s conscience;" but adds: "If by
liberty of conscience you mean a liberty to exercise the Mass, I judge
it best to use plain dealing, and to tell you now, where the Parliament
of England have power, that will not be allowed of;"[487] which, in
plain English, meant that he professed liberty of conscience, but
allowed it only to such as agreed with himself. Of his estimation of
honour, his dealings at Wexford afford a fair sample. As soon as he had
found that Stafford could be bribed, he denounced the proposals of the
garrison as abominable and impudent. The traitor opened the
castle-gates, and the Parliamentary troops marched in. The besieged were
amazed and panic-struck; yet, to their eternal credit, they made what
even Cromwell admits to have been a "stiff resistance." The massacre of
Drogheda was renewed with all its horrors, and the treacherous General
held in his hand all the time the formal offer of surrender which had
been made by the townspeople and his own reply. He informs the
Parliament that he did not intend to destroy the town, but his own
letter reveals his treachery; and he congratulates his correspondents on
the "unexpected providence" which had befallen them. He excuses the
massacre on the plea of some outrages which had been offered to the
"poor Protestants," forgetting what incomparably greater cruelties had
been inflicted by the Protestants on the Catholics, both for their
loyalty and for their religion.

MacGeoghegan mentions the massacre of two hundred women, who clung round
the market-cross for protection.[488] His statement is not corroborated
by contemporary authority; but there appears no reason to doubt that it
may have taken place, from what has already been recorded at Drogheda on
unquestionable authority. Owen Roe and Ormonde now leagued together for
the royal cause, but their union was of short duration, for the Irish
chieftain died almost immediately, and it was said, not without
suspicion of having been poisoned by wearing a "pair of russet boots,"
sent to him by one Plunket, of Louth, who afterwards boasted of his
exploit. His death was an irreparable loss to the Irish cause; for his
noble and upright conduct had won him universal esteem, while his
military prowess had secured him the respect even of his enemies. New
Ross surrendered to Cromwell on the 18th of October and Luke Taaffe, the
Commander, joined Ormonde at Kilkenny. The garrisons of Cork, Youghal,
Kinsale, and Bandon, revolted