James Butler Ormonde

Faced by the loss of royal favour, Ormonde declared "However ill I may stand at court I am resolved to lye well in the chronicle." His irresponsible government was no doubt open to criticism. He had billeted soldiers on civilians, and had executed martial law. The impeachment, however, threatened by Buckingham in 1667 and 1668 fell through. Nevertheless by 1669 constant importunity had had its usual effect upon Charles, and in March Ormonde was dismissed. That year, he was however, elected chancellor of Oxford university. On Dec. 6, 167o an attempt was made to assassinate the duke by Thomas Blood. He was dragged out of his coach, and taken on horseback along Piccadilly with the in tention of hanging him at Tyburn. Ormonde, however, succeeded in overcoming the horseman to whom he was bound, and his servants coming up, he escaped. The king pardoned Blood, and even treated him with favour after his apprehension while en deavouring to steal the crown jewels.

In 1671 Ormonde successfully opposed Richard Talbot's at tempt to upset the act of Settlement. In 1667 he was restored to favour and reappointed to the lord lieutenancy. On his arrival in Ireland he placed the revenue and the army upon a proper footing. In 1682 Charles summoned Ormonde to court. On Nov. 9, 1683 an English dukedom was conferred upon him, and in June 1684 he returned to Ireland ; but he was recalled in October in consequence of fresh intrigues. Before, however, he could give up his government to Rochester, Charles II. died ; and Ormonde's

last act as lord lieutenant was to proclaim James II. in Dublin. Subsequently he lived at Cornbury in Oxfordshire. He refused the king his support over the Indulgence but James held him in respect. He died on July 21, 1688, and was buried in West minster abbey.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.-Thomas

Carte, Life of the Duke of Ormonde; the same author's Collection of Original Letters, found among the Duke of Ormonde's Papers (1739), and the Carte mss. in the Bodleian library at Oxford ; Sir Robert Southwell, Life of Ormonde, printed in the His tory of the Irish Parliament, by Lord Mountmorres (1792), vol. i.; Correspondence between Archbishop Williams and the Marquess of Ormonde, ed. by B. H. Beedham (reprinted from Archaeologia Cam brensis, 1869) ; Observations on the Articles of Peace between James, Earl of Ormonde, and the Irish Rebels, by John Milton; Hist. mss. Comm. Reps. ii.-iv. and vi.-x., esp. Rep. viii., appendix p. 499, and Rep. xiv. App.: pt. vii., Mss. of Marquis of Ormonde, together with new series; Notes and Queries, vi. ser. v., pp. 343, ; Gardiner, Hist. of the Civil War; Calendar of State Papers (Domestic) and Irish, 1633-1662, with introductions; Biographia Britannica (Kippis) ; Scot tish Hist. Soc. Publications: Letters and Papers of 165o, ed. by S. R. Gardiner, vol. xvii. (1894) ; and G. Coffey, O'Neill and Ormonde, a Chapter in Irish History (1914).