of God, the mifchiefe of the conqueft then befell. Another title is, that the firft comming and being of King Richard the Second, in Ireland, at the citie of Dublin, and other places of the land, there came unto him, with their own good wills, O'Neyl, captain of the Irishmen of Ulfter, O'Breene of Thomond, O'Connor of Connaght, Arther Mac Morchie, captain of Irishmen in Leinster, and all captaines of Irishmen of Ireland, and became liege men to the faid King Richard, and to him did homage and fealty, and for the more greater furetie bound themselves in great fummes of money, by divers inftruments, in cafe they did not truely keepe and hold theire allegiance in the forme aforefaid; and therefore fayeth this clerk, that from the beginning of his time, which was about three hundred and fourscore years paft, good is the King of England's title and right to the land and lordship of Ireland, and wifheth him for fhame to hold the fame as a thing of great price, in despite of them that would fay the contrarie. This author, in a short collection of this his hiftorie, faith, that one Robert Fitz Stephen was the firft man, that opened the way of Ireland to the Earl Stranguyle, the earl to King Henry, the king to his fon John, and that greatly hee is to be praised, that firft fo boldly began; and greater worthy of prayfe, that after the beginning fo nobly came to execute the thing fo well began, but most of all he is to be praised, that fhall end the fame: which prayfe, by God's divine prefcience, is light on your majeftie, in whoes happie days this four hundred and four years began conqueft is now ended, and brought to an honourable paffe, without any great effufion of bloud, but by a godly conqueft, in winning of the people and the land, who now being over layed by the mightinefs of your power, and perfwaded by the juft and gracious dealing of your deputie here, are fatigated with warre, and begin to cry, firft for your mercy, and next for your juftice, to remaine as a continual ftickler among them, and to right and end their causes for ever. Now leaving these hiftorical titles, which be witneffe at time, and the meane whereby man is brought to the knowledge of antiquities, as a firme foundation layed for your majefties good and found right to this realm, we will corroborate the fame with recent matter of record, verifying your majefties title in generalitie to the whole realm of Ireland, and in particularitie to the dominion and territories of Ulfter. And therefore it is to be understood, that King Henry the Second, the first conquerour of this realme, fent one John de Corfie, being a valiant knight, and a borne fubject to the crowne of England, into Ulfter

with a power of men, who first won the citie of Downe, and after that conquered all Ulfter, and brought the people of the fame in due fubjection to the crowne of England, and for his painefull fervice and worthy deeds, did hold and poffeffe the fayd countrey of Ulfter quietly of the King of England's gift, of whose companions in armes, there remaineth this day in Ulfter, as a teftimonie of that conqueft, certaine ftripes of English bloud, as the Savages, Gordans, Fitz Simons, Chamberlins, Benfons, Ruffels, Audeleyes, Whytes, and many others, as proprietories of large portions of land, hardly and valiantly hitherto kept by them, although with great peril and povertie: which John de Corfie died without iffue, after whofe death the fame countries were given to Hugh de Lacey, and to his heires, who died, having iffue a daughter, which daughter was married to one Redmonde de Burgo, which Burgo, after three or four decentes, had iffue a daughter, was efpoused to Leonell, Duke of Clarence, third begotten fon of your most famous progenitor King Edward the Third, who likewife quietly held the fame countrey of Ulfter during his life, in right of his fayd wife, and died, having issue Philippe, his only daughter, which was married to Edmonde Mortimer, earle of March, who long and honourably enjoyed the fame country; which Edmond Mortimer had iffue Roger Mortimer, earle of March, which had iffue Edmond Mortimer, Anne, and Ellynor, which Edmond and Ellynor died without iffue: and the faid Anne was married to Richard, earl of Cambridge, fonne unto Edmond Langley, duke of York, the fifth begotten fonne of the faid King Edward the Third; which Richard had iffue the famous prince Richard Plantagenet, duke of York, which had iffue that noble prince King Edward the Fourth, father to the virtuous Queen Elizabeth, your majefties grandmother, united in matrimony to the high and fage Prince Henry the Seventh, your majefties good and, gracious grandfather: during all which time the O'Neyles were of no eftimation, nor durft bear up head in Ulfter, but lived as vaffals and obedient people to the crowne of England, untill civill warres began in the realm of England, betwixt King Richard the Second, and Henry of Lancafter, fonne to John of Gaunt, by which difcord the foundation of this common wealth began to shake; for that thofe perfonages of honour and reputation here withdrew themfelves to England, to be occupied as they were affected in that factious time; upon whofe departure the O'Neyles, and other Irifhrie heere, fought and took opportunitie to withdraw from their dutie of allegiance, and fo to doe

all that, which appertained to rebelious and undutifull subjects to doe, and so discontinued uncontrolled, untill the foure and thirtieth year of the raign of your most famous and victorious father King Henry the Eighth, at which time O'Neyle, O'Breene, Mac William Bourk, and others, the greatest and chiefeft captaines of the Irishrie of this realm, repaired into England to his majeftie's royal prefence, and there with all humilitie, free confent, and good will fubmitted themfelves unto his grace, refigning and furrendering up unto his highneffe hands their captainfhips, ftiles, titles, dignities, fuperiorities, countries, and lands, to be ordered and difpofed at his grace's pleasure; who, like a mercifull and bounteous prince, accepting the fame, returned them home againe, with English names of honour, great gifts and poffeffions, to be holden in fucceffion, by English tenure, of his majeftie, his heires and fucceffours for ever. And farther in a parliament holden at Dublin within this realm, the eight and twentieth year of the raigne of youre faid most famous father, it was enacted by an act, intituled, The Act of Abfencie:

46

"That forafmuch as it was notorious and manifeft, that this land of Ireland, being heretofore inhabited and in due obedience to the faid king's "most noble progenitors, who in those days, in the right of the crowne of England, had great poffeffions, rents, and profites within the fame land, "hath principally growen into ruine, rebellion, and decay, by occafion that great dominions, lands, and poffeffions within the fame land, as well by "the king's graunts, as by course of inheritance, defcended to noblemen of "the realm of England, and especially the lands and dominions of the "earledomes in Ulfter and Leinster; the conqueft and winning whereof, in "the beginning, not only cost the king's faid noble progenitors, and their "faithfull fubjects of this realm, charges ineftimable, but also those, to "whom the faid lands was given then, and many years after abiding with"in the faid land, nobly and valiantly defended the fame against all the king's enemies, and alfo kept the fame in fuch tranquillity and good or"der, as the king of England had due obedience of the inhabitance there, "the laws obeyed, and of the revenues and regalitie were duely anfwered; "and after the gift or difcent of the faid lands, poffeffions, and dominions "to the perfons aforefaid, they and their heires abfented themfelves out of "the faid land of Ireland, denjorning within the realm of England, not pon"dering ne regarding the prefervation thereof, the townes, caftels, and gar"rifons appertaining unto them, fell in ruin and decay, and the English

"inhabitants therein, in default of defence and juftice and by compulfions of "thofe of the Irish, were exiled, whereby the king's faid progenitors loft as "well their faid dominion and subjection there, as also all their revenues and "profites, and their faid enemies, by redopting or retaining the faid lands, "dominions, and poffeffions, were elevated into great pride, power, and "ftrength for fuppreffing of the refidue of the king's fubjects of this land, "which they daily, ever fince, have attempted, whereby they from time to "time ufurped and encroached upon the king's dominion, which hath been "the principall cause of the miserable estate wherein the land was at that prefent time:" and those lands and dominions, by negligence and default of the very inheritors, after this manner loft, may bee good example to your majestie, intending by the grace of God, the reformation of the faid land, to forefee and prevent, that the like fhall not infue hereafter. Therefore the three eftates of this realm, affembled in the prefent parliament, did enact, condicend, and agree, "That your majefties faid moft famous father should have, hold, poffeffe, and injoy, to him, his heires and fucceffors, for ever, as in the right of the crown of England, as well the faid earldomes of "Ulfter and Leinfter, as alfo all other honours, mannours, lordships, caftles, feignories, and other hereditaments whatever to the faid perfons in any "wife belonging or appertayning, within this your majefties realm of Ire"land." And likewife in a parliament holden at the faid citie of Dublin within this land, in the three and thirtieth year of the raign of your faid most victorious father, it was enacted then by authoritie of the faid parliament, "That your majefties faid moft famous father fhould bee king of Ireland, " and that his highneffe, his heires and fucceffours, as kings of the fame "realm should have all kingly eftate, preheminence, dignitie, and fuperioritie "over this land and the people of the fame:" all which recent and strong titles confidered together with this your majefties late honourable eviction of the faid dominion of Ulfter from the ufurpation of the traytirous intruder Shane O'Neyle, maketh to manifeft proof to the world of your cleere, found and unfpotted titles, both to the whole body of this realm, and in particularitie to that part and member of Ulfter, out of which hath like to have growen the infection and fubverfion of this your realm.

No. VIII.

Letter from LORD ESSEX to QUEEN ELIZABETH, dated 15 June, 1598.. (Page 77.)

WHEN this fhall come to your majesty's hands, I know not; but whenfoever it hath that honour, give it leave (I humbly befeech your majefty) to tell you, that now having paffed through the provinces of Leinster and Munfter, and been upon the frontier of Connaught (where the governour, and the chief of the province were with me) I dare begin to give your majefty fome advertisement of the state of this kingdom, not as before by hear-fay, but as I beheld it with mine own eyes. The people in general have able bodies by nature, and have gotten by custome ready use of arms, and by their late fucceffes boldness to fight your majefties troups: In their pride they value no. man but themselves; in their affection they love nothing but idlenefs, andlicentioufnefs; in their rebellion they have no other end, but to shake off the yoak of obedience to your majefty, and to rout out all remembrance of the English nation in this kingdom. I fay, I fay this of the people in general; for I find not only a great part thus affected, but that it is a general quarrelof the Irish; and they who do not profefs it, are either fo few, or fo false, that there is no account to be made of them. The Irish nobility, and lords of countries, do not only in their hearts affect this plaufible quarrel, and are divided from us in religion, but have an efpecial quarrel against the English government, because it limiteth, and tieth them who have ever been, and ever would be as abfolute tyrants as any are under the fun; the towns (being inhabited by men of the fame religion and birth as the reft) are fo carried away with the love of gain, that for it, they will furnish the rebels with all things that may arm them, or inable them against the state, or against themselves. The wealth of the kingdom (which confifteth in cattel, oatmeal, and other victuals) is allmoft in the rebels hands, who in every province, till my coming, have been mafters of the field. The expectation of these rebels is very prefent, and very confident, that Spain will either fo invade your majefty, that you fhall have no leifure to profecute them here, or fo fuccour them, that they will get moft of the towns into theire hands, e'er your majefty fhall releive and reinforce your army, fo that now if your majefty re