During the short time Hugh de Lacy was in office, Milo de Cogan, one of the early adventurers, was treacherously murdered by Mac-Tire, an Irishman, whom he had esteemed his firmest friend, and the worthy Fitzstephen, the first English leader who had set foot in Ireland, stunned by the intelligence of this melancholy event, lost his reason and died of grief. Most of those who had contributed to establish the power of Henry in the island either were cut off by perfidy, or, neglected by their sovereign, had the mortification to see others enjoy the best fruits of all their toils and dangers. Their descendants in general proved unworthy of their virtues, and disgraced their names by acts of the blackest atrocity. The following instance may suffice to shew the abyss of depravity into which they sunk. Richard de Clare, son of the illustrious Strongbow, having unfortunately by his lofty demeanour incurred the jealousy of Henry III. was banished to Ireland; but returning thence with a numerous band of followers, he siezed and fortified his castle of Pembroke. This bold action alarmed the king so much, that, dreading his power, he made a show of receiving him into favour. Having afterwards, however, entered into a confederacy to expel the king's foreign favourites, he brought upon himself the implacable resentment of Philip des Roches, bishop of Winchester and prime minister. The malignant prelate immediately laid a plot for his destruction; and sending over letters under the great seal, signed by himself and eleven others, offered to Maurice Fitzgerald, the chief governor, son of the same Maurice who by his magnanimity had caused the rout of O'Connor before Dublin, to two sons of de Lacy, and to Geoffry de Maurisco and some other barons, all the Irish estates of Richard, provided they seized his person and sent him dead or alive to the king. They blushed not to enter into the conspiracy, and immediately began to take steps for putting it into execution. For this purpose Maurisco invited him over to Ireland on pretence of defending his property. On his arrival, feigning a zealous attachment to his person, he advised him to render himself master of the whole country, and to establish a power independant on Britain. The earl fell into the snare, and immediately began to act offensively. The other conspiring Barons opposed him but affecting to come into his views,

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agreed to hold a conference on the plains of Kildare, where Richard and Maurisco met them. This was the favourable moment for putting an end to the scene. Waving the ostensible cause of their meeting, the conspirators demanded a truce, which Richard refusing to grant, they declared that that moment should determine the business with the sword. At the onset of the two parties, Maurisco deserted with eighty followers, leaving the earl with only fifteen, when the degenerate lords, rushing on the son of their fathers' companion in arms, threw him from his horse and inflicted a stab in his back of which he died in a few days.

CHAPTER III.

HAVING thus seen, even during the reign of one of its wisest monarchs, the short-sighted policy of England towards Ireland doing every thing which might prove detrimental to her interest there, by the removal of governors qualified to promote her influence and the interruption of plans which tended to establish her power, we shall pass in silence over a period of near four hundred years, from the reign of Henry II. to the Reformation, a period distinguished by no event worthy of particular notice, but remarkable for the uniform detestation in which the colony was held by the native Irish. During that long period, the eye of the historian can meet with no scenes except those of the most ruthless warfare, mutual perfidy, wretchedness, and desolation. Every advantage was alternately seized by the English and Irish to extend or contract the limits of the Pale. Their success was various: but implacable rage, famine, and every species of evil arising from mutual hatred and mutual barbarism, uniformly marked the progress of either party. Discord, extended her influence over the whole island, not only established her empire betwixt the primitive inhabitants and the new settlers, but inflamed the members of each division against each other. The Irish chieftains waged incessant war against their compatriots: The great barons of the English colony were ever ready to fly to arms, as resentment, the prospect of plunder, or the desire of revenge, stimulated them to take the field against one another. But whatever excited them to as

semble their followers, the community invariably suffered. The most insignificant occurrence was sufficient pretext for the chieftains to enter the Pale: The colonists never were at a loss for pretences to make an attack upon them. The submissions of the Irish were frequent, sometimes abject; but always precarious, and never lasted longer than the English forces maintained a decided superiority. These evils were increased by the depredations of lawless bands of Scots who landed frequently on the coast, wasting and destroying the country wheresoever their arms enabled them to penetrate. During the reign of Robert Bruce, an army was sent over under the command of his brother, to attempt to wrest the island from the hands of the English. Bruce landed in Ulster, and having ravaged the whole of that province, proceeded southward as far as Dublin, marking his progress, like a devouring plague, by every calamity which fire and sword could inflict.

Such, in short, was the multitude of afflictions to which this ill-fated country was doomed, during the reigns of sixteen English princes, that its inhabitants were reduced not unfrequently to feed upon grass, leaves, and even, hideous nourishment! the flesh of their fellow-creatures. On turning aside from scenes so shocking to humanity, gladly would we present prospects of a more pleasing nature. The sixteenth century, celebrated for the intellectual light which then burst forth in all its splendour upon Europe, we should have expected to display a striking contrast to the dismal period we have past: But, alas! the miseries of unhappy Ireland were not yet arrived to a termination. To the hatred occasioned by the unseasonable aggressions of the English has been added fuel by the rancour of religious persecution: and if the Irish, when only temporal concerns were in question, were actuated by such inveterate enmity towards the English, to what a pitch must their hatred have been increased, when religion and bigotry gave fresh poignancy to their feelings!

At the accession of Henry VIII. to the throne, the colony had arrived to a degree of prosperity comparatively great to what it had formerly experienced. Under the administration of several successive governors, however, it relapsed with rapidity into its former state of anarchy and weakness. The earl

of Kildare was appointed lord deputy, and confirmed in his authority beyond the reach of opposition. He abused the power with which he was entrusted; and putting himself at the head of a rapacious rabble, employed them to the annoyance of those whom he was appointed to protect. He formed intimate connections with the most powerful of the Irish chieftains: He kept the colonists at a distance from his person; and appears to have considered the high authority with which he was entrusted merely as a fit instrument for the purpose of establishing his own personal influence. He continued much longer in office than any of his predecessors; but, disdaining to bend his haughty spirit to suit the views of cardinal Wolsey, the king's minister and favourite, he was by the influence of that prelate and the intrigues of the Butlers, the noble family of Ormond, together with the complaints of the real friends to government in the colony, ordered to vest the administration in the hands of some, person for whom he should be responsible, and to repair instantly to England. Kildare unfortunately entrusted this important charge to his son, lord Thomas Fitzgerald, a gallant and accomplished youth, affable, generous, well qualified to gain the affections of the people, but impressed with notions rather exalted of the consequence and grandeur of his family. Immediately after his father's landing in England, he was arrested and committed to the Tower; and false reports were spread abroad that he had there been beheaded. The impetuous lord Thomas, struck with filial grief by this supposed outrage, and inflamed by rage and indignation, instantly threw up his commission of deputy, and boldly renouncing his allegiance, declared war against his sovereign in open rebellion. Several other chieftains espoused his cause, and their united forces put themselves in so formidable a situation that alarming apprehensions were entertained by the government party. The temerity and inexperience of lord Thomas, however, rendered fruitless all their efforts. Sir William Skeffington, who was appointed lord lieutenant and sent over with a considerable reinforcement, succeeded in completely quelling the insurrection. The confederates of lord Thomas made their submissions and were restored to their possessions: he himself was promised a full pardon if he would give himself up. His confidence proved