52 The marquis of Clanrickard renounces [B. XIII.

and till that might be procured, he was content to send the abbot of St. Catharine's, a Lorrainer, and a person principally trusted by him, as his ambassador into Ireland, to be informed of the true state of that kingdom, and what real strength the confederate catholics were possessed of, and at what unity among themselves. With him he sent about three or four thousand pistoles, to supply their present necessities, and some arms and ammunition. The duke writ to the lord deputy the marquis of Clanrickard, as the king's governor, and the person by whose authority all those propositions had been made to him by the commissioners.

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The abbot upon his arrival (though he was civilly received) quickly found, that the marquis knew nothing of what the commissioners had proposed or offered; and would by no means so much as enter upon any treaty with him; but disavowed all that they had said or done, with much vehemence, and with a protestation, that he would cause "their heads to be cut off, if they returned, or came into his hands." And the marquis did, at the same time, write very large letters both to the king, and the marquis of Ormond, of their presumption and wickedness; and very earnestly desired, "that they might be imprisoned, and kept "till they might undergo a just trial."

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As the marquis expressed all possible indignation, so many of the catholic nobility, and even some of their clergy, who never intended to withdraw their loyalty from the crown of England, how weakly soever they had manifested it, indeed all the Irish nation, but those of Ulster, who were

1653-]

any consent to the treaty.

53

of the old Septs, were wonderfully scandalized to find that all their strength was to be delivered presently up into the possession of a foreign prince; upon whose good nature only, it must be presumed that he would hereafter restore it to the king. It was now time for the popish bishops, and their confederates, to make good what had been offered by the commissioners with their authority; which though they thought not fit to own, they used all their endeavours now in procuring to have it consented to, and ratified. They very importunately advised, and pressed the lord deputy, "to confirm "what had been offered, as the only visible means to preserve the nation, and a root out of which the "king's right might again spring and grow up:" and when they found, that he was so far from yielding to what they desired, that, if he had power, he would proceed against them with the utmost severity for what they had done, that he would no more give audience to the ambassador, and removed from the place where they were, to his own house and castle at Portumny, to be secure from their importunity or violence, they barefaced owned all that the commissioners had propounded, "as done by their order, who could make it good;" and desired the ambassador "to enter into a treaty Iwith them;" and declared, "that they would sign such articles, with which the duke of Lorrain "should be well satisfied." They undervalued the power of the marquis of Clanrickard, as not able to oppose any agreement they should make, nor able to make good any thing he should promise himself, without their assistance.

The ambassador was a wise man, and of phlegm

54

Lorrain gives over the negociation. [B. XIII.

enough; and though he heard all they would say, and received any propositions they would give him in writing, yet he quickly discerned, that they were so unskilful as to the managery of any great design, and so disjointed among themselves, that they could not be depended upon to any purpose; and excused himself from entering upon any new treaty with them, as having no commission to treat but with the lord deputy. But he told them, "he "would deliver all that they had, or would propose "to him, to the duke his master; who, he pre"sumed, would speedily return his answer, and proceed with their commissioners in such a manner as would be grateful to them." So he returned in the same ship that brought him, and gave the duke such an account of his voyage, and that people, that put an end to that negociation; which had been entered into, and prosecuted, with less wariness, circumspection, and good husbandry, than that prince was accustomed to use.

When the ambassador was gone, they prosecuted the deputy, with all reproaches of betraying and ruining his country; and had several designs upon his person, and communicated whatever attempt was resolved to the enemy: yet there were many of the nobility and gentry that continued firm, and adhered to him very faithfully; which defended his person from any violence they intended against him, but could not secure him against their acts of treachery, nor keep his counsels from being betrayed. After the defeat of Worcester was known and published, they less considered all they did; and every one thought he was to provide for his own security that way that seemed most probable

1653.1

Ludlow's correspondence.

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to him; and whosoever was most intent upon that, put on a new face, and application to the deputy, and loudly urged "the necessity of uniting them"selves for the public safety, which was desperate

any other way "whilst in truth every man was negociating for his own indemnity with Ludlow, (who commanded the English,) or for leave to transport regiments; which kept the soldiers together, as if they had been the deputy's army.

The deputy had a suspicion of a fellow, who was observed every day to go out, and returned not till the next; and appointed an officer of trust, with some horse, to watch him, and search him; which they did; and found about him a letter, which contained many reproaches against the marquis, and the intelligence of many particulars; which the messenger was carrying to Ludlow. It was quickly discovered that the letter was written by one Father Cohogan, a Franciscan friar in Galloway; where the deputy then was; but much of the intelligence was such as could not be known by him, but must come from some who were in the most private consultations. The deputy caused the friar to be imprisoned, and resolved to proceed exemplarily against him, after he had first discovered his complices. The friar confessed the letter to be of his writing, but refused to answer to any other question; and demanded his privilege of a churchman, and not to be tried by the deputy's order. The conclusion was, the popish bishops caused him to be taken out of the prison; and sent to the deputy, I that if he would send to them his evidence against the friar, who was an ecclesiastical per

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་་

The lord Clanrickard sends

[B. XIII.

son, they would take care that justice should be done."

This proceeding convinced the deputy, that he should not be able to do the king any service in that company; nor durst he stay longer in that town, lest they should make their own peace by delivering up him and the town together; which they would have made no scruple to have done. From that time he removed from place to place, not daring to lodge twice in the same place together, lest he should be betrayed; and sometimes without any accommodations: : so that, not having been accustomed to those hardships, he contracted those diseases which he could never recover. In this manner he continued till he received commands from the king. For as soon as he had advertisement of the king's arrival at Paris, and it was very evident, by the behaviour of the Irish, that they would be no more applied to the king's service under his command than under the marquis of Ormond's, he sent the earl of Castlehaven (who had been formerly a general of the confederate catholics, and remained with great constancy with the marquis of Clanrickard, as long as there was any hope) to the king, with so particular an account, under his own hand, of all that had passed, from the time that he had received his commission from the marquis of Ormond, that it even contained almost a diurnal, in which he made so lively a description of the proceedings of the Irish, of their overtures to the duke of Lorrain, and of their several tergiversations and treacheries towards him, that any man might discern, especially they who