ing any thing, upon which the recovery of Ireland feem'd to depend, would inevitably bring upon him; and fo ratified whatfoever they brought to him of that kind.

turers 216

AMONGST Other Expedients for raifing of Money for the They make War of Ireland, about this time, they made certain Propo- Propofitions fitions to incourage Men to be Adventurers in that Traffick, for AdvenThus: They concluded "that, in fo general a Rebellion, ve- Ireland. 'ry much Land muft Efcheat to the Crown by the forfeiture "of Treafon, and that, out of fuch forfeitures, fatisfaction "might be given to thofe, who fhould disburfe Money to"wards the fuppreffion of the Rebels; fo many Acres of Land "to be allowed for fo much Money, according to the value of "the Lands in the feveral Provinces, which was specified in "the Propofitions; which, having paffed both Houfes, were prefented to the King, who (it being about the beginning of February, when the breach of their Privileges rung in all Mens Ears) Anfwered, "that as he had offer'd, and was ftill ready to venture, his own Perfon for the recovery of that King"dom, if his Parliament fhould advife him thereunto; fo he "would not deny to contribute any other affiftance he could "to that Service, by parting with any profit or advantage of "his own there; and therefore, relying upon the Wisdom of "his Parliament, he did confent to every Propofition, now The King "made to him, without taking time to confider, and exa- confents to "mine, whether that courfe might not retard the reducing "that Kingdom, by exafperating the Rebels, and rendering "them defperate of being receiv'd into Grace, if they fhould "return to their Obedience. And, he said, he would be ready "to give his Royal Affent to fuch Bills, as fhould be tender'd "to him by his Parliament for the confirmation of those Pro"pofitions.

WHICH Anfwer, together with their Propofitions, they caufed forthwith to be Printed; made their Committees, in all places, to follicite Subfcriptions, and to receive the Monies, the Principal and moft Active Perfons Subfcribing first, for the example of others; and delayed the framing, and prefenting the Bill to the King, till they had received great fums of Money, and procured very many Perfons of all Conditions to Subfcribe, many coming in out of pure Covetoufnefs to raise great Fortunes; five hundred Acres of Land being affign'd for one hundred pound in fome Counties, and not much under that proportion in others: fome out of pure fear, and to win Credit with the Powerful Party, which made this new project a measure of Mens Affections, and a tryal how far they might be trufted, and rely'd on."

THEN they fent thofe Propofitions digefted into a Bill to the King, with fuch Claufes of Power to them, and diminu

tion

tion of his own, that, upon the matter, he put the making a The King Peace with the Rebels there out of his Power, though upon Paffes & Bill the most advantageous terms; which he was likewife necefto that pur-fitated to pafs.

pofe.

BUT notwithstanding all thefe preparations on this fide the Sea, the relief, and provifion was very flowly fupplied to the other fide; where the Rebels ftill increafed in ftrength, and by the fame of these Propofitions, inlarged their Power, very many Perfons of Honour, and Fortune, who till then had fate ftill, and either were, or feem'd to be averfe to the Rebellion, joyning with them, as being defperate, and conceiving the utter fuppreffing their Religion, and the very extirpation of their Nation,to be decreed against them. And without doubt, the great Reformers here were willing enough to drive them to any extremity, both out of revenge and contempt, as a People easy to be rooted out, and that the War might be kept up ftill; fince they feared an Union in that Kingdom might much prejudice their designs in this, both as it might fupply the King with Power, and take away much of theirs; whereas now they had opportunity, with reference to Ire land, to raise both Men and Money, which they might be able to imploy upon more preffing occafions, as they will be found afterwards to have done. Neither was it out of their expe ctation and view, that, by the King's confenting to that fe vere Decree, he might very probably difcourage his Catho lick Subjects, in his other Dominions, from any extraordinary Acts of duty, and affection: at least, that it would render him lefs confidered by moft Catholick Princes. And they knew well what ufe to make of any diminution of his Intereft, or Reputation. These matters thus fettled, for the ease of the two Houfes, who were now like to have much to do, they appointed the whole bufinefs of Ireland to be managed by Commiffion under the great Seal of England, by four Lords, and eight Commoners, whom they recommended to the King, and who were always to receive inftructions from Themselves. And in this ftate, and difpofition, were the Affairs of Ireland, when the King went to York, where let us now refort to him.

THE END OF THE FOURTH BOOK

THE

History of the Rebellion, &c.

BOOK V.

Ifa. III. 12.

As for my People, Children are their Oppreffours, and Women rule over them: O my People, they which lead thee, caufe thee to err, and deftroy the way of thy paths.

A

SSOON as the King came to Tork, which was about the end of the Year 1641, and found his Reception there to be equal to his expectation, the Gentry, and Men of Ability of that great and Populous County (fome very few excepted) expreffing great alacrity for his Majefty's being with them, and no lefs fenfe of the infolent proceedings of the Parliament; thereupon, he refolv'd to treat with the two Houfes in an other manner than he had done, and to let them clearly know, "That as he would deny them nothing that was fit "for Them to ask, fo he would yield to nothing that was "unreafonable for Him to grant; and that he would have no"thing extorted from him, that he was not very well in"clined to confent to. So, within few days after his coming thither, he fent them a Declaration (which he caused to be Printed, and, in the Frontispiece, recommended to the confideration of all his loving Subjects) in Anfwer to that préfentea to him at New-Market fome days before: He told them,

"THAT, though that Declaration, prefented to him at His Agje "New-Market from both Houfes of Parliament, was of fo fty's Dea "ftrange a Nature, in refpect of what he expected (after fo ma- ration from "ny Acts of Grace and Favour to his People) and fome expref- York, "fions in it fo different from the ufual Language to Princes, 1641. "that he might well take a very long time to confider it; "yet the clearnefs and uprightness of his Confcience to God,

"and

March

"and love to his Subjects, had fupplied him with a speedy "Answer; and his unalterable affection to his People pre"vailed with him to fupprefs that paffion, which might well

enough become him upon fuch invitation. He laid, he "had reconfider'd his Anfwer of the first of that Month at "Theobalds, which was urg'd to have given juft caule of for

row to his Subjects; but, he faid, whoever looked over "that Meffige (which was in effect to tell him, that if he "would not joyn with them in an Act, which he conceived "might prove prejudicial and dangerous to him, and the "whole Kingdom, they would make a Law without him, and "impofe it upon his People) would not think that fuddain "Anfwer could be excepted to. He faid, he had little in"couragement to replies of that Nature, when he was told "of how little value his words were like to be with them, "though they came accompanied with all the Actions of "Love, and Juftice (where there was room for Actions to "accompany them) yet he could not but difavow the having "any fuch evil Counfel, or Counsellors about him, to his "knowledge, as were mentioned by them; and, if any fuch "fhould be difcover'd, he would leave them to the Cenfure, "and Judgement of his Parliament. In the mean time he "could wifh, that his own immediate Actions, which he did "avow,and his own Honour,might not be fo roughly cenfured "and wounded, under that common ftyle of evil Counsellors. "For his faithful and zealous Affection to the true Proteftant "profeffion, and his Refolution to concur with his Parliament "in any poffible courfe for the propagation of it, and the fup"preffion of Popery, He faid he could fay no more than he "had already expreffed in his Declaration to all his loving "Subjects, published in January laft, by the advice of his "Privy Council; in which he endeavour'd to make as lively "a Confeffion of himself in that point, as he was able, being "most affured, that the conftant practice of his Life had been "anfwerable thereunto: And therefore, he did rather expect "a Teftimony, and acknowledgement of fuch his Zeal and "Piety, than thofe expreffions he met with in that Declara"tion of any defign of altering Religion in this Kingdom. "And he faid, he did, out of the innocency of his Soul, will, "that the judgements of Heaven might be manifefted upon "thofe, who have, or had any fuch defign.

"As for the Scots Troubles, He told them, he had thought, "that thofe unhappy differences had been wrapped up in per "petual filence by the Act of Oblivion; which, being fo"lemnly paffed in the Parliaments of both Kingdoms, stopped "his own Mouth from any other Reply, than to fhew his "great diflike for reviving the Memory thereof. He faid, if

"the

“

"the Rebellion in Ireland, fo odious to all Chriftians, feem'd "to have been framed, and maintained in England, or to "have any Countenance from hence, he conjured both his "Houfes of Parliament, and all his loving Subjects whatfoever, to ufe all poffible means to difcover, and find such out, that he might joyn in the most exemplary Vengeance ແ upon them, that could be imagined. But, he told them, "he muft think himself highly, and caufelefsly injured in his "Reputation, if any Declaration, Action, or Expreffion of "the Irif Rebels; any Letters from the Count Rozetti to "the Papifts, for Fafting and Praying; or from Triftram "Whetcomb, of ftrange Speeches uttered in Ireland, fhould beget any Jealoufy, or Mifapprehenfion in his Subjects of his "Juftice, Piety, and Affections it being evident to all under"tandings, that those mischievous and wicked Rebels, are "not fo capable of great advantage, as by having their falfe "difcourfes fo far believ'd, as to raise Fears and Jealoufies to "the diftraction of this Kingdom; the only way to their Se"curity. He faid, he could not exprefs a deeper fenfe of the "fufferings of his poor Proteftant Subjects in that Kingdom, "than he had done in his often Meffages to both Houfes; by "which he had offer'd, and was still ready, to venture his "Royal Perfon for their redemption, well knowing that as "he was, in his own Interefts, more concern'd in them; fo "he was to make a strict Account to Almighty God for any "neglect of his Duty, or their Prefervation.

"FOR the manifold Attempts to provoke his late Army, "and the Army of the Scots, and to raife a Faction in the City of London, and other parts of the Kingdom, if it were "faid as relating to Him, he could not without great Indigna"tion, fuffer himself to be reproach'd to have intended the "leaft force, or threatning to his Parliament; as the being "Privy to the bringing up the Army would imply. Whereas, "he called God to Witnefs, he never had any fuch thought, "nor knew of any fuch Refolution concerning his late Army. "For the Petition fhewed to him by Captain Leg, he faid, "he well remember'd the fame, and the occafion of that Con"ference. Captain Leg being lately come out of the North, "and repairing to him at White-Hall, his Majefty asked him "of the ftate of his Army; and, after fome relation of it, he "told his Majefty, that the Commanders and Officers of the "Army, had a mind to Petition the Parliament, as others of "his People had done, and fhewed him the Copy of a Peti"tion; which he read, and finding it to be very humble, de"firing the Parliament might receive no interruption in the "Reformation of Church, and State, to the Model of Queen "Elizabeth's days, his Majefty told him, that he faw no harm

"in