and yet but partly, their own proper guilt; for many of them acted it on that of Great Britain too, even the most horrid guilt imaginable, by the most bloody and most execrable murder of the best and most innocent of kings," CHAP. VIII. The conduct of the catholic clergy during the insurrection. BUT whatever cruelties these insurgents are supposed to have committed on the English and protestants, either in or out of war, they are all said to have been perpetrated by the advice and instigation of their clergy. Mr. Hume, too confident of the truth of this imputation, on the sole credit of the depositions be fore-mentioned, has launched out into the most pathetic strains of invective on that occasion. "The English," says her "as heretics abhorred of God, and detestable to all holy men, were marked out by the priests for slaughter; and of all actions, to rid the world of these declared enemies, of catholic faith and piety was represented as the most meritorious." And thus, in consequence of these documents," while death," adds he, "finished the sufferings of each victim, the bigotted assassins, with joy and exultation, still echoed in his expiring ears, that these agonies were but the commencement of torments infinite and eternal." This indeed, might have appeared a pretty rhetorical flourish, but that the expression, "expiring ears," is somewhat of the boldest and borders too closely on nonsense; but it never could have passed for real and genuine history with any one who had taken the least pains to inform himself of the principles and conduct of these priests, at that dismal juncture.* Mr. Hume might have learned, even from Borlase, that in a congregation of their archbishops, bishops, and inferior clergy, at Kilkenny, in May, 1642, excommunication was denounced History of England, Dublin edition, vol. iv. 2 History of the Irish Rebellion. "If the popish ecclesiastics," says Dr. Leland, "preached their horrid doctrines of blood and massacre, others were known equally zealous to moderate the excesses of war, to protect the English, and to conceal them from the fury of the enemy, even in their places of worship, and under their altars."-Hist. of Irel, vol. iii. p. 155. against all those of their communion, "who either had, from the beginning of the war, or should afterwards, in the course of it, murder, dismember or grievously strike; all thieves, unlawful spoilers or robbers of any goods; and such as favored or received them." And they even included in this censure, "all such as had invaded or should invade the possessions or goods, spiritual or temporal, of any Irish protestant, not being their adversary, and should detain them." They also, "commanded all and every of their clergy, as well regular as secular, not to hear the confessions of the aforesaid excommunicated persons; nor to administer to them the holy sacrament, under pain of ex communication ipso facto." "This was," says Dr. Warner,3 " a general synod of all the popish bishops and clergy of Ireland. Three of the titular archbishops, six other bishops, the proxies of five more, besides vicars-generals, and other dignitaries were present at this synod. And as these are the acts and ordinances purely of the Roman catholic clergy of Ireland, represented in a general synod, I suppose it would be allowed on all sides, that whatever proceed. ings are here condemned, are to be placed to the account of the follies and vices of particular people; and cannot fairly be charged on the Roman faith."* Many instances might be produced of the great beneficence and humanity of these ecclesiastics, to the distressed English and protestants, at that period. "At the taking of Cashell, Dr. Samuel Pullen, chancellor of that city, and dean of Clonfert, with his wife and children, was preserved by father James 4 Carte's Orm. vol. i. 3 Hist. of the Irish Rebellior, fol. 201. How weak, how uncharitable, how unjust," exclaims the same writer, " is it in those, who charge such horrid impieties on the principles of the Roman catholic religion, as were merely owing to the accursed, hellish disposition of particular persons who gave a-loose to them! The protestants I am sure would take it ill, and very justly, if the barbarities of sir Charles Coote, and sir Frederick Hamilton, were fastened on their religion. And why then should they charge those of which sir Phelim O'Nial and others were guilty, on the principles of the Romish church, which hath disclaimed them? These considerations may be too candid and impartial, to please the ignorant and bigotted, of either side: but they will teach principles and practices more agreeable to christianity, than those which prevailed at that time, and which we now so much lament.”—History of the Irish Rebels p. 202. Saul, a jesuit. Several other Romish priests distinguished themselves on that occasion, by their endeavors to save the English; particularly father Joseph Everard, and Redmond · English, both franciscan frias; who hid some of them in their chapel, and even under their altar. And soon after, those who had been thus preserved were, according to their desire, safely conveyed into the county of Cork by a guard of the Irish inha bitants of Cashel, who acted with so much good faith, that several of the convoy were wounded in defending them from the violence of the rabble upon the mountains in their passage." Doctor Bedel, bishop of Kilmore, when a prisoner with the insurgents, who doubtless had many priests among them, "was never interrupteds in the exercise of his worship, although not only his house and all the out-buildings, but also the church and church-yard, were full of people that flocked to him for protection. So that from the 23d of October, to the 18th of December following, he, and all those within his walls, enjoyed to a miracle," says bishop Burnet, " perfect quiet. And when he died, at the age of seventy-one, the titular bishop of the diocese, though he had proselyted his brother, a popish priest, to the communion of the established church, suffered him to be buried in consecrated ground, the Irish doing him unusual honors at his funeral. For the chiefs of the insurgents having assembled their forces, accompanied his body to the church-yard with great solemnity; and desired Mr. Clogy, one of his chaplains, to bury him according to the church offices. At his interment they discharged a volley of shot, crying out in latin, hic requies cat ultimus Anglorum! May the last of the English rest in peace! Edmund Farilly, a popish priest, exclaimed at the same time, 0, sit anima mea cum Bedello! Would to God that my soul were with Bedel!" 5 Burnet's Life of Bedel. CHAP. IX. The first cause of the insurrection increasing. FOR almost six weeks from its beginning,' this insurrection was confined to the province of Ulster, the three other provinces of Ireland remaining quiet. Even in the conspirators first, aud principal design, to seize the castle of Dublin, not one of the catholics of that city was any way concerned, although they were then fifteen to one protestant ;2 and what might have been an additional temptation,3 " there was not a company of the army, at that juncture, in the town." Nay so long after as June 1642, the lords justices themselves testified,4❝ that no particular crimes could be objected to them, and that they could not be charged with any thing but bare suspicion."+ Not less quiet during the same space of time were the prin cipal inhabitants of the county of Wicklow; although a great part of their territory had been taken from them and planted, some years before. Nor was there yet any considerable commotion in Connaught, Clare, Tipperary and Limerick, « which had been all lately found for the king, by several inquisitions, and were then ready to be disposed of to British undertakers." In short, it may, on very probable grounds, be asserted, that for near two months after the 23d of October, 1641, no formal insurrection appeared among the natives of any of the four provinces, except those of Ulster, who had been particularly threatened with extirpation, and were generally, says lord Clanrick 1 Warner's History of the Irish Rebellion, p. 130. 2 Carte's Orm, vol. i. 4 Temple's History of the Irish Rebellion. 3 Id. ib. 5 Id. ib. 6 Id. ib. * Even Carte confesses, that "the rebellion had been carried on till the month of December, by the mere Irish, and confined to Ulster, to some few counties in Leinster, and that of Leitrim and Connaught." Life of Orm. vol. i. fol. 243.-He had before observed, "that no one nobleman of the kingdom, or any estated gentleman of English race, engaged in the rebellion till the month of December.-Ib. †The earl of Clanrickard, in a letter to the earl of Essex, December 6th, 1641, tells him, "that there was then no nobleman in the kingdom in the action; nor any gentleman of quality of English extraction; and that ma y of the antient Irish were still firm."-Carte's Orm. vol. iii. fol. 44. ard, "haughty and ambitious spirits, the remains of the branches of antient rebels, and had lost large and great possessions."* What occasioned the fatal change, that soon after ensued, in 'most parts of the kingdom, I shall now endeavor to demon strate. In August, 1641, the Irish parliament was in daily expectation of the return of their agents from England, with the royal assent to two bills, that would have put an effectual stop to those predatory suits of enquiry into defective titles, which had been so long and grievously complained of. « Never," says Mr. Carte," were two acts better adapted to give general satisfaction to any people, than these were to the gentlemen of Ireland." Even Temple owns," that these bills had been long and most impetuously longed for by the Irish." And although his majesty had, in May preceding, sent positive orders to the justices,10 to pass these bills, and the other promised graces; and the commons first, and afterwards both houses, had most earnestly and repeatedly besought them," "that they might be suffered to continue together for a further time, because their agents were at the water-side with these bills;" yet these lords justices, acting every thing in Ireland, by the influ 12 * In their remonstrance to the king on this occasion, they say, "We cannot but with much sorrow represent to your royal majesty, how that the natives in the province of Ulster, and other the late plantations made here by the English, were by force expelled out of their native seats and antient possessions, without just grounds; and many of the principal gentlemen, who served the crown in the wars of queen Elizabeth, and were the principal means of the overthrow of the late earl of Tyrone and his adherents were, for their service, bereaved likewise of their whole estates, and confined to perpetual imprisonment in the tower of London.”—Desid. Curios. Hibern, vol. ii. p. 93. † One was the act of limitations, to bar all titles, claims and challenges of the crown before sixty years last past, to cut off all expectations upon the ancient title, and to strengthen, by new grants and patents, all titles from the crown.-Borlase's Irish Rebel. fol. 23. "The king," says Mr. Carte," had sent positive orders, on the 3d of May 1641, to the lords justices, to pass the act of limitations, and all the other graces in parliament,"-Life of Orm, vol. i. fol. 143, |