1577.

July 8. Vol. 619, p. 28.

65.

towards their charges the said Sir Christopher 47., and the said George 40s., which yet they have not paid; and they were sworn as others were, that they should not refuse if they were chosen to go up." Humbly submitting themselves, they beseech the Lord Deputy and Council to have favorable consideration for their enlargement. They consent to yield and pay in all things according to the Queen's pleasure.

Contemp. copy. P. 1.

SIR WILLIAM DRURY (President of Munster) to the EARL
OF LEICESTER.

I have received your letter of 18th May last, giving me careful counsel and sound advice how to deal with this people. I understand you have sometimes taken occasion to show my letters to her Majesty; they are plain and true.

"The first day of this month I adjourned the sessions for this county of Limerick until a new warning, and caused one Murough O'Bryen, a second pillar of James Fitz Morisch's late rebellion and a practiser of this new combination, a man of no less fame than James himself, being orderly indicted, arraigned, condemned, and judged for late offences within these four months, (because I would not seem to unrip old matters,) to be there executed. 300l. was offered for his life, and more would have been given, but 3,000 should not have saved him. Th' Earl of Desmond made great account of him, and so did all the discontented, for he was a fit instrument to execute any evil enterprise. He was amongst the people in great estimation; he was holden the best and forwardest horseman of Ireland; he was greatly of the good feared. His death was far better than his life, and he confessed he had deserved death.

"After the finishing thereof, I dealt with the gentlemen of Thowmond, and in the end, and by their own consent, have taken a castle or other pledges and assurance of every principal personage there for continuance of their duties and loyalty to her Majesty, and am to commit the keeping of the said castles to Englishmen and to such as are best to be trusted for the charge thereof without any burden to her Highness. As for their pledges, they remain within this city, and so I trust to bring them to know and follow their duties.

"Which course being perfected, and the Thowmoners discharged and licensed to depart, I caused a precept to be made to the sheriff of the liberty of Kyerry to warnfall the freeholders of that shire to appear before me at Traly, within the said liberty, the 15th day of this month, to inquire of the four points exempt out of th' Earl's patents and of other misgovernments. I am sure th' Earl will mislike therewith."

I have done the like in the liberty of Tipperary. I mean this 11th to take my journey thitherward over the great mountain called Rowsshe mountain. From thence I mind

1577.

July 17.

Vol. 628, p. 275a.

66.

to ride into Desmond, having seen Castle Mang, and to view all that country, their fastnesses, castles, havens, and landing places along the coast, and to return to Cork.

best eyrie in this

I have sent to your L. by this bearer a cast of falcons of the
province, and sorry I am I cannot increase the
This 8th of July 1577, from Limerick.
Addressed and endorsed.

number of them.
Hol. Pp. 2.

The QUEEN to the LORD DEPUTY (SYDNEY).

By letters from you and the Council of 20 June we understand your proceedings against those that continue in their obstinacy, not yielding cesse otherwise to be levied than by consent of Parliament. We allow of your doings therein, but greatly mislike the great exaction which you have levied upon the country, the same being above 8l. every plowland, a far heavier burden than heretofore levied in like quiet time, --a matter not to have been used in these troublesome days, when our evil affected neighbours have been vehemently solicited by evil members to disturb that realm. Whereas we agreed to deliver you quarterly a certainty out of our coffers, besides the whole revenue of that realm, to the end the soldier might be well paid, and so our people there the less burdened by them for want of pay, the bruit is now that you have taken our whole realm to farm, and finding the same not to bear the ordinary charge of the garrison and other necessary payments you have raised this high cesse.

We are persuaded that, if the allowance so duly sent from hence, and the revenue there, were well used, they would go much farther than they have done. You gave us hope to diminish our charges and increase our revenue, but we find the former continue still to be great and the latter not to exceed 4,000l. ; and by the account lately sent over it seems that our revenue there is much decayed. We are informed that the exaction of cesse since your going over has grown to the value of 4,000l. the year, and look to hear from you how our charges have been eased by the same.

As Sir William Drury has need of a further supply of men in Munster to perform our service in hand there and to resist any attempt that may be made from other parts upon that country, you shall send him such forces as may be spared.

We have been informed that since your last going over thither, great spoils have been committed upon our subjects by the O'Conors and O'Mores, by wasting of divers towns and otherwise. We charge you to advertise us particularly what spoils and wastes have been since that time done by them or by other of the Irishry.

Greenwich, 17 July 1577, 19 Eliz.
Contemp. copy. Pp. 21.

1577. July 17.

Vol. 628, p. 181a.

July 18. Vol. 628, p. 276a.

67.

68.

The QUEEN to SIR WILLIAM DRURY, Lord President of
Munster.

Your painful proceeding in the charge committed to you we accept in good part. We understand both in what peril you live, considering as well the number of the evil disposed of that province, as the threatenings from foreign parts, and how unable you are to do that service you desire in reducing them to obedience, for lack of sufficient forces. We have therefore given order to our Deputy to see you strengthened with such forces as may be spared out of the rest of that realm.

Whereas you desire our letters of thanks to the Earl of
Clencare and the Countess of Desmond, to the one for his good
and faithful service under you, and to the other in respect of
her good offices towards her husband in persuading him to
continue a dutiful subject; we have thought it meet that you
should receive thanks from us rather by the letters of our
Privy Council than by our own.
You will receive their letters
herewith.

Manor of Greenwich, 17 July 1577, 19 Eliz
Contemp. copy. Pp. 13.

The PRIVY COUNCIL to the LORD DEPUTY (SYDNEY).

By your letter of 20th June we understand your proceedings with the undutiful impugners of the cesse, who continue in the maintenance of their error, especially [with] those noblemen and gentlemen that subscribed the letters of complaint, and others whom you found to be ringleaders. You state that they maintain that no cesse ought to be imposed upon them otherwise than by Parliament, which tends to the overthrow of her Majesty's prerogative.

We allow of your committing of them, hoping it will bring them to better conformity; yet, considering what is intended abroad towards that realm, some good means should be used to induce them to acknowledge their fault. They should be informed of the submission made here by Barnaby Scurlocke and his associates. If you find them inclined to make like submission, you may set them at liberty, using your discretion notwithstanding for the longer restraint of the Lord of Delvin, for that he has shewed himself to be the chiefest instrument in terrifying and dispersuading the rest of the associates from yielding their submission.

As you are desirous to receive our opinion how to proceed for the easing of the cesse, we send you such plots and ways as have been considered of by us. We refer them to your dis

cretion.

From the Court at Greenwich, 18 July 1577.

1577.

II. "CERTAIN WAYS of VICTUALLING an army of 1,000 men, whereby the English Pale may be somewhat eased."

The 1st way. The captains having a month's pay advanced aforehand after 4d. Irish the day for every soldier, being allowed 112 allowances to every band, may victual their bands without charge to the country, so they may have delivered to them for each band a sufficient proportion of beeves. The captains to pay for every beef 138. 4d. Irish, and to deliver back the hide and tallow, or to allow in lieu thereof 58. 8d. Irish.

The 2nd way.—The captains of footmen being allowed for every soldier 158. ster. the month, and the captains of the horsemen 168., whereas they now receive but 14s., may victual their soldiers without further charge to the Pale. This increase will amount in the year to 910l., whereof the moiety being borne by her Majesty, she shall save of the last year's allowance 1d. ster. a day to the victualler for every soldier, and other wants and wastes in victuals. The sum of 1,9117. The other moiety being borne by the Pale, they shall be eased of that they were charged the last year of the sum of 1,9337. in the cesse of beeves and corn.

If either of these offers take place, "a victualler, notwithstanding, is to be appointed, that 1,000l. in prest may have always in areadiness 40 days' victual, whereof supply to be made at th' end of every journey; and so the victualler will be content to bear all losses."

The soldiers in their travel through the country not to pay above the accustomed price, which is but 2d. Irish a meal; provided always that they take but two meals in one day, and travel above 10 miles, and lie not in a poor town above one night.

III.

"A WAY how to EASE her MAJESTY of the CHARGE of the said moiety of the 455l., as also to raise some further gain to her Majesty."

The fourth part of the corn that will come of the leases of the Queen's port corn now in Ireland will amount to 9,000 pecks; in wheat 2,250 pecks; in beer malt 2,250 pecks; in oat malt 4,500 pecks. The wheat being reserved out of the leases at 28. the peck, which is more than any doth pay to the Queen by his lease, and uttered to the soldier at 48. the peck, rises in gain to the Queen, 2251. The beer malt after like rate rises in gain, 225l. The oat malt, reserved at 16d. the peck, and uttered at 28. 8d. rises in gain, 3001.

The farmers of the said port corn are to be treated with for the yielding of such a proportion according to the rate above specified in respect that it was ordered (as may appear in the Exchequer) that such a kind of reservation should be made. If they do not yield, the matter is to be helped by Parliament.

1577.

IV. "A WAY to EASE the GRIEFS of the CESSE presently posed upon the English Pale for the maintenance of the Lord Deputy's house."

Grief-The Lord Deputy takes yearly in the English Pale at 98. ster. 1,000 beeves, by which the country loses 500l.

Remedy-Heretofore beeves, as well for the Deputy's house as the army, have been cessed upon the Irish Pale; which order is thought meet to be continued.

Grief-The Lord Deputy takes up in beer malt and wheat 1,500 pecks, at 2s. 6d. the peck, worth in the market 58., whereby is lost 3751.

Remedy. The ports now due (?) to the State and the ports reserved upon leases, amounting to 2,194 pecks, will near serve the Lord Deputy's house. The rest to be supplied by the Pale.

Grief-The charge of 120 horses kept at hardmeat, and the horseboys tending on the said horses, amounts in loss to the country, besides the Deputy's allowance, to 6637. 168.

Remedy. The ease thereof is to be referred to the Deputy; yet if the liveries (?)† heretofore reserved upon Mounstereven, Catterloughe, Lawgheloy (Leighlin), amounting to 300 loads of hay and 600 pecks of oats, and now let out, were redeemed, the country would be somewhat relieved.

v. "The GRIEFS of the ENGLISH PALE."

That besides the greatness of the cesse, there is not payment made of such things as are taken up at base prices.-To be remedied, considering the ready payment made to the Lord Deputy.

That the soldiers exact, notwithstanding the great cesse, and commit divers other insolences.-Though it can hardly be but that some disorder will be committed by the soldier, yet considering how well they are paid, they may be the better kept in discipline.

That the cessor exacts over and above the proportion given him in commission. To be reformed by the Deputy if he appoint them, otherwise to be reformed by the country being by them chosen.

The disorder of the horseboys not contenting themselves with the ordinary allowance. The orders made for their reform to be executed.

The abuse of the caters for the Deputy's house in taking up greater quantities of accates than necessary, and in not paying for the same. The Deputy to see to it.

That a greater proportion of oats is levied in the Pale than is necessary, for that the most part of the horse bands lie in