48 THE IRISH PEOPLE. 



both men and women of tall and corpulent bodies ; 

 the gallowglass are picked and selected men of great 

 and mighty bodies." 



22. In 1599 or 1598 an English State paper sets 

 forth that : " In Mayo are many of the name of 

 Burke, stout men, able to make before the war 

 consumed many of them, 1,500 fighting men. They 

 hardly ever continued themselves two years together 

 within compass of obedience ; they are of a noble 

 mind and courage, and, with the O'Flahertys, they 

 are considered the greatest nation and possessing 

 the strongest country of any people in Ireland, and, 

 being joined by the O'Rourkes and O'Connors, they 

 form a league of the proudest, wildest, and fiercest 

 clans." 



23. In 1599 the Earl of Essex wrote to Elizabeth: 

 " The people in general have able bodies by nature, 

 and have gotten by custom ready use of arms . . . 

 in their pride they value no man but themselves . . 

 they are so many and so framed to be soldiers, that 

 the war, of force, will be great, and costly, and long. 

 Their common soldiers are too hard for our new 

 men. They have, though I do unwillingly confess 

 it, better bodies, and perfecter use of their arms than 

 those men whom your Majesty sends over. This 

 is the hand of him who will live your dearest, and 

 will die your Majesty's faithfullest servant Essex." 



