cafion. The army was under a severe discipline; not an oath was to be heard throughout the whole camp, the foldiers spending their leisure hours in reading their bibles, in finging, pfalms, and religious conferences.

བོ

Almost all Ireland was in the hands of the royalifts and Roman catholicks, except Dublin and Londonderry; the former of thefe places had been lately befieged by the duke of Ormond with twenty thousand men,* but the garrifon being recruited with three regiments from England, the governor colonel James, furprized the befiegers, and after a vigorous fally ftormed their camp, and routed the whole army, which difperfed itself into Drogheda, and other fortified places. CROMWELL upon his arrival, was received with the acclamations of a vaft concourse of people, to whom he addreffed himself from a rifing ground, with hat in hand, in a foldier-like manner, telling them "he was come to cut "down and destroy the barbarous and blood-thirsty Irish, "with all their adherents;S but that all who were for the "proteftant religion, and the liberties of their country, fhould

* Dr. Grey controverts Mr. Neal's account of the number of the duke of Ormond's army, on the authority of lord Clarendon and Mr. Carte: the former fays, that Jones fallied out with a body of 6000 foot and 1900 horfe, and that the army encamped at Rathmines was not so strong in horfe and foot: the latter, that Jones's forces amounted to only 4000 foot and 1200 horfe, which was a body nearly equal to the whole Irish army, if it had been all engaged. Thefe authorities are fet againft Mr. Neal. On the other hand, Whitlocke informs us that, previously to this defeat, letters from Ireland reprefented the duke of Ormond as approaching Dublin with 12000 foot and 2400 horfe; and letters from Chefter reported him 40,000 ftrong before Dublin, Ludlow fays, that his forces were double in number to thofe of Jones. Borlafe fays, that Jones with very few forces, compara. tively, fell on the befiegers, killed 4000, and took 2517 prifoners. The plunder of the field, we are told, was fo rich, that the camp was like a fair, prefenting for fale cloth, filk, and all manner of cloaths. The parliament fettled 1000l. per annum in land on Jones, for his fervices. Whitlocke's Memoirs, P. 393, 401, 494. Ludlow's Memoirs, p. 101, 4to. ed. And Harris's Life of Cromwell, p. 228. ED.

Dr. Grey spends here more than ten pages in detailing, from lord Clarendon, various acts of oppreffion, cruelty, and murder, perpetrated by individuals of Cromwell's army; to fhew that they were not lefs barbarous and bloodthirsty than the inhuman wretches concerned in the Irish massacre. Such deeds, undoubtedly, fhock humanity; and ought to fhock every party. But the guilt lieth originally at the door of those who were the first aggref fors; whose conduct furnished the precedent and provoked retaliation. ED.

find' fuitable encouragement from the parliament of England and himfelf, in proportion to their merits." Having refreshed his forces he marched directly to Drogheda, which was garrifoned with 2500 foot and 300 horse, and was therefore thought capable of holding out a month; but the ge neral neglecting the common forms of approach, battered the walls with his cannon, and having made two acceffible breaches, like an impetuous conqueror, entered the town in perfon at the head of colonel Ewer's regiment of foot, and put all the garrifon to the fword. From thence he marched to Wexford, which he took likewife by ftorm, and after the example of Drogheda, put the garrifon to the fword; the general declaring, that he would facrifice all the Irish papifts to the ghosts of the English protestants whom they had maffacred in cold blood. The conqueft of these places ftruck fuch a terror into the reft, that they furrendered upon the first fum mons; the name of Cromwell carrying victory on its wings before himself appeared, the whole country was reduced by the middle of May, except Limerick, Galway, and one or two other places, which Ireton took the following fummer. Lord Incbequin deferted the remains of the royal army, and Ormond fled into France. Lieutenant-general Cromwell being called home to march against the Scots, arrived at London about the middle of May, and was received by the parlia ment and city with distinguished refpect and honour, as a foldier who had gained more laurels, and done more wonders in nine months, than any age or history could parallel.

4

Great reproach, on this account, has fallen on the name of Cromwell. He reconciled himself to the execution of fuch fevere orders, for putting to the fword and giving no quarter, by confidering them as neceflary to prevent the effufion of blood for the future, and as the inftrument of the righ teous judgment of God upon thefe barbarous wretches who had imbrued their hands in fo much innocent blood. If ever fuch measures are juftifiable, "it is in fuch a case as this,” obferves Dr. Harris, "where the known "difpofition and behaviour of the fufferers are remarkably barbarous, inhuman, and cruel." Such horror, we are told, had the barbarities committed by the Irish, in the beginning of the rebellion and during the course of the war, impreffed on every English breaft, that even the humane and gentle Fairfax expreffed in warm and fevere terms his difapprobation at granting them quarter. Harris's Life of Cromwell, p. 229, and Macaulay's Hiftory of England, vol, v. p. 15, note, 8vo. ed. ED.

It is a remarkable account the lieutenant-general gives in one of his letters, of the behaviour of the army after their arrival in Ireland; "their diligence, courage, and behaviour

..

is fuch, (fays he) through the providence of God, and ftrict care of the chief officers, that never men did obey "orders more chearfully, nor go upon duty more courage. "oufly. Never did greater harmony and refolution appear "to profecute this caufe of God, than in this army. Such "a confent of heart and hands; fuch a fympathy of affec ❝tions, not only in carnal but in fpiritual bonds, which tie cc fafter than chains of adamant! I have often obferved a "wonderful confent of the officers and foldiers upon the "grounds of doing fervice to God, and how miraculously "they have fucceeded. The mind of man being fatisfied, "and fixed on God, and that his undertaking is for God's glory, it gives the greatest courage to thofe men, and prof "perity to their actions.'

+

To put the affairs of Ireland together: the roman catho licks charged the ill fuccefs, of their affairs upon the duke of Ormond, and fent him word, that they were determined "not to fubmit any longer to his commands, it not being fit "that a catholick army fhould be under the direction of a "proteftant, general, but that if he would depart the king "dom, they would undertake of themfelves to drive Ireton "out of Dublin." After this they offered the kingdom to the duke of Lorrain, a bigotted papift, who was wife enough to decline the offer, and then quarrelling among themselves they were foon driven out of all the ftrong holds of the kingdom, and forced to fubmit to the mercy of the conqueror. All who had borne arms in the late infurrection, were shipped away into France, Spain, or Flanders, never to return on pain of death. Thofe who had a hand in murdering the proteftants at the time of the maffacre, were brought from fe veral parts of the country, and after conviction upon a fair trial were executed. The rest of the natives, who were called

Whitlocke, p. 434.

Dr. Grey infinuates here a reflection on Mr. Neal's veracity; by remarking that he produces no authority for the affertion. But that Ireland was offered to the guardianfhip of the duke of Lorrain has been fince mentioned, as an incontrovertible fact, by Dr. Harris and Mrs. Macaulay. Ed.

Tories,

Tories, were fhut up in the moft inland counties, and their lands given partly in payment to the foldiers who fettled there, and the reft to the first adventurers.|| Lord Clarendon relates it thus: "Near one hundred thoufand of them were tranf"ported into foreign parts, for the fervice of the kings of "France and Spain; double that number were confumed by

the plague, famine, and other feverities exercised upon "them in their own country; the remainder were by Crom"well tranfplanted into the most inland, barren, defolate, and "mountainous part of the province of Connaught, and it

was lawful for any man to kill any of the Irish, that were "found out of the bounds appointed them within that circuit. Such a proportion of land was allotted to every man, "as the protector thought competent for them; upon which "they were to give formal releases of all their titles to their *lands in any other provinces; if they refused to give such "releases, they were ftill deprived, and left to ftarve within "the limits prefcribed them; out of which they durft not "withdraw; fo that very few refufed to fign thofe releases,"

or other acts which were demanded. It was a confiderable time before thefe Irifh could raife any thing out of their "lands to fupport their lives; but neceffity was the fpring "of industry." Thus they lived under all the infamy of a conquered nation till the restoration of king Charles II, a juft judgment of God for their barbarous and unheard-of cruelties to the Irish proteftants!

To return to England: the body of the prefbyterians acted in concert with the Scots, for reftoring the king's family upon the foot of the covenant; feveral of their minifters carried on a private correfpondence with the chiefs of that nation, and instead of taking the engagement to the prefent powers, called them ufurpers, and declined praying for them in their churches; they alfo declared against a general toleration, for which the army and parliament contended.

When lieutenant-general Cromwell was embarking for Ireland, he fent letters to the parliament, recommending the removal of all the penal laws relating to religion; upon which the houfe ordered a committee to make report concerning a method for the ease of tender confciences, and an act to be Carrington's Life of Cromwell, p. 155. Clarendon, p. 153.

brought

brought in to appoint commiffioners in every county, for the approbation of able and well-qualified perfons to be made ministers, who cannot comply with the present ordinance for ordination of ministers.

*

Aug. 16, General Fairfax and his council of officers prefented a petition to the fame purpose, praying "that all pe"nal statutes formerly made, and ordinances lately made, "whereby many confcientious people were molested, and "the propagation of the gospel hindered, might be removed. "Not that they defired this liberty fhould extend to the fetting up popery, or the late hierarchy; or to the coun"tenancing any fort of immorality or prophanenefs; for they earnestly defired, that drunkenness, fwearing, uncleanness, and all acts of prophanenefs, might be vigorously profe "cuted in all perfons whatfoever." The house promised to take the petition into speedy confideration, and after some time paffed it into a law.

But to bring the prefbyterian clergy to the teft, the engage ment which had been appointed to be taken by all civil and military officers within a limited time, on pain of forfeiting their places, was now required to be fworn and subscribed by all minifters, heads of colleges and halls, fellows of houses, graduates, and all officers in the universities; and by the mafters, fellows, fchool-mafters, and fcholars of Eton college, Westminster, and Winchester fchools; no minifter was to be admitted to any ecclefiaftical living, no clergyman to fit as member of the affembly of divines, nor be capable of enjoying any preferment in the church, unless he qualified him! felf by taking the engagement within fix months, publickly in the face of the congregation.t.

Nov. 9, it was referred to a committee, to confider how the engagement might be fubfcribed by all the people of the nation of eighteen years of age and upwards. Pursuant to which a bill was brought in, and paffed, Jan. 2, to debar all who fhould refufe to take and fubfcribe it, from the benefit of the law; and to difable them from fuing in any court of law or equity.

This was a fevere test on the presbyterians, occafioned by the apprehended rupture with the Scots; but their clergy in• Whitlocke, p. 405. | Ibid. p. 404." + Walker, p. 146. veighed