the people, than they were against those of England. Spondanus and Pagi relate the horrid cruelties exercised by Sir William Drury, on F. O'Hurle, O.S.F., the Catholic Archbishop of Cashel, who, falling into the hands of this sanguinary governor, in the year 1579, was first tortured, by his legs being immersed in jack boots filled with quick lime, water, &c. until they were burned to the bone, in order to force him to take the oath of supremacy, and then, with other circumstances of barbarity, executed on the gallows; having previously cited Drury to meet him at the tribunal of Christ within ten days, who accordingly died within that period amidst the most excruciating pains."

This indeed was a fearful doom for a people of whom even the bigoted Borlase felt obliged to write:

"The Irish themselves were a people peaceable, harmless, and affable to strangers, and to all, pious and good, whilst they retained the religion of their forefathers."

We will not trust ourselves to make comments, nor is it, indeed, necessary. A case so utterly unparalleled; cruelty so diabolical and systematic; rulers, or rather exterminators, so utterly fiendish, leave no room for disquisition or expatiation; the terrible facts stand out with a distinctness so hideous and appalling, that the blood freezes and the head swims at the contemplation of them, and, through the gloom of two centuries and a half, they cast a lurid and unearthly light upon the events now passing around us: and which, with those recently passed, bear too striking an analogy to the terrible deeds to which we have been adverting, not to proclaim a kindred origin.

In 1603, James VI. of Scotland, son of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and Mary, Queen of Scots, ascended the English throne, under the title of James I. He had been educated in Puritan principles, and appears to have inherited from his parents only the

worst qualities of his father. The Stuarts, of which race he was descended, paternally and maternally, derived their origin from the ancient kings of Ireland; and this, and the fidelity of his royal mother to the ancient faith, led the Irish to hope for some amelioration of their condition, and toleration for their religion: how soon and sadly that hope was to be disappointed we shall presently see. His first acts were indeed calculated to foster this hope. For his sudden elevation to the throne of England in addition to that of Scotland, elated him beyond measure, and disposed him to scatter favours in all directions. He made knights by the score, and published an Act of Oblivion and Indemnity, whereby all offences against the crown, and amongst subjects, were to be pardoned, and their memory for ever obliterated. But England afforded no adequate field for quartering the host of hungry expectants who followed, or looked to him, from Scotland. He therefore turned his eyes to Ireland, now a land of desolation, and too weak to make any effective resistance. Elizabeth had "planted" the wasted territories of Munster with English, why not he imitate her example, and colonise the fertile fields of Ulster with his Scotch countrymen? All the evil of his nature was developed, and aggravated tenfold, by the crafty and perfidious statesmen who had been bred at the court of Elizabeth, and who continually incited him to every wickedness from which they hoped any personal advantage.

But James was constitutionally averse to violence. What Henry VIII. would have done by force alone, and Elizabeth by force and fraud united, James essayed by fraud only: and there can be no doubt but his plans were laid with consummate craft, and carried out with wondrous skill and perseverance. policy of the Puritans at this period was, as expressed by Knox, the Scotch bishop of Raphoe, to Lord Deputy Chichester; "that the only sure means of extirpating popery

The

out of Ireland, was by the death or banishment of the persons, and confiscation of the properties of papists."* How well this atrocious advice was acted on will soon appear. The pretence under which the new policy| was to be carried out was that of the most anxious solicitude for the improvement of the country, and the amelioration of the condition of the humbler classes of the people. By this means it was sought to separate the clansmen from their chiefs, and as far as possible make them dependant on the crown. The greatest compassion was pretended for the labouring classes, particularly on account of the contributions to their chiefs, for the support of whose establishments and war expenses the clansmen furnished supplies according to their means. This the rapacious English and Scotch adventurers regarded somewhat in the light in which the ministers of the establishment view the “dues” given to their clergy by the Catholics of our own day, and their affectation of commiseration for the sufferings of the people in consequence of the exactions of Coygne and Livery, and Cuttings and Cosherings, was worthy of the time, the men, and the object. They longed for the day when they could rackrent and eject these " mere Irish," and make them feel the weight of their little finger more sensibly than ever they had found the loins of their chiefs; who, though, alas! they too frequently called. upon them to follow their banners in bootless quarrels, were always indulgent and ever affectionate to them. For they regarded them as relatives less or more distant, against whom they never even thought of employing ejectment processes, or crowbar brigades, and for whose wants and sorrows their purse was always open, and their sympathy ever sincere. It was necessary to abolish these relations before the mass of the people could be placed at the mercy of their pseudo protectors; and

* Curry's Civil Wars.

for this end the two pillars on which the old system rested must be removed.

Much could be said for and against the ancient Irish institutions of Tanistry and Gavelkind. By the former the government was rendered elective, somewhat like that of America, the tanist being elected during the life time of the prince, on whose death he assembled the sept, and re-divided the lands amongst them. This custom was said to have been unfavourable to agriculture, but we have seen from Hollinshed that it could make the land "plenteous of corne and full of cattle;" and from Leland, that when long without molestation it could be productive of unusual regularity and plenty. We heartily wish we had a trial of that much-abused old custom of Gavelkind back again. It is noteworthy that it was those who thirsted for the plunder of the Irish people that attacked it so bitterly. It surely would be better to have a re-division of the land amongst the people, than amongst durhams, south-downs, and blackfaced sheep. But while it existed, the chief had only a lifeinterest; the land belonged to the sept, and the rebellion or outlawry of the former did not entail the desired confiscation on his followers. Such a state of things was evidently not favourable to the English view of "progress" (i.e. plunder) in Ireland, and must be put an end to at any cost. In short, while it existed, the favourite policy of exterminating by famine whatever portion of the people their paternal English rulers might deem superfluous, and reducing the remainder to the most hopeless slavery, while they remained on their native soil, could not be completely carried out. Under a firm and fixed government, with the aid of trade and manufactures, a better system might perhaps be adopted; but circumstanced as Ireland was, we cannot imagine any land tenure more calculated to render the people secure against the possible tyranny of a native chief, or the more deliberate and deadly policy of English

statesmen.

As to the institution of Tanistry,

it might, of course, be sometimes attended with evils, and occasionally afford facilities to ambitious and violent men to hasten the moment of their personal aggrandizement. But did the non-existence of Tanistry prevent such crimes in other countries,-in England and Scotland, for instance? And was it not an advantage to have an heir apparent selected peaceably by the voice of the people during the life-time of the ruling prince, thereby avoiding all contention after his death? Henry IV. was not the Tanist of RichardII., nor Richard III. tanist of Edward V. Neither was Victor Emmanuel the tanist of Francis II of Naples. The real source of the weakness and anarchy connected with the Irish government, was the co-existence of five sovereigns in so small an island. Had there been but one monarch, or ruler, with, as a consequence, a strong central administration, the turbulent amongst the minor chieftains would be controuled, trade and commerce encouraged, civilization developed, and Henry II. would never have dared to think of invasion, to divert the attention of his subjects from the stains left by the blood of even a dozen á Beckets. But the abolition of Tanistry and Gavelkind was necessary for the ends of English plunder, and we shall now see the insidious, hypocritical, and iniquitous proceedings by which it was effected.

As the wolves sought to separate the sheep from their watch-dogs preparatory to devouring them, so the ministers of James and their agents, suddenly began to profess the most lively interest in the welfare of the Irish people of all classes, and exerted themselves not ineffectually to win their confidence. The

veteran warrior and statesman, Hugh O'Neill, and Rory O'Donnell, brother of the celebrated Red Hugh, who had, a short time previous, died in Spain, were induced to accompany Lord Deputy Mountjoy to London, and were received with distinguished marks of the royal favour; the former being confirmed in the restored title of Earl of Tyrone, and the latter receiving the grant of the Earldom of Tyrconnell. The Irish people really began to hope that their long miseries were about to be terminated, and this monarch, had he been so disposed, might have transmitted his name to posterity amongst the great benefactors of the human race. Sheriffs and Judges of Assize were received into the territories of O'Neill and O'Donnell. A "Commission of Grace" was issued, in accordance with which most of the Irish lords surrendered their estates to the crown, and received them back under the English titles of Knights' Service; or of common Soccage, (from soc, the French for ploughshare), by which the tenants were bound to plough and work the lord's lands at their own expense. Under a just and benevolent rule this tenure, which involved an annual rent, had its advantages. But nothing could be farther from the thoughts of the perfidious pedant James, and his unprincipled and rapacious courtiers, than to allow the Irish tiller of the soil to reap its advantages. Like Trebizonde bees, they knew how to extract poison, to drive men mad, from the most flowery promises and apparently encouraging institutions, with which, for the moment it might suit their purpose, to delude the hopes of the Irish people; and we shall soon see the baneful results of their skilful operations.

the end of that period, another adventurer from the East, Nemedius by name, crossed Europe, and embarking a thousand men in thirty skiffs, on the coast of Thule (Jutland) or Belgium, he made his way to the "Island of Destiny." Our ancient city and see of Armagh has its name from his wife, who was there buried, and his reign was signalized by the out-bursting of four other lakes.

He employed four skilful architects of the African or Phoenician race, who, as has been said, were then our constant visitors, and they caused four beautiful palaces to rise in quick succession. The unmusical names of these artists were Bog, Robbog, Rodin and Roony, and their narrow-minded employer rewarded their skill by flinging them from the highest towers, their own hands had raised, to pre vent them out-doing the present achievements in after times.

No remnants of these once superb mansions are known to antiquaries of our times: n curse attending the foul murder of their builders insured their destruction.

Perfect felicity not being attainable, even in our sacred island, by the owner of one palace, Nemedius determined to secure it by the possession of four. Perhaps he might have succeeded, but the friends of the murdered architects heard of the deed, and resolved to avenge it. The sons of Shem and Cham united, sailed from Tyre, from Sidon, and from Carthage; they ploughed the rough western plain of waters, they entrenched themselves in Torry Island in the bleak seas that skirt Donegal; and thence poured their countless hordes on the dwellings of Nemedius and his people. Bravely he met the invading swarms: he beat them in a pitched battle in Munster-he beat them in another in Connaught-the same success awaited him in Ulster, but Leinster proved the destruction of himself and his best fighting men.

The remnant of the Nemedians were

cruelly oppressed by their conquerors. For some reason inexplicable in our days, a woman was appointed their cruel task-master, and well did she exert herself to give pleasure to her employers. She obliged every Nemedian family in the island, to bring to an appointed spot near the banks of Loch Erne on the festival of Samaan, (1st. November), every year, three measures of cream, three measures of wheat, and three of butter.*

This being an arrangement intolerable to the weaker party, they at last rose under the command of three grandsons of Nemedius, attacked the Africans in their stronghold in Tor-Inis, and obtained a signal triumph over them. As ill-luck would have it, they had hardly begun to taste the sweets of new-found liberty, when the Punic Morc, son of Dela who had been absent, returned with a fleet of sixty galleys. On their attempting to land on their fortified island before mentioned, they were received by the gallant Nemedians, and such was the animosity of the two parties to each other, that in their furious encounter, they never perceived the sudden rising of the waters till it was too late. The greater part of both armies were slain by each other, and perished in the flood. Morc with some chiefs, reached his galleys. Three grandsons of Nemedius had also the good fortune to escape with a few subordinate chiefs and part of their forces, and sailed away to seek some peaceable spots for future residence. One party under Jarvan, grandson of Nemedius, after some wanderings, gained the Danish isles, and the sonthern coasts of Norway and Sweden, and their posterity were known in after times as the Danaans. Britain Miul, the second grandson, conducted his remnant to the north of

*How the thing was practicable as regarded distant families, how the cream and butter were kept fit for use, and how other difficulties were got over, history does not inform us. The considerate reader will obligingly endeavour to invent solutions for any problems of the kind occurring in this collection.