The Tears of Ireland, Letter
To confirme the truth of theſe enſuing Tragick Stories, you may be pleas'd to reade this Letter, the Copy whereof was read the fourteenth of December, in the Honourable Houſe of Commons, and alſo read againe before the right Honorable the Lords at a Committee of both Houſes, and deſired to be entred into the journals of both Houſes.
It was alſo read in a publike Congregation in London, by an eminent Minister on the Faſt day for Ireland to ſtir up bowels of pitty towards them.
SIR,
ALL I can tell you is the miſerable eſtate wee continue under, for the Rebels daily increaſe in men and munition in all parts, except the Province of Munſter, exerciſing all manner of cruelties, and ſtriving who can be moſt barbarouſly exquiſite in tormenting the poore Proteſtants, whereſoever they come; Cutting off their privy members, eares, fingers, & hands, plucking out their eyes, boyling the heads of little Children before their Mothers faces, and then ripping up their Mothers Bowels; ſtripping women naked, and ſtanding by them being naked, whilſt they are in Travell, killing the Children as ſoon as they are born, and ripping up their Mothers bellies, as ſoone as they are delivered; driving men, women, and children, by hundreds together upon Bridges, and from thence caſt them down into Rivers, ſuch as drown'd not, they knock their brains out with poles, or ſhoot them with Muskets, that endeavour to eſcape by ſwimming out, raviſhing wives before their husbands faces, and Virgins before their Parents faces, after they have abuſed their bodies, making them renounce their Religion, and then marry them to the baſeſt of their fellows.
Oh that the Lord, who hath moved the Kingdomes of England and Scotland, to ſend reliefe to theſe afflicted Proteſtants, would likewiſe ſtirre them to effect their undertaking with all poſſible expedition, leſt it be too late.
Some of the perſons particularly mentioned to have ſuffered, who are knowne unto you, are, Maſter Jerome Miniſter of Brides, his body mangled, and his members cut off. Maſter Fullerton Miniſter of Lughall, Simon Haſtings his eares cut off, Maſter Blandry Miniſter, hanged, his fleſh pull'd off from his bones, in the preſence of his wife, in ſmall pieces, he being hang'd two dayes before her, in the place where ſhee is now priſoner. Abraham Iames of Newtowne, in the Dioceſſe of Clohor, cut in pieces, and it is reported that the Biſhop of Clohor is turned to the Rebels, thus moving pardon in preſuming to trouble you at this time in your publike imployments, doe with humble remembrance of his beſt reſpects to you, and your vertuous Lady, remayn
Novemb. 27. 1641. Your Servant to command, Thomas Partington.
A true Relation of the bloudy Maſſacre and damnable Treaſon of the cruell Papiſts intended againſt Dublin, October 23. 1641. deſperatly acted in moſt parts of the Kingdom of Ireland, tending to the utter ruine and extirpation of all the Proteſtants there: With a liſt of the ſeverall tortures, cruelties, outrages, on the bodies of poore Chriſtians, related by perſons of good credit, who are fled from thoſe bloudy men, to tell us what they have ſeen with their eyes and heard with their eares, on examinattions of divers of the Actors in this Tragedy illuſtrated by Pictures.
BEhold, as in a Map of bloud, the unwearied plottings, and reſtleſſe contrivements of bloudy men only skilfull to deſtroy, whoſe Religion is founded in bloud, whoſe obedience will not be bounded with oaths, aſſeverations, nay execrations, as the enſuing Story of cruelty relates, who are true (as ſteel) to their damned Principles, Nulla fides cum Haereticis whoſe principles are ſteept bloud, tolerating Rebellion againſt King and Kingdome, murdering of Princes, blowing up of Parliament, ſowing ſeeds of diviſion betweene Confederate Kingdomes,England, Scotland. as thoſe two Handfaſted and Troth-plighted Nations in a League of love, indiſſoluble (bleſſed be God) can teſtifie: blowing up coals of Diviſion, hotter then coals of Juniper in the ſame Kingdome, where they live in too much peace. Witneſſe Germany, that field of bloud, as a book of their miſeries called the Lamentation of Germany …ely printed …elates.Witneſſe England, who hath had wofull experience of their plottings to breake Union betweene King and people, King and Parliament.
But now behold, theſe bloudy Papiſts with their Vizard puld off, and now acting their plots like incarnate Devils (as our Saviour cald their brethren the Scribes and Phariſees. For the works of their father they doe) I ſay now acting their Devilliſh deſigne on the State of Ireland our ſiſter Nation, ayming no lower then the death and ruine of the whole Kingdome at one blow. For had their plot on Dublin Caſtle taken (which they had laid with ſo much ſubtilty and ſecrecie) as in probability it had, had not the keeper of Iſrael which ſlumbers not prevented it, in a moſt miraculous manner, they had beene by the morning light at work, cutting off man, woman and child, till they had not left one remayning among them that bore the name of a Proteſtant. Bleſſed be God their ſnare was broken, and that poore City deſigned to deſtruction, delivered, the relation of which Tragedie now begins: Oh that our eares may tingle! and our bowels yern at the relation of this horrid deſigne: and at the relations of thoſe cruelties and tortures exceeding all parallel, unheard off among Pagans, Turks, or Barbarians, except you would enter into the confines of Hell it ſelfe, to ſee the Devils (thoſe Engineers of cruelty) acting of their parts: I know not where you will find their fellows, making it their ſport to torture and to vex thoſe poore diſtreſſed Proteſtants, he that is moſt cruell merits moſt of their bloudy Jeſuits. Thoſe firebrands of Hell preach to them in their Maſsings and Conventicles, as is truly related by Gentlemen of Ireland of good worth, who like Jobs Meſſengers are eſcaped their mercileſſe hands, relating nothing but what they have heard with their eares, upon examination of witneſſes, or ſeen with their eyes, that ſo men might not be deluded with falſe and idle Pamphlets, but reade and ſee the truth of things that all men may behold what bloudy Tigres and Vultures theſe Popiſh Spirits are, how perfidious and baſely treacherous to thoſe Nations that ſuccour them; never any Kingdom being long at peace where they were tolerated, as this freſh bleeding Nation of Ireland can ſadly relate you in this enſuing Narration.