the fifteenth of February, 1648, requiring. him to fend them, upon his parole of honour, and under his own hand, an affurance that he would not, during his refidence in England, do any thing in differvice of the parliament; and he had no inclination to be served with this order. He was alfo fenfible they were grown jealous of him, and wanted no pretence: to feize upon his perfon, for which he had been advised a warrant was actually iffued.

It was therefore prudent to provide for his king's intereft, by fecuring his own liberty; and croffing the country from Acton, about ten miles diftant from Bristol, where he hadR fixed his refidence, the better to carry on the correfpondence he had entered into with the lord Inchiquin, took fhipping at Haftings, in Suffex, landed at Diepe, and went to pay his duty to the queen and prince at Paris; where he correfponded with the earls of Loudon, Lauderdale, and Lanerick, in Scotland, by the means of Sir John Hamilton; and, by the intervention of colonel John Barry, kept up, in Ireland, the correfpondence he had before fettled with lord Inchiquin, who, fincerely affected to monarchy and the English conftitution, was refolved, at all hazards, feeing the Independants take large ftrides towards the murder of the king, and depreffion of the nobility, to ferve and restore his majesty.

The marquis had not been long at Paris before agents, deputed by the general affembly, arrived there, from Ireland, to the

queen

queen and prince, to treat of a peace, as the only expedient to fave the kingdom. The marquis was confulted, and gave his opinion on the demands they brought, and the method neceffary to be followed to promote his majesty's intereft; to which it was thought the marquis might greatly contribute by his return thither; and he not only defigned it, but made what provifion he was able, to that end, equally wifned and urged by the wellaffected among the confederates; and by the lord Inchiquin, on whom they chiefly depended; but it was neceffary, previously, to reconcile fome animofities between him, Inchiquin, and lord Broghill, general of the horfe; which, if not removed, might much obftruct the measures. of the former, notwithftanding they had equally his majefty's intereft at heart wherefore he thought it abfolutely neceffary to reconcile' thefe two, that they might unite in the fupport of the royal

cause.

en.

Having been affured of Inchiquin's refolution, he endeavoured, even before he left England, to engage Broghill in, and found" him as ready as he could have wifhed, ter upon fo glorious an enterprize: nay, he found his lordship, generous enough to make his refentments give place to the royal service, and willing to be the firft in his advances to a reconciliation with Inchiquin which was extremely well received by the queen and prince but the parliament of England alter

ing their propofed measures, rendered abor tive the views of the marquis and these noble

The marquis's return to Ireland being, as affairs then flood, the only method that could be taken to fave the kingdom, made him very importunate with the French court for the neceffary fupplies; but he was long delayed, and, at length, put off with fuch a trifling fum, that it was confumed in neceffaries for the voyage and the fubfiftence of his attendants: before he could get his difpatches from St. Germains and embark for Ireland. However, he arrived in that kingdom, where he was impatiently expected by Inchiquin, landing at Cork on the twenty-ninth of September, 1648; with no more than thirty French piftoles for his military cheft.

The marquis had now no power but from the queen and prince to conclude a peace with the Irish; but this, however, he got ratified by the king, then prifoner in the Ifle of Wight; and with this ratification, which was by letter only, he received his majesty's commands to difobey all public orders, which he fhould give him, while under reftraint.

The uniting Ireland in his majesty's interefts was the only visible means to fave his life, and the only propofed end of the marquis's return to that kingdom. With this view he published a declaration, on the fixth of October, in which he mentions his having

delivered

delivered up Dublin to the 'parliament, with his reafons for fo doing. He declares, That he deems it his duty to use his endeavours to recover his majesty's rights; and obferves, that the proteftant army, in Munster, having. manifefted their integrity to the king's perfon and right, was esteemed by the king as a feafonable expreffion of their loyalty. That he would employ his utmost endeavours for fettling the protestant religion, for maintaining the privileges and freedom of parliament, and the liberty of the fubject.

He declares he will, at the hazard of his life, oppofe all rebels who fhall refufe obedience to his majesty on the terms he fhall require it, and endeavour the fuppreffion of the Independants. That, to prevent ali diftruft from former differences, he declares himself fully authorized to affure them, that no diftinction fhall be made on any fuch account; but, that all who engaged in the cause fhould be treated with equal regard and favour. That the poft fhould be forgot, and he would use his utmost diligence to provide for their fubfiftence, and do them all the good offices in his power, requiring no other return than their perfeverance, &c.

The marquis, though unaffisted, entered upon the treaty of peace with the confederates, and, after having, with indefatigable zeal, unwearied diligence, labour, and exemplary steady loyalty, furmounted many diffi.

culties,

culties, it was at length concluded; but not till fome days preceding that execrable paricide was perpetrated.

The marquis was inexpreffibly grieved when. he received an account of the king's murder, though it was what he had long toreteen, as knowing his enemies capable of the mott enormous crimes. He immediately caufed the prince to be proclaimed in all the towns, which were fubject to royal authority.

The marquis had many and very great difficulties to ftruggle with, arifing from ambitious pretenfions in which it was impoffible to please all; confequently the disappointed were alfo the difcontented: befide the Roman clergy endeavoured to inflame the minds of the people; and Owen O'Neile, who commanded a body of five thousand foot and three, thoufand horfe, of the best and most experi-, enced of the Irish forces, would, upon no, terms but his own, which the obstinate Irish commiffioners could not be induced to comply with, liften to any accommodations, hopeing to make good conditions with the Indeperdants in England, with whom a negotiation was carrying on by the abbe Crelly and the intervention of the Spanish ambaffador, O'Neile defigning to quit Ireland and enter into that fervice.

Add to these obstructions to the king's fervice, the avarice and partiality to friends of the commiffioners for raising money in the country; the great want of that and provi