CH. VII.] in favour of Hugh O'Nial.

821

Proposal

license to

Ulster peo

ple.

Captain Lee's great object was to represent A. D. 1594. O'Nial as the person best qualified to direct the administration of Irish affairs, for which purpose that O'Nial he strives to show that he was one from whose should have power and influence every thing may be feared, hang the or every thing hoped, according to the treatment which he should receive from her majesty; and that "if the war which was now apprehended from him" was to break out indeed, that it would prove more serious than all that were before it. Lee recommends therefore that means should be adopted for gaining the good-will of the earl, and " drawing him by any reasonable conditions unto her majesty." Among these reasonable conditions one was to be, that the earl should have the power of executing by martial law in his own country: "and I dare say," observes Lee, "he may every year hang five hundred false knaves, and yet reserve a great stock to himself; he cannot hang amiss there so he hang somebody." As for O'Nial's opposition to the Lee's reformed religion, Lee admits that his friend was opinion of certainly inclined to the Romish faith, but yet ligious he says with less of bigotry and prejudice "than some of the greatest in the English pale; for when he is with the state, he will accompany the lord deputy to the church and home again, and will stay to hear service and sermon; they as soon as they have brought the lord deputy to 2 F

VOL. II.

O'Nial's re

views.

822

Hugh O'Nial commences open rebellion; [BOOK VI.

A.D. 1594. the church door, depart as if they were wild cats; but he in my conscience with good conference would be reformed; for he hath only one little cub of an English priest by whom he is seduced for want of his friends' access unto him, who might otherwise uphold him." Such are a few specimens of the long and silly, though amusing and somewhat instructive, memorial of this worthy captain. We have no occasion to dwell further on it here, except so far as merely to add, what we need scarcely however mention, that the English government was not quite so foolish as to adopt the suggestions, or enter into the views, of their witless counsellor.

A.D. 1595. O'Nial attacks the

Fort and

garrison.

On the contrary, such vigorous measures were now adopted for checking the turbulence of the Blackwater unruly chieftain of the north, that in the followexpels the ing year O'Nial, alarmed at the preparations which were made against him, determined on striking some grand blow, such as might inspire confidence into his friends, and give a better appearance to the state of the cause which he had at heart. And therefore on some frivolous pretence of injuries received from the English soldiers of Blackwater Fort, he attacked the place with a strong force and expelled the garrison. * And when the deputy Sir William Russell was now advancing upon him with his * Leland, ii. 333. Moryson, pp. 34, 35.

CH. VII.] but is obliged again to hold back for a time.

823

forces to punish this injury, O'Nial wrote in his A.D. 1595. usual style a letter professing much attachment and loyalty to the queen, and imputing his late conduct to the necessity of self defence; although he was at the same time applying by his agents to the court of Spain for aid to support him in his treason against her majesty's authority. However as no appearance of the arrival of this aid was observable in the winter of 1595, he was obliged to delay his hostile demonstrations, and amuse the government with new professions of a desire to live if possible, in peace and loyalty.*

CHAP. VIII.

OF THE FURTHER PROGRESS OF O'NIAL'S REBELLION TO ITS

TERMINATION.

proceedings

O'Nial and the English.

THE reader of the present work will have little Further occasion to regret that its nature and scope are between such as to excuse us from encumbering our pages in this place with any particular account of the hypocritical negotiations, artful stratagems, and military skirmishes with which O'Nial occupied the time and attention of government in 1596 and the early part of 1597. Suffice it to notice that in the former year he was encouraged by the arrival of three Spanish pinnaces with some

* Leland, ii. 338,

824

L

The English regain the Blackwater fortress. [Book VI.

A.D. 1597. little aid for his cause, and with letters also from King Philip to the Irish chieftains, exhorting them to persevere in their treasonable efforts against the queen of England; while the earl of Tyrone himself was not less earnest in urging the disaffected throughout the country to take up arms and unite "for the assistance of Christ's Catholic religion." "* And indeed when Lord de Burgh arrived in Ireland as chief governor, in May, 1597, the rebel cause was strong and well supported, and O'Nial had very formidable forces at his command. But this new deputy being a person experienced in war, and of an energetic mind, soon began to prosecute his operations against the insurgents of Ulster, with spirit and ability; and advancing against them with his army, he succeeded, though not without much Recovery of danger and loss, in establishing once more an the Black- English garrison in the fortress of the Blackwater. His military proceedings were however presently interrupted by his own sudden death; after which there followed, between the government and O'Nial, a truce of eight weeks.†

the fort of

water.

Important

engagement

In the following year, 1598, the earl having at the collected, with the aid of the other Ulster chiefBlackwater. tains, a very large army of horse and foot, was determined to make a grand effort against the powers of government, and in the first instance

CH. VIIL]

They are defeated with great loss.

But

825

forces de

to expel the garrison once more from the for- A. D. 1598. tress of Portmore, and recover the ground which he had lost in that important quarter. having in vain attempted to make himself master of the place by storming it, he encamped in the neighbourhood with his army, intending to force the garrison by famine to surrender. Meanwhile however large forces were sent northwards for the relief of the besieged, under the command of his old enemy Marshal Bagnal; and these having come to an engagement with O'Nial's followers, a violent and bloody battle took place between the two armies in the month of August The queen's of this year, 1598; when the English troops feated with were defeated with great loss, fifteen hundred of serious loss. their men and thirteen officers having been slain, and the fortress with all its ammunition and military stores falling into the hands of the enemy; who on their part acknowledged a loss of only two hundred slain and six hundred wounded. A victory so decisive was sufficient to spread commotion throughout all Ireland; and many other of the chieftains now attached themselves to the standard of O'Nial; including several of the Geraldines who had lost their possessions after the rebellion of the earl of Desmond had come to an end. In fact the cause of loyalty now became involved in disorder and peril generally throughout the island.* * ib. 346-349.