liberty and fortune equally with Englishmen, if they keep out of arms.

And now, having said this to you, I have a word to them; that in this point, which concerns them in their estates and fortunes, they may know what to trust to. Such as have been formerly in arms, may, submitting themselves, have their cases presented to the State of England;-where no doubt the State will be ready to take into consideration the nature and quality of their actings, and deal mercifully with them. As for those now in arms, who shall come in, and submit, and give Engagements for their future quiet and honest carriage, and submission to the State of England, I doubt not but they will find like merciful consideration ;-except only the Leading Persons and principal Contrivers of this Rebellion, whom I am confident they will reserve to make examples of Justice, whatsoever hazards they incur thereby.And as for such Private Soldiers as lay down their arms, and shall live peaceably and honestly at their several homes, they shall be permitted so to do. And, 'in general,' for the first two sorts, 'for such as have been or as now are in arms and shall submit,' I shall humbly and effectually represent their cases to the Parliament, as far as becomes the duty and place I bear. But as for those who, notwithstanding all this, persist and continue in arms, they must expect what the Providence of God, in that which is falsely called the Chance of War, will cast upon them.

For such of the Nobility, Gentry and Commons of Ireland as have not been actors in this Rebellion, they shall and may expect the protection in their Goods,

Liberties and Lives which the Law gives them; and in their husbandry, merchandising, manufactures and other trading whatsoever, the same. They behaving themselves as becomes honest and peaceable men; testifying their good affections, upon all occasions, to the service of the State of England, equal justice shall be done them with the English. They shall bear proportionably with them in taxes. And if the Soldiery be insolent upon them, upon complaint and proof, it shall be punished with utmost severity, and they protected equally with Englishmen.

And having said this, and purposing honestly to perform it,-if this People shall headily run on after the counsels of their Prelates and Clergy and other Leaders, I hope to be free from the misery and desolation, blood and ruin that shall befall them; and shall rejoice to exercise utmost severity against them.

'OLIVER CROMWELL.'*

Given at Youghal, —January 1649.'

This Declaration, as appears here, does not date or even expressly sign itself: but by search, chiefly in a certain Ma

*Declaration, &c. as above given. Licensed by the Secretary of the Army. Printed at Cork: and reprinted at London, by E. Griffin, and are to be sold in the Old Bailey; March 21, 1649. King's Pamphlets, small 4to, no. 462, § 6. In Ayscough мss. no. 4769 (a Fragment of an anonymous Contemporary Narrative, which will by and by be more specially referred to), are some two pages of this Declaration, transcribed from the Cork Edition: the concluding words are not, 'exercise utmost severity against them,' but 'act severity against them,' which probably is the true reading.

nuscript Fragment, which will by and by concern us farther,1 we find that it was drawn up at Youghal, after the 15th, and came forth printed at Cork before the 29th of January; on which latter day the Army took the field again. And so we leave his Declaration;-probably the remarkablest State-Paper ever published in Ireland since Strongbow, or even since St. Patrick, first appeared there.

1 Ayscough Mss. no. 4769 (Fragment of a Narrative, referred to in the previous Note), pp. 100 et seqq.

LETTERS CXIX.-CXXI.

THE Speaker's Letter of Recall has never yet reached Ireland; and the rumour of it already has; which, as we intimated, sets the Enemy on fresh schemes, whereof advantage might be taken. The unwearied Lord Lieutenant, besides his labours known to us, has been rehabilitating Courts of Justice in Dublin, settling contributions, and doing much other work; and now, the February or even January weather being unusually good, he takes the field again, in hopes of perhaps soon finishing. The unhappy Irish are again about excommunicating one another; the Supreme Council of Kilkenny is again one wide howl; and Ormond is writing to the King to recall him. Now is the Lieutenant's time; the February weather being good!

LETTER CXIX.

HERE is another small excerpt from Bulstrode, which we may take along with us; a small speck of dark Ireland and its affairs rendered luminous for an instant. To which there is reference in this Letter. We saw Enniscorthy taken on the last day of September, the Castle and Village of Enniscorthy,' 'which belongs to Mr. Robert Wallop;' a Garrison was settled there; and this in some three months time is what becomes of it.

January 9th, 1649, Letters reach Bulstrode, perhaps a

fortnight after date, That the Enemy surprised Enniscorthy 'Castle in this manner: Some Irish Gentlemen feasted the 'Garrison Soldiers; and sent in women to sell them strong'water, of which they drank too much; and then the Irish 'fell upon them, took the Garrison, and put all the Officers and Soldiers to the sword.' Sharp practice on the part of the Irish Gentlemen; and not well advised! Which constrained the Lord Lieutenant, when he heard of it, to order 'that the Irish,' Papist suspected Irish, 'should be put out of such Garrisons as were in the power of Parliament,'-ordered to seek quarters elsewhere.

For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the Parliament of England: These.

MR. SPEAKER,

Castletown, 15th Feb. 1649.

Having refreshed our men for some short time in our Winter-quarters, and health being pretty well recovered, we thought fit to take the field; and to attempt such things as God by His providence should lead us to upon the Enemy,

Our resolution was to fall into the Enemy's quarters two ways. The one party, being about fifteen or sixteen troops of horse and dragoons and about twothousand foot, were ordered to go up by the way of Carrick into the County of Kilkenny under the command of Colonel Reynolds; whom Major-General Ireton was to follow with a reserve. I myself was to go by the way of Mallow,3 over the Blackwater, towards the

1 Whitlocke, p. 421.

? Youghal had been the head-quarter.

3 'Muyallo' he writes, and 'Mayallo.'