continent, as smaller birds of prey follow in the wake of the great vulture, who were not so fortunate in obtaining a share of the plundered lands of England. They were still ready for any kind of murderous work which might offer them a fair prospect of booty. There were also many of the original invaders who had already wasted in riot and dissipation the lands which they had acquired at the conquest. To these needy and unprincipled chiefs, with their following of knights and vassals, drawn from the scum of the French, Italian, and Flemish cities, the Norman kings gave letters of license to conquer for themselves domains in Wales. These were now engaged in subduing the southern part of that country, under Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke, and had been in a great measure successful. It was to the son of this leader, by name Strongbow, that the traitor Dermot finally made application for assistance in the effort to recover his dominions in Ireland. Strongbow was ruined in fortune, from his past profligacy and dissipation; but he had the reputation of great valour and military skill: he had derived his name (Strongbow) from his brilliant feats in archery. Dermot promised, that if he was restored to his kingdom by Strongbow's aid, he would give him his daughter Eva in marriage, and secure him the inheritance of his kingdom of Leinster. Strongbow assented to these propositions, and, with the permission of the Anglo-Norman sovereign, prepared himself for the invasion of Ireland. Dermot also succeeded in obtaining the aid of other adventurers of rank, among whom were Maurice Fitzgerald and Robert Fitz-Stephen, both thoroughly broken in fortune, and ready to embark in any desperate enterprize. Fitz-Stephen had been confined in jail for three years previous to his release, by Rhees-ap-Griffith, one of the Welsh princes. Dermot promised to these brothers, as an inducement to undertake the enterprise, the perpetual fee of the town of Wexford, with two cantreds of land adjoining. There were also Meiler Fitz-Henry, Maurice de Prendergast, Herve de Montmorais, and some other knights of desperate fortunes, but of considerable military reputation, who were also induced to follow in the train of the invaders. ⚫ Dermot having made these arrangements, set out for Ireland, where he landed elated with hopes of success, and prematurely declared himself. He was soon exposed to the utmost danger, as Roderick O'Connor, the Irish monarch, lost no time in marching against him with a powerful army. Dermot, however, made good his retreat into the fastnesses of Hy-Kinsellagh, a wild district on the banks of the Slaney. Several skirmishes took place between the troops of Dermot and Roderick. But the traitor, anxious only to gain time, at length professedly submitted to the Irish monarch, and gave hostages for his future fealty; renouncing all claim to the government of Leinster, and agreeing to hold a certain portion of territory, on condition of paying annual tribute. In the meantime, he dispatched messengers to Wales, to expedite the arrival The of the adventurers who had promised their assistance. longings of the traitorous renegade were at length gratified; for, in the commencement of May, A.D. 1170, the Norman invaders landed, for the first time, on the shore of Ireland. CHAPTER III. - The Norman army of Invasion Is joined by Dermot-Wexford taken - The Ossorians defeated-Roderick, the Irish monarch, takes alarm-Advances with an army, but makes an ignominious treaty with Dermot and the NormansTerrible massacre of the Irish-Arrival of Strongbow-Marches upon Dublin, which is carried by assault-More incursions and massacres-Dermot dies, and Strongbow succeeds him- Dangers of his position - Confederacy against his power defeated-Causes of the success of the Norman army-Norman and Irish methods of warfare. The BEHOLD, then, the first Norman army on the soil of Ireland! insignificance of the body, indeed, scarcely entitles it to the name ofarmy"; for it numbered only 40 knights, 60 men in coats of mail, and 500 archers! With this force, under the command of Fitz-Stephen and Maurice de Prendergast, (for Strongbow did not accompany the first expedition), the invasion of Ireland was undertaken! The attempt seems to savour of all the crusading folly and madness of the military enterprises of those ages; and yet it succeeded! Had the Irish monarch directed the patriotism and valour of Ireland against the invading force, it would have been crushed with the utmost ease, and the desperate adventurers would never have returned to tell the tale of their rashness and their folly. But alas! it was then the fate of Ireland, always unfortunate, to be embroiled and distracted by contending interests and factions, which paralysed its energies, and tended to demoralise its people. The foreign force was allowed to find a footing, and once gained, they availed themselves of every advantage to extend their power and increase their possessions. As they owed their first hold of power in Ireland to the villainy of a traitor, so they maintained their grasp of it afterwards by a system of relentless cruelty and despotism. The Norman army of 600 men landed on the southern coast of Wexford, at a creek called the Bann, in the beginning of May, 1170. Dermot immediately collected together all the forces he could muster, amounting to not more than 500 men, and hastened to join the invaders. The united forces were immediately marched upon the town of Wexford, then a place of considerable strength and importance, and situated about twelve miles from the place of landing. At the first assault, the invaders were repelled with some loss-the inhabitants defending themselves with great bravery and obstinacy. The impression produced upon the garrison was such * however, that, at the instigation of the clergy, they offered to capitulate; and, after the lapse of three days, Wexford was surrendered to Dermot and his Norman allies. According to promise, Fitz-Stephen and Fitz-Maurice were immediately invested with the lordship of the city and its domain, and grants of land were made to some of the other adventurers who followed in their train. Dermot next proceeded to take revenge on his enemies,-first among whom was Mac-Gilla-Patrick, or Fitz-Patrick, king of Ossory, a monster almost as savage as himself, though high in reputation as a warrior. The Ossorians, entrenching themselves within their morasses and forests, for a time triumphantly repelled all the assaults of Dermot's army; but, drawn out by a feigned retreat of the Normans, in a moment of confusion and of fancied triumph, they were charged by the mounted men-at-arms clad in steel, and a great number of them were cut to pieces. The Ossorians fled, and their country was immediately ravaged with fire and sword by the enemy. But, again rallying, they collected another army, resolved to attack the Normans on their return, and when laden with booty. They took possession of a narrow pass, and would have gained a decisive advantage over the foe, but were again deceived by a feigned retreat, abandoned their position in the fancied pursuit of the flying horsemen, and ere they could recover themselves, great numbers of them were cut to pieces. It is said that the native Irish of Dermot's force, on this occasion, made a fierce slaughter of their countrymen, cutting off the heads of some 300 of them, and laying them at the feet of Dermot as a trophy. It is said that the traitor leaped with delight on viewing these ghastly spoils: discerning among them the head of one of his former persecutors, he indulged his ferocious revenge by lifting it to his mouth by both the ears, and biting off the nose and lips! This second victory was followed by the ravagement of the entire territory of Ossory. - Roderick, the Irish monarch, at length became alarmed for the safety of his kingdom, and prepared to act against the invaders. But he seems to have been a man of little fixity of purpose, too easily swayed by the opinions and influence of others. He convoked a meeting of the princes and nobles of Tara, the site of the traditional glory of Ireland. From thence he marched with a large army to Dublin; but scarcely had he arrived there, than dissension, the curse of Ireland, began to work, and in a few weeks several of the most powerful princes drew off their troops, and returned home. Roderick, nevertheless, proceeded to invest It is alleged that among the motives which disposed them to surrender were some feelings of compunction at the rebellious part they had been led to take against their king,-feelings, which the clergy within the walls would not fail, it is supposed, to encourage, being, like most of their clerical brethren throughout the country, disposed to view with indulgent eyes the enormities of Dermot's career, in consideration of the extent and munificence of his contributions to the church.-MOORE'S HISTORY, vol. ii., p. 215. Ferns with the large army which still remained; but, instead of adopting the bold and energetic policy which the occasion demanded, he opened negociations with the treacherous Dermot and the Norman chiefs; and a treaty was entered into, by which Dermot was recognised as king of Leinster, on the condition of his acknowledging the supremacy of Roderick, and rendering him homage as his subject. Scarcely had this ignominious treaty been concluded, than a new reinforcement of Norman troops arrived from England, and Dermot immediately availed himself of their arrival, to make a ravaging expedition to Dublin, when he compelled the citizens, at the point of the sword, to acknowledge his supremacy. On this occasion, such was the cruelty of Dermot, that the Norman chiefs actually interposed to allay the fury of his vengeance. Elated by his success, the king of Leinster was not merely satisfied with the re-establishment of his own sovereignty, but now openly aimed at the supreme throne itself. With this in view, he again turned to England for help, and renewed his applications to Strongbow. As soon The success of the expedition hitherto was a strong inducement with Strongbow to accede to the repeated requests of Dermot. Having obtained the half-consent of Henry, he prepared for an expedition to Ireland, on a somewhat larger scale than the first. as the season permitted, (A.D. 1171), he sent over Raymond Fitzwilliam, surnamed Le Gros, with ten knights and seventy archers, to secure a landing place for his army. This little body of men was, shortly after their disembarkation at Dundolf, a little below the city of Waterford, attacked by the natives, and placed in circumstances of great danger. The Normans had fortified themselves behind entrenchments of wood and turf, expecting to make good their position until the arrival of Strongbow. A tumultuous force of some 3,000 Irish marched to the attack; but Raymond, driving a great number of cattle against the lines of the besiegers, and charging them before they could recover from their confusion, struck terror into their ranks, and put them completely to the rout. A terrible massacre was the consequence; above 1,000 men were slain in the pursuit, and many more were seized and cast headlong into the sea. Among those who were treated in the latter manner were seventy of the principal inhabitants of Waterford, whose limbs were broken previously to their being hurled from the rocks. The object of this monstrous cruelty was to "strike terror into the Irish"-a policy which the same party has madly pursued through six long centuries of grinding tyranny and wrong. Three months elapsed, and at length Strongbow landed in the neighbourhood, with an army of 1200 men, of whom 200 were knights. Waterford was immediately attacked, and, after a vigorous resistance, was carried by assault. A general slaughter followed, without distinction of rank, or age, or sex. In the midst of this massacre, Dermot arriyed, and the promised marriage of his daughter Eva to Strongbow was forthwith "solemnized," almost in the midst of these revolting scenes of carnage and murder. This first union of England and Ireland, like the last, was perpetrated amid treachery, corruption, bloodshed, and civil war. Á march upon Dublin was immediately thereafter determined on. Roderick, alarmed, again meditated resistance, and assembled an army to resist the invaders; but the sight of the Norman force dissipated their courage, and they dispersed without coming to an engagement. Strongbow accordingly reached Dublin unopposed, and summoned it to surrender; and while the citizens were meditating about terms, the city was suddenly carried by assault. A terrible slaughter of the inhabitants took place, and the city was given up to plunder. An excursion was next made into Meath, which was spoiled and laid waste. Fire, rapine, and murder, everywhere followed in the track of the invaders. Churches and religious houses were burnt down, after being plundered; life was mercilessly sacrificed, without regard to sex or age; and nothing was too sacred or valuable to be for a moment safe from the ravages of the invaders. They returned to Dublin, laden with booty. Roderick, meanwhile, endeavoured to expostulate with Dermot; but it was of no use. Dermot treated the monarch's messengers with contempt; and Roderick, in retaliation, struck off the head of Dermot's natural son, whom he held as a hostage. This completed the alienation of the traitor from the cause of his country. He now bequeathed his dominions to Strongbow, strongly exhorting him to maintain the possession of them; and shortly after, he died, universally detested and abhorred by his countrymen. Strongbow, in defiance of the law of the land, forthwith took possession of the vacant throne of Leinster; but the act was followed by the immediate desertion of his subjects. At the same time, a formidable confederacy of the native Irish, aided by the Danes of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man, was formed against his government. They invested Dublin with an army amounting, it is said, to 30,000 men; and now Strongbow deemed himself on the brink of ruin. Wexford had "rebelled" (as the resistance to foreign oppression was, even in these early days, invariably termed), and destroyed the Norman garrison left to guard the town. Defection was now universal, and there wanted but a single combined effort to crush the adventurers' power, and sweep them from the land. Strongbow, after enduring a two months' siege, offered to treat with Roderick, who refused to enter into any terms, unless the Normans consented forthwith to leave the island. The besieged, rather than tamely submit to such terms, determined on a desperate assault of the Irish camp. They succeeded; and the besieging army fled terror-stricken, almost without striking a blow. Thus, in a few hours, was the aspect of affairs completely changed, and the chains of the foreigner, which seemed about to be rent asunder, C |