A true and credible relation of the barbarovs crveltie and bloudy massacres of the English Protestants that lived in the kingdome of Ireland anno dom. 1641, in the province of Vlster, and other of the provinces there, by the Irish rebellious traytors written by a Gentleman who was an eye witness of most of the passages hereafter following, who was fore'd with his wife, to abandon house, estate and country, for feare of the rebells, and arrived in London, this 15 of Ianuary, 1642. Gentleman who was an eye witnesse of most of the passages hereafter following. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A63355 of text R11292 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing T2427). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 16 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A63355 Wing T2427 ESTC R11292 12536633 ocm 12536633 62858 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A63355) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 62858) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 249:E134, no 5) A true and credible relation of the barbarovs crveltie and bloudy massacres of the English Protestants that lived in the kingdome of Ireland anno dom. 1641, in the province of Vlster, and other of the provinces there, by the Irish rebellious traytors written by a Gentleman who was an eye witness of most of the passages hereafter following, who was fore'd with his wife, to abandon house, estate and country, for feare of the rebells, and arrived in London, this 15 of Ianuary, 1642. Gentleman who was an eye witnesse of most of the passages hereafter following. [8] p. Printed by E. Griffin, London : 1642. Reproduction of original in Thomason Collection, British Library. eng Ireland -- History -- Rebellion of 1641. A63355 R11292 (Wing T2427). civilwar no A true and credible relation, of the barbarovs crveltie and bloudy massacres of the English Protestants that lived in the kingdome of Irelan Gentleman who was an eye witnesse of most of the passages hereafter following 1642 2855 23 0 0 0 0 0 81 D The rate of 81 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the D category of texts with between 35 and 100 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-01 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-02 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2007-02 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A True and Credible Relation , OF THE BARBAROVS CRVELTIE AND BLOUDY MASSACRES OF THE ENGLISH PROTESTANTS That lived in the kingdome of Ireland , Anne Dom. 1641. In the province of Vlster , and other of the Provinces there , by the Irish Rebellious Traytors . Written by a Gentleman , who was an eye witnesse , of most of the passages hereafter following , who was forc'd with his wife , to abandon , house , estate and Country , for feare of the Rebells , and arrived in London , this 15. of Ianuary . 1642. LONDON , Printed by E. Griffin , 1642. A true and credible Relation of the Barbarous cruelty , and bloody Massacres of the English Protestants , that lived in the kingdome of Ireland , in Anno Domini , 1641. In the province of Ulster ; and other of the Provinces there by the Irish Rebellious Traytors . THeir Cruell and Damnable Designe , was first to have surprised the Castle of Dublin upon the 23. day of October Anno predicto , upon a Saturday ; the same night all the Popish houses were to be marked with a Crosse to be knowne from the Protestants houses , their intent being upon the Sunday following to have surprised all the protestants and to have stript them naked , as they did many thousands of men , women and children in other parts of the kingdome of Ireland upon the same day , and also to have surprised all the English shipping , riding at Anchor at a Harbor commonly called the Rings End , about a mile distant from the City of Dublin . But God that saw their bloudy intent discovered their practice by one of their owne faction suffering them to run on in their owne wicked hope and cruell imagination , untill the night before their practise should have bin put in execution , for the same night the Lord Mack-Gueere an Irish man , and Captaine Mack-Mahowne also an Irish man ( who confessed the whole plot ) were apprehended , the one in Cookstreet within the City of Dublin , the other neere Dublin in Saint Mary Abby in the suburbes of the same City , both which have been ever since imprisoned in the Castle of Dublin , and doe still remaine there : what man so blind as may not herein see the finger of God , and how their malitious hearts are bent to shed innocent bloud , that notwithstanding they have so often failed in their wicked and bloudy purposes and intents both private and publik , which they have secretly attempted in darknesse will take no warning , but still run on in their bloud-thirstines , to extirpate whole states , to suppresse the truth , and to shed the bloud of Gods Saints , the Lord confound their devices ▪ It is too manifest that the Iesuits those firebrands of hell , and Popish priests were the plotters of this and other Treasons , which can at their pleasure absolve subjects of their obedience to their princes , and give power to murther ▪ and depose Kings , neither could they worke upon a more rebellious and forward Nation to doe mischiefe . The Irish is well knowne to be a people both proud and envious , for the commonaltie they are for the most part ignorant and illiterate , Lazie and poore , and will rather begge then worke , and therefore fit subjects for the Iesuits , to spur on upon such bloody Actions , for Ignorance is without mercy , for never was it heard or knowne , that ever Turk or Infidell did ever use a Christian so unmercifully as they have used the English protestants , who have releived them , and kept them from starving , It is too well knowne ( the more is the pittie and to be lamented ) that they have murthered , and starved to death of the English in the province of Vlster and other provinces where they are risen up in bellion , of men , women and Children above 20000. Their manner is and hath beene , cowardly and trecherously to surprise them upon great advantages , and without respect of persons ▪ to rob them of all they have , but being not content therewith ( but as insatiable of bloud ) hunting after their pretious lives , stript Ladyes , and gentlewomen , Virgins and Babes , old and young , naked as ever they were borne , from their clothes , turning them into the open fields , ( where having first destroyed the husbands and Parents , before their wives and childrens faces ) many hundreds have beene found dead in ditches with cold for want of food and rayment , the Irish having no more compassion of their age or youth , then of Doggs . As for the protestant Ministers , those they take ( which have been many ) they use them with such cruelty , as it would make any heart to melt into teares that doth but heare this relation ; Their manner is first to hang them up , and then they cut off their heads , after they quarter them , then they dismember their secret parts , stopping their mouthes therewith , a thing indeed for modestie sake , more fit to bee omitted then related . Many of their wives , they have ravished in their sights before the multitude , stripping them naked to the view of their wicked Companions , taunting and mocking them with reproachfull words , sending them away in such a shamefull , or rather shamelesse manner that they have ( most of them ) either dyed for griefe , or starved with want and cold , such cruelty was never knowne before . As to speake of the ravishing of wives , maids and Virgins in particular , it would take up a great volume , and therefore I leave that to the consideration of such as have learned , what effects fruits and mischiefes , wars and Rebellions produce , The Priests and Iesuits commonly annoint the rebells with their sacrament of the unction , before they goe to murther and rob , assuring them that for their meritorious service , if they chance to dye or bee killed , they shall escape Purgatory and goe to heaven immediately , and what they can get by stealing and murthering shall be their own , a good reward for such a bloudy and murthering service , and what man will not venter upon such conditions to get wealth upon earth , and heaven for murther ? O Damnable Doctrine , and Doctors ! After they have murthered men ; surprising them cowardly and treacherously , they doe usually mangle their dead Carcases , laying wagers which shall cut deepest into their dead flesh with their skeyns as they did unto one master Champion , a Iustice of the peace in the province of Vlster , whom they cruelly murthered by trechery , and one Master Iremonger , whom they kild , as he was at prayers in Master Champions house , and also destroying the whole houshold . One worthy gentleman nere Belturbat , in the province of Vlster , was surprised as hee was at Dinner with his vertuous ▪ wife and foure small children , and after they had robbed them , and all his family , and stripped them naked , they threatned them to kill them , if they went not away presently , who comming towards Dublin , hoping that way to find some comfort , the further they came the more miserable they were beholding others of their friends handled in the same manner , which struck in them such amasement , and bred in them such feare , that being hopeles , & helplesse they , sat downe in a Ditch , where they were all found dead by some Troopers , the Gentleman and his wife having their armes imbracing one th ▪ other were found dead , but a sucking Child , which was betweene them , was alive grabling and striving for the dead Mothers breast , who was taken up by the Troopers and carried to a Nurse . At Belturbat they robbed all the English , being about 500. persons , who submitting themselves to their mercy found no quarter but cruelty , for they stripped them all naked , and so turned them out of the Towne to shift for themselves in bitter cold weather , in a most shamefull manner , not affording them a ragg to cover those parts , which should be hid , amongst which company there was one Master Hudson the Minister of the said Towne of Belturbat , a Religious and Godly Minister and his wife , whom they abused in a shamefull manner , not sit to be spoken . In another Towne the English fled all into the Church being ab one two hundred and twenty , where they remained 3. dayes and nights both men , women , and children , till they were almost starved , and so were forced to come forth , whom these cruell Rebells stripped out of their Clothes , and drove them over the Bridge at the Townes end naked , having before cut off the middle Arch , unknowne to those poore Christians , with a devillish intent there to murther them ( as they did ) for comming to the middle of the Bridge , they found no passage ; for the poore naked Soules must either goe back , or fall in and bee drowned : some that went back they kil●d , some that fell in the water were drowned , some that could swim , the cruell Rebells run and met them at the water side , and knockt them on the heads in the water , O mercylesse and cruell murtherers ! Many Ladies , and Gentlewomen , which have beene great with Child they have turned them out of doores , where they have beene delivered in the open fields upon a little straw , without the helpe of any woman , and so having ended their misery ▪ others that have escaped death in Childbearing , they have mercilesly carried away upon Carts ( lying in stinking and lowsie straw stark naked ) to places where they and their poore infants have been murthered The Lord Blany escaped their cruelty , being forced to ride 14. miles upon a poore Garroon or Iade without Bridle or Saddle to save his life , his Lady being taken and his children the same day , and imprisoned by the bloody and cruell villaines , who use her most barbarously and her children , neither regarding her noblenesse of birth nor her Lord , but suffer her , or rather force her to lodge in straw , with a poore allowance of two pence a day , for her reliefe ▪ and poore sweet children ▪ and to ad affliction to the good Ladyes misery , slew a kinsman of hers ▪ and caused him to be hanged up two dayes and nights before her face to afflict and terrifie her . It is most certaine that many thousands have suffered in this nature and worse ▪ as I have heard reported by very honest and credible persons who ( through Gods mercy ) have escaped their crueltie , for it hath beene told mee by the mouths of very Religious and Godly Divines ▪ who came over with me in the same ship , wherein I came from Dublin ▪ how they had lost their wives ▪ their children ▪ and their estates , being glad to flye for their lives , having not left wherewithall to pay for their owne carriage into England , some of them to mine owne knowledge ▪ having lost very great estates . Vpon the 8. of December last , the Lords of the Pale ▪ ( so called because they live round about the City of Dublin , in the province of Leinster ) did generally meet at a village called the Saintred , & there did mutually protest against the Kings Government , and then and there proclaimed that all the English should depart the kingdome within 14 ▪ dayes ▪ or otherwise they should expect nothing but fire and sword ▪ which being knowne to the Lords Iustices , all the Papists in Dublin were presently disarmed : at or about the same time the Lord Fitz William of Miriam , living nere Bullock , and within two miles of Dublin , sent word to the Lords Iustices that there was 1500. of the Rebells would come downe from the County of Wickloe to Bulloch , and so come from thence in flat boats , to surprise the shipping at the Rings end which is the harbour , and where there lay at that time about 27. ships of the English and Dutch , whereupon the Lords Iustices , sent a hundred Souldiers from Dublin , to be dispersed into severall ships for their safety , and gave order , under their hands to the Capt. of the Kings Frygot a man of war , who rid at Anchor by us , to have a speciall care of our ship called the Phenix and ( if occasion were ) to guard us safe over the Ba● of Dublin so that we were driven to keepe a Guard many nights on ship-board for feare of a surprise , for the Rebells were come to a place called Finglas within two miles of Dublin , so that we were driven to leave our houses ( living in the Suburbes ) for feare of firing , and so lay aboard 14. dayes and nights in our Clothes , before wee had a wind to carry us to Hollyhead , the Kings Attorney for Ireland , Sir Thomas Tempest , the Bishop of Ardagh , Sir Robert Dixon , Sir Robert Foord , Mr. Carleton , and divers Ladies and Gentlewomen , being all passengers in the same Ship . As for the number of the Rebells , it is not certainly knowne ; but without question there is a great many of them , but not the third part of them armed , and those armes they have , they have taken from the English ▪ in surprising and murthering them cowardly and trecherously , and some of them under pretence of being rob'd by the Rebells , have deceiptfully gotten Armes to goe fight against them , and then have run away from their Captaines to the Rebells , and indeed there is no trust nor confidence to be put in them , they are so trecherously perfidious . It is suspected , that the chiefe Rebells doe intend to steale away by Sea ( having gotten a great estate from the English Plantators whom they have robbed and murthered ) and so leave the ignorant rabble of Irish in the lurch . There is a great want of English protestants for Souldiers , not only to secure the City of Dublin and the Suburbs , but also to releeve the distressed estate of the Lord Viscount Moore in Drogheda , who deserves both love , praise , and honour . It is to be beleeved that the Rebells will never give a Battell ▪ and that in short time they will be starved for want of food , for they have gotten in most parts from the English all they can get , and they wast and devoure that plenty they have , and there is neither plowing nor sowing in those parts , so that it will be impossible for them to subsist long . It is most certaine that 1400. Souldiers volunteers , were landed at Dublin , under the Command of Captaine Harcot , and other Captaines upon the second day of Ianuary last Anno 1641. which was a great comfort to the English , and 400. Souldiers which were not in pay went along with them , so that the whole number was 1800. men . and marched along from the Rings end to Dublin in Battell Array in very good order . They report and alleadge that Religion is the cause of their war , but that is false , for they have had too much liberty and freedome of conscience in Ireland , and that hath made them Rebell . I hope that God that hath discovered their bloudy practice , will confound their devices , and bring them to confusion . To the which God be all honour , praise and Glory for ever . FINIS .