21. "The lords justices, upon a further consideration, there being come unto them early next morning! several others of the privy council, sent before day, and seized upon Mac-Mahon, then with his servant in his own lodging.

22. "They at first made some little resistance with their drawn swords; but, finding themselves overmastered, presently yielded.

23. And so they were brought before the lords justices and council, still sitting at the lord Borlace's house.

24. "Where, upon examination, he did without much difficulty confess the plot, resolutely telling them, that on that very day, all the forts and strong places in Ireland would be taken!! 25. "That he, with the lord Macguire, Hugh Birn, captain Brian O'Neil, and several other Irish gentlemen, were come up expressly to surprise the castle of Dublin.

26. "That twenty men out of each county in the kingdom!!! were to be here to join with them.

27. "That all the lords and gentlemen in the kingdom, that were Papists, were engaged in this plot!!!

28. "That what was that day to be done in other parts of the country, was so far advanced by that time, as it was impossible for the wit of man to prevent it!

66

29. And withal told them, that it was true they had him in their power, and might use him how they pleased; but he was sure he should be revenged."

99338

1. Extract from "The lords chief justices' letter to the lord lieutenant, October 25th, 1641, sent by Owen O'Conally, the first discoverer.

2. "On Friday, the 22d of this month, after nine o'clock at night, this bearer, Owen O'Conally, SERVANT TO SIR JOHN CLOTWORTHY, KNIGHT, came to me, the lord justice Parsons, to my house,

3. "And in great secresie (as indeed the cause did require) discovered unto me a most wicked and damnable conspiracy, plotted, contrived, and intended to be also acted by some evil-affected Irish Papists here.

338 Temple, 21.

4. "The plot was on the then next morning, Saturday, the 23d of October, being St. Ignatius's day, about nine of the clock! to surprize his majestie's castle of Dublin, his majestie's chief strength of this kingdom; wherein also is the principal magazine of his majestie's arms and munition.

5. "And it was agreed, it seems, among them, that at the same hour, all other his majestie's forts and magazines of arms and munition in this kingdom!! should be surprized by others of those conspirators:

6. "And further, that all the Protestants and English throughout the whole kingdom, that would not join with them, should be cut off!! and so those Papists should then become possessed of the government and kingdom at the same instant.

7. "As soon as I had that intelligence, I then immediately repaired to the lord justice Borlace; and thereupon we instantly assembled the council.

8. "And having sate all that night!!! also all the next day, the 23d of October, in regard of the short time left us for the consultation of so great and weighty a matter, although it was not possible for us, upon so few hours' warning, to prevent those other great mischiefs which were to be acted, even at the same hour and at so great a distance, in all the other parts of the kingdom.

9. "Yet such was our industry therein, having caused the castle to be that night strengthened with armed men, and the city guarded, as the wicked councils of those evil persons, by the great mercy of God to us, became defeated, so as they were not able to act that part of their treachery, which indeed was principal,

10. "And which, if they could have effected, would have rendered the rest of their purposes the more easy.

11. "Having so secured the castle, we forthwith laid about for the apprehension of as many of the offenders as we could, many of them having come to this city but that night, intending, it seems, the next morning, to act their parts in those treacherous and bloody crimes.

12. "The first man apprehended was one Hugh Mac-Mahon, Esq. (grandson to the traitor Tyrone) a gentleman of good fortune in the county of Monaghan, who, with others,

WAS TAKEN THAT MORNING in Dublin, having, at the time of their apprehension, offered a little resistance with their swords drawn; but finding those we employed against them more in number, and better armed, yielded.

13. "He, upon examination before us, at first denied all; but in the end, when he saw we laid it home to him, he confessed enough to destroy himself, and impeach some others, as by a copy of his examinations herewith sent, may appear to your lordship.

14. "We then committed him till we might have further time to examine him again, our time being become more needful to be employed in action for securing this place, than examining. This Mac-Mahon had been abroad, and served the king of Spain as a lieutenant-colonel.

15. "Upon conference with him and others!!! and calling to mind a letter we received the week before from Sir William Cole!!! a copy whereof we send your lordship here inclosed, we gathered, that the lord Macguire was to be an actor in surprizing the castle of Dublin!!!!!

16. "Wherefore we held it necessary to secure him immediately, thereby also to startle and deter the rest, when they found him laid fast "339

Extracts from Borlace's "History of the Execrable Irish Rebellion."

1. "In the interim, the lord Parsons, (being touched with the relation,) repaired, about ten of the clock at night, to the lord Borlace, at Chichester house, without the town,

2. "And disclosed to him what O'Conally had imparted; which made so sensible an impression on his colleague, as (the discoverer being let go) he grew infinitely concerned thereat, having none to punish, if the story should prove false, or means to learn more, were it true.

3. "In the disturbance of which perplexity, Owen O'Conally comes (or, as others write, was brought) where the lords justices were then met; sensible that his discovery was not

339 Temple, 28.

thoroughly believed, professing that whatever he had acquainted the lord Parsons with (touching the conspiracy) was true: 4. "And could he but repose himself, (the effects of drink being still upon him) he should discover more,

5. "Whereupon he had the conveniency of a bed."340

6. "In the interim, the lords justices summoned as many of the council as they could give notice to, to their assistance that night at Chichester house.

7. "Sir Thomas Rotheram, and Sir Robert Meredith, chancellor of the exchequer, came immediately to them.

8. "They then with all diligence secured the gates of the city, with such as they could most confide in, and strengthened the warders of the castle, (which were a few inconsiderable men,) with their foot guard, usually attending their persons, charging the mayor and his brethren to be watchful of all persons that should walk the streets that night!!!"341

9. "Hugh Oge Mac-Mahon, Esqr. grandson by his mother to the traitor Tir-Owen, a gentleman of good fortune in the county of Monaghan, who had served as a lieutenant-colonel in the king of Spain's quarters, was, after some little resistance, apprehended before day in his own lodgings, over the water, near the Inns, and brought to Chichester house;

10. "Where, upon examination, he did, without much difficulty, confess the plot, resolutely telling them, That ON THAT VERY DAY, (it was now about five in the morning, the 23d of Oct. 1641!!!) that all the forts and strong places in Ireland would be taken," &c. &c.342

11. "Before Mac-Mahon was apprehended, O'Conally, having on his repose recovered himself, had his examination taken, in these words:"343 [as before.]

340 Borlace, 20.

341 Ibid.

342 Ibid.

343 Ibid.

ANALYSIS OF THE FOREGOING LEGEND.

I. A Roman Catholic colonel is engaged in a plot, the object of which is to massacre all the Protestants in the kingdom, except those who would join in murdering their brethren.

II. This colonel, in want of a confederate, sends about fifty miles to O'Conally, a Protestant, to reveal to him this project.

III. O'Conally, who, in order to attach importance to his testimony, in some of the statements is styled "a gentleman," is, in fact and in truth, merely a servant to Sir John Clotworthy, one of the most envenomed enemies of the Roman Catholics, and, of course, a very suitable person to be entrusted with such a secret, and very worthy to be sent for to a place distant fifty miles.

IV. O'Conally receives the letter on Tuesday, the 19th of October, at what hour is not known, -say nine o'clock; and, wholly ignorant of the nature of the affair which leads to the invitation, makes all his preparations at once, and commences his journey, we will suppose, about noon the same day.

V. He arrives, on Wednesday night, the 20th, at Conaught, after a journey of about fifty miles : and be it observed, en passant, that a journey of fifty miles, at that period, was as arduous an undertaking, and required full as much preparation, as a journey of two hundred miles at present.