CHA P. IX. A confpiracy of the proteftants of Dublin against the government. DR. King must have entertained a very mean opi nion of his readers understanding, if he expected to be believed when he faid,'" that the government of Ireland, during Tyrconnel's administration, purposed to ruin the trade of both protestants and papists, in order to make king James abfolute and defpotic; and that, for the fame end, it had formed a scheme, to hang up one half of the proteftants, and ftarve the other." These notions are fo perfectly burlesque, that they do not deferve a ferious anfwer; and yet the doctor has fo gravely fet about proving the latter affertion, from the circumftance of difarming the proteftants of Dublin, on the 24th of February, 1688, and on the 20th of July, 1689, that, I hope, I shall be excufed for taking fome notice of it. As for the first difarming," "this author himself knew (and probably at that time avowed), that the neceffity of it was very great and urgent; as Derry had before, on the 7th of December, 1688, fhut its gates State of the Protest. p. 71, 74. 2 Lefley's Anfw. p. 77. 86. "that He is guilty of ftill greater extravagance in saying, the proteftants could not but conclude, that king James was fo intent upon destroying them, that fo he compaffed that defign, he cared not if he enflaved himself and the kingdoms." State of the Proteftants, p. 59. In another place he says, "It must be acknowledged, that king James not only ruined the protestant trade, but went a great way in destroying the trade of the Roman catholics alfo." Ib. p. 74. b By an order of the Irish commons, December 7th, 1695, the lord lieutenant was acquainted, that it was the unanimous opinion of that house, that the late rebellion in this kingdom could not be thought to have begun before the 10th of April 1689, being the time given by his majesty's (king William's) C gates against the king's army; and as the Enniskilleners had marched, attacked and defeated a party of his majesty's forces. He knew, that the protestant gentlemen in Ulfter had fent a deputation to the Prince of Orange, December the 8th, 1688; that they had received commiffions from him (and they actually proclaimed him in the beginning of March following) that, by reafon of a villainous forged letter, found in Cumber, d William's) declaration to the Irish to lay down their arms. But that it should seem more reasonable to have its first beginning from the time Duke Schomberg landed with his army in the kingdom, August 13th following; that till Duke Schomberg's landing, the late king James's authority was fubmitted to, almoft through the whole kingdom; and that what was taken. from the proteftants, before that time, was difowned by the late king James, as may appear by feveral proclamations declaring, that whoever fhould plunder any proteftant, should be anfwerable for the fame, and undergo the penalties of the law." Com. Journ. vol. ii. f. 801. Not till Auguft 13th, 1689, Duke Schomberg landed at Bangor in the north of Ireland, with about 10,000 men. Which then, of the two parties in arms fo long before that time, ought to be deemed rebels? "The inhabitants of the town of Bandon, in February, 1688, difarmed the garrison of Bandon, and feized upon the town for king William's fervice." Com. Journ. vol. ii. f. 876. For which fervice the Irish commons, in 1697, agreed, that a fum of two thousand five hundred pounds fhould be levied for these inhabitants of Bandon, by the high constables, on the province of Munfter." Id. ib. f. 897. Thefe Ennifkilleners were mercilefs enemies. At the battle of Lifnifkea, they "defeated and pursued the Irish with great flaughter, granting quarters to none but officers. About two thousand fell by the weapons of an enemy, transported by zeal and refentment, above five hundred plunged into lake Earne, and but one of that multitude escaped." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 534. ⚫ December the 9th, 1688; " which was a contrivance defigned to engage the Earl of M-, who till then was deaf to all arguments for entering into the affociation in Ulfter." Lefl. Anfwer, p. 79. The like villainous artifice was used to make king James's army desert him at the camp on Hounflow-heath. Colonel Langfton, and other fuperior officers, affirming privately, with vollies of oaths, to the reft," that king James would turn out Cumber, fetting forth, that the papifts intended to maffacre all the proteftants, the whole north of Ireland appeared of a fudden in one blaze, though the proteftants then were fo far from having any reason to fear the poor Irish there, as they pretended they did fear them, that they had them panting under their feet, in as much fubmiffion as ever a hawk had a lark." Dr. King himself confeffes, that before king James left England, the proteftants of Dublin had entered into a plot, to feize the lord deputy with the castle, where 3 State of the Proteftants, p. 82. e all the proteftant officers and foldiers in his army, and have none but Roman catholics; that he had entered into a clofe league with France to have all the proteftants throats cut in England and Scotland: and that, as foon as his army was modelled to his purpose, he would fet up a mass in every church in England and Scotland; and he that was not a thorough papist, fhould be hanged, quartered, or burnt." Macpherson's Hift. of Gt. Brit. vol. iii. p. 286. Dr. King pretends, that this villainous forged letter was directed to Lord Mount-Alexander (p. 185): But Chief Justice Keating exprefsly fays, "that it was neither directed to, nor fubfcribed by any perfon," he adds, " that copies of it were difperfed throughout all parts of the kingdom; that the protcftants were frightened to that degree by it, that many of them betook themselves to the Ards, and other places of fecurity in the north; fome into Scotland; and very many families embarked for England and Wales, carrying with them all the ready money and plate they had. The confternation being for great, that even the officers of the port, either out of commiferation to the departing crouds of women and children, or being amazed at the fuddennefs of the fright, neglected to do their duty; whereby Dublin and the adjacent places, were drained dry of their cafh and plate." See Appendix to King's State of the Proteftants. "That letter caufed the proteftants of the north to meditate the defign of rifing against the government." Lel. Hist. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 513. e "When the news (fays he) came to Ireland, that king James had fent commiffioners to treat with the Prince of Orange, it was propofed by fome to feize the caftle of Dublin. The where the ftores and ammunition lay; "he knew,+ that these proteftants (and himself among the rest) had a private understanding and connection with the northern rebels, as they were then called; that when they were disarmed, February 24th, 1688, all the proteftants, generally, in Ulfter, Munfter, and Connaught, and in all Ireland, except Dublin and other parts of Leinster (which the lord deputy kept in awe with what forces he had), were then actually in arms, in opposition to the government, and had entered into affociations to carry on their war. And he has even 4 Lesley, ubi fupra, & p. 189. owned, The fuccefs was extremely probable; confidering that the papifts, befides the four thoufand of the army, were generally without arms; and that those who were in arms were raw and cowardly. To do it effectually, there needed no more than to feize the Deputy Tyrconnel, &c." King's State of the Protest. p. 83. "Dr. King wrote to an Irish protestant bishop then in London, that it was in almost every proteftant's power in Ireland to hang the rest; yet that they were fo true to one another, that they did not discover it." Lefley's Anfw. p. 106. "We are told (fays Mr. Lefley) in the faithful History of the Northern Affairs in Ireland, p. 7. (written by a proteftant), that they began to arm and engage themselves in affociations, about September 1688, two months before the Prince of Orange landed in England.' p. 77. And when the happy tidings of the prince's landing (in England), fays Mr. Boyfe, had reached our ears, fome non-conformist ministers and gentlemen of note, were employed to get fome gentleman or other fent over from Dublin to the prince." Anfw. to King, p. 77. Long before king James's abdication was determined in the convention in England, which was in February 1683, the protestants in the north of Ireland were in arms. Ib. p. 75. And on the 8th of December preceding that determination, a deputation was fent by the gentlemen and others of that province to the Prince of Orange, with an offer of their fervice; (ib. p. 77.) although king James did not go out of England till December the 23d in that year. Ib. p. 73. It is notorious, that upon the 11th of February 1688 (before the defcent of king James's army into the north), fome of Colonel Cormick O'Neil's troop of dragoons were killed by the proteftant forces at Tuam upon Loughneagh, owned," that king James's army was but an handful to the proteftants, there being even after the difarming, men and arms enough in Dublin, fays he, to have dealt with them." And yet this impartial writer has represented the government's difarming the protestants, at such a critical juncture, as nothing lefs than a defign to maffacre them. CHA P. X. The difarming of the protestants further confidered. As for the fecond difarming of the proteftants, on the 20th of July, 1689,' it was in the very heat of the war, between King James, and the northern affociators, when Kirk had come from England, and was riding with his fhips in Loughfoil, for the relief of Derry; which, with the before-mentioned confpiracy of the proteftants of Dublin, to feize the lord deputy and castle, will surely justify the suspicion which the government entertained of these protestants, from the beginning." 2 With refpect to the scheme of starving one half the proteftants of Dublin, which Dr. King has imputed to King James, Mr. Lefley obferves, "that the hanging two of his Irifh foldiers before a proteftant baker's door, for ftealing two loaves not worth a fhilling; and the leaving them to hang there forty-eight hours (which Dr. Gorge teftifies) to terrify others, did not look like ftarving the proteftants of Dublin; but rather like feeding them, by letting them have bakers of their own, and protecting them in that manner." And as for that king's Lefley, ubi fupra. 5 King, ib. p. 82. Loughneagh, in endeavouring that way to escape the northern affociators, and get to their quarters. Lefley's Answ. p. 86. And many other hoftile acts were committed by the proteftants in Ulfter, before the defcent of that army. Ib. p. 89-90. |