contrived, and intended to be also acted by some evil-affected Irish Papists here. 56. "The plot was on the then next morning, Saturday, the 25d of October, being St. Ignatius's day, about nine of the clock! to surprize his majesty's castle of Dublin, his majesty's chief strength of this kingdom; wherein also is the principal magazine of his majesty's arms and munition. 57. "And it was agreed, it seems among them, that at the same hour, all other his majesty's forts and magazines of arms and munition in this kingdom!! should be surprized by others of those conspirators: 58." 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. 59. "As soon as I had that intelligence, I then immediately repaired to the lord justice Borlace; and thereupon we instantly assembled the council. 60." 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;* 61. "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. 62. "And which, if they could have effected, would have rendered the rest of their purposes the more easy. 63." 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. 64. "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. 65." 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 examination herewith sent, may appear to your lordship. 66." We then committed him until we might have further time to examine him again, our time being become more needful to be em "Which were to be acted, even at the same hour, in all other parts of the kingdom"-but which were not acted, nor attempted. ployed in action for securing this place, than examining. This MacMahon had been abroad, and served the king of Spain as a lieutenant colonel. 67."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!!!!!* 68." Wherefore we held it necessary to secure him immediately, thereby also to startle and deter the rest, when they found him laid fast."643 Extracts from Borlace's "History of the Execrable Irish Rebellion." 69. "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; 70." 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. 71. "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 thoroughly believed, professing that whatever he had acquainted the lord Parsons with, (touching the conspiracy,) was true: 72. And could he but repose himself, (the effects of drink being upon him, he should discover more. still 66 73." Whereupon he had the conveniency of a bed."844 74. "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. 75. "Sir Thomas Rotheram, and sir Robert Meredith, chancellor of the exchequer, came immediately to them. 76. "They then with all diligence secured the gates of the city,t 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 *After having set a guard on his house the preceding night, they required all this variety of information, to "gather that the lord Macquire was to be an actor in surprising the castle of Dublin!" "They secured the gates of the city."] That is to say, the conspirators were "in the town"-and they "out of town"-they there. fore must have shut themselves out. "The footguard."] Thus the safety of the city was confided, at a time of such imminent danger, to "the warders" "a few incon6 Temple, 27. 644 Borlace, 20. his brethren to be watchful of all persons that should walk the streets that night!!!645 77. "Hugh Oge Mac-Mahon, Esq. 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; 78. "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.646 79. "Before Mac-Mahon was apprehended, O'Conally, having on his repose recovered himself, had his examination taken, in these words:"647 [as before.] 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," 29.66 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 45 sent for to a place distant f miles. IV. O'Conally receives a 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 45 journey of about fifty miles: and be it observed, en passant, that a 45 jonrney offer miles, at that period, was nearly as arduous an undertaking, and required almost as much preparation, as a journey of one hundred and fifty at present. VI. Colonel Mac-Mahon, whose invitation had given O'Conally the option of coming on Wednesday or Thursday, so far broke his engagement, that he had started, on Wednesday, for Dublin, previous to O'Conally's arrival, which took place on the night of that day. siderable men," and "the footguard" of the lords justices, "usually attending their persons," which cannot be presumed to have been more than ten or a dozen at most! 646 Borlace, 20. 646 Ibid. 647 Ibid. VII. O'Conally, nothing discouraged by the breach of engagement on the part of the colonel, follows him to Dublin. VIII. He arrives in that city on the memorable Friday, the 22d of October, "about six o'clock in the evening" ONE HOUR AFTFR SUNSET. IX. Conaught, in Monaghan, is not to be found on any map. I will therefore suppose it to have been in the centre of the county. X. Monimore, by Pinkerton's map, is about forty miles in a direct line from the centre of the County of Monaghan-and this centre is about sixty miles also in a direct line from Dublin. The whole distance must by the usual circuitous windings of the road, have been at the very least one hundred and ten miles. XI. The climate of Ireland is very moist. Rains are generally abundant, particularly in autumn. Of course, the roads at that season were very probably miry, and difficult to travel. XII. It thus appears, that O'Conally has performed a journey of about forty-five miles in a day and a half; that is, from mid-day on Tuesday, to Wednesday night: and a hundred and ten in three days and a half, at a season of the year, when THE SUN ROSE ABOUT seven, and set ABOUT FIVE!! and this exploit was accomplished at a time when there were no diligences, post-coaches, post-chaises, or steam-boats, to ensure expedition; and when, moreover, the roads were in all probability in very bad order. XIII. Nothing discouraged by the fatigue of his journey of a hundred and ten miles, nor by his previous disappointment, nor by the darkness of the evening, he commences a search for the lodgings of an entire stranger who had arrived that evening! Wonderful to tell, and impossible to be believed, he is said to have succeeded, and to have found out the stranger's lodgings! And let it not be forgotten, that on this night the moon was invisible,* a circumstance admirably calculated to aid his researches ! XIV. Although the colonel was engaged in a plot to explode next day, at ten o'clock, A. M. O'Conally finds him alone, between six and sevent o'clock on Friday evening, in the suburbs. He appears to have seen none of his brother conspirators before nine, at which time O'Conally left him. XV. The colonel takes him to the lodgings of a brother conspirator" into town," at the distance, probably, of a mile or two. XVI. This conspirator not being at home, the colonel, after hav Extract of a letter from the Vice-Provost of the University of Pennsylvania. "Dear Sir, January 6, 1819. "I find that it was New Moon, at Dublin, at about two o'clock in the morning of the 24th of October, 1641, O. S. Consequently the moon must have been invisible on the whole night of the 22d-23d of that month. "MR. M. CAREY. "Yours, &c. "R. M. PATTERSON." + It must have required some time to find out Mac-Mahon's lodgings. ing taken a drink of beer with his new friend, freely communicates "that there were and would be, this night, great numbers of noblemen and gentlemen of the Irish, from all parts of the kingdom," whose object was "to cut off all the Protestants that would not join them."648 XVII. And they then went back to "the said Hugh his lodgings,” in the suburbs, "near Oxmantown," where O'Conally drank till he was drunk. XVIII. O'Conally notwithstanding this untoward circumstance, and that he was, two hours afterwards, unable to relate a consistent story, was alert enough "to leap over a wall, and afterwards over "two pales." XIX. Notwithstanding his disordered state, he was able to find his way to sir William Parsons, into the town, to whom he communicated the whole affair. XX. Here let us observe that this very sir William had received information of a plot, several days before, from sir William Cole, "upon the very first apprehension of something he conceived to be hatching among the Irish."649 XXI. And further, that this lord justice had written to sir William Cole, to be very vigilant in inquiring into the occasion of those meetings;"650 whereby it appears that he had suspicions of a conspi racy. XXII. Notwithstanding this information, sir William Parsons, who was jealous of some plot "hatching among the Irish;" who, of course, ought to be on the qui vive, and to take alarm on the slightest intimation of any scheme of that kind; when he received this "broken relation of a matter so incredible in itself, gave very little belief to it at first, in regard it came from an obscure person, and one, as he conceived, somewhat distempered at that time."851 XXIII. "His lordship," with most wonderful sagacity, "hearing this broken relation" of a plot, to explode in about twelve or thirteen hours, for the purpose of cutting the throats of all the Protestants, sends the informer!! between nine and ten at night!! with "order to go again to Mac-Mahon, and get out of him as much certainty of the plot as he could!!!659 XXIV. This informer who "had been drinking somewhat liberally"-and was "somewhat distempered at the time" was a most admirable spy to make further discoveries, and "to get out of MacMahon as much certainty of the plot, with as many particular circumstances as he could!!! His fitness for this employment at such a critical moment, was further proved by the circumstance that on his return he was so far intoxicated, "the effects of drink being still upon him" that he could not give in his testimony, till he slept himself sober!!! Therefore, the "conveniency of a bed" being afforded him, "on his repose, having recovered himself, he had his examination taken." XXV. After sending O'Conally to Mac-Mahon's lodgings, with strict orders" to return back unto him the same evening," sir William went "privately, at about ten of the clock that night, to lord 648 Temple, 20. 649 Idem, 18. 650 lbid. 651 Ibid. 652 Idem, 19. |