to be involved in it, that THe forfeitureS MIGHT BE THE GREATER, and a general plantation be carried on by a new set of English Protestants, all over the kingdom, TO THE RUIN AND EXPULSION OF ALL THE OLD ENGLISH AND NATIVES THAT WERE ROMAN CATHOLICS; so, to promote what they wished, they gave out speeches upon occasions, insinuating such a design, and that in a short time there would not be a Roman Catholic left in the kingdom. It is no small confirmation of this notion, that the earl of Ormonde, in his letters of January 27th, and February 25th, 1641-2, to sir W. St. Leger, imputes the general revolt of the nation, then far advanced, to the publishing of such a design; and when a person of his great modesty and temper, the most averse in his nature to speak his sentiments of what he could not but condemn in others, and who, when obliged to do so, does it always in the gentlest expressions, is drawn to express such an opinion, the case must be very notorious. I do not find that the copies of these letters are preserved: but the original of sir W. St. Leger's, in answer to them, sufficiently shows it to be his lordship's opinion; for, after acknowledging the receipt of these two letters, he useth these words, The undue promulgation of that severe determination, to EXTIRPATE the Irish and papacy out of this kingdom, your lordship rightly apprehends to be too unseasonably published."686 686 Carte, I. 263. CHAPTER XXIII. Rapacious project for confiscating the possessions of all the Roman Catholics of Ireland. "Insatiate plunderers Grasp'd the beauteous island's wide domains." Anonymous. IDENTIFIED With the sanguinary project of" exterminating" the devoted Roman Catholics, was that of confiscating the whole of their estates throughout the island, for the aggrandizement of their sworn enemies. The evidences adduced in support of the exterminating scheme, might suffice to establish that of confiscation. But I wish to "make assurance doubly sure,' " and shall therefore submit a document, which cannot fail to satisfy the reader, that I have not overrated the extravagant and rapacious thirst that prevailed with the predominant party in England and Ireland, for the possessions of the Irish Catholics. The insurrection began in Ulster, on the 23d of October, 1641, and, as already stated, did not spread into the other provinces for several weeks: nor was it in any degree general, till late in December. Even at that period, there were very large portions of the country, particularly in Connaught and Munster, which were wholly free from rebellion, notwithstanding the efforts of the lords justices to goad them into it. Yet so early as the 16th of February, 1642, (that is, about two months after the spread of the insurrection, and less than four months from the explosion of O'Conally's sham plot,) a company of adventurers was formed in London, who calculated on the forfeiture of the whole island, except what belonged to the Protestants. This extravagant project is fortunately recorded, at full length, in the Journals of the English House of Commons. These adventurers presented an address to Parliament, stating, that when "the work of reducing the kingdom of Ireland" was "finished," there would be "of confiscated lands, such as go under the name of profitable lands" no less than "TEN MILLIONS OF ACRES!!" They proposed to raise money to suppress the rebellion by the sale of a portion of those lands. According to sir William Petty's calculation, there were but twothirds of the surface of Ireland, which were called "profitable lands;" the remaining third consisting of "highways, loughs, impassable bogs, rocks, shrubs, and coarse land."687 As the whole contents of Ireland are only about nineteen millions of acres, it is clear, that nothing short of a general extirpation of the natives, and as general a confiscation of their estates, was contemplated; for, deducting the "unprofitable lands," and the possessions of the Protestants, there 687 Petty, 1. PART III-1641 To 1660. CHAP. XXIII. 333 would not remain above ten millions of acres. This measure was adopted from principles of Machiavelian policy, to drive the Catholics to desperation, by shutting the door against all hopes of retreat. Tyrants and conquerors, leading devastating armies in their train, have often grasped at millions of acres: but, throughout the wide range of the history of private spoil, there is no parallel case, except, perhaps, in Hindostan, during the last hundred years. Ten millions of acres to be forfeited! What an appalling idea this inspires of the deplorable state of the victims, and the inhumanity of those who offered them up as holocausts on the altars of rapine and bigotry! The English parliament readily acquiesced in the proposal; and immediately passed an act,† for the purpose of carrying it into effect. *"February 1, 1641-2. Proposition made by divers gentlemen, citizens, and others, for the speedy and effectual reducing of the kingdom of Ireland. 1st. They do compute that less than a million of money will not perfect that work. 2nd. They do conceive, that the work being finished, there will be in that kingdom, of confiscated lands, such as go under the name of profitable lands, ten millions of acres, English measure!!! 3d. That two millions and a half of those acres, to be equally taken out of the four provinces, will sufficiently satisfy those that shall advance this million of money. 4th. That the two millions and a half of acres may be divided amongst them after this proportion, viz. For each adventure of 200l. a thousand acres in Ulster. 300l. a thousand acres in Connaught. 450l. a thousand acres in Munster. 600l. a thousand acres in Leinster, All English measure, Consisting of meadow, arable and profitable pasture: the bogs, woods, and barren mountains, being cast in, over and above. These two million and a half of acres to be holden in free and common socage of the king, as of his castle of Dublin. 5th. That out of these two millions and a half of acres, a constant rent shall be reserved to the crown of England, after this proportion, viz Munster, 23d. 3d. Whereby his majesty's revenue, out of those lands, will be much improved, besides the advantage that he will have, by the coming to his hands of all other the lands of the rebels and their personal estates, without any charge to his majesty." 99688 +"Whereas, divers worthy and well affected persons, perceiving that many millions of acres of the rebels' lands of that kingdom, which 699 Journals, II. 435. But, as they probably felt ashamed to recognize the extravagant grasp at "ten millions of acres," they made a slight variation in the phraseology, and substituted "many millions." "The commons of England had very early petitioned that the king would not alienate any of the escheated lands, that might accrue to the crown from the rebellion in Ireland: and they had lately proceeded in a scheme for raising money from the lands thus expected to escheat. A bill was framed for repaying those who should advance certain sums, for suppressing of the rebels, (as was pretended,) by vesting them with proportional estates in Ireland, on terms highly advantageous to a new English plantation. It evidently tended to exasperate the malcontents, and to make all accommodation desperate: but it was not on this account less acceptable to the popular lead ers. 99689 go under the name of profitable lands, will be 'confiscate and to be disposed of, and that in that case two millions and a half of those acres, to be equally taken out of the four provinces of that kingdom, may be allotted for the satisfaction of such persons as shall disburse any sums of money, for the reducing of the rebels there, which would effectually accomplish the same, have made these propositions ensuing," &c. &c. as before.690 689 Leland, III. 186. 600 Rushworth, IV. 556. CHAPTER XXIV. Nefarious views and operations of the lords justices to drive the Irish to desperation, and to extend the insurrection throughout the whole kingdom. Munster. St. Leger's murderous and ferocious career. Connaught. Clanrickarde. Adjournment of parliament. Rack and martial law. Insidious and nugatory proclamation of pardon. Submissions rejected. Religious persecution. Hypocrisy of cloaking the sanguinary proceedings of the lords justices with a pretence of supporting religion and propagating the gospel. "Remember him, the villain, righteous heaven, In thy great day of vengeance! Blast the traitor HAVING established, beyond the possibility of doubt, by the concurring and unexceptionable testimony of Clarendon, Carte, Leland, and Warner, that the execrable project of extirpating the Irish Roman Catholics, was long cherished by the ruling party in England and Ireland; and, by the journals of the English house of commons, that the confiscation of nearly all "the profitable lands," in the kingdom, except those owned by Protestants, was unblushingly submitted by some of the most influential leaders of public opinion in England, to the English parliament, and partly acted upon by them, it now remains to detail the various measures adopted by the lords justices to accomplish their nefarious purposes; to spread the flames of civil war throughout the whole island; and, as far as possible, to prevent all chance of the restoration of peace. These measures were wonderfully adapted to the purpose, and could not possibly fail to produce the desired effect. 1. Their officers, particularly St. Leger, had recourse to plunder, arson, and the slaughter of unoffending inhabitants, to goad the Catholics into insurrection. 2. They sacrificed numbers of innocent people by martial lawand tortured on the rack sir John Read and Mr. Barnwell, two gentlemen of undoubted loyalty, the former of whom they had invited into Dublin to a conference; and this took place at a time when they invited the nobility and gentry of the Pale to a conference in that city. 3. They banished the lords of the pale out of Dublin on pain of death -and left them at the mercy of the northern rebels, with whom it was impossible for them to avoid intercourse-and then had them indicted and prosecuted with fire and sword for that intercourse. 4. They adjourned the parliament, in order to prevent the adop |