HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 303 



the pale fled to them. So that Sir Edward Poyn- 

 ings was enforced to make a wild chase upon the wild 

 Irish ; where, in respect of the mountains and fast 

 nesses, he did little good. Which, either out of a 

 suspicious melancholy upon his bad success, or the 

 better to save his service from disgrace, he would 

 needs impute unto the comfort that the rebels should 

 receive underhand from the Earl of Kildare ; every 

 light suspicion growing upon the earl, in respect of 

 the Kildare that was in the action of Lambert Sim- 

 nel, and slain at Stokefield. Wherefore he caused 

 the earl to be apprehended and sent into England ; 

 where, upon examination, he cleared himself so well, 

 as he was replaced in his government. But Poyn- 

 ings , the better to make compensation of the mca- 

 gerness of his service in the wars by acts of peace, 

 called a parliament; where w r as made that memora 

 ble act, which at this day is called Poynings law, 

 whereby all the statutes of England were made to 

 be of force in Ireland ; for before they were not, 

 neither are any now in force in Ireland, which were 

 made in England since that time ; which was the 

 tenth year of the king. 



About this time began to be discovered in the 

 king that disposition, which afterwards, nourished 

 and whet on by bad counsellors and ministers, proved 

 the blot of his times : which was the course he took 

 to crush treasure out of his subjects purses, by for 

 feitures upon penal laws. At this men did startle 

 the more at this time, because it appeared plainly to 

 be in the king s nature, and not out of his necessity, 



