1.

of reward, had induced any one accomplice, after more LETTER than twelve months, either to abandon the confpiracy, or to make a difcovery of it. But the holy fury by A. D.1605. which they were actuated, though it had extinguished in their breafts every generous fentiment, and every selfish motive, yet left them fufceptible to those bigotted partialities, by which it was infpired, and which fortunately faved the nation. A fhort time before the meeting of parliament, lord Monteagle, a catholic nobleman, whofe father, lord Morley, had been a great fufferer during the reign of Elizabeth, on account of his attachment to popery, received the following letter:

"My Lord, out of the love I hear to fome of your "friends, I have a care of your prefervation: therefore "I would advife you, as you tender your life, to devife "fome excufe to fhift off your attendance at this parlia"liament; for God and man have refolved to punish the "wickedness of this time. And think not flightly of "this advertisement; but retire yourself into your country, where you may expect the event in fafety: "for, though there be no appearance of any ftir, yet "I fay they will receive a terrible blow this parlia"ment, and yet they fhall not fee who hurts them. "This counfel is not to be contemned; because it may "do you good, and can do you no harm, for the dan.

ger is paft as foon as you have burned the letter: "and I hope God will give you the grace to make "good ufe of it, to whofe holy protection I commend you 26 "

THOUGH Monteagle was inclined to think this a foolish attempt to expofe him to ridicule, by frightening him from attending his duty in parliament, he judg ed it fafeft to carry the letter to lord Salisbury, fecretary

26. King Jimes's Works, p. 227.

of

A. D. 1605.

PART II. of ftate. Salisbury either did, or pretended to think it a light matter; fo that all farther inquiry was dropt, till the king, who had been for fome time at Royston, returned to town. To the timid fagacity of James, the matter appeared in a more important point of view. From the ferious and earneft ftyle of the letter, he conjectured, that it intimated fome dark and dangerous defign against the state; and many particular expreffions in it, fuch as great, fudden, and terrible bisu, yet the author's concealed, feemed to denote fome contrivance by gunpowder. It was, therefore, thought proper to inspect all the vaults below the two houfes of parliament. This infpection, however, was purpofely delayed till the day before the meeting of the great council of the nation; when, on fearching the vaults beneath the Houfe of Lords, the gunpowder was difcovered, though concealed under great piles of wood and faggots; and Guido Fawkes, an officer in the Spanish service, who ftood in a dark corner, and paffed himself for Percy's fervant, was feized and carried to the Tower.

THIS man had been fent for from Flanders, on account of his determined courage, and known zeal in the catholic caufe. He was accordingly entrusted with the most trying part in the enterprize. The matches, and every thing proper for fetting fire to the train, were found in his pocket. He at firft behaved with great infolence and obftinacy; not only refufing to difcover his accomplices, but expreffing the utmost regret, that he had loft the precious opportunity of at leaft sweetening his death, by taking vengeance on his and God's enemies 27. But after fome days confinement and folitude, his courage failed him on being fhewn the rack, and he made a full difcovery of all the

27. Winwood, vol. ii.

соп

I.

confpirators. Several of them were men of ancient LETTER family, independent fortune, and unspotted character; inftigated alone to fo great a crime by a fanatical zeal, A. D. 1605. which led them to believe that they were ferving their Maker, while they were contriving the ruin of their country, and the deftruction of their fpecies.

SUCH of the confpirators as were in London, on hearing that Fawkes was arrefted, hurried down to Warwickshire; where Sir Everard Digby, one of their affociates, was already in arms, in order to feize the princess Elizabeth, who was then at lord Harrington's in that county.. They failed in their attempt to get hold of the princefs; the county rofe upon them; and they were all taken and executed except three, who fell a facrifice to their defperate valour; namely, Wright, a daring fanatic, Catefby, the original confpirator, and Percy his firft and most active affociate 28.

AFTER efcaping this danger, James feems to have enjoyed a kind of temporary popularity, even among his English fubje&ts. If the Puritans were offended at his lenity toward the Catholies, against whom he exercifed no new feverities, the more moderate and intelligent part of the nation confidered that lenity as truly magnanimous; and all men were become fenfible, that the king could not poffibly be the patron of a reiigion which had aimed fo tremendous a blow at his life and throne. His love of peace was favourable to commerce, which flourished under his reign; and it procured him leifure, notwithstanding his natural indolence of temper, to attend to the difordered ftate of Ireland.

*

28. K. James, p. 231. Winwood, vol. ii. State Trials, vol. i.

PART II.

A. D. 1612.

ELIZABETH had lived to see the final fubjection of that ifland. But a difficult task ftill temained; to civilize the barbarous inhabitants; to reconcile them to laws and induftry; and by these means, to render the conqueft durable, and useful to the crown of England. The first step that James took in regard to this important business, which he confidered as his mafter-piece in politics, was to abolish the Irish customs that supplied the place of laws; and which were calculated, as will appear by a few examples, to keep the people for ever in a ftate of barbarifm and diforder. Their chieftains, 'whofe authority was abfolute, were not hereditary but elective; or, more properly fpeaking, were established by force and violence; and although certain lands were affigned to the office, its chief profit arofe from exactions, dues, affeffiments, which were levied at pleasure, and for which there was no fixed law 29.

IN confequence of the Brehon law or custom, every crime, how enormous foever, was punished in Ireland, not with death, but by a fine, or pecuniary mal&t, which was levied upon the criminal. Even murder itfelf, as among our Saxon ancestors, was atoned for in this manner; and each man, according to his rank, had affixed to him a certain rate or value, which if any one was willing to pay, he need not fear affaffinating whatever man he difliked. This rate was called his Eric. Accordingly when Sir William Fitzwilliams, while lord depury, told the chieftain Maguire, that he was to fend a sheriff into Fermanagh, which had been made a county a little before, and subjected to the English laws; "Your sheriff," replied Maguire, "fhall be welcome to me: but let me know before. "hand, his eric, or the price of his head, that, if any "of my people should cut it off, I may levy the mo"ney upon the county 3.

29. Sir John Davis, p. 167.

30. Id. ibid.

AFTER

LETTER

I.

AFTER abolishing these, and other pernicious Irish cuftoms, and fubftituting English laws in their ftead, James proceeded to govern the natives by a regular A. D. 1612. administration, military as well as civil. A fufficient army was maintained, its difcipline inspected, and its pay punctually tranfmitted from England, in order to prevent the foldiers from fubfifting upon the country, as had been usual in former reigas. Circuits were eftablished, juftice administered, oppreffion banished, and crimes and diforders of every kind feverely punished. For the relief of the common people, the value of the dues which the nobles ufually claimed from their vaffals, was estimated at a fixed fum, and all farther arbitrary exactions prohibited under severe penalties 31.

THE beneficial effects of thefe regulations were foon vifible, especially in the province of Ulfter; which having wholly fallen to the crown by the attainder of rebels, a company was established in London for planting colonies in that fertile territory. The property was divided into moderate fhares, the largest not exceeding two thousand acres; tenants were brought from England and Scotland; the Irish were removed from the hills and faftneffes, and fettled in the open country; husbandry and the mechanical arts were taught them; a fixed habitation was fecured for them, and every irregularity repreffed. By these means Ulfter, from being the most wild and disorderly province in Ireland, foon became the most civilized and beft cultivated part of the island 32.

BUT whatever domeftic advantages might refult from James's pacific difpofition, it gradually loft him the affections of his people, as it made him avoid war by ne

31. Sir John Davis, p. 278. VOL. III.

P

32. Ibid. p. 280.

gocia