at the activity of the English government'; Cathal of Connaught, and O'Brien of Thomond, tendered their fervice to Meiler, fo that an English governor was now, for the firft time, feen at the head of the Irish, marching against his own countryman. Meiler, thus reinforced, laid fiege to Limerick, with an army which de Burgo was utterly unable to refift. He had no refource but to capitulate and return to his allegiance. His fubmiffion was accepted, and all the Irish chieftains renewed their homage, and made large conceffions.

JOHN landed in Dublin, in June, 1210, attended by men learned in the laws of his country, by whofe counfel and affiftance, a regular code of laws was framed at the general defire of the Irifh. For the due execution of which, a new division of the King's lands, was made into counties, where fheriffs and other officers were appointed. I Hiftorians generally enumerate twelve fuch counties eftablithed by John; Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Louth, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary; which mark the extent of the English territory as confined to a part of Leinfter and Munfter. At this time the chiefs in Ulfter, had not given John the dominion of their lands. John probably came to Limerick this year, for Stanihurft writes thus, † "Limerick holds the third rank, though from "its fituation, and the dignity of its river, the "palm fhould be given to this city. It is wash"ed by the Shannon, without difpute, the "chief of Irish rivers, it is incredible what a quantity of fifh you find here. King John of

Rot. 30. Henry III + Stanihurft, p. 23. (Antwerp 1584)

"of England, pleafed with the agreeableness "of this city, caufed a very fine castle and a "bridge to be built there." Heylin alfo remarks that Cafhell is an Archbishoprick, advanced to that dignity by Pope Eugenius the third, in the year 1150, Limerick, a well fre quented empory; the caftle and bridge of great ftrength and beauty, whereof the foundation by King John, who was exceedingly delighted with the fituation. I

THE death of the great Earl of Pembroke in the year 1219, deprived Ireland of an ufeful and powerful patron; from this period, her troubles feem to have encreased. A great part of the 13th century, was taken up with inteftine broils and bloody contentions, between the families of O'Brien, de Burgo, de Lacy, Macarthy, and Fitz Gerald, but in the year 1253, a measure was purfued, which might have been attended with important confequences, had England been more compofed, or the advantages of a peaceable establishment in Ireland, rightly confidered. On the marriage of Prince Edward with the Infanta of Spain, the King vefted him with the whole land of Ireland, except the cities of Dublin and Limerick, with their counties, the town of Athlone and fome other inferior diftricts. † This is a proof that Limerick was at that period, next in confequence to Dublin.

GAVESTON, the proud and infolent favorite of Edward IL was banished the Kings prefence, and fent to the Government of Ireland in the -year 1308, when the Irish Chieftains were haraffing ↑ Heylin's Cofmography, page 294, Folio edition.

+ Rymer.

haraffing the English as much as poffible. O'Brien of Thomond was the moft formidable amongst them, to whofe ftandard, as an experienced general, all the Infurgents flew. Gavefton after defeating O'Dempfy, pierced into Thomond, and defeated O'Brien, who had been encouraged to hoftilities, by the frequent difgraces of the English arms. The envy of the great Lords of Ireland, with the infolence and imprudence of Gavefton, made them give every interruption to his progrefs. He received a fignal defeat from the Geraldines, commanded by Richard de Clare, in 1311. The dominion gained over Scotland by Edward the firft, was exercised with severity. Exafperated at the ignominious execution of their renowned partizan, WALLACE, and after their leader ROBERT BRUCE had been defeated, they formed another defign for the deliverance of their country. +

On the twenty fifth of May 1315, Lord Edward Bruce appeared on the North-east coast of Ireland, with a fleet of three hundred fhips and fix thousand men, to affert his claim to the kingdom. The English were not united or prepared to oppofe them, and they over-ran the whole kingdom. According to Sir James Ware,|| Lord Edward came to Limerick on the twenty firft September 1316, and staid there till Eafter following. Here O'Brien, Prince of Thomond and Fedlim, Prince of Connaught, declared openly in favor of the Scottish intereft, and Edward was folemnly crowned at Dundalk. He continued for a long time skirmishing with the English,

Leland, vol. 1. p. 261.—† Buchanan.
Ware, page 58.

English, until at length the two armies met near Dundalk, in the year 1318. * The conflict was violent, and fuftained with equal bravery; the body of Maupas, a brave English knight, who had ruthed into the ranks to encounter Edward Bruce, was found ftretched on that of his antagonist, the Scots were entirely defeated and obliged to retire from the kingdom.

UNFORTUNATELY, however, this battle did not put an end to the troubles in Ireland. The English exercised their power over the Irish with much severity, and the Irish chieftains, particularly O'Brien of Thomond and O'Connor of Connaught entered into formidable confederacies, until the year 1376, when Edward III required a large fubfidy from the Irish parliament and was refufed. He was provoked and immediately iffued writs of fummons to both the clergy and laity. The bishops were commanded to chufe two of the clergy; the commons to chufe two laymen for each county; the cities and boroughs to elect two citizens and burgeffes, to repair to England, and confult with the King on the affairs of Ireland. † John Fox and John Route were chofen by the Bishop of Limerick, Henry Bercley and Thomas Kildare, an Alderman of Limerick, were chofen by the county, and alfo by the city of Limerick. What was the refult of this controversy between Edward and his Irish fubjests, we are not rightly informed, but the Irish reprefentatives fat at Westminster, and their wages were levied on the counties and cities which elected them.

+ See a latin copy of this writ, from the Bodleian Library, prefixed to Leland, vol. 1. p. 363.

In the fifteenth century the Irishtown of Limerick was in a very unimproved ftate; until it was walled in many places, for par ticulars of which fee the annals of this Hiftory. In 1412, Odoles, a Knight and Thomas Fitzmaurice, High Sheriff of the county of Limerick, killed each other in a duel. In 1483,

Gerald, Earl of Kildare, Lord deputy of Ireland, held a Parliament in Limerick; in 1495, in the Mayoralty of Thomas Comyn, a guild of merchants, was incorporated in Limerick, and they elected two mafters this year. ↑

We find little mention made of Limerick, in the Hiftory of Ireland during the fixteenth century. It feems to have enjoyed tranquility under its own Magiftrates, and when by the encroachments of the Irifh, the English pale round Dublin was reduced to a fmall extent; we find Limerick has fupported itfelf, and defended its boundaries againft all attacks of the Irish. Its loyalty has been proved, when many other cities of the kingdom, in the reign of Henry VII. patronized the caufe of Perkin Warbeck, who was fet up in appofition to the King. I

ON the death of Thomas Earl of Defmond at Rathkeal, in 1534, his grandfon James, then in England, was nominated to fucceed him; but a claim was fet up to the earldom, by John a-younger

Davis's manufcript.

Philip Waters, dean of Limerick, and John Waters, his father, who was inayor of Cork, were fummoned the twelfth of Auguft 1493, to furrender themselves to the constable of the cattle of Dublin, on pain of felony, for being the chief abettors of Perkin Warbeck. In the year 1499. Warbeck and John Waters were hanged and beheaded at Tyburn, but Philip was found to be innocent, and was pardoned by King Henry VII. See Ware's Annals, page 40.