The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 49, June 5, 1841Various
History
The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 49, June 5, 1841
Various
Ireland -- Periodicals
“You must know that afther Charles the First happened to miss his head
one day, havin’ lost it while playin’ a game of ‘Heads an’ Points’ with
the Scotch, that a man called Nolly Rednose, or Oliver Crummle, was
sent over to Ireland with a parcel of breekless Highlanders an’ English
Bodaghs to subduvate the Irish, an’ as many of the Prodestans as had been
friends to the late king, who were called Royalists. Now, it appears by
many larned transfigurations that Nolly Rednose had in his army a man
named Balgruntie, or the Hog of Cupar; a fellow who was as coorse as
sackin’, as cunnin’ as a fox, an’ as gross as the swine he was named
afther. Rednose, there is no doubt of it, was as nate a hand at takin’
a town or castle as ever went about it; but then, any town that didn’t
surrendher at discretion was sure to experience little mitigation at
his hands; an’ whenever he was bent on wickedness, he was sure to say
his prayers at the commencement of every siege or battle; that is, he
intended to show no marcy in, for he’d get a book, an’ openin’ it at
the head of his army, he’d cry, ‘Ahem, my brethren, let us praise God
by endeavourin’ till sing sich or sich a psalm;’ an’ God help the man,
woman, or child, that came before him after that. Well an’ good: it so
happened that a squadron of his psalm-singers were dispatched by him from
Enniskillen, where he stopped to rendher assistance to a part of his
army that O’Neill was leatherin’ down near Dungannon, an’ on their way
they happened to take up their quarthers for the night at the Mill of
Aughentain. Now, above all men in the creation, who should be appointed
to lead this same squadron but the Hog of Cupar. ‘Balgruntie, go off wid
you,’ said Crummle, when administering his instructions to him; ‘but
be sure that wherever you meet a fat royalist on the way, to pay your
respects to him as a Christian ought,’ says he; ‘an’, above all things,
my dear brother Balgruntie, _don’t neglect your devotions_, otherwise our
arms can’t prosper; and be sure,’ says he, with a pious smile, ‘that if
they promulgate opposition, you will make them bleed anyhow, either in
purse or person; or if they provoke the grace o’ God, take a little from
them in both; an’ so the Lord’s name be praised, yeamen!’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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