the green corn of the district, returned to Dublin. His biographer calculates that in this expedition he destroyed ten thousand pounds worth of corn ; and, at the same time, by the usual contrivances, he detached some Leinster chiefs from the cause of Ireland, and introduced treachery and distrust into their councils.

O'Neill and O'Donnell now fully understood the nature of the contest in which they were to be engaged with this new Deputy. Fraud, perfidy, and assassination were to take the place of open battle; the chink of gold was to be heard, instead of clashing steel; and the swords of these false Saxons were to be turned into sickles, to prostrate the unripe grain, and so to war against women and children as well as fighting men. But the northern chiefs had still a gallant army at their backs, and were yet able to keep the English garrisons imprisoned within their walls and moats. They were in daily expectation of succour from King Philip, and hoped full soon to cut asunder the meshes of this traitor policy with their good swords.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE WAR IN ULSTER-THE SPANIARDS AT KINSALE-DEFEAT OF O'NEILL AND O'DONNELL.

A. D. 1600-1601.

THE powerful garrison of Derry, with the forts of Culmore, Dun-na-long, and Lifford, all in the hands of the English, and the revolted Niall Garb O'Donnell, with his adherents, gave abundant employment to the chieftain of Tyr-Connell, and effectually prevented him from joining O'Neill, with all the powers of his clan, as he had formerly been wont to do. Early this year, having defeated Dockwra, in a severe skirmish near Derry, and left a part of his force to watch the motions of that officer, the fiery chief himself suddenly turned his face southward, traversed Connaught rapidly and silently, and once more swept all Thomond, from Corcomroe to Loop-head, covering with wreck and ruin the wide domains of that degenerate Dalcassian who styled himself Earl of Thomond.* He had hardly driven off the spoil to Tyrconnell, before he learned that treachery and corruption were

* O'Sullivan. Pac. Hibernia.

doing their work in Inishowen, the northernmost corner of his territory. The O'Dogherty was dead, and many of that clan had declared for Docwra, who was supporting a pretender to the chieftaincy of Inishowen, in opposition to the rightful claimant. O'Donnell flew to Inishowen, but before he could do any thing effectual there he learned that the revolted Niall Garbh, with the help of a body of English, had taken possession of the Franciscan monastery of Donegal, driven out the friars, and fortified the buildings. Red Hugh instantly marched to Donegal; and laid siege to the abbey; three months he sat before it; and at last, the buildings having taken fire by night, the garrison were obliged to fly from the raging flames and crashing roofs, upon the swords of their not less furious besiegers. Hundreds of the English troops and revolted Irish perished in the fire or the battle, (amongst others, Conn O'Donnell, brother of Niall Garbh,) and in the morning Red Hugh found himself master of the smoking and blackened ruins of that beautiful and illustrious abbey.*

To guard the southern frontier of Ulster was Hugh O'Neill's own peculiar care, and all the efforts of the Deputy were bent to penetrate that frontier by way of Dundalk and Armagh. On the 15th of September, he encamped at Faughart, three miles north of Dundalk, with an

This abbey was never repaired; and its rifted walle and fast-decaying arches, the once-famous library and cloisters of the Four Masters, are now a grey and lonely ruin, at the head of the lovely bay of Donegal.

army of 2,400 foot and 300 horse,* intending sc soon as the weather would permit, to make a grand attempt upon the Moyry Pass. O'Neill had the pass entrenched, fortified with palisades, and strongly manned,† and was waiting patiently in the woods for the approach of Mountjoy. At last on the 9th of October the English army advanced, and after some severe fighting and heavy loss on both sides, Mountjoy forced his way through. He then cut down the woods and cleared the country all round that difficult pass and made his way to Newry. His chief objec was to regain Armagh; and on the 2nd of November he marched from Newry about eight miles to the north-west; and then finding the country that lay between him and Armagh too difficult and too well guarded by O'Neill, to be attempted in that season, he determined to build a fort on the place where he then was, being the very entrance of the dangerous Moyry Pass, so as to secure the ground he had won, and effectually open up that way into Ulster for the English armies. This work was not effected without daily alarms from O'Neill's men; but, at length the fort was built. The Deputy called it Mount Norris, in honour of Sir John Norreys, his former master in the art of war, left 400 men under Captain Blaney, to garrison it, and re· tired to Newry on his way to the Pale.‡

Before leaving Ulster, Mountjoy solemnly made proclamation of a great reward for the head of O'Neill-two thousand pounds to the man who

• Moryson.

† Camden.

Moryson.

should bring in that "arch-rebel" alive-one thousand for his dead body; and then the Deputy marched by Fatham and Carlingford towards Dundalk. At the "Pass of Carlingford,” however, (probably at Glenmore or Riverstown,) O'Neill was upon him again. A bloody battle ensued. Mountjoy himself, Sir Henry Danvers, and many other officers were severely wounded,* and with heavy loss the English made good their way to Dundalk. Mountjoy proceeded to Dublin and made no further attempt upon the North that year, the sole achievement of the campaign being the stationing of Blaney's garrison upon the Moyry. Armagh, Portmore, and all the open country north of Newry were still in the hands of the Irish.

That winter was spent by Mountjoy in vain efforts to crush or capture the gallant Tyrrell, who still held a great part of Meath for O'Neill. The Deputy marched to Trim and Athlone, burning and wasting the country on all sides, and having offered large rewards for Tyrrell's head, returned to Dublin.t

The following spring saw the indefatigable Deputy once more at the Moyry. On the 8th of June, he led his army through the pass, and, having erected some additional works at the "Three-mile-water," proceeded to Newry; then harried Iveagh, the country of Mac Gennis, took Downpatrick, and returned to Newry on the 21st. A powerful force under Sir Henry Danvers, was then detached and sent against Armagh,