The state of the Protestants of Ireland under the late King James's government in which their carriage towards him is justified, and the absolute necessity of their endeavouring to be freed from his government, and of submitting to their present Majesties is demonstrated.

SECT. I. Concerning those who went away.

1. THE former Discourse, I suppose, is sufficient to justi∣fie the Protestants of Ireland, as to their submission to the Government of their present Majesties; and to shew the Reasons for their earnest desiring, and thankfully accepting of that Deliverance, which Providence offered us, by their means. It remains only to speak a few words in particular of those that left the Kingdom, and of those that staid and submitted to King James, that they may understand the truth of each others Circumstances, and not either of them unjustly censure the other.

2. As to those that absented themselves out of the King∣dom, it is certain that they offended against no Law in doing so; it being lawful for any Subject to transport himself out of one part of the Dominions of England into another; it is true, that there is a Law or Custom, that requires such as hold Offices from the King, to take a Licence from the Chief Governour; but the Penalty of this is no more than the forfei∣ture

of their Offices; and I find it disputed among the Law∣yers whether it reach so far: now few of those that went away, compar'd with the whole number of them, were Officers; those that were, generally took Licences of absence; and at worst, it was at their own Peril, and it had been a great se∣verity to have taken the forfeiture; which was the sence of the whole Parliament of England in making an Act to ex∣empt such from incurring any loss.

3. But Secondly, they had great reason to go out of the Kingdom, because they foresaw that it would be the seat of Warr; they saw 40 or 50^m Men put into Arms without any fund to maintain them; they knew these to be their bitter and sworn Enemies; they saw the course of Justice stopt against them, and their Stocks and Cattle taken away be∣fore their faces; several Gentlemen of the Country lost to the value of some 1000 l. before they stirr'd; and to what purpose should they stay in a place where they certainly knew that all they had would be taken from them, and their Lives expos'd to the fury of their Enemies.

Thirdly, They had no reason to stay because they could not expect to do any good by their staying, or to save the Kingdome; the Papists had all the Forts and Magazins of the Kingdom in their hands; they had all the Arms and publick Revenues; they were in number Four or Five to one Protestant; and they had the face of Authority on their side; and then what could a scattered Multitude without Arms, without Leaders, and without Authority, hope to do in their own defence; by going into England they reckon'd themselves not only safe, but likewise in a way of serving their Countrey: 'Twas from thence they expected Arms, Ammunition, and Commissions, by the help of which they might put themselves in some capacity of rescuing their E∣states and Friends they left behind, which they lookt on as much better Service than to stay and perish with them.

4. Fourthly, the memory of the cruel usage and difficult times those met with who staid in Ireland in 1641. did frighten and terrifie all that reflected on them; the num∣ber of those that were then massacred and starv'd was in∣credible,

and those that escap'd got away with such cir∣cumstances, that the memory of what they had suffered was as ill as death: if any will be but at the pains of read∣ing over Sir John Temples account of the first half Year of the War, or rather Massacre, he will be satisfied that it was no unreasonable fear made so many Protestants withdraw out of the reach of such barbarities; the same Men or their Sons that committed all those bloody murders and inhu∣manities were again arm'd in a much more formidable man∣ner than they ever had been before; and yet at that time they were able to maintain a War for Twelve Years, and live by spoil and robbery; and then what were the Children of those, whose Parents had been murthered by them, to expect but the same fate, or at best a miserable Life in a desolate and spoild Country, in which no wise Man would▪ choose to live if he could help it; indeed they could not expect to live long after all was taken from them, but must in a little time have unavoidably starv'd: a Trades-man might expect to live by his Industry, a Gentleman on his Credit in a peaceable Countrey, or in War, by listing themselves in any Army. But in Ireland where Men neither were suf∣fered to use their Industry, nor batake themselves to Arms, where they could neither enjoy the means of gaining a livelihood in Peace or War, to what purpose should they stay, to live at the best, in Poverty, Contempt, and Sla∣very.

5. As to the Clergy that left the Kingdom, it is to be conside∣red, that most of those in the Countrey were robb'd and plun∣der'd, and nothing left them to support themselves and families, before they went away: many were deserted by their Peo∣ple, their Parishioners leaving them and getting to England or Scotland before them: some Parishioners were so kind to their Ministers that they begg'd and entreated them to be gone; which they were mov'd to do, because they saw the spite and malice of their Enemies was more peculiar∣ly bent against the Clergy, and they imagined that their removing would a little allay the heat of those spiteful Men, and that the Robbers would not so often visit the neigh∣bourhood

when the Minister was gone; which in many places had the effect intended; for the Robbers would come a great way to rob a Gentleman or Clergyman, and would be sure to visit the poor peoples houses in their passages: But when these were remov'd the obscurity of the meaner People did protect them from many violences. Lastly, ma∣ny Clergymen were forc'd to remove, because they had no∣thing left to live on, their Parishioners were as poor as them∣selves, and utterly unable to help them; I do consess that there was no reason to complain of the Peoples backwardness to maintain the Clergy; on the contrary they contributed to the utmost of their power, and beyond it, and made no di∣stinction of Sects; many Dissenters of all sorts (except Qua∣kers) contributing liberally to this good end, which ought to be remembred to their honour: but after all, in many places, a whole Parish, what with the ruin and desolation brought on the Kingdom, and what with the removal of the Protestant Parishioners, was not able to contribute 20 s. to maintain their Minister; and meer necessity forced away these Ministers. Against some others the Government had peculiar piques and exceptions; those were in manifest hazard of their Lives and in fear every day of being seiz'd and brought to a Tryal, on some feign'd Crime: And several both of the Clergy and Laity were forc'd to fly on this account for their safety. All these I look on to be justifiable reasons of Mens withdrawing. If any went away on any other principles, who were not in these or the like cir∣cumstances, I shall leave them to the censure of the World; but I believe very few will be found for whom either their publick or private circumstances may not justly apologize.

6. It is not to be suppos'd that Men would have left their plentiful Estates and Settlements, their well furnisht Houses and comfortable ways of living, as most of these who went away did, had they not been under the great∣est fears and pressures. Wives would not have left their Husbands, nor Parents their Children, Men of Estates and Fortunes would not have ventured their Lives in little Wher∣ries and Boats to pass Seas famous for their Ship wracks, if

they could with any comfort or safety have stayed at home. I know King James took care to have it suggested in England, that all these left Ireland not out of any real fear or necessity, but only with a disign to make him and his Government odious; but sure they must think the Protestants of Ireland were very fond of a Collection in England, that can imagine so many thousand people of all sorts and sexes should con∣spire together to ruine themselves, and throw away all that they had in the World, out of malice, and only to bring an O∣dium on a Party that had done them no harm.

7. Neither was it, as some suggest, a vain and pannick fear that possessed them that went away; for that could not con∣tinue for a Year or Two; but those that had lived under King James a Year and half, were as earnest to get away as those that went at first; and the longer they liv'd under him, their fear and apprehensions increas'd the more on them; be∣ing already ruined in their Fortunes, and their Lives in daily and apparent hazard, from military and illegal proceedings. They liv'd amongst a People that daily robb'd, plundered, and affronted them, that assaulted their Persons and threatned their Lives, and wanted only the word to cut their Throats; and sure 'twas then time to withdraw from the danger at any rate; and I am confident I speak the sence of the generality of those that stayed, that if the Seas had been left open some few Months before his Majesty appear'd in the Field in Ireland, far the greatest part (I may venture to say almost all) of those that had stayed till then, would have gone a∣way with their Lives only, rather than have continued here longer. Whoever knows the cruelty and malice of those with whom we had to deal, will own these fears to be reaso∣nable. Yet for this we were condemned to death and for∣feiture; and the very Children barr'd of their rights, against the known Laws and Customs of the Kingdom.