entrusted to him, did not avail himself of them to come to terms with the Catholic body. Perhaps he saw through the king's policy, which was to lay upon him the whole burden and odium of concessions to the Irish Catholics, else why urge his lord-lieutenant to treat upon such terms as the king dared not himself avow? It is not improbable also, that Ormond had the fate of Strafford before his eyes, and was chary of venturing his life, fortune, and all, for a master who was alike ready to sacrifice his devoted friends and his bitterest enemies. Besides, Ormond had a deep-rooted hostility to Catholicism, and had his own private interests to serve in postponing all truce with the Catholic body. We even find that at the very time that Charles was urging him to make a firm treaty with the confederates, he was privately soliciting the leaders of the parliamentary forces in Ulster, to join their forces to his in order effectually to crush them? This appears from a secret correspondence carried on between Ormond, and one Major Galbraith, an officer in the Scotch army. Monroe was also informed of his proposals for a coalition, and, it seems, was "fully affected that way." It appears, from a letter to the English parliament, signed by their commissioners, and dated Belfast, November 19th, 1645, that “Ormond desired but power and opportunity to break with the confederates, and to fall upon them, upon condition that the Covenant should not be forced upon those under his command; offering for their security, that Drogheda should be given into their hands, they giving assurance that use should not be made of it against his lordship." At length, Charles, finding his lieutenant thwarting his views and disregarding his instructions, despatched the Earl of Glamorgan, a catholic peer, to Ireland, with full powers + to conclude a peace with the confederated Catholics. Ormond pretended to be highly pleased with the appointment of Glamorgan to this task, and he communicated his high approval of it to the general assembly, then sitting at Kilkenny; and, upon the presumption that he was fully authorized, * IRISH CABINET, p. 36. + Abundant evidence still exists to prove that the Earl of Glamorgan, though afterwards treacherously disavowed by Charles, was fully authorized to conclude a peace with the Catholic confederates. Several letters, in Charles's own hand-writing, are yet to be seen in the British Museum, which clearly demonstrate the reality of his commission. The following is Charles's formal commission to Glamorgan, as produced by him before the confederates:-- "CHARLES R. "Charles, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c., to our trusty and right well-beloved cousin, Edward, Earl of Glamorgan, greeting. We reposing great and especial truth and confidence in your approved wisdom and fidelity, do by these (as firmly as under our great seal, to all intents and purposes), authorize and give you power to treat and conclude with the confederate Roman Catholics in our kingdom of Ireland, if upon necessity any to be condescended unto, wherein our lieutenant cannot so well see in, as not fit for us at present publicly to own. Therefore we charge you to proceed according to this our warrant, with all possible secrecy; and for whatsoever you shall engage yourself upon such valuable considerations, as you in your judgment shall deem fit, in promise on the word of a king and a Christian, to ratify and prepare the same that shall be granted by you, and under your hand and seal, the said confederate Catholics having by their supplies testified their zeal to our service. And this shall be in each particular to you a sufficient warrant. "Given at our court at Oxford, under our signet and royal signature, the 12th of March, in the twentieth year of our reign, 1644."---LELAND, vol. iii, p. 255-6. both by the king and his lord-lieutenant, the Catholics immediately concluded a peace with him. It was agreed, by a public treaty, that pardon should be granted for all the offences committed since the commencement of the insurrection; and by a private treaty it was agreed that Roman Catholics should enjoy the public exercise of their religion, exercise their own jurisdiction, and be rendered eligible to offices of public trust and dignity. For the due performance of these articles, Glamorgan engaged the royal word. The Confederates, on their part, agreed to furnish men for the king's service in England, under the command of the Earl, and such other officers as the confederates should appoint. The treaty was concluded; and had scarcely been ratified ere the pricate portion of it was revealed by accident. Malachias O'Kelly, titular archbishop of Tuam, was engaged in an assault upon Sligo, at the head of an Irish army, when they were attacked and routed by Sir Charles Coote. The archbishop fell in the action, and much of his baggage fell into the hands of the victors. Among his private papers was found an authentic copy of this private treaty of the Catholics with the Earl of Glamorgan. It was immediately transmitted to the English parliament, and published. The king's party, fearing that the large concessions privately made to the Catholics, might still further alienate the affections of his Protestant subjects, at once disavowed the treaty. Ormond, though privy to Glamorgan's power, had him arrested as a traitor, and charged him with forging the king's commission; he was committed a close prisoner to the castle of Dublin, and all the proceedings connected with the treaty at Kilkenny were made null and void. At the same time, the miserable, fickle, and treacherous Charles, to save himself, again sacrificed his devoted friend, and publicly disavowed Glamorgan's commission, in a message to both Houses of Parliament. At the very time, also, when he is publicly commanding the lord-lieutenant to prosecute the charge begun against the Earl of Glamorgan thoroughly and diligently," he is privately commanding him to suspend the execution of any sentence against the Earl; and conveying to Glamorgan himself repeated assurances of his confidence and friendship! Shortly after this, through the connivance of the king, the Earl of Glamorgan was liberated on his own recognizance of thirty thousand pounds, and two others of his friends at ten thousand pounds each, to appear on thirty days' notice. Immediately on his release, he proceeded to Kilkenny, to urge the confederate Catholics to agree to the new terms of peace offered by the Marquis of Ormond, but in which no stipulation whatever was made for the free exercise of the Catholic religion. 66 About this time, a new actor appears on the stage, who, for a time, exercised considerable influence upon Irish affairs,—namely, the Pope's Nuncio, John Battista Rinunccini, archbishop of Fermo. This prelate was a man of shining abilities, of graceful and conciliating address, of eloquent speech, and of regular and austere habits; but he was also ambitious and proud in an eminent degree, and filled with a zeal for the interests of the church, which he set above all things else, and would not allow to be overlooked for an instant, even though the cost should be the public peace and liberty. The instructions of the Pope to his Nuncio were, that a connivance was all that could at present be reasonably demanded for the Catholic religion; but Rinunccini, from the period of his first arrival in Ireland, would stipulate for nothing less than its legal establishment. He was supported in this demand by a large proportion of the Catholic clergy,† and by a large proportion of the native Irish, among whom he was exceedingly popular. The English Catholics encouraged the Nuncio in his demands, though not to the same extent; for, hearing that Sir Kenelm Digby had been sent by the queen to apply for subsidies to Rome, they solicited Rinunccini that these subsidies should be refused, until the Irish should receive their just demands with regard to religion, and the rights and interests of English Catholics be equally secured. They proposed to unite with the Irish for the defence of the king, but, suspicious of Charles, who had so often deceived and betrayed his friends, they insisted on a previous concession of their demands, and full security for the performance. The English Catholics, however, were by this time afraid of the treachery of Charles. "The King," say they, in their memorial to the Nuncio, "is not to be trusted, when his interest may tempt him to agree with his parliament, to whom he hath so solemnly declared his resolution to consent to any severities against the Catholics. And that there can be no reliance on his word, appears from the case of the earl of Strafford and the bishops, whom he sacrificed, though sworn to protect them." On the arrival of the Nuncio at Kilkenny, in Ireland, a letter was presented to him by the Earl of Glamorgan, from Charles, in which the king expressed his great satisfaction at the object of his mission, and promised to ratify whatever was agreed upon between them, exhorting, however, to strictest secrecy, and stating, "When the earl and you have concerted measures, we shall openly show ourself, as we have assured him,-your friend." These assurances only served to make the zealous prelate more hot-headed and uncompromising in his attempts to secure the complete establishment of the Catholic power in Ireland. At the assembly held at Kilkenny, to negociate the terms of peace with the government, (though, from the warring and divided state of parties, it was now impossible to say which was the government), the Nuncio decidedly objected to the terms of the treaty, as insuf ficient and precarious. The Confederates, however, at last concluded a treaty, and a force of 10,000 men was raised for the assistance of Charles against his English subjects. But it was now too late! LELAND, vol. iii., p. 277. + O'CONNOR'S HISTORY OF THE IRISH CATHOLICS, p. 60. LELAND, vol. ii., p. 262. These prolonged treaties and cajoleries of Charles and his lordlieutenant with the confederated Catholics, were brought to a close, and an alliance formed, when it was of no manner of use. Charles, who deceived and betrayed all, had also deceived and betrayed himself. All England was now in the hands of the Parliamentarians, the seas were swept by their ships, and a Catholic army was now of no use to the capricious Charles. The city of Chester, which the Irish army was destined to relieve, was already in the hands of his enemies. Even had they reached the shores of England in safety, there was no secure spot left for their descent, and no force left to coöperate with them on the side of the king. Charles accordingly himself wrote to Ormond, to countermand the embarkation of the troops, stating "that his condition was then very sad and low, by the late disbanding of his army in the west; which might have been prevented, to our most certain advantage. That he thought fit to advertise him thereof, that he might stop the sending over foot soldiers, which would be lost, if they should come, he having no horse nor ports in his power to secure them." In another letter to Lord Digby, he urges that "Ormond should stop any forces from coming over, and employ them for the reducing that kingdom (Ireland) into perfect obedience; by which," says he, "it is possible it may please God to restore me to the other two, or be a safe retreat for myself." a safe But it was not Charles's good fortune to know what " retreat" was, after this period. He was now in the hands of the Scots, and no longer the despotic monarch, but the trembling prisoner of his victorious subjects. CHAPTER XVI. The Irish people dissatisfied with the treaty-The Nuncio and O'Neill resist―O'Neill takes the field with a large army-Battle of Benburb-Measures of the Nuncio -Ormond joins the Confederates-The Nuncio elated with success-Ormond applies to the Parliament for aid-Surrenders Dublin to their forces, and leaves Ireland-Deplorable state of Ireland at this time-O'Neill offers to negociate with the Parliament-Confederates renew their negociations with Ormond-Lord Inchiquin again changes sides-The Council declares O'Neill a rebel-The Nuncio leaves Ireland-Arrival of Ormond-False conduct of Charles-His execution and character. THE treaty arranged between the Marquis of Ormond and the Catholic confederates at Kilkenny caused great dissatisfaction among the Irish people. The chief objections made to it were, that it did not contain a single stipulation for the free exercise of their religion, except the exemption of the Catholics from the oath CARTE'S ORMOND, vol. iii. fol. 451. of supremacy,-nor a single provision for a free parliament, nor for the relief of those unfortunate natives who had lost their properties by iniquitous attainders, and still more iniquitous findings of office. The protest of the Nuncio against the ratification of the treaty was zealously supported by the great body of the Irish Catholics, and especially by those of Ulster, under their famous chief, Owen O'Neill. This leader had long been disgusted with the proceedings of the supreme council, and withdrawn himself from their deliberations; accordingly, he at once eagerly threw himself into the ranks of the disappointed, and protested with them against the ignominious treaty which had just been concluded by the Coufederates. He assembled an army with great speed, and resolved to hazard every extremity in the defence of the civil and religious liberties of Ireland. He was the more induced to take this step, from the atrocious massacres inflicted by the Scotch forces on the peasantry of Ulster, when gathering in their harvest; the dreadful ravages committed by the army of Sir Charles Coote in Connaught; and the cruel expulsion of the Catholic inhabitants of Cork, Kinsale, and Youghal, by Inchiquin;—all of which atrocities, Ormond refused to punish or repress. About the end of May, O'Neill had assembled an army of 5,000 foot and 500 horse, and advanced at its head towards Armagh. The Scottish general, Monroe, alarmed at this movement, drew out 6,000 foot and 800 horse, and, by a forced march, arrived by midnight at Armagh, in the expectation that he would surprise O'Neill in his quarters. The Irish army, however, was posted at Benburb, about seven miles farther off, in a strong position between two hills, with a wood behind, and the river Blackwater on their right. Monroe came up with them next morning, and finding a ford in the neighbourhood, crossed the river, and advanced upon them in order of battle. Instead of coming to a general engagement, however, the Irish general contrived to waste the day in a series of skirmishes. Towards evening the position of the Scots became less favourable; and a circumstance occurred which shortly brought on a decisive engagement. Monroe had expected to be joined during the day by a considerable body of troops, to oppose which a detachment had been despatched by O'Neill, but had been unable to effect their object. This latter body now hastily returned to its main body, and Monroe, alarmed at seeing the enemy reinforced by a considerable number of troops which he had mistaken, as they advanced, for his own men, prepared for a retreat, and was at that moment furiously attacked by the Irish, in the full confidence of victory. The Scottish army was immediately thrown into confusion; the cavalry was at once broken, and, casting the foot into disorder, the rout soon became complete. An English cavalry regiment, commanded by Lord Blaney, was almost entirely cut to pieces. More than three thousand were slain on the part of the British, with a loss of not more than seventy on the part of the |