to impofe their opinions on other men; while the romanifts would not be contented unless they should have power to compel all others to fubmit to their impofition on pain of death; a charge indeed too clearly proved by experience wherever this religion has prevailed." The brave O'Neal, who pleaded that he had taken no part in the original confpiracy, had been invited from abroad by his countrymen, and had always acted as an honourable enemy, was yet condemned by Ireton and his pliant court; but the expoftulations of fome officers of a more generous fpirit prevailed on the republican commander to permit a reexamination of the caufe, and the fparing of O'Neal's life. CRAP. XXVII. Galway would have furrendered on a fummons from Ireton, if the death of that general at Limerick, by a peftilence which then wafted Ireland, had not encouraged the citizens to refistance. Uniting under Preston, they fummoned Clanricarde to their aid, who convened in this town an affembly of nobility, prelates, and gentry, to confult on measures of defenfe. Ludlow, to whom the command of the English troops devolved, acted with a feverity which affected the whole body of the Irish with difmay, giving no quarter to those who had joined the enemy fince the arrival of Cromwel, and treating all as foes who withdrew not immediately, on proclamation for that purpose, from the quarters of the confederates. A fubmiflion was offered in the name of the nation by an affembly held in Leinfter, and alfo by that of Galway, as foon as Coote approached its walls; but fuch offers were now too late, as no general treaty would Siege of Galway. XXVII. CHAP. would be admitted, and individual fubmiffions only at difcretion accepted. Yet even in this desperate fituation, the infatuated clergy and their adherents continued their feditious practices, clamoured against Clanricarde, and fenfelessly demanded the restoration of the original confederacy. From a fcene of confternation, confufion, and uproar, Preston, the governor, fled by fea, leaving the citizens and garrifon to their fate, who without the leaft regard to Clanricarde's authority, furrendered the town to the aftonished republicans, who had expected a fiege of tedious length. Furhter proceedings. 1552. Vainly hoping still to caufe a diverfion in favour of the royalists in Britain, when their cafe was def parate, Clanricarde, flying from Galway and penetrating into Ulfter, where he was joined by fome reinforcements, reduced the caftles of Ballyfhannon and Donegal. But foon obliged to abandon these pofts, and pursued till his forces were difperfed, and his life in danger, he capitulated with the republicans, who granted him leave to refide fome time unmolested in their quarters, and afterwards to tranfport himfelf with three thousand Irish into the service of any potentate not hoftile to the English commonwealth. Fleetwood, who had become a fon-in-law of Cromwel by his marriage with the widow of Ireton, found, on his arrival, with the commiffion of chief commander of the forces in this kingdom, the country reduced, and the people every where fubmitting to the terms dictated by the victorious republicans. Murders committed in the beginning of the rebellion were avenged by death and the total confif XXVII cation of property. Perfons who had only affifted CHAP. in the war, were punished with banishment and the confifcation of a third part of their lands. The marquis of Ormond, lord Inchiquin, the earl of Rofcommon, and Bramhal, the protestant bishop of Derry, were diftinctly named, as incapable of pardon for life or eftate. High courts of juftice were erected in the feveral Executions. provinces for the trial of men accufed of maffacres. So many of the original perpetrators of murder had, in a war of ten years, perifhed by the fword, famine, or peftilence, or had efcaped from the kingdom, that only two hundred on the fevereft inquifition, were fentenced to death. In Connaught lord Mayo, in Munfter colonel William Bagnal, were condemned on evidence not fufficiently clear. Lord Muskerry falsely accufed, was honourably acquitted, and allowed to retire to Spain. In Ulfter, where the most numerous and horrid murders had been perpetrated, none remained for legal punishment but Sir Phelim O'Neal. This chieftain, fo infamous for deeds of religious maffacre, had, from the arrival of Owen O'Neal, funk into obfcurity; but, near the conclufion of the war, had again arifen into notice by the removal of abler commanders, and given fome affistance to Clanricarde. But finally defeated, and deftitute by the difperfion of his followers, he concealed himself in a fequeftered iland, whence he was dragged by lord Caulfield, heir of that governor whom he had treacherously made a prifoner in the caftle of Charlemont, and whom his barbarous retainers had afterwards murdered. Repeatedly offered XXVII. CHAP. offered life, liberty, and eftate, on condition of his producing any material proof of his having received a commiflion from the king for his infurrection, he acknowleged the forgery which I have already relat ed, and perfevered to the laft moment of his life in denying that he had ever been authorized by his Majefty. Declaring that he would not, by a calumny against the late king, augment the load which already oppreffed his confcience, he difplayed in his last moments a spirit worthy of a better character. Rebellion had no longer exiftence in Ireland, but its ghastly effects were too long visible. The fword, famine, and its concomitant peftilence, had reduced great part of the iland to a state of dreary folitude, and fcarcely a houfe had remained undemolished Forfeited lands Forfeitures except within the walls of towns. 1053. were affigned for the payment of adventurers and arrears of the army; and courts were established at Dublin and Athlone for the determining of claims within a limited time, under the direction of Edmond Ludlow, Miles Corbet, John Jones, and John Weaver, who were united with Fleetwood in the civil administration, with the title of commiffioners of parliament. Connaught was referved entirely for the Irish, within which they were to be confined by the Shannon and a chain of garrisons. The adventurers accepted as a full fatisfaction the moiety of the forfeited lands in nine principal counties, and the other was reserved for the foldiery, who had ferved fince the arrival of Cromwel in 1649. But for those troops, who had fought against the Irish before that period, though their condition was was much more diftrefsful, no provifion could be CHAP. XXVII. obtained, except fome lands in Wicklow and the adjoining counties, not fufficient to difcharge fourth of their arrears, fince they were confidered as infected with a mixture of royalifts, and confequently not immaculately loyal to the republican caufe or the purity of religion. A revenue was alfo ordered to be raised for difabled foldiers, and for the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in the public fervice. Except a part of the lands of bifhops, and of deans and chapters, granted to the univerfity of Dublin, these, with the forfeited lands in the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Carlow, and Cork, remained unappropriated, and referved by parliament for future difpofal. tions. In the forming of thefe arrangements a change took Miscellane place in the administration in confequence of a revo- ous tranfad lution in England, where Oliver Cromwel had forcib- 1654, ly diffolved the Long Parliament, and feized the fovereign power under the title of lord protector. In Ireland, where the news created pleasure in the army, but horror in fome others, a refolution was with difficulty procured, by a majority of one in the council of ftate, for the acknowlegement of his title by a proclamation. His fecond fon, Henry, fent into this country to examine into the ftate of affairs, and to establish his authority, found the commiffioners guilty of enormous frauds for their own emolument, the courts of judicature fhamefully mifmanaged, and the obftinate republicans urifit to be left entrusted with places of power. According to an inftrument of government compofed by the protector, VOL. II. C which |