beeing in favor with the English Lords by their deceitful service seized upon the weaker Colonie and forced out the inhabitants which the English Lords allowed of for the time receiving the Irish as tenants at will though they afterwards turned the Lord's themselvs quite out Becaus the Irish would seem to afford far greater rents then the old British Freeholder and also yeild for the time more Subjection and basely also they committed their goods estates wives and children to the will of those Lords as formerly and afterwards they did to the Irish Chieftains another waie of their entrance was that the English Lords now strangely degenerating and taking liking to their licentious sordid and barbarous cours of living made them manie times their Officers in their Countries as Seneshals Marshals and other Officers becaus they would slavishly obeie their wills who by extortion and oppression in short time forced out the English tenants and in after times held the land as their own against the verie Lords The widest Inlet they found was about the tenth year of King Edward the second when Edward Bruice brother to the King of Scots entered into Vlster with a power of Scots storied to bee six thousand and there committed great slaughter of the English both men women and children These gave one overthrew to Richard de Burgo or Bourk and at another time took William de Burgo brother to Richard prisoner they ruined Towns Castles houses and Churches wheresoever they came and upon these events the Irish there who formerly durst little shew themselvs living in the least habitable parts by sufferance of the English rose and joined with the Scots making all the destruction they could of the English with this addition Edward Bruice proceeded further through the parts of Leimster the Irish from all parts gathering to him and from thence marched into Mounster as far as Cashel then did the Irish lift up their heads on all sides following the train of Bruice spoiling and destroying the English as far as they could then the said Bruice finding that the English began to assemble in som numbers against him retired into the lower parts of Meath now Westmeath and to the borders of Vlster making it his Master-work to secure that Province within his own power though hee often made roads into other parts which is the first caus and ground why Vlster became so destitute of English and grew wholly Irish beyond anie other of the Provinces the Irish beeing as zealous as hee to rid themselvs solely of the English In this posture hee continued about three years in Ireland and caused himself to bee proclaimed King by the Irish and about the end of the said three years making an expedition to invade the English of the Pale hee was in the Countie of Lowth encountered by Brimingham after created Earl of Lowth and other good forces of the English where the said Bruice and manie of his Commanders were slain and his Armie totally defeated and rent Som of the Scots returned home but manie remained there who joined with the Irish in that time the said Bruice and the Irish had much dispeopled and forced most of the English out of the Limits and Countries now called the Counties of Donagal Fermanagh Cavan Tirone Londonderry Monorghan and Ardmagh having sealed their malice by much devastation also within the Countries of Autrim and Down lying between the Sea on the East and the great Lough called Lough Eaugh and the River of Baun in the West hardly accessible by the Irish yet did William de Burgo hold up a face of power in Vlster by help of other neighbouring English until about the seventh year of King Edward the third when hee was amongst them murthered leaving onely an heir female who after married with Lionel Duke of Clarence third son to King Edward the third soon after the death of the said William Hugh ô Neil taking upon him superioritie amongst the Irish now grown strong through the actions of Bruice and the decaie of the English adventured to break over the Ban and made great havock in the Colonies of the Rowt Clandebois Ardes and others within that circuite who in truth never in anie degree of their former beeing recovered themselvs after and thus you see in a manner the full ruine of the English in Vlster Another enlargement gained by the Irish upon English men's Lands was soon after the departure of Bruice out of Mounster when Morrice Fitz-Thomas Garaldine of Desmond having taken into his alliance and service manie of the Irish made eruption into the Counties of Kerry Limerick Cork and part of Waterford and in short time destroied and banished great parts of those Colonies and there placed his followers more Irish then English and forced most of the rest to join or submit to his will Soon after did the Irish upon the Shanon side advance themselvs and setled in the large Countrie of Ormond in Tipperary then entirely the inheritance of the Earl of Ormond by acquisition of his ancestors whereof som small parts were after recovered by the succeeding Earls of Ormond which now they hold the rest remained with the Irish paying som small acknowledgment by composition The Irish also then entred into several other Wood-land Countries in Tipperary whence terrifying and forcing out the English they seated themselvs there About the end of the reign of King Edward the second in the absence of the English Lords of Leimster Donald Mr Art Covenagh a bastard branch of Dermot ne Gall late reputed King of Leimster so called in the Welsh and other Irish of those parts brake out and imbroiled those Clonies renting from them great parts of the Wood lands and mountainous Countries soon after Lisagh Moor and one of the Conners in the heart of Leimster discovered themselvs in open enmitie The said Lisagh taking eight Castles in one evening by surprize defaced the Castle of Donamase the Earl of March his chief hous in Leix and upon the ruining of the English in those Countries the one called himself ô Moor Lord of Leix and the other ô Conner Lord of Ophalie After the death of the said William de Burgo above mentioned certain of the most active men of the Irish in Connaght joining with som degenerate branches of the Bourks who had formerly assisted in the destroying and rooting out of the English in the Southern parts of Vlster next unto Connaght entered into all the goodly possessions of the said William in Connaght expelled the English and made themselvs Masters of all One of the said Bourks seating himself in the Countie of Galway of whom is descended the Earl of Clanrickard another fastned himself in the Countie of Mayo and both took upon them Irish Captain-ships the one by the name Mr William Eighter and the other by the name of Mr William Oughter retaining with them manie of the Irish to inhabit the Land and fully finish the extirpation of the English Freeholders the rest of
vigilance of that King to reliev them did stoutly beat them off and frustrated their unchristian intention Then that King finding them so embarked in their former rudeness and barbarisme as there was no faith or dutie to bee exspected from them and that they could not sit down in anie civil societie Hee by advice of his Council confiscated all their Estates and adjudged and declared the Irish generally to bee enemies and aliens in which condition they continued long after as is manifest by the Records and Statute-Laws of those times And then hee set his Subjects of England and Wales at full Libertie to win what they could in that Land towards the reducement thereof to his just Subjection for better accomplishment whereof hee made chois of ten special persons of qualitie and power in his other Dominions to whom by grant of inheritance hee divided the Lands of that whole Island who drawing together their several Alies friends and other adventurers they by that King's countenance and assistance so bestirred themselvs as within few years they became Masters and possessors of the whole Island and so continued quietly possessed for almost one hundred years without anie offence to England forcing the perfidious Irish who were then few in number after manie conflicts with them into Mountains Bogs and boggie woods there to wander up and down with the remain of their Cattel not daring to bee seen or to graze in anie of the more habitable parts where the English had footing special Statute-Laws prohibiting the same Laws also were made that upon pain of fellonie no Merchant or other liege person should trade with the Irish in market or otherwise It was also made fellonie to succor anie of the Irish enemies from the time of the foresaid division forward was that Island onely called the King's Land of Ireland till the reign of King Henrie the eighth as appear's by Acts of Parlament and all Records mentioning the same The division hee made was as followeth viz. To Richard Earl of Pembroke of Strigil called Strongbow he regranted the Kingdom or Territories of Leimster surrendred to him by the said Earl Richard whose it was pretended to bee in right of his wife sole daughter and heir of the last nominal or tributarie King thereof except Dublin and som lands thereunto lying part whereof is yet called the King's Land and beeing divided into Mannors the Free-holders paie chief rents into the Exchequer to this daie and except som maritim Towns Castles and som lands about them which hee reserved to himself To Bobert Fitz-Stephens and Myles Cogan hee granted the Territories called the Kingdom of Cork the Citie of Cork and som lands thereunto lying reserved as aforesaid excepted the heir of Cogan is yet possessor of som of those lands To Phillip le Bruce the Territories called the Kingdom of Limerick with donation of Bishopricks and Abbeies except the Citie of Limerick and a Cantred of Land adjoining reserved as aforesaid To Sr Hugh de Lacie Justice or as som write Custos of Ireland the territories called the Kingdom of Meath then of far greater extent then the name Meath now import's To Sr John de Coursie all Vlster which beeing a large continent was quietly possessed by him and his English tenements manie years After his death without heirs it was granted to Hugh Lacie who held it till forfeited then was it granted by King Edward the first to Walter de Burgo from whom it descended to William de Burgo And after those Lands and Signories were by Edward the fourth adjoined to the Demesne and Crown-Lands of England To William Fitz-Adelme de Burgo all Connaght except a small part for life given to Rotherick formerly nominal King thereof after whose death that Land also was by King Henrie the third granted to Richard de Burgo heir to William except the Cantreds of Roscomon Randon and two or three other Cantreds neer Athlon All which were after granted by succeeding Kings to other English onely Roscomon remained in the Crown till Queen Elizabeth granted the same to one Mr Malby This whole Countrie came after to the Crown by the marriage of Lionel Duke of Clarence son to King Edward the third with the Daughter and heir of de Burgo To Sr Thomas Clare of the stock of the Earl of Glocester all Ghomond now the Countie of Clare which was confirmed to the same Familie by grant from King Edward the first to Robert le Poer all the Countie of Waterford except the Citie and cantred about it the chief of the Familie of which Poers is now a Baron to Otho de Grandison all Tipperarie Afterwards King John having intelligence that the English began to bee at variance amongst themselvs by reason that the Laws were not so spread and administred as they should bee made a voiage in person thither with a competent force for his honor and safetie and then did hee divide the whole Land into Counties as they for the most part stand at this daie though Connaght and Vlster since are much subdivided hee carried over with him divers learned men for civil and ecclesiastical Notion hee ordered and established the Courts of Justice as in England viz. the Chancerie the Kings Bench Common Pleas and Exchequer and other Ecclesiastical Judicatures and setled competent Judges in them hee appointed Justices Itinerant and all other Officers for Law and execution of Justice and four tearms in the year to bee kept as in England by which the people became subject to Law the Irish beeing still held as enemies and Aliens were better governed lived in peace and great prosperitie manie years save what ruptures it endured by their own dissentions as hereafter appeareth So as by what is above specified it appear's the English were made lawfully inheritable and became possessed of the whole continent wheresoever they could finde places anie waie fit for habitation And to prove their possessions as well as their grants besides that in all the ancient Records taking cognizance of all the habitable parts of that Land in which those English are named you shall finde no Juries upon Inquiries or trial of anie causes whatsoever Capital Criminal or common where is mentioned anie Irish name but all English All their Officers and Ministers of Justice beeing the same and beside several Statute-Laws do assert their universal possession It is undeniably evident that generally all the now Freeholders of several great continents in that Island are English either descendents or deriving from those first adventurers or by ancient grants from the Crown upon their forfeitures though the truth is manie of their laborers underfarmers and tennants which they call Churls are and still were Irish the territories and Countries which those English and som of late settlement did and do possess are viz. in the Countie of Down the Countries of little Ards the Duffrey Lecale Mourn the Newrie and several other places of lesser note all the Countie of Lowth the whole Countie of Dublin
or Marcheor Law That if anie of the English race should use an Irish name Irish language Irish apparrel or anie other guise or fashion of the Irish his Lands should bee seised till hee conformed Or if he no Land then other mulcts were appointed That the Lords should not disturb the King's Officers in executing their Offices That Serjeants Bailiffs should execute the commands of the King and of the Sheriffs that the Sheriffs and Serjeants of Franchises should give acquittances for the Kings money received of Debtors and receiv and pay by Indenture That no Sheriffs should hold Courts contrarie to the Common Law That the English should not marrie nor Gossip with the Irish That the English should use the English language and nurture That old and new English should all alike be called Lieges of the King That no English should use Irish or barbarous sports that no Irish Pipers Rimers bablers Skelaghs Ferdanes Carraghs or news-tellers should bee suffered to com amongst the English That no Kearns Hoblers nor idle men should range take meat c of the people against their wills but hue and crie to be made after them That no Irish should be admitted to benefits or entred into religious houses That Judges should travel half yeerly to enquire of offences and to execute the Law That four Justices of peace of and in each Countie should charge the Inhabitants with hors and foot to defend themselvs against Irish enemies That robberies committed in the guildable should not be protected in the franchises and so on the contrarie but the theeves to be delivered up to the proper officers and many other like Laws were then made towards restauration and recomposing of the then deformed and adulterated English and for the further redress divers other Laws som before and som after were made viz. One to take away protections which with frequent pardons were observed to be pestilent Remora's to the English restitution and secure peace insomuch as King Edward the third towards the later end of his reign sent two Ordinances into Ireland viz. First Justitiarius Hiberniae non concedat pardonationes de morte hominis nec de roberiis seu incendiis et quòd de caetero certificet dominum Regem de nominibus petentium Secondly Item quòd nec Justitiarius nec aliquis magnas Hiberniae concedat protectiones alicui contra pacem regis existentis And the experience of the common dammage by such pardons and protections ever since prove's the malignancie of them that being charged by divers good authors conversant in Irish affairs to be the dishonour and ruine of the Common-wealth Other Laws were also made viz. One to distinguish betwixt the English and Irish by the cutting off their beards Another against the taking of amends for the murther of a friend Another That no man should stirr up the Irish to assist in their warr Another Against taking Theeves into Comerick in English protection All which Laws at Kilkenny were after confirmed and revived by another Law made in the tenth yeer of King Henrie the seventh Chap. 8 Wherein are these words viz. As long as those Laws were put in ure and execution this Land continued in prosperitie and honor and since they were not executed the people rebelled and digressed from their obedience and the Land fell to ruine and desolation c. And the truth is it appear's by good Histories of those times and more authentically by Records both of the Exchequer Common-pleas of those yeers that by practice of these Lawes and the industrie travel of the said Lionel notable alteration was made in the manners of the people and much don of value towards the restitution of the English Government in the English Colonies That the Crown-Revenues both certain and casuall were duly accompted for in all the Provinces and that the King's Writ did run the Common-Law executed in all parts amongst the English This Duke built the wals of Catherlagh hee also reduced much lands in Connaght and Vlster into the English mens hands and this good order continued all the residue of that King's reign and part of the reign of King Richard the second but towards the middle of his time the Irish and som farr degenerate English hearing of the Duke of Clarence his death in Italie and finding great dissentions to arise in England combined themselvs to the fresh annoiance of the English and prosecuting their long intendment to exstirpate them And now did the English finde caus to rais themselvs into defens against the Irish which they were afterwards dangerously put unto thereupon that King having received repuls in his affectation to bee Emperor and desirous to act somthing of glorie and satisfaction to his people about the 18 yeer of his reign undertook a roial expedition into Ireland transporting with him 30000 foot and 4000 men at Arms as the Chronicles relate whereat the Irish being terrified fell into their old lock of submissions the verie gulf which hath hitherto swallowed up all the essaies and labors of reformation there hoping thereby to dissolv that force and frustrate his good design and to insist on the verie truth that cours of pardons upon submissions of the Irish hath for at least three hundred yeers past bottomed all the combustions and insults of the Irish That King being not in case to be long absent was perswaded to accept of their submissions which hee did from all the powerful men of the Irish and som degenerate English Lords those Irish of Leimster taking Oath to leav the Land to his free dispose by a certain time Great quantities of the Leimster land were granted to Sir John de Bellomonto and others whose issues long after enjoyed it he also conditioned with the Irish of Connaght and Ulster upon their submissions to restore the Lands to the English which the Irish never performed So this young Prince abused by the fraudulent submissions of the Irish as others before and after were returned with his men into England leaving the English in Ireland in but a little better case then he found them Soon after his departure the Irish brake forth and stood up for their ends as high as ever whereupon ensued great conflicts between them and the English in one of which was slain Mortimer Earl of March the King's Lievtenant thereupon did many of the English overhaled with burthens and harrowings relinquish their estates and resort into England to side with Parties there as their affections did lead them though Lawes were in Ireland and Ordinances in England as well to stop their going as to return them back It is not recorded nor known as is conceived that in the reigns of King Henrie the fourth or King Henrie the fifth who were much taken up in other business any forces were sent into Ireland whereby the Irish inlarged much partly through the departure of the English and chiefly by the great devastations they formerly suffered besides what diminutions they endured by