IV. THE EARL OF ORRERY TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.b MY LD [Vol. i. fo. 126.] Ballemarten, the 13 of Aug*, 72. While I stay in Ireland, wh: tis likely wilbe but for a few weeks (for now my Tremllinge & Burninge Dayly Fits are chang'd into stronge, clammy & cold swettinge fits, wh: if They continue my Doctrs are of opinion I must goe to the Bath in England, neere wh: I haue a howse of my owne) I would be uerry glad to serue His Majty & yor Exce a The Prouince of Munster neere thes 100 years was neuer till now without a cheef Govr or Ld Presedt & what numerous and Discontented People may attempt I know not. And if any Troubles should be begun, if they be not nipped in ye blossom, God only knows how far they may Proceed. And if only euery capt. comed his Troope or Company, or euery Gov his Garrison, I doubt it maybe of ill consequence, if any Troubles should happen; for it may be too late to send to Dublin, & Perhaps Impossible to doe it. I speake not this I Protest to God in Reference to myselfe, for I intend to spend yr Residue of my Life in England, But in my humble opinion tis for ye king's service & ye safety of this kingdom, That som one Person (in case of any Troubles) should have authority to comd ye Forces of this Prouince, wh: is soe far separated from Dublin that som parts of it are 150 Irish myles from Dublin, wh is aboue 200 English miles. While I stay in Ireland I intend to Reside in this Loane howse of Ballymartin, I am therefore an humble suitor to yor Exce, that I may haue yo' order for Two Commanded men out of euery of ye 9 Orrery's Presidency of Munster was suppressed in the beginning of August. b Essex arrived in Dublin at the beginning of August, in the "Norwich" frigate, and received the sword on the 5th. He was unable to meet Essex at Dublin, being attacked by tertian and quotidian ague. CAMD. SOC. C VOL. I. companyes to doe Duty heere; & a Sergt. to comd them. I haue bin 30 yeers a Gen" Officer, and I neuer had yet ye howse I liued in without a Garde, nor would I euer Liue in Ireland without one, wh: makes me beg this fauour of yo' Exce, & yet I would not moue it were it not Reasonable That ye quarter or howse in which a Gen" Officer Liues should haue 18 men to Defend it. I Presume as yor most faithfull serut most humbly to Recom som Few things to yo' Ex serious consideration. The first is That since yo Garrisons are soe weeke," & since a Forraighn warr is Actually begun & since ther are Thousands of Discontented People in Ireland who may be apt to Rise, in case God should Froune on his Majts Armes at any time (for such as did almost universally Rebell while they Injoyed their estates may be apter to doe it now they haue Lost them) That yor Exce would cause one months victualls of Bisquit, Cheese, Butter, and Pease, to be lay'd inn in ye Cittadels and Forts of ye Greate Tounes. In all of wh: but Corke I belieue ther are 4 Times more Irish, that were Guilty of ye Rebellion, and are yet unpardon'd for it Then there are Sold's of ye Kings, & more Dayly will crowde in; for if your Cittadels have not a months victualls in them, if any Toune should be surprised, ye cittadell In consequence (if unvictual'd) must be lost, and so it happened Genlly when ye late Greate Rebellion began. But if the Cittadels be victual'd it may keepe ye Tounes from Reuoltinge, or if they Reuoult they may Bridle them till Reliefe coms. The charge wilbe but small, but ye benefitt & security Greate. I beleeue about 60 a peece may doe it; and ere the Prouisions grow stale, they may be sold at little loss, and new put in their steeds. The Second is, That as soone as Yo' Exce may well doe it, you a Essex informed Arlington, Secretary of State, that he intended at once to garrison the large towns, leaving the others. He did garrison Limerick, Waterford, Cork, and Kinsale. b This fear is expressed by Rothes and others regarding Scotland.-Lauderdale Papers, vol. i. p. 217. will proceed to the well settlinge of ye Corporations, for on that will depend, not only the well beinge of yo' Trade & y° safety of yo* Townes, but also ye Good Choice of Members of Par1t wheneuer ye Kinge should thinke fitt to call one in Ireland. The Third is, the countenanceinge and well Regulatetinge of ye Militia, wh: now, under God, is the Greatest strength of the Crowne in case of any forraighn Inuasion or home Rebellion. I did Raise by His Majts Comisson a considerable one in the Prouince, This County of Corke only yeildinge more Troops of Horse, for number & quantity, then ther is now in the whole Army, All Excellently well officer'd & Armed, & euery Priuate Trooper a Protestant, haueinge taken the oaths of Allegiance & Supremacy, for I did Admitt of none but such. The last thinge I shall now Trouble yo' Exce with is humbly to offer to yor consideration whether it be not aduisable to Issue a Proclamation, That none but ye King's officers & Sold's of ye Army & Militia Ride or come into Garrisons with Fyre Armes without Particular Licence from yor Exce, or som Gen" Officer; Exceptinge Peers, Priuy Councellors, Justices of Peace, & thos Imploy'd to Raise & Carry the King's Reuenue, & their meniall Seruts, wh: Duringe ye last Dutch Warr & ye Present was the Rules I obserued throughout this Prouince. But now euery little Fellow Rides with his Pistols, and confidently coms into Garrisons with them at his Saddle Bow. This letter I write only to yo' Exc, to whom tis absolutely submitted. But I doubt, if somethinge be not speedely and effectually done, the better sorte of ye English merchants will withdraw with their Stocks into England, wh: would be an Irreparable loss to Ire· land. One of ye richest in this Prouince, noe longer then yesterday, came to tell me he was sellinge his ships & all His Stock, & was Remoueinge for good and All into England. I doubt That Example will be contagious. V.—THE EARL OF ORRERY TO THE EARL OF ESSEX.a MY LORD, * [Vol. I. fo. 142.] Ballymartin, ye 16th of Augt, 72. While I was La Presedt of Munster, I used Some Times to Pass 2 or 3 months at this Castell, it beinge scituated in a Pleasent Cuntry for all Recreations, & because ther is noe Toune or Villadge about it. I bought six Iron Guns, wh: I mounted in yo Flankers of it, for ye better Security of ye Place dureinge my Residence in it. Ther is an old Statute yt none must haue Artillery in their Howses or Castils without leaue. I cannot now giue it to my selfe, & therfore I Desyer Yo' Exs Licence to keepe thes six small Iron Ordnance in my Castell of Ballemartin, for whateuer is a Law is & shalbe still sacred to me who am & wilbe wile I liue, &c. VI. THE EARL OF ESSEX TO THE EARL OF ARLINGTON." MY LORD, [Stowe MS. 499, fo. 6b.] c Dublyn Castle, Aug. 17th, 1672. Wee are now upon the consideration of the regulations to bee impos'd on Corporations, wch would deserve a considerable time of consultation before it were put in execution, but soe unhappy I am in this perticular as the Act of Parlmt allows no more time but between this and Michaelmass to doe any thing in it; seven years were by yo Act prescrib'd for perfecting this worke, but none of a See Letters X., XIV. c See Letter IX. b Secretary of State. the Governors have ever yet effectually taken it in hand (save only in the case of the Towne of Droheda), so as all is left to bee performed by mee in this short space of time, wch being now but six weeks, I fear through hast I shall committ some errors, tho I take the best care I can to avoyd them. The 2 main Points wch upon this occasion may be gain'd to the Crown are the approbation of all the Chief Magistrates (as Mayors, Sheriffs, and Recorders) of all towns, to bee reserved to ye Chief Governor here, and the vacating some extravagant Priviledges wch divers Corporacions of this kingdome have by their Charters granted to them, as for instance some Towns have all ye Fines, Forfeitures, etc. within their Liberties, that are adjudg'd in any of his Majties Courts; whereby, when judgment is once given, the King is disabled of exercising his Pow'r of Pardon, in regard the right to these Penalties immediately belong to y° Corporation; besides these I doe not yet know of any materiall advantage that will arrive to ye Crown by a new regulation of the Corporacions, and I am of opinion that these (at least yo 1st of them) are more proper to be setled by way of Rules grounded on ye Act then by any new Charters; becaus all that is so done is establisht by Act of Parlmt, and the other is only by y° Great Seale wch upon a New Charter may bee vacated. I need not offer to your LoP that obvious consideration of ye irregular advantage wch Governors may make in ye disposal of some of these Places, wch are most of them (as specially those of the Recorders) Places of some profitt, but thinke it my duty to pursue his Majties command, wch I find in this perticular signified in a letter to my Lord Berkeley, tho' I doe much apprehend there will bee hereafter no small gain accrue by it to some Governors wch may bee sent hither to ye great prejudice of many of these Corporacions. Upon the noise of my intention to remove ye Troops and Companys to places more advantageous for his Majties Service, I have |