The Taking of All Forts 2

A LETTER FROM THE EARL OF WARWICK.

I Have received Yours of the 11. of this Moneth, and am now in such haste, as I cannot say much to you: I am here at Topsham Barre, and have begun by God's blessing well yesterday, having taken all the Forts on both sides the River, and Sixteen Peece of Ordnance, and now have sent up some small Ships to secure the River, with Eight Hundred Land and Sea-men, I hope this day, if the rain hinder not, to give a good push to the Business I came for; I yesterday took one of their Companies, Captain White by name, a great Papist, and under the Marquess Hertfords Commission, all his Popish trinkets about him. I have little Force with me, only the James, Swift-sure, Martin, Capt Dicke, 2. Whelps, who are out of Victualls, and Danske also, so that it is not possible for me to send to Carrickfergus: Nay, I shall be puzzled how to send any Ship hence for a Convoy, with Ammunition to Bristol, for want of Shipping: Therefore you must send them from London or Bristol.

Captain Batten likewise Writes for more Ships, for fear of the Danes, and some lesser ones, to guard that Coast, I have none: I pray acquaint the Committee with it, they must set out more Ships, if they will employ so many, for in my life, I was never so put to it for want of Shipping, and there is but three on the West end of the Channels, which is much too little.

What our Ships do at Guernsey and Jersie, I know not: As soon as I have done here, I must for the Isle of Weight, to replenish the small Ships with Victualls, and myself. I pray give order that their Victualls meet us there, that are to come to them and to us. Captain Bowen is at Portsmouth setting a new Main-Mast, Somaster in the Downes, went after the Marmaduke to carry her in to you.

And where you write that the French Merchants desire a Ship to go from hence to Morlays, to convoy some Vessells they have there laden with Linnen, for this Kingdom, as soon as I have dispatched this Business fox Excester, I will endeavor to send someone of those few Ships that are with me, if I can find any of them so well furnished with Victualls for such a Voyage.

As touching that business of the Hollanders, and my Writing to Trump, I was by their Order to receive an Answer from Trump; And if the Committee received not satisfaction upon Trumps Letter to me, then I was to Write to Master Strickland: You have sent me the Letter only in Dutch, which I understand not.

I pray excuse me to my Vice-Admiral, for not Writing to him at this time, and acquaint him. That I have no small Ships for him, for the Lucie and the Samuel, which I purposed for him, I sent them long since to the Coast of Holland, with Directions when they had done that Service, to repair to him, and if they be not gone to him, you must speak to the Committee to supply him with some small Ships from London, for I have not any.

AN APOLOGIE MADE By an English Officer of Quality, for leaving the Irish Wars: Declaring THE DESIGNE At this time now on foot to reconcile the ENGLISH and IRISH together: And by their joint Power having expelled the SCOTCH and IRISH Protestants, to bring their Popish Forces against the PARLIAMENT.

I Perceive that unless a Lord Lieutenant, well affected to Religion, be sent over, or another Lord General, That all the English in Ireland must come to ruin:

For

1. All such as are well affected to Religion, and against the Rebells, are disgraced with aspersions of being Factious, and other lies devised against them, as against my Lord Lys • e at Ross Battle, That he should call out and offer ten pound for a guide to Duncannon, which is well known to be a false blur cast upon him for his forwardness.

2. Many such, and the best of them are removed out of their places, as Sir William Parsons from being Lord Justice, Colonel Monk from being Governor Dublin City, Doctor Teate from being Governor of the College.

3. They are not entrusted with Employments of weight, but some Commander or other in chief must be ever sent along, to see that too much service be not done at one time.

4. Or else they are that by some Irish spirit, that seems to be with us, but in heart against us, as Sir Laurence Carye, at the Town of Swords, and Sir Charles Coote at Trym.

5. Others thrust into Offices who are tooth and nail for the Irish, as the L. Lambert to be Governor of Dublin City, the Bishop of Meath Governor of the College, Sir George Wentworth, a deadly professed enemy to the Parliament, to be chief Martial Captain Burroughs, an Irish man, to be Provost-Martial, who hanged Joh. Steele, a lusty able English man, who being forced by mere necessity, took 10. d. worth of bread from two Irish.

6. Such Irish Papists as are known to have betrayed our Armies, as did the Earl of Ormonds Troop in the Voyage to Droheduh, and such as are caught in the fact robbing our English people's goods, are nevertheless suffered to escape, and to continue Troopers still.

7. Such as have been taken in open Rebellion, and committed to the Castle, many of them are suffered to go at large, and we meet them daily in the streets.

8. Many of these that have been Indighted at the Kings-Bench for notorious Rebels, by set Juries of their friends, and some contrary to their Office and Oath, have been heard to plead for them in open Court, how honest and good house keepers they have been.

9. The chief Havens, which at first might have easily been taken, as Wexford, was least thought on, where the enemies have received more Ammunition and supplies then we have done: At the Battle of Ross, when our men were entering the breach, and many fell, being shot out of the Town, they called for the Fire-balls to clear the way, but they were forgot, and none brought out with the Army.

10. Before our Armies go forth the Rebells have aye warning to look to themselves, and notice which way our Forces are to go; By whom?

11. The Irish Papists, though they have been often caught sending Letters and Ammunition to the Rebells, and to harbor them, permitted to live amongst us, yea suffered to escape with little or no cesse and press, our English are intollerably burdened, and many of them forced thereby to break and depart for England.

12. Such are protected, under pretence of sending relief to our Garrisons, as are known to murder our English when they find opportunity.

13. After divers of our men have been shot and slain, in besieging Castles, the Rebells have fled by night, not a man of them hurt, our men have sometimes been charged under pain of death not to discharge at them.

14. Many prisoners have broken prison and escaped, as hath been reported by some, but by others it hath been said, They have opened the door with a silver key.

15. An English Serjeant about Whitsuntide last, hearing there was a Priest in Bridge-street saying Mass, went according to an Order of the Board to take him, but the Priest having notice was gone, the Officer and his Soldiers seized only upon his Vestments and trumperies left behind; their friend, the L. Lambert, hearing thereof, imprisons the soldiers, & swore some of them should be hangd for it.

16. Our best Ministers, as D. Harding and M. Yates, are silenced, that we have hardly any left to keep a fast with any life.

17. An English Papist (called James Roome ) in S. Patricks street Dublin, being Plundered by the Soldiers, for suffering songs in his house made by the Irish women, wherein they cursed our Armies, triumphed for the loss of Ballanakell, and prayed for the Rebels prosperity; whereto he said, Amen; and bade them to sing it again: had his liberty and goods restored him, by the L. Lambert: and the Soldiers were committed.

18. Ballanekell, the very key of our Garrisons in Leinster, wherein were 300 valiant men, who did as much as men could do, were neglected 5 whole weeks together, and no help sent them, till they were enforced to yield; to the utter disheartening of the rest of our Garrisons.

19. Our Armies are usually sent forth, sometimes on Sundays, sometimes on Fast-days, after this sin hath been openly Preached against in the hearing of the Lord General and other Commanders.

20. All the Pillage seized on by the Officers and the famished Soldiers, when great preys have been taken, were not permitted to kill a beast to relieve their hunger.

21. The general abounding of all open sins without any restraint.

22. The L. Taffe hath been suffered to come and go to the Rebels with directions, which few of the Privy Counsel have been acquainted with.

23. Some of our Preachers have declaimed against the bloody Rebels cruelties, thereby to excite the Soldiers to resolution in prosecution of the wars against them, have been declaimed against by others for bloody Preaching and Praying, and charged to desist from such extravagancies.

24. Some have directly and professedly Preached for mercy to be shown to these merciless Rebels, as Arch-Deacon Buckley, and the Bishop of Meath, who said in a Sermon before the State, That four sorts of them should be saved; viz. 1. Children. 2. Women. 3. Laborers. 4. All that resist not: Yet women are worse then men.

25. A faction is fomented among ourselves to take off our Soldiers from the Rebells, and to turn their edge against the Parliament, and to this end tend many of the Sermons that have been Preached many a day before the State, containing nothing but most bitter Invectives against the Schismatics (as they call them) and hardly a word is to be heard to proceed from any of them against the Rebels, except the Bishop of Down, who glanced against them at the first, and yet in the end affirmed, The Schismatics to be worse then them.

26 Likewise M. Yates being called before the Arch-Bishop for a Sermon he Preached, after some conference, he taxing the Arch-Bishop for taking a Lecture from him, and giving it to a common Drunkard; reply was made by the Arch-Deacon Buckley his son, that was there present, That Lecturers had more disturbed the peace of the Church and Common-wealth, then ever they did good: and it had been well if never none had been: The Bishop likewise said, That so long as he had power, there should be none in his Jurisdiction.

27. Also Captain Lucas coming to Dublin, to convey some corn by sea thither, having been often at the Council, to demand relief for him and his men (it being often by them promised) was demanded, If whether he was able, as also whether he was willing to fetch in Captain Plunket: He answered, He was able he thought: but Captain Plunket being employed by the Parliament, as well as he, he could by no means betray that trust in him reposed▪ and he demanded, what would be if he should sink him? They answered, They were able to secure him: But he answered, If they were able to secure him here, yet they could not in England, where his wife and children and estate is; As also he was forced to discharge 30 of his men for want of means, and thereby unable for that service.

28. Our last Army going forth in May, continuing forth 5 weeks, when we expected great service to be done, there was done nothing. It was so ordered, that the Battering pieces which should have gone with them, came not to them till a fortnight after. Then we expected that Ballashanan Castle, that hath cut off so many of our men, should have been taken: but it was protected by whom not known, though Captain Armstrong at the same time had like to have been slain by some of them: And likewise Allens Castle, which hath done much mischief to our men: In 〈◊〉 all the Rebels wealth thereabout was, when the men and pieces were drawn up to it, they shown a Paper Protection by Sir Arthur Loftus, Governor of the Naas. Likewise, the same night, our men Quartering near the said Castle, their Horses were stolen by them, and fetched from them by violence by the Soldiers, who with the Officers also, were ready to run mad for anger that they might not take it.

29. The day before the Earl of Ormond went to the Treaty, being the • 2 of June, the chief Protestants of the City were called before the Council, to know if they would give • 0000 • . or have a Cessation: They answered, They were utterly una • led, and were grieved to hear the Officers complain, and to see the Soldiers go bare-foot and bare-leg'd, and the City undone; and would be loath to see them that had killed their friends and kinsfolks, walks Dublin streets, yet durst not call them Rebels. Whereupon they were dismissed, and the next day they went to treat.

30. The Parliament, with all those that are employed by them for the good of the Kingdom, are notoriously abused, to the great grief of all good people; as may appear by the base usage of Capt. Smith, captain of the Swallow, by captain Flower, a professed enemy to the Parliament, giving him many opprobrious speeches, calling him Traitor and Round-head, &c. urging him to draw, so that he was fain to withdraw himself, fearing further danger.

31. But a more inhumane carriage was shown to the Master of the Swallow, a faithful and honest man in his place, who coming to the Globe Tavern in Castle-street, Dublin, to see some of his friends, who there called for some Sack, and was answered by the master of the Tavern, That he had none for such Rebels and Traitors, &c. as he was; and threatened, if he would not be gone, he would fetch a Guard of Muskettiers to bring him thence: Thence going to the Fleece Tavern, and there demanding a bed for his money, was answered as at the Globe, and a Guard of Muskettiers was sent for by the Vintner, master of the house, with a Corporal, who by force brought him to the Guard, of which Lieutenant Congreave was captain, a deadly enemy to the Parliament, who presently, in most base manner, reviled him: an honest neighbor, who being there before, having sent for some Beer for the Soldiers; the said Lieutenant drank a Health to the confusion of the Parliament, whom he called Rogues and Traitors and would have forced the Master to have drank it: but he answered, They were honest men, and he would rather die then drink it: whereupon the Lieutenant answered, He would make him confess that either the Parliament, or Lord's Justices were Rogues and Traitors, before the morning, or he would hang him: the Master replied, They might do with him what they pleased, he being in their hands; and that they were but boys, and he an ancient man: Whereupon they with Match drew his neck and his heels together, in so violent a manner, as though they would have killed him; but by the entreaty of the honest man there present, he was unbound, and caused to lie upon the boards all night; from whence he was the next morning by the Serjeant of the Guard releast: The Council have likewise given order for the apprehending of the captain of the Swallow, if by any means they can come by him.

32. A Treaty of Peace, or cessation of Arms is in agitation, now the Rebels are driven to such exigencies, as that they see now they cannot longer subsist other wise, are likely to perish for want, if our Soldiers might be suffered to pillage them, and now it is well known they want Powder. The intent of it is, so far as all honest, loyal, and religious Subjects conjecture, The ruin of all the British Nation, as appears by the relation of Mistress Dillon, who is a good Protestant, and her husband a Papist among the Rebels both of them, she heard them amongst themselves to say; That their intent is, After this Treaty, they Will draw down their Forces to the Scots, and cut them off; then that being finished, they Would cut of the English. And also a most execrable Oath after this is concluded on to be administered to all the Protestants that are well-affected to the Parliament; which if they refuse to take, they shall be all pillaged.

The premises considered, I conceive that this may suffice to make mine excuse.