Examination of Thomas Eustace

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The examjnacion of Thomas Eustace Gent aged 21 yeares or therabouts taken vppon oath before the Clerk of the Councell by direccion of the Right honorable the lo: Lievtenant and Councell the 15 day of Aprill 1645.
<e> The said Thomas Eustace beeing duly sworne and examjned saith that the examinant beeing in the forte of Duncanon when it was beseeged by Collonell Preston the lo: Esmond did shewe prepare a to the examinant a lettre which his lordship did intend to send to Collonell Preston, which lettre the examinant read, and hee saith that by the lo: Esmunds direccion divers the soldiers and seamen then in the said forte were or the 12 or 13 of March last [ ] in the evening called to the Lo: Esmunds chamber, and there his lordship <f> caused his Chaplen Richard Vnderwood Clerk to reade in the hearing of the examinant & all the soldiers & seamen a lettre directed to his lordship from Capten Smith viceadmirall, the contents of which lettres were, to the effect of the writing now shewen to the examinant at his examjnacion, entituled The contents of a lettre written, by Capten Smith viceAdmirall, to the lo: Esmond, occasioned by a lettre written <g> to the said Capten Smith by his seamen in the forte of Duncanon bearing date Mar: 9 1644, which writing now shewen to the examinant is subscribed by the said Richard Vnderwood, At that time also the said Vnderwood did read in the hearing of the examina nt & the said soldiers and seamen a lettre directed to his lordship from Capten Swanlie Admirall dated 15 febr: 1644, which lettre was now shewen to <h> the examinant on his examjnacion, And the said Vnderwood at that time also did reade in the hearing of the examinant and the said soldiers and seamen a coppy of a lettre, which his lordship had written and

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and sent on the 12 of Marche 1644 the said <i> Capten Smith, which coppy was the same in substance with the coppy [ now ] attested by Richard Vnderwood now shewen to the examinant at his examjnacion, And then also the said Richard Vnderwood did likewise reade in the hearing of the examinant & the said soldiers and seamen a draught or coppy of the said lettre prepared by the lo: Esmond to bee sent from his lordship to Collonell Preston, <k> which draught coppy was the same in substance with the coppy attested by the said Richard Vnderwood & said to bee dated the 14 of Marche 1644, and now shewen to the examinant on his examjnacion, And the examinant saith that on the 14 of Marche 1644 the lo: Esmond sent the said lettre by a drummer to the said Collonell Preston, which drummer returned back an answer the same day from Collonell Preston <l> to the lo: Esmond, which answer was in writing and the examinant sawe it, and it was to this effect, That to send messenger to Dublin was for the gaining of time, That if the lo: Esmond had been for his Majestie, major Capron and others his majesties loyall subjects had not been turned out of that forte, nor had [ ] had the lo: Esmond violated his maiesties Cessation, nor admitted the Parliaments forces <m> in armes against his Majestie into the forte, whervppon the lo: Esmond sent out a drummer to the said Collonell Preston with a reply from his lordship, express in writing & dated the same day, which replye was in substance the same with the coppy attested

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<n> attested by the said Richard Vnderwood, and now shewen to the examinant at his examjnacion, Hee saith also that Capten Coppin Capten of the Elizabeth tould the examinant when the examinant was aboard him in the harbor of Corck, that hee the said Capten Coppin (finding that Hosier (who was sent from the Admirall Swanlie to Corck to the lo: Inchiquin with lettres to his lordship from Capten Swanlie to send relief of men <o> to the forte of Duncanon) could not gett to Corck by reason of the wether,) the said Capten Coppin went ashore at Corck, and spoake to the lo: Inchequin, and tould him of the said Capten Swanlies lettres sent by Hosier, and desired his lordship to send men to the said forte, hee the said Coppin offering to carry them thither, and that the lo: Inchequin answered him, that hee had <p> men, but hee could not trust them, and therfore sent none, Hee saith also that the lo: Esmond did declare to the examinant beeing with his lordship in the forte that his lordship sawe hee could finde now other meanes to send to Dublin to the lo: Lievtenant, but by the examinant, and therfore his lordship desired the examinant to write a lettre to Collonell Preston from him this examinant, desiring the said Collonell Preston to lett the examinant have safe passe and conduct to Dublin to give the lo: Lievtenant to give his lordship a speedie speedy accompt of the examinants <q> late imployment hee having been soe long held in restraint into England by his lordship which lettre to Coll: Preston the examinant writt accordingly, and having shewen it to the lo: Esmond and the soldiers in the forte, and his lordship and they approoving of it, the same examinant by the lo: E smonds direccion lettre was delivered it to the drummer that was sent to Collonell Preston with the first lettre sent to Collonell Preston by the lo: Esmond on the 14 of Marche

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<r> Marche 1644, And by that drummer the examinant received back an answer from Collonell Preston on the said 14 of Marche 1644, in writing vnder the said Coll: Prestons hand, & directed to the examinant, which followeth in theis words, Mr Eustace your lettre is received, and what you demand therin granted, soe you give begining to vnto your journey this present day, for I can spare noe farther time 14 of Marche 1644 Your humble servant T: Preston the originall of which lettre remaines in the examinats <s> custodie, Hee saith also that the lord Esmond gave the examinant in charge to hasten imediatly to Dublin to the lo: lievtenant, and to declare to his lordship that hee this examinant had seene the said several{l} lettres in this his examjnacion formerly mentioned, and to signifie to the lo: Lievtenant the lo: Esmonds resolution grounded on his Excellencies lettres both of advise and command, namely that the said Lord <t> Esmond should remaine in the forte, in hope that the then mutinous and revolting soldiers might therafter bee brought to their former obedience And the examinant was willed by the said lo: Esmond to declare to the lo: Lievtenant that now was the time wherin to reduce them to obedience, and that there was an instrument agreed on & signed by the lo: Esmond and soldiers and seamen in the forte <v> to this effect vizt That the said Lo: Esmond shou{ld} save them harmles both in life and goods, and that performed, that they would bee at his the s{aid} lo: Esmonds command provided that hee should deliver
Tho Eustace

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should deliver the said forte into Protestants hands, <w> And the lo: Esmond also desired the examinant to make knowen to the lo: lievtenant, that the lo: Inchequin had not included the lo: Esmond in the Cessation made by the said lo: Inchequin, And those were all the particulars to the examinants best remembrance comitted by the lo: Esmond to the examinants trust to bee declared from his lordship to the lo: Lievtenant, Hee saith further that on the said 14 of Marche 1644 the examinant departed from the said forte with the <x< drummer who carryed the lo: Esmonds replye to the said Collonell Preston, and the examinant then went to the said Collonell Preston in the Campe, and desired him that accord then imediatly hee putt the examinant vnder Sir Robert Talbots charge, on the 14 of Marche in the evening, And the examinant the next day th 15 of Marche desired Sir Robert Talbot that according to Coll Prestons vnder= taking <y> by his said lettre to the examinant, the examinant might bee sent away At which time Sir Robert Talbot tould the examinant hee would send for a horse of his own which hee would the next day lend the examinant to Ballenuwry And on the 16 of Marche the said Sir Robert Talbot (in sted of furnishing the examinant with a horse) tould the examinant that the supreme Councell <z> then at [ Kil ] Clonmell had sent to Coll: Preston to send

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<a> send the examinant to them to Clonmell, And on the 17 of Marche the examinant againe solliciting Sir Robert Talbot to send the examinant away, the said Sir Robert tould the examinant that that was a busye day, and that hee Coll: Preston could not that day give any answer to the examinant, because hee the said Coll: Preston was that day to batter the Sally porte, & soe the examinant was staid that day also, On the 18 of Marche the examinant <b> considering how long hee had been staid contrary to Collonell Prestons vndertaking by his said lettre, and foreseeing that vnlesse hee spoake himself to Collonell Preston to desire his permission to departe, it might therafter bee pretended by Collonell Preston that his stay was his own fault in not acquainting Coll: Preston therwith, the examinant therfore then went himself to Coll: Preston, and tould him how <c> long hee was stayd, and desired hee might bee sent away, whervppon Coll: Preston tould him that the Councell had sent for him and the examinant, and that hee the said Collonell Preston could doe noe lesse then send the examinant to them, The examinant then tould him that hee had lettres out of England to the lo: lievtenant, wherof hee was to give his lordship an accompt, as also of to give his lordship an accompt of what had happened to the lord <d> Brabazon Sir Henry Tichborne and Sir James ware and the examinant then minded the said Coll: Preston of the

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the Articles of Cessation, and of his promis <e> to the examinant by his said lettres, and therfore the examinant desired to bee sent away to Dublin whervnto the said Coll: (giving noe answer to the rest of what the examinant said) tould him that his promis was that the examinant should bee sent to Dublin, and that hee would see it safely don, but not then, The examinant then tould but and that the examinant must goe to the Councell, The <f> examinant then tould him, it stood not with his occasions to goe to the Councell, nor could hee answer it, and therfore would not goe to them willingly, but if the said Coll: Preston would compell him to goe to them, hee was then vnder his powre, and could not helpe it, whervppon the examinant was sent with one francis Netervil to waterford to Jeoffrey Browne <g> with a lettre from Coll: Preston, but what the lettre imported the examinant knoweth not, and the examinant beeing staid at waterford that night and the next day also for want of horses, the next day the examinant was sent with a guide to Clonmell, which guide had lettres, but to whom <h> or from whom or what they inported the examinant knoweth not, That night the examinant was carryed before the Councell namely the lo: Muskery who sate as President at the vpper end of the table, and Sir Daniel o Brien, one mr fitzMorris brother to the lo: of Kerry, Patrick

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<i> Patrick Darsie, Doctor fennell, and others John walshe and others whose names the examinant remembreth not, and before them the examinant was examined, concerning the fort of Duncanon, the parliament shipps, the treatie in England, & other things which the examinant now remembreth not, And the examinant was then sen{t} to his lodging, and having stayd in towne tw{o} dayes, hee went to the lo: Muskery desiring to bee dismissed, who tould the examinant hee might departe, which the examinant did accordingly, on the 23 of Marche, and gott to dublin on the 27 of Marche,
Tho Eustace