gent of their interest, for he did all he
could for the safety of their persons and estates. An opportunity soon
presented in which he very remarkably distinguished himself. He
engaged at Macroom (with two thousand horse and dragoons) a party of
Irish, consisting of upwards of five thousand, whom he totally
defeated, and took their general the titular bishop of Ross
prisoner[6]. This battle was fought May 10, 1650. Lord Broghill
offered the bishop his life, if he would order those who were in the
castle of Carigdrog-hid to surrender, which he promised; but when he
was conducted to the place, he persuaded the garrison to defend it to
the last extremity. Upon this lord Broghill caused him to be hanged;
(tho' Mr. Morrice says, the soldiers hanged him without orders) and
then commanded his heavy artillery to be brought up, which astonished
his own army exceedingly, they knowing he had not so much as a single
piece of battering cannon. He caused, however, several large trees to
be cut, and drawn at a distance by his baggage horses; the besieged
judging by the slowness of their motion, they were a vast size,
capitulated before they came up, as his lordship advised, threatening
otherwise to give them no quarter. He relieved Cromwell at Clonmell,
and assisted both him and his father-in-law Ireton in their
expedition; but because he could not moderate the fury of one, and
mitigate the cruelty of the other, he incurred the displeasure of
both; and Ireton was heard to say, that neither he nor Cromwell could
be safe while Broghill had any command. Notwithstanding the aversion
of Ireton to his lordship, yet he took care not to remit any of his
diligence in prosecuting the war, he marched to that general's
assistance at the siege of Limerick, and by his conduct and courage
was the means of that town's falling into the hands of the
Commonwealth; and till Ireland was entirely reduced, he continued
active in his commission.

When Oliver rose to the dignity of Lord Protector, he sent for lord
Broghill, merely to have his advice; and we are told by Oldmixon in
his history of the Stewarts, that he then proposed to Cromwell to
marry his daughter to King Charles II. and that as the Prince was then
in distress abroad, he doubted not but his necessity would make him
comply with the offer; he represented to the Protector the great
danger to which he was exposed by the fickle humour of the English,
who never doat long upon a favourite, but pull