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here, would censiblye perceive the enormityes of this overthrowene churche, and easelye prescribe orders, for the repaier and vpholdinge of the same, whiche I hope God would confirme; and I fynde no difficultie, but that your officer here might execute the same; cawse the bisshopps of that your realme, to vndertake this apostleshipp, and that upon their owne chardgies: they be riche enoughe, and if either they be thankefull to your majestie, for your immence bountye donne to theim, or zealous to jncrease the christian flocke, they will not refuce this honourable and religious travell; and I will vndertake their guydinge and gardinge honorablye, and safelye from place to place: the great desier that I have, to have soche from thence, is, for that I hope to fynde theim, not onely grave in judgement but voyd of affection.

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I most humblye beseache your majestie to accept theise my rude letters, as figures of a zealous mynde for reformation of this your churche and countrie; wherein me thinketh I woorke waywardlye, when the latter is preferred before the former. When I had thus come to an ende of this my evil scriblid lettre, and beheld the illegiable lynes, and ragged lettres of myne owne staggering hand, I was ashamed to suffer the same to be sent to your majestie, but made my man to write it out agayne; for whiche I most humblye crave pardon, as for the rest of this my tedious peticion. And thus, from the bottome of my harte, wisshing to your majestie the longe contynuance of your most prosperous and godlye

reigne over vs, your most happie subjectes: as a most faythfull and obedient servaunt, I recommend myself, and service, to your most excellent majestie. From your highnes castell of Dublin, this xxviiith of April, 1576, your majesties faythfull, humble and obediaunt servaunt, H. Sydney.

Fitz-William having assumed the reins of government, with at least a tacit permission, to seize every opportunity of rewarding his pretended services at the expence of the Irish, soon found one to his taste. Several ships, belonging to the Spanish armada, had been driven to the coast of Ireland, where the Spaniards were hospitably entertained, as kinsmen. The strangers, it may be presumed, gave presents to their kind hosts, which were magnified by report into treasures. The bare rumour of these imaginary riches fired the cupidity of the deputy, who forthwith issued a commission for search, claiming what could be got, in the name of the queen. The commissioners for searching having failed in their inquest for hidden gold, Fitz-William, like the fox in the proverb, determined to seek in person the secreted love, and make trial of the powers of his olfactory nerves, in detecting by scent the produce of Potosi. Away he marched, at the head of an armed force, to the great expence of the state, and annoyance to the country; where all the exertions avidity could devise, and tyranny execute, having proved ineffectual, he resolved to wreak his disappointment on the hap3 s

VOL. I.

less natives. Irish cows could not be so commodiously concealed as Spanish doubloons; why should not the former recompense the loss of the latter? That he might not return empty-handed, without performing any act of prowess worthy of his expensive expedition, he seized on Sir Owen Mac Toole, father-in-law to the earl of Tyrone, and Sir John O'Dogherty, gentlemen of rank, property, and known attachment to English government, and confined them in durance vile in the castle of Dublin. In vain they pleaded their services, and Mac Toole shew his patent for a pension of two hundred a-year (near two thousand of our present currency,) as tests of their loyalty; one was not released from bondage, till on the point of death, and O'Dogherty was obliged to purchase his enlargement by a considerable bribe of Irish cows.

This unworthy treatment of men, respected both by the English and Irish parties, drew on the barbarous deputy merited and general abhorrence. All the Irish lords, however, reputed, or in fact well affected to the English government, began to tremble for their own safety. Many began to repent of their submissions, and those who held, aloof could now boast their superior prudence, which taught them to put no confidence in English faith, and to consider a watchful defensive the only safeguard against the ruthless oppression of a faithless and natural

enemy.

This shameless violation of all law and public faith, by the government, and all its officers,

down to the sheriff, who, with his posse of strumpets and robbers, laid waste the country, outraging the feelings of a religious people, by openly violating the chastity of their wives and daughters, seasoning the atrocity of tyranny with the still more galling sauce of contempt, were sufficient to rouse a more lethargic, a less warlike people than the Milesians; but they were divided, three-fourths of the country lay prostrate, and the English power in Ireland had waxed formidable, through its own dissentions, and had the power of England ready at hand to support it. After the dispersion and defeat of the Spanish armada, Spain was no longer dreaded in England, and was looked to from Ireland with less sanguine hopes. Now Elizabeth's council, like the rest of their countrymen, entertaining a mean opinion of the Irish, judged the conquest of the remaining fourth of Ireland an easy task, having the other three fourths in their hands. The sentence of extermination, pronounced against the Milesians by their popish predecessors, facilitated and aided by their alliance with the see of Rome, it was now resolved should be put in execution, despite of the Holy Father, and to gratify the hot zeal of the queen, for the extinction of the catholic faith, to which the antient Irish adhered with an obstinacy that rendered them detestable to her.

Because the experiments hitherto tried, on the patience of the suffering Irish, of vigor beyond law, of vigor contrary to all law, had not succeeded to rouse to war, more deeds of lawless

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violence, sanctified by indemnity, must be employed, to exasperate the ulcerated feelings of discontent into the alarm and terror of despair. When submission afforded no security for life or property, and would be treated as cowardice; while the hazards of war, not more perilous, would at least rescue their honor from that imputation, perhaps free them for ever from a horrid yoke. These were the feelings, and the reasonings of the parties, concerned in this unequal contest, when the sanguinary rapacious wolf, Fitz-William, accelerated the pending catastrophe. And, as if the secret fire of disaffection were not sufficiently kindled in the northern province, Fitz-William by his intemperate conduct seemed to court every occasion of enflaming it. Mac-Mahon, chieftain of the district called Monaghan, had surrendered his country held by tainistry to the queen, and received a re-grant thereof, under the broad seal of England, to him and his heirs male, and in default of such heirs, to his brother Hugh. As he died without issue, this brother petitioned to be admitted to his inheritance. He is said to have promised a considerable bribe in order to facilitate his suit; and to his failure of payment it was imputed, that he was for some days imprisoned, on his arrival at Dublin. Fitz-William, however, was prevailed upon to promise that he would settle him in peaceable possession of his inheritance, and for this purpose that he meant to go in person into Monaghan. But scarcely had he arrived thither, when he eagerly received a new accusa

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