and worthy to be held in perpetual detestation and
abhorrence. The generous nature of More was shocked at the recital of
such enormous cruelties. He flew to O'Neale's camp; but found that his
authority, which was sufficient to excite the Irish to an insurrection,
was too feeble to restrain their inhumanity. Soon after, he abandoned
a cause polluted by so many crimes; and he retired into Flanders. Sir
Phelim, recommended by the greatness of his family, and perhaps too by
the unrestrained brutality of his nature, though without any courage or
capacity, acquired the entire ascendent over the northern rebels.[*] The
English colonies were totally annihilated in the open country of Ulster:
the Scots at first met with more favorable treatment. In order to engage
them to a passive neutrality, the Irish pretended to distinguish between
the British nations; and, claiming friendship and consanguinity with the
Scots, extended not over them the fury of their massacres. Many of them
found an opportunity to fly the country; others retired into places of
security, and prepared themselves for defence; and by this means the
Scottish planters, most of them at least, escaped with their lives.[**]

From Ulster the flames of rebellion diffused themselves in an instant
over the other three provinces of Ireland. In all places, death and
slaughter were not uncommon; though the Irish in these other provinces
pretended to act with moderation and humanity. But cruel and barbarous
was their humanity! Not content with expelling the English their
houses, with despoiling them of their goodly manors, with wasting their
cultivated fields, they stripped them of their very clothes, and
turned them out, naked and defenceless, to all the severities of the
season.[***] The heavens themselves, as if conspiring against that
unhappy people, were armed with cold and tempest unusual to the climate,
and executed what the merciless sword had left unfinished.[****] The
roads were covered with crowds of naked English, hastening towards
Dublin and the other cities which yet remained in the hands of their
countrymen. The feeble age of children, the tender sex of women, soon
sunk under the multiplied rigors of cold and hunger.

* Temple, p. 44.

** Temple, p. 41 Rush, i. p. 416.

*** Temple, p. 42.

**** Temple, p. 64

Here the husband, bidding a final adieu to his expiring family, envied
them that fate which, he himself expected so soon to sh