â—hall be given up it shall be valued and the price deâ—ucted out of what is to be paid for the Provisions to be â—urnish'd to the Troops on Ship-Board 27. That there shall be a Cessation of Arms at Land â—s also at Sea with respect to the Ships whether English Dutch or French designed for the Transporâ—â—tion of the said Troops until they shall be returned â—o their respective Harbours and that on both sides â—hey shall be furnish'd with sufficient Pass-Ports both â—or Ships and Men and if any Sea-Commander or Captain of a Ship any Officer Trooper Dragoon or Soldier or any other Person shall act contrary to this Cessation the Persons so acting shall be punished on â—ither side and satisfaction shall be made for the wrong â—hat is done and Officers shall be sent to the Mouth of the River of Lymerick to give notice to the Commanders of the English and French Fleets of the present Conjuncture that they may observe the Cessation of Arms â—ccordingly 28. That for surety of the Execution of this present Capitulation and of each Article therein contained the Besieged shall give the following Hostages 29. If before this Capitulation is fully executed there happens any Change in the Government or Command of the Army which is now commanded by Generaâ— Ginckel all those that shall be appointed to command thâ— same shall be obliged to observe and execute what iâ— specified in these Articles or cause it to be executeâ— punctually and shall not act contrary on any aâ—count D'Vsson Le Chevalier de Tessee Latour Monfort Mark Talbot Lucan Jo. Wauchop Galmoy M. Purcell ARTICLES agreed upon the Third Day of October 1691. between the Right Honourable Sir Charles Porter Knight and Thomas Conyngesby Esq Lords Justices of Ireland and his Excellency the Baron De Ginckel Lieut. General and Commader in Chief of the English Army on the one part and the Right Honourable Patrick Earl of Lucan Percy Viscount Gallmoy Col. Nic. Purcell Col. Dillon and Col. John Browne on the other side on the behalf of the Irish Inhabitants in the City and County of Lymerick the Counties of Clare Cork Kerry Sligo and Mayo in consideration of the surrender of the City of Lymerick and other Agreements made between the said Lieut. Gen. Ginckel the Governour of the City of Lymerick and the Generals of the Irish Army bearing Date with these Presents for the Surrender of the said City and Submission of the said Army 1. THat the Roman Catholicks of this Kingdom shall enjoy such Privileges in the Exercise of their Religion as are consistent with the Laws of Ireland or as they did enjoy in the Reign of King Charles the Second and Their Majesties assoon as their Affairs will permit them to summon a Parliament in this Kingdom will endeavour to procure the said Roman Catholicks such further Security in that Particular as may preserve them from any disturbance upon the account of their said Religion 2. All the Inhabitants or Residents of Lymerick or any other Garrison now in the possession of the Irish and all Officers and Souldiers now in Arms under any Commission of K. James or those Authorized by him to grant the same in the several Counties of Lymerick Cork Kerry Clare Sligo and Mayo or any of them and all the Commission'd Officers in their Majesties Quarters that belong to the Irish Regiments now in being that are treated with and who are not Prisoners of War or have taken Protection who shall return and submit to Their Majesties Obedience their and every of their Heirs shall hold possess and enjoy all and every their Estates of Free-hold and Inheritance and all the Right Title and Interest Privileges and Immunities which they and every or any of them held enjoyed or were rightfully entitled to in the Reign of K. Charles the Second or at any time since by the Laws and Statutes that were in force in the said Reign of King Charles the Second and shall be put in possession by order of the Government of such of them as are in the King's Hands or the Hands of his Tenants without being put to any Suit or Trouble therein and all such Estates shall be freed and discharged from all Arrears of Crown-Rents Quit-Rents and other publick Charges incurred and become due since Michaelmas 1688 to the Day of the Date hereof and all Persons comprehended in this Article shall have hold and enjoy all their Goods and Chattels real and personal to them or any of them belonging and remaining either in their own Hands or in the Hands of any Persons whatsoever in Trust for or for the Use of them or any of them And all and every the said Persons of what Profession Trade or Calling soever they be shall and may use exercise and practise their several and respective Professions Trades and Callings as freely as they did use exercise and enjoy the same in the Reign of K. James the Second provided that nothing in this Article contained be construed to extend to or restore any forfeiting Person now out of the Kingdom except what are hereafter comprized Provided also That no Person whatsoever shall have or enjoy the Benefit of this Article that shall neglect or refuse to take the Oath of Allegiance made by Act of Parliament in England in the first year of the Reign of their present Majesties when thereunto required 3. All Merchants or reputed Merchants of the City of Lymerick or of any other Garrison now possessed by the Irish or of any Town or Place in the Counties of Clare or Kerry who are absent beyond the Seas that have not bore Arms since Their Majesties Declaration in February 1688 9 shall have the Benefit of the Second Article in the same manner as if they were present provided such Merchants and reputed Merchants do repair into this Kingdom within the space of eight Months from the Date hereof 4. The following Officers viz. Col. Simon Lutterill Col. Rowland White Maurice Eustace of Yearmanstown Cheviers of Maystown commonly called Mount-Linster now belonging to the Regiments of the aforesaid Garrisons and Quarters of the Irish Army who are beyond the Seas and sent thither upon Affairs of their respective Regiments or the Army in general shall have the Benefit and Advantage of the Second Article provided they return hither within the space of eight Months from the Date of these Presents and submit to Their Majesties Government and take the above-mentioned Oath 5. That all and singular the said Persons comprized in the Second and Third Articles shall have a General Pardon of all Attainders Outlawries Treasons Misprisions of Treasons Premunires Felonies Trespasses and other Crimes and Misdemeanors whatsoever by them or any of them committed since the beginning of the Reign of K. James the Second and if any of them are attainted by Parliament the Lords Justices and the General will use their best Endeavours to get the same Repealed by parliament and the Outlawries to be Reversed gratis
such a Pass or Wood precisely at such a time o' th' night or day as it stood with their conveniency and tho' you could not see a Man over night yet exactly at their hour you might find three or four hundred more or less as they had occasion all well Armed and ready for what design they had formerly projected but if they hapned to be discovered or over-powered they presently dispersed having before-hand appointed another place of Rendezous ten or twelve miles it may be from the place they then were at by which means our Men could never fix any close Engagement upon them during the Winter so that if they could have held out another year the Rapparees would have continued still very prejudicial to our Army as well by killing our Men privately as stealing our Horses and intercepting our Provisions But after all least the next Age may not be of the same humour with this and the name of a Rapparees may possibly be thought a finer thing than it really is I do assure you that in my Stile they never can be reputed other than Tories Robbers Thieves and Bogg-trotters The Insolence of those People however in the Bogg of Allen was curbed by Colonel Foulks and Colonel Piper before their return who killed one Gibney a Captain and several others About which time the King disposed of all January 1691. the vacant Bishopricks and other Ecclesiastical Preferments void in Ireland since the death of King Charles the Second On the 14th of January about sixty of the Garrison of A Party of ours march beyond the Shannon Castle-Forbes in the County of Longford with some of the Militia passed the River Shannon and burnt several places on the other side bringing off a good Booty without any loss And seventeen Transport Ships with two Men of War were ordered from the Bay of Dublin towards Kinsale to carry the Earl of Marlborough's and Colonel Fitz-Patrick's Regiments into Flanders together with the Prisoners taken at Cork and Kinsale these having joyned some other Vessels suffered much in their Voyage to Flanders by reason of bad Weather and some of them forced upon the Coast of England one or two Ships being lost And nigh the same time the Dover Frigat brought into Kinsale a French Privateer of 22 Guns and 10 Pettereroes belonging to St. Maloes Several Prisoners are now taken in scampering Parties and some Deserters come in who all give an account of the extraordinary scarcity of Provisions and other Necessaries amongst the Irish tho' this was only true in part for Prisoners will stretch to gain favour and Deserters are commonly prejudiced so that they make things as they would have it or speak by hear-say few of them telling any thing of their own knowledge for before a Man deserts any side he commonly converses with those that are most disaffected and consequently least trusted he comes off partial however so that no extraordinary stress is usually to be laid upon such Informations Nigh this time several Ships arriv'd at Gallway from France My Lord Tyrconnel returns from France and brought over my Lord Tyrconnel Sir Richard Neagle and Sir Stephen Rice with about only 8000 l. in Money which was a great disappointment to the Irish who had a small distribution by way of Donative but not as pay There came also some Soldiers-Coats and Caps but such sorry ones that the Irish themselves could easily see in what esteem their Master of France had them A Party of the Militia of Bandon advance into the Enemies Quarters and killing some few stranglers brought off a good Prey according to the custom of the Country But afterwards about 1500 of the Enemy pass the Black-Water A Party of the Irish besiege Fermoy near Fermoy where there was some of the Danes posted in a Fort which the Irish pretended to Attack upon their near approach our Men fired and the Irish seemed resolute for some time but sixteen of them being killed with a French Officer the rest were presently a little more calm and then they made an attempt on the other side on Fermoy-Bridge but were beat back with two small Field-Pieces which they had Intelligence were removed and six of them killed at that place but by this time part of Colonel Donep's Horse were come to Castle Leons and fifty of them with 30 Militia Dragoons engaged a greater Number of the Irish and killed sixty pursuing the rest nigh two Miles till they came towards their main Body which was commanded by Brigadier Carol who was obliged to retire without what he came for Richard Pyne Esquire formerly one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal is now made Lord Chief Justice of the Common-Pleas And Jan. 26 some Recruits are sent from Dublin to re-inforce the Garrison of Kiâ—meague in the Isle of Allen and other places in the County of Kildare And now to satisfie both the Army and Country as much as could be comes out a Proclamation That all Persons who had given subsistence of Provisions c. to the Army should receive satisfaction for the same according to the Rates made publick in the beginning of Winter And that all Arrears of Pay due to Officers or Soldiers who died were killed or removed from Their Majesties Service should be paid to their Relations In order to which there were certain Commissioners appointed to state the Accompts of the Army February 1691. These Commissioners were William Robinson John Stone Edward Corker John South and Edward Molineux Commissioners appointed to state the Accompts of the Army Esquires who some of them here sate every Day for many Months together upon this Affair Jan. 29. A Ship belonging to Chester-Water was cast away in the Bay of Dublin Ball the owner and all the Passengers being lost The same Day upwards of 200 Prisoners were put on Board there and sent to Cork with Orders to be transported to Flanders A Detachment of the Garrison of Cork being two hundred Foot and 300 Dragoons march towards Church-Town and Buttafant two of the Enemies Frontier-Towns in that County where they had a Party of Horse and Foot but they withdrew at our approach leaving the Places to be burnt by our Men which was done accordingly The beginning of February a Party of the Army with some of the Militia march'd from Clonmell within ten Miles of Limerick meeting with little opposition killed only about twelve stragling Rapparees and burnt what Cabbins and other places of shelter for the Irish they met withal returning with a prey of Cattle and three or four Prisoners February the 4th A Declaration was published at Dublin A Declaration from the General to the Irish by Lieutenant-General Ginckel setting forth That Their Majesties had no design to Oppress their Roman-Catholick Subjects of this Kingdom in either their Religion or their Properties but had given him Authority to grant reasonable Terms to all such as would come in and submit according to their Duty But
by Their Majesties special Direction and Command do by this Our Proclamation Publish Declare and Promise that All and Every the Private Souldiers now in Arms against Their Majesties in the Enemies Army who shall within three Weeks after the Date of this Our Proclamation surrender up Themselves their Horse Arms and Furniture to the Commander in Chief or any other Their Majesties Officers shall not only be paid a reasonable Rate for their Horse Arms and Furniture which they shall so deliver up but shall be fully and freely Pardoned of all Treasons and other Crimes and Offences against Their Majesties and that All and Every Person or Persons who now are Governours Officers Commanders or Souldiers of or in any Cities Towns Forts Castles or other Garrisons in Their Kingdom of Ireland not already under Their Majesties Power and Obedience who shall surrender deliver and yield up any such City Town Fort or Garrison unto the General or other Officer of Their Majesties Army within three Weeks after the Date of this Our Proclamation and All other Officers and Souldiers now serving or being in the Enemies Army or Quarters who shall within three Weeks time after the Date of this Our Proclamation come in and bring with them their Regiments Troops or Companies or some considerable part thereof and submit themselves to Their Majesties Obedience and deliver up their Horses Arms and Furniture of War they and every of them both Officers and Souldiers shall be fully freely and absolutely Pardoned of all manner of Treasons Crimes or Offences committed against Their Majesties Their Crown and Dignity and shall also be Restored to and put in Possession of all their Estates forfeited for such Treasons Crimes and Offences and if any Citizens and Inhabitants or other Persons Residing in the City of Limerick or Town of Galway shall within the time aforesaid either of themselves or by joyning with any other be Instrumental or assisting in delivering up either of the said Places to Their Majesties Obedience they and every of them shall be likewise fully freely and absolutely Pardoned of all manner of Treasons Crimes or Offences committed against Their Majesties Their Crown and Dignity and shall also be Restored to and put in Possession of all their Estates forfeited for such Treason Crimes or Offences and we do hereby further Publish and Declare that if any Officers and Souldiers now in Command in the Enemies Army or in any of the Cities Castles Forts or Garrisons of the Enemy not having any Estates forfeited or to which he or they can be Restored shall render unto Their Majesties any of the Services aforesaid such Person and Persons Officers and Souldiers shall be fully and liberally Rewarded by the General of Their Majesties Army in such or greater Proportion as the Services by them done shall deserve and such of the said Officers and Souldiers as shall desire to Enter into Their Majesties Pay shall be Received in the like or better Post and Condition as they now Serve under the Enemy and lest those who are to take Benefit by this Proclamation may be Apprehensive of being prosecuted for Exercising their Religion tho Their Majesties have sufficiently manifested to the World by the Rest and Quiet not only Roman Catholicks of this Kingdom but those of England have injoyed under Their Government may be sufficient to Remove any such Apprehensions we are commanded further to Publish Declare And we do Hereby Publish and Declare that as soon as Their Majesties Affairs will permit them to Summon a Parliament in this Kingdom They will endeavour to procure them such further security in these particulars as may preserve them from any disturbance upon the account of their Religion and we do hereby Advise and Admonish all such Persons who still Adhere to the Enemy Carefully and Prudently to consider the ill Estate and Condition whereunto they are Reduced and seriously to recollect into their Minds and Memory the Quiet and Blessed Estate and Security which they enjoyed under the English Government and the vast difference betwixt that and the Tyranny of France and withal the terrible Consequences which must follow if they any longer neglect returning to their Duty and thereby lose the Benefit of Their Majesties most Benign and Gracious Compassion and Intention towards them Given at Their Majesties Castle of Dublin the 7th Day of July 1691. in the Third Year of Their Majesties Reign God Save the KING and QVEEN July the 8th all the heavy Baggage was a passing over the River and it was ordered that the Officers of the Quarter-Guards should go frequent Rounds and send all the Souldiers they found Gameing or Drinking after Taptoe to the Provoe's the General being much displeased at such Disorders by means of which a great many irregular things were done especially Plundering and Robbing of Tents which yet was continued tho several were made Examples to the very end of the Campaign It was also ordered that an Account of all those that were killed and wounded since our coming to this Town should be returned to the Adjutant General which was about Sixty Killed and a Hundred and Twenty wounded And that the General might leave nothing unattempted which might contribute to the bringing the Enemy over by fair means he settled Allowances of Subsistance to all Persons that would come off according to their several Qualifications viz. Collonels of Horse and Dragoons 11 l. 10 s. per Month and Foot 10 l. per Month and so proportionably to every one July the 9th proved a very hot day till about 5 in Extraordinary Rains and Thunder the Afternoon when it fell a Raining and then such Thunder Hail and a Hurrycane of Wind as the like had scarce been seen before this continued for two Hours in which time two Men and a Boy were killed by Lightning and two or three more hurt in the Prince of Hess's Regiment The Town being now pretty well cleared and new Works raised on Conaught side On Friday the 10th Our Army March from Athlone of July the General having left Col. Lloyd Governour of Athlone with his own and Lieut. Gen. Douglas's Regiments he moved forwards with the Army and Encamped that Night at Killcashel 7 Miles nearer to the Enemy whence the General went to view the Pass at Ballynasloe a small Village upon the River Suck where stands a Castle built formerly by the Ancestors of my Lord Clanrickard from hence the Enemy was retired 3 Miles further Saturday the 11th we marcht to Ballynasloe and encampt along the River Suck upon the Roscomon side this is a good Pass and the Irish might have given us some trouble in gaining it but that they had found out a much better place as will soon appear As our Army was Encamping our Great Officers went to the Hills of Knocksdunloe in the County of Galway about a Mile distant from our Camp from whence they could see the Enemies out-Guards upon the Hills of Corbally who upon our
desires a parley with the Lord-Deputy wherein he mentions that having found his Lordship though a sharp and powerful Antagonist yet an honourable and generous Enemy and the Irish not only weak and barbarous but as he feared perfidious Friends he therefore desired to depart upon such Terms befitting such Men of War as are not by necessity enforced to receive Conditions but willingly induced for just Respects to disengage themselves and to relinquish a People by whom their King and Master had been so notoriously abused if not betray'd Pacata Hib. p. 241. And its probable that upon some such Motives as those Monsieur D'Vssone consented to the Irish Capitulations though we heard afterwards that the French King was so far from thanking him for it that after some publick Indignities he sent him to the Bastile I humbly therefore am of Opinion that the Lords-Justices and the General did nothing in this Affair without Command or at least Instructions from Their Majesties and that it was neither inconsistent with the Rules of Prudence or Policy to grant the Irish what Terms they did which for the future may help to moderate the Passions of some sort of People Nor were the Lords-Justices Proclamations for the bringing in of the Rapparees and others not included in the Articles less seasonable since by this means the Kingdom became so calm and quiet all on a sudden that within one Fortnight after our Army was removed from Limerick a Man might have travelled alone through that whole Kingdom and that with as great Safety as through any part of England but if this had been delayed and the reducing those Scamperers attempted altogether by force pray let it be remembred how securely the Banditto's of Italy have November 1691. lived between the Power of the King of Spain and that of the Pope and how many Men in all Countries have prospered in doing mischief but especially in Ireland where there are so many Difficulties to march an Army and the Irish so well acquainted with the Boggs and other Fastnesses that it is impossible to beat them sooner out of one place than they 'll out-strip you to another being by constant practice extremely well skilled in making use of those Advantages but the aforesaid Articles and Proclamations have remedied all those Inconveniences and that Kingdom never enjoyed a more profound Peace than at present since every Insurrection when it is subdued makes an Addition to the Power of the Government But I 'm afraid a good Cause may suffer by ill management and therefore as to my business Towards the latter end of October we had an Account of his Majesty's safe Arrival in England from Flanders and that the English Parliament met on the 22 d. according to their Prorogation November the first all the Irish march out of the English Town of Limerick and our Men take possession of it The last of the Irish quit the English Town A great many of the Irish were shipp'd in the River some on Board the French Fleet and others in some of our Transport-Ships The number shipp'd in the River and that march'd towards Cork this last time is said to be 5650. But those that march'd by Land several of them deserted upon the Road notwithstanding the care of the Irish Officers to secure them for they begun to be sensible of the kind Treatment of those that were already returned home and were sorry to quit a Country they saw already so peaceable The Rose of Chester going down the Shannon with 120 of them drowned 120 Irish on Board was overset amongst the Rocks and all the Irish drowned tho' the Seamen were most of them saved The French Lieutenant-General took this very ill as if done on purpose by the Master and would needs have him tried for his Life for it but it appearing to be a perfect Accident he was satisfied And now the Irish Horse as many as were left were Their Horse shipt at Cork shipp'd off at Cork and with them Daniel Butts Esq Deputy Commissary-General of the Danish Forces to receive their Bills of Exchange and to see the Transport-Ships returned November the 3 d. the General came from Kilkenny The General goes to Dublin to Dublin being met and complemented on the Road by the Nobility Judges and Gentry Col. Byerley's Horse and the Prince of Hesse's Foot with the City-Militia both Horse and Foot being in Arms to receive him The Lord Mayor Aldermen Sheriffs and Citizens being all in their Formalities the Canons discharged several times and all the Demonstrations of Joy that could be made upon such an extraordinary Occasion Next Morning His Excellency was waited upon by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen and the other Citizens the Recorder Tho. Coote Esq in the Name of the City making a Speech to this effect That the City throughly sensible of the Dangers that lately The Recorder's Speech to him threatned them from an implacable Enemy that aimed at nothing less than the total Extirpation of the Protestant Religion and English Interest in this Kingdom to the tyrannical and slavish Government of the French King And finding themselves by your Excellencies Courage and Conduct not only delivered from those their just Fears but placed in view of a lasting Peace and Security And being zealous to express as much of their Gratitude as their present Circumstances will permit they are unanimously come to congratulate your Excellency on your great Success and to assure your Excellency that tho' they have many Grievances to place to the Account of that Enemy you have so gloriously subdued yet there are none they resent more than the having rendered them unable to raise to your Excellencies Memory those Monuments your Merits and their Obligations challenge yet what will be wanting in Brass and Marble they will endeavour to make up by their perpetual Applications to serve your Excellency And shou'd the rest of the World be so far ungrateful as to forget what your Excellency has done for the Preservation of the Protestant Religion and publick Liberty of Europe this City will while one stone stands upon another in it perpetuate to Posterity the glorious Actions you have performed this Campaign To which the General made return that he was extremely sensible of the Honours and Kindness the City had tendred him which he would upon all occasions acknowledge Next Day being the Anniversary of His Majesty's Birth it was observed with all the Splendour and Greatness imaginable my Lord Justice Conningsby entertaining the General with most of the Nobility at the Castle of Dublin And the Day following being Gun-Powder Treason had its usual Observations where at the end of the Service appointed for the Day the Baron de Ronsill a Flemish Lord who has lived these five or six years past in this Kingdom made a solemn Renunciation of the Romish and Profession of the Protestant Religion and was received at Christ-Church by the Arch-Bishop of Dublin After Sermon
themselves whether of English or Irish Extraction to advance the Power of England in that Kingdom Two main Objections answered Religion in the first place to be taken care of An Invasion from France upon that Kingdom England or Scotland at this juncture very improbable A Remark upon the last that endeavour'd it I Have now given you all that I know of this last unhappy Irish Wars that is fit at this juncture to be sent to the Press And it 's more possibly than some Men will thank me for or yet the following Remarks that I am going to make upon the Affairs of that Kingdom and its present Circumstances upon which if any please to throw away another half Hour tho' they find nothing worth taking notice of Yet I hope they 'll have no Reason to be angry since Opinion in things indifferent is free to all Men And we have no better way to conjecture what may be hereafter than by comparing our thoughts of it with what now is and formerly has been Ireland next to Great Brittain is the greatest Island The Circumference of Ireland in Europe esteemed by Sir William Petty at Ten Millions Five Hundred Thousand Irish Acres and by others at Ten Millions Eight Hundred and Sixty Eight Thousand Acres which they reckon to be above 17 Millions of English Measure 121 Irish Acres making about 196 English and yet Sir William Petty computes the Irish Acres to make not above 14 Millions of English accounting nigh two Millions of Acres in Mountains Bogs Strands and other unprofitable Land a great part of which however is capable of improvement and makes Ireland in circumference almost equal to England Wales excepted The Latitude of Ireland North is said to be parallel with Dumfrese in Scotland and South to St. Michael's Mount in Cornwal its Longitude West to the utmost point of Ire Conaght in the County of Galway and East to the head of Houth The Kingdom for many Ages past has been divided Itâ— Division into Provinces and Counties into four Provinces three of which before that Division were commonly distinct Monarchies and sometimes the fourth which by degrees as the English Interest prevailed were subdivided into Counties of which there are thirty two at this day in all the Kingdom The Provinces are Leinster Munster Conaght and Vlster Leinster has eleven Counties Dublin Wicklow and Wexford on the Sea-side East-Meath West-Meath and Carlow within Land tho' with a corner reaching to the Sea Kilkenny Kildare Kings-County Queens-County and Longford are Inland Counties also Munster has six Counties two within Land as Tipperary and Limerick but Waterford Cork Kerry and Clare all on the Coast Conaght has Galway Mayo and Sligo towards the Sea with Roscomon and Letrim within Land Vlster has six Counties on the Sea-side Fermanagh Donegal London-Derry Antrim Down and Louth and four within Land as Cavan Monohan Armagh and Tyrone In the Year 1151 according to Cambden Christianus Into Arch-Bishopricks and Bishopricks Bishop of Lismore Legate of all Ireland and Johannes Paperon Cardinal Priest according to Sir James Ware brought four Palls from Eugenius the third and held a Synod or Council at Kells as some say or at Mellefort according to others whereat were present the Bishops Abbots Kings Captains and Elders of Ireland when by General consent four Arch-Bishopricks were Constituted Armagh Dublin Cashel and Tuam under whom there were 34 other Bishopricks viz. ten subordinate to Armagh five to Dublin twelve to Cashel and seven to Tuam But now they are reduced to 21 in all and those divided into 2278 Parishes and those in a political capacity have eight that are called Cities Dublin Kilkenny Waterford Cork Cashel Clogher Limerick and London-Derry besides about ninety Boroughs and Corporations As to the Natural Advantages of Ireland many People The Soil of Ireland can confirm what Sir John Davis a Man of Wit Learning and Prudence has writ several Years ago viz. That having been in all the Provinces of that Kingdom he had observed the good Temperature of the Air the fruitfulness of the Soil the pleasant and commodious Seats for Habitation the safe and large Ports and Havens lying open for Traffick unto all the West parts of the World the long Inlets of many Navigable Rivers and so many great Lakes and fresh Ponds within Land as the like are not to be seen in any part of Europe the rich Fishings and Wild Fowl of all Kinds And lastly the Bodies and Minds of the People Endowed with extraordinary Abilities of Nature And however it has become a Proverb in England The Irish no such Fools as the World Commonly makes them to call a dull unthinking Fellow a Man of an Irish Understanding yet for any thing appears to the contrary they have acted a Prudent part for at least these Five Hundred Years nor is their crafty insinuating wheedling way as yet any thing abated and whosoever will look amongst the Natives of that Countrey at this juncture will probably find some Knaves but as few Folls as in any other Kingdom of the World But since I have mention'd so Judicious an Author Sir John Davis his Reasons why Ireland has been so long in reducing to the Crown of England as Sir John Davis I suppose it will not be unpleasant to hear some of his Reasons why it has been so long a time before Ireland was entirely subject to the Crown of England and why the English were more apt to run into the Irish Barbarous Customs and imitate their way of living than on the Contrary As to the first of these he mentions four main defects of the Armies that at different times were sent out of England to Conquer Ireland 1. They were for the most part too weak for a Conquest 2. When otherwise as in both the Journies of Richard the Second they were too soon broken up and dissolved 3. They were ill paid and 4. They were ill Govern'd a necessary Consequence of the former Which Inconveniences happen'd because the King 's of England for many Ages together were generally otherwise imploy'd either in the Holy-Land or in France or in their Wars with Scotland or else in that unhappy fewd between the two Houses of Lancaster and York So that they cou'd neither attend the Irish War in their own Persons nor spare a Competency either of Men or Money to compleat the Work which was only begun in King Henry the Second's days rather by a few private Adventurers than by any thing that had the face of a Royal Army And besides the standing Forces were seldom or never reinforced out of England that is in the times towards the beginning of the English Government only the King's Treasure there was spent and wholly spent in the King's service so that in the Reigns of four successive Kings Viz. Henry III. Edward I. Edward II. and Edward III. between the Receipts and Allowances this Entry is commonly found in the Pipe-Rolls In Thesauro