soe vnluckely as the assembly at Kilkennie had brooke vp that night at ten of the Clock which they would not have done had they first heard of my landing for soe Mr. Barron whoe hath been an Agent hier in France for the confederat Irish and to whome I sent a post soe soon as I was in waterford writt back to mee indeed I was very unfortunat for the Assembly had both power and meanes to doe or undoe what they had don in ordre to a treaty which the supreme Counsell limited within bounds by the Assembly afterwards had not Being comâ—to Kilkennie I was by Mr. Barron brought to the Counsell to whome after they had caused mee to sitt in a Chaire not farre from my Lord of Antrim theire President nor would they heare mee till I had don soe I delivered the cause of my coming thither which was the Queen and Prince his desire of peace in that Kingdom and for the Queen shee was not only moved unto it for the Kings intrest but alsoe by a zeal to the Catholick Religion and good of the People The day I came to Dublin I was that night brought to my Lord of Ormond to whome I delivered such letters as were for him and then said that hee was sure those letters expressed civilitys from the Queen and Prince much better then I could and that therfore I had nothing more now to say untill I had such instructions disiphered as I had which were many and would take vp som good tyme and by which his Lordship would finde the confidence her Majesty and the Prince had in him which was soe great as noe reports could shake though wee had weekly newes of his treaty with the Parlament for delivery of those places under his commaund to which his Lordship replyed that confidence shall never deceive them and that hee who had ventured himselfe his wife and all his Children in the Kings service would make noe sample of venturing or casting away one scruple when there shall be cause this hee spook because one of his sons was then hostage with the Parlament yet if there be necessity hee should give up those places under his commaund hee would rather give them to the English Rebells then to the Irish Rebells of which opinion hee thought every good Englishman was to this I replyed nothing Ormond having seen and perused these premises and now spooken of instructions I demaund in this place what his grace can aleage for himselfe that can excuse his backwardness in satisfying the resonable and Iust demaunds of the confederat Catholicks Hee cannot say hee wanted power and authority for concluding a peace with them seeing hee might insert in the papers of 14. blancks what conditions what Articles hee pleased for himselfe the Queen and Prince being resolued To owne and Iustify the same as theire Royall act and deed Further hee had from his Majâ—sty a great latitude of power to compass such a peace as the Queen and Prince then desired notwitstanding the rejection of the peace of 46. as is to be seen by the Kings Letter to Ormond Februarij 27'th 1647. in these words page 258. of Reliquiae Carolinae ORMOND THe Impossibility of preserving my Protestant subjects in Irland by a continuation of warr having moved mee to give you the powers and directions which I have formerly done for the concluding of a peace there and the same growing dayly much more Evident that alone were reason Enough for mee to enlarge your powes and to make my commands in the point more positive but besides these
considerations being now manifest that the English rebells have as farre as in them lyes given the command of Irland to the Scotts that theire ayme is at a totall subversion of Religion and real power and that nothing less will content them or purchase peace Heer I think my selfe bound in conscience not to let slip the meanes of settling that Kingdom if it may be fully vnder my obedience nor to loose that assistance which I may hope from my Irish subjects for such scrupels as in a less pressing condition might reasonably be struck at by mee for theire satisfaction I doe therfore command you to conclude a peace with the Irish whatever it cost soe that my Protstant subjects there may be secured and my regal authority preserved but for all this you are to make for mee the best hargain you can and not discover your enlargment of power till you needs must and though I leave the management of this great matter and necessary worke intirely vnto you yet I cannot but tell you that if the suspension of Poynings act for such bills as shall be agreed vpon between you there and the present taking away the penal lawes against Papists by a law will doe it I shall not think it a hard bargine soe that freely and vigorously they engage themselves in my assistance against my rebells of England and Scotland for vvhich noe conditions can be to hard not being against conscience or honour Can there be any thing clearer then these expressions can there be a larger commission given or more streighter commaund layd on Ormond for compassing speedily a peace with the Irish Catholicks then what is repeated heer can Ormond pretend hee wanted power to conclude a peace or the King a willingness to have it don his Majestyes intentions desires and solicitations to that effect are vrged in these words what ever it cost soe my protestant subjects may be secure and Royal authority there is nothing soe certaine securing Catholicks Religion then that wee desired and vnanimously minded to â—â—â—ure the Kings intrest and prerogative and to help him to our power and not to molest or trouble any of his protestant subjects if not provoked by themselues thervnto take notice in this place of his royall assent to a Suspension of Poynings act for such bills as should be agreed vpon betwixt Ormond and us and the takeing away the penal Lawes against us neither did hee think it a hard bargin soe wee freely and vigorously engaged our selves in his Royall service against his Rebells of England and Scotland and says noe conditions can be to hard soe this be don and that in performing it nothing is against conscience and honour heer you may observe the distinction his Majesty makes at that tyme betwixt his Catholick subjects of Irland and those his Protestant Rebells of England and Scotland his Majesty whose intrest it was and the only Iudge of that fact to aprove or disaprove us as such gave each according his desert calling us his Irish subjects and those of England and Scotland his Rebels yet Ormond in his conference with Mr. Wintergrâ—nt calls us otherwise euen Rebels as those of England and Scotland were adding thervnto that if there were necessity to give vp those places vnder his commaund vnto any of the three Nations hee would rather make them over to his English rebels then to his Majestys faithfull Irish subjects of which opinion hee thought every good Englishman was to which expression Mr. Wintergrant a Roman Catholick and a person who had a better opinion of theire conscience then Ormond replyed nothing By the prefated expressions of Ormond you see how hee declared himselfe for an Englishman and being the Kings Lieutenant in that Kingdome hee showed himselfe only exteriourly for the King but interiourly a right Parlamentier as by his severall open disobediences and distructive delays to the King Queen and Princes orders and instructions as to the hastning of the Irish peace is manifested such a one in effect I must confess his darling Orrery would have him to be by all attributes of Religion breeding person speech dispossitions by his Lady and children and predecessors though Irish and well skild in the Irish speech and of 480. yeares and more standing in that Country would to God Orrery had gotten his wish in this and that his Ormond had been of two sydes an Englishman and that our Country and Countrymen had never knowne Ormond Orrery or Orrerys father were it soe things had gon far better with vs and with the Country you see how this Statsman makes noe difference between the confederate Catholicks and the Rebells of Scotland and England whoe got vp in actuall Armes against the King who bought and sould him had him close Prisoner at the same tyme these words were spoken by Ormond can Ormond produce such an oath of association made and agreed vpon by the Parlimentary party to maintaine the Kings prorogatives rights person and Royall interest as wee have made and set forth vnto the world vpon all occations and in all places even in the lowest ebb of his Majestys affaires wee spoke with veneration and respect of his sacred person when they in pulpits streets banks and theaters in theire privat meetings and Counsels disdainfully violated his sacred person and persued him even in theire news books as you may see in the Heu and Cry of Mercurius Britantcus ridiculously set forth in this forme If any man can bring tale or tyding of a wilfull King which hath wilfully gon a stray from his Parliment with a guilty conscience bloody hands a hart full of broaken vowes and protestations if these marks be not sufficient there is another in the mouth for bid him speak and you will soon know him then give notice to Britanicus and you shall be well payd for your paines god saue the Parliment These and such like scurrilous disrespects to his Royaell person would be theire quotidian pastime yet our good Ormond was pleased to list vs in the ranke and cathalogue of those rediculous prophaine Rebells His Vnâ—e and his Brother-inlaw the two prefated Viscounts and the rest of his affected frinds would hardly believe had an Angel affirmd it that Ormond would harbour soe hard a thought of the confederate Catholicks whome hee knew full well in his â—art to be good faithfull and Zealous subjects Now notwithstanding all these instructions and the Kings letters before mentioned with all the instances Mr. Win ergrant could make which were done with a great deal of care and Iudgment notwithstanding the accomodation which I shall insert heere sent by the confederate Catholicks to Ormond notwithstanding all this I say hee yielded vp to the Kings enemys the Castle of Dublin the Sword and all in which and by which action hee discovered his hatred to the confederate Catholicks his affection to the Parliment his disrespect and manifest disobedience to the Kings orders and commaunds and to those of the Queen and
its total extent specially through these Nations Further he sayes they rendred the Catholicks vncapable of any mercy intended by the King for tender consciences that great argument being saith he the Irish rebellion in 41 the opposition and reiection of the peace of 46. with all the circumstances and consequents of euer since the fatall worke of Waterford Congregation the opposition likewise made by a very considerable part of the Cleargy and people to the peace of 48 and the Cleargy's rendring it at last fruitless euen I say after a general reception of and submission to it by the declaration made and censure issued at lamestowne and by the indeuours before and afther that last vnfortunat meeting of the Bishops finally their twice forcing or at least putting a necessitie on his Majesties Leutenant to depart the Kingdom The diuin who justifyed the casting away of the peace of 46 answered VVailsh in this kind This fa shewed himselfe presumptuous and to buisie in censuring the Cedars and Pillars of the Church to whom he ought to bow his head for reuerence and would haue done soe had he been a true and humble child of S. Francis all he haue said or can say will come to nothing and his arguments will be found of noe more strenght then a wauering reed such a thing he is for hauing plaid Iack on both sides will he dare say he had more piety then all the Bishops and Cleargy of the Kingdom more learning then they all in one body more loue to th◠flocks and people more fidelitie to the King more interrest in the nation or had he better knowledge of what past since the making the peace of 48 till the meeting of Iamestowne then they all what authoritie power or comission had he to iudge the decrees of Bishops and Cleargy he should rather have listened to Seneca's advise si judicas coonosce know affore you iudge he knew not the grounds the Bishops went vpon and consequently gaue an erronious iudgment there needs noe other reasons or arguments for convincing him then the view of the acts and Decrees of the said congregation in calling the Congregation fatall and vnfortunat he shews neither education or breeding towards these two venerable meetings He is erroniously mistaken in saying they gaue cause of scandall to the people as for the reuolution of 41. it hath been justified a holy and lawfull war by a skilfull and learned pen the Acts of the Congregation of Iamestowne alsoe haue been made good and maintained by what I haue writen and was not yet answered by Fa VVailsh the peace of 48 was not rendred as he pretends maliciously frùitlesse by those of Iamestowne or the people the Irish Comissioners haue sufficiently proued this in London before his Majestie and Counsel Besides the Bishops neuer intermedled in that peace hauing still esteemed the same as a pretious iewel of the Kingdom dearly bought and such as euery man desired to performe it hath been already sufficiently proued that they did not render these Articles fruitlesse but Fa VVailsh sayes they rendered them fruitlesse by putting a necessitie which is the second proposition objected against them vpon the Lord Leutenant to part the Kingdom and this wee alsoe denie Fa VVailsh will find noe such decree of ours to that purpose if his Excellency was able to doe any good in the extreme condition wee were in why did not he stay the obligation of being Lord Leutenant would haue him stay and this was not taken from him the truth is he was not able by his staying to face the enemie or defend what as yet was in the King◠possession and this is it made him goe away ashamed and confounded to have lost vs all wee had in our possession when he made the peace with vs and that he saw noe way of regaining the places lost this made him leaue the Gouernment with the Lord Marques of Clanricard when he saw evidently all was goeing to wrack they say it is a secret instinct of ratts to leaue houses that are like to goe to ruine or vessells that are to be drowned this truth wee haue found by experience the Lord Leutenant had a stronger ground for leauing Irland then the secret instinct of these smal beasts reason made him euidently know that Irland was to be soon lost his coming to vs was a great if not the only cause of this vnrecouerable losse and that destruction was approching their doores shall I make this manifest First there was noe mony nor treasure to pay the soldiers which did not vse to fight without good pay though our cause for fighting was the best in the world for liues liberties fortunes estates and religion wee had good experience of this and wee neuer saw in any countrie souldiers soe wel paid now cleare it is there was noe way for paying ergò noe fighting to be expected secondly there was noe amunition of pouder for defending the places wee had nor for field service would men thinke you expose themselves as marks to the enemie expresly to be killed without any defense Thirdly there was noe revenue or rents to be had for supporting in the future the souldrie officers traine of Artillerie pensions for Commissioners of trust and other necessarie Comissioners attending the Armie and publick this truth is cleare out of the Gentlemen Commissioners at London to witt that there was noe towne or considerable place when his Excellency did depart in his Majesties hands but Limerick and Galway and the Counties of Galway and Clare the other parts of connaght being wast and the rest of the Kingdom lost all which as they auerre happened before the proceedings of that part of the Cleargy mett at Iamestowne as was said before Fourthly there was noe expectation of ayde from any part of the world In this place I shall desire my Lord of Ormond or Fa VVailsh for him to name me any person Lord Gentleman Cittizen marchand or yeoman that would giue at that time by way of lone or gift vnto the publick any thing what hopes then had my Lord Leutenant of any substance to maintaine the war they will say there remained as yet the Citties Limerick and Galway and in these were many rich men but let him tell me who was able to get these riches the Lord Bishop of Limerick noe the Arch-bishop of Tuame ordinarie of Galway noe the Comissioners of trust nor those noe nor all the Bishops and Clergy of the Kingdom with them nor my Lord Leutenant himselfe in whose face they shut their gates I confess my Lord Leutenant had his faction in Limerick though the maior and honnester part were against him the recorder stackpole a rotten fellow his creaghs whites macnemarras and Fenells all these did not prouide the least in way of loane or otherwise they painted honnest men in ill collours and tould his excellency vnder hand they were to be suspected and feared but at last they them selues proued traitours and knaues