IRELAND'S INGRATITUDE TO THE Parliament of England.  
OR, A REMONSTRANCE of Colonel crawford's, showing the Jeviticall plots against the Parliament, which was the only cause he left his employment there.  

Die Sabbathi, Feb. 3. 1643.  
ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, that Colonel crawford's Remonstrance be printed and published.  
H. Elsinge Cler. Parl. D. Com.   
LONDON, Printed by E. Griffin. 1643.   

Colonel Crawford HIS REMONSTRANCE, DECLARING Why he deserted his employment in IRELAND.  
I Should not have thought my private sufferings so much worthy of public consideration, as to engage the Press to a mention of them, if I had not looked upon them as involved, not only in the public sufferings of calamitous Ireland, but in the more public endangerment of Religion, Laws, and Liberties of the three Kingdoms; and besides that, that the most honourable Houses of Parliament, the best and highest Judges of such concerns, had not authorized me to right myself in this kind. This authority therefore, which I truly honour, shall as much vindicate me from vainglory or ambition in making this relation, as the truth of this relation shall clear me from any aspersions which are or shall be cast upon me by mine and their enemies. To use therefore no long preambles, the brief of my sufferings, when I was forced to make an escape from Ireland, were these: besides the loss of my command and fortunes there, being rob (as shall afterward appear) of all my Money, , Horses, and whatsoever I possessed, and so extreme an hazard of my life; I have been unjustly traduced by the marquis Ormond, and the rest of that Council, as a deserter of that employment, which I had undertaken, and a forsaker of His Majesty's service. To these unjust aspersions I shall plainly answer, by setting down not only the reasons why I came away, but the manner of it. Which I had sooner done, if, since I arrived in my native Kingdom of Scotland, I had not been hindered by cross winds from making my repair to this honourable Parliament; not only to justify here my former actions, but tender my future service in that cause, to which I have been ever most hearty devoted; in which I have already spent some of my blood, and will never be sparing to venture the remainder of it.  
When first I undertook the service against those barbarous and bloody rebels of Ireland, authorised by Commission from His Majesty, and the honourable Houses of Parliament; as it was my earnest desire, so it was my confident hope to have given an account more acceptable to them, then either myself, or any other joined with me in that undertaking can promise at this time. Nor were my most hearty endeavours ever wanting, as God and my own conscience bear me record, and all true Protestants, who have been witnesses of my actions will believe. For shortly after my engagements in that service, I found in those who had the greatest command, such backwardness from all counsels tending to the advancement of the great Cause in hand; such complying with the barbarous Rebels; such subtle ways to retard the zealous endeavours of all who studied to be faithful, and frowning upon them that were most forward in action, that I found no less difficulty to acquit myself against the treacherous policy of seeming friends, then to withstand the power of professed enemies. Yet against both I ever confirmed my resolution so fare upon the just and Honourable Cause, that I am persuaded no man can convince me of yielding either to the one or other in any jot, to the prejudice of the service. Neither should any discontents have diverted me from my employment; nor the ruin of my fortunes, nor the hard and cruel usage of my friends have been able to draw me from that station wherein His Majesty and the honourable Houses of Parliament had placed me: if I had not evidently found that I could stay no longer there, without, either making shipwreck of a good conscience, and taking courses destructive to the intentions of the Parliament: or else to suffer imprisonment, and so be made unprofitable to that Cause, to which I was addicted. Upon these reasons I resolved, with what peril soever, to endeavour an escape from thence, that so I might be able in another place to do better service to the true Cause, than I could possibly have performed there. And it pleased Almighty God, though with the loss of all my fortunes (as aforesaid) and danger of my life from pursuing enemies, to bring me safely hither. The reasons which necessitated my coming away are these:  
First, I saw by sad experience the marquis Ormonds' design in concluding a Cessation with the bloody Rebels of Ireland, which seemed to me a second plot, agreeing to the former, which in October 1641. was put into act by those merciless Rebels, to deliver the remainder of His Majesty's true Subjects into their hands, and so to root out the Protestant Religion, and destroy both English and Scots from that Kingdom.  
Secondly, he would have forced me to go for England with my Regiment in a most unjust war against the Parliament there, who have sustained me and my Regiment since the beginning of that Irish Rebellion. And most illegally he sent two Companies of my Regiment under the command of another into England, without my knowledge; which is without precedent or discipline.  
Thirdly, the said marquis form a most unjust and illegal Oath, and imposed it upon every Officer and Soldier to take, as appears by that Oath, here annexed: 
I Resting fully assured of his Majesty's most Princely truth and goodness, do freely and from my heart promise, vow, and protest, in the presence of Almighty God, that I will to the utmost of my power and with the hazard of my life, maintain and defend the true Protestant Religion established in the Church of England, His Majesty's sacred Person, His Heirs and lawful Successors, and His Majesty's just powers and Prerogatives; against the Forces now under the conduct of the Earl of Essex, and against all other Forces whatsoever, that are or shall be raised contrary to His Majesty's commands and Authority.  
And I will do my best endeavour to procure and re-establish the peace and quietness of the Kingdom of England.  
And I will neither directly nor indirectly divulge or communicate any thing to the said E. of Essex, his Officers, or any other, to hinder or prejudice the designs of his Majesty in the conduct or employment of his Army.   
By the lieutenant-general of his Majesty's Army.  
WHereas his Majesty hath been pleased to command the present transportation of a part of his Army here into England, I do think fit, and hereby order, that every Officer and Soldier to be transported hence do take the Oath above written before they depart this Harbour.  
Given at his Majesty's Castle of Dubin the 13. of October 1643. Ormond.  
To which he pressed me extremely, telling me, that if I would not take it, he would cashier and imprison me. Upon this I feared a restraint of my Liberty, and besides saw the unwillingness of my Officers and Soldiers to go into England to fight against the Parliament, which might have been imputed to me, as counselling them so to do.  
Fourthly, I saw the illegal proceed of that Ormond and the Council, in imprisoning of real honest men, for not submitting to their fraudulent ways, and enlarging of detestable Rebels, who had been murderers of many thousand good Protestants. And Colonel Monks obtaining leave to pass for England of marquis Ormond, who by a private Letter from the said marquis, was afterwards imprisoned at Bristol.  
Fifthly, the extravagancies of the said marquis in complying with the bloody Rebels; his frowning upon me for willingness to do service upon them, and withstanding the Cessation; his calling the Parliament of England inhuman Rebels, and hatchers of all the mischief that is befallen Ireland; his frequent consultations how to invade the Parliaments Forces residing there; to fend the Army out of Ireland to possess the Rebels of their lands; in suffering so great numbers of the Rebels to frequent Dublin, as with the assistance of Papists therein, should be able to destroy both the English and Scots there residing. I cannot forget that in the Treaty betwixt the marquis Ormond and the Irish Rebels, it is included, that the Rebels shall have leave to send at all times such numbers of their own, as they shall think fitting, unto his Majesty, Whereupon the Protestants, fearing lest the Rebels might by this means unjustly incense his Majesty against his good Subjects of the British Nation, entreated that they might have leave also to send as many of their numbers over, to inform his Majesty concerning the proceed and behaviour of the Rebels: which was refused them by the marquis Ormond and the Council then in Ireland. And to that purpose two privy Councillors, the Earl of Rosscommon, and Sir James Ware came down from the Council Table, to desire those whom they knew to be of their faction, to withdraw their hands from the Petition, obtaining none but one Major Morris.  
As also that in November 1643. the Parliament in Ireland sitting, the House of Commons had in debate that there might be a Remonstrance set out, declaring the inhumanity of the Irish Rebels, and a Committee sent to the Lords Justices and Council with it, desiring it might be recommended to his Majesty; whereupon there was a Message sent down from the House of the Lords, no man sitting there but the marquis Ormond and four of his great Favourites, and among the rest an Arch-Papist, my Lord Viscount of Meriyoung, in which Message it was delivered, That there were greater matters of state to be considered, which was nothing else but the sending over the English Army then in Ireland to fight against the Parliament.  
One particular more horrid than the rest I was informed of about that time; that had been intended against Master Reynolds and Master Goodwin, who were then sent over with Money (which was more acceptable there then themselves) the day before their coming away, there was a Plot to have dragged them to prison, the prime Actors thereof are in this last blessed victory of Sir Thomas Fairfax and Sir William Brereton taken prisoners. Upon these reasons I withdrew myself to Newery, from whence I wrote a Letter (too much to be here inserted) to my Lord marquis, full of humility (as by the true Copy I can prove) entreating him to vouchsafe me a line in answer to my just and humble requests; which were, that I might not be pressed to that Oath too burdensome for my Conscience, nor enforced over to serve against the Parliament of England; which if his Lordship would grant, I would with all alacrity continue in service under him, according to the first intention of my Commission, against those barbarous and bloody Rebels of Ireland, to which service I was so hearty devoted, that (as I expressed to him) though I had been invited home with hopes of better preferment, yet I had still rejected it; that to avoid his indignation I had withdrawn myself towards Caregfergus, where if I heard not from him, I should be enforced to resolve on a further journey, as God should enable me. To which Letter receiving no answer, I soon after wrote him another from the Newery, with the same humble requests, as also expressing to him my former services, which he might well remember, and that they might deserve so far, as that he might trust my fidelity without any new Oath. I desired also that his Lordship would make a redress to me of the inhuman proceed of my Lord Moor against me, who endeavoured by all means he could to take away my life upon bare suspicion, without reason, and afterwards rob me of all my goods, leaving me not a penny. Which barbarous usage I humbly referred to his Lordship's consideration, desiring a restitution of my goods, horses, and money; but found no answer to any of my just requests. Immediately after I wrote another Letter from the Newery also to my Lord Moor, desiring redress from him, with more civility and respect then his cruel usage of me had deserved; but found no satisfaction at his hands. Upon these occasions I plainly understood, there was no staying for me with a good Conscience, nor any possibility of continuing to do that service which I came to do against those bloody Rebels, in revenge of so many thousand of my brethren murdered, and vindication of that Religion which is fare dearer to me then my life, and for which I defy the tongue of any man to accuse me of any slackness in service at all. I confess I was stricken with admiration to see so great a Masterpiece of the Devil wrought in Ireland, exceeding (in mine opinion) all the rest; which have of late, by the same Council, been hatched in England and in Scotland, not only in the subtlety and horridness of the continuance, but in the miraculous blinding of those men who call themselves Protestant's, to be made actors in it; that he could first find a means to make so general an insurrection of those bloody Rebels, to the massacring of above an hundred and sixty thousand Protestants; then raise an Army of English and Scots to fight against those Rebels so long, until (besides the loss of much blood more) the Protestants in so hot an Academy of War, were made excellent Soldiers (for that cannot be denied) and fit to do service in the behalf of those Rebels against whom they had been raised; so that those English Protestant Regiments which come out of Ireland do a double service to Popery (and as the Proverb is) stop two gaps with one bush; not only wounding the Parliament, from whence the only relief should come to the cause of Religion in Ireland: but by withdrawing themselves from thence, expose the residue of Protestants there to the mercy of those inhuman Rebels. But I hope this extreme raging of the Devil does but foreshow that his time is short; and God Almighty, to the relief of his Church and people, will chain him up. These considerations have drawn from me a Remonstrance, not to vindicate myself in any point of Honour, for I conceive I never lost any, but to inform others by what wicked means that Kingdom of Ireland is betrayed, and to open the eyes of those who are not wilfully blind.  
FINIS.