Warbeck's supporters. But he heard a rumour that the earl of Kildare was conspiring with these two chiefs to intercept and destroy himself and his army; and news came also that Kildare's brother had risen in open rebellion and had seized the castle of Carlow. On this, Poynings, patching up a peace with O'Hanlon and Magennis, returned south and recovered the castle.

Carlow Castle in 1845. From Mrs. Hall's "Ireland."

In order to carry out the king's commands, he convened a parliament at Drogheda in November, the memorable parliament in which the act A.D. 1494 since known as Poynings' Law" was passed. The following are the most important provisions of this law :

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1. No parliament was in future to be held in Ireland until the heads of all the acts intended to be passed in

it had been sent to the king, with a full statement of the reasons why they were required, and until these acts had been approved and permission to pass them granted by the king and privy council of England. This single provision is what is popularly known as "Poynings' Law." It was the most important of all, and was indeed the only one that turned out permanent.

2. All the laws lately made in England, affecting the public weal, should hold good in Ireland. This referred only to English laws then existing; but we must carefully bear in mind that it gave no power to the English parliament to make laws for Ireland in the future.

3. The Statute of Kilkenny, which had become quite disregarded, was revived and confirmed, except the part forbidding the use of the Irish tongue, which could not be carried out, as the language was now used everywhere, even throughout the English settlements. But this attempt at revival failed as completely as the original act for no one minded it.

4. For the purpose of protecting the settlement, it was made felony to permit enemies or rebels to pass through the marches; and the owners of march lands were obliged to reside on them or send proper deputies, on pain of losing their estates.

5. The exaction of coyne and livery was forbidden in any shape or form.

6. Many of the Anglo-Irish families had adopted the Irish war-cries: the use of these was now strictly forbidden.*

* The war-cry of the O'Neills was Lamh-derg aboo, i. e., the Red-hand to victory (lamh, pron. lauv, a hand). That of the O'Briens and Mac Carthys, Lamh-laidir aboo, the Strong-hand to victory (laidir, pron. lauder, strong). The Kildare Fitzgeralds

In this parliament the earl of Kildare was attainted for high treason, mainly on account of his supposed conspiracy with O'Hanlon to destroy the deputy; in consequence of which he was soon afterwards arrested and sent a prisoner to England. The next chapter will tell all about his subsequent career.

The general purpose of Poynings' legislation was to increase the power of the king and diminish that of the nobles, who were the chief source of danger to the crown. Up to this the Irish parliament had been independent; it was convened by the chief governor whenever and wherever he pleased; and it made its laws without any interference from the parliament of England. Now Poynings' law took away all these great privileges; and the Irish parliament could no longer make laws of any kind whatever without the knowledge and consent of the English king and council. This indeed was of small consequence at the time; for the parliament was only for the Pale, or rather for the few lords who summoned and controlled it, and no native Irishman could sit in it. But when at a later period English law was made to extend over the whole country, and the Irish parliament made laws for all the people of Ireland, then Poynings' law, which still remained in force, was felt by the people to be one of their greatest grievances. In chapter LX. we shall see that the Irish parliamentary leaders succeeded after a long struggle in having it repealed.

The English rule in Ireland, which had been steadily.

took as their cry Crom aboo, from the great Geraldine castle of Crom or Croom in Limerick; the earl of Desmond, Shanit aboo, from the castle of Shanid in Limerick. The Butlers' cry was Butler aboo. Most of the other chiefs, both native and AngloIrish, had their several cries.

declining since the time of John, reached its lowest ebb about the time of Poynings' Law. In obedience to one provision of this law, a double ditch or rampart was built at the time all along on the boundary of the Leinster settlement from sea to sea to keep out the Irish; of which some remains can still be traced. This little territory was called the Pale; and it remained so circumscribed for many years, but afterwards became enlarged from time to time.

* Over the two soldiers is an inscription in German: "Here go the war-men of Ireland beyond England." Over the three peasants: "Here go the poor men of Ireland beyond England." Between the two is the date A.D. 1521. From " 'Kilkenny Archæological Journal," 1877, p. 296, where the original drawing is reproduced.

Sculpture on Window: Cathedral Church, Glendalough: Beranger, 1779.
From Petrie's "Round Towers."

N all their branches the Geraldines had become thoroughly Irish. They spoke and wrote the Irish language in their daily life, read and loved Irish books and Irish lore of every kind, kept bards, physicians, brehons, historians, and story-tellers, as part of their household, and intermarried, fostered, and gossiped with the leading Irish families. They were nearly always at war; and although they directed their hostilities oftenest against the native chiefs, the Irish people thought no worse of them on that score, for it was only what the native chiefs themselves were continually doing. In short, they were as much attached to all the native customs as the natives them

selves; and when the Reformation came, they were champions of the Catholic religion. When we add to all this, that they were known to be of an ancient and noble family, which told for much in Ireland, we have a sufficient explanation of the well-known fact, that the old Irish were rather more devoted to