The Irish rebellion: or, An history of the beginnings and first progresse of the general rebellion raised within the kingdom of Ireland, upon the three and twentieth day of October, in the year, 1641.: Together vvith the barbarous cruelties and bloody massacres which ensued thereupon. / By Sir Iohn Temple Knight. Master of the Rolles, and one of his Majesties most honourable Privie Councell within the kingdom of Ireland.

IN these Commissions it is very observable, that there was power given to these Lords and Gentlemen to whom they were directed, not only to use fire and sword, for the destruction of the Rebels and their adherents, but also to preserve the lives of any of them, to receive them or any of them, into his Majesties favour or mercy. This plainly shewes the very great confidence the Lords were pleased to repose in them; as also their desires to make them instruments, to deliver those multitudes of people that engaged themselves in this rebellion, from the power, either of his Majesties arms, or civill justice, They intended no∣thing but the reducing of a rebellious Nation; and they at the first ap∣plyed lenitives, which failing in the cure, they were afterwards then en∣forced to have recourse to more violent medicines.

That these Governours thus constituted, might be the better enabled according to the authority and power given unto them by their severall Commissions, to undertake the defence of the Countrey in this high ex∣tremity of the neare approaching dangers; The Lords took order to have delivered unto them a certain proportion of arms, to be imployed for the arming of some men to be raised in each county for the common safety, besides the armes they gave them, and other Gentlemen, for the defence of their own private houses. As to the Lord of Gormanstone there were delivered armes for five hundred men, for the county of Meath. There were also delivered armes for three hundred men for the county of Kildare. Armes for three hundred men for the county of Lowth. Armes for three hundred men for the county of West-Meath. Armes for three hundred men for the county of Dublin. And about the same time there were sent down four hundred Muskets, to the Lords of the Ardes and Clandeboys, for the arming of the Scots in the county of Downe. All of these had powder, lead, and match, proportionable to their armes, at the same time delivered unto them.

But now the poyson of this rebellion which had hitherto contained it self within the Northern counties, and the confines of them, began to be diffused into other parts of the Kingdome. It had already infected the counties of Letrim, Longford, West-Meath, and Lowth, lying contiguous unto them. And upon the 12 of Novemb. the Irish in the County of Wiclow brake out most furiously, despoiling, robbing, and murthering all the English inhabitants within that territory. They burnt all their fair well-built houses, drove away their cattell, and laid siege to Fort Carew, wherein was a foot company of the old army. The newes being brought to the Lords Justices thereof, they well considered the impor∣tance of the place, and that if it were in the hands of the Rebels, and

that whole county in their possession, they could expect little quietnesse, or even safety in the Citie, by reason of their near neighbourhood. Whereupon they were most desirous to have sent down forces for the re∣lief of it. But when they came on the other side to consider their want of means for the performance of that service, that they had no money, but few men, and many of them not to be trusted. That it would be ve∣ry dangerous to divide their small forces, and so to leave the Citie in a manner unguarded, they were enforced to lay aside that resolution, and with great grief to sit still and suffer the poor English in those parts to be exposed to the mercilesse cruelties of those barbarous Rebels who went on furiously with the work, and quickly cleared all that county of the English inhabitants. Within few dayes after, the Irish in the Coun∣ties of Wexford and Caterlagh began to rise likewise, and to follow the bloody examples of their neighbours. There were now also great appa∣rencies of the disloyalty of the County of Kildare, who with large prote∣stations under the pretence of doing service had gotten into their hands the arms and munition designed for them by the State. And so mysteri∣ous and doubtfull was the carriage of the Lords and chief Gentlemen of the English Pale, giving no manner of intelligence to the State of the proceedings of the Rebels, nor making any kinde of preparatives against them, as their affections began even then to be justly suspected.

So as the City of Dublin being the receptacle of the whole State, the Magazine of all the arms, munition and other provisions for the army, and the chief sanctuary of all the English and despoiled Protestants, was now reduced to a very sad condition, desperately encompassed on every side, the Northern Rebels being come down in two severall parties with great forces, within 20 miles of it on the one side, and the Rebels of the County of VViclow infesting it on the other side: which with the great resort of strangers, and the continuall rumours of new plots and devices to surprize the town, possessed the Protestants with extraordinary fears of their present danger. But that w^ch made their condition appear much more formidable unto them, was the daily repair of multitudes of Eng∣lish that came up in troops, stripped, and miserably despoiled, out of the North. Many persons of good rank and quality, covered over with old rags, and some without any other covering then a little twisted straw to hide their nakednesse. Some reverend Ministers and others that had esca∣ped with their lives, sorely wounded. Wives came bitterly lamenting the murders of their Husbands, mothers of their children barbarously destroy∣ed before their faces, poor infants ready to perish & poure out their souls in their mothers bosome: some over-wearied with long travell, and so surbated, as they came creeping on their knees; others frozen up with

cold, ready to give up the ghost in the streets: others overwhelmed with grief, distracted with their losses, lost also their senses. Thus was the town within the compasse of a few dayes after the breaking out of this rebellion filled with these most lamentable spectacles of sorrow, w^ch in great num∣bers wandred up and down in all parts of the City, desolate, forsaken, ha∣ving no place to lay their heads on, no clothing to cover their nakednesse, no food to fill their hungry bellies. And to adde to their miseries, they found all manner of relief very disproportionable to their wants, the Po∣pish inhabitants refusing to minister the least comfort unto them: so as those sad creatures appeared like living ghosts in every street. Many emp∣ty houses in the city, were by speciall direction taken up for them: Barns, Stables, and out-houses, filled with them, yet many lay in the open streets, and others under stals & there most miserably perished. The Churches were the common receptacles of the meaner sort of thē, who stood there in a most dolefull posture, as objects of charity, in so great multitudes, as there was scarce any passage into them. But those of better quality, who could not frame themselves to be common beggars, crept into private places; & some of them that had not private friends to relieve them, even wasted silently away, and so died without noise. And so bitter was the re∣membrance of their former condition, and so insupportable the burthen of their present calamity to many of them, as they even refused to be comforted. I have known of some that lay almost naked, & having clothes sent, laid them by, refusing to put them on. Others that would not stir to fetch themselves food, though they knew where it stood ready for them. But they continued to lie nastily in their filthy rags, and even their own dung, not taking care to have any thing clean, handsome or comfortable about them. And so even worn out with the misery of their journey and cruell usage, having their spirits spent, their bodies wasted, and their sen∣ses failing, lay here pitifully languishing; and soon after they had reco∣vered this town, very many of them dyed, leaving their bodies as monu∣ments of the most inhumane cruelties used towards them. The greatest part of the women and children thus barbarously expelled out of their habitations, perished in the city of Dublin: and so great numbers of them were brought to their graves, as all the Churchyards within the whole Town were of too narrow a compasse to contain them. So as the Lords took order to have two large pieces of new ground, one on each side the River, taken in upon the out-Greens, and set apart for burying places. These were the memorable spectacles of mercy, and of the great commiseration the Rebels used to those English, to whom they gave their lives for a prey. But what their sufferings were, before they could get out of the hands of those bloody Villaines, what strange horrid

inventions they used towards them, torturing and massacring those they there murthered, is reserved to be more fully related in its proper place. They are left upon record to posterity, under the oathes of many that escaped, & mentioned here to no other purpose, then to shew the strange horror and amazement the beholding of them bred in all the English and Protestant inhabitants of the City. They seeing the Rebels prevaile so mightily, expected if they continued here to be undoubtedly exposed to the same cruelties. And they now understood by those who were come up from among them, that their designe was; As soon as they had taken in Tredagh, to come and seaze upon the City and Castle of Dublin, and so to make a generall extirpation of all the English, root and branch; not to leave them name or posterity throughout the whole Kingdome.

It is easie to conjecture what a sad confused countenance the City then had: what fears, terror, and astonishment, the miserable spectacles with∣in, and the approaches of the Rebels without, raised in the mindes of an affrighted, distracted people. The English inhabitants looked upon all the horrid cruelties exercised abroad, all the calamities and desolations fallen upon their countreymen in other parts of the Kingdome, as arri∣ved at these gates, and now ready to enter: the Avenues all open, neither hope nor means, neither Rampires nor Trenches to keep them out. Not∣withstanding the carefull travels and endeavours used by the Lords Justi∣ces and Councell to make provision for the common safety, no money could be raised, few men gotten together: the Papists well furnished with arms closely concealed, and desperately animated by their Priests to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 manner of mischief: no fortifications about the Suburbs, nor any man¦ner of defence for the City, but an old ruinous Wall, part whereof fe•••• down in the very height of these distractions. And so carelesse were the Citizens, and so slowly went they about the making up that breach, and under pretence of want of money, they let it lye open till the Lords sent unto them 40 li. toward the reparation. All things tended to a sudden confusion; the very face of the City was now changed, and had such ghastly aspect, as seemed to portend her near approaching ruine: the means of safety appearing very slender and inconsiderable: the applica∣tions by reason of the strange aversions of the Popish party of a very slow and weak operation. Every man began to consider himself and his own private preservation. Those that lived in the Suburbs removed, with their families into the City. The Privie Councellours and persons of quality into the Castle, which became a common repository of all things of va∣lue. The Rolles were by speciall order removed thither: the Records of severall other Offices were likewise brought in. But upon the Rebels advance somewhat nearer, and their frequent alarms, many of those who

had there taken sanctuary, began to suspect the strength of those old crazy walls, and therefore to make sure, resolved to quit the Kingdome, im∣barquing themselves and their goods with all possible speed. Some who were detained with contrary winds in the Harbour chose rather to en∣dure all extremities on shipboard, then to hazard themselves ashoar a∣gain. The Scotish Fishermen, who lay with their Boats in great numbers within the Bay, fishing for Herrings, having with much forwardnesse made an offer to the State to bring 500 of their men ashoar to be put in arms and do present service (a proposition at that season most accepta∣ble) were so strangely affrighted one evening with a false alarm, as that in the night, on a sudden, they put to sea, and quite disappeared on these Coasts till the year following. The Papists on the other side being most confident that the City would be taken and sack'd by the Rebels, and fea∣ring, lest happily they might be mistaken in the tumult and fierce execu∣tion, removed themselves and their goods with the same speed into the countrey. And that which heightned the calamity of the poor English was their flight in the Winter, in such a dismall stormy, tempestuous season, as in the memory of man had never been observed formerly to continue so long together. Yet the terror of the Rebels incomparably prevailing beyond the rage of the sea; most of those who could pro∣vide themselves of shipping, though at never so excessive rates, deserted the City: and such was the violence of the windes, such continuing im∣petuous storms, as severall Barques were cast away, some in three moneths after their going from hence could recover no Port in England: and al∣most all that then put to sea, were in great danger of perishing. The ini∣quities of the English Nation, which were very great in this Kingdome, were now full: Heaven and Earth seemed to conspire together for the punishment of them. God certainly declared his high indignation against them for their great sins wherewith they had long continued to provoke him in this land, and suffered these barbarous Rebels to be the instru∣ments of mischief and cruell executioners of his fierce wrath upon them. But because they have taken vengeance with a despightfull heart to destroy them, for the old hatred, He will certainly in His own time execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes, as he threatned the Philistims in the like case.

Notes

• Arms and mu∣nition delivered out to the Lords and chief Gen∣tlemen of the Pale, by the Lo. Iustices and Councel.
• Severall Coun∣ties within the Province of Lemster declare themselves for the Rebels.
• The sad condi∣tion of the City of Dublin.
• The resort of multitudes of men, women and children to the City of Du∣blin, in a most miserable po∣sture.
• The fears and distractions within the City of Dublin.
• Ezek. 25.15.17.