tablished for the punishment of "rebels and malignants;"
the former consisting of persons who refused to surrender their houses
and lands, and the latter being those who would not act contrary to
their conscientious convictions in religious matters. These courts were
called "Cromwell's Slaughter-houses." Donnellan, who had acted as
solicitor to the regicides, at the trial of Charles I., held the first
court at Kilkenny, October 4, 1652. Lord Louther held a court in Dublin,
in February, 1653, for the special purpose of trying "all massacres and
murders committed since the 1st day of October, 1641." The inquiries,
however, were solely confined to the accused Catholics; and the result
proved the falsehood of all the idle tales which had been circulated of
their having intended a great massacre of Protestants, for convictions
could only be obtained against 200 persons, and even these were
supported by forged and corrupt evidence.[499] Sir Phelim O'Neill was
the only person convicted in Ulster, and he was offered his life again
and again, and even on the very steps of the scaffold, if he would
consent to criminate Charles I.

As the majority of the nation had now been disposed of, either by
banishment, transportation, or hanging, the Government had time to turn
their attention to other affairs. The desolation of the country was
such, that the smoke of a fire, or the sign of a habitation, was
considered a rare phenomenon. In consequence of this depopulation, wild
beasts had multiplied on the lands, and three "beasts" were especially
noted for destruction. In the Parliament held at Westminster in 1657,
Major Morgan, member for the county Wicklow, enumerated these beasts
thus: "We have three beasts to destroy that lay burdens upon us. The
first is the wolf, on whom we lay L5 a head if a dog, and L10 if a
bitch. The second beast is a priest, on whose head we lay L10; if he be
eminent, more. The third beast is a Tory, on whose head, if he be a
public Tory, we lay L20; and forty shillings on a private Tory."[500]

Wolves had increased so rapidly, that the officers who left Ireland for
Spain, in 1652, were forbidden to take their dogs with them, and were
thus deprived of the pleasure and the pride (for Irish dogs were famous)
of this consolation in their exile. Public hunts were ordered, and every
effort made to keep down beasts of prey. But the whole blame was thrown
on the second beast. It was declared solemnly that if there had