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HISTORY 03? ENGLAND.

chap. Hamilton set out for Ireland, assuring liis English friends that- — he should soon bring Tyrconnel to reason. The offers which he

was authorised to make to the Roman Catholics and to the LordDeputy personally were most liberal. *

Tyrconnel It is not impossible that Hamilton may have really meant toMounijoy perform his promise. But when he arrived at Dublin he foundtoFrance. that he had undertaken a task which was beyond his power.The hesitation of Tyrconnel, whether genuine or feigned, wasat an end. He had found that he had no longer a choice. Hehad with little difficulty stimulated the ignorant and susceptibleIrish to fury. To calm them was beyond his skill. Rumourswere abroad that the Viceroy was corresponding with the Eng-lish; and these rumours had set the nation on fire. The cry ofthe common people was that, if he dared to sell them for ivealthand honours, they would burn the Castle and him in it, andwould put themselves under the protection of France. ** It wasnecessary for him to protest, truly or falsely, that he had neverharboured any thought of submission, and that he had pre-tended to negotiate only for the purpose of gaining time. Vet,before he openly declared against the English settlers, andagainst England herself, what must be a W'ar to the death, hewished to rid himself of Mountjoy, w'ho had hitherto been trueto the cause of James, hut v'lio, it was well known, wouldnever consent to be a party to the spoliation and oppression ofthe colonists. Hypocritical professions of friendship and ofpacific intentions were not spared. It was a sacred duty, Tyr-connel said, to avert the calamities which seemed to be im-pending. King James himself, if he understood the wholecase, would not wish his Irish friends to engage at that momentin an enterprise w'hich must be fatal to them and useless to him.

* Burnet, i. 808.; Life of James, ii. 320.; Commons’ Journals, July 29.1689.

•** Avaux to Lewis, J !' Tnr .‘, 2 f' 1689.

Ai>ril i.