Examination of Brien O’Neile

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Examination of Sir Tirlogh O Neill concerning Lettres intercepted - see p. 513
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therfore advised that there might bee a peace heere before the [ ] peace in England were concluded that otherwise that this the mischief began heere soe it would end he e re soe they might first conclude <r> the peace heere, Hee saith that the lettre directed from him to Tirlogh o Neale or any parte thereof was not written in any othe an English carractar and that noe parte thereof nor written in any other carractar to his best remembrance & that to his best remembrance there were noe figures or ciphers therein but all the matter thereof [sume] nor [ ] written in English
Hee further saith that at Beumarris it was <s> tould him that there was a lettre of his intercepted directed to Tirlogh o Neale in which lettre the writer thereof as it was tould the examinant did also write absolutly against peace heere & that the writer thereof writ that hee would come over into Ireland & joine with the Irish himself, and hee saith hee knowes not who it was that tould him soe at Beumarris, but saith it was rumird there, but by whom hee knoweth not, Hee saith that since <t> his last arrivall at dublin, hee heard that the said intercep{ted} lettre conteined writing on the lo: lievtenant the lo: of Clanrickard, the lo: Taafe & Coll: Barry, but from whom heere hee [soe] heard hee [ ] declares not, Hee saith that at the at the Examinants last former beeing in Ireland beeing in No : last there was [ carractar or ] a way of privat writing one to another agreed on between Tirlogh o Neale and the examinant

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<v> examinant which privat way of writing was in figures standing for persons names, wherein but and many persons names were agreed on between them to bee represented by those figures, some by one number & some by an other, and hee saith that hee & the said Tirlogh agreed on that privat way of writing one to an other in Novemb: last at Kilkeny but and hee bele eves that remembreth not whether or noe his his his majestie [ ] [ ] the lo: lievtenant <w> the E: of Antrim the dutches of Buckingam or the lo: Coll: Barry Daniell o Neile & Coll: Barry were amongst those soe agreed on to bee represented in figures, for & hee saith that many the names of most men of note in the Court of England & heere were am named amongst <x> those soe to bee represented as aforesaid.
Hee saith that when hee writt the said lettres into Ireland hee was in a melancholy full & discontented hum o r & writt in great passion, & feare that hee feared feares that in these lett r e s sever all things fell [ severall ] fell from him in [feare ] of the lo lievtenant for which hee is very hartely sorry
<y> Hee saith Hee saith that as to the hi s writing in some of those his lettre s in one lettre of the examinants to the Earle of Roscomon the examinant writt that he found at Court that the Earle lo: lievtenant had written some thing to Court concerning the examinant which was like to have been prejiudiciall to him thexaminant And
Bry o Neill

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The examination of Sir Brien o Neile Barronet taken before Charles lo: Lambart, Sir Samuell Mayart Knight one of the Justices of his Majesties Court of Common Pleas and Sir William Rives Knight one of the Justices of his Majesties Court of Chief Place, by order of the right honourable the lo: Lievtenant and Councell
3 July 1645
<l> The said Sir Brien o Neile saith that at the time when the lo: Brabazon Sir Henry Tichborne and Sir James ware came from oxford the examinant which was much about Christmas last the examinant writt severall lettres at Oxford directed to severall persons in Ireland vizt one lettre to Garald fitzGarald Gent dwelling on the merchant key in Dublin, one lettre to Henry Segrave of Cabraghe Gent and three or fowre lettres more but to <m> whom directed hee doth not now remember, Hee saith also that there was hee inclosed in the said lettre directed to Garald fitzGarald an other lettre directed to Tirlogh o Neile to the best of the examinants remembrance, but from whom hee doth not now remember and hee saith hee thinck s thinck s hee received it from the hands of one that a [ boy ] a Popish Priest an Irishman borne in Vlster whose true name the examinant knoweth not , but saith hee goes there under the name of Capten Hamilton whom the examinant thinck s to bee a popish priest & borne in Vlster & to have an other name though not knowen to the deponent & hee saith <also that hee knoweth not fro whether or noe that lettre inclosed as aforesaid in the examinants lettre to Mr fitz Garald was the said Capten Hamiltons own lettre, but hee suspecteth that it was not either his but or another mans, which other man is now in Ireland as the Examinnat thincks [ ] the examinant refuseth to { } discouer { } but no and his name is Collonell Cahan [ ] England thether in the same ship with the examinant at his now last arrivell heere forth of England> which lettre the examinant Hee saith also that there were 2 or 3 more in company with the said priest Capten when hee

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<n> hee delivered the said lettre to the examinant, but their names the examinant knoweth not, And hee saith that to the best of his remembrance hee delivered all the said lettres to Thomas Eustace Gent, who was then departing from Oxford for Ireland, and [ ] hee remembreth not whether or noe hee delivered them enclosed them all in one cover or directed them delivered them as in as severall <o> lettres to Mr Eustace, Hee saith also that about 2 dayes before the examinant delivered the said lettres to Mr Eustace the examinant delivered to one Patrick Bane servant to the Lady Dutches of Buckingham 2 or 3 lettres directed from the examinant to one to the Tirlogh o Neile one to the Lord Muskery & one to the Earle of Roscomon, but whether they were all inclosed in one cover or not the examinant remembreth not, And hee saith that the said Patrick Bane that had the said lettres went to sea in one and came along in comp an y <p> within the same shipp with the lo: Brabazon Sir Henry Tichborne & Sir James ware & Mr Eustace & was with them taken at sea by the a parliament shipp And the examinant since that time meeting the said Patrick coming to Oxford hee tould the examinant that the said hee did cast over board into the sea all the said lettres delivered him by the examinant that were a shipp board, Hee saith that the substance of the <q> lettre which hee writt to Tirlogh o Neile was to this effect that there was then a treatie in England between the King & the 2 houses of parliament, that hee verily thought th{ } would bee a peace concluded in England; that hee they therfore

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<z> And he saith that he doth not precisely remember that hee writt to any that the lord Lievtenant would is not or nor ever bee would bee a frend to the Irish, nor that hee writt any th scandalous wordes of the lo: lievtenant, or that the examinant hee found the King very <a> kinde, but not in peace in an ill condition for peace, nor that without the Irish give the King helpe by before May day it is were impossible the King <b> could hould out in England, nor that there was then a treatie of peace in England but noe danger of it, nor that if they Irish tooke base conditions they were vndon, nor that there <c> would bee noe trusting to those those people [ ] nor that the hee feard that the lord

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lord lievtenant and owen o Neile & daniell o Neile had a plott (but hee saith that in this Kingdome at the E of Antrims last beeing in Ireland & since Novemb : last at the Court in England in the presence of the dutches of Buckingam Endymion Porter & others whose names hee remembreth [ ] not hee heard <d> the Earle of Antrim say that Daniel o Neile had brought owen Roe o Neile to his mind & that Daniel o Neile & owen Roe o Neile were of one & the lo: lievtenant were of one minde) and hee of hee saith that nor that they Ir meaning the Irish should trust <e> to themselves, & make their conditions now well or never, nor that there were none but Rogues h e ere [ now ] at Oxford as false as the divell, & intend <f> nothing but the destruccion of you all meaning the Irish, nor that the parliament would never come to an agreement that would take effect, & nor that now or never is the time, nor that

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that Coll: John Barry came to Oxford to play <g> the knave, an enemy to vs meaning the Irish & to our good meaning the Irish, nor that the penall lawe is to bee taken vpp, but that they must tak his m promis for [ ] it, nor that <h> hee the examinant intended to come to Tirlogh o Brien Neile & to run his way, nor that Daniel o Neile is his mortall enemy vnder hand by Ormondes meanes & soe hee is to the Earl e of Antrim But hee saith that if hee <i> writt any such things did write a lettre to Tirlogh o Neile as that if any of his said lettres to Tirlogh o Neile have any such expressions in them hee saith hee writt it when hee was in <k> a melancholly fitt & discontented humor & writt it in great passion & that hee is very hartely sorry for it, and that hee

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<l> hee hearing of some of the contentes of the said lettre in England hee did come into Ireland at this time purposely with the lo: Earle of Glanmorgan & acquainted the said
Earle with what hee had heard, of the said lettre, the examinant purposing rather to submitt himself to the <m> lo: lievtenant & to suffer what hee thought fitting rather then to absent himself though hee wer in England advised to goe to the King to absent himself & had the like advise in Ireland of to absent himself the same night day that hee came last landed in <n> Ireland to absent himself, with advise of going to the King the examinant declined choosing rather to submitt himself in Ireland to the lo: lievtenant because hee conceived the injury not don vnto him
<o> Hee saith that since his last coming into
Bry o Neill

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into Ireland hee meeting Garald fitz Garald in the taverne called the Three cranes without damesgate in Dublin the examinant tould him that hee <p> heard that there was a lettre of the examinants directed to the said fitz Garald intercepted, & that hee heard that within that lettre directed to the said fitz Garald there <q> was a lettre directed to Tirl: o Neile which was conceived to bee the examinants lettre, & the examinant then tould the said fitz Garald that hee had rather then a 1000 li. that hee had not directed any enclosed any lettre in any lettre of his <r> lettre to him or any other at which discourse between the examinant & the said fitz Garald hee saith that lievt Coll: Gilmore was & Cornet Magrath w ere present & heard the same Hee saith that to his best remembrance hee never directed any lettre to the said Garald fitz Garald excepting the one lettre formerly in this his examjnacion mentioned

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mentioned, and that to his best remembrance hee never writt any lettre to <s:> Tirlogh o Neile, but the said one lettre sent by Patr Bane servant to the dutches of Buckingham
<t> Hee saith that the day the examinant last at this [ ] time landed in Ireland Mr Brent the lawyer tould the examinant that there was a lettre of the examinants intercepted wherin he the said examinant had written against peace & had slandered the lo: lievtenant, the lo: Clanrickard the lo: Taafe & Coll: Barry & that the examinant <v> then sayd that hee had written a lettre to Tirlogh o Nei le & that if ther was any such thing in his lettre hee writt it in a melancholly humor & was a most vnfortunat man therin, & the said Brent then tould the examinant there were but <w> 2 wayes for the examinant vizt either one of which was either to absent himself, and the other or to apply himself to the lo: lievtenant & the examinant answered that hee would apply himself to the lo: lievtenant, but whether hee tould Mr Brent that that lettre of

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of the examinants new was inclosed in his the examinants lettre to Gar fitz Gar or not the examinant remembreth not,
<x> Hee saith that since his last arrivall in Ireland hee de c had speeche with the said Tho: Eustace & demanded of him whether or noe hee had any lettre from the examinant directed to Tirlogh o Neile there was any lettre from the examinant found in the shipp when the said Eustace was taken at sea that mentioned the lo: lievtenant to which the examinant said Eustace answered that hee had not, but that t here was a lettre of the examinan ts found aboard the shipp there was a lettre found in the shipp to some such purpose conteining some 9 lines, which was <y> said to bee the examinants lettre ,
Hee saith hee remembreth not whether or noe hee demanded of Mr Eustace whether hee had throwen the exam{inants} <z:> lettre overboard or not, Hee saith that Sir Nicholas white knight was the man that writt into England to his sons Nich: & Arthur white that for lettres to the effect aforesaid from the examinant were intercepted, and that saith that the lo: Taafe (as the said Nicholas & Arthur white tould the examinant) did at the his last coming into Ireland tel them said of the said lettre, Hee

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<a> Hee saith that hee remembreth not to have had <had> any discourse on munday last [ ] the last of June <June> last with Cornet Magrath, Hee saith that
Hee saith that the privat paper which hee had <had> conteining the way agre of privat writing <writing> agreed between him the examinant & Tirlogh o Neile the examinant lost lost at Oxford
Hee saith he
Bry o Neill

3 Julij 1645
Draught of Sir Brien
o Neiles examjnacion
3 July 1645