ROBERT VENAIILE8. ill 



from orders of the Councils of War, as well of the 

 Commissioners, and from declarations of the Army, 

 and letters from persons who held posts in that Army, 

 all which I had the favour to inspect, I will here faith- 

 fully present you with. For indeed I am very desirous 

 to beget in you the same sentiments of that affair, 

 which I have, I think, with good reason entertained. 

 And the rather, because the course you design to steer 

 will give you opportunity of converse with those per- 

 sons, who are most inquisitive after, as most concerned 

 to know, matters of this nature ; and yet, perhaps, 

 under greater mistakes in this particular, than any 

 others. 



It was doubtless, none of the least ends which that 

 fox, Oliver, had in that design , to rid himself of some 

 persons whom he could neither securely employ, nor 

 safely discard : which end seemed chiefly to influence 

 the managery of the whole business, as you will per- 

 ceive by the story. 



It was pretended at first it should be carried on 

 with great secrecy; but the delay was so great, and 

 thereby the notice of it so public, as alarmed the Spa- 

 niards to provide for their reception. Venables moved 

 to have had soldiers for this service drawn out of the 

 Irish Army, which he had been well acquainted with 5 

 but it was peremptorily denied, and they were ap- 

 pointed to be drawn out of the army in England, whose 

 officers generally gave out of their several companies 

 the rawest and worst armed they had. And these being 

 hastily shipped off at Portsmouth, the chief of the land 



