He described the horrors of which he had been recently a witness, but softened the recital, lest he should shock his hearers too much.

Orange loyalty was then licensed and let loose upon the defenceless Roman Catholic population in Ulster.

Lord Gosford's description of the scenes of desolation in his own county, Armagh, is well known.

He did what he could to prevent the burning of Roman Catholic houses, and the personal injuries inflicted upon the unfortunate inhabitants, while their Orange neighbours chased them out of the country, giving them Cromwell's alternative.

But his mercy injured his reputation, and he felt obliged to protest solemnly that he was a loyal man, and that he wished to uphold Protestant ascendancy in Ireland as much as any of his accusers.