I Should not have thought my private sufferings so much wor­thy of publique consideration, as to engage the Presse to a mention of them, if I had not looked upon them as involved, not onely in the publique sufferings of calami­tous Ireland, but in the more publique endan­germent of Religion, Lawes, and Liberties of the three Kingdomes; and besides that, that the most honourable Houses of Parliament, the [Page 2]best and highest Judges of such concernes, had not authorized me to right my selfe in this kinde. This authority therefore, which I truly honour, shall as much vindicate me from vaine­glory or ambition in making this relation, as the truth of this relation shall cleare me from any aspersions which are or shall be cast upon me by mine and their enemies. To use therefore no long preambles, the briefe of my sufferings, when I was forced to make an escape from Ireland, were these: besides the losse of my command and fortunes there, being robbed (as shall afterward appeare) of all my Money, Cloathes, Horses, and whatsoever I possessed, and so extreame an hazzard of my life; I have beene unjustly traduced by the Marquesse Or­mond, and the rest of that Councell, as a de­serter of that imployment, which I had un­dertaken, and a forsaker of His Majesties ser­vice. To these unjust aspersions I shall plainely answer, by setting downe not onely the reasons why I came away, but the manner of it. Which I had sooner done, if, since I arrived in my native Kingdome of Scotland, I had not been hindred by crosse windes from making my re­paire to this honourable Parliament; not [Page 3]onely to justifie here my former actions, but tender my future service in that cause, to which I have been ever most heartily devoted; in which I have already spent some of my blood, and will never be sparing to venture the remain­der of it.

When first I undertooke the service against those barbarous and bloody rebels of Ireland, authorised by Commission from His Majesty, and the honourable Houses of Parliament; as it was my earnest desire, so it was my confident hope to have given an account more accepta­ble to them, then either my selfe, or any other joyned with me in that undertaking can pro­mise at this time. Nor were my most hearty endeavours ever wanting, as God and my owne conscience beare me record, and all true Pro­testants, who have beene witnesses of my acti­ons will beleeve. For shortly after my engage­ments in that service, I found in those who had the greatest command, such backwardnes from all counsels tending to the advancement of the great Cause in hand; such complying with the barbarous Rebels; such subtill waies to retard the zealous endeavours of all who stu­died to be faithfull, and frowning upon them [Page 4]that were most forward in action, that I found no lesse difficulty to acquit my selfe against the treacherous policy of seeming friends, then to withstand the power of professed enemies. Yet against both I ever confirmed my resolu­tion so farre upon the just and Honourable Cause, that I am perswaded no man can con­vince me of yeelding either to the one or o­ther in any jot, to the prejudice of the service. Neither should any discontents have diverted me from my imployment; nor the ruine of my fortunes, nor the hard and cruell usage of my friends have beene able to draw me from that station wherein His Majesty and the ho­nourable Houses of Parliament had placed me: if I had not evidently found that I could stay no longer there, without, either making ship­wracke of a good conscience, and taking cour­ses destructive to the intentions of the Parlia­ment: or else to suffer imprisonment, and so be made unprofitable to that Cause, to which I was addicted. Upon these reasons I resolved, with what perill soever, to endeavour an escape from thence, that so I might be able in ano­ther place to doe better service to the true Cause, then I could possibly have performed [Page 5]there. And it pleased Almighty God, though with the losse of all my fortunes (as aforesaid) and danger of my life from pursuing enemies, to bring me safely hither. The reasons which necessitated my comming away are these:

First, I saw by sad experience the Marquesse Ormonds designe in concluding a Cessation with the bloody Rebels of Ireland, which seemed to me a second plot, agreeing to the former, which in October 1641. was put into act by those mer­cilesse Rebels, to deliver the remainder of His Majesties true Subjects into their hands, and so to root out the Protestant Religion, and de­stroy both English and Scots from that King­dome.

Secondly, he would have forced me to goe for England with my Regiment in a most unjust warre against the Parliament there, who have sustained me and my Regiment since the begin­ning of that Irish Rebellion. And most illegally he sent two Companies of my Regiment under the command of another into England, without my knowledge; which is without precedent or discipline.

Thirdly, the said Marquesse formed a most unjust and illegall Oath, and imposed it upon [Page 6]every Officer and Souldier to take, as appeares by that Oath, here annexed:

To which he pressed me extreamly, telling me, that if I would not take it, he would ca­shiere and imprison me. Upon this I feared a restraint of my Liberty, and besides saw the unwillingnesse of my Officers and Souldiers to goe into England to fight against the Parlia­ment, which might have beene imputed to me, as counselling them so to doe.

Fourthly, I saw the illegall proceedings of that Ormond and the Councell, in imprisoning of reall honest men, for not submitting to their fraudulent wayes, and inlarging of detestable Rebels, who had beene murderers of many thousand good Protestants. And Colonell [Page 8] Monkes obtaining leave to passe for England of Marquesse Ormond, who by a private Letter from the said Marquesse, was afterwards impri­soned at Bristoll.

Fifthly, the extravagancies of the said Mar­quesse in complying with the bloody Rebels; his frowning upon me for willingnesse to doe service upon them, and withstanding the Ces­sation; his calling the Parliament of England inhumane Rebels, and hatchers of all the mis­chiefe that is befallen Ireland; his frequent consultations how to invade the Parliaments Forces residing there; to fend the Army out of Ireland to possesse the Rebels of their lands; in suffering so great numbers of the Rebels to frequent Dublin, as with the assistance of Pa­pists therein, should be able to destroy both the English and Scots there residing. I cannot forget that in the Treaty betwixt the Mar­quesse Ormond and the Irish Rebels, it is in­cluded, that the Rebels shall have leave to send at all times such numbers of their owne, as they shall thinke fitting, unto his Majestie, Whereupon the Protestants, fearing lest the Rebels might by this meanes unjustly incense his Majesty against his good Subjects of the [Page 9]Brittish Nation, intreated that they might have leave also to send as many of their num­bers over, to informe his Majesty concerning the proceedings and behaviour of the Rebels: which was refused them by the Marquesse Or­mond and the Councell then in Ireland. And to that purpose two privy Councellors, the Earle of Rosscommon, and Sir James Ware came downe from the Councell Table, to desire those whom they knew to be of their faction, to withdraw their hands from the Petition, obtaining none but one Major Morris.

As also that in November 1643. the Parlia­ment in Ireland sitting, the House of Commons had in debate that there might be a Remon­strance set out, declaring the inhumanity of the Irish Rebels, and a Committee sent to the Lords Justices and Councell with it, desiring it might be recommended to his Majesty; whereupon there was a Message sent down from the House of the Lords, no man sitting there but the Marquesse Ormond and foure of his great Fa­vourites, and among the rest an Arch-Papist, my Lord Viscount of Meriyoung, in which Message it was delivered, That there were greater mat­ters of state to be considered, which was no­thing [Page 10]else but the sending over the English Ar­my then in Ireland to fight against the Parlia­ment.

One particular more horrid then the rest I was informed of about that time; that had beene intended against Master Reynolds and Master Goodwine, who were then sent over with Money (which was more acceptable there then themselves) the day before their comming away, there was a Plot to have dragged them to prison, the prime Actors thereof are in this last blessed victory of Sir Thomas Fairfax and Sir William Brereton taken prisoners. Upon these reasons I withdrew my selfe to Newery, from whence I wrote a Letter (too much to be here inserted) to my Lord Marquesse, full of humility (as by the true Copy I can prove) in­treating him to vouchsafe me a line in answer to my just and humble requests; which were, that I might not be pressed to that Oath too burdensome for my Conscience, nor inforced over to serve against the Parliament of Eng­land; which if his Lordship would grant, I would with all alacrity continue in service un­der him, according to the first intention of my Commission, against those barbarous and [Page 11]bloody Rebels of Ireland, to which service I was so heartily devoted, that (as I expressed to him) though I had beene invited home with hopes of better preferment, yet I had still reje­cted it; that to avoid his indignation I had withdrawne my selfe towards Caregfergus, where if I heard not from him, I should bee inforced to resolve on a further journey, as God should inable me. To which Letter receiving no an­swer, I soone after wrote him another from the Newery, with the same humble requests, as also expressing to him my former services, which he might well remember, and that they might deserve so far, as that he might trust my fideli­ty without any new Oath. I desired also that his Lordship would make a redresse to me of the inhumane proceedings of my Lord Moore against me, who endeavoured by all meanes he could to take away my life upon bare suspiti­on, without reason, and afterwards robbed me of all my goods, leaving mee not a peny. Which barbarous usage I humbly referred to his Lordships consideration, desiring a resti­tution of my goods, horses, and money; but found no answer to any of my just requests. Im­mediately after I wrote another Letter from [Page 12]the Newery also to my Lord Moore, desiring re­dresse from him, with more civility and respect then his cruell usage of me had deserved; but found no satisfaction at his hands. Upon these occasions I plainly understood, there was no stay­ing for me with a good Conscience, nor any pos­sibility of continuing to do that service which I came to doe against those bloody Rebels, in revenge of so many thousand of my brethren murdered, and vindication of that Religion which is farre dearer to me then my life, and for which I defie the tongue of any man to accuse me of any slacknesse in service at all. I confesse I was stricken with admiration to see so great a Master-piece of the Devill wrought in Ire­land, exceeding (in mine opinion) all the rest; which have of late, by the same Councell, been hatched in England and in Scotland, not only in the subtilty and horridnesse of the continuance, but in the miraculous blinding of those men who call themselves Protestants, to bee made actors in it; that he could first finde a meanes to make so generall an insurrection of those bloody Rebels, to the massacring of above an hundred and sixty thousand Protestants; then raise an Army of English and Scots to fight [Page 13]against those Rebels so long, untill (besides the losse of much blood more) the Protestants in so hot an Academy of Warre, were made ex­cellent Souldiers (for that cannot be denied) and fit to do service in the behalfe of those Re­bels against whom they had been raised; so that those English Protestant Regiments which come out of Ireland do a double service to Po­pery (and as the Proverbe is) stop two gaps with one bush; not onely wounding the Parlia­ment, from whence the onely reliefe should come to the cause of Religion in Ireland: but by withdrawing themselves from thence, expose the residue of Protestants there to the mercy of those inhumane Rebels. But I hope this extream raging of the Devill does but foreshew that his time is short; and God Almighty, to the reliefe of his Church and people, will chaine him up. These considerations have drawne from mee a Remonstrance, not to vindicate my selfe in any point of Honour, for I conceive I never lost any, but to informe others by what wicked meanes that Kingdome of Ireland is betrayed, and to open the eyes of those who are not wil­fully blind.