reign of King Edward the Fourth things remained yet in the same state that they were after the late breaking out of the Irish which I spake of; and that noble Prince began to cast an eye unto Ireland, and to mind the reformation of things there run amiss. For he sent over his brother, the worthy Duke of Clarence, who, having married the heir of the Earl of Ulster, and by her having all the earldom of Ulster, and much in Meath and in Munster, very carefully went about the redressing of all those late evils; and though he could not beat out the Irish again, by reason of his short continuance, yet he did shut them up within those narrow corners and glens under the mountain's foot, in which they lurked, and so kept them from breaking any further by building strongholds upon every border and fortifying all passages. Amongst the which, he repaired the castle of Clare in Thomond, of which country he had the inheritance, and of Mortimer's lands adjoining, which is now by the Irish called Killaloe. But the times of that good king growing also troublesome did let the thorough reformation of all things; and thereunto, soon after, was added another fatal mischief, which wrought a greater calamity than all the former. For the said Duke of Clarence, then Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, was by practice of evil persons about the King, his brother, called thence away; and soon after, by sinister means, was clean made away. Presently after whose death, all the north revolting, did set up O'Neill for their captain, being before that of small power and regard; and there arose in that part of Thomond one of the O'Briens, called Murrogh en Ranagh—that is, Morrice of the Fern, or waste wild places-who, gathering unto him all the relics of the discontented Irish, eftsoons surprised the said castle of Clare, burnt and spoiled all the English there dwelling, and in short space possessed all that country beyond the river of Shannon and near adjoining. Whence shortly breaking forth like a sudden tempest, he overran all Munster and Connaught, breaking down all the

holds and fortresses of the English, defacing and utterly subverting all corporate towns that were not strongly walled. For those he had no means nor engines to overthrow, neither indeed would he stay at all about them, but speedily ran forward, counting his suddenness his most advantage, that he might overtake the English before they could fortify or gather themselves together. So in short space he clean wiped out many great towns, as first Inchiquin, then Killaloe, before called Clariford; also Thurles, Mourne, Buttevant, and many others whose names I cannot remember, and of some of which there is now no memory or sign remaining. Upon report whereof there flocked unto him all the scum of the Irish out of all places, that ere long he had a mighty army, and thence marched forth into Leinster, where he wrought great outrages, wasting all the country where he went; for it was his policy to leave no hold behind him, but to make all plain and waste. In the which he soon after created himself king, and was called king of all Ireland, which before him I do not read that any did so generally, but only Edward le Bruce.

Eudox. What? Was there ever any general king of all Ireland? I never heard it before, but that it was always, whilst it was under the Irish, divided into four, and sometimes into five kingdoms or dominions. But this Edward le Bruce, what was he that could make himself king of all Ireland?

Iren. I would tell you, in case you would not challenge me anon for forgetting the matter which I had in hand; that is, the inconvenience and unfitness which I supposed to be in the laws of the land.

Eudox. No, surely, I have no cause, for neither is this impertinent thereunto; for sithence you did set your course (as I remember in your first part) to treat of the evils which hindered the peace and good-ordering of that land; amongst which, that of the inconvenience in the laws was the first which you had in hand; this discourse of the overrunning and wasting of the

realm is very material thereunto, for that it was the beginning of all the other evils which sithence have afflicted that land, and opened a way unto the Irish to recover their possession and to beat out the English which had formerly won the same. And, besides, it will give a great light both unto the second and third part, which is the redressing of those evils, and planting of some good form or policy therein, by renewing the remembrance of these occasions and accidents by which those ruins happened, and laying before us the ensamples of those times to be compared to ours, and to be warned by those which shall have to do in the like. Therefore, I pray you, tell them unto us; and as for the point where you left, I will not forget afterwards to call you back again thereunto.

Iren. This Edward le Bruce was brother of Robert le Bruce, who was king of Scotland at such time as King Edward the Second reigned here in England, and bare a most malicious and spiteful mind against King Edward, doing him all the scathe that he could, and annoying his territories of England, whilst he was troubled with civil wars of his barons at home. He also, to work him the more mischief, sent over his said brother Edward with a power of Scots and Redshanks into Ireland, where by means of the Lacys, and of the Irish, with whom they combined, they got footing; and gathering unto him all the scatterlings and outlaws out of all the woods and mountains in which they long had lurked, marched forth into the English Pale; which then was chiefly in the north from the Point of Donluce, and beyond unto Dublin, having in the midst of her Knockfergus, Belfast, Armagh, and Carlingford, which are now the most outbounds and abandoned places in the English Pale, and indeed not counted of the English Pale at all; for it stretcheth now no farther than Dundalk towards the north. There the said Edward le Bruce spoiled and burned all the old English Pale inhabitants, and sacked and rased all cities and corporate towns, no less than

Murrough en Ranagh, of whom I erst told you. For he wasted Belfast, Greencastle, Kells, Belturbut, Castletown, Newton, and many other very good towns and strongholds. He rooted out the noble families of the Audleys, Talbots, Tuchets, Chamberlains, Mandevilles, and the Savages out of Ardes; though of the Lord Savage there remaineth yet an heir, that is now a poor gentleman of very mean condition, yet dwelling in the Ardes. And coming lastly to Dundalk, he there made himself king, and reigned the space of one whole year, until that Edward, king of England, having some quiet in his affairs at home, sent over the Lord John Birmingham to be General of the wars against him, who, encountering him near to Dundalk, overthrew his army and slew him, Also he presently followed the victory so hotly upon the Scots, that he suffered them not to breathe or gather themselves together again until they came to the sea-coast. Notwithstanding all the way that they fled, for very rancour and despite, in their return they utterly consumed and wasted whatsoever they had before left unspoiled; so as of all towns, castles, forts, bridges, and habitations they left not any stick standing nor any people remaining; for those few which yet survived fled from their fury farther into the English Pale that now is. Thus was all that goodly country utterly wasted. And sure it is yet a most beautiful and sweet country as any is under heaven, being stored throughout with many goodly rivers, replenished with all sorts of fish most abundantly, sprinkled with many very sweet islands and goodly lakes, like little inland seas, that will carry even ships upon their waters; adorned with goodly woods, even fit for building of houses and ships, so commodiously, as that, if some princes in the world had them, they would soon hope to be lords of all the seas, and ere long of all the world. Also full of very good ports and havens opening upon England, as inviting us to come unto them, to see what excellent commodities that country can afford; besides the soil itself, most fertile, fit to yield all kind of

fruit that shall be committed thereunto. And lastly, the heavens most mild and temperate, though somewhat more moist than the parts towards the west.

Eudox. Truly Ireneus, what with your praises of the country, and what with your discourse of the lamentable desolation thereof made by those Scots, you have filled me with a great compassion of their calamities, that I do much pity that sweet land, to be subject to so many evils, as I see more and more to be laid upon her, and do half begin to think, that it is, as you said at the beginning, her fatal misfortune, above all other countries that I know, to be thus miserably tossed and turmoiled with these variable storms of affliction. But since we are thus far entered into the consideration of her mishaps, tell me, have there been any more such tempests, as you term them, wherein she hath thus wretchedly been wrecked? Iren. Many more, God wot, have there been; in which principal parts have been rent and torn asunder, but none, as I can remember, so universal as this. And yet the rebellion of Thomas Fitz-Garret did well-nigh stretch itself into all parts of Ireland. But that which was in the time of the government of the Lord Grey was surely no less general than all those, for there was no part free from the contagion, but all conspired in one to cast off their subjection to the crown of England. Nevertheless, through the most wise and valiant handling of that right noble Lord, it got not the head which the former evils found, for in them the realm was left like a ship in a storm, amidst all the raging surges, unruled and undirected of any; for they to whom she was committed either fainted in their labour or forsook their charge. But he, like a most wise pilot, kept her course carefully, and held her most strongly even against those roaring billows, that he safely brought her out of all; so as long after, even by the space of twelve or thirteen whole years, she rode at peace, through his only pains and excellent endurance, however envy list to blatter1

1 Blatter, patter, babble (from the noise of rain).