the Captaines uncassed, but not give any warrant to them to supply their Companies with any more Irish. We doe also require you, that you doe seeke by all meanes possible, where the Irish are entertained, to use their service as farre from their owne Countries as may be; wherein we pray you especially to take care in the Province of Connaght, where there are so many Irish bands together, and rather to draw some of them to serve else where, and send English in their stead. This shal serve for the present, to answere your dispatch, wherein we doe write to you, (whom we know to love our Commandements) more directly in this point of our desire to have our charge abated, then we doe to you and the Counsell together, because we would have them apprehend, (seeing you thinke such an opinion would be good), that our Army shall not be so soone abated, as we hope you will; wherein notwithstanding we doe referre things to your discretion, whom we will trust with the charge of 2000. men, seeing we have committed to you our whole Kingdome, &c. 1599. to Master His Lordship in a second dispatch to Master Secretary, [II. i. 57.] had written, that Tyrone having passed through the Pale The Lord into Mounster with some one thousand five hundred Deputy's horse and foote, of such sort as so many of the Queenes second dispatch worst men were able to encounter them, was now in Secretary. Mounster with an Army of 4 thousand in reputation, and was there attended by the Queenes Army of three thousand foote, and three hundred horse, commaunded by the Earle of Ormond; so as onely the dregges of the Queenes Army were now neere him; out of which notwithstanding, he hoped to bee able to draw one thousand five hundred foote, and three hundred horse, and therewith to make head against Tyrone at his returne: but in regard the Plantation of Loughfoyle and Ballyshannon were presently commanded him, whether Sir Henrie Dockwra was to ship three thousand out of England, and another thousand were to be shipped from Dublin: these one thousand being part of the men he was to 1599. The Queenes gratious answere. out of Mounster. draw against Tyrone, he durst not leade them farre from the Sea, and so might perhaps be forced to loose good occasion of service, whereas if these things had been left to his discretion, hee would have deferred the Plantation of Ballishannon to a time of more safety, and with these one thousand men and their munition to bee sent thither, would now attend Tyrone in his passage with so great advantage, as he was not likely to finde hereafter, and if he escaped, would presently have put himselfe in the head of the Earle of Ormonds Troopes, to prosecute him into the North, and would further have advised Sir Henrie Dockwra in his passage from Chester to Loughfoyle, to descend at Carickfergus, and thence to take five hundred old souldiers, leaving so many new in their roome. To this dispatch his Lordship received the Queenes gratious answere, by a letter dated the sixteenth of this moneth, wherein allowing his beginnings, and approving his reasons: the forbearing presently to plant Ballishannon, and the ordering of Lochfoyle Plantation, and the disposing of Garrisons aptly (for the defence of such as in that case offered to returne to due obedience), were all freely left to his Lordships discretion, with promise to make good construction of his actions, being confident that they had no other object, but loyall service. The Lord Deputie having drawne as many together as hee could about Mullingar, to lye for Tyrone in his returne out of Mounster, received advertisement the Tyrone stolne fifteenth of this present, that Tyrone hearing of his preparations to meete him, had left a thousand Connaght rogues to assist Desmond, and some eight hundred men with Richard Butler, and having made Captaine Tirrell chiefe commander of all the Lemster Rebels, was stolne out of Mounster with sixe hundred in his company, and had passed the Enney, and so escaped into the North. Whereupon the Lord Deputie the same day writ to the Earle of Ormond, to send backe from Mounster, the forces hee had drawne thither out of Lemster, and with all sent him her Majesties letters, importing thankes for the service hee had done, and her desire that hee would still hold the place of Lieutenant of the Armie. In the acceptance whereof, the Lord Deputie professed, that hee should esteeme himselfe much honoured, and would be ready, after putting off the person which now was imposed on him, with much contentment to be commaunded by his Lordship. 1599. The same time the Lord Deputie Advertised Master Secretarie, that his intelligence had been so bad (not onely in false reports of Tyrones purposes, but also in the False reports. relation of the Forces he had with him to bee farre greater then indeede they were, by which intelligence of false hearted subjects to discourage the Queenes Forces, the Rebels used to prevaile more then by fighting, and now hoped to discourage him at his first comming, from any present attempt against Tyrones returne), as in one and the same day hee first heard together of Tyrones looking back out of Mounster, comming into Leymster, and passing over the Enney, and the next day being assured of his escape, hee then received the first intelligence (the former letters of the eight of March being not till then delivered) that ever came to his hands from the Earle of Ormond concerning Tyrone, who in this returne had gone further in three dayes, then at his setting forth in [II. i. 58.] thirteene, having in one day marched twenty seven miles, so speedily, as he could not overtake any of his troopes with the Queenes forces, though he marched after him twentie miles in foure houres; adding his purpose to make present head towards the North, without which diversion of the rebels, the Garrison to be planted at Loughfoyle was like to runne a dangerous fortune. And withall sending some of Tyrones Mandates, by which hee summoned the subjects of Mounster to appeare before him, and to joyne with him, of which I have thought good, for the strangenesse of the forme, to insert this one following. [Oneale 1599. Tyrone's Mandate. The Earle of Neale commendeth him unto you Morish Fitz request eth you take part with him, and fight for your conscience and right; and in so doing, Oneale will spend to see you righted in all your affaires, and will helpe you: And if you come not at Oneale betwixt this and to morrow at twelve of the clocke, and take his part, Oneale is not beholding to you, and will doe to the uttermost of his power to overthrow you, if you come not to him at furthest by Satturday noone. From Knocke Dumayne in Calrie, the fourth of February 1599. Oneale requesteth you to come speake with him, and doth give you his word that you shall receive no harme, neither in comming nor going from him, whether you be friend or not, and bring with you to Oneale Gerat Fitz-gerald. Subscribed O Neale. The seventh of March the Lord Deputy was advertised, that Tyrone returned to Dungannon his House the fifteenth day, and brought with him out of Mounster foure pledges of Desmonds faith unto him. That the Earle of Clanrickard had sworne, so soon as the Lord Clanrickard. of Dunkellyn his eldest sonne returned out of England, to take no longer day then May next, to joyne with Tyrone, and enter into action, (so the Irish terme rebellion): and that Tyrone had called the Lords of the North together, to consult about the opposition to be made against the intended plantation of the English Garrisons Loughfoyle. Essex. at The twentieth of March Master Secretary wrote to the The Earle of Lord Deputy, that the Earle of Essex, hitherto restrained in the Lord Keepers House, had found the Grace with her Majesty, to be sent to his owne house in London, yet with a keeper; for Sir Richard Barkley, had the guard of him, with the keyes of the water-gate and street doore, and the Earle had the freedome of the whole House, with a dozen servants to attend him, who might freely go in and out at pleasure, and the Countesse of 1599. Essex had liberty to come thither to him. And the Lord Deputy still continued frequently to solicite the Secretaries favour to this noble Earle, many times inlarging himselfe so farre, as to justifie the Earles faithfull endeavours in the maine point of the late Irish service, about which he was most questioned. Insomuch as seeing the Earles actions in Ireland to be narrowly sifted, he wrote_not long after to the Secretary, expressely avowing; That The Lord if the Earle of Essex had brought with him a farre greater Deputy Army, the estate of the yeere being as then it was, and justifies the Earle of he comming at that time of the yeere when he did, yet Essex. during his aboade there, (which was from March to September), there could no other consequence have justly beene expected in that so short time; but that the Rebels moved with the countenance and terrour of the Army, should generally (or for the most part) have sought her Majesties mercy, and making their submission, have beene received upon pledges to continue subjects, or else to have sought to have ruined them by planting strong garrisons, which in most places must have beene done by an Army, and they being in severall places, and many circumstances besides required thereunto, the effecting thereof would have taken up as much time as he spent here. And though the terrour of the Army did not worke the first effect, being in the choyce of the enemy, untill by the second course they might be constrained, that the fault was in their disposition, and not in the Earles endeavours or power. And though the garrisons were not accordingly planted, that as well the shortnes of the time, as the Counsels to which the Earle was tied at that time, might justly cleere him of that default. [Chap. II. M. II 289 T |