1921 TO THE MARQUIS OF ORMONDE 233 that Ormonde was hesitating to act on his report of 4 July, had urged Charles to give direct instructions to Ormonde to conclude the peace. This letter, as we know from the endorse- ment, was received by Ormonde on 25 August. It was not necessary to lay it before the council in Dublin, as Ormonde with the assent of the council had already proclaimed the peace in Dublin and was endeavouring, with scant success, to have it proclaimed in other towns in the south and west. Moreover, it was obviously essential that the final sentence in the letter should not be made public. But it was important to Ormonde to preserve the letter for his own protection, as a direct warrant from the king, in case his action should ever be called in question. He had Charles's disavowal of Glamorgan as a warning. Hence he did not destroy it. How it came into the safe-keeping of my forbears must remain, for the present at all events, a matter of conjecture. Though Ormonde had already proclaimed the peace in Dublin before the king's letter of 5 August reached him, and indeed before it was written, yet it was perhaps this authentic assurance of the king's will that induced him to undertake in person the forlorn hope of making the peace a reality elsewhere. Three days after the receipt of the letter, he left Dublin with a small force for Kilkenny, where he was at first received by the people with demonstrations of joy. But he soon found that he could do nothing with the clergy. Rinuccini issued a decree ordering them to denounce the peace and threatened excommunication to all who favoured it. So, after all, the peace was no peace. Whatever chance it may have once had was lost through the long delay which gave Rinuccini and the extreme papal party time to organize opposition to it. Rinuccini seems to have preferred chaos to ' the Ormonde Peace ', and the chaos continued until at long last it was reduced into the semblance of order by the sword of Cromwell. Goddard H. Orpen. Newcastle 5 Aug : 1646 Ormond I hope, that before this, you will haue receiued myne of the 14: of July which I sent to you two Severall wayes, the sume whereof was to follow the Queenes direction but least Ormond Marquis should iudge that not a sufficient warrant to doe what the Queene will direct Ormond Marquis I find it necessary for my present affaires to comand you to conclude the Peace of Ireland according to the Articles that you sent to the Queene, which I haue pervsed, and dislikes none but that concearning the Court of Wards which I would not part with uppon any tearmes, wherefore I desire you, if you can, stryke out that Article, but lett it pass rather then not conclude the Peace which I beleeve you may doe without contradicting my letter attested by Lainrik you haueing Signed y e Articles long before you receiued it soe y* it is noe new act but only
