Remark on a paffage in the lord Hiftory. t. III. P. 222, 227. The 1649. agreeably to their covenant, and the covenant of the two kingdoms. But the king and his council, it seems, were perfuaded, that the Scots had not the leaft right to exact Luch conditions. That is to fay properly, the Scots in their recognition of the new king, ought at the fame time to acknowledge the injuftice of their covenants, and depart from all their pretenfions. These were two contraries which they thought to be irreconcileable, namely, that the Scots should own the king's undoubted right, and yet defire to capitulate with him. In a word, they pretended that the transactions of the last ten or twelve years, ought to be entirely buried in oblivion. Charles I. Charles II. and their counfellors, were prepoffeffed with an opinion which often deceived them, namely, that there was no mean between an absolute attachment to the king, and a total enmity to him. lord Clarendon's hiftory abounds with instances of this prepoffeffion. But to confine myself to the prefent occafion, Clarendon's this illuftrious hiftorian in reprefenting the Scotch nation, as animated with a juft indignation against the English parliament, for the king's death, would infer, that Scotland was inclined to accept the prince his fon for fucceffor without any condition. But as this did not happen, he afcribes it to the artifices and credit of the marquifs of Argyle. He fays, the marquifs would have been glad to prevent the king's being proclaimed, but as he durft not oppose the general fentiment of his country, he was forced to consent to it. According to him, the marquis of Argyle was the fole cause of the reftriction in the proclamation. This fuppofes the proclamation to have been the general fenfe of the people, and the reftriction the effect of Argyle's intrigues. But if this reftriction was agreeable to the interefts and sentiments of the ruling party, as I have shown, why is it afcribed to the marquis alone? Was it impoffible for the people of Scotland to acknowledge king Charles II. without an entire confidence in him? But the Scots acted with him only in the fame manner as they acted with his father, as appears in the covenant itself, wherein they showed an extreme distrust of the late king, even when they engaged to defend his perfon and rights. The reftriction therefore contained nothing new, Dizifon a- or extraordinary. It was a natural confequence of the mongst the troubles begun in 1637. Scots at the However this be, Charles believed, that no great regard Hague. Clarendon, was due to what had yet been done for him in Scotland, III p. 222. He understood, that in the intended capitulation, things would be demanded which he had refolved not to 224. grant, as the confirmation of the covenant and the prefbyterian go- 1649. vernment. He wished however to juftify his difinclina tion to Scotland, by the advice and opinion of the Scotch lords who were with him at the Hague. For this purpose p. 232, 233. he would have had them appear together before his council, and upon being confulted, diffuade him from going to Scotland, and the council thereupon form their refolution. The marquis of Montrofe approved of this proceeding; but the earl of Lautherdale, and the earl of Lanerick who took the title of duke Hamilton, on hearing at the Hague the tragical death of his brother, would not confent to it. They thought it too nice a proceeding, for Scotch lords to appear before an English council. By that the earl of Traquaire had been ruined. On the other hand, they were fo enraged against the marquis of Montrofe, that they would have no communication with him. When the king found he could not The king bring them together to confult upon this fubject, he de- declares aclared however, he would not go into Scotland, and per- into Scotfifted in his refolution for Ireland. Thus, upon a bare in- land. formation that Scotland would not receive him without con- P. 233. ditions, he refolved to refufe the crown of that kingdom. He give And, what is more, he gave commiffion to the marquis Montrofe a of Montrose to raise forces in Germany, and make a descent Commiffon upon Scotland, So, receiving with acknowledgment, the Scotland. offer made him by the Scots, he ordered a war to be levied Clarendon. upon them, as upon enemies, because they refused to ad- III. p. 269. mit him for their fovereign, without a previous engagement. Nothing is more proper to demonftrate the neceffity of the precautions taken by the Scots, though fome hiftorians are pleased to reprefent them as very unjuft. gainft going Ludlow. to invade Warwick. III. p. 228. The king could not refide any longer in Holland, where Clarendon, it was intimated to him, that the dread, the ftates were under, of a quarrel with the new commonwealth of England, made his ftay there very unwelcome, Befides, they received advice, the parliament was to fend an agent, to propose between the two commonwealths a ftrict alliance: and the affair was not to be negotiated whilft the king remained at the Hague. This agent, named Doriflaus, ar- Doriaus rived indeed before the king left the place. But the fame the English evening that he came to the town, as he was at fupper in finated at his inn, with some other perfons, fix Scots of the marquis the Hague. of Montrose's retinue entered the room, and dragging him May 3. from the table, murdered him. The affaffins were neither III. p. 228, arrested, 229. He was doctor of the civil law, born at Delft in Holland, and bred at B 4 agent anal Jarendon, Leyden, but afterwards lived long in Ludlow. The king prepares for Ireland. Clarendon, 1649. arrested, nor immediately purfued; and though afterwards. fome pains were taken to apprehend them, the states showed on that occafion a great regard for the king, which offended the parliament. Nevertheless the king knew, after this action, there was no remaining at the Hague, and the prince of Orange advertised him, that he would be defired to depart. He therefore fent his heavy baggage and fome of his domefticks to Ireland, with a refolution to follow them, after he had paid a vifit to his mother in France. But as he was not yet ready, he prevented the ungrateful compliment he Heprefents a was to receive, by presenting himself to the ftates a memomemorial to rial of the state of his affairs, and asked their opinion, whe the fates, ther he ought to go to Ireland or Scotland. The states obIII. p. 230. ferving he was about to depart, thought it not convenient to prefs him, and thereby he gained time to be prepared. Infurrection While the king was deliberating at the Hague, concerning in Scotland. the offer from Scotland, the ftates of that kingdom were Clarendon, fettling the terms on which he was to be received, not doubting his inclination and readiness to accept the offered crown. But he had friends in Scotland, who, better informed of his fentiments, refolved to disturb the publick deliberations, by an infurrection, in hopes that a happy fuccefs would caufe the king to be admitted without any condition. With this Whitelock. view Middleton, Monroe, the Gordons and others, affembled fome forces in the north, and feized the town of Inverness. But the parliament having before received intimation of their defign, had already raised forces, which immediately marched to the north, under Straughan and Kerr, and difperfed the mutineers before they could affemble all their forces. III. p. 222. ibid. p. 386. Heath. Phillips. Ireland. Condition of Though the king had firmly refolved to go into Ireland, affairs in it was impoffible for him to execute his defign, by reason of the turn in his affairs in that ifland. After the parliament Clarendon, was become master of Dublin, it had been often moved in the house, to fend a powerful reinforcement to Ireland: but the oppofite interefts of the prefbyterians and independents hin-, dered the taking any refolution. The firft were for fending III. p. 249. Phillips. Gresham college, as a profeffor in one fir him. tom. 3, p. 229. But Whitelock fays, that they were twelve English cavaliers who ftabbed him in feveral places, and cut his throat, one of them faying at the fame time, thus dies one of the king's Judges. Whitelock, p. 401. Ludlow fays, they were English and Scots, tom. 1. p. 291. fir William Waller to command there, and the latter were 1649. as earneft for major-general Lambert. The divifion between the parliament and army which arofe quickly after, brought new obftacles to the affair. At laft, the revolt of Wales, the infurrections in other counties, and the preparations of the Scots to invade England, discharged all thoughts of Ireland. If, in this interval, the Irish could have come to an union amongst themselves, and have joined the marquis of Ormond, they might have expelled the parliament's forces, and rendered themselves matters of the whole kingdom. But their divifions hindered them from improving fo favourable an opportunity. It was not, as I obferved, till the end of Clarendon, the year 1648, that they made peace with the marquis of III. p. 247. Ormond, and the oppofition of O Neal kept the marquis from taking the field till April 1649, when the king was dead, and the government of England modelled into a commonwealth. vernor there. The union of the Irish with the royalifts, the progrefs of Cromwell the marquis of Ormond, the extreme weaknefs of the paris made goliament's party in that nation, brought at laft the houfe to a Clarendon, refolution of fending thither a good army, with all poffible III. p. 249. diligence. Waller, who was a prefbyterian, was no longer Whitelock, confidered as a proper general to ferve the parliament; and Lambert, till then fupported by Cromwell, was now fupplanted by him. Cromwell believed, the government of Ireland was a poft not unworthy of himself, and fo managed by his intrigues, that he was unanimoufly chofen to fill the dignity of lord-lieutenant of that kingdom. But before his troops could be ready for that expedition, he had a difficulty to overcome, which might have had dangerous confequences. of the level Heath. Befides the cavaliers and prefbyterians, the parliament had Infurrections other enemies, who only waited an opportunity to declare lers. and were in the army itfelf. These were the levellers, who Clarendon, were diffatisfied, for that after they had ferved as inftru- III. p. 280. ments to ruin the prefbyterian parliament, they were not Phillips. only disregarded, but even called feditious and rebels. This P. 233. occafioned their affembling upon Cromwell's being appointed Whitelock, to command in Ireland, under a pretended neceffity of en- P-401, 402, quiring what troops were proper to ferve in that kingdom. To that end they met at Burford to the number of five s Or rather upon the parliament's voting, that eleven regiments, moftly confifting of levellers, should by lot be thousand, chofen for the fervice of Ireland. Heath, May 15. 1649. thousand, and without any precaution continued there, pretending a promife from Cromwell, that no part of the army fhould approach within ten miles. But Raynolds, by the command of general Fairfax, unexpectedly fell upon them with five or fix thousand men, and gave them an entire defeat. Nine hundred horfe, and four hundred foot were sent prifoners to London, and fome of them executed. Others obtained their pardon by Cromwell's mediation. This affair being thus happily ended, the army was prepared which Cromwell was to lead into Ireland. The mar quis of Or Ireland. Bates. Phillips. While this army was affembling, the marquis of Ormond mond un- approached Dublin to befiege it. Whereupon, Cromwell fuccesful in immediately fent about three thousand men to reinforce the Clarendon, gariifon which was very weak. Mean while, as he believed III. p. 243. he could not arrive foon enough to fave that city, he refolved to land his army in Munfter, where he hoped to find no obftacle, because he knew, the lord Inchiquin, prefident of that province, was departed with his English troops, to reinforce the army under the marquis of Ormond. But the marquis having notice of his intention, immediately dif patched the lord Inchiquin with the forces under his command to prevent his landing, by which he confiderably weakened his army. He however continued his march, and beHe lays fiege gan the blockade of Dublin about the middle of June. He to Dublin. ftayed fome time at Finglas, five miles from Dublin, in expectation of fresh troops, and at laft paffed the river, and pofted himself at Rathmims, to lay the fiege in form. While he was in this camp, the fuccours fent by Cromwell arrived in Dublin. A few days after, the marquis of Ormond refolved to repair an old caftle, which by its fituation was pro per to hinder any fresh relief from entering the town. Then colonel Jones the governor, who from a lawyer was become a good officer, perceiving how much these fortifications might annoy him, refolved to prevent their being finished. For that purpose he put the garrifon under arms in the night, and at break of day making a fally, marched directly to the caftle, and carried it fword in hand. This fuccefs caufed him to advance towards the enemy's camp. He met by the way a body of horse, which ftopped him fome time. But the body being difperfed brought fuch terror to the Irish army, that they fled in confufion without ftriking a blow. The marquis of Ormond was forced to follow them, for fear of falling into the hands of his enemies. After the defcat, he was obliged to retire to fome distance, to wait for the fuccours he had been promised. His army Cromwell |