BOYLE (Roger), earl of Orrery, younger brother of the former, and the fifth son of Richard, styled the Great earl of Cork, was born April 25th, 1621; and, by the credit of his father with the lord deputy Faulkland, raised to the dignity and title of baron Broghill, when only seven years old. He was educated at the college of Dublin, where he soon distinguished himself as an early and promising genius. He afterwards made the tour of France and Italy; and at his return assisted his father in opposing the rebellious Irish, in which he behaved with all the spirit of a young, and all the discretion of an old, officer. Upon the murder of the king, he retired to Marlton in Somersetshire, and hid himself in the privacy of a close retirement: but being at length ashamed to sit the tame spectator of all the mischief that appeared round him, he resolved to attempt something in favour of the king; and, under the pretence of going to the Spa for the recovery of his health, he determined to cross the seas, and apply himself to king Charles II. for a commission to raise what forces he could in Ireland, in order to restore his majesty, and recover his own estate. To this purpose, he prevailed on the earl of Warwick to procure a licence for his going to the Spa; and having raised a considerable sum of money, came up to London to prosecute his voyage: but he had not been long in town when he received a message from Cromwell, who was then general of the
parliament's forces, that he intended to wait upon him. The lord Broghill was surprised at this message, having never had the least acquaintance with Cromwell; and desired the gentleman to let the general know, that he would wait upon his excellency. But while he was waiting the return of the messenger, Cromwell entered the room; and, after mutual civilities had passed between them, told him in few words, that the committee of state were apprized of his design of going over and applying to Charles Stuart for a commission to raise forces in Ireland; and that they were determined to make an example of him, if he himself had not diverted them from that resolution. The lord Broghill interrupted him, by assuring him that the intelligence which the committee had received was false, and that he neither was in a capacity nor had any inclination to raise disturbances in Ireland: but Cromwell, instead of making any reply, drew some papers out of his pocket, which were the copies of several letters which the lord Broghill had sent to those persons in whom he most confided, and put them into his hands. The lord Broghill, upon the perusal of these papers, finding it to no purpose to dissemble any longer, asked his excellency's pardon for what he had said, returned him his humble thanks for his protection against the committee, and intreated his direction how to behave in such a delicate conjuncture. Cromwell told him, that though till this time he had been a stranger to his person, he was not so to his merit and character: he had heard how gallantly his lordship had behaved in the Irish wars; and therefore, since he was named lord lieutenant of Ireland, and the reducing that kingdom was now become his province, he had obtained leave of the committee to offer his lordship the command of a general officer, if he would serve in that war; and he should have no oaths or engagements imposed upon him, nor be obliged to draw his sword against any but the Irish rebels.
The lord Broghill was infinitely surprised at so generous and unexpected an offer. He saw himself at liberty, by all the rules of honour, to serve against the Irish, whose rebellion and barbarities were equally detested by the royal party and the parliament. He desired, however, some time to consider of what had been proposed to him. But Cromwell briskly told him, that he must come to some resolution that very instant: that he himself was returning to the committee, who were still sitting; and if his lordship rejected their offer, they had determined to send him to the tower. Upon this, the lord Broghill, finding that his liberty and life were in the utmost danger, gave his word and honour that he would faithfully serve him against the Irish rebels: on which Cromwell once more assured him, that the conditions which he had made with him should be punctually observed; and then ordered him to repair to Bristol, adding, that he himself would soon follow him into Ireland. Lord Broghill, therefore, having settled the business of his command, went over into that country; where, by his conduct and intrepidity, he performed many important services, and fully justified the opinion Cromwell had conceived of him. By his own interest he now raised a gallant troop of horse, consisting chiefly of gentlemen attached to him by personal friendship; which corps was soon increased to a complete regiment of 15,000 men. These he led into the field against the Irish rebels; and was speedily
Boyle. joined by Cromwell, who placed the highest confidence in his new ally, and found him of the greatest consequence to the interest of the commonwealth.
Among other considerable exploits performed by lord Broghill, the following deserves to be particularly mentioned. Whilst Cromwell laid siege to Clonwell, Broghill being detached to disperse a body of 5000 men who had assembled to relieve the place, he, with 2000 horse and dragoons, came up with the enemy at Macrooms on the 10th of May 1650; and, without waiting for the arrival of his foot, immediately attacked and routed them, making their general prisoner. Then proceeding to the castle of Carrigdroghid, he sent a summons to the garrison to surrender before the arrival of his battering cannon, otherwise they were to expect no quarter. His own army was surprised at this summons, as knowing he had not one piece of heavy cannon: but Broghill had ordered the trunks of several large trees to be drawn at a distance by his baggage horses; which the besieged perceiving, and judging from the slowness of the motion that the guns must be of a vast bore, immediately capitulated. He afterwards relieved Cromwell himself at Clonwell, where that great commander happened to be so dangerously situated, that he confessed, nothing but the seasonable relief afforded him by lord Broghill could have saved him from destruction. When Ireton sat down before Limerick, he gave Broghill 600 foot and 400 horse, with orders to prevent lord Muskerry's joining the pope's nuncio, who had got together a body of 8000 men, and was determined to attempt the relief of Limerick. Muskerry was at the head of 1000 horse and dragoons, and about 2000 foot: notwithstanding which, lord Broghill fell resolutely upon him. The Irish, having the advantage of the ground and numbers, would have conquered, but for a stratagem of lord Broghill. In the heat of the action he desired those about him to repeat what he said; and then cried out as loud as he could, "They run, they run." The first line of the Irish looked round to see if their rear broke, and the rear seeing the faces of their friends, and hearing the shouts of the enemy, imagined that the first line was routed, and fled. The taking of Limerick, which put an end to the war in Ireland, was the consequence of this defeat.
When Cromwell became protector, he sent for lord Broghill, merely to take his advice occasionally. And we are told, that, not long after his coming to England, he formed a project for engaging Cromwell to restore the old constitution. The basis of the scheme was to be a match between the king (Charles II.) and the protector's daughter. As his lordship maintained a secret correspondence with the exiled monarch and his friends, it was imagined that he was beforehand pretty sure that Charles was not averse to the scheme, or he would not have ventured to have proposed it seriously to Cromwell; who at first seemed not to think it not unfeasible. He soon changed his mind, however, and told Broghill that he thought his project impracticable: "For (said he) Charles can never forgive me the death of his father." In fine, the business came to nothing, altho' his lordship had engaged Cromwell's wife and daughter in the scheme; but he never durst let the protector know that he had previously treated with Charles about it.
On the death of the protector, lord Broghill continued attached to his son Richard, till, when he saw that the honesty and good nature of that worthy man would
infallibly render him a prey to his many enemies, he did not think it advisable to sink with a man that he could not save. The dark clouds of anarchy seemed now to be hovering over the British island. Lord Broghill saw the storm gathering, and he deemed it prudent to retire to his command in Ireland, where he shortly after had the satisfaction of seeing things take a turn extremely favourable to the design he had long been well-wisher to, viz. that of the king's restoration. In this great event Lord Broghill was not a little instrumental; and, in consideration of his eminent services in this respect, Charles created him earl of Orrery by letters-patent bearing date Sept. 5th, 1660. He was soon after made one of the lords justices of Ireland; and his conduct, while at the head of affairs in that kingdom, was such as greatly added to the general esteem in which his character was held before.
His lordship's active and toilsome course of life at length brought upon him some diseases and infirmities which gave him much pain and uneasiness; and a fever which fell into his feet, joined to the gout with which he was often afflicted, abated much of that vigour which he had shewn in the early part of his life: but his industry and application were still the same, and bent to the same purposes; as appears from his letters, which shew at once a capacity, and an attention to business, which do honour to that age, and may serve as an example to this.
Notwithstanding his infirmities, on the king's desiring to see his lordship in England, he went over in 1665. He found the court in some disorder; where his majesty was on the point of removing the great earl of Clarendon, lord high chancellor; and there was also a great misunderstanding between the two royal brothers. Lord Orrery undertook to reconcile the king with the duke of York; which he effected by prevailing on the latter to ask his majesty's pardon for some steps he had taken in support of the lord chancellor.
On his return to Ireland, he found himself called to a new scene of action. The Dutch war was then at its height; and the French, in confederacy with the Hollanders, were endeavouring to stir up the ashes of rebellion in Ireland. The duke de Beaufort, admiral of France, had formed a scheme for a descent upon Ireland; but this was rendered abortive by the extraordinary diligence, military skill, and prudent measures, of lord Orrery.
But in midst of all his labours, a dispute arose, founded on a mutual jealousy of each other's greatness, betwixt him and his old friend the duke of Ormond, then lord lieutenant; the bad effects of which were soon felt by both disputants, who resorted to England to defend their respective interests and pretensions, both having been attacked by secret enemies who suggested many things to their prejudice. This quarrel, though of a private beginning, became at last of a public nature; and producing first an attempt to frame an impeachment against the duke of Ormond, occasioned in the end, by way of revenge, an actual impeachment against the earl of Orrery. He defended himself, however, so well against a charge of high crimes, and even of treason itself, that the prosecution came to nothing. He nevertheless lost his public employments; but not the king's favour: he still came frequently to court, and sometimes to council. After this revolution in his affairs, he made several voyages to and from Ireland;
land; was often consulted by his majesty on affairs of the utmost consequence; and on all occasions gave his opinion and advice with the freedom of an honest plain-dealing man, and a sincere friend; which the king always found him, and respected him accordingly.
In 1678, being attacked more cruelly than ever by his old enemy the gout, he made his last voyage to England for advice in the medical way. But his disorder was beyond the power of medicine; and having, in his last illness, given the strongest proofs of Christian patience, manly courage, and rational fortitude, he breathed his last on the 16th of October 1679, in the 59th year of his age. His lordship wrote, 1. A work intitled The art of war. 2. Parthenissa, a romance, in one volume folio. 3. Several poems. 4. Dramatic pieces, two volumes. 5. State-tracts, in one volume folio, &c. Mr Walpole, speaking of this nobleman, says, he never made a bad figure but as a poet. As a soldier, his bravery was distinguished, his stratagems remarkable. As a statesman, it is sufficient to say, that he had the confidence of Cromwell. As a man, he was grateful, and would have supported the son of his friend: but, like Cicero, and Richelieu, he could not be content without being a poet; though he was ill qualified, his writings of that kind being flat and trivial.