King Our Father, was well pleased with what the Marquefs did, after he had done it, and approved the fame. This being the true State of the Marquefs his Cafe, and there being nothig proved upon the first Information against him, nor any thing contained against him in your Letter of March 18. but that you were informed, he had put in his Claim before the Commiffioners appointed for executing the Act of Settlement; and that if his Innocency be fuch as is alledged, there is no need of tranfmitting fuch a Bill to Us as is defired; and that if he be Nocent, it confifts not with the Duty which you owe to Us, to transmit fuch a Bill, as if it should pass into a Law, muft needs draw a great Prejudice upon fo many Adventurers and Soldiers, which are, as is alledged, to be therein concerned. We have confidered of the Petition of the Adventurers and Souldiers, which was tranfmitted to Us by You, the Equity of which confifts in nothing, but that they have been peaceably in Poffeffion for the fpace of feven or eight years, of thofe Lands which were formerly the Estate of the Marquefs of Antrim, and others, who were all engaged in the late Irifh Rebellion; and that they shall fuffer very much and be ruined, if those Lands fhould be taken from them. And We have likewife confidered another Petition from several Citizens of London, near fixty in number, directed to Our Self, wherein they defire, That the Marquefs his Eftate may be made liable to the payment of his just Debts, that fo they may not be ruined in the favour of the prefent Poffeffors, who (they fay) are but a few Citizens and Souldiers, who have difburfed very fmall Sums thereon. Upon the whole matter no man can think We are lefs engaged by Our Declaration, and by the Act of Settlement, to protect those who are Innocent, and who have faithfully endeavoured to ferve the Crown, how unfortunate foever, than to expose to Justice those who have been really and maliciously guilty. And therefore we cannot in Juftice, but, upon the Petition of the Marquefs of Antrim, and after the serious and ftrict Inquifition into his Actions, declare unto you, That We do find him Innocent from any malice or Rebellious Purpose against the Crown; and that what he did by way of Correfpondence or Compliance with the Irish Rebels, was in order to the Service of Our Royal Father, and warranted by his Inftructions, and the Truft repofed in him, and that the benefit thereof accrued to the Service of the Crown, and not to the particular advantage and benefit of the Marquefs. And as We cannot in justice deny him this Teftimony, fo We require You to tranfmit Our Letter to Our Commiffioners, that they may know Our Judgements in this Cafe of the Lord of Antrims, and proceed accordingly. And fo We bid you heartily farewel. Given at Our Court at White-Hall, July 10. in the 15th Year of Our Reign, 1683. To Our Right Trusty and Right entirely Well- Ccc By His Majefties Command, HENRY BENNET. Entred at the Signet-Office, July 13, 1663. A True A True and Full RELATION of the horrible and hellifh Plot of the JESUITES, Popish Priefts, and other Papists in IRELAND, for the Maffacring of the two chiefe Justices, and all the Privie Councell and Proteftants in that Kingdome. As it was related by my Lord Keeper in the House of Commons. November the first 1641. He Lord Keeper declared unto the Houfe of Commons, that the Lord Deputy of Ireland had received a Letter from the two Lord Cheife Juftices and Privie Counfell in Ireland, of the dif covery of an Horrible Plot by the Jefuites, Popifh Priests, and other Papifts in the Kingdome of Ireland, for the murthering of the two Cheife Juftices and all the Privie Counsell and Proteftants of Ireland, as also to feaze on all the Kings Forts, Caftles and Magafens whatsoever, and moreover, that they would murther all perfons that should oppose them in any of their intentions and defires, which were these. 1. First, to have their Crowne not to bee dependant upon England, nor to be a conquered Nation. 2. Secondly, to have their Irish Lawes eftablished, and fuch as fhould bee made hereafter. 3. Thirdly, to have free liberty of the exercife of their Religion. The Earle of Leicester declared the fame alfo, adding that hee had the originall of a Proclamation which was made there, and had caufed the fame to be coppied out. The Letter beares date the twenty third of October, 1641. declaring that Hugh Ocorett went to Dublin unto the lodging of Hugh Maymubawne his very good friend, and he and his friend going to the lodging of the Lord Marques, understood great store of Noblemen and strangers had beene there, but they were all gone abroad, and they could not finde them; wherefore they returned backe againe to his friends lodging, where his friend revealed unto him the whole Plot; but fwore unto him he fhould not stirre till it was put into execution, and therefore his friend commanded his fervants to look narrowly to him: but after a while he fained fome excufe of neceffity for his going downe, which his friend gave way too, but fent his fervants with him: when he was come downe, the fervants not being fo carefull to watch him as they might have beene, he leaped over a wall in the yard, and made an escape, and went to Sir John Burlacy, and difcovered to him the whole Plot, which was this. That at nine of the Clocke the next morning, the Irish Rebels (amongst whom the Lord Marques was one of the chiefeft) intended at one hower and moment of time, to maffacre and murder all the English and Protestants in the Kingdome of Ireland, likewife to murder the two Lord chiefe Juftices, and all the privy councell at Dublin, and at the fame time, to feaze upon all the Kings Castles, Forts, and Magazens throughout the whole Kingdome of Ireland, as alfo the Caftle of Dublin, and that if they fhould finde any of the Citie, that would not fubmit to them, then they would fhoote downe from the Castle, the tops of the Chimnys to affright them, and if that did not prevaile, they would then batter downe their houfes about their eares. Hereupon the Lord chiefe Justice and the rest of the privy Councell of Ireland, fat all night in confultation, and tooke the best courfe they could immagine of for the fafe-guard and fecurity of themselves; together with the Castle and City of Dublin. The next morning they apprehended great store of thefe Trators and Rebells, together with the Lord Marquife, who was gone from his lodging before day and hid in a Cockloft, and at his lodging they found great ftore of Chaines, Hammers, and Hatchets without halves. The fame day they had notice of feverall places and Forts feafed upon in Conno and Monno and other places, together with feverall Villages plundered by the Rebells; but they wrote word that they did not beleeve that diftemper was fo generall as was reported to be, and then they made no queftion but they fhould with care and paines bring all to a good iffue; to that end they had fent for five hundred of the Horfe to come and guard them at Dublin, and had likewife raised five hundred English for the fucuring of themselves and the City, and that out of those five hundred they had chofen an hundred to be put into the Caftle under the command of Sir Francis Welloughby, who they hoped would give a good accompt to his Majesty of the place fees two Monthes: And in the meane time for feare least there should be fome further and worfer plots then they knew of, they did defire that the Parliament in England would fend them downe their Lord Lieftenant with men, money and Amunition. They further gave us to understand, that they had taken order for their Army of old Souldiers, to bee in a readines and to march in oppofition to any of the Rebels that should draw to a head. A VINDICATION of the Royal Martyr King CHARLES I. From the IRISH MSSAACRE in the Year 1641, caft upon him in the Life of RICHARD BAXTER, wrote by himself. And fince in the Abridgment by E. CALAMY. Being a CASE of Prefent Concern. In a Letter to a Member of the House of Commons. The Second Edition. 1704. SIR, A Mong the many Lewd and Poisonous Pamphlets of Late fpread Abroad to Debauch the Nation, there is one more particularly deserves your Animadverfion, and of your Honourable Houfe; at this Time efpecially, when your Yearly Celebration of the Memory of the Royal Martyr King Charles I. is near at Hand. To Confront you in which, there is publish'd this fame Year, 1702. An Abridgment of Mr. Baxter's Hiftory of his Life and Times, by Edmund Calamy, with the Printer's, and no lefs than three Bookfellers Names affix'd to it. Wherein that bleffed Martyr is represented as the most unnatural and bloody Monster, and moft harden'd Hypocrite that ever the Earth bore. For all this he muft be, and worfe, if we could find Names for it, if he was the Author of, and gave Commissions for the barbarous Massacre of the Proteftants in Ireland, An. 1641. And yet fhou'd ftand it out, and deny it, not only in his Publick Declarations to the World, but in his Soliloquies betwixt God and his own Confcience, in his Einav Basin, and even to his Laft Breath. Yet all this is Charg'd upon him, firft, by Richard Baxter, that Arch-Rebel, who had himself borne Arms against him: And now by this Calamy, in his Abridgment of Baxter's Life. Ch. 4. P. 44. Where blafphemously he charges the Discovery of this upon Providence! For fpeaking of those who thought this an horridly Unjuft and Scandalous Afperfion upon His Majefty, he adds, But as Providence ordered it, a certain memorable Particularity help'd to fet this Matter in a true Light. Then he goes on to tell what this Particularity was, for which I refer you to the Place, being loath to transcribe it here; but it Ends, and is Summ'd up all in this, That the Marquefs of Antrim was forc'd to produce in the House of Commons a Letter of King Charles I. By which he gave him Order for the taking up Arms. And for this, we have nothing but Baxter's Word. No Journal of the House of Commons, or any other Authority whatsoever. And had it been in fo Publick a Manner Expos'd, fure fome other befides Baxter would have taken Notice of it. Something of it would have been Inferted in the Journals of that House, if not the Letter it self. But fuppofe all this was granted, what wou'd it amount to? We must see the Date of this Letter, what Time it was when the King gave Orders to my Lord of Antrim to take up Arms: And to what End it was, whether to Maf facre facre the Proteftants, or to affift His Majesty against his bloody Rebels then in Arms against him in England and Scotland. We know this Marquefs fent Forces to the glorious Montrofs in Scotland, where they did eminent Service in reducing the Unnatural Rebels there. And we doubt not but he had the King's Order for it. And moreover, after the Ceffation made by the Duke of Ormond with the Irish, many of them return'd to their Duty, and fought under the faid Duke, His Majefty's Lord Lieutenant there, against the Rebels. And why might not my Lord of Antrim have a Commiffion as well as others? fo that till we see the Date of these pretended Orders to the Marquefs of Antrim, and the Contents of them, no Judgment can be made. They must be sent before the Massacre of 1641, to answer to the diabolical Malice of these Tongues fet in Fire of Hell: Therefore let them produce their Evidence. Will it not become the Juftice of your House to require it? To Vindicate not only the Memory of him whom you celebrate as a Martyr, but the Honour of a former Houfe of Commons of England, who are brought in here as Witnesses to fo horrid a Scandal thrown upon the beft of Kings, and Grandfather to Her Majefty, who is reproach'd in him, who is her greatest Glory, and of the Nation; but the eternal Infamy and Mill-ftone of that hypocritical and bloody Faction, and will one Day fink them, who after having fo many Years abus'd the unparallel'd Goodnefs and Condefcentions of fo pious and meek a King towards fuch incorrigible Rebels, (which was his greatest Fault) at laft, not content to murther him, fat formally in Judgment upon him by their own Authority, that they might murther the Laws with him,and all that Reverence which the whole World has ever paid to crown'd Heads, or eftablish'd Constitutions; by fuch an Example of a Mock-Court of Juftice as never before was feen fince the Earth was made! And which exceeds all this, they still glory in it, repeat it every Year in their Calves-Head-Feafts, where they facrifice to the Legion that poffeffes them. And not fatisfied with the Royal Blood they have drunk, ftill thirst for more. In order to which, and to juftify what they have done, they are never weary in raking into the Ames of this Martyr for our Church and our Laws; they curfe his memory, and blacken it with all the lies and malice of Hell can invent. Of which, this is the greatest, to fasten the horrid Maffacre in Ireland upon him, against whom it was chiefly defign'd, and who, of all Mankind, was moft concern'd for it; and was hinder'd from preventing or revenging it, by those who accuse him for it; and feized the Money and Magazines he had provided for that Expedition, and made ufe of them to carry on their own Rebellion against him in England. And then their Bell-Weathers first invent, and then belch out their curfed Lies among the People. This Particular, as to the Irish Maffacre, was firft broached by that Black Saint Baxter, in his Life, Publish'd fince the Revolution (a proper time!) and Profecuted by Roger Cook, Oats, and the whole, &c. of the Faction. But is fince more impudently Reviv'd in this Reign, by Calamy; because that Life of Baxter, wrote by himself (whereby his Sins are kept in Remembrance) has been Anfwered; and as to this Point particularly of laying the Maffacre in Ireland upon the King, and as to this Story of the Marquess of Antrim, by the Rev. |