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except the cities of Londonderry and Colerain, the town and castle of Enniskillen, and some other places and castles. And that besides the above-mentioned, these rebels had taken a multitude of other castles, houses of strength, towns and villages, all abundantly peopled with British inhabitants."* Yet in none of those places does it appear, from Temple's account, that any massacre or murder was committed by the insurgents within that space of time.

If men of the first quality could, in both houses of parliament, for the evil purposes of faction, circulate shocking lies, what stress is to be laid on the evidences of the meaner sort, influenced by prejudice, revenge, exasperated by suffering, bewildered by reports, or looking for compensation? Yet such are the only testimonies of the Irish massacre; such as Sir Richard Musgrave cites in his affidavit history. Let us take, for instance, the evidence of the protestant ghosts, appearing on the river Ban, crying out for vengeance against the bloody papists. Were the evidence cross-examined, his tale would be found at war with his creed. Whence did his protestant ghosts come from? From heaven. No revengeful spirit issues from that abode of happiness, charity and peace. From purgatory? A protestant disowns such a place. We know but a third place mentioned, a doleful residence for ghosts of any description, whose tenants are not admissible as valid witnesses. One of the libellers' (Sir John Temple) account of the

* Temple's Hist. of the Irish Rebellion.

rebellion is so disgraced and self-confuted by glaring contradictions, that he appears to have been ashamed of it hisself. "This we gather from a letter of Capel, earl of Essex, lord lieutenant of Ireland, Jan. 1674-5, to Mr. secretary Coventry, wherein we find these words: "I am to acknowledge the receipt of yours of the 22nd of December, wherein you mention a book that was newly published, concerning the cruelties committed in Ireland, at the beginning of the late war. Upon further enquiry I find Sir John Temple, master of the rolls here (Ireland, ) author of that book, was, this last year, sent to by several stationers of London, to have his consent to the printing thereof; but he assures me, that he utterly denied it, and whoever printed it, did it without his knowledge. Thus much I thought fit to add to what I formerly said upon this occasion, that I might do this gentleman right, in case it were suspected he had any share in publishing this new edition."*

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We have already observed the different provocations to insurrection, deliberately and perseveringly given, by the king's enemies, as well as his friends, to his Irish subjects; provocations, sufficient to dusturb the peace of the best settled country; horrible denunciations of ex

* State Letters, page 2.

+ The heads of the causes which moved the northern Irish, and catholics of Ireland to take arms, anno 1641, from Desiderata Curiosa Hibernica, vol. ii. p. 78.

1. It was plotted and resolved by the puritans of England, Scotland and Ireland, to extinguish quite the catholic religion, and the professors and maintainers thereof, out of all VOL. II.

3 z

terminating papists and popery, published in acts of parliament, and in the solemn league and covenant, first signed in Scotland, and lately by their covenanting partizans in great Britain and Ireland. Various petitions to the same effect from different parts of England, and also from

those kingdoms; and to put all catholics of this realm to the sword, that would not conform themselves to the protestant religion.

2. The state of Ireland did publickly declare, that they would root out of this realm all the natives, and make a total second conquest of the land, alledging, that they were not safe with them.

3. All the natives here were deprived of the benefit of the antient fundamental laws, liberties, and privileges, due by all laws and justice to a free people and a nation, and more particularly due by the municipal laws of Ireland.

4. That the subjects of Ireland, especially the Irish, were thrust out forcibly from their ancient possessions, against law, without colour or right; and could not have propriety or security in their estates, goods, or other rights, but were wholly subject to an arbitrary power, and tyrannical government, these forty years past, without hope of relief or redress.

5. Their native youth here, debarred by the practice of state, from all learning and education, in that the one only university here excludes all catholics thence; neither are they suffered to acquire learning or breeding beyond seas, of pur pose to make them rude and ignorant of all letters.

6. The catholics of this realm are not admitted to any dignity, place, or office, either military or civil, spiritual or temporal, but the same conferred upon unworthy persons, aud men of no quality, who purchase it for money, or favour, and not by merit.

7. All the trading, traffick, shipping, and riches of this whole isle, by the corruption of the state, are engrossed by the Dutch, Scottish, and English, not residing here, who exclude the natives wholly from the same; and who return the

some parts of Ireland, which were serious cause of alarm to Irish catholics; more particularly to those of Ulster, having the Scotch puritans planted in the midst of them, and threatened with a visit from Scotland, of an army of Scotch covenanters, in order to reclaim them from

product, and all their stock and coin back into their native countries.

8. All the staple and rich commodities of the realm are turned to monopolies, and heavy impositions against law laid on all merchandize.

9. The principal native wares of the land exported into foreign parts, unwrought and unmanufactured, thereby depriving the kingdom of all manual trades and occupations; and driving the natives to furnish themselves from head to foot, with manufactures from abroad, at very dear rates.

10. All their heavy and insufferable pressures prosecuted and laboured by the natives of this kingdom, with much suit, expence, and importunity, both in parliament here, and in England before his majesty, to be redressed, yet could never be brought to any happy conclusion, or as much as hope of contentment, but always eluded with delays.

11. Common justice, and the rights and privileges of par. liament, denied to all the natives of the realm; and the an, tient course of parliamentary proceeding wholly declined.

12. His majesty's royal power, honour, prerogative, estate, revenue, and rights, invaded upon, by the puritan faction in England.

13. The government of all his realms, his queen, children and family, usurped by the parliament of England, and espe cially by the house of commons; as likewise, the nominating and disposing of his privy council, judges, clergy, officers, navy, forts and castles, arrogated by the said house of commons, leaving his highness nothing, but the bare name of a king.

14. The many affronts and wrongs done by the said house, to the ambassadors of foreign princes, confederates of his majesty, residing in England, and their chaplains and ser

popery by cutting their throats; it will be sufficient to give a few instances of these violent audacious proceedings, and of the continuance of grievances, by the puritan justices, for the express purpose of throwing the country into confusion, and depriving his majesty of its resources, in defence of his crown and life, against a rebellious

vants, against the conditions of their league, and the law of nations.

15. The gross injuries and scandal given by the said house of commons to the queen's majesty, and her chaplains and servants, in breach of the articles made upon her marriage.

16. The many horrid murders, robberies, pillages, waste, burnings, and other execrable cruelties, perpetrated of late by the protestant armies here, by publick direction of the state of this realm, upon his majesty's good subjects of the English pale, and other parts of this land, they not offending against the laws or peace of the realm, but merely standing upon their own defence; and this done them against his majesty's pleasure, and without his privity.

17. All the natives in the English plantations of the realm, were disarmed by proclamation, and the protestant plantators armed, and tied by the conditions of their plantations to have arms, and to keep certain numbers of horse and foot continually upon their lands, by which advantage, many thousands of the natives were expulsed out of their possessions, and as many hanged by martial law, without cause, and against the laws of this realm; and many of them otherwise destroyed, and made away, by sinister means and practices.

18. Half this realm was found to belong unto his majesty, as his ancient demesne and inheritance, upon old feigned titles of three hundred years past, by juries, against law, their evidence and conscience, who were corrupted to find the said titles, upon promise of part of those lands so found for the king, or other reward, or else were drawn thereunto by threats of the judges in the circuits, or by heavy fines, mulcts, and censure of pillory, stigmatizings, and other like cruel and unusual punishments,

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