# Reflections upon Ireland (Petty 1660)/4

​For Examples, a wicked Chyrurgion that would out of evil design exhaust his Patients vital Blood, and yet not be seen to intend or permit it, needs but find out some small Wen, Wart, or Kernel, for the extirpation whereof some incision is necessary; For then he can so perform such an incision as may, in seeming to cure that Kernel, destroy the whole: There was something in me inconsistent with the interests of some designs and persons; The removall of me was not eo nomine, to be avowed and owned; wherefore the business was but to find out some Kernels about me, and to administer the Cure by Incision upon some Artery: The which operation might be so performed, ​and by such hands as to answer Ends, &c. I have hitherto described the Kernels, Warts and Wens, found or pretended to be about me, which unless they were grown to excessive numbers and extensions, could never have been offensive. I now come to the Diagnosis of that other subtle Intemperies and malignity pretended to be in my blood, Spirit, and Bowels, The cure whereof was the true reason of those bloody afore-mentioned Operations made upon the afore-mentioned most contemptible, and but pretended Excrescencies.
And first I must tell you, that the Minera Morbi was not the gain which might accrew to the Army hereby (the which with some other of the Undermentioned purposes have been pretended, as the true ends of this Warre, to them, who saw through the vanity of the several Articles above specified.) For although Mr. Worsly's wisdom hath put in the cheat of almost 15000 acres in his first Article, and then of 3000 acres gotten by redeeming of Incumberances in his second, and then taking of many thousand acres more, gained by Equalizations in the third; ​and the being paid 2665 l. twice more then was due, viz. thrice in all, with the 516. l. forgery, is but all one and the same thing, viz. a Question about the modus of my being satisfied about 3000. l. in Debenture, not worth a thousand in ready mony, and which I have often offered to accept in any modus allowed unto others. However, this Signior Puntarvuolo's two conspicuous Qualities of affected, Magnificence and Gravity, have magnified and aggravated the business, and have exposed it to publick view through the same Microscopes, in which he uses to shew the Dust of his own glory, and the small Mites of his own abilities, to the credulous little crew of his followers and Disciples: reckoning those acres as the yong Sophister did to the Farmer his Father, whereby he would prove that three Egges were six, because 1 2 and 3 pronounced, in telling these three Egges, added together, made six. I say, 'tis not the gain of these few frivolously controverted acres, that put them on these proceedings: For I believe they have already lost the Army about 20000 l. by what is already done, and that even ​since I offered to give them the utmost of what they would have (it being better for me to be satisfied in their, then in my own way) and I believe 'twill cost a great many Inconveniences more, before some persons shall reach the Ends they intend.
2ly, It is not to force me to give up a full and perfect accompt of every Debenture that hath been satisfied, and of every acre that hath been disposed of; For that I urged them long ago to take: But as to this; when they had no other shift, against receiving it, they pretended their inability to buy Parchment, &c. wherewith to write the said accompt, making little reckoning of what had been substantially and sufficienly done to that same purpose to their hands: For when they earnestly called for it, they thought it neither had, nor could have been done.
3ly, 'Twas not the getting Satisfaction, for a certain two shillings in the pound, reserved for that purpose out of the dubious Lands; That also having been profered them before; and all things ever since August 1657. having been punctually ready to that end, and themselves ​continually called upon for their concurrence to go about it, without whom I alwayes told them, I would never meddle.
4. 'Twas not the want of the rest of their satisfaction, (so far as the whole security will extend) for no man laboured more in that then my self, both with the Adventurers in London, and otherwise; Nor so much prepared and promoted that business as my self, for 'twas my own just interest so to do; which argument I here insert, because to some, no other is credible.
5ly, 'Twas not to bring the Commissioners to accompt; for which of them was Questioned but my self, even for such things which they onely did?
6ly, 'Twas not to see who had unjust satisfaction; For then some friends would have been found satisfied, unto whom the Laws allow none; some to have their full when others had but half; Some for postponed services, to have been placed in the most preferred Counties; some to have choice before others had Lots; many to have twenty times richer satisfactions then others upon equal grounds; some to have had liberty to reject at pleasure, what ​God had predetermined for their Lot, and to elect at their pleasure what themselves thought fit in lieu of such their Lot; Some Lands were with-held from Survey, because in our friends possession; Others of the same nature being exposed to it, Cum multis aliis; which I take no pleasure to Enumerate, until I am lawfully called thereunto; I say it was not for any of these specious Reasons, although these were those fair pretences upon which the honest Army in general was brought to fight against my poor self: These were the invisible Knives wherewith Designers did cut out the very Kidneys of the well-meaning Souldiers, and made them skream out for Justice against they knew not whom, nor for what.