1583. O'Nell kept anything of price in, more specially the pledges or prisoners, amongst whom was Thomas Vaughan; which pledges through hard keeping and famine were in most pitiful and miserable case. Amongst those places that were delivered me was an island standing in Logh Eogh, by the countrymen called Island Sydney, which piece Shane thought to be of most strength of any that he had, and where he kept his plate, jewels, and apparel. "To my camp there came Turlo Lenogh, who had been in Shane's life Tanist of Tyrone, and yet by me made in those wars his enemy. He was by the people of that country chosen O'Nell, which title in truth he accepted, being given him with the brutish ceremonies incident to the same. There came with him the principalest of all his sirname, and I had with me the young Baron of Dunganan, Shane's eldest brother's son, whom I had bred in my house from a little boy, then very poor of goods and full feebly friended. I then, in the presence and hearing of all that were in my camp, as well of them who came with me as those that came with him, and all other the potentates and landlords of Ulster, rebuked him sharply for taking upon him the title of O'Nell afore her Majesty's pleasure were known, affirming unto him that I would not confirm the same, but would write to her Highness to nobilitate him with title of higher honour and dignity, which he seemed reverently to accept, and willingly to expect her Majesty's resolution. I then set down in form of articles certain covenants:"-that he should not take upon him the name of O'Nell till her Majesty's pleasure were known; that he should disclaim any superiority, rent, or service taken. before by Shane from his uriaghs; that he should cease to exact other rent or service, or " buying," in certain countries (named); that he should not entertain any Scots, either born in the Glynnes or in Scotland, without special licence of the governor for the time being. "Then descended I with him into the consideration of his own country of Tyrone, meaning indeed the dissipation of the same, and appointed unto him all the lands beneath or by north the Great or Black Water, with the service of O'Chane MacKann, O'Donnell, O'Quyn and two other landlords," and to bear the title of principal of his sirname. "I appointed unto Turlo Brasylogh the lands called Clanbrassyll; this Turlo was the son of the eldest son of Chon, first Earl of Tyrone. Then allotted I to Hugh, Baron of Dungannon, and of right ought to be Earl of Tyrone, all the lands called the O'Nele lands, the very first and most ancient possession of the O'Nells, lying about and by south the Great Water. I exempted him from taking any exaction upon any of the lands of the church of Armagh or any member of the same; to all which covenants he agreed, to the great rejoicing and contentment of all the proprietaries of that province, saving some particular and 1583. peculiar followers of his own, who much repined that the great and regal estate of the O'Nell (as they deemed it) should be so broken and dismembered. "Then dealt I with O'Donnell and with Chon, who both were in my camp, which Chon was eldest son to Callogh, eldest brother unto Hugh, then and now O'Donnell, at that time lately dead, and nephew to Turlo Lenogh. This Chon looked to be captain of the country, but the bishops and other landlords of the same elected Sir Hugh to be O'Donnell, whereupon there was great likelihood of great wars, which I quieted, establishing Hugh in the place of O'Donnell, and gave unto Chon the castles of Lyppar and Fynn, and the lands belonging to the same, being a good third part of all Tirconell. "I planted three garrisons in Clandeboy and the Glynnes, namely, the good old Captain Willm. Piers with a company of footmen in the castle and town of Carre[g]fergus, the renowned soldier Captain Malbye with a company of horsemen in Belfast, and the lusty young Captain Willm. Horsey in Glanarme in the Glynnes, and a ward in Island Sydney under James Vaughan. "Lastly, I made Alister Oge and all his Scots who killed Shane, and all other Scots not born in Ireland, to depart the realm; and the rest born in Ireland and inhabiting the Glynns offered to hold that country of her Majesty by rent and service." Ever since, each landlord has enjoyed that possession I left him in, saving McGwier, whom the Earl of Essex, when he was General of Ulster, gave to O'Nell to hold of him by rent and service, as Shane before had challenged in the time of the deputation of Sir William FitzWilliams, which was not well done. I returned to Dublin, and caused the old ruinous castle of Dublin to be reedified. But Ormond ceased not to persecute me, alleging that his people were still oppressed by Sir John of Desmond and the Desmonians. Hearing also that it was resolved that, for saving of charges, I should abate my forces, and should not proceed in building of bridges, towns, and forts, I then procured my revocation. I passed the seas' attended on by OcKoner Sligo, captain of his country called Carbrye, OcKaroll, captain of his country called Elye OcKaroll, the Baron of Dungannon, Patrick Fitz Mores, eldest son of the Baron of Lexnaue, John O'Reley, eldest son to O'Reley, a great man, and of the province of Conaghe anciently, but adjoining to the English Pale, captain of [the] country called Breni O'Reley, and Ros Magochigan, eldest son to Magoghigan, captain of his country called Kymaliagh. All these and many others went with me to surrender to her Highness all their lands, and to receive the same again of her, yielding far greater rent and service. "But when I came to the Court it was told me it was no 1583. war that I had made, nor worthy to be called a war, for that Shane O'Nell was but a beggar, an outlaw, and one of no force, and that the Scots stumbled on him by chance. But such a beggar he was that after a former war made in the government of the Earl of Sussex, a peace was made with him not the most honorablest; and as he and his would say, he was entreated to come into England, and there rewarded of her Majesty with favour and good apparel, and 2,500. lent him, but as he termed given him to buy his peace. Sure I am the money he had, the apparel and other gifts, and nothing had ever the Queen for it again, saving his head. This may argue he was no beggar. "And within the few days after, I was charged for not redressing the damages done to Ormond and his followers by Sir John of Desmond, whom I left seneschal and captain of his brother's countries, as before is mentioned; his brother still remaining with me in captivity. And there it was openly spoken that the Butlers could have no justice against Sir John of Desmond neither by Sydney nor Sellenger, whom I had left chief in commission to minister justice in Munster. And unwitting to me the Earl of Desmond and Sir John his brother were sent for, which Sir John (being come to Dublin for conference with the Ll. Justices) was (together with his brother the Earl) sent as prisoners and committed to the Tower of London, where they remained (I think) seven years after. And truly (Mr. Secretary) this hard dealing with Sir John of Desmond was the origin of James FitzMores' rebellion, and consequently of all the evil and mischief of Munster, which since (I can prove) hath cost the crown of England and that country 100,000l. "When they were come, I was eftsons charged with partiality between the Earls, and in especial for that I did not apprehend them sooner than I did. For the younger brother I had no warrant, nor (in truth) saw no cause, but much to the contrary; and for the other I was driven to prove that I had apprehended him and committed him prisoner in Kilmallock (as before is mentioned) 48 days before the letter was written at St. James' for to apprehend him." Foris triumpho, at domi ploro. Turlo Lenogh, seeing no plantation to follow, after so great a destruction of the people of Tyrone, nor garrisons maintained, but diminished or totally withdrawn, grew proud and insolent, and demanded and arrogated his ancient truage and service of his uriaghs." I was sent for to the Court again and again. As the people of that country were desirous to have me, so were there some of this country unwilling that I should go; but before a full year was run out, I was sent again Deputy into Ireland. I landed at Carregfergus the 6th of September 1568. Turlo Lenogh, hearing of my landing there, came to the Bane side. He was contented to cease from challenging any more the uriaghs, and promised 1583. me, when his wife returned out of Scotland, to come to me to some more convenient place, which he performed. Thereupon, some order being taken with the MacGwillins and the native Scots of the Rowte and Glynnes, I returned to Carregfergus, where I found the garrisons that I there left in very good order, the people furnishing them with victuals at a very easy price, as a fat cow at 68. 8d. and 24 eggs for a penny, and rising out when commanded. "Surely, Sir, so it might have been kept, if the violent and intempestive proceeding of the Earl of Essex and his followers had not been, for undoubtedly the treasure, horses, victuals, and other furniture, as well for the war as for husbandry, which was spent and spoiled in that his enterprise, whereof came no good but the destruction of that town with the church and utter ruin of all the country about, had been well employed, and seasons of the year observed, and leisure taken in dealing with the people, had been sufficient to have reduced all the last forenamed countries to as good obedience as the English Pale." In Carregfargus twice a week a good market was kept, where out of the English Pale, the Isle of Man, and Scotland came much merchandise, victuals, and other commodities, and out of France; and in one summer three barks of 40 tons apiece discharged their loading of excellent good Gascoigne wine, the which they sold for 9 cowskins the hogshead. I surveyed and viewed Clandeboy and Ardes, and shired the same by the name of the county of Carregfargus. "The Archbishop of Armagh and the Bishop of Meath, with divers noblemen and gentlemen as well of England and the English Pale, lawyers, merchants, and others, came from Dublin to Carregfargus, only for visitation' sake, the Bishops riding in their rochets, and the rest unarmed." Then I journeyed towards Dublin. By the way there met me all the horsemen and freeholders of the Ardes, McGennys, the captain of Kilwltogh, and the captain of Kilwarlyn. "James Fitz Mores, son to Mores of Desmond, nicknamed Attolane, brother to James Earl of Desmond, father to the now Earl, traitor and rebel, understanding that I was arrived [at Dublin] and had not brought with me neither the Earl nor Sir John his brother, which he thought I might and would have done, assembling as many of the Earl of Desmond's people as he could, declared unto them that I could not obtain the enlargement either of the Earl or of his brother John, and that there was no hope or expectation of either of them, but to be put to death, or condemned to perpetual prison. And therefore (saying that that country could not be without an earl or a captain) willed them to make choice of one to be their earl or captain, as their ancestors had done, after the murther (as he termed it) of the good Earl Thomas FitzJames, his ancestor, put to death by the tyrant the Earl of Worcester (as he called him), then Deputy of Ireland. And according to this his speech, he wrote unto me, they forthwith, and as it had been 1583. with one voice, cried him to be their captain." I wrote to him to desist from that unlawful usurpation, and used threats. He persisted in assembling of men of war. This was the origin of the rebellion in Munster; "and to use plain terms, 'twas the withdrawing of Sir John of Desmond from the governing of that country, where he governed well, and the long imprisonment of him, which was the Earl of Ormond's counsel, and lastly the enlargement of them both; for if the one had been kept, though the other enlarged, each had been a sufficient hostage upon the other. "James grew into more and more insolencies and great outrages upon divers whom he loved nor liked not; whereupon I was driven to proclaim him traitor and rebel. And looking for the service of Sir Edmond Butler, then captain and seneschal of all the Earl of Ormond's countries, (for so the Earl his brother had made him, and politicly kept himself in England, as well for duty's sake to the Queen, as ancient and innate malice to the Earl of Desmond and all Desmonians,) I was quite disappointed, being answered as well by scornful letters as frivolous and foolish speeches, that he was able to do none, alleging that I had made him to ride up and down the country like a priest, inferring thereby the suppressing of the most filthy and intolerable exaction of coyne and livery, used most harmfully by him, the country being quiet and no wars, nor likely to be. I urging him still to serve, he fell into rebellious actions; for he wasted and destroyed almost all the Queen's County, killing very many of the inhabitants of the same, but most especially all the Englishmen ; and for more despite to the nation he would cause English dead men's bodies to be stripped out of their English garments, and their hose and dubletts (being stuffed and trussed) he would set up as marks for his kernes to throw their darts at. He wasted much of the county of Carlow and of the Kavenoghes, as many as would not be of his rebellious faction; he did much hurt in the bounds of the counties of Dublin and Kildare; he utterly spoiled a great fair held at Inys Corthie, a house and town of the Queen's in the county of Washford (Wexford). I am sure that fair is far the greatest of any in Ireland, and held yearly, and usually at a day certain; the horrible rapes and shameful murders, with the total rapine of all the goods that could be carried away, were too loathsome to be written or read. There were assembled (beside a multitude of country people) the most of the merchants of the good town of Washford, either in their own persons, their wives or their servants, who were ravished, killed, or spoiled; all looking for no such ever unheard-of harm there, whither peaceably they came by water. "Then increased he his strength by stirring the Earl of Thomond to rebellion, and to resist Sir Edward Fitton, then Lord President in Connaught and Thomond, and had with him both his brethren Edward and Piers, and by far the most part |