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over ten knight and fixty archers, enabled Fitz-Stephen to attempt the fiège of Wexford, a town inhabited by the Danes; and, after gaining an advantage, he made himself maiter of the place. Soon after, Fitz-Gerald arrived with ten knights, thirty efquires, and a hundred archers; and being joined by the former adventurers, compofed à force which nothing in Ireland was able to withfiand. Roderic, the chief monarch of the island, was defeated in feveral actions; the prince of Offory was obliged to fubmit, and give hoftages for his peaceable behaviour; and Dermot, not content with being reftored to his kingdom of Leinfter, projected the dethroning of Roderic, and afpired to the fole dominion over the Irish.

In profecution of thefe views, he fent over to the earl of Strigul a meffenger, challenging the performance of his promife, and difplaying the mighty advantages which might now be reaped by a reinforcement of warlike troops from England. Richard, not fatisfied with the general allowance given by Henry to all his fubjects, went to that prince, then in Normandy; and having obtained a cold or ambiguous permiffion, prepared for the execution of his defigns. He firft fent over Raymond, one of his retinue, with ten knights and feventy archers, who, landing near Waterford, defeated a body of three thousand Irish, that had ventured to attack him; and as Richard himself, who brought over two hundred horfe, and a body of archers, joined, a few days after, the victorious Englith, they made themselves mafters. of Waterford, and proceeded to Dublin, which was taken by affault. Roderic, in revenge, cut off the head of Dermot's natural fon, who had been left as a hoftage in his bands; and Richard, marrying Eva, became foon after, by the death of Dermot, mafter of the kingdom of Leinster, and prepared to extend his authority over Ireland. Roderic, and the other Irish princes, were alarmed at the danger; and combining together, befieged Dublin with an army of thirty thousand men. But earl Richard, making a fally at the head of ninety knights, with their followers, put this numerous army to rout, chafed them off the field, and pursued them with great flaughter,

Henry, jealous of the progrefs made by his own fubjects, fent orders to recall all the English, and he made preparations to attack Ireland in perfon e. But Richard, and the other adventurers, found means to appease him,

d Girald. Camb.

e Regan.

by making him the moft humble fubmiffions, and offering to hold all their acquifitions in vaffalage to his crown. A.D.1172. That monarch landed in Ireland at the head of five hun

Henry lands in Ireland.

He fettles the govern. ment of the

fountry.

dred knights, befides other foldiers: he found the Irish fo difpirited by their late misfortunes, that, in a progress which he made through the island, he had no other occupation than to receive the homages of his new fubjects. He left most of the Irifh chieftains or princes in poffeffion of their ancient territories; bestowed fome lands on the English adventurers; gave earl Richard the commiffion of fenefchal of Ireland; and, after a ftay of a few months, returned in triumph to England. By thefe exploits, important only in their confequences, was Ireland annexed to the English crown.

For the better execution of the laws of England, it ap pears that Henry made a divifion of the diftricts, now fubject to him, into fhires or counties, which was afterwards enlarged, as the extenfion of the English fettlements, and the circumstances of the country, required, Sheriffs were appointed both for the counties and cities, with judges itinerant, and other minifters of justice, and offices of ftate. To complete the fyftem, a chief governor, or representative of the king, was appointed.

Notwithstanding the fubmiffions which Henry had received in all parts of Ireland, he left not in that country one true fubject more than he found on coming over. The Irish chieftains, who had fo readily fubmitted to be come his vaffals, were little fcrupulous of adhering to their engagements any longer than neceffity might oblige them. But as the impreffion made, by the power and greatness of their new fovereign was yet lively and forcible; as their inteftine feuds and jealousies had never been fufpended; and as the English fettlers had not as yet difcovered any defign of extending their acquifitions, the territories of the new adventurers were for a while unmolefted, and feemed to wear the appearance of fecurity. Strongbow found himself at leifure to retire to Fernes, in order to folemnize the marriage of his daughter with Robert de Quiny, one of the nobles who had engaged in the Irish war, whom he created constable and standardbearer of Leinster, with a confiderable grant of lands. But Quiny did not long enjoy his honours and estate; for the earl, fome time after, being obliged to march into Ofally, to exact his tribute from a refractory vassal, his forces, on their return, were attacked in the rear, and

the

1

the ftandard-bearer with fome others fell in the first affault.

Lacy, in confequence of his late grant, proceeded to make fuch difpofitions in Meath as might fecure the fubjection of this diftrict. He parcelled out his lands to his friends and adherents, in order to establish a powerful English fettlement, and began to erect forts to keep the old inhabitants in awe. In the provinces ceded to Henry or his fubjects, or afterwards gained by their arms, certain Irish natives, of the most diftinguished families, were fuffered to refide and enjoy certain portions of their old poffeffions, for which they were to pay tribute to the crown, but were not as fubjects governed by the law of England. Between thofe and the English fettlers, difputes frequently broke forth; and every day produced complaints of the injuftice, cruelty, and oppreffion of the latter, wherever they had any intercourfe with the natives. In many inftances, fuch complaints must have been just; for feveral of the English leaders were proud, indigent, and rapacious; but whether juft or not, at the fame time that they difcovered the enmity of the Irish, they ferved to confirm and inflame it.

The Irish chieftains received with joy the accounts of a powerful confederacy being formed againft Henry; and no fooner had earl Richard and the other English lords departed, than they openly difavowed their late fubmiffions, and boldly denounced vengeance against the invaders. The English army was not only weakened, but mutinous. It had been entrusted to the command of Hervey of Mountmorres, to whom Raymond le Grofs was fecond in authority; and thefe leaders were by no means united with that firmness and cordiality which their common intereft required. Their mutual jealoufies prevented any effectual oppofition to the fpirit now raifed among the Irish chieftains, and might have proved fatal to the English intereft, had not Henry been foon enabled to provide a remedy for the evil. He fummoned earl Strongbow to attend him at Rouen, and communicated his intentions of committing the affairs of Ireland to his fole direction. The earl expreffed the utmost alacrity to ferve his royal mafter; but obferved, that he had already experienced the envy and malignity of his fecret enemies, and that, if he fhould appear in fo diftinguifhed a character as that of the king's deputy in Ireland, their infidious practices would be renewed, and his conduct mifreprefented. He therefore requested, that a colleague might

be joined with him in the commiffion, and for this pur pofe recommended Raymond, as a perfon of approved loyalty and abilities, as well as highly acceptable to the foldiery. Henry replied, that he had his free confent to employ Raymond in any fervice he should deem neceffary, not as a colleague, but an affiftant; that he relied entirely on the earl, and entrusted every thing to his direction. To reward his fervices, and enliven his zeal, he granted him the town of Wexford, with a fort erected at Wicklow, and thus difmiffed him with the moft gracious expreflions of favour.

The earl immediately returned to Dublin, where he was received with the refpect due to his royal commiffion. He fignified the king's pleafure that Robert Fitz-Bernard, with the garrison of Waterford, fhould inftantly embark, and repair to Normandy; and that Robert Fitz-Stephen, and Maurice de Pendergaft, fhould attend the king's fervice in England; whither alfo Hugh de Lacy, and Milo de Cogan, were commanded to repair. While the forces which were to fupport the government of carl Strongbow were thus confiderably weakened, their discontents were inflamed to the utmoft, and he had the mortification to hear the boldeft remonftrances against the conduct of his uncle Mountmorres. The foldiers prefented themselves in a body before the earl, requiring that Raymond le Grofs fhould be appointed to command them; if not, they threatened to return to their native country, or to engage in the fervice of the Irish chiefs, who were now in arms, and ready for hoftilities. Strongbow found himself under a neceflity of complying with their demands; and not only granted them their favourite general, but engaged them in fome expeditions which might afford plunder, as he had improvidently diffipated the money affigned for their pay. Raymond being therefore employed to chaitife the defec tion of fome petty lords of this diftrict, over-ran and ravaged the country without refiftance; and proceeding with his booty to Lifmore, committed the like depredations in that city and the adjacent lands. On his return by the fea-fide, he found fome veffels at anchor, which he directed to be laden with the fpoil, in order to convey it to the town of Waterford. The wind was for fome time contrary, which encouraged the men of Corke, who had received intelligence of thofe tranfactions, to form the defign of deftroying this little fleet of tranfports. The neceffities of Henry having obliged him to withdraw the English garrifon from this city, it had been re-taken by Macarthy

Macarthy of Delmond; and now the inhabitants, to manifeft their zeal against his enemies, haftily fitted out thirty barks, and fell with the utmoft fury upon the English detachment, which had not yet weighed anchor. Their affault, though unexpected, was fuftained with fpirit; and the death of their commander, who fell by the arm of a gallant Welchman, foon decided the conteft in favour of the English. They took eight veffels from the enemy, and failed in triumph to their place of destination. Raymond had been informed of this action, and was haftening to the fupport of his party with a felect body of twenty knights and fixty horfemen, when he fuddenly found himfelf encountered by the prince of Defmond, who on his part was no lefs folicitous to fupport his vaffals of Corke. The Irifh chief, however, was foon obliged to retire; and Raymond, after fome inconfiderable attempts to difturb him in his march, and to feize his prey, entered Waterford in all the triumph of a conqueror.

- Trivial as thefe exploits were, they served to confirm the opinion which the foldiery had conceived of their new general, and filled them with hopes of more important fucceffes. Raymond himself appears to have entertained no indifferent opinion of his own fervices. He was now in the height of popularity, and determined to avail himfelf of this advantage. He had conceived a paffion for Bafilia, fifter to earl Richard, and took the prefent occafion to demand her in marriage, with the poft of conftable, and ftandard-bearer of Leinster, during the minority of Robert de Quiny, the late fon-in-law of Strongbow. The earl, probably from a jealoufy of the rifing power and influence of this lord, received his overture with a coldness which marked his difapprobation. Raymond, provoked, and mortified, retired abruptly into Wales, under pretence of taking poffeffion of fome lands devolved to him. by the death of his father; and the army was once more entrufted to the command of Hervey of Montmorres f.

Hervey, on refuming his ftation, determined to engage in fome brave enterprize, which might regain him the af-fections of the foldiery, and emulate the fuccefs of their former general. He reprefented to earl Strongbow the neceffity of repreffing that fpirit of revolt which had appeared among the Irish princes; and as the difpofitions lately made in Meath feemed to have established an effectual barrier against the king of Connaught, he advised him

f Ibid.

to

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