1566 October English Deputy had bearded Shan in his stronghold, CHAP XI burnt his houses, pillaged his people, and had fastened body of police in the midst of them to keep them waking in the winter nights. He had penetrated the hitherto impregnable fortresses of mountain and morass. The Irish who had been faithful to England were again in safe possession of their lands and homes. The weakest, maddest, and wildest Celts were made aware that when the English were once roused to effort, they could crush them as the lion crushes the jackal. still out of Meantime Lord Ormond had carried his complaints to London, and the letter which Sidney found waiting his return was not what a successful commander might have expected from his sovereign. Before he started, he had repeated his refusal to determine a cause which he did humour not understand without the help of lawyers. There was no one in Ireland of whom he thought more highly than of Lord Ormond; there was none that he would more gladly help;' but disputed and complicated titles to estates were questions which he was unable to enter into. He could do nothing till the cause had been properly heard;' and in the existing humour of the country it would have been mere madness to have led Desmond to doubt the equity of the English Government. But Sidney's modest and firm defence found no favour with Elizabeth. While he was absent in the North, she wrote to Sir Edward Horsey, desiring him to tell the Deputy that she was ill-satisfied with his proceedings; he had allowed himself to be guided by Irish advisers; he had been partial to Desmond; he that had least deserved favour had been most borne withal.' While in fact he had done more for Ireland in the eight months of his government than any English ruler since Sir Edward Bellingham, the Queen insisted that he had with Sidney. CHAP XI attended to none of her wishes, and had occupied himself wholly with matters of no importance. 1566 November Most likely she did not believe what she said; but Sidney was costing her money, and she relieved herself by finding fault with him. Cecil's advice to Sidney. 'My good Lord,' Cecil was obliged to write to him to prevent an explosion, next to my most hearty commendations, I do with all my heart condole and take part of sorrow to see your burden of government so great and your comfort from hence so uncertain. I feel by myself being also here wrapped in miseries, and tossed with my small vessel of wit and means in a sea swelling with storms of envy, malice, disdain, and suspicion— what discomfort they commonly have that mean to deserve best of their country. And though I confess myself unable to give you advice, and being almost desperate myself of well-doing, yet for the present I think it best for you to run still an even course in government with indifferency, in case of justice, to all persons, and in case of favour to let them which do well find their comfort by you; and in other causes in your choice to prefer them whom you find the Prince most disposed to have favoured. My Lord of Ormond doth take this commodity by being here to declare his own griefs; I see the Queen's Majesty so much misliking of the Earl of Desmond, as surely I think it needful for you to be very circumspect in ordering of the complaints exhibited against him.'1 It must be admitted that Elizabeth's letter to Horsey was written at the crisis of the succession quarrel in Par 1 Cecil to Sidney, October 20.-Irish MSS. Rolls House. 1566 November liament, and that her not unprovoked ill-humour was CHAP XI merely venting itself upon the first object which came across her nor had she at that time heard of Sidney's successes in Ulster, and probably despaired of ever hearing of successes. Yet when she did hear, the tone of her letters was scarcely altered; she alluded to his services only to reiterate her complaints; and she would not have gone through the form of thanking him, had not Cecil inserted a few words of acknowledgment in the draft of her despatch.' Sidney's patience was exhausted. Copies of the Queen's disparaging letters were circulated privately in Dublin-obtained he knew not how-but with fatal effect upon his influence. He had borne Elizabeth's caprices long enough. For God's sake,' he Sidney wrote angrily on the 15th of November in answer to mands his Cecil's letter, for God's sake get my recall. The people here know what the Queen thinks of me, and I can do no good.' 2 again de recall. garrison at From these unprofitable bickerings the story must Story of the return to Colonel Randolph and the garrison of Derry. Derry. For some weeks after Sidney's departure all had gone on prosperously. The country people, though well paid for everything, were slow to bring in provisions; the bread ran short; and the men had been sent out poorly provided with shoes, or tools, or clothes. But foraging parties drove in sufficient beef to keep them in fresh meat. Randolph, who seems to have been a man of fine foresight, had sent to the English Pale for a supply of forage before the winter set in; he had written to England 'for shirts, kerseys, canvas, and leather;' he kept Cecil constantly informed of the welfare and wants of the 1 The words 'for which we are bound to thank you' are inserted in Cecil's hand. The Queen to Sidney, November, 1566. 2 Irish MSS. Rolls House. CHAP XI troops; and for some time they were healthy and in 1566 high spirits, and either worked steadily at the fortress or were doing good service in the field. November Defeat of 6 While Sidney was in Connaught, Shan who had followed him to Lifford turned back upon the Pale, expecting to find it undefended. He was encountered by Sir Warham St. Leger, lost two hundred men, and was at first hunted back over the Border. He again returned however with a main army,' burnt several villages, and in a second fight with St. Leger was more successful; the English were obliged to retire for lack of more aid;' but they held together in good order, and Shan with the Derry garrison in his rear, durst not follow far from home in pursuit. Before he could revenge himself on Sidney, before he could stir against the Scots, before he could strike a blow at O'Donnell, he must pluck out the barbed dart which was fastened in his unguarded side. Knowing that he would find it no easy task, he was hovering cautiously in the neighbourhood of Lough Foyle, when Randolph fell upon him by surprise on the 12th of November. The O'Neils fled after a short, sharp action. O'Dogherty, with his Irish horse, chased the flying crowd, killing every man he caught, and Shan recovered himself to find he had lost four hundred men of the bravest of his followers. More fatal overthrow neither he nor any other Irish chief had yet received at English hands. But the success was dearly bought; Colonel Randolph himself leading the pursuit was struck by a random shot, and fell dead from his horse. The Irish had fortunately suffered too severely to profit by his loss. Shan's motley army, held together as it was by the hope of easily-bought plunder, scattered when the 1 Edward Randolph to Cecil, October 27.-Irish MSS. Rolls House. December The Scots O'Neil. service became dangerous. Sidney allowing him no rest CHAP XI struck in again beyond Dundalk, burning his farms and 1566 capturing his castles.' The Scots came in over the Bann, wasting the country all along the river side. Allaster attack M'Connell, like some chief of Sioux Indians, sent to the Captain of Knockfergus an account of the cattle that he had driven, and the wives and bairns' that he had slain. Like swarms of angry hornets these avenging savages drove their stings into the now maddened and desperate Shan, on every point where they could fasten; while in December the old O'Donnell came out over the mountains from Donegal, and paid back O'Neil with interest for his stolen wife, his pillaged country, and his own long imprisonment and exile. The tide of fortune had turned too late for his own revenge: worn out with his long sufferings, he fell from his horse at the head of his people with the stroke of death upon him; but before he died he called his kinsmen about him and prayed them to be true to England and their Queen, and Hugh O'Donnell, who succeeded to his father's command, went straight to Derry and swore allegiance to the English crown. Tyrone was now smitten in all its borders. Magennis was the last powerful chief who still adhered to Shan's fortunes; the last week in the year Sidney carried fire and sword through his country and left him not a hoof remaining. It was to no purpose that Shan, bewildered by the rapidity with which disasters were piling themselves upon him, cried out now for pardon and peace; 1 Sidney to the Lords of the Council, December 12.-Irish MSS. Rolls House. 2 Allaster M'Connell to the Captain of Knockfergus ; enclosed in a letter of R. Piers to Sir H. Sidney, December 15.-MS. Ibid. |