es for
the immediate aid of an army of ten thousand men; that, as the reward
of their willingness to serve the king, he should make to them certain
concessions on the point of religion; that these should be kept secret, as
long as the disclosure might be likely to prejudice the royal interests;
and that Charles, in the case of discovery, should be at liberty to disavow
the proceedings of Herbert, till he might find himself in a situation to
despise the complaints and the malice of his enemies.[1]

For this purpose Herbert (now[a] created earl of Glamorgan) was furnished,
1. with a commission to levy men, to coin money, and to employ the revenues
of the crown for their support; 2. with a warrant[b] to grant on certain
conditions to the Catholics of Ireland such concessions as it was not
prudent for the king or the lieutenant openly to make; 3. with a promise
on the part of Charles to ratify whatever engagements his envoy might
conclude, even if they were contrary to law; 4. and with different letters
for the pope, the nuncio, and the several princes from whom subsidies might
be expected. But care was taken that none of these documents should come to
the knowledge of the council. The commission was not sealed in the usual
manner; the names of the persons to whom the letters were to be addressed
were not inserted; and all the papers were in several respects informal;
for this purpose, that the king might have a plausible pretext to

[Footnote 1: Clarendon Papers, ii. 201.]

[Sidenote a: A.D. 1645. Jan. 2.]
[Sidenote b: A.D. 1645. March 12.]

deny their authenticity in the event of a premature disclosure.[1]

Glamorgan proceeded on his chivalrous mission, and after many adventures
and escapes, landed in safety in Ireland. That he communicated the
substance of his instructions to Ormond, cannot be doubted; and, if there
were aught in his subsequent proceedings of which the lord lieutenant
remained ignorant, that ignorance was affected and voluntary on the part
of Ormond.[2] At Dublin both joined in the negotiation with the Catholic
deputies: from Dublin Glamorgan proceeded to Kilkenny, where the supreme
council, satisfied with his authority, and encouraged by the advice of
Ormond, concluded with him a treaty,[a] by which it was stipulated that the
Catholics should enjoy the public exercise of their religion, and retain
all churches, and the revenues of churches, which were not actually in
possession of the Protestant cle