the primate of Armagh (though he had refufed to affift at the coronation of Simnel), the archbishop of Dublin, and the prelates of Meath and Kildare. To divert the ftorm of vengeance, which was now gathering, the earl of Kildare and other lords inftantly dispatched to the king fome of their adherents, by whom they acknowleged their fanlt, and palliated it by fuch pretences as they could defire, humbly imploring pardon, and promifing henceforth the most dutiful attachment to his government. Henry, from motives of policy, contented himself for the present with answering the fubmiflions of his Irish subjects by declarations of pardon, attended, however, with fevere reflections on their folly and difloyalty. Kildare was affured that the royal grace muft entirely depend upon his future dutiful conduct, and was continued in the government d.

But, notwithstanding this appearance of reconciliation between the king and his Irish fubjects, fomething farther was ftill neceffary to compofe the affairs of that country. Sir Richard Edgecumbe was fent into Ireland with a troop of five hundred men, to oblige the subjects to renew their oaths of allegiance, and to tender the royal pardon upon fuch conditions as might affure the king of their future loyalty. Edgecumbe, on his arrival at the harbour of Kinfale, poffibly from some apprehenfions of the difpofitions of the people, at firft refused to land, but obliged Barry, a principal lord in this diftrict, to attend him on board his fhip, there to take the oath of allegiance, and do homage for his barony. He was, however, prevailed upon to honour the city with his presence; and the oath and homage of lord Courcey were received in the church with greater form. He thence proceeded in a coafting voyage to Waterford, where his only business was to commend and confirm the loyalty of the inhabitants. On his arrival in the harbour of Dublin, the magiftrates were prepared to receive him with the utmost fubmiffion. But Kildare, who had now recovered from his first alarm, began to recollect his own power and confequence, and fhowed no readiness to attend the king's commiffioner; and when he at length confented to an interview, he behaved towards Edgcumbe with an unbecoming haughtinefs. The earl, however, agreed to do homage and fealty, and to give the affurance of the most folemn oaths for his future fidelity. But fome additional fecurity (the nature of which is not distinctly mentioned)

d Ware.

was

was required, which was either offenfive to the pride, or prejudicial to the interefts of the earl and other great lords. Objections were raised, and the parties at firft separated in difguft. After various negociations, homage and fealty were performed in a folemn and public manner by the earl of Kildare, with other lords and prelates, and they were abfolved from the fentence of excommunication. Kildare was prefented with a chain of gold from the king, in token of perfect reconciliation. The only perfon to whom the royal pardon was denied, was Keating, the prior of Kilmainham, who had become particularly obnoxious by his zeal in the cause of Simnel. He was ejected from his office of conftable of Dublin caftie, obliged to fave himself by flight, and ended a life of contention in the most abject poverty.

The earl of Kildare, continued lord-deputy, was left to pursue the ufual course of adminiftration, and to repel the Irish invaders, whofe outrages had increased during the late commotions. But a general pardon could not at once allay the jealoufies and animofities of rival lords. The few who boafted of their attachment to the throne in a time of general revolt, rated their own services and fuffering at the highest value, inceflantly folicited for favours and preferments, and reprefented to the king, that they themselves alone, of all his Irish fubjects, were worthy of the royal confidence. The primate of Armagh was particularly folicitous to fupplant the earl of Kildare, and urgently reprefented the neceffity of his being appointed chancellor, in order to controul the enormous power of the deputy. Kildare was no lefs affiduous in defeating thefe fecret practices. Henry heard the feveral representations with attention and referve; and though he deemed it imprudent to make at prefent any alteration in his Irish government, he fummoned into England the earl of Kildare, and other lords of the greatest confequence. They attended him at Greenwich, where, after fome expoftulations, they received a confirmation of the royal grace. At a banquet to which they were invited, Simnel was appointed to officiate as a butler, to ftrike the Irish lords with the more forcible impreffion of their own folly.

The earl of Kildare refumed his government with full power, and exercised it for fome time in peace and splendor, until the affairs of England again afforded new occafion for the revival of factions. Another pretender to the

A.D.1402.

A.D.1493.

crown affumed the name of Richard, duke of York, and was patronized by the reftiefs duchefs of Burgundy. It was refolved that this adventurer alfo fhould make his first appearance in Ireland, but in the mean time, Perkin Warbeck (fo he was called) retired to Portugal, until a fair occafion fhould prefent itfelf for aflerting his pretenfions. The defign, however fecretly conducted, efcaped not the vigilance of Henry, who determined to make fuch difpofitions in the Irish government, as he deemed beft fuited to his interefts. The earl of Kildare was removed from the adminiflration, and Walter, the archbishop of Dublin, fubítituted in his room, as deputy to rhe duke of Bedford. The chief justice, Plunket, was raised to the flation of lord chancellor, and the baron of Portlester, who had enjoyed the office of treasurer for forty years, was obliged to refign in favour of fir James Ormond, natural fon of that earl who had died on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Kildare, difgufted at this abrupt removal, was still more provoked at fecing Ormond return to Ireland, vefted with high authority, to revive the power of his rivals, the Butlers. The knight, on his part, was little careful to keep terms with the hereditary enemy of his houfe. The mutual animofity and pride of thefe competitors burft forth at once on the arrival of Ormond. They flew to arms, without the leaft regard to the authority of government, and continued their petty diffenfion to the great annoyance of the English fubjects, as well as the encouragement of the Irish infur

gents.

Meanwhile, archbishop Walter convened a parliament, in which every transaction seems to have been calculated for the mortification of Kildare and his affociates. Befide feveral others, an act was paffed for the refumption of all grants from the firft year of Henry VI. an ufual inftrument of faction and revenge.

Such was the ftate of the Irish government, when Perkin Warbeck was fent into this kingdom. He landed on the fouthern coaft, without troops or retinue, or any provifions for exciting an infurrection; appeared in the city of Corke in the character of Richard Plantagenet who had escaped from the Tower, and was received and entertained by the chief magiftrate with all the refpect due to this young prince. He thence fent letters to the earls of Kildare and Defmond, acknowleging their loyal attachment to the family of York, and intreating their affiftance for the recovery of his rights. The manner in

which

w.ich Kildare received this invitation, though not explicit, was at leaft fufpicious. Defmond, without referve, at once declared in favour of the new adventurer. But before his appearance in Ireland could produce any confiderable effect, he was fuddenly called into France by the preffing applications of king Charles, who deemed him a convenient inftrument to his purpofe of forcing Henry to a peace f.

The fhort refidence of Warbeck in Ireland ferved to inflame the violence of faction, to excite jealoufies, and to afford occafion for interested reports and accufations at the court of England. The English Pale had been feverely vifited by the malady called the fweating-fickness, which was fucceeded by a famine; but these calamities could not fufpend the faction and riválfhip of the great lords. Perpetual complaints were made to Henry by every party, of the dangerous practices and defigns of their competitors. The king, harraffed by repeated accounts of the diforders fubfifting among his fubjects in Ireland, fuddenly dispatched a mandate to the archbishop of Dublin to repair to England, and lay before him a full detail of all the cir cumftances of his Irish government. Prefton, lord Gormanfton, was appointed lord-deputy in his room; and though his powers were more limited than those usually annexed to his office, yet, as he was well known to be a partizan of the Geraldines, his advancement proved offenfive to their opponents. Kildare, and thofe lords who had formerly been united with him, chearfully concurred in fupport of the new deputy, and affociated for the protection of the English borders; but their antagonists were violent in oppofition to Gormanston, He convened a parliament at Drogheda : they refused obedience to its ftatutes; alleging, that it had been assembled irregularly, and that the deputy had no power by his commiffion to affemble a parliament.

Meanwhile, archbishop Walter attended on the king, by whom he was favourably received. The earl of Kildare, in particular, dreaded the effect of his reprefentations. To guard against them, he formed the refolution to repair to the court of England; where he pathetically reprefented to the king the indefatigable malice of his enemies, in abufing the royal confidence with falfe accufations of his conduct. But Henry was by this time fully prepoffeffed against the earl. This nobleman was given to

understand, that it was in Ireland where fuch matters could be accurately examined: that his defence must be made in that kingdom; and for this purpose he was to attend a new lord-deputy, fir Edward Poynings, now preparing to embark.

ment.

CHA P. III.

Tranfactions from the Year 1494 to 1583.

A.D.1494. THE arrival of the new vicegerent was an event attended with great expectation. He was accompanied to his government with a force confifting of about a thousand men; and the offices of lord-chancellor and treasurer were given to Englishmen. The former judges were alfo removed, and English lawyers of good repute appointed in their room. The plan of the new lord-deputy was nothing lefs than that of a general reformation of the ftate. But fome commotions in the northern province obliged him to employ his military force before he could proceed to any important measure of civil governAn Irish chieftain, called O'Hanlon, had proved remarkably turbulent during all the late difturbances. Though vigorously opposed by Kildare, his incurfions - were continued, and had grown more formidable by the concurrence of fome other petty leaders of the northern Irish. Poynings marched out to oppofe him, and was attended not only by fir James Ormond, but the earl of Kildare, who, in order to regain the royal favour, affected the most zealous attachment to the English intereft. His rivals, however, watched his conduct with an invidious affiduity; and the earl incautiously afforded them fome pretence for inflaming the fufpicions already entertained of him by Poynings. The latter was affured that Kildare laboured inceffantly to oppofe him, and had actually entered into a confpiracy with O'Hanlon, for his affaffination. Poynings was alarmed; and, to confirm his fears, intelligence was received that lord James, brother to Kildare, had poffeffed himself of the caftle of Carlow, in defiance of the royal authority. The earl was arrested and confined. The deputy, thinking it dangerous to remain in his prefent fituation, haftily concluded a treaty with the Irish infurgents; and marching to Carlow, laid fiege to the caftle, which capitulated in a few days %.

g Ware.

Poynings