36 THE IRISH PEOPLE. 



accompanied and moxmted upon a horse which cost 

 him, it was reported, 400 cows. MacMorrough was 

 tall of stature, well built, strong, and active, and of 

 haughty countenance." 



5. In 1394:, Sir John Froissart reports the follow- 

 ing remarks, which he heard from an English 

 esquire, Henry Castide : " No man-at-arms, be he 

 never so well mounted, can overtake the Irish, so 

 light of foot are they. Sometimes they leap from 

 the ground behind a horseman and embrace him so 

 tightly that he can in no way get rid of them. They 

 are a very hardy race, of great subtlety and of vari- 

 ous tempers. It chanced in their pursuit, as my 

 horse ran away with me into the midst of the 

 enemy, one of the Irish, by a great feat of agility, 

 leaped on the back of my horse and held me tight 

 with both his arms, but did me no harm ; for more 

 than two hours he pressed my horse forward. His 

 name was Bryan Costeret, and a very handsome man 

 he was." 



6. In 1521, Albert Diirer, "the Homer of paint- 

 ing," has left us a sketch on which is written : 

 " Here go the war-men of Ireland beyond England, 

 here go the poor men of Ireland, 1521. A.D." The 

 original is at Vienna, and a photograph of it is in 

 the British Museum. The " war-men " and " poor 



