A LETTER From His GRACE JAMES DUKE OF ORMOND, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, In Answer to the Right Honourable ARTHUR EARL OF ANGLESEY Lord Privy-Seal, HIS OBSERVATIONS and REFLECTIONS Upon the EARL of Castlehaven's Memoires Concerning the REBELLION of IRELAND.  
Printed from the Original, with an Answer to it, by the Right Honourable the Earl of Anglesey.  
LONDON, Printed for N. P. MDCLXXXII.   

A LETTER From His GRACE JAMES DUKE OF ORMOND, etc.  
My Lord,  
IT is now, I think, more than a year since I first saw a little BOOK written by way of Letter, called, Observations and Reflections on my Lord of Castle-Haven 's Memoires: Wherein, though there are some things that might lead the Reader to believe that your Lordship was the AUTHOR yet there were many more I thought impossible should come from you: For it affirms many Matters of Fact positively, which are easily and authentically to be disproved: And from those Matters of Fact, grossly mistaken, it deduces Consequences, raises Inferences, and scatters Glances injurious to the memory of the Dead, and the Honours of some Living: Among those that by the Blessing of God are yet living, I find myself worst Treated; Twenty years after the King's Restauration, and Forty after the beginning of the Irish Rebellion, as if it had been all that while reserved for me, and for such Times as these we are fallen into, when Calumny, (though the Matter of it be never so groundless and improbable,) meets with Credulity; and when Liberty is taken to asperse Men, and Represent them to the World under the monstrous and odious Figures of Papists, or Popishly affected: Not because they are so thought by those that employ the Representers, but, because they are known to be too good Protestants, and too Loyal Subjects, to join in the Destruction of the Crown and Church: Besides, the Treatise came forth, and must have been written, when I had but newly received Repeated Assurances of the continuance of your Friendship to me, wherein, as in one of your Letters, you are pleased to say, you had never made a false step; for these Reasons I was not willing to believe that Book to be your Lordship's Composing, and hoped some of the Suborned Libelers of the Age had endeavoured to Imitate your Lordship, and not you them; but I was in a while after, first by my Son Arran, and afterwards by the Bearer, Sir Robert Reading, assured your Lordship had owned to them that the Piece was yours, but professed the Publication to be without your Order, and that you did not intend to do, or think that you had done me any injury or prejudice: If your Lordship really thought so, the Publication might have been owned as well as what was Published: But then let the World Judge, whether Pen, Ink, and Paper are not dangerous Tools in your Hands? When I was thus assured your Lordship was the Author, it cost me some thoughts how to vindicate Truth, my Master the late King, myself, my Actions and Family, all Reflected on, and traduced by that Pamphlet; I found myself engaged in the Service of our present King, and that in a Time of difficulty and danger, and in such Times for the most part it has been my lot to be Employed in Public Affairs; and though I had not been so taken up, yet I well knew that Writing upon such Occasions is no more my Talon, than it is my Delight: And to say truth, my indisposition to the exercise might help to persuade me, that the Book, though honoured with your Lordship's Name, would, after it had performed its Office in Coffeehouses, and served your Lordship's Design in that Conjuncture, expire; as Writings of that nature and force usually do: And herein I rested, without troubling myself, or any body else, with Animadversions upon your Lordship's mistakes, which are so many, and so obvious, that I wonder how you could fall into them. I will add to this, that I have been in expectation that by this time your Complete History would have come forth, wherein, if I may judge by the Pattern, I have just cause to suspect that neither the Subject or myself will be more justly dealt with, than in that occasional Essay, and I would have been glad to have seen all my Work before me, in case I should think fit to make a Work of it. The delay of your Publishing that History, and the consideration of your Lordship's Age and mine, are the occasions of this Letter, whereby I inform you, that as no man now alive is better able than I am to give an account of the Principal Transactions during the Rebellion in Ireland; so no man is possessed of more Authentic Commissions, Instruments, and Papers; all which, or Transcripts of them, you might have Commanded, before you set forth your Reflections: But possibly to have stayed for them, might have lost you a seasonable opportunity of Publishing your abhorrence of the Irish Rebellion, and your Zeal against Popery: What your Lordship might then have had, you may yet have, because I had rather help to prevent than detect Errors, but then I must first know to what particular part of your History you desire Information, and how you deliver those parts to the World and to Posterity. If after this Offer your Lordship shall proceed to the Conclusion and Publication of your History, and not accept of it, I must beforehand Appeal from you, as from an Incompetent Judge of my Actions, and a partially engaged and an unfaithful Historian.  
My Lord, Your Lordship's most Humble Servant, ORMOND. Dublin, 12. Nou. 1681.   

A LETTER From the Right Honourable ARTHUR EARL OF ANGLESEY Lord Privy-Seal, In Answer to his GRACE the DUKE of ORMOND'S Letter of November the 12 th'. 1681.  
About his Lordship's Observations and Reflections upon the EARL of Castlehaven's Memoires, concerning the Rebellion of Ireland.  
LONDON, Printed for N. P. 1682.   

A LETTER From the Right Honourable ARTHUR EARL OF ANGLESEY, etc.  
My Lord,  
YOUR Graces of the 12 th' of November, I received towards the end of that Month, and was not a little surprised, after being threatened above a year with your Grace's Answer to the Observations and Restections on my Lord Castle-Haven 's Memoires, which your Grace takes notice you had seen above a year before; to find them only most Satirically burlesqued, and my intentions in the Writing of them most unnaturally misinterpreted and misjudged, without giving instance of any one particular, which could so much transport your Grace, or interest you to judge of a Letter of mine to another, with so invective heat and mistake.  
Your Grace's Letter therefore consisting only of Generals, I can no otherwise adapt my Answer, (after a most serious revision of my Book upon this Occasion) but by giving the reverse of your Graces strained and erroneous Affirmatives by my plain and true Negatives, till your Grace shall administer occasion, by Communicating the particular Animadversions your Grace hath been (as I hear) so long about.  
The Reasons leading your Grace to believe it impossible I could be the Author of that Discourse, I cannot admit, though they import a fair Opinion of me; and that in the beginning of your Letter your Grace had better thoughts than when your Hand was in and heated.  
I do therefore absolutely deny that I affirm any Matters of Fact positively in that Book, which are easily or authentically (or at all) to be disproved.  
Or that from those Matters of Fact, grossly mistaken, it deduces Consequences, raises Inferences, and scatters Glances injurious to the memory of the Dead, and the Honour of some living; among which your Grace finds yourself worst treated.  
This being so, your Grace's unjust Inferences from the time of its Writing, and the misjudging the design of the Author, give no countenance or occasion to your Grace's Rhetorical Character of the Times, though I join in all, but the Opinion your Grace seems to have taken up that there is a Plot, (other than that of the Papists) to destroy the Crown and Church; a Discovery worthy the making, if your Grace knows, and believes what you Write; but how I am concerned to have it mentioned to me, I know not, your Grace can best tell what you intent to insinuate thereby.  
These are your Grace's Reasons why you were not willing to believe that Book to be of my Composing, yet you cannot leave me without a sting, in your expressing the hopes which succeeded them, viz. That some of the Suborned Libelers of the Age had endeavoured to imitate me, and not I them.  
Whether I should imitate Suborned Libelers, or they me, would be all one for my Reputation; because I were grossly Criminal in the first, and must have been so before in your Grace's Opinion, or they could not imitate me in the second: Your Grace will want Instances in both, except this of your own making; and therefore there must be some other reason why your Grace did not believe (if really you did not) that Discourse to be of my composure.  
But this admitted for truth (as it is undoubtedly) your Grace in the next place calls the World to judge whether Pen, Ink, and Paper, are not dangerous Tools in my Hands.  
I remember the Times, when they were serviceable to the King's Restoration, and constant Service of the Crown, or craved in aid by your Grace, that you did not account them so; and it is much to my safety that they are not so in your Grace's Hands, though I find them as sharp there as in any man's alive.  
Your Grace being at length assured I was the Author, your next care was to spend some thoughts to vindicate Truth, the late King, yourself, your Actions, and Family, all reflected upon, and traduced (as your Grace is pleased to fancy) by that Pamphlet.  
But your Grace had no cause to trouble your thoughts with such Vindications, unless you could show where in that Book they are reflected upon and traduced, no such thing occurring to me (upon the strictest revisal) nor ever shall be objected to me with Justice and Truth.  
After your Grace hath brought it to the Coffeehouses, (where I believe it never was till your Grace preferred it to that Office) and where you have doomed it to expire, as Writings of that Nature and force use (you say) to do (for which I shall not be at all concerned) you rested without troubling yourself or any body else with Animadversions upon my mistakes, which your Grace is pleased to say are so many and so obvious (though you name none, nor do they occur to others) that you wonder how I could fall into them.  
If your Grace believe yourself in this, you seem to have forgot the long time you spent in considering and animadverting upon that despicable Pamphlet, with your Labours whereon I was threatened by some of your Grace's Relations for many Months; and your Grace hath redeemed the delay, by the virulent general Reflections you have now sent me, which yet I doubt not will evaporate or shrink to nothing, when your Grace shall seek for Instances to back them, whereof if you can find any, I claim in Justice they may be sent me.  
Your Grace adds, That you have been in expectation that by this time my complete History would have come forth; wherein (if you may judge by the pattern) your Grace saith, you have just cause to suspect, that neither the Subject nor yourself will be more justly dealt with than in that occasional Essay; and therefore offer me all the helps of Authentic Commissions, Transactions and Papers your Grace is possessed of, whereof you inform me none hath more.  
This is an anticipating Jealousy, which no man living can have ground for; and when my History shall be completed (which is now delayed for those Assistances your Grace is so well able, and so freely offers to afford me) though my weakness may be exposed, my Integrity and Impartiality shall appear, and your unjust suspicion will, I doubt not, cease, if Truth may be welcome to you, and not accounted one of the dangerous Instruments in my Hand; by which having incurred your Anger and Enmity in the first Essay, I have slender hopes to be more acceptable in the second; though I resolve to hold to the first approved Law of a good and faithful Historian, which is, That he should not dare to say any thing that is false; and that he dare not but say any thing that is true, that there be not so much as suspicion of favour or hatred in his Writing.  
And this might give a Supersedeas to your Grace's unseasonable Appeal, before a Gravamen; though I never intended, by relating the truth of things past, to become a Judge of your Graces or any other man's actions, but barely Res gestas Narrare, for the information, correction, and instruction of this Age and Posterity.  
Your Grace desiring to know to what particular parts of my History I would have Information, I shall at present only mention these.  
The Intrigues of the Cessation, and Commissions for them and the two Peace's of 1646. and 1648. forced upon the King by the Rebellious Irish.  
The grounds and transactions about depriving Sir William Parsons from being one of the Lords Justices, and then dismissing him, Sir Adam Loftus Vice-Treasurer, Sir John Temple Master of the Rolls, Sir Robert Meredith Chancellor of the Exchequer, etc. from the Council-Table.  
The Mystery of Glamorgan's Peace, and his Punishment.  
The several ungrateful Expulsions of your Grace by the Confederate Roman Catholics.  
The passages concerning the Parliaments Present of a Jewel to your Grace.  
The Battles, Reliefs, Seiges, and Chief Encounters in your Grace's time.  
The Proceedings between your Grace and the Roman Catholic Assembly of the Clergy in 1666. with the Commission for their Sitting.  
The Plot for surprising the Castle of Dublin, in which Warren and others were, with the Examinations, and what Offenders were Executed, etc.  
And any thing else your Grace judgeth of import to have conveyed to Posterity.  
Other parts of the History shall be proposed to your Grace in my Progress, and before I put my last Hand to it, with a resolution, that though I may have been sometimes mistaken in Judgement: yet as I never did promote the report of a Matter of Fact which I knew to be false, so I never would.  
Which I am induced the rather to mention, because your Grace saith, you had rather help to prevent, than to detect Errors.  
My Lord, Your Graces most humble Servant ANGLESEY.