tion, succeeded; though not without the loss of the life of one of O'Donnel's companions, and the extreme danger of his own. It was upon his arrival in Ulster, after this escape, that he entered into the before-mentioned combination with Tirone, being then not more than twenty years old. The queen' was much displeased that her commands, with respect to Tirone, were not executed; and the lords of the English council sharply rebuked the deputy for having so easily suffered him to escape out of his hands. And although sir William Russel afterwards frequently invited him, in the most soothing manner, to come to Dublin, he could never be again prevailed upon, by any promise of safety, to put himself in his power; but immediately betook himself to open acts of hostility: the first of which was, (after having defeated a large body of the queen's forces) his assaulting and demolishing in the year 1595, the fort of Black Water, which was built upon the passage into Tirone." In this victory, says Borlase," the like of which, the Irish never gained, since the English first set foot in Ireland, Tirone's implacable enemy, Marshal Bagnal,† with others, was slain.” In this action, one of the queen's soldiers, by accident, set fire to a barrel of gun-powder, and that set fire to a number of others ranged along the line. The explosion was terrible, and destroyed a great number of the queen's men; and the remains of the defeated army marched back to Ardmagh in disorder. 12 The several submissions which he afterwards made, with ap The earl of Tirene ordered, that the dead of the enemy should be interred. Two thousand five hundred were left, with their general, on the field of battle: among whom were 18 captains, and many other gentlemen, whose names were unknown. About this time, one hundred and forty-four barrels of gun-powder, sent from the queen to Dublin, were stored in Winetavern-street, and took fire by accident, on the 13th of March. Numbers were lost, and that part of the town greatly damaged by the explosion.—Irish Annals. "Tirone put Marshal Bagnal's (his sworn enemy) whole army to the rout; for thirteen valiant commanders, and fifteen hundred common soldiers, were slain at this skirmish: and soon after the fort of Black Water was yielded up."-Baker's Chron. f. 387. parent sincerity, were but of short duration; because the conditions promised him on these occasions, were never fulfilled; of which breach of articles he frequently complained; but was only answered,13 "that the benefit of his pardon was so great, that it should have counterpoised his wrongs, and still kept him in his duty." The report which Lee, in his memorial to queen Elizabeth, makes of Tirone's loyalty, power, and services, is extremely remarkable. For mentioning the designs of his enemies, "Let," says he, "those devices take effect, or otherwise have him cut off, your majesty's whole kingdom there would moan it most pitifully; for there was never man bred in those parts, who hath done your majesty greater service than he, with often loss of his blood, upon notable enemies of your majesty; yea, more often than all the other nobles of Ireland. And what quietness your majesty has had these many years past, in the northern parts of that kingdom, its neither your forces there placed (which have been but small,) nor their great service who commanded them, but only the honest disposition, and carriage of the earl, hath made them obedient in these parts to your majesty.* If he were so bad as they would fain enforce, as many as know him, and the strength of his country, will witness thus much with me, that he might very easily cut off many of your majesty's forcės, which are laid in garrison in small troops, in divers parts bordering upon his country; yea, and over-run all your English pale, to the utter ruin thereof; yea, and camp, as long as should please him, under the walls of Dublin, for any strength your majesty hath yet in that kingdom to remove him,"† 14 13 Mor. Hist. 14 Lee's Memorial, MSS. See Append. No. 1. * Her majesty had created him an earl, on account of his former services, but on this occasion, “ he shook off,” says lord Mountjoy, " that title as a badge of his bondage, and reassumed that of O’Nial, with which name," adds his lordship, "and not the title of Tirone, he did much mischief; for believe me, the titles of our honors do rather weaken, than strengthen them in this country."-Morris. Hist. f. 276. ↑ Secretary Cecil, in a private letter to lord deputy Mountjoy, on this occasion, says," that if Tirone was sure to be pardoned, and live in any security, with the quality of any greatness, such was his weariness of his misery, (and so of the rest) he would be made one of the best instruments in that kingdom."-Morrisson, f. 236. "The rebels forces," says Borlase, “when Tirone was prochimed a traitor, amounted to 1000 horse, and 6280 foot, in Ulster; and 2300 in Connaught; all at Tirone's beck: whereas before, 800 foot, and 300 horse, were esteemed, on the government's side, an invincible army." CHAP. VI. Desmond's insurrection. THE Earl of Desmond's vast estate in the province of Munster, was a strong temptation to the chief governors of Ireland to make, or proclaim him a rebel, their prey being insured to them, in either case, by his forfeiture.* And, indeed, it doth not appear, that this earl, before he was proclaimed, had committed any overt act of treason; unless his private family quarrels with the Earl of Ormond, about their respective powers and limits, can be deemed such.† About a month before he was proclaimed, his countess had delivered up their only son, together with Patrick O'Haly, bishop of Mayo, and Con. O'Rourke, a Franciscan friar, both nobly descended, (who had fled to her for protection) to sir William Drury, lord justice at Limerick, as pledges of the earl's loyalty; nor can I 15 Reduct. of Ireland, p. 175-6. Sir William Drury, president of Munster, first attacked him on his own estate in the county of Kerry," altho' king Edward III. made Kerry a county palatine, and granted to the earls of Desmond, all the royal liberties, which the king of England had in that county, excepting four pleas, viz. of burning, rape, forestall, and treasure-trove."-Baker's Chronicle, f. 352. ' "Desmond," says the same historian, “ possessed whole countries, together with the county palatine of Kerry, and had of his own name and race at least five hundred gentlemen at his command; all whom, and his own life also, he lost within the space of three years, very few of the house being left alive."-Id. ib. fol. 361. + " Ormond's relation to the earl of Desmond," says Carte, " did not extinguish the animosity between the two families. The quarrel was renewed with so much violence, that on February 1, 1564-5, a bloody conflict happened between them at Affane, in the county of Waterford, in which Desmond was routed, and 280 of his men killed. Great part of Munster was wasted on occasion of this quarrel.”—Life of Ormond, vol. i. f. liii. find, that any thing but meer suspicion was then alleged against him, and that only because he refused or delayed, to draw out his forces against his brother John of Desmond, who appeared in arms against the queen.' "Whilst he held off," says the bishop of Chicester, "with delays, and delusions, he was declared a traitor, in the beginning of December, 1579; after which proclamation, the chief justice Drury appointed the war to be prosecuted against him, by the Earl of Ormond." But certainly, such suspicion ought, in all equitable judgment, to have been removed, by his consenting to have his only son delivered up as a pledge of his future loyalty; who, though but an infant, was carried to London, and detained a prisoner in the tower there, for many years after. The bishop and friar delivered up on the same account, were both executed by Drury's order. It is no small confirmation of the earl's being previously innocent of any overt act of treason, that when it was resolved in council to proclaim him a traitor; the lords Gormanstown and Delvin refused to sign the proclamation, with the other counsellors, for which they incurred her majesty's displeasure.† 1 Bishop of Chichester's Thankful Remembrance, p. 43. 2 Abbe Geoghegan's History of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 434. "When the earl of Desmond attended Drury's summons to Kilmallock, with a well appointed company of horse and foot, he was committed to custody on bare suspicion; but, upon making the most solemn promises of loyalty and fidelity, he obtained his liberty, retired from the camp, but refused to attend the deputy; and, therefore, was still considered as a favorer of foreign invaders, and their cause. Upon this bare suspicion, Malby attacked his town of Rathkeal. This the earl considered as an unprovoked, and unwarrantable attempt, which he was justified in repelling. Malby prepares to reduce his castles, but Drury's death prevents him. Desmond was now summoned by sir William Pelham (Drury's successor); he refused to comply, but still professed his loyalty. He was then ordered to deliver up one of his castles, as a pledge of his fidelity (his son was delivered up as such before); his answer consisted of complaints of injuries. He was therefore, by proclamation, declared a traitor, if within twenty days he should not submit. In the mean time, his territories were, purposely, made the seat of war, and exposed to all the ravages of a necessitous army. Desmond, in revenge, appeared before the town of Youghall, took it, cut off a detachment sent to its relief; and, then first declared for the catholic cause."-See Leland's History of Ireland, vol. ii. from p. 259 to 277. "The bills (says Dr. Leland) proposed for the attainder of the earl of Desmond, and his adherents, were not received without difficulty, and opposition."--History of Ireland, vol. ii. p. 300. But whatever excesses Desmond committed after he was proclaimed, it is most certain, that he sorely* regretted them; as appears by the following letter, written to the earl of Ormond; who, though his near relation, had long been his rival and enemy, and was now appointed his judge.t 66 MY LORD,3 "Great is my grief, when I think how heavily her majesty is bent to disfavour me; and, howbeit I carry the name of an undutiful subject, yet God knoweth, that my heart, and mind, are always most loyally inclined to serve my most loving prince, so as it may please her highness to remove her displeasure from me. As I may not condemn myself of disloy alty to her majesty, so I cannot excuse my faults, but must confess I have incurred her majesty's indignation; yet when 3 Scrinia Sacra. * Desmond now saw his whole extent of territory ravaged and depopu lated without mercy; and, like an abject outlaw, was compelled to take shelter in his woods. His miserable vassals were abandoned to daily slaughter, or to the still more horrid calamity of famine. When, at the time that their lives were spared, they were frequently bereft of all means of support. Hook assures us, that they were seen following the army, with their wives and children; and begging that all might be rescued from their miseries by the sword, rather than thus condemned to waste in famine."In this dismal situation of the once great earl of Desmond, "his countes fell upon her knees before the lord deputy, and with tears, petitioned, but in vain, that her husband should be received to mercy. His force, as a rebel, was now too inconsiderable, and his possessions to be forfeited, were of too princely an extent for the queen's ministers to admit of pardon or submission."-Leland, ib. vol. ii. p. 278-9. ↑ Spencer's description of the calamities brought on the people of Munster by this war, is really shocking. “Notwithstanding,” says he, “that the same was a most rich, and plentiful country, full of corn and cattle.-Yet, ere one year and a-half, they were brought to such wretchedness, as that any stony heart would rue the same. Out of every corner of the woods and glynns, they came creeping forth upon their hands, for their legs could not bear them; they looked like anatomies of death; they spake like ghosts crying out of their graves, they did eat the dead carrions, happy were they could find them, yea, and one another soon after: insomuch, as the very carcasses they spared not to scrape out of their graves, and, if they found a plot of watercresses or shamrocks, there they flocked as to a feast for the time, yet not able to continue there withal; that, in short space, there was none almost left, and a most populous and plentiful country suddenly left. void of man and beast.--State of Ireland. p. 158. D |