• 357 



most beautiful white colour, adorned with purple and silver reins, 

 led in the Pope's train without riders,"* which Peter Lombard also 

 asserts. -f" 



The continuance of the slave trade in Ireland is evidenced at this 

 time by many of the English historians, who allege that the inhabi- 

 tants of England sold slaves to the Irish; and the wife of Earl Godwin 

 is said to have particularly profited by this human traffic. J At the 

 council held in Armagh in 1170, the English invasion was, according 

 to Giraldus, attributed to the vengeance of heaven for this horrible 

 practice; and it was there accordingly decreed, that all the English, 

 who were in a state of slavery in the island, should be forthwith set 

 at liberty. § 



Besides this the most atrocious species of slavery, there were also 

 other bondmen of the nature of villeins, " regardant to manors and 

 esteemed as a part of the , inheritance or farm, as appears from the 

 Black Book of Christ Church, Dublin, where the lands given by King 

 Sitric to that church, are said to be granted with the villems, and 

 cows, and corn."|| A similar grant is also extant, made previous to 

 the English invasion, by Dermot, King of Leinster, of " the townland 



* Ware's Antiquities, p. 166. f De Reg. Hib. Com. p. 97. 



X See Campbell's Strictures, p. 234. 



§ " Propter peccata scilicet populi sui, eoque praecipue quod Anglos olim tam a mercato- 

 ribus quam prasdonibus atque pyratis emere passim et in servitutem redigere consueverant, 

 divina censura vindictae hoc eis incommodum accidisse, ut et ipsi quoque ab eadem gente in 

 servitutem vice riciproca jam redigantur. Anglorum namque populus adhuc integro eorum 

 regno, communi gentis vitio liberos suos venales exponere, et priusquam inopiam ullam aut 

 mediam sustinerent. Alios proprios et cognatos in Hiberniam vendere consueverant. * * * 

 * * * * Decretum est itaque praedicto consilio * * * * • m Angli ubique 

 per insulam servitutis vinculo manicipati in pristinam revocentur libertatem." — Hib. Expug. 

 lib. 1. c. 18. See also William of Malmesbury on the same subject. 



" Ware's Antiquities, c. 20. 



