and was the only peer who sat that day with a sword in the house. Upon the earl's being sent for by the deputy that very night, to appear before the council, and answer for his disobedience to the proclamation, he owned he had seen it, and added, "that he disobeyed both that and his lordship's order, out of deference to an higher authority; and then produced the king's writ, which summoned him to come to parliament, cum gladio cinctus. This altercation was the beginning and cause of that great friendship, which subsisted between these two noblemen during lord Wentworth's life."

CHAP. VII.

Some transactions of this parliament.

ON the 16th of July 1634, this parliament met* in the castle of Dublin: "Undoubtedly," says Wentworth," with the greatest civility and splendor Ireland ever saw; there having appeared a very gallant nobility and gentry, far above that I expected; and all this accompanied with singular chearfulness towards his majesty's affairs."

2

His lordship in his speech, acquainted them, “that his majesty expected an hundred thousand pounds debt to be discharged, and twenty thousand pounds a year constant and

After the then customary procession from thence to St. Patrick's church to hear divine service, and a sermon on that occasion, Wentworth observed," that lord Fitzwilliams having sent to him, to desire that he might carry the sword to the church (a courtesy, adds he, I should refuse no person of his quality, never dreaming that a recusant could be so vain as to affect it); before me into the church he went; and if you had seen him, how he made a single forward, and ran a double backward again; it would make you smile. This is the naked truth; I was sorry when I understood him to be of that religion, and shall, craving his majesty's pardon for my error, not fall into the like again."-State Letters, vol. i. fol. 201.

His lordship was told in answer to this point," that he had good reason to suffer that lord, at his own request, to bear the sword; wherein if he did any thing maliciously, in contempt or disgrace of religion, or the deputy's authority, he was to be convented and punished as he deserved," -Ib. fol. 202,

standing revenue, to be set apart for payment of the army." He likewise told them, " that his majesty intended to have two sessions of that parliament, the one for himself, the other for them; so as if they, without conditions, supplied the king in this, they might be sure his majesty would go along with them in the next meeting, through all the expressions of a gracious and good king."

Lord Wentworth knew,3 that in the year 1628, the king had given the Irish his solemn promise, for a valuable consideration, that he would, in their next parliament, (which was that now assembled) remove several grievances that had been humbly remonstrated to him, particularly the enquiry into defective titles; but he was sensible at the same time, that this solemn promise would not be kept; nay, he had himself actually persuaded the king not to keep it. It was therefore with reason apprehended, by both his majesty and his lordship, that the commons would insist on the performance of that promise, before they granted the supplies in question; on which account it was thought advisable to make two sessions of that parliament, and to give them the king's promise for both. At all events, it seems to have been resolved upon, in case the commons insisted on the previous performance of the king's promise, to dissolve the parliament, and raise the supplies in an arbitrary way. Under this apprehension, his majesty told the deputy," that it would not be worse for him, though that parliament's obstinacy should make him break with them; for I fear," adds he, "they have some grounds to demand more than it is fit for me to give."+

The deputy, however, took uncommon pains to persuade them, that in case of their free and unconditional grant of the

3 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 61.

4 Id. ib. fol. 233.

"A free gift of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds; of which they had paid in 1631, one hundred and six thousand two hundred and four score pounds sixteen shillings and two pence farthing. This money had been given to his majesty, on account of the above-mentioned promise."-See Straff. State Lett. vol. i. fol. 68.

The principal of the promised graces, and which they chiefly insisted upon, was "that of limiting the title of the crown to sixty years, by which alone, says Mr. Carte, his majesty would lose twenty thousand pounds a year."-Ormond, vol. i. fol. 61,

supplies, the king would certainly confirm the promised graces; and in order to banish from their minds all diffidence in that respect," "Surely," said he, "so great a meanness cannot enter your hearts, as once to suspect his majesty's gracious regards of you, and performance with you, where you affie yourselves upon his grace." And yet his lordship had not only advised his majesty, as I have already observed, to break his solemn promise to these people; but also, in order more effectually to persuade him to do so, had even engaged to take upon himself all the danger and infamy that was likely to arise from it. For which wonderful piece of service, his majesty, soon after, thanked him, in a letter written with his own hand.t

But lest these artful insinuations should not prevail with the commons, he thought proper to enforce his demands by some high expressions, tending to frighten them into a speedy compliance."Let me not," said he, " prove a Cassandra amongst you, to speak truth, and not to be believed. How

5 Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 223. 6 16.

But with how little sincerity, appears from his letter to the secretary Coke on that subject: "Let me," says he, tell you in your ear, howbeit we set a fair style on these laws, as beneficial to the commonwealth, yet there are of them, which I dare confidently affirm, will be worth the king at least four thousand pounds a year in the court of wards and alienations, a point which my masters in the house dream not of."-State Letters, vol. i. fol. 305.

These laws were the statutes of wills and uses, which he afterwards, with much difficulty and in breach of his public promise, "that religion should not be touched upon," got passed in his packed parliament. “And by which, (as he afterwards boasted) his majesty had gained an unavoidable power in the education of the heirs of all the great families in the kingdom, as they fell; and so means to bring them up in our religion; a superintendency (adds he) of vast consequence, if rightly applied, as in part appears in the person of the earl of Ormond. Ib. vol. ii. fol. 8.-The abolition of this court was one of the principal graces which the king had solemnly promised to these people in 1628, for the valuable consideration hereafter mentioned.

"WENTWORTH,

"Before I answer any of your particular letters to me, I must tell you, that your last public dispatch has given me a great deal of contentment; and especially for the keeping off the envy of a necessary negative from me of those unreasonable graces that people expected from me."— Straff. State Lett. vol. i. fol. 331.

ever, speak truth I will, were I to become your enemy for it; remember therefore, that I tell you, you may either mar or make this parliament. If you proceed with respect, without laying clogs or conditions on the king, as wise men and good subjects ought to do, you shall infallibly set up this parliament eminent to posterity, as the very basis and foundation of the greatest happiness and prosperity that ever befell this nation. But, if you meet a great king with narrow circumscribed hearts, if you will needs be wise and cautious above the moon, remember again that I tell you, you shall never be able to cast your mists before the eyes of so discerning a king; you shall be found out, your sons shall wish they had been the children of more believing parents; and in a time when you look not for it, when it will be too late for you to help, the sad repentance of an unadvised breach shall be yours; lasting honour shall be my master's."

CHAP. VIII.

The legality of several elections questioned, but the motion

over-ruled.

THE very next day after lord Wentworth had delivered this speech to parliament (which it seems he did with so much haughty vehemence," that he was faint at the present, and the worse for it two or three days after,") the recusants began to call for the purging of the house;" an operation, which we may well presume, it then stood in great need of. But that motion was, with some difficulty, over-ruled. This interruption his lordship had not foreseen; and therefore ordered, that on the following day, the supplies should be instantly moved for,3" Not to be diverted," says he, " by any other proposition; not even by moving, that it should rest till the 2 Ib. 3 Ib. fol. 278.

1 Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 273.

"For this way," says he, "I was assured, they should have sounds at least; and the success was answerable. For had it been low and modestly delivered, I might, perchance, have gotten from them: It was pretty well; whereas this way, filling one of their senses with noise, and amusing the rest with earnestness and vehemence: It was the best spoken they ever heard in their lives."-State Letters, vol. i. fol. 391.

house had taken this purging physic, which they so hotly

called for."

The supplies were accordingly moved for on the following day, and six entire subsidies were unanimously voted to his majesty, payable in four years.*

These supplies were very considerable;+ and far exceeded his lordship's expectation.+" The proportion he was guided by, was to rate every thousand pounds per annum, with forty pounds payment to the king, each subsidy, so that," says he, "the subsidies raised this first, were more than I proposed to be had in both sessions, and were given freely and without any contradiction."

His lordship's observation on the catholics calling so hotly for the purging of the house," is worthy of some notice.

4 Id. ib.

"In this house (says Wentworth) the parties were in a manner equal; some few odds on the protestant party; and one watching the other lest their fellow should rob them, and apply the whole grace of his majesty's thanks to himself from the others; an emulation so well fomented underhand, that when the motion for the king's supply was made yesterday in the house of commons, being the fifth day of the session, they did with one voice assent to the giving of six subsidies, to be paid in four years."— Ib. fol. 274.

+ Each of these subsidies amounted to fifty thousand pounds; and he never propounded more to the king than thirty thousand.”—Ib. fol. 273.

But not without another attempt by the recusants for purging the house: "for," says Wentworth himself, " just as I foresaw, the popish party moved a stay, till the house were purged forsooth; they put it roundly to the question, and carried it by twenty-eight voices. Instantly the house turned into a committee; that side, fearing to lose their part of the honor and thanks (for the supplies), came round with all the chearfulness possible; and the other surprized, and no time left to recollect themselves, they all, with one voice, concluded the gift of six subsidies as was desired, before twelve o'clock.”—Ib. fol. 278.

An altercation which happened on this motion for purging the house, between sir John Dungan, bart. and one captain Price, a creature of the deputy's, may give us some idea of the tyrannical disposition of that government. The captain having made some indecent reflections on that motion, in the hearing of sir John, who sat so near him that he could not help over-hearing him; the knight, it seems, resented them so warmly, that the captain imagined he had given him the lie: but instead of demanding what is called private satisfaction for the affront, as military men are but too apt to do, this gallant officer lodged a public complaint against

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