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Fao simile of the original in the possession of the Earl of Leitrim

I.

"Observations on Dr. Borlace's Reduction of Ireland, by Roderic O'Flaherty. [From the Author's autograph, in the possession of the Right Honorable the Earl of

Leitrim*].

"Mr. Downing,

"The ensuing observations on Dr. Borlace's Reduction of Ireland you desired from me, I had by me this long time, but had no convenience to transmitt it till now, assuring that if I could serve you better my endevours would not be wanting for you. I am, 66 Y' faithfull servant, "R. O'FLAHERTYY.

66

Galway, 17, Ja: 168.

"The Reduction of Ireland, etc.

"The title improper, where is onely a catalogue of the chiefe Governours of Ireland.

"In the preface to the Reader, 140,000 soules in a few weekes dislodged by the authority of S' Jo: Temple's Irish rebellion, is by many thousands further from truth, than the relation of 17 persons onely massacred, as appears by the streight enquiryes made in Cromwell's time; and yet but few of those many thousands could be found to have beene really murthered. For there were not soe many thousands of protestants living then in all Ireland, much less in Ulster, where most of those murthers were said to have been committed. Wherefore the Black booke in Athlone,

* A copy of these Observations is preserved in the MS. Library of Trinity College, Dublin, I. 1, 3, No. 32.

Borlase's "Reduction" was published in London, 1675, 8vo. See Harris's Ware, ii. 351, for Borlase; and Dr. Nalson's severe remarks on him; wherein he is charged with plagiarism, "that may well render him suspected not to be overstocked with Honesty and Justice." The following is extracted from the Depositions A. D. 1641, in Trinity College, Dublin, before referred to:

"Francis Haselope, late of Ballyharaghane, in the parish of Disert, barony of Inchiquine, gent., saith, that about 29 Dec. last, he being in company at Ballyheraghane, with one Connor O'Hogan, fryer of the Convent of Agheise(?) and John O'Hogan his brother, demanded of them the reason of this suddaine rising againste the English, and the forcible

upon

takeinge away of their goode; who, severally of them, answered, that it was the King's fault in setting such meane and base governors to rule over them, then and there nominating Sir William [Sir William interlined] Parsons, now one of his Majesjesties Lords Justices of the Kingdom, and Sir Richard [Sir Richard interlined] the Lo. Chancellor, to be men of base degree, and such as heretofore they would have to solicitt their cause from Cort to Cort, during the whole Tearme, for five shillings a peece; and that Burlace ye other Lord [Lord interlined] Justice, quoth the fryer, and the said John averring the same, was but a base pynnmaker, or a header of pynnes; all which words were spoken in most bitter and invective manner."-Jurat. 9 June, 1642.

y See Facsimile at the beginning of this volume.

upon which S Jo. Temple's Rebellion was grounded, was so falsifyed in most particulars thereof, as well by the witnesses, who were said to have thereunto deposed, as also by some of the persons then living, who in that booke were sworn to have been murthered, that it was for shame set by, as no evidence. It is also avowed the first massacres were committed on the Irish; and the several murthers in cold bloud committed on them did 20 times exceed what they acted. Besides the Irish nation in generall were soe much unconcerned in those murthers, that at their humble proposalls all murthers were excepted out of the Articles of Peace, Ao 1648; and since his Mae Restauration, it was their request by their Agents, to except all murthers on both sids out of the Act of Indemnity.

“In the Introduction. The darke side of the cloud was still towards the author, as to the originall of the Irish and their chronicles, of which he could not participate, but what seemed fabulous and vaine. There is a more exact account of the chiefe Governours of Ireland for above 2000 [years] before, then that of the authors for this last 500 yeares. The first invasion of the Scots (not Goths) a thousand yeares before Christ, a Scythian nation out of Spaine, is more certainely knowen, then that of the English into England 400 years after Christ, of which time are severall different opinions, as also there is of K. Lucius his Christianity, whereunto 20 different yeares are assigned, whereas the time of the Gospell's preaching to us by the arrivall of S. Patrick, is without controversy, that of Grace 432. This I say, as to the exactnesse of time in answer to his taunting our chronicles. As for his virulent expressions of a nation meerely Pyrates, Barbarous and inhuman, with much more of the like through all his booke, I passe it by for a hereditary malice. Some body perhaps will hit him with it after his and my death.

"The title of our Sovereigne Lord King Charles the 2a to the Kingdome of Ireland, as well as to the rest of his Kingdomes and dominions, we with all respect, duty, and allegiance, acknowledge unquestionable, but for that of the first Invadours in favour of an Adulterer, the bulls of Adrian and Alexander popes, and the synod at Cassell, as also a nation meerely pyrats, barbarous, and inhuman, I refer such as desire satisfaction to Gratianus Lucius his Cambrensis Eversus, against Giraldus Cambrensis, capp. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. Mahony was no Jesuite, whose booke was deservedly condemned to fire, by order of the nationall assembly of the Irish Catholicks at Kilkenny. which booke and its author some poet then gave this censure:

'Dignus luce liber, modo flammis luceat ustus,

Et scriptor libro sit comes ipse suo

Seditionis erat nam fax authorque liberque,

Ambo perire pari sic meruere rogo.'

It is a strange paradox that such as in this, and all other their actions, continually professed their due allegiance to his Majesty (which the author, p. 276, interprets verbally), should be the onely rebells, and not those who openly professed by word and deed to deface all markes of sovereignty, and pluck up by the root Monarchy.

"A° 1171, the 3a yeare after the English invasion, and the 17 of K. Henry 2. (he landed in Ireland 17 October, vid. War. de Antiq. Hib. cap. 22, p. 112, c. 24, p. 149), and not A° 1172, as others mistake, for S. Thomas of Canterbury suffered 29 Dec., being Tuesday, as Baker and Spondanus noted A° 1170, and Christmasse after King Henry kept at Dublin. Soe far I observe on the Introduction.

"Pag. 1, 1171, not 1172, ut supra; for 25 Oct. 1171 ended the 17th yeare of King Henry 2. Pag. 2, 1177, Earle Strongbow dyed.

P. 6, 1186, Hugh Lacy murthered.

P. 20, Richard de Burgo, brother's son to Hubert Earle of Kent.

P. 37, Richard de Burgo, Earle of Ulster and Lord of Connaght, was son of Earle Walter, and grandchild of the above Richard, Hubert Earle of Kent's nephew; and Edmond de Burgo 2a son of Richard Earle of Ulster, was progenitoure of Castleconell and Brettas barons.

Idm. John, first baron of Leitrim, was son of Rickard Saxanagh, Earle of Clannrickard. His son Raymund last baron of Letrim.

Idm. William Burk custos Hib. was brother's son to Walter Earle of Ulster, and Cousin-german to Earle Richard; of which William descended Mayo Bourks.

P. 40, 1318, 14 of October was Dundalk battle.

P. 44, A 1162, Claona (not Cleonard Synod).

P. 45, Jo. Birmingham Earle of Louth, younger brother to Richard, baron of Athenry, murthered, not by Macgoghegan, but by his owne English, as you may read in Camden's Irish Annales.

P. 48, S William Morris. Ufford's death, April the 10th ut p. 49.

P.

55, Lional, Duke of Clarence dyed at Albe in Piemont.

P. 63, Roger, Earle of March, declared heire to the crowne by K. Richard 2. in right of his mother, Philip, daughter of Lionell Duke of Clarence, was slaine, not by O'Brien, but by O'Birn of Wicklow county. His mother, Philip's mother, was Elizabeth, daughter of William Earle of Ulster, son of the Lord John, son of Richard Earle of Ulster, de quo supra.

P. 73, Prior of Kilmainam, not Earle.

P. 75, 142, 4 Ja. Bishop of Meath dyed.

P. 96, 1513, Kildare dying could not keepe Parliament, 7° Hen. 8, A 1515.

P. 98, 1516, 13 Jun. after 25 Febr. 7° Hen. 8, 151.

IRISH ARCH. SOC. 15.

3 K

P. 98,

P. 98, 1519, S' Maurice (whose father Thomas, brother to Gerald, Earle of Kildare, A: 1513 deceased, was slaine in Stockfield, A: 1487) L. Justice was slaine Ao 1520, by O'Morra.

P. 100, Pierce Butler, sooner Earle of Ossory, then Earle of Ormond.

P. 102, 1528. Nugent taken by O'Conor.

P. 104, 123. 1° Ja. Leonard Lord Grey, Lord Deputy.

P. 105, 153. Febr. 3 Uncles hanged at Tiburn.

P. 126, Connaght reduced to countyes by Perrot, A. 1585.

P. 127, 1563. 17 Ja. the Parliament, 11° Elizab. which should be p. 130. A. 1568. P. 131, Dublin castle built by Henry Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin, A 1213. P. 196,161, ut pag. 195.

"When you send this away I desire you send a copy thereof, and not this that I write, as also that you cut of the above Letter under my hand, that it may not appeare, which you can cut of without prejudicing the rest. Soe commending myselfe kindly to you, I conclude yTM ut supra."

II.

"Letter from Roderic O'Flaherty to William Molyneux, December 15, 1696, containing a Confutation of the Chinese Chronology. [From the MS. Library, Trin. Col. Dublin, I. 4. 17.]

“HONED SR,

66

I lately lighted on a letter of yours. I guesse it is the first that ever I received from you, of the 5th of May, 83, wherein you most friendly put me in mind before you saw any of my writtings, of the objections raised by many against the credibility of our Irish antiquities, which your freedom was then most kindly and gratefully accepted, as the like will alwayes be upon all occasions, for my natural inclination is, as one said: cupio doceri; dedoceri non erubesco. As to those scruples I think I have then fully satisfyed you, onely one point, that I conceived I needed not then examin, untill upon examining my Lord Bishop of Worcester's Origines Brit, I found the same passage objected in print, som 2 years after your letter's date, wherein you have thus: 'It is the chiefe thing, and indeed the onely thing, that gives credibility to the very ancient history, that the Chinois pretend to, that they can give a rational account of the way and method they used for the account of their time, and that they are not out in it, but make it their chief buisiness in all their chronicles, first to settle and establish that; as may be seen in Martinus a Martiniis, and other authors: to which purpose I feare there is requisit much more learning than any man will say the Irish were masters of before their Christianity, if ever after.'

"Having, I say, accidentally of late hit on this passage in your letter, I thought

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