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were done by them, and fuch as were very much to their honour. Witness the profecution

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free quarter may be wholly taken away, the people be eased in their burthens and taxes, and the debts of 'the commonwealth be justly satisfied: to remove all grievances and oppreffions of the people, and to establifh peace and righteousness in the land. These being 'their only ends, they cannot doubt of, and humbly pray to the Almighty Power for his affiftance and 'bleffing upon their mean endeavours, wherein, as C they have not envied nor intermeddled, nor do intend at all to intermeddle, with the affairs of government of any other kingdom or state; or to give any offence or just 'provocation to their neighbours, with whom they defire ' entirely to preserve all fair correfpondence and amity, if they please; and confine themselves to the proper work, the managing of the affairs, and ordering the govern'ment of this commonwealth, and matters in order thereunto, with which they are intrufted and authorifed by the confent of all the people thereof, whofe • reprefentatives by election they are. So they do pre'fume upon the like fair and equal dealing from abroad; and that they, who are not concerned, will not inter'pofe in the affairs of England, who doth not interpofe in theirs and, in cafe of any injury, they doubt not, but by the courage and power of the English nation, and the good bleffing of God (who hath hitherto miraculously owned the juftnefs of their caufe, and, they hope, will continue to do the fame) they fhall be fufficiently enabled to make their full defence, and to 'maintain their own rights. And they do expect from

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all true hearted Englifhmen, not only a forbearance of any publique or fecret plots or endeavours, in oppo⚫fition to the prefent fettlement, and thereby to kindle new flames of war and mifery amongst us, whereof themselves must have a fhare; but a chearful concurrence and acting for the establishment of the great • work now in hand, in fuch a way, that the name of • God

cution of the war in Ireland, under the command (KK) of Cromwell, their lieute

nant

God may be honoured, the true proteftant religion ‹ advanced, and the people of this land enjoy the blef(1) Declarafings of peace, freedom and juftice, to them and their tion, March · 22, 1648. pofterities (1).This declaration, at the fame time, P. 25-27 was printed, by order of parliament, in Latin, under the title of Parliamenti Anglia Declaratio: in quâ Res (m) Londi- Nuperum Geftæ, et Decretum de Statu Anglia Regio in liberam Rempublicam vertendo, afferuntur (m).' Francifcum The great and remarkable transactions of the commonMenfis Mar- wealth were published by their order, and tranflated tii 22. An- into Latin, for the information of other countries, as no 1648.

ni, apud

Tytonium

to the 19th

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appears from a great many papers yet remaining in the hands of the curious and inquifitive: and a very accurate journal in French was published by authority of the council of ftate, for the like ufe of foreigners, in() Preface tituled, Nouvelles Ordinaires de Londres,' beginning vol. of the July 1650, and ending January 1660-1 (n). Nor muft Parliamen- it be forgotten, that, for the use of their own fubjects, tary Hiftory. a journal of a like nature, intitled, Mercurius Politicus, comprising the fum of foreign intelligence, with the affairs now on foot in the three nations of Eng• land, Scotland and Ireland,' was, by the fame authority, printed likewife. It commences June 9, 1649, and ends in April, 1660 (0). These publications fhewed great fense of propriety, honour and fair intentions in the parliament, and render it very surprising, that no compleat hiftory of thofe times fhould be given us by any contemporary writer. Mr. Neville fpeaks of one of thofe who were in employment from the year 40 to 60, who had written a hiftory of thofe 20 years, with great truth and impartiality (p).'-What is Lond. 1681, become of it is not knownProbably it is loft for ever!

(0) Wood, vol. ii. c. 6:8.

(p) Plato Redivivus,

P. 173.

12mo.

2d edit.

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(KK) The deeds in Ireland under the command of Cromwell.] Ireland had given the parliament great cause of refentment. Befides the barbarous maffacre in 1641,

nant-general, and the fubfequent fettlement

there

which loudly called for vengeance, and which the best part of the English nation were defirous of feeing inAlicted, it had fhewed a particular fpite and malice against the parliament. Charles cherished this difpofition, and, by a variety of methods, endeavoured to make it declare in his favour, and fupport his caufe. Some fuccefs, 'tis well known, he had,more, probably, he would have had, but for the extream bigottry of the priests, and the Nuntio, who were hardly to be fatisfied by any conceffions. At length, however, a peace was made between the Marquis of Ormonde, lord-lieutenant-general, and general governor of the kingdom of Ireland, on behalf of King Charles of the one part, and the general affembly of the Roman Catholics of the faid kingdom, for, and on behalf of his Majesty's Roman catholic fubjects, on the other part. This peace was proclaimed January 17, 1648, and does very little honour to the Marquis or his mafter. For, among other things, it was agreed, That all acts, ordinances and orders made by both or either houfes of parliament, to the 'blemish, dishonour and prejudice of the Roman Catho'lics of that kingdom, fince the 7th of August, 1641, fhould be vacated; that all inditements, attainders, outlawries in that kingdom, and all the procefles and other proceedings, fince the faid time, in prejudice of the Catholics, fhould be made void; that Catholics 'might fit and vote in parliament; have places of honour, command, profit and truft in the army, and 'that an act of oblivion should be paffed to extend to all his Majefty's fubjects of that kingdom, of all ⚫treafons and offences of what nature, kind or quality foever, fince the 23d of October, 1641.' In a word, every thing the Catholics could almoft with for was granted them, to the no fmall aftonishment of the proteftants. This past not without obfervation in England. However, by means of this peace, the chief parts of Ireland declared for Charles, and afterwards for his fon; and

Q

I

there in pursuance of the act of parliament for

and lord Ormonde, emboldened thereby, took the liberty to use a language towards the English government, which he little imagined they would fo foon avenge. The dregs and fcum of the house of commons, picked and awed by the army,' a wicked remnant, left for no other end, than yet further, if it be poffible, to delude the people with the name of a parliament,' peace, letter, were fome of the expreffions his lordship made use of in his letter to colonel Jones, governor of Dublin, in order to induce him to furrender that city into his hands. Cromwell was alfo likened in the fame letter to John of 364-385. Leyden (9).

(9) See the
articles of

&c. in Mil

ton's profe

works, vol. i. p.

() Id. p.

393.

6

Milton, in his obfervations on this peace, gives his lordship very keen anfwers to thefe reproaches, though in a ftile far more decent. Seeing, fays he, he contains not himfelf, but, contrary to what a gentleman fhould know of civility, proceeds to the contemptuous naming of a perfon, whofe valour and high merit many enemies, more noble than himfelf, have both honoured and feared; to affert his good name and reputation, of whofe fervice the commonwealth receives fo ample fatisfaction, it is anfwered in his behalf, that Cromwell, whom he couples with a name of fcorn, hath done, in a few years, more eminent and remarkable deeds, whereon to found nobility in his houfe, though it were wanting, than Ormonde, and all his ancestors put together, can fhew from any record of their Irish exploits, the wideft fcene of their glory (). This the Marquis got by using abufive language.But to proceed with the narration.Peace being made with the catholics, and Lord Inchiqueen having joined alfo with Ormonde, the Marquis advifed his young mafter Charles II. to come thither as to a place of fecurity and advantage. In a memorial delivered by the lords of his Majefty's council to the lords deputies for the States General, March 29, 1649, N. S. we find them, after touching on the ftate of England

and

for that purpose, whereby the Irish being fub

and Scotland, declaring his Majefty's refolutions in the following manner: This being the true condition of his Majefty's two kingdoms of England and Scotland, and it being neceffary for his Majefty to give life to the afflicted ftate of his affairs by his own activity and vigour, your lordships clearly difcern, that his other kingdom of Ireland is, for the prefent, fittest to receive his Majefty's perfon; and thither he intends, with all convenient fpeed, to tranfport himself, being thereunto earneftly advised, and with great importunity invited, by the kingdom of Ireland, and by the Marquis of Ormonde, his Majefty's lieutenant-general there; by whofe great wifdom a peace is there con'cluded, and thereby the King, at this time, poffeffed entirely of three parts of four of that his large and fruitful kingdoin, and of the command of good ar'mies and a good fleet to be joined to his navy; and he hath reason to believe that Dublin, and the few other places (that have fubmitted to the rebellious power in England) either are, upon the knowledge of that odious parricide, returned to their allegiance, or will be fuddenly reduced; fo that the affairs of that kingdom being fettled (which we hope will be in a (5) Or'fhort time) the King will be ready to go from thence monde's into Scotland, when his prefence there fhall be requi- by Carte, fite (s). How full the King was of going to Ireland, vol. i. p. appears from the following letter, written in cypher by 262. Lond. Sir Edward Nicholas, from the Hague (the day after 17:9. Svo. the above memorial was given in) to Lord Ormonde.

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It is very true, that the King intends to make France

his way to Ireland, and to meet the Queen: and, I believe, he will go to Paris to her. The truth is, I cannot guefs at the time of our remove, tho' the King be refolved for Ireland, and defires to be there as foon as may be and no man is now fo mad, as • openly to avow a diflike of it. But the want of money is fo incredible, and the debts fo great, that

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State papers,

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