"Sir—What passeth in Scotland I presume you have already understood from Mr. Bere, so that I shall only say, that I believe the great plot there may prove much ado about nothing. Howsoever I am advertised that all the distractions thereupon have suddenly composed, which gives great hope of his Majesty's return ere it be long. Our Parliament, I mean the House of Commons, were very hot in getting the Lords to pass a bill which they had voted, and sent up against the bishops; but the news of a rebellion in Ireland made them cast that by, and ever since Saturday last both Houses have bestowed their time upon this business, and at length have concluded to send away the Lord Lieutenant speedily with 1,000 men and £50,000 in money, which is to be taken up of the city, if they can get it there, for the citizens of the best rank are at this time much discontented with the Parliament about protections, whereby they are stopped from getting in their debts to their great prejudice....
"H. Cogan.
"Charing Cross, 4th Nov., 1641."
[267] Letter of Thos. Wiseman, dated 4th Nov., 1641. (State Papers Dom., Chas. I.)
This letter discloses to us facts which were the subject of many a letter, and many a conversation in the autumn of 1641. Public indignation was awakened by these atrocities in a way resembling that with which we were all sadly familiar at the period of the Indian massacre.
[268] Mant's History of the Church of Ireland, i. 467, 470.
[269] Bramhall's Works, i., letters, p. 79. The Lord Deputy's letter in 1634 also gives a lamentable description.—Strafford's Letters, i. 187. See also Petition of Irish Convocation.—Collier, ii. 763.
[270] Mant's Church of Ireland, i. 548.
[271] Rushworth, iv. 406.
[272] For the Roman Catholic view of the case, see Lingard's History of England, x. 41.