fions, and the Confederates reducing a great number of forces, under pretence that the provinces could not pay them; and thefe men going over to, and enlifting with, O'Neile, it is eafy, without enumerating more, to judge the perplexing fituation of the marquis.

There was one remedy to all thefe evils, the prefence of the king; which he advif d and earneftly preffed, both when he was prince, and after the murder of his royal father, as it would have ftrengthened his party. by the acceffion of O'Neile; and, if not all, of the greater part, of Jones's army; have put an end to many troublesome pretenfions, and have united the kingdom in his service; which was obftructed even by those who were fent to affift the marquis; and who, through envy to him, avarice, indolence, pride, or concealed views, flighted his advice, and rendered the aid he had expected from the fleet altogether vain, though it might have been of the moft fignal fervice in diftreffing the enemy and reducing the kingdom.

His majefty, convinced by the ftrength of his excellency's arguments, refoved upon following his advice, and paffing over into Ireland; but was fruftrated in his defign by the Scotch commiffioners, who were fent from the convention in Scotland to him in Holland, with moft infolent propofitions; and by the mean artifice of the deputies of the states, who warmly efpoufed their cause.

The

The marquis, left alone to struggle with innumerable difficulties, was not, however, dif couraged; his fpirits feemed to rise in pro portion to the difficulties he had to encounter > for, with a fmall army, without money, with out provifions, but not without difgufts among themselves, not entirely to be depended upon, and at the fame time advised of a defign to affaffinate him, he meditated a defign upon Dublin, which might have been easily carried, had others been equally vigilant, diligent, and zealous for his majefty's fervice. The taking of this city would undoubtedly have been the reduction of the whole kingdom, and might probably have been the means of wrefting out of the poffeffion of the ufurper those of England and Scotland.

The marquis being obliged to raise the blockade of Dublin, by Cromwell's having! landed there with forces, money, and provi fions; and by the death of O'Neile, with whom he was in treaty, and had gained over to his majefty's intereft, broke the meafures of' his excellency, and changed his fituation from an offenfive to a defenfive war.

He was at the fame time deftitute of money and provision to keep his troops together; and by his authority, being greatly clogged by that of the commiffioners co-ordinate of the Confederates, without whofe concurrence. he could do nothing among the Irish.

Being thus cramped in power, he again thought the king's prefence abfolutely necef

fary,

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fary, as that of the Co-ordinates was then to ceafe. Notwithstanding the marquis had writ-ten to his majesty to wait the fuccefs of his attempt upon Dublin, though there was no apparent danger for the king's perfon. But his majefty having fent to the marquis for a flate of affairs in Ireland, and for his opinion as to his going thither, at the fame time fending. him the garter, though by his answer he gave his majesty a melancholy account of the fituation of that kingdom, yet he urged his coming into it, for which he gave his reasons ; but, before his letter reached Jersey, where the king then was, the Scotifh policy had removed from about his perfon, by the fpecious pretences of his fervice, his ableft counsellors; and his majesty's deviating from his former refolutions, agreed to the Scots propofitions of the like tenor with thofe he had rejected in Holland and was prevailed upon to defert his father's and his own beft friends, and bring a flain upon his reputation, when he had, in a manner, nothing else to depend upon; and, by playing the hypocrite, deftroyed that confidence fo effentially neceffary to the honour and interefts of a prince, that his fubjects thould repole in his character.

The marquis, having, with unparallelled resolution and conftancy, struggled against fuch a fweeping torrent, which had collected the ftreams of every obftructive evil, finding all endeavours vain; in 1650, hopeless of preferving the kingdom in his majefty's obedi

ence,

ence, and, at the same time, anxious for his own character, as knowing cenfure was the infeparable attendant on difafters, however unavoidable, entreated his majesty to recall him, and obtained his confent to withdraw; but yet would not, difagreeable as was his fitua tion, and infincere as he found the bishops, whom he convened to confult on the distracted ftate of the nation, prefer his own quiet to his majefty's interefts, and leave the kingdom, while he had the leaft probability, on which he could ground any hope of its preservation, the only point he had in view, and which engroffed his whole attention; but which the power and refractorinefs of the clergy; the abfolute and infuperable obftinacy of Limerick and Galway; the former having received propofitions and liftened to overtures from the rebels without his confent, or even knowledge, made it impoffible for him to accomplish; éven, either to gather, or keep together, an army, or prevent his being enclosed by the enemy, and with all who withstood them, be given into their hands by treachery.

He had no longer the leaft hopes of fuccefs, and confequently his longer ftay in Ireland could no way be of fervice to his majesty's intereft, if not by preventing the different parties from making terms with the enemy, and farther his majesty's defigns to attack England with a Scotish army, by caufing fome diverfion in Ireland.

Thefe

Thefe confiderations were, however, fufficient to prevail on him not to quit the kingdom till it was abfolutely impoffible for him to contribute any thing to the keeping it in obedience to his majefty, notwithstanding the groundless and incredible afperfions caft on him by the clergy, who at length rejected the king's authority, and infifted on his lieutenant's quitting the kingdom; nay, to fuch a height of prefumption did they arrive, that they fent him a meffage, defiring him to leave Ireland without delay; to which his loyalty prevailed on him to return a mild answer, though he had vainly appointed them to meet and confer with him; and they had replied, by a declaration against continuing of his majesty's authority in the lord-lieutenant; excommunicating all that should adhere to, affift, fupport, give him intelligence, or obey his commands: their defign being to throw off the English government, and to fubject Ireland to fome foreign Roman catholic power.

His laft effort for the king's fervice was the calling a general affembly at Loghreah, in which he acquainted them with his defign of departing, requiring them to confider on the most probable means of preferving the kingdom from utter ruin.

Having the king's permiffion, and being again requested by the clergy, he put to fea on the eleventh of December, and, in about three weeks, after a tempeftuous voyage,

landed