however her Majesty desired him to stay he was her slave, he would do all which she would have him do; he would only ask in return that her Majesty would give him a gentlewoman for a wife such as he and she might agree upon;' and he begged that he might be allowed -the subtle flatterer-to attend on the Lord Robert; 'that he might learn to ride after the English fashion, to run at the tilt, to hawk, to shoot, and use such other good exercises as the said good lord was most apt unto." He had touched the Queen where she was most susceptible, yet he lost his labour. She gave him no English lady, she did not let him go. At length the false dealing produced its cruel fruit, the murder of the boy who was used as the pretext for delay. Sent for to England, yet prevented from obeying the command, the young Baron of Dungannon was waylaid at the beginning of April in a wood near Carlingford April. by Tirlogh O'Neil. He fled for his life with the murderers behind him till he reached the bank of a deep river which he could not swim, and there he was killed.2. The crime could not be traced to Shan. His rival was gone, and there was no longer any cause to be pleaded; while he could appeal to the wild movements of his clan as an evidence of the necessity of his presence among them. The council were frightened. O'Neil promised largely, and Elizabeth persuaded herself to believe him. 1 Shan O'Neil to Elizabeth, March: Irish MSS. She durst not imprison him; she could no longer detain him except by open force: she preferred to bribe him into allegiance by granting him all that he desired. The earldom-a barren title for which he cared little was left in suspense. On the 20th of April an indenture was signed by Elizabeth and himself, in which Shan bound himself to do military service and to take the oath of allegiance in the presence of the Deputy; while in return he was allowed to remain Captain of Tyrone with feudal jurisdiction over the northern counties. The Pale was to be no shelter to any person whom he might demand as a malefactor. If any Irish lord or chief did him wrong, and the Deputy failed within twenty days to exact reparation, Shan might raise an army and levy war on his private account. One feeble effort only was made to save O'Donnell, whose crime. against O'Neil had been his devotion to England. O'Neil consented to submit O'Donnell's cause to the arbitration of the Irish earls.1 A rebel subject treating as an equal with his sovereign for the terms on which he would remain in his allegiance was an inglorious spectacle; and the admission of Shan's pretensions to sovereignty was one more evidence to the small Ulster chiefs that no service was worse requited in Ireland than fidelity to the English Crown. The M'Guyres, the O'Reillies, the O'Donnells -all the clans who had stood by Sussex in the pre 1 Indenture between the Queen of England and Shan O'Neil, April 30, 1562: Irish MSS. enemy bound ceding summer—were given over to their hand and foot. Yet Elizabeth was weary of the expense, and sick of efforts which were profitless as the cultivation of a quicksand. True it was that she was placing half Ireland in the hands of an adulterous, murdering scoundrel; but the Irish liked to have it so, and she forced herself to hope that he would restrain himself for the future within bounds of decency. Shan therefore with his galloglasse returned in glory, his purse lined with money, and honour wreathed about his brows. On reappearing in Tyrone he summoned the northern chiefs about him; he told them that he had not gone to England to lose but to win;' they must submit to his rule henceforth or they should feel his power The O'Donnells, in vain reliance on the past promises of the Deputy, dared to refuse allegiance to him. Without condescending to the form of consulting the Government at Dublin, he called his men to arms and marched into Tyrconnell, killing, robbing, and burning in the old style, through farm and castle. The Earl of Sussex, not knowing how to act, could but fall back on treachery. Shan was bound by his engagement to take the oath of allegiance in Dublin. The Lord Deputy desired him to present himself at the first opportunity. The safe-conduct which accompanied the request was ingeniously worded; and enclosing a copy of it to Elizabeth, Sussex inquired whether in the event of Shan's coming to him he might not twist the meaning of the words, and make him prisoner.1 August. But Shan was too cunning a fish, and had been too lately in the meshes, to be caught again in so poor a snare. His duty to the Queen, he replied, forbade him to leave his province in its present disturbed condition. He was making up for his long fast in England from his usual amusements; and when fighting was in the wind neither he nor his troopers, nor as it seemed his clergy, had leisure for other occupations. The Catholic Primate having refused allegiance to Elizabeth, the See of Armagh was vacant, and Sussex sent down a congé d'élire for the appointment of Mr Adam Loftus.' He received for answer 'that the chapter there, whereof the greater part were Shan O'Neil's horsemen, were so sparkled and out of order that they could by no means be assembled for the election.'2 September. Once more Lord Sussex set his trap, and this time he baited it more skilfully. The Scotch countess was not enough for Shan's ambition. His passionate desire for an English wife had survived 1 The safe-conduct was worded the oath of allegiance; it was anthus:- Plenam protectionem nos- ticipated that Shan would make a tram per præsentes dicto Joanni difficulty in doing homage to Sussex concedimus qua ipse ad præmissa as Elizabeth's representative; and perficienda cum omnibus quibuscun- Sussex thought he might then lay que qui cum illo venerint ad nos hands on him for breach of compact. venire et a nobis cum voluerint li--Sussex to Elizabeth, August 27: bere recedere valeant et possint Irish MSS. absque ullâ perturbatione seu molestatione.' The word 'præmissa' referred to 2 Sussex to Elizabeth, September 2: Irish MSS. his return, and Elizabeth in this point had not gratified his wishes. Lord Sussex had a sister with him in Dublin, and Shan sent an intimation that if the Deputy would take him for a brother-in-law their relations for the future might be improved. The present sovereign of England would perhaps give one of her daughters to the King of Dahomey with more readiness than the Earl of Sussex would have consigned his sister to Shan O'Neil; yet he condescended to reply 'that he could not promise to give her against her will,' but if Shan would visit him he could see and speak with her, and if he liked her and she him they should both have his good will.'1 Shan glanced at the tempting morsel with wistHad he trusted himself in the hands of Sussex he would have had a short shrift for a blessing and a rough nuptial knot about his neck. At the last moment a little bird carried the tale to his ear. 'He had advertisement out of the Pale that the lady was brought over only to entrap him, and if he came to the Deputy he should never return.'2 ful eyes. After this second failure Sussex told Elizabeth that she must either use force once more or she must be prepared to see first all Ulster and afterwards the whole 'Irishry' of the four provinces accept Shan for their sovereign. There was no sort of uncertainty as to O'Neil's intentions he scarcely affected to conceal them. He had written to the Pope; he was in correspondence with the Queen of Scots; he had established secret relations 1 Sussex to the Queen, September 20: Irish MSS. |