Mountjoy had long since proved that the way to subdue Ireland was to destroy the means of subsistence. As one of the Commissioners of Parliament, Colonel Jones was of opinion that no lasting peace could be made 'but by removing all heads of septs and priests and men of knowledge in arms, or otherwise in repute, out of this land, and breaking all kinds of interest among them, and by laying waste all fast countries in Ireland, and suffer no mankind to live there but within garrisons,' adding that declarations were about to issue for laying waste all Kerry and Wicklow, and portions--in some instances the greater part--of seventeen other counties. This was written shortly before the surrender of Cloughoughter, and after that the guerrilla warfare degenerated into mere brigandage. We are not to suppose that the whole ruthless programme was carried out; but no doubt the facts were bad enough. Ludlow was Jones's colleague, and he speaks of the 'poor wasted country of Ireland,' adding that the Irish had always exhausted the land by bad cultivation, and of late worse than ever, 'being in daily apprehensions of being removed.' Not long afterwards Petty found the people living on potatoes, and the cultivation of that dangerous root must have been stimulated by the confusion of the past twelve years. It was then and for many years later the practice to dig out the tubers just as they were wanted. Such a crop could not well be carried away or destroyed, and if the sowers escaped the sword they would find something to eat for nine months out of the twelve; while corn could be easily cut or burned, and cattle still more easily driven off. The famine caused by war and by the destruction of food in districts not under protection was accompanied by the plague, which was rife in Galway and many other places. 'It fearfully broke out in Cashel,' says Jones, 'the people being taken suddenly with madness, whereof they die instantly; twenty died in that manner in three days in that little town.' Dublin did not escape. 'About the years 1652 and 1653,' says Colonel Lawrence, who had every opportunity of judging, 'the plague and famine had swept away whole countries that a man might travel twenty or thirty miles and not see a living creature, either man, beast, or bird, they being either all dead or had quit those desolate places.' He had himself seen starving wretches pick carrion out of a ditch, and had heard of cases in which human flesh was eaten. Wolves increased enormously, and rewards were given for their heads.[243] [Sidenote: Treatment of priests.] [Sidenote: Galway.] [Sidenote: Cloughoughter.] [Sidenote: A Dominican's experience.]