ground for supposing that he acted from an unworthy motive. We have no reason to think that his intentions were other than the religious ones he expresses, or that they were not wholly opposed to the ambitious views of the English monarch; and we know how utterly the conditions specified in the bull were disregarded in the Anglo-Norman invasion and subsequent government of Ireland. Some show of fulfilling these conditions was necessary, and hence the pretended reform of the Irish church, which the synod of Cashel was summoned to effect. We have enumerated the decrees of that synod to shew in what the reform consisted. The prelates assembled at Cashel, and who acted only from a sense of duty, joined in a report or wrote letters for transmission to the then pope, Alexander III., and it would appear that whatever faults were laid to the charge of the Irish were, in this document or documents, neither diminished nor excused. The Archdeacon of Llandaff accompanied this report by a more ample one, in which the representations as to the vices of the people, the power and magnanimity of the king, and the salutary effect which his authority had already produced, were no doubt highly colored. Just as Adrian's letter had been granted to Henry before that prince's vicious character was developed, and before he had begun to wage war on the church in England; so had the same unprincipled and hypocritical monarch contrived to expiate his crimes in the eyes of the pope and to exhibit himself as an humble son of the church before Alexander was called upon to interpose in his favor. Hence, appeased by the king's submission, which was the humblest and seemingly the most contrite possible, and with the bull of his predecessor, Adrian, and the reports he had just received from Ireland before him, the sovereign pontiff was induced to confirm the former grant. At the same time he issued three other letters, dated September 20th, one addressed to Henry himself, approv ing of his proceedings; another to "the kings and princes of Hibernia," commending them for their "voluntary" and "prudent" submission to Henry, admonishing them to preserve unshaken the fealty which they had sworn to him, and expressing joy at the prospect of peace and tranquillity for their country, "with God's help, through the power of the same king." The third letter was addressed to the four archbishops of Ireland and their suffragans; and in it the pope refers to the information which he had received from "other reliable sources," as well as from their communications relative to "the enormous vices with which the Irish people were infected;" he designates that people as "barbar. ous, rude, and ignorant of the divine law;" rejoices at the improvement

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SPOLIATION OF THE IRISH.

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which had already begun to manifest itself in their manners; and exhorts and commands the prelates to use all diligence in promoting and maintaining a reform so happily commenced, and in taking care that the fidelity plighted to the king should not be violated. Such is the history of those famous papal grants, of which sectarian industry as well as wounded national feelings, has greatly magnified the importance and misrepresented the origin.

Besides the synod of Cashel, which was convoked for ecclesiastical purposes, a council was held about this time at Lismore, in which it was decreed that the laws and customs of England should be introduced into Ireland, for the use of the British subjects settling there. The native Irish, however, still lived under their own laws and traditional usages; but the protection and benefits of English law were extended in process of time to five Irish septs or families, who in the law documents of the period are called the "five bloods." These were the O'Neills of Ulster, the O'Melaghlins of Meath, the O'Conors of Connaught, the O'Briens of Thomond, and the MacMurroughs of Leinster. It was several hundred years later, namely, in the reign of James I., when English law was extended to Ireland in general, and even then it was found necessary to modify it for the purpose of adaptation.

Henry made a new grant of the principality of Leinster to Strongbow, subject to the feudal conditions of homage and military service. He appointed Hugh de Lacy justiciary of Ireland, and granted him the. territory of Meath, to be held by similar feudal service. A large territory in the south of Ireland was conferred about this time on FitzGerald, the ancestor of the earls of Desmond; and thus was commenced, on a large scale, that wholesale confiscation by which the land of Ireland was taken indiscriminately from its ancient possessors, and granted, without any show of title, to the Anglo-Norman adventurers. This was only a repetition of what had taken place in England itself on the conquest of that country by William the Norman. The Saxons incurred the contempt of their invaders from the facility with which they suffered themselves to be subdued, and their property was everywhere confiscated; so that the Saxon element in the English character affords, historically speaking, no ground for national boasting. The descendants of the plunderers, equally rapacious, found a new field for spoliation in Ireland, and carried out their old system there with a total

These three letters, which escaped the attention of preceding Irish historians, are published in Mr. O'Callaghan's Macariæ Excidium, p. 225, et seq., and again from another source in the Appendix to that learned and laborious work.

disregard of both mercy and justice. Subduing a territory generally signi fied among the ancient Irish only a transitory act of plunder or the exact ing of hostages. With the Anglo-Normans of the days of Henry II. and of after times, to obtain superiority of power in a country, whether by conquest or otherwise, signified, on the contrary, the complete transfer to themselves of every foot of land in the country, and the plunder, and, if possible, extermination of its ancient population.

Nor did the church of Ireland fare better than the laity, notwithstanding the provision of Pope Adrian's bull, that it should be preserved intact and inviolate. Giraldus Cambrensis, describing what he witnessed himself, and certainly without any friendly leaning towards the Irish, says "The miserable clergy are reduced to beggary in the island. The cathedral churches mourn, having been robbed by the aforesaid persons (the leading adventurers) and others along with them, or who came over after them, of the lands and ample estates, which had been formerly granted to them faithfully and devoutly. And thus the exalting of the church has been changed into the despoiling or plundering of the church." And again he confesses that "while we (the Anglo-Normans) conferred nothing on the church of Christ in our new principality, we not only did not think it worthy of any important bounty, or of due honor; but even, having immediately taken away the lands and possessions, have exerted ourselves either to mutilate or abrogate its former dignities and ancient privileges.'

Besides the princely rewards bestowed on Hugh de Lacy, as already mentioned, he was also appointed lord constable; Strongbow is supposed to have borne the dignity of lord marshal; the office of high steward or seneschal was conferred on Sir Bertram de Vernon; and Sir Theobald Walter, ancestor of the earls of Ormonde, was appointed to the then high office of king's butler, whence his descendants derived their family name. By the creation of these and other offices the king organised a system of colonial government in Ireland.

Intercourse with England having been for a long while interrupted by tempestuous weather, Henry, while at Wexford, whither he had removed from Dublin, at length received alarming intelligence, to the effect that an investigation relative to the murder of St. Thomas à Becket was proceeding by the pope's orders in Normandy, and that if he did not speedily appear there to defend himself, his dominions were threatened with an interdict. He accordingly prepared to depart from Ireland without waiting to complete his arrangements there, and

* Hib. Expug. as quoted by Dr. Lanigan. Eccl Hist., vol. iv. p. 256.

HENRY RETURNS TO ENGLAND.

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sailed on Easter Monday, April 17th. On landing the same day in Wales, he went as a pilgrim to St. David's church, and thence hastened to Normandy, where he humbled himself in the presence of the papal legates and of the bishops and barons; sparing no humiliation to purge himself of his crimes in the eyes of the sovereign pontiff, who thus, as we have already seen, became reconciled to him.

The city of Dublin was granted by Henry to the inhabitants of Bristol, and Hugh de Lacy left as governor, with Maurice FitzGerald and Robert FitzStephen to assist him, each of the three having a guard of twenty knights. The city of Waterford was given in charge to Humphry de Bohen, who had under him Robert FitzBernard and Hugh de Gundeville, with a company of twenty knights; while Wexford was committed to William FitzAdelm, whose lieutenants were Philip de Hastings and Philip de Breuse, with a similar guard. Henry also ordered strong castles to be built without delay in these towns; and thus, after a six months' stay in Ireland, did he abandon that unhappy country as a prey to a host of greedy, upstart adventurers, whom he enriched with its spoils, that they might have an interest in defending their common plunder.

P

CHAPTER XIX.

REIGN OF HENRY II. CONTINUED.

Death of Tiernan O'Rourke and treachery of the Invaders.-Strongbow's Expedi tion to Offaly, and Defeat.-The Earl called to Normandy.-His speedy Return. -Dissensions among the Anglo-Normans.-Raymond's Popularity with the Army.-His Spoliations in Offaly and Lismore.-His Ambition and Withdrawal from Ireland.-An English Army cut to pieces at Thurles.-Raymond's Return and Marriage.-Roderic's Expedition to Meath.-The Bulls Promulgated--Limerick Captured by Raymond.-Serious Charges against him. -His Success at Cashel, and Submission of O'Brien.-Treaty between Roderic and Henry II.-Attempt to Murder St. Laurence O'Toole.-Death of St. Gelasius.-Episode of the Blessed Cornelius.-Raymond le Gros in Desmond.Hostile Proceedings of Donnell O'Brien.-Death of Strongbow.-His Character. Massacre of the Invaders at Slane.-De Courcy's Expedition to Ulster.Conduct of Cardinal Vivian.-Battles with the Ulidians-Supposed Fulfilment of Prophecies.-The Legate's Proceedings in Dublin.-De Cogan's Expedition to Connaught, and Retreat.-John made King of Ireland.Grants by Henry to the Adventurers.

(A.D. 1172 TO A.D. 1178.)

'ROURKE, to whom the territory of east Meath had been given by the monarch, Roderic, on the expulsion of the usurper O'Melaghlin, called Donnell of Bregia, in 1169, did not submit without remonstrance to the encroachments of Hugh De Lacy; who, by no other title than that which he obtained from the king of England, claimed the whole of the ancient kingdom of Meath as his property; and a conference was arranged between them shortly after the departure of Henry. The interview took place at Tlachtgha, now the Hill of Ward, near Athboy, and it was settled that the two chieftains should meet alone and unarmed on the summit of the hill. The Irish prince had left the party of foot