[Sidenote: The popular tide turns against Rinuccini.]
[Sidenote: The Supreme Council released.]
[Sidenote: The Confederate constitution breaks down.]
[Sidenote: Officers not 'excommunication-proof.']
[Sidenote: Preston submits to the nuncio.]
The nuncio, says Bellings, entered Kilkenny, 'very incognito in his single litter without guards or attendance, and the council and congregation dropped in one after another without pomp or ceremony.' The tide had turned, and the odium which so often attaches to authority in Ireland, especially when it fails to make itself feared, was borne by the clerical party. Rinuccini, yielding very unwillingly to Nicholas Plunket and fearing lest the mob should do it without his leave, allowed the old council to be liberated, and devoted his attention to the elections for the next general assembly. All over the country the clergy administered oaths to candidates binding them to reject the peace. Absolution for other sins was denied to those who refuse to take such an oath, and O'Neill's soldiers were everywhere called in to enforce the clerical decrees. The vacant places in the Ulster returns were filled up from the creaghts or nomad herdsmen whom Owen Roe had planted in the Queen's County--'nay,' says Bellings, 'with such an overcharge of supernumeraries, as for some boroughs three have been returned and actually voted.' When the session began, the verification of these returns proved to be impossible, and after much wrangling the assembled members turned as they were to other business, 'and all formalities, how necessary soever, were quite omitted.' In the meantime Preston had again gone over to the nuncio. On December 10 Walter Bagenal wrote by his orders to Ormonde, pressing him to advance at once so as to join forces against the northern army, all the nobility and gentry being ready to support him. 'If you fail or delay,' Bagenal concluded, 'you ruin us all and yourself in us.' On the same day that this was written, Preston made his submission to the nuncio, who had threatened excommunication. Ormonde advanced to the neighbourhood of Gowran, which was to be the place of meeting. He found reason to believe that there was another plot to cut him off. A letter from Preston to Clanricarde was brought to him at Grangebeg in which the general said that 'his officers not being excommunication-proof, were fallen from him to the nuncio's party.' On first receiving this Clanricarde had so far forgotten his usual serenity as to call Preston traitor. It was followed by a similar letter to Ormonde, and by an abject declaration of obedience to the nuncio's commands. Ormonde professed to believe that the letter, which was printed and circulated, was 'a forgery, as also the reports raised that some of your army are gathered in a body at Castle Dermot, with intent to intercept my return, or destroy the remainder of my quarters.' He withdrew into Westmeath and Longford, where there was still some country undevastated by O'Neill, and where he maintained good discipline among his men. Dublin was relieved for a short time without distressing the country, and the Westmeath gentry actually scraped together a voluntary contribution of 1000_l._ At Kells an attack was made upon some of Ormonde's men by a party of O'Neill's soldiers. Ormonde says two officers were barbarously murdered. Bellings admits that a very bad impression was made, but O'Neill was hardly a party to the negotiations. After conferring with the Lord Lieutenant, Clanricarde went to Kilkenny in the vain hope that he might to some extent counteract the nuncio and induce the assembly to embrace moderate ideas. Ormonde soon found it necessary to reopen communications with the English Parliament.[104]