tion with

CAHP. This prince who had married a fecond wife, while XXVII. his former was living, hoping to prevail on the pope Negocia to legitimate the children of his fecond marriage, the duke of affected an extraordinary zeal for the catholics of Lorrain. Ireland, Ireland, Previously to Ormond's departure, an offer had been made for the delivery of Duncannon fort into the duke's hands as a fecurity for twentyfour thousand pounds. The treaty had failed, and the fortrefs had fallen into the power of the republicans; but the negociation was renewed by lord Taafe, who prefented letters of credence from the duke of York brother of the nominal king, and offered the fecurity of any other place for the repayment of any fums which fhould be advanced. Taafe, who flattered the prince by the propofal of a match between a daughter of his fecond marriage and the duke of York, obtained five thousand pounds to purchase arms and ammunition, which arrived in the bay of Galway in time to influence the general affembly to reject the overtures of a treaty with Ireton. The prince even declared his willingness to come in perfon into Ireland with fuch aids as muft foon recover the kingdom; but hinted that he must be quite uncontrolled, and without commiffion from any perfon whatsoever. Taafe, not authorized for fuch conditions, propofed that his highness should fend an ambaffador into Ireland to treat with men in authority; and Stephen de Hennin, Abbé de Saint-Catherine, chofen for this purpofe, landed at Galway, while the bishop of Ferns was on his way to Bruffels. Clanricarde appointed a committee, compofed of prelates, nobility, and gentry, to receive and report the pro

pofals

CHAP.

pofals of this envoy, which were, that the duke of Lorrain, his heirs and fucceffors, with a faving to his XXVII. Majesty's rights, and those of his fubjects, fhould be accepted as protectors of Ireland, with all the prerogatives of royalty, until all disbursements made by him for the defense or recovery of the iland should be repaid.

These proposals, which indicated a fecret aim of the duke at the fovereignty of Ireland, were fo refented by Clanricarde, that he refufed to admit the envoy to an audience of leave, though he had confented to fome qualification of his demands. The prelates infifted on the acceptance of the envoy's terms, but declined to fubfcribe this advice. The abbé confented to advance twenty thousand pounds on the fecurity of Limerick and Galway, and to leave the adjustment of all articles concerning the protectorship for a treaty at Bruffels. Nicholas Plunket and Geoffry Browne were commiffioned to negociate this treaty, in conjunction with Taafe, with exprefs orders to be guided in their proceedings by the directions of the queen, the duke of York, and the marquis of Ormond. But on their arrival at Bruffels, in the abfence of Taafe, who had gone to confult the queen at Paris, they difabeyed these orders, influenced by French, the feditious bishop of Ferns, who in a blafphemous cant inveighed against Clanriçarde and his adherents, whom he declared to have been configned to Satan by the nuncio's excommunication. Plunket and Browne, difclaiming the lord-deputy's commiffion, figned a treaty in the name of the Irish nation, by which the duke of

Lorrain

XXVII.

CHAP. Lorrain was virtually declared invested with the entire sovereignty of Ireland under the title of protector royal. To a petition to the pope, figned by Plunket in the name of the people of Ireland, profeffing an entire fubmiffion to the holy fee, and imploring abfolution from the nuncio's cenfures, Browne had the fpirit to refufe his fubfcription, but that of Taafe was affixed without his knowlege. The clergy,

exulting in the fuccefs of their schemes, and hoping the speedy establishment of a glorious hierarchy protected by a catholic prince, proceeded to take meafures for the conftitution of a new fupreme council entirely under their own direction, and thereby for a ufurpation of the whole power of the kingdom. But they were foon awakened from their airy dream by the progress of the republicans, which rendered the state of affairs fo defperate, that the duke of Lorrain could have no inducement to interfere, and he was furnished with a fair pretence to decline any farther treaty by a formal protest of the lord-deputy

against the unauthorized proceedings of his agents. Progrefa To force an enterance into Connaught, as a prepublicans paratory step to the fiege of Limerick, with which 1651. Ireton refolved to open the campaign of 1651, Coote

of the re

advanced toward Sligo; and, on the approach of an Irish force to protect that poft, he fuddenly retired, and paffing with fome difficulty the Curlew mountains, laid fiege to Athlone, of which he gained poffeffion before Clanricarde could collect fufficient forces for its relief. Castlehaven, fummoned to the affiftance of the lord-deputy to oppofe Coote, who feemed to threaten Galway, had marched only a few

miles,

miles, when fome troops, which he had left to guard CHAP XXVII. a pass over the Shannon, were driven from the post, and fo communicated their pannic to the mean body, confifting of four thousand, that the whole difperfed without attempting to impede the enemy. Another

pafs on this river at Killaloe was about the fame time abandoned by an officer named Fennol, from treachery or cowardice: and Ireton, having thus gained a paffage for his troops into the western province, was enabled to invest Limerick on every fide.

Limerick.

Clanricarde, on his propofal to take on himself Siege of the defense of the place, and to share the fortune of the citizens, had been refufed admittance by the magistrates, who at length, on the approach of danger, confented to receive a garrison under Hugh O'Neal, the defender of Clonmel, but subject to fuch restrictions, that the real command refted in themselves. Such distraction prevailed within the walls, while fuggeftions were made by those Irish, who had fubmitted to the republican general, of the tolerant spirit of the independents in matters of reli, gion, that in three days the citizens were propofing to surrender; but the clergy, who dreaded left themfelves fhould be excepted from the benefit of the treaty, prevented the design by violent oppofition. O'Neal continued to make an obftinate defense, notwithstanding his disappointment of relief by the defeat of lord Muskerry, who, on his march from Kerry to his affistance, was repelled with great lofs, after a well fupported battle, by lord Broghill. The deftructive fallies of the garrifon, fkilfully conducted by O'Neal, the feverity of the approaching winter,

and

XXVII.

CHAP. and the ficknefs of his troops, must have obliged the republican general to raise the fiege, if a furrendry had not been forced by internal fedition. A tumultuous affembly, who clamoured for that measure, despised even the fentence of excommunication, which was thundered against them by the prelates; and Fennel, who had fled from Killaloe, feizing two of the principal gates, turned the artillery against the town, and fent commiffioners to Ireton. The foldiers and citizens were allowed to depart unmolefted; the former without arms; the latter with their effects. Twenty-four were excepted from mercy; and, in the execution of these and others, the punishment fell chiefly on the adherents of the nuncio, the most violent oppofers of the royal authority, and confequently the greatest promoters of republican victory.

Executions. Of the twenty-four excepted at Limerick the bishop alone of that fee effected his efcape. Among the executed were O'Brien, the Romish bishop of Emly; Wolfe, the friar, who had excluded the marquis of Ormond from Limerick; Fennel, who had committed fo many murders as the fervice could not expiate which his cowardice had performed for the republicans; and Geoffry Browne, who was feized on his return from Bruffels. This man pleaded that he had been engaged in the fame cause as the republicans themselves, the defense of the liberty and religion of his country, Ireton told him in his reply that in refpect of religion the difference was great, fince the republicans contended only for their right in the freedom of their worship, without attempting

to