Good and Bad News From IRELAND, GOOD, In the recovery of the Fort and Town of Kinsale from the Rebels, by the valour of divers Noblemen, with other Commanders of great note and courage. BAD, In the relation of a most detestable and unheard of massacre, perpetrated in Vantry, upon the bodies of Mr. john Davenant, his wife, children, and whole family, by Odonnel Mac Hiwel an Arch-rebel, and neighbour to the foresaid Gentleman. Written By I. W. a Factor in Dublin, to an Alderman of this City. Also the contents of a Letter lately sent to a noble Gentleman of this Kingdom, and read in the Honourable House of Commons. 〈…〉 Good and bad News from IRELAND. MY being at Limbricke so long, must excuse my silence in the affairs of Dublia; in my departure thence, and return to Cork, news came suddenly thither that present morning being Twelfth even; jannuary eleventh, 1641. both the Town and Castle of Kingsale were taken from the Rebels, and a most glorious victory obtained over them; all Cork echoing of this news, and the poor English I am sure rejoicing seriously, as some Irish I am sure hung down their heads apparently; I and john Birges with two more taken horse that afternoon, & went forthwith to Kingsale twelve miles distant from Cork, the rather because of my business with Mr. Beklow my Uncle, dwelling over the harbour three miles from that Town, a right worthy and religious Gentleman, of whose welfare in these times I was desirous to be informed; when we came to Kingsale we found the Town already in the power of the English and reduced by the noble and courageous attempt of Sir Simon Harcourt, and Sir Thomas Temple, whose two Regiments had not made an end of their execution upon the Rebels in the Church yard, at what time we entered the Town, and I also assure you, the execution was exceeding hot, these two great Commanders giving command to their soldiers, and crying to their hearers, Soldiers, cut off all males, which I assure you was done to the purpose; such pitiful clamours and mortal groan I never heard before, and desire never to see or hear the like again, though of Rebel, whose former demeanour I am sure had deserved it, could it have been worse, but these two courageous cavalleers have fully as I suppose paid some of their old scores; in the mean time was the Earls of Kildare and Barrimore, with my Lord of Castlelions busied with taking in of the fort, having three thousand 500 men in their company, their Lordsh. had five good pieces with them, yet the fort stands so strongly mounted, and so unapproachable either by fare or near assaults, that their pieces could do them little good, save that by the advice of one john Simons a very skilful gunner, the artillery was drawn up a very steep narrow and broken passage in the rearward just before the mouth of the forts gate, upon signal given the said rearward very speedily, and in as good order as for the straightness and inconveniency of the place could be expected, retired behind the artilleries, and caused the carriages to advance even to the very gates; the Rebels whether out of misprision of our forces that they were not so great as indeed to their cost they afterward found them, or thinking that our rearward did indeed fly because they cried at their retreat, emine, emine, the Rebels hearing emine, forthwith issued out of the fort crying Saint Patrick and the cross, they fly; but the Cannoneers, and especially john Simous did their duty so well, that neither Saint Patrick nor the cross brought them very fare, for the Guns with such dexterity let fly amongst them, with their five pieces that were laden in such a manner, and such stuff, that forthwith fourscore and eleven of them were upon the ground, some with more members, some with less, and the fort wicket not only beat open, but sent fifteen yards in; our companies forthwith advanced, and with the loss only of Mr. Freane an Irish man, but an honest man, recovered the outward court, but at the gaining of the inward our losses were more heavy, for there my Lord of Castlelions was brained with a stone from one of the battlements, and Mr. Edward Speneer shot with a collever: to speak truth, the rogues shown great stoutness, and resolution before we could master them within the second court, and never was quarter once demanded by them, nor offered by us, at the last seeing themselves no way able to hold out against us, either answerable to us in number or ammunition, they desperately carried their powder and other combustible stuff into a kind of cellar or vault under the Fort hall, and as we were furious in forcing the inward gate of the Fort, upon a sudden it flew open, our men following hot, followed the villains unadvisedly into the said cellar, where the cursed captives blew up themselves, and some of our men; and thus God be thanked is that strong Fort recovered, and I trust will be for hereafter better looked unto, commanding not only that Town, but all the Country thereabouts and all the whole harbour, and by a little cost might be made invincible; let us be wise at least after we have smarted. But all the rest is not so pleasant, God tempereth our sweet with bitter, lest perhaps we should be too frolic. Decem. 20. being Thursday, was as execrable and dreadful a murder acted upon the bodies of a worthy Gentleman, his wife and children, and whole family in the Vantry as ever I think was heard tell of in the memory of man; this Gentleman's name war Mr. john Davenant, Nephew unto the late Bishop of Sarum, he was a great Spilchard fisher in the Vantry, there dwelled by him one Odonnel Swillevan an incarnate Devil, who came into the house of the said Mr. Davenant with all his savage rebellious crew, who seizing the Gentleman and his wife, first bound them in●o chair, set them to the fire, then took their eldest son and spitted him before their face, laid him down to the fire, then caused the servant maid to turn him, after him the second, than a young tender daughter, next they abused his wife, after that roasted her before the poor Gentleman's face, who all the while provoked them all he could, that so by that means he might have his death hastened rather than to be thus tormented in the tortures of his dearest and nearest, the sight of whose miseries was to him a thousand deaths, at length they cut out his tongue, than his members, his legs likewise, and then roasted him; was ever such cruelty heard of amongst the very Cannibals! God grant the Kingdom of England may take some speedy course, not only for prevention, but likewise for redress and revenge of such unparallelled blood suckers. This I thought good to intimate unto you being as certain as lamentable, desiring you, and all true Christians there ' with you, first to commend our case to God in your religious prayers, then to the King and Parliament how much you think it concerns. The extract of a Letter sent from Ireland, and read in the House of Commons. That the Rebels are lately marched within five miles of Dublin & that the great Council of England would be pleased to consider of their estate, and that present aid might be sent, or else Dublin is in danger of surprisal: Also that a thousand Spaniards and others that preserved themselves by swimming were in Ireland arrived in defence of the Rebels. FINIS.