when Ormond heard of the colonization schemes, he too declared that, rather than countenance the destruction of his country, he would join the rebels. Sir Henry Sidney had therefore to give up his plan of conciliation, and with such little means as he had, amounting to about 2000 English soldiers, to march into the disturbed districts, where, by a succession of constant cruel slaughters, he succeeded in restoring some outward semblance of order. Fitz-Maurice, he boasts, was a mere wandering outcast. Connaught was held in order by Sir Edward Felton, while Humphrey Gilbert garrisoned Kilmallock in Munster. But this success was quite transitory, no money came to support Sidney from England. His garrisons, without pay, had to live at free quarters. Mutinous, hated by the people, and living by robbery, they degenerated into bands of brigands. Fitz-Maurice again assumed all his old authority in Munster. Felton could hardly hold his own in Athlone.

Meanwhile the Irish appeal to Spain for assistance had not been answered as they expected. The Pope and Philip were never on very good terms, and the King was forbidden to accept the gift of Ireland which was offered to him except as a fief from the Roman See. Moreover, the change of policy of Mary Queen of Scots, who, it will be remembered, about the year 1570, turned for support from France to Spain, made Philip dislike the idea of separating Ireland from the English dominions. To obtain the friendship of the English Catholics was more important to him than the acquisition of Ireland; and the English Catholics, who fully expected by his aid to succeed in placing Queen Mary on the throne, would scarcely have thanked him for depriving their favourite of a large portion of her dominions. If Spain was to help Ireland, it must be on behalf of the Roman Catholic religion, and not on the national question. The prospect of any help almost disappeared when the discovery of the Ridolfi plot induced Philip to attempt to renew his old friendship with England.

But though thus left to themselves for the present, the hatred which the attempt to change their religion had engendered in the Irish led them to continue their old career of insurrection. Sidney, who disliked his unsatisfactory and cruel work, was recalled (March 1571). Fitz-William, an able soldier, now weakened by age, was left in his place. Starved by the parsimony of the Queen, he could effect but little. The condition of the English grew worse and worse; the Protestant religion again almost disappeared. Once more the English Government determined to despatch a vigorous expedition. Sir

1572]

ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION

539

John Perrot, with an army, came over (April 1571) to reproduce the cruel scenes of Sidney's march. Again Fitz-Maurice and his comrades were reduced to wander as outcasts on the hills (Nov.). But again the want of support from home rendered all successes useless; Perrot's army mutinied for want of pay. The Queen would give him no help; he was therefore obliged to try gentler measures. Fitz-Maurice was told that on certain terms he might be pardoned. He accepted the conditions. All attempts at the establishment of English law came to an end, and the Irish chiefs again resumed their authority. At the same time (Jan. 1573), though only under the strictest promise to use his best influence to destroy the Roman Catholic religion, Desmond was at length allowed to return from England. Unfortunately, even this arrangement was not honestly carried out; no sooner did the Earl arrive in Dublin than he was again apprehended. He escaped from prison, but held that his second arrest released him from all his engagements, and as the English were too weak to recapture him, he regained in his native province all his former authority.

Colonization

by Essex.

But although Ireland was thus left for the present in Irish hands, the idea of colonization, which might reclaim the country at little cost to Government, was by no means given up. It was now proposed to make the attempt in Ulster. A colony of the Scotch had there met with some success, and there seemed no reason why the English should fail. A son of Elizabeth's secretary, Sir Thomas Smith, was granted a strip of land near the Giant's Causeway. This fresh attempt, and the excitement produced by the massacre of St. Bartholomew, again roused the Irish to action. The English lost all power in Connaught, and Smith's colonization was an entire failure. The attempt was renewed on a larger and of Ulster more promising scale by Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex; a large tract of country, called Clandeboy, stretching from Belfast along Lough Neagh and the river Bann to the sea, was granted to him, with full authority (Sept. 1573). He was to conquer the country at his own expense, and after four years' possession to pay a fixed rent to the Treasury. Many gentlemen joined in the venture. As usual, at first all seemed prosperous. Sir Brian O'Neil, the chief of the country, made his submission, and placed his cattle in Essex's hands. It was, however, a mere subterfuge. In a few days he disappeared, driving his own cattle and those of Essex along with him. It was everywhere found that the fair speeches of the inhabitants covered deadly hostility; and as the winter came on, the English

were obliged to entrench themselves in Belfast. The troops began to loose heart and desert, the provisions that had been supplied him proved bad and produced illness, and he shortly had to confess that private enterprizes were fruitless, that, unless armed with authority from home, he could do nothing against the difficulties which surrounded him. Surrendering his grant and all hope of civilizing Ireland in his own knight-errant fashion, he accepted the position of Governor of Ulster (May 1574), and in that capacity, with great cruelty, succeeded in establishing the English authority over the O'Neils.

It was always difficult to induce an English gentleman to accept the position of Deputy in Ireland. Not only did the Queen's parsimony go far to entail ruin on those who accepted the office, the blame of failure, which seemed nearly inevitable, was always thrown upon them; the smallness of the means at their disposal, together with the untamed character of the inhabitants, constantly led them to acts of cruelty which were highly repulsive to them. At length, in November 1575, Sir Henry Sidney, who had already been unusually successful there, was persuaded, much against his will, to accept the government. By the Irish he was on the whole liked. His arrival was regarded with pleasure, and during the triumphal progress with which he entered upon his office he everywhere met with much apparent enthusiasm, and received the submission of the more noted chiefs. But he still held to his former view, that the only way to govern Ireland in peace was to establish Presidencies in Munster and Connaught. The absence of James Fitz-Maurice, Desmond's brother, who had been the leader of the late insurrections, gave him, as he thought, a fair opportunity, and he established Drury in Munster and Malby in Connaught as Presidents (December 1576). This measure seemed entirely to contradict the flattering hopes raised on the Deputy's arrival. It seemed that after all, Irish customs and Irish law were to disappear, and the authority of Irish chieftains to be superseded. Nor did the conduct of the Presidents allay this fear. In his first circuit Drury hung about a hundred men, and even then apologized for his moderation.

Thus, rendered suspicious on their tenderest point by the various efforts at colonization, and disappointed in the hopes

Connaught insurrection. Jan. 1577.

which the establishment of Desmond in his own dominions and the supposed character of Sidney had raised, the Irish again burst into insurrection. This time it was the Burkes of Connaught who took the first step. They

1577]

...

CONNAUGHT INSURRECTION

541

speedily learnt that the establishment of the Presidencies was not intended to be a dead letter. The countries of Shan and Ulick Burke, the sons of the Earl of Clanrickard, were mercilessly laid waste. Malby the President wrote: "I marched into their country . . . with determination to consume them with fire and sword, sparing neither old nor young. I burnt all their corn and houses, and committed to the sword all that could be found. This was in Shan Burke's country. Then I burnt Ulick Burke's country in like manner. . . . I went on sparing none that came in my way, which cruelty did so amaze their followers that they could not tell where to bestow themselves. So I left Ulick as little corn and as few houses standing as I had left his brother, and what people was found had as little favour as the other had." Law, upheld by hundreds of executions, insurrections suppressed with such ruthless cruelty as this, could not but excite the bitterest enmity, and when, for the support of the English army, a cess or tax was laid Disaffection upon the land within the Pale, the gentlemen of that of the Pale. district became little less disaffected than the native or Anglo-Irish. A universal outbreak was scarcely to be avoided.

This general discontent reached its height about the year 1577, at the time when the Queen, believing that a war with Spain would be inevitable, had despatched Drake on his piratical excursion. The Irish malcontents again thought that an opportunity had arrived for interesting Philip in their cause. This they considered would be best done by begging his assistance, when an important insurrection was already on foot. Since friendly relations between Spain and England had been established after the Ridolfi plot, it was to Rome that the malcontents chiefly looked. It was with money and troops supplied by the Pope that they now intended to begin their movement. Sanders, an English refugee priest, and Stukely, who, originally one of the English privateers, had lately been living at Madrid, high in favour with Philip, and constantly urging him to interfere on behalf of Ireland, seemed fitting agents for their purpose. Fitz-Maurice also was abroad. To him and Stukely were intrusted the forces. Sanders was to accompany them as Legate. Stukely's troops were diverted by the King of Portugal to an invasion of Africa, where their leader closed his strange career. Philip, as usual slow to act, gave no immediate assistance. The friendship with England was again patched up; and the expedition was postponed for a year. At last, in May 1579, the success of Drake's tion to Ireland. voyage became known, the temper of the Spanish

Catholic expedi

1579.

people became violently excited, the Catholics, indignant at Philip's lukewarmness, took matters into their own hand, and a little expedition set sail. Fitz-Maurice, Sanders, and their followers, landed at

Insurrection

of Desmond.

Aug.

Dingle, in Kerry. It was supposed that Fitz-Maurice's presence would at once rouse the country to arms, and that Desmond would himself join them. But Desmond was afraid. It was only after his brothers had murdered two English officers at Tralee, an offence which he felt to be unpardonable, that he ventured to declare himself. Then all Kerry and Limerick flew to arms. The insurrection met with no great success. Drury was indeed driven backward to Kilmallock. But Malby, the other President, succeeded in killing Fitz-Maurice, and, seizing the command in Munster, burnt Ashketyn, the stronghold of the Desmonds. Had reinforcements been supplied, he would have been generally successful. But the Queen, taking fright as usual at the expense, counter-ordered the troops. The insurgents were able to take and burn Youghal and to march triumphantly as far as Cork.

At length, thoroughly awake to the danger, Elizabeth intrusted the war to Desmond's old enemy, Ormond. In conjunction with the English, he pushed on, destroying all before him (Jan. 1580). "We passed through the rebel countries," wrote the English commander, "in two companies, consuming with fire all habitations, and executing the people wherever we found them." The two bands subsequently joined. Carrigafoyle, the fort where the few foreigners whom FitzMaurice had brought with him had intrenched themselves, was taken, and every man put to death, the castle of Ashketyn itself blown up (April). By the 26th of June 1580, the country, thus ruthlessly destroyed, seemed reduced to peace. Ormond, in one year, is said to have killed 826 malefactors and 4000 other people. Sidney had withdrawn from the island just before the outbreak. His place was now (Aug.) taken by Lord Grey de Wilton, a man of stern Puritanic temper. He came only to find that the insurrection had broken out afresh within the Pale. His opening manœuvres were disastrous. His troops were entrapped and defeated, with heavy slaughter, at Glen Malure, in the Wicklow Mountains.

Arrival of help from Spain. Sept.

Shocked at the expense, at the cruelty, and at the want of complete success which had attended her vigorous efforts, Elizabeth seemed bent on falling back on a policy of conciliation, when the arrival of 800 men, Spaniards and Italians, from Spain, with the connivance at least of Philip, rendered a continuation of the war necessary. The effect of their arrival was to