On 17th-century horrors, a reader of the Caledonian faction notes that:
“Paul Johnson’s A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE has an appendix on
’Cromwell and Ireland’ which puts Cromwell’s actions in the context of their
time. The last sentence is ‘Finally, it is a curious fact that in 1651,
when General Monck sacked Dundee, he killed as many people as Cromwell in
Drogheda, and with far less military justification; yet the episode is
rarely mentioned.’ The Scots seem to have gotten on with their lives,
inventing Political Economy, becoming Prime Ministers, and sparking the
Industrial Revolution, the Enlightement, et cetera, rather than spending the
last 350 years whining.” Ah, but the Irish cherish their wrongs like no-one
else. I have an Irish friend who, when he suffers some slight, or insult,
or indignity, mutters: “It’s in the book.” That is a mighty thick book.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of his Irish campaign, I think Ollie deserves
to be remembered for one remark, at least. On a different occasion, he had
a disagreement with the Scots. Push came to shove, and a battle was
arranged. Before joining battle, Ollie addressed the enemy thus:
“Consider, I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, that ye may be mistaken.”
(They didn’t, and lost.)