The Tears of Ireland, Section 1
Here begins the bloudie attempts upon the Kingdome of Ireland in the generall, and on Dublin in particular.
UPon the three and twentieth day of October laſt 1641, the Caſtle of Dublin, ſhould have ſurprized (as at that time it might eaſily have beene) for there was no feare or ſuſpition of Treachery, there being at that time foure hundred Iriſh Papiſts elected out of moſt parts of Ireland, deſperate perſons deſigned and appointed for that bloudy and deſperate attempt, all lodging and ſculking in ſeverall places of the City and Suburbs, waiting and expecting the time and watch-word, when to give the onſet. But that God that keepeth Iſrael ſaw their bloudy intentions to overthrow and ruinate all the profeſſours of the true Religion, diſapointed their wicked hopes, and (to their owne ſhame and confuſion) diſcovered and laid open their helliſh plot to ſucceeding ages, that the Lord alone might be admired, and they confounded. And this he did by moving in the heart of one of their own Countrimen at that time, an abhorring of ſo foule and deteſtable a Treaſon, and to reveale it to Sir William Parſons Knight and Baronet, Maſter of the Court of Wards and Liveries, and Sir John Borlaſe Knight, Maſter of the Ordnance, both Lords Juſtices of the Kingdome of Ireland. The party who diſcovered the plot had been formerly a ſervant to Sir John Clotworthy, a godly and religious Gentleman, but at time (when hee revealed their deſigne) hee ſerved one Captaine Mack-Mahowne an Iriſhman, who lodged at the ſigne of the Artichoake, vulgarly called Saint Maries Abbey in the Suburbs of the City of Dublin, The ſervants name was Owen Mack-Connel, who being with his Maſter Captain Mack-Mahown, in a houſe in Cookſtreet, at the Lodging of the Lord Mack-Gueere, alſo and Iriſhman in the City of Dublin. Upon the two and twentieth of October, being the night afore; his Maſter did then and there reveale the whole plot unto him in the preſence of the Lord Mack-Gueere, and others.
Now this Owen Mack-Connel, had married an Engliſh woman by whom hee had children living in the County of Antrim in the Province of Vlſter, & ſhe was and is a Proteſtant; as ſoon as this Owen Mack-Connel had heard and underſtood the plot and damnable intention of thoſe ſons of Belial, with a ſad countenance, asked his Maſter what ſhould become of his wife and poore children, hee replyed in theſe words, viz. hang her Engliſh Kite, we will get thee a better wife, but the company perceiving that his thoughts were troubled at the relation of this horrid Tragedy, now to be acted on the Stage of Ireland, which within few houres was to bee in a flame of confuſion, the word to be given, that, man, woman, & child ſhould have bin butchered the next morning, the poor mans heart failed him at this helliſh and barbarous Maſſacre, whereupon theſe bloudy Villaines perceiving by the ſame alteration of his countenance, that he approved not, or rather like a man amazed, ſtartled at ſuch a bloudy motion, as to imbrue his hands in the bloud of his own deareſt wife and children, and that that is more, of his own Country and Kingdome, they began to bethinke themſelves what to doe with him, they reſolved to make him drunk, and thereupō inforced him unnaturally (which a man would not doe to a beaſt) to drinke ſo much that hee could hardly drink more, yet they plyed him cloſe, and provoked him, hee deſired to be excuſed, they to give him his load, poured it down his throat, he reſiſting ſuch unreaſonable violence more then brutiſh, there ſteps towards him in a de ſperate maner one Donal Mack-Gueere, what will you not drink your liquor? ſee if you dare deny to pledg me, there upon ſet a piſtoll to his breaſt (ſee the Popiſh religion their beſt argument is fire and gunpowder) with two bullets, the pan being primed with powder and brimſtone that ſo it might not fail to ſpeed, twice it was offered againſt
Owen Macke-onell, who diſcouered the plot of takinge Dublin, had a Piſtoll Charged with too Bullets▪ the pane primed with powder & Brimſtone twice offered againſt him tooke not fire▪ ſo the Rebells ſaid God will not ſuffer him to be killed & he will be on our ſide▪ I warrant you,
Owen Macke-onell leapinge ouer a wall eſcaped & was ſent to our Parlament with letters & was rewarded 500 lb & 200 per Annum.
him, and took no fire: oh ſee the hand of God! whereupon Captain Mack-Mahowne ſtept in and ſpake theſe words, videlic…t, let him alone, God will not ſuffer him to be kild, he will be on our ſide, I warrant yee How blind with malice and rage were theſe Monſters of nature, that could not ſee that the God that over-ruled thē: for it is obſerved, that it is very rare and ſeldome, that Gunpowder and Brimſtone mingled ever fail firing ſo that ſequell proved, that God would not ſuffer him to be kild as his Maſter ſaid, but preſerved him to be a deliverer moſt miraculouſly to his diſtreſſed Nation: not to be (as they ſuppoſed) on their ſide but againſt them, for within leſſe then an houre after hee diſcovered the treaſon to Sir William Parſons as aforeſaid, for after they had foxt him, (as they thought ſufficiently) they led him from the Lord Mack-Gueeres lodging in Cookſtreet, to goe along wih his Maſter Captain Mack-Mahowne to his lodging, but the poore man with a longing and earneſt deſire to be delivered of what his head and heart were ſo big with, and impatient of any longer delay to conceal ſo foul and horrid a Treaſon, fained himſelfe more drunk then hee was, and taking the advantage of the time and place, willingly fell downe in a dirty channell, and was ſo contaminated and bemired with ſtinking mud, that none would lay hands on him to help him up, ſo that with much adoe hee crept out of the kennell, and reeled to the ſtoop or ſeat of a door, and ſate down to ſleepe, but the workings of his thoughts would not ſuffer him to reſt till hee had diſcovered this devilliſh deſigne neither did hee (at all) intend to reſt as himſelfe confeſt, till hee had made it knowne, but hee ſeeming to ſleepe, the fellow which was left with him to watch him, departed, which this Owne Mack-Connel perceiving, aſſoone as ever his backe was turned, with a bold reſolution aroſe up, and went to the Merchants Key in Dublin, betweene eleven and twelve of the clocke at night to Sir William Parſons houſe, one of the Lords Juſtices of Ireland, where knocking at the doore, the Porter knowing him, demanded of him what he would have, he anſwered the Porter that hee muſt needs ſpeak with his Lord, the Porter replyed that his Lord was in Bed, It is no matter anſwered Owen Mack-Connel, I muſt and will ſpeak with him, for my buſineſſe concerns both King & Kingdom, then the Porter let him in, wondring to ſee him in ſuch a pickle, ſtill hee haſtned the Porter, untill hee had called up one of his Lords Gentlemen, who got up ſpeedily, and went into his Lords Bed-chamber, where hee acquainted his Lord with the earneſt deſire that this Owen Mack-Connel had to ſpeake with him concerning a buſineſſe of waighty conſequence, but would not reveal it to any but his Honour, wherupon he was called up and had acceſs to my Lord, unto whom hee diſcovered the whole Plot, which was to be executed the ſame morning at nine of the clock, this being between twelve and one.
At the firſt the Lord Parſons did ſeem to ſlight it, but Owen Mack-Counel, confidently affirmed the thing to my Lord in the hearing of his ſervants to be true, and withall told him thus: viz. My Lord, my Lord, I have diſcharged my duty and my conſcience, look you to it; I will goe backe to my Maſter, becauſe neither hee nor the reſt ſhall ſuſpect me.
Your Lordſhip ſhall find my Lord Mack-Gueere at Maſter Cadowgans houſe in Cookſtreet, and Captaine Mack-Mahown, at the Artichoke in the aforeſaid Maryes Abbey, to which place I am going now. This Owen Mack-Connel going homewards to his Maſters lodging, takes up dirt in his hands and beſmuts and dirties his face that he might appear to them to have tumbled over and over in the dirt, whoſe approach and entrance into the roome (where a great many of them were aſſembled together, drinking and making merry, for they intended not to goe to bed) was ſo ridiculous that the company burſt out into ſuch a loud and ſudden laughter with ſhouting and hollowing that the place rung of them round about, and to welcome him home the company fell to their old courſe to make him drinke more, but at laſt he told them that he muſt needs goe down into the yard, ſo they ſuffered him to goe, but commanded two of his companions to attend him and bring him up againe, but they let him goe into the yard by himſelfe, not ſuſpecting what he had done; nor what hee meant to doe: no ſooner was he in the yard, but knowing the place, leaped over the pale, and ſo eſcaped from them.
Great ſearch they made in the yard for him, and up and downe the houſe, thinking hee had been crept to bed, or hid himſelf in the barn of ſtable, ſo that they were amazed to think what ſhould become of him, becauſe they generally believed him to be ſo drunk and in ſuch a pickle, they refrained looking any further after him, conceiving that hee was paſt care to tell tales whereſoever he was, and ſo fell to their mirth and jollitie again.
But not long after, in the midſt of their mirth, came ſome of the Guard belonging to the Lords Juſtices, entred the Houſe, where there was little or no reſiſtance, apprehended Captain Mack-Mahowne, and one Rory Magennis, being the chief in that place at the Artichoake, and brought them bound before the Lords, about five of the clock in the morning, being upon the Saturday, which was the three and twentieth day of October laſt. At the ſame time and hour the reſt of the Guard apprehended the Lord Mack-Gueere in Cookſtreet, in the houſe of Maſter Cadowgan where they found him under a bed with a caſe of Piſtols charged and a Skeene by his ſide, but did not offer to ſhoot.
Captaine Mack-Mahowne upon his examination confeſſed the whole plot, how that morning the Caſtle of Dublin ſhould have beene ſurprized by forty Iriſh Papiſts deſperate Villains in this manner following.
Firſt, they ſhould have gone into the Caſtle (to avoid ſuſpition) one by one, ſome at the water-gate, and ſome at the Caſtle-gate, each man with his Skeen, and ſo to have met in the great Court, and ſuddenly to have ruſhed upon the Warders, and to have murthered them, and ſo to have poſſeſt themſelves of their Halberds and other weapons, and then to have ſtood in the entrance of both Gates to let in the reſt being three hundred and ſixty more, appointed for the execution of that Hel-hatcht Deſign…; they could not have wanted help, the ods was ſo great on their ſide, I mean the bloudy Romiſh party, and I am of opinion there would have been but little or no reſiſtance, their party would have beene ſo ſtrong, there being at that time one hundred Papiſts to five Proteſtants within the very City of Dublin▪ to my knowledge, and ſo they are generally throughout the whole Kingdome, what a combuſtion had there been in Dublin that day? what a diſtraction had our poore Countrymen, I meane the Engliſh Proteſtants been in? and I my ſelf being then one belonging to the Crowne Office in Dublin, and an eye witneſſe of their paſſages amongſt the reſt? I dare be bold to ſay, that if they had taken that Caſtle, being ſo richly furniſhed with all manner of Munition, as powder, ſhot and Armes being alſo ſtrengthened with above one hundred pieces of Ordnance of all ſorts with their carriages, that all Ireland had been before this day an Acheldama, or a field of bloud, and I am of opinion that of all the Engliſh Plantators in Ireland, there would not have been living one Family.
Some of thoſe Villains that ſhould have ſurprized the Caſtle, to wit, Rory Mack Mahowne, William O Neale, Thady O Duffe, and others, have been taken and examined before the Councill, and upon their examinations have confeſſed, that upon the Sabbath day night after they had ſurprized the Caſtle (being the day following) their intent was to have marked all the Iriſh houſes with a Croſſe, to have diſtinguiſhed them from the Engliſh, and ſo to have murthered them by entring forcibly and treacherouſly upon them, and alſo to have ſeized all the ſhipping at the Rings end neere Dublin, that there had beene no way or meanes left for man, woman, or child to have eſcaped their fury, nor any place of refuge left to have found mercy. Stand and pauſe a while and conſider the depth of this horrid treaſon to have cut off all the Proteſtants! Oh the cryes, the ſhreeks, the teares of poore ſouls flying, this way and that way, ſtill into the mouth of theſe ravenous Lions, and this would have beene their Sabbath dayes work, a fit ſacrifice for him whoſe ſervants they were. But prayſed be the Lord, their net is broken, and we have eſcaped.
What man ſo blinde as may not herein behold the handy worke of God, and how the hands and hearts of thoſe malicious furies and firebrands of Rome are bent to ſhed inocent bloud, that notwithſtanding they have ſo often failed in their wicked & bloudy purpoſed and intents both private and publike, which they have ſecretly attempted in darkneſſe will not ſee although they live in the light nor take warning, but ſtill run on in their bloud-thirſtineſſe to extirpate whole States, to ſuppreſſe the Truth, and to ſhed the bloud of Gods Saints, but I truſt they ſhall fall into the pit that they digged for others.
It was concluded by the Lords Juſtices and Councell of Ireland, that the aforenamed Owen Mack-Connel, who had diſcovered this Treaſon ſhould be ſent with Letters to the Parliament here in England, the King being at that time in Scotland, who at his comming was rewarded with a gratuity of five hundred pounds in money, and an allowance towards the mayntenance of himſelfe, his wife and children of two hundred pounds a yeere, until his Majeſty finde out ſome better gift to beſtow upon him, I am verily perſwaded that his diſcovery of this Treaſon hath preſerved the lives of a hundred thouſand men, women and children and many more, in the ſeverall Provinces and Counties of Ireland.
Now to enter into this direfull Tragedy, every ſtep being a ſtep in bloud.