the cause, and means, which were found and devised to make me commit folly, shall be known to her highness, I rest in an assured hope, that her most gracious majesty will think of me as my heart deserveth; as also of those, who wrung me into undutifulness. From my heart, I am sorry that folly, bad counsels, slights, or any other things, have made me to forget my duty; and therefore, I am most desirous to get conference with your lordship, to the end I may open and declare to you how tyrannously I was used; humbly craving, that you will vouchsafe to appoint some time, and place, where and when I may attend your honor; and then I doubt not to make it appear, how dutiful a mind I carry; how faithfully I have, at my own charge, served her majesty, before I was proclaimed; how sorrowful I am for my offences, and how faithfully I am affected ever hereafter to serve her majesty; and so I commit your lordship to God.

(Subscribed,) GIRALD DESMOND."

Whether the conference so earnestly desired in this letter was obtained, or not, does not appear. We only know," that Kelly, of Morierta, (of whom the earl of Ormond had taken assurance of his fighting against the rebels) with twenty-five of his kearn, did in the night-time assault the earl of Desmond in his cabin, then deserted by all his friends. Kelly entering the hut found that all were fled, but one man of venerable aspect, stretched languidly before a fire. The leader assailed, and wounded him. He exclaimed, " Spare me, for I am the earl of Desmond."* Kelly smote off his head, and brought

4 Carte's Ormond, vol. i.

Leland's Hist. of Ir. vol. ii. p. 288.

The Irish annalists, and other catholic writers, do not scruple to say, That the vengeance of God was signal in this event,” on account of this earl's having committed great cruelties on his taking of Youghall, “ which he gave up to plunder, not sparing even the churches, and whatsoever was sacred, which his soldiers polluted and defiled, bringing every thing to utter confusion and desolation, and making havock, as well of sacred vestments and chalices, as of any other chattel. Certain Spaniards, adds my author, who were with them, at that wicked exploit, perceiving by the furniture and ornaments of the churches that the town's-men were all catholics, and containing their hands from plunder, were reproved by some of that wicked company, for that they took not part of the spoil, as others did but they answered, that they ought not to rob or spoil better christians than themselves; and one of the said Spaniards cut his cloak,

it to the earl of Ormond; by whom it was conveyed to the queen, and impaled on London-bridge."*

Upon the attainder of this earl, and his confederates, not less than 574,628 acres of land, English measure, fell to the crown, and were disposed of by queen Elizabeth, to English undertakers.t

5 Morrisson's History, fol. 4.

as St. Martin did, in five parts, and distributed the same upon five children, that were stripped of their cloaths, and left naked by some of the kearns."-Theatre of Catholic and Protestant Religion, p. 436.

"The earl of Desmond," says Morrisson, " flying into the woods, was there in a cottage killed, and his head cut off; being, as they say, betrayed by his own followers; wherein the Ulster-men challenge an honor of faithfulness to their lords above those of Munster; for, in the following wars, none of them could be induced, by fear or reward, to lay hands on their reverenced O'Nial."-Hist. of Ireland. f. 4.

"Desmond was then forsaken by every body, save four persons, viz. a priest, two horse-men, and a boy, with whom he wandered from one lurking place to another."-Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. lv.

After Desmond's death, and the entire suppression of his rebellion, unheard-of cruelties were committed on the provincials of Munster (his supposed former adherents) by the English commanders. Great companies of these provincials, men, women and children, were often forced into castles and other houses, which were then set on fire. And if any of them attempted to escape from the flames, they were shot or stabbed, by the soldiers, who guarded them. It was a diversion to these monsters of men, to take up infants on the point of their spears, and whirl them about in their agony; apologizing for their cruelty by saying, that "if they suffered them to grow to live up, they would become popish rebels." Many of their women were found hanging on trees, with their children at their breasts, strangled with the mother's hair."-Lombard. Comment. de Hibern. p. 535, &c.

It must not be forgot that this earl of Ormond thought proper to represent his own right, on that melancholy occasion, to the lands lately possessed by this earl of Desmond; his mother being sole daughter and heir to James, earl of Desmond, and heir general to all his estate; though he had been kept out of possession by the power of the late earls, who had forfeited. He desired that his right might be saved, so far as was warranted by law; and he prevailed so far, that 3000 acres in Tipperary, and a great tract of poor land in Kerry, part of the estate, were assigned to him." Cart. Orm. vol. i. fol. Ivii.—Hence we may probably conjecture the reason of his prosecuting the war against him with such unrelenting vigour.

“Desmond, and about an hundred and forty of his accomplices were attainted; and their estates and honors declared forfeit to the queen.

That queen having long determined to send James, the only son and heir of this earl of Desmond, (who, as we have observed, from his infancy had been kept a prisoner in the tower, as a pledge of his father's loyalty) to Ireland, in hopes that his presence there would draw off his father's followers from James Fitzthomas, who had usurped the title of Desmond, and gave her majesty's forces much opposition, did, in the year 1600, put that design in execution. The young earl landed at Youghall, October 14th, and was conducted from thence, by captain Price, to the president of Munster at Moyallo; the captain presented him to his lordship, together with her majesty's letter, and letters patent under the great seal of England, for his restitution in blood and honor.

"The lord president of Munster, in order to make trial of the affections of the earl's kindred and followers, consented, at his own request, that he should make a journey from Moyallo into the county of Limerick; the earl came to Kilmallock of a Saturday in the evening; and by the way, and at his entrance into the town, there was a mighty concourse of people, insomuch, that all the streets, doors, and windows, yea, the very gutters, and tops of houses were filled with them; and they welcomed him with all expressions and signs of joy; every one throwing upon him wheat and salt, according to an ancient ceremony used in that province. That night, the earl was invited to sup with sir George Thornton, and although he had a guard of soldiers, who made a lane from his lodgings to sir George's house, yet the confluence of people was so great, that he could not, in half an hour, make his passage through the crowd. After supper, he had the same encounters in his return to his lodgings. The next day being Sunday, the earl went to church to hear divine service; and all the way his countrymen used loud and rude dehortations to keep him from church; unto which he lent a deaf ear; but after service and the sermon were ended, the earl coming forth

6 Pacata Hibernia, fol. 90.

These estates were offered to the younger sons of Englishmen at threepence, in some places two-pence per acre, to commence at the end of three years; and for three years more, half only of the stipulated rent was to be paid." Lel. Hist. vol. ii. p. 301.—“ None of the native Irish were to be admitted among their tenantry."--Id. ib.

of the church, was railed at and spit upon, by those, that before his going to church, were so desirous to see and salute him; insomuch, as after that public profession of his religion, the town was cleared of the multitude of strangers; and the earl, from thence forwards, might walk as quietly and freely, and as little in effect followed, or regarded, as any other private gentleman; nor did any of his father's followers, except some of the meanest sort of freeholders, after that resort unto him."*

As nothing can excuse the barbarous incivility of these Irish to the young earl of Desmond on that occasion, so this passage furnishes no ill proof of the mistaken policy of the then government of Ireland, which consisted in proselyting by force or seduction to the established religion, the heirs of the principal Irish families, with a view of drawing their followers and dependents after them. "For the truth is," as my author' well observes in the same place," the young earl's religion, being a protestant, was the only cause that bred this coyness in them all: for, if he had been a Roman catholic, the hearts and knees of all degrees in the province, would have bowed unto him."

CHAP. VII.

Lord deputy Mountjoy's and lord Verulam's opinions of the government of Ireland in 1602.

AND, indeed, all thinking men saw and regretted, that the policy of the government of Ireland, at this juncture, was as weak as it was wicked. Lord' deputy Mountjoy, in a letter to

• "This young earl seeing how much he was deceived in his hopes (for he supposed that all his father's followers would have relied upon him, and obeyed his directions) embarked for England on the 22d of March following, and so to court; where, after a few months, he died. The letters patent, which her majesty had granted for his restoration, the president never delivered unto him, according to his directions; for he had caution from her majesty, unless his services, or services done for his sake, should merit the same; of both which there was but weak and slender performance.”—Pacat, Hibern. fol. 122.

the lords of the council in England, seems to impute to its fraud and severity, the continuance of the war even to this time. "All the Irish" says he, "that are now obstinate, are so only out of their diffidence to be safe in any forgiveness; and though they are weary of the war, they are unwilling to have it ended, for fear lest, upon a peace, there would ensue a severe reformation of religion. They have the ancient swelling, and desire of liberty, in their countrymen, to work upon; their fear to be rooted out, and to have their old faults punished upon particular discontents; and generally all over the kingdom, their fear of a persecution for religion;† the least of which, alone, have been many times sufficient to drive the best and most quiet states into sudden confusion." Nay, he even seemed to apprehend, that these fears, and their diffidence to be safe in any forgiveness, "would keep all spirits from settling, breed new combinations,

"When some one, who hath been a bad member, pardoned by your majesty, hath heard himself exclaimed upon to be a notable thief after his pardon; and hath simply come in, without any bonds, or any enforcement, to an open session, to take his trial by your majesty's laws, if any could ac◄ cuse him; notwithstanding his coming in after this manner, there hath been order given, without any trial at all, for the execution of him. And so he hath lost his life, to the great dishonor of your majesty, and discredit of your laws. And this dishonest practice has been by consent of your deputies."-Lee's memorial to queen Elizabeth, MSS. College Library.

+"All the Irish chieftains, in their treaties of submission, concurred in the same general demands of a free exercise of religion."—Leland's History of Ireland, vol. ii. p. 335.

"When there have been notable traitors in arms against your majesty," says the before-mentioned memorialist, "and sums of money offered for their heads, yet could by no means be compassed, they have in the end, of their own accord, made means for their pardon, and have put in sureties for their good behavior, offering to do great service, which they have accordingly performed, to the contentment of the state; and thereupon received pardon, and have put in sureties for their good behaviour, and to be answerable at all times, at assizes and sessions, when they should be called. Yet, notwithstanding, there have been secret commissions given for the murdering of those men. They have been often set upon by the sheriffs of shires, to whom the commissions were directed, in sundry of which shires, some of them have been killed, and others have hardly escaped. And, after all this, they have simply come, without pardon or protection, to submit themselves to your majesty's laws, where they have been put to their trial, upon several indictments, of all which they have been acquitted, and set at liberty."-Lee's memorial to the queen. Desid. Curios. Hib. vol. i. p. 92.