The levying of troops for the Spanish service had been very injudiciously permitted in Ireland : These troops were kept in the country by the contrivance of Moore and his associates, who also increased their numbers. Upon these Moore mainly depended for setting the rebellion in motion ; and he trusted that his measures were so well taken, that, when once set in motion, it would spread rapidly over the w hole kingdom. Their first object was the seizure of Dublin castle ; and, for this purpose, on the 22d ol October 1641, he and his associates assembled in the capital, with an intention the next day to attempt the seizure ; but on the previous evening the plot was dis covered to the lords justices. This part of the scheme of Moore was of course frustrated ; but his associates in Ulster rose in such strength, and so simultaneously, that in the course of a very few days they were in possession of nearly the whole of this part of Ireland. The Pro testants, alarmed, and completely taken by surprise, fled to their strong places. As soon, however, as they had digested their plans, and recovered from their alarm, they marched out against the insurgents, whom they defeated and checked in many parts. This served only to enrage them, and the hostilities they carried on soon began to assume all the horrors of civil war, such as it is always waged where religious bigotry sharpens the edge of poli tical finned, and where they both act on savage and bar barous dispositions. The most cruel and unheard of mas sacres were committed by the rebels ; nor was the conduct of their opponents unstained by acts nearly as atrocious.
Charles was totally unable to subdue the insurrection, and the English parliament did not deem it politic imme diately to quell it. Hitherto the Catholics of the pale had refused to join the insurgents ; hut, being left unpro tected, and thus exposed to their ravages and contribu tions, they wavered in their allegiance, and were at length decided in their resolution to join them, in consequence of a victory they obtained over the royal forces near Drog heda. Had the administration of Ireland, at this period, been conducted by men sincere in their attachment to government, and of moderate capacity and activity, the re bellion might have been quelled, even after it had spread thus far, and taken such deep root ; hut neither the civil nor the military measures of the lords justices were or such a nature as the exigencies of the times required. The force which they possessed was weakened, and ren dered of little effect, by petty and insulated attacks on the subordinate and distant forces of the rebels, instead of be ing brought to bear, in one body, on their most vulnerable points. The soldiers were thus harassed and dispirited, while Moore and his associates gained strength and spirits daily. Even Dublin was threatened by them ; and it is probable that they might have taken it, if they had not de layed their march, and laid siege to Drogheda. Against
this place they were unsuccessful, in consequence of the approach of Ormond, who would have prosecuted his suc cess had he been allowed by the lords justices.
As soon as the Catholics of the pale received intelli gence of the success of Ormond, they offered to desert the cause of the rebels, which they had reluctantly joined, and to which they had never been sincerely attached ; hut they were not received by the lords justices as sincere in their wishes. On the contrary, they were prosecuted with the utmost violence, it is supposed with a view to render the forfeiture of lands more extensive ; and in this plan they were encouraged by the English house of Commons, who looked forward to the sale of the forfeited lands, as the means of enabling them to prosecute the war against the king. Thus driven to despair, the Catholics of the pale were forced to violent measures; and, having formed an army of 8000 foot, and some troops of horse, they attacked Ormond near Kilrush ; but though superior, they were not able to make any impression on his better disciplin ed troops, and the contest ended in their precipitate re treat.
This defeat saved the city of Cork, which had been besieged by the insurgents of 'Munster ; fur, during the dis may which it occasioned, being attacked by the garrison, they also were routed. The consequences of these defeats of the rebels, however, were not nearly so advantageous as they might have been, if the royal armies had been properly supported. The rebels also, about this period, were still further excited against the English by the fanaticism of Hugh Peters, who accompanied Lord Forbes, a general appointed by the parliament.
The English House of Commons at last became sen sible of the necessity of taking vigorous measures for the reduction of the rebels ; and accordingly they concluded a treaty with the Scotch parliament, by which the latter agreed to send 10,000 men into Ulster ; but these troops were more active in plundering the country, and exporting the cattle to Scotland, than in pursuing the rebels. The English forces, therefore, in this part of Ireland, were ob liged to trust entirely to their own efforts, the first success of which seemed to open up the prospect of more permanent and decisive advantages, when the arrival of Owen O'Neil from Dunkirk, with 100 officers, and a lam ge supply of arms and ammunition, directed their at tention to the necessity of checking him. In this enter prise they were again disappointed, in not being assisted by the Scotch, though the Earl of Leven, their commander, was now at the head of 20,000 foot and 1000 cavalry ; hut, instead of acting, he contented himself with sending a message to O'Neil, and soon afterwards embarked for Scot land.