IRELAND. 
treated with the fame compla'ifunce, the exafperated de¬ 
puty laid a fine of a thoufand pounds on the fljeriff, and 
bound the obftinate jurors to anfwer for their conduct in 
the caftle-chamber, by which each was fined four thou¬ 
fand pounds, and fentenced to imprifonment till the mo¬ 
ney fhould be paid and till the acknowledgment of their 
offence in court upon their knees. 
The arbitrary proceedings of the chief governor in behalf 
of the royal prerogative, were equalled only by the malig¬ 
nity with which he refented affronts fuppofed to be offered 
to himfelf. Of this difpofition his treatment of lord Mount- 
norris is one of the molt flagrant inftances. Francis An- 
nefley had come in the reign of James to Ireland, where he 
had acquired a fortune, and been railed to the peerage by 
the above-mentioned title. A few days after the diffolu- 
tion of parliament, it was mentioned in a private com¬ 
pany at the lord chancellor’s, that Wentworth had re¬ 
ceived a hurt on his foot, while afflicted with the .gout, 
from the awkwardnefs of one of the attendants in remov¬ 
ing a feat. Mountnorris, who was prefent, being told 
that the offender was of his name and kindred, replied, 
“ that the gentleman had perhaps given the hurt defign- 
edly in return for fome affront received from the chief 
governor; but,” continued he, “the gentleman has a 
brother who would not have taken Juch a revenge.” 
Wentworth, informed of this exprellion after an interval 
of feveral months, and actuated by previous enmity, fum- 
moned a court-martial to try Mountnorris, as a captain 
in the king’s fervice. The obfequious court, in which 
the deputy perfonally prefided, unanimoufly fentenced 
the baron as a mutineer to be imprifoned, declared inca¬ 
pable of ferving his majefty, and to be Ihot or beheaded 
at the pleafure of Wentw'orth. Of this mean fubfervience 
the latter himfelf feems to have been afhamed ; the fen- 
tence was not executed ; but, as if to add infult to tyran¬ 
ny, on the ground that the acculed was not refpeCtable in 
iiis private character, and that it had been remitted by the 
interceflion of the chief governor with his majefty. 
But, though Wentworth was a-tyrant, and individuals 
often fmarted under his arbitrary rule, the. nation in ge¬ 
neral was benefited by the vigour of his adminiftration. 
The finances were raifed by him to a highly fiourifhing 
ftate. Large fums were levied by fines, renewals of let¬ 
ters patent, and grants for plantations ; feventy thoufand 
pounds being exacted from the city of London alone, for 
breach of covenants in regard to thofe of Derry and Co¬ 
leraine. The permanent revenue was alfo much in- 
creafed, the money well applied to the public fervice, and 
a fum referved for extraordinary exigences. The army 
was well difciplined, and regularly paid. The church 
was improved in its revenue, and in the refpeCtability of 
its minifters. Protected by a ftriCtnefs before unknown 
in the execution of Englilh law, extraordinary numbers 
afiiduoufly directed their thoughts to purfuits of induf- 
try; the confequences of which appeared in the riling 
value of lands, the augmented quantity of exports, and 
fuch an increafe of commerce, that the Ihipping of Ire¬ 
land was multiplied an hundred fold. To Wentworth 
this country owed its manufacture of linen cloth, which 
has fince become a principal fource of its wealth. So 
ftrenuoufly did he exert himfelf for its encouragement, 
that he took a lhare in the enterprile to the amount, ac¬ 
cording to his own ftatement, of 30,000k out of his pri¬ 
vate fortune. 
By thefe and other prudent meafures, the viceroy was 
enabled in 1639, on the commencement of the infurreCtion 
of the Scotch againft the king, to fend him 30,000k from 
the Irilh exchequer; to reinforce his army with four hun¬ 
dred horfe; to transport five hundred men to England to 
garrifon Carlifle; and to furnilh magazines and ammuni¬ 
tion for ten thoufand men. Having defeated a plot for 
the delivery of Carrickfergus to the Scotch infurgents, 
and ordered the main body of his forces to affemble at 
that place, he repaired on a fummons to England to aflift 
the king with his advice. Charles, as a reward for his 
Vol.XI. No. 755. 
509 
fervices, created him earl of Strafford, and a knight of the 
garter, and confirmed him in his place of chief governor 
by the more honourable title of lord-lieutenant. 
Never did greater unanimity prevail than in the par¬ 
liament aflembled at Dublin two days before the viceroy’s 
return. Four entire fubfidies were voted; and, when 
Charles fignified his apprehenfions that he Ihonld be 
obliged to requeft two additional ones, they declared, that 
they were ready to fupport his majefty in all his great oc- 
cafions with their perlons and eftates, which they prayed 
their governor to reprelent to his majefty, “ that it might 
be recorded as an ordonnance of parliament, and pub- 
lilhed as a teftimony to the world, that, as the kingdom 
had the happinefs to be governed by the heft of kings, fo 
they were defirous to be accounted the beft of fubjeCts.” On 
the ftrength of this declaration, Strafford iffued orders for 
the levy of a new army ; and, again repairing to England 
to aflift his royal mafter, left Chriftopher Wandesford as 
his deputy, and the earl of Ormond in the chief com¬ 
mand ol the forces. A body of eight thoufand infantry 
and a thoufand horfe was foon raifed, and aflembled accord¬ 
ing to order at Carrickfergus; but, fays Leland, to the afto- 
nifhment of thofe who had keen the late loyal difpofition 
of the Irilh commons, who had relied on the liberality of 
their grants and the zeal of their profeflions, the fubfi¬ 
dies by which this army was to be fupported were re¬ 
luctantly and fcantily fupplied. A new fpirit feemed to 
have fuddenly actuated the fubjeCts of Ireland. They, 
who had but juft devoted their lives and pofleftions to the 
fervice of the bejl of kings, grew cold, fufpicious, and que¬ 
rulous. They complained of the grievous weight of 
thofe four fubfidies, which they had declared to be but 
the earned: of their benevolence. ' They objected to the 
rates of affeflment, though the fame which had been ufed 
in the late parliament. A general combination was 
formed throughout the kingdom to prevent the levying 
of any money, until a new mode of taxation Ihould be 
fettled by the parliament, or, in other words, until they 
Ihould utterly annul and refcind the late money-bill 
enaCted with fuch remarkable zeal and unanimity. 
The embarraflfments in which the king was by this 
time involved, afford the true key to this extraordinary 
change in the profeflions of the Irilh. But this was not 
all. A remonftrance, enumerating the grievances fuftained 
by the people during Strafford’s adminiftration, was drawn 
up, and a committee of the houfe of commons privately 
embarked to lay it before the Englilh parliament. The 
latter eagerly leized this opportunity of depriving Charles- 
of the ailiftance of fo firm a friend, and fo able a ftatef- 
man ; they impeached the favourite, with what fuccefs 
has already been related in its proper place. See vol. vi. 
p. 670. 
On the death of Wandesford at this juncture, the admi¬ 
niftration of Ireland was committed to two lords jultices, 
fir William Parfons and fir John Borlace, puritans of 
mean abilities, and aCiuated by the illiberal fpirit of party. 
In the firft parliament aflembled after their appointments 
the mutually hoftile parties of catholics and puritans, 
who compoled the majority of its members, formed a co¬ 
alition for the purpole of extorting conceflions from the 
king. Their ultimate views, however, were widely dif¬ 
ferent ; fome of the former having been fecretly engaged 
in fchemes, the accomplilhment of which would have in¬ 
volved the latter in deftruCtion. The conduCt purfued 
in regard to the catholic forces raifed by lord Strafford 
appears to have conftituted a part of thefe plans. The 
remonftrances of the Englilh parliament rendered it ne- 
ceffary to dilband thefe troops ; but, as the king was un¬ 
able to pay their arrears, he entered into a treaty with 
the Spanilh ambaffador for their tranfportation to Spain 
for the fervice of that power. To thwart the king, the 
Englilh parliament prevented the fulfilment of this treaty; 
and thus the troops were detained in Ireland, the ready 
inftruments of rebellion. 
Various were the caufes of difcontent, which at this 
4 K time 
