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lovingly and earnestly wished and written for, he with all the speed he could make went to him, but found him dead before his coming in the castle of Dublin.”

From thence I marched in prosecution of the rebels, and wan divers castles. I delivered Castle Barry to Mack William Euter. And so I departed, leading the Earl with me, and leaving Balye Logh Reogh well stuffed with men and munition. The two gentlemen before named did sundry notable exploits against the rebels. I caused a bridge to be begun over the Sowke, hard by the castle of Balislough, which since was perfected by Colonel Sir Nicholas Malby. After I had settled him in that province, I had no cause to have care of it. If he had continued longer in the charge of Munster, the crown of England had not spent so much. He so well governed the good subjects of Connaught as they were contented to yield him service, victual, and wages.

Leaving Dublin, I journeyed through the counties of Kildare, Carlogh, Kilkenny, and Wasshford, holding sessions. I came home by the seaside through Base Leinster, the countries of the Kavenoghes (ruled by Captain Thomas Masterson), the O'Moroghes (governed by Richard Synod), the Kynchilaghes (where Thomas Masterson was Captain), the O'Byrnes, and the O'Tooles (governed by Captain Francis Agarde), and so home to Dublin. All these Irish people lived as loyally as any people in the shire ground. There was "no waste land, but, as they termed it there, it bare corn or horn.”

Some of the barons and principal gentlemen of the English Pale grudged greatly at the bearing of the soldiers, and made divers grievous complaints in the name of the Commons. But they looked to exact all that of the poor Commons which they yielded to the finding of the soldiers. They impugned the Queen's prerogative, saying the Queen had no right to impose any charge upon her subjects without consent of Parliament. There were few in the English Pale thoroughly sound for the Queen's prerogative and profit, saving Sir Lucas Dillon and his whole lineage, far the best of that country brood.

The chief opposers of them against the Queen were the Baron of Delvin, the Lord of Howth, the Lord Trymbleston, the Lord of Killeyne, and divers knights, principal gent' and lawyers, among whom Nicholas Nugent, then Second Baron of the Exchequer, and since executed for treason, was one. All the principal landlords of the English Pale confederated against me and the prerogative. The only noblemen on the Queen's part were the Lords of Slane and Upper Ossory. Agents were sent to the Queen, exclaiming upon me for my cruel and unlawful exactions. "Then was I driven to search old records, and so did I many; the which records, many years before, I myself, being Treasurer there, had laid up and dressed a house for the conservation of them and others." It appeared that cesse had been used from the time

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of King Edward III. In this search the Chancellor, then William Gerrard, did well assist me, but afterwards joined with the country.

I offered to discharge them for 31. 68. 8d. the ploughland, but still they repined at my charge; while many townships, cantreds, and baronies thanked me for it, accepted the same, and readily made payment thereof to the hands of Robert Woodford, The same came to 2,400l. "But still and almost weekly I received [letters], to my hearty grief, that I was a costly servant, and alienated from her Highness her good subjects' hearts." I gave over all cesse for my household, and paid ready money for everything, to my undoing.

"To return to the commonwealth men (for so they called themselves), I mean the messengers of the repining malcontents of the English Pale, who then were at the Court." I sent over the Lord Chancellor with matter of ancient record. Two of the three learned legates, Burnell and Newterffield, were committed to the Tower, and the third, the oldest and craftiest of the three, named Barnaby Shurlogh, submitted himself in Dublin. But the Chancellor brought me nothing back again but speech delivered (sic) that it was a thing intolerable and dangerous, and might breed universal rebellion. In my absence he enlarged the repinants, whom I held prisoners in the castle of Dublin. As soon as I was gone he made Nicholas Nugent (displaced by me from the Second Baronship of the Exchequer and committed to the castle of Dublin for his arrogant obstinacy against the Queen) Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

I would have left the sword and gone over without leave, had not an obscure and base varlet called Rorye Oge O'Moore stirred, and claimed authority over the whole country of Lesh. Daniel, the Earl of Ormond's secretary, confessed to me that Ormond had counselled him never to submit himself to me, prognosticating my disgrace with the Queen, and the revolt against me of the English Pale. I went into his fastest places, but never would he fight with me, but always fled and was secured in the county of Kilkenny, and under and with the Butlers. I retired myself and the army, leaving in Maryborough Sir Harry Harrington, my sister's son, and lieutenant of the King's County, in old time Ofaley. When he had brought the rebel Rorye to a low ebb, he came to a parley with him undiscreetly, for there was he taken and carried away. I sought his enlargement, "but nothing prevailed without such conditions as I would not have enlarged Philip my son." Then made I war upon the rebel, and my men prevailed, but still he kept my nephew. But through Robert Harpoole I beset his cabanish dwelling.

"The rebel had within it 26 of his best and most assured men, his wife, and his marshal's wife, and Cormagh O'Koner, an ancient and rank rebel, of long maintained in Scotland, and at last (but too soon) reclaimed from thence by the

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Queen our mistress, and with stipend as a pensioner sent into Ireland, who, returning to the vomit of his innate rebellious stomach, went to Rorye Oge and took part with him in his rebellion, and in that place and time was by a man of mine called John Parker killed. There were also killed his wife and all his men ; only there escaped himself and his marshal, called Shane Mack Rorye Reogh, in truth miraculously, for they crope between the legs of the soldiers into the fastness of the plashes of trees. Rorye Oge confessed, and so did the wife of his marshal, whom the soldiers saved, that the skirts of his shirt was with an English sword cut from his bare body; but in this assault and conflict, being done in the dark night, the villainous rebel fell upon my most dear nephew, being tied in chains, and him most shamefully hacked and hewed with my nephew's own sword, to the effusion of such a quantity of blood as were incredible to be told. He brake his arm with that blunt sword and cut off the little finger of one of his hands, and in sundry parts of his head so wounded him, as I myself in his dressing did see his brains moving. Yet my good soldiers brought him away, and a great way upon their halberts and pikes, to a good place in that country, where he was relieved, and afterwards (I thank God) recovered.

"During his service, and before his unhappy apprehension, I went to the Newrye, and thither came to me Turlo Lenogh (the lady his wife not being able to come through a hurt she had), but well had she counselled him, as it appeared, for most frankly and familiarly used he me, coming to me against the will of all his counsellers and followers, protesting he so much trusted and loved me as he would not so much as once ask hostage or protection. He brought above 400l. sterling to the town, and spent it all in three days. He celebrated Bacchus' feast most bravely, and as he thought much to his glory, but as many hours as I could get him sober I would have him into the castle, where he would as reverently (as his little good manner did instruct him) speak of the Queen, craving still, and that most humbly, that he might be nobilitated by the Queen, and to hold his lands and seigniories of her Majesty by rent and service, and there ratified all former peace made between me and him, and the Earl of Essex and him."

I returned to Dublin, where "I understood that the Earl of Desmond, still repining at the government of Sir William Drurye, and upon a short message sent him by Sir William, fell into a frantic resolution, and whereas he purposed to have kept his Christmas at Yoghill, he suddenly brake off that determination and went into Kerry, and straightway assembled forces; and had I not taken the ball at the first bound, he had undoubtedly used violence against Sir William Druery and his people, who were not many. I straightways addressed me to Kilkenny, and thither I sent for Sir William Druery, the Earl and the Countess his wife. They came all to

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me.

The Earl was hot, wilful, and stubborn; the Countess at that time a good counsellor; Sir William Druery confessed some fault; but finally (though with much ado) I made them friends, and a sound pacification of all quarrels between them, and sound it continued as long as I continued governor there. But not long after (as you know), upon like occasion as before is noted, he and his two brothers Sir John and Sir James fell into actual rebellion, in which the good knight Sir William Druery, then Lord Justice, died, and he as a malicious and unnatural rebel still persisteth and liveth.

"The Christmas ended, wherein I entertained the Earl and the Countess as well as I could, and presented them both with silks and jewels, not a little to my costs, I fell then into holding of sessions by commission of Oyer and Terminer, but in person I would never be on the Bench, for that the Ormonists should not say that I was there by speech or countenance to engrieve any matter against them. though I were as much thwarted by some of them as might be, yet had I a great number of that county orderly indicted, according to the laws, arraigned, judged to die, and executed for abetting, favoring, and aiding Rorie Oge. This matter remains of record.

And

"Divers of the principal gentlemen would in the night, and as it were disguised, come to me, protesting they durst not in the daytime be seen to do so for fear of the Earl of Ormond. They did give me good information of matters of weight, and I them the best instruction I could. The Earl in England still exclaimed that I lay there to no other end but to make myself rich by the spoil of his country, saying that I paid for nothing that I took, which was utterly untruly; for not only my household officers, but all others that followed me, paid ready money for everything they took in any town where I came. And when the Earl of Ormond was so said to by Mr. Edward Waterhowse, sometime my secretary, he answered that his officers had written so to him."

After the taking of my nephew Harrington from the rebel (Rorie Oge), I placed a garrison to persecute the rebel under Sir Nicholas Malbye, Captain Collyer, Captain Furres, Captain Mackworth, and others; lastly, and most effectually, under the Baron of Upper Ossory, my particular sworn brother. "The vile Rorye was killed by a household servant of the Baron's, his marshal the forenamed escaped, and the rebel's body, though dead, so well attended and carried away, as it was the cause of the death of a good many of men on both sides, yet carried away he was; but not long after his head was sent to me, and set upon the Castle of Dublin, for which I had proclaimed 1,000 marks to be given to him that would bring it me, and 1,000l. to him that would bring him me alive." The Baron of Upper Ossory (who was nurtured under Edward VI.,) would take but 100l. to give among his men.

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I loathed to tarry any longer in Ireland, and yet before I went I invaded MacMahon's country, and totally destroyed the same, in revenge of a shameful murder committed by him in killing the Lord of Louth, and the son and heir to Sir Hugh Mack Gennys. Within short time after my departure he came to the Newrye to Sir William Drury with a wyth about his neck, and obtained his pardon.

The Queen made so little accompt of my killing that rebel (Rorie Oge), and was persuaded that there was no more difficulty to kill such a rogue than to kill Mad George, the sweeper of the Queen's Court. He had burned all the good towns in the counties of Carloghe and Kildare, as the town of Carlogh and the Naas, &c. It grieved me not a little that her Majesty rejected those bills which I sent to be allowed to be made laws. I was weary any longer to live among the gentlemen of the English Pale. It irked me not a little to see the ambitious dealings of Chancellor Gerrard, who would. not let to say "that he had brought over such warrant for himself and restraint for me, as I could do nothing without him," and that when I were gone, and the new Justice (Drury) ruling by his direction, Ireland should be governed with a white rod.

I passed the seas and came into England, carrying with me the old archrebel the Earl of Clanrickard and a son of his called William, who since for treason and rebellion was as a traitor executed. At the Court I was not entertained so well as I had deserved. The archrebel whom I brought, you know by whom he was countenanced. He was enlarged and sent home, to my small credit. I was accompted servus inutilis, for that I had exceeded a supposed composition. A conference indeed there was that 20,000l. should defray all the charges of Ireland. I had spent nothing but profitably for the Queen. I too far exceeded in spoiling my own patrimony. Since, being curious to know what the charges were in the time of my government, by Sir Edward Fitton's accompts it appears that I am within the bounds of 20,000l. a year. This accompt was sent to my Lord Treasurer (Burleigh) and to me by Thomas Jennyson, auditor. Write to him to signify the charges in my time; and use his information to my advantage.

In my great and high office of [President of] Wales I have served full 23 years. A better people to govern Europe holdeth not. I have been twice into France, once into Scotland, and twice into Kent to the seaside, to receive the Dukes John Casimir and Adolph, Duke of Holstein. I was sent to Portsmouth to superintend the victualling of Newhaven. Oftentimes I was sent for to Court for Irish causes, to my great charges.

* "Mash" in MS.