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 the Anglo-Irish Confederates were inclined to temporize, whilst the Old Irish, headed by Einuccini and supported by O'Neill, opposed all proposals of permanent peace that would not include complete toleration for the Catholics. In November the Su- preme Council commanded him to join his forces to those of Castlehaven, and attack Monro in Munster. The operations during 1644 and 1645 resolved themselves into a series of skirmishes which, while they did not accomplish their end of driving Monro out of Ireland, tended to discipline the Irish troops. Towards the close of 1645 O'Neill quarrelled with Castlehaven, charging him with supineness or cowardice in the opera- tions of the war. Both generals appealed to the Supreme Council, and O'Neill re- tired to Belturbet, where he established his headquarters until the spring of 1646. He was then summoned to Kilkenny by Einuccini, who supplied him with a large portion of the arms he had brought from the Continent ; and, smoothing over the differences between him and his kinsman. Sir Felim O'Neill, induced the latter to consent to serve under him. By the fol- lowing May, Owen had an army of 5,000 foot and 500 horse, with which he marched, about ist June, in the direction of Armagh, to attack Monro. The Scottish general met him with 6,00c infantry and 800 horse, and on the 5th June the battle of Benburb was fought, in which O'Neill was completely victorious. Carte, in his Life of Ormond, thus writes of Monro's defeat : " Sir James Montgomery's regiment was the only one which retired in a body ; all the others fled in the utmost confusion, and most of the infantry were cut in pieces. Colonel Conway, after having two horses shot under him, made his escape almost miraculously to the Newry, with Captain Burke and about forty horse. Lord Mont- gomery was taken prisoner, with about twenty-one officers, and one hundred and fifty common soldiers. There were found three thousand two hundred and forty- three slain on the field of battle, and others were killed next day in the pursuit. O'Neile had only about seventy killed, and two hundred wounded. He took all the Scots' artillery, being four field pieces, with most of their arms, thirty-two colours, their tents and baggage. The booty was very great : one thousand five hundred di-aft horses being taken, and two months' provisions for the Scotch army — enough to serve the Ulster Irish (an hardy people, used to live on potatoes and butter, and content generally with only milk and shoes) double the time. Monro fled without his wigand coatto Lisnegarvy, and immediately

burned Dundrum, deserted Port a Down, Clare, Glanevy, Downepatrick, and other places." One of 0' Neill's chaplains carried the news of the victory to Einuccini at Limerick on the 13th, and presented to him the captured colours at the cathedral with much state. Three days later they were forwarded to Eome, and the Pope shortly afterwards sent O'Neill, as an augury of future victories, the sword of his distinguished uncle, the Earl of Tyrone. After this triumph O'Neill's army dis- persed over Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, and Longford, until the crops should be ripe, while the wounded were sent to Charlemont, where Sir Felim O'Neill had surgeons for them. The account of the battle posted in the streets of London de- scribed " the bloody fight at Blackwater, on the 5 th of June, by the Irish rebels against Major-General Monro, where 5,000 Protestants were put to the sword." A message from Einuccini again summoned O'Neill south, and his army being in- creased by deserters from Monro and fresh levies, to 10, 000 foot, and twenty-one troops of horse, he marched to Kilkenny, and in conjunction with Preston supported the cause of the Nuncio and those anxious to reject the peace ofi'ered by Ormond. O'Neill and Preston then moved towards Dublin, in the hope of wresting the city from Ormond before he could deliver it into the hands of the Parliamentarians. The two generals proceeded by different routes, and pitched their camps between Lucan and Celbridge. Much animosity existed between them. O'Neill distrusted Preston, and Preston was really more anxious to fall on O'Neill than to march on Dublin. A month was wasted in con- tentious bickerings, and when the news arrived that a large Parliamentarj' force had been received into the city, O'Neill collected together his troops by cannon shot, crossed the Liffey by a temporary bridge, and retreated to Westmeath, and afterwards to Connaught. On 8th August 1647, Preston was defeated by General Jones near Trim, and the safety of the Supreme Council was left in the hands of O'Neill, who marched from Sligo, and kept Jones shut up in Dublin for four months. At times the citizens could count from their church-towers two hundred Irish watch fires. Throughout 1648 O'NeiU ad- hered to the cause of Einuccini, who still rejected the peace proposals that did not provide for the free exercise of the Catholic religion in Ireland. Preston and other Confederate generals seceded from the Nuncio, and proclaimed O'Neill a rebel, and Lord Inchiquin, hitherto on the side 419