736 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. X. G H A P. X. From the re-ajTembling of the parliament, to the KING'S leaving his palace of WHITEHALL, Jan. IO. 1641 -2. K. Charles I. BEfore his majefty left Scotland, advice came to London [Nov. a.] of 5641. a general infurreftion of the papifts in Ireland, and of a molt cruel Iríthm and bloody maffacreof the proteftants of that kingdom. The proje6 of realms and an infurrebtron was formed in the months of March and April 164r. maffacre. not without the privity of the englifh court, and executed 011. 23. fol- lowing ; no information of it having beengiven to the proteftants till the very night before it was to take place, when it was too late to prevent the effeas of it in the country, and almoft to fave the city of Dublin itfelf. When the exprefs that brought the news was read in the houle, it pro- duced a general filence for a time, all men being (truck with horror. When it was told without doors it flew like flafhes of lightning, and fpread univerfal terror over the wholekingdom. Every day, and almoft every hour, produced new meffengers of mifery, who brought further intelligence of the mercilefs cruelty of the papifts towards the poor proteftants, whole very name they threatened to extirpate out of the kingdom. On the day appointed, between twenty and thirty thoufandof the na- tive irifh appeared in arms in the northern counties, and having fecured the principal gentlemen, and feized their effe6ts, they murdered the com- mon people in coldblood, forcing many thoufands to fly from their hou- fes and fettlements, naked into the bogs and woods, where they perithed with hunger and cold. No ties of friendfhip neighbourhood or con- fanguinity, were capable of ,foftening their obdurate hearts, in a caufe which they called thecaufe of loyalty and religion. Some they whiped to death ; others they ftript naked and expofed to fhame, and then drove them like herds of (wine to perifh in the mountains ; many hundreds were drowned in rivers ; Tome had their throats cut ; others were dif- membered. WithTome, the execrable villains made themfelves (port, try- ing who could hack deepeft into an englifh-man's flefh. Hufbands were cut to pieces in the prefence of their wives ; wives and young virgins abufed in the fight of their neareft relations ; nay they taught their children to
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