238 



IRELAN'D. 



Hwtory. laboured ; by levying the taxes in a more equal manner, 

 v " 11 "V^ and by protecting the people from the exactions of their 

 lords and the military. But the act which is more ge- 

 nerally ,'.nd particularly known by the name of Poyn- 

 ing's Act, was of a different description from those first 

 described ; by this act, it was provided that no parlia- 

 ment should be held in Ireland, without previously sta- 

 ting to the king the reasons on account of which it was 

 to be summoned, and the laws which it was intended 

 to enact. Whatever might have been the necessity, 

 the expediency, or the benefit of such an act, at the 

 time it was passed, it is evident that it rendered the 

 parliament of Ireland a mere mockery, while it ena- 

 bled the English sovereign to enslave and tyrannize 

 over the Irish, as well as to keep them back in civili- 

 zation and resources by means of their own parliament. 

 Just before Poyning returned to England, he had an op- 

 portunity of crushing the power ef the Yorkists, the chief, 

 the Earl of Kildare, having imprudently joined the ad- 

 venturer Warbeck in Munster, and on his defeat having 

 been taken prisoner. Henry, however, had penetra- 

 tion enough to discover, that if he could make Kildare 

 his friend, no man was so well qualified to govern Ire- 

 land in tranquillity ; and as Kildare seemed equally 

 disposed to attach himself to the king, and on his trial 

 repelled the charges against him in a satisfactory man- 

 ner, the king appointed him governor of Ireland. 



The great objects which Kildare had in view, were 

 the external defence and the internal tranquillity of the 

 English settlements : The former he succeeded in ef- 

 fecting, and, indeed, rendered these settlements more 

 secure than they had been for a very long period ; but 

 his attempts to conciliate the Butlers were unsuccess- 

 ful, though he succeeded so far as to form a matrimo- 

 nial connection with that family. Still farther to in- 

 crease his own influence, lie married his daughter to 

 the Lord of Clanricard, who was the head of a large 

 number of those English who had assumed the man- 

 ners, the language, and the dress of the Irish; but this 

 marriage proved unfortunate, for such an inveterate 

 quarrel arose between the earl and his son-in-law, that 

 open and regular hostilities took place between them ; 

 Civil war. each party strengthened themselves by alliances, so 

 that, from a petty dispute, it increased to a civil war. 

 The Irish Prince of Connaught, the O'Briens of Tho- 

 mond, and in general the chieftains of Munster, ranged 

 themselves on the side of the Lord of Clanricard. On 

 the side of the governor were the English barons, the 

 O'Neils, and some other chieftains of the northern pro- 

 Battle of vinces The hostile armies met at Knocktow, near 

 Knocktow. Gal way, on the 19th of August, 1504. The forces of 

 A. D. ISO*. Clanricard were much superior in respect to num- 

 bers ; but in discipline, skill, and steadiness, they were 

 far inferior ; their first attack was very impetuous ; but 

 that being received with coolness and firmness by the 

 archers in the governor's army, the assailants gave way, 

 and in the confusion with which they fled, upwards of 

 2000 were slain. 



Kildare continued governor till his death in 1513 : 

 at this period Henry VIII. was on the English throne; 

 and, occupied with various schemes of vanity and am- 

 bition, the affairs of the English settlements in Ireland 

 were so little attended to, that on the death of Kildare 

 they relapsed into their former disorder and weakness, 

 and would probably have become much worse, had not 

 Gerald, the son of Kildare, been appointed governor. 

 He was, however, by no means equal in talent to his 

 father; and the Butlers resolved to seize this oppor- 



History 



tunity of ruining the Geraldines, and recovering their 

 former power and influence. At the head of this fa- "~nr- 

 mily was Peter Butler, who had married a Geraldine ; 

 but this woman, so far from feeling any family attach- 

 ment to her blood relations, stimulated her husband 

 against them. Butler succeeded so far as to procure 

 the removal of Kildare ; v but it does not appear that he 

 immediately benefited himself much by it, for Howard Administi 

 Earl of Surrey was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ire- t ' on of 

 land in the year 1520. Howard's administration lasted "Q *y 

 two years, and was principally occupied in reducing such 

 of the Irish chieftains, as from their vicinity and hostile 

 disposition were most formidable to the tranquillity of 

 the English pale. In this object, as Well as in his 

 other plans, whicli were judicious and prudent, he 

 most probably would have completely succeeded, had 

 he been promptly .and properly supported by his sove- 

 reign ; but this not being the case, he requested to be 

 recalled, and his request was complied with. For a short 

 time Butler now engrossed the power which he had 

 long coveted, but he was supplanted by Kildare, who, 

 by his powerful family connections in England, and 

 by his flattery of Henry, was reinstated in the office of 

 chief governor. Again he fell under the displeasure 

 and suspicion of the king, and was deprived of his si- 

 tuation, because he did not obey the commands which 

 were given him, to seize the person of the Earl of Des- 

 mond, who had, at the instigation of Francis the First, 

 agreed to take up arms against Henry. This fact de- 

 serves notice, as it presents the first instance of that po- 

 licy of the French, which has so often subsequently 

 led them to rouse the Irish against the English. Per- 

 haps in no respect was the instability of Henry more 

 conspicuous, than in the rapid and extreme changes 

 which he effected in the government of Ireland ; for, 

 soon after Kildare was a third time appointed gover- 

 nor, he was succeeded by Sutler. The consequences 

 were such as might have been anticipated : vacillating 

 councils, imbecile proceedings and measures, and an in- 

 crease of the family hatred which had so leng existed 

 between the Geraldines and the Butlers. 



At length Kildare, who was then governor, being Kildare's 

 ordered to repair before the king to answer the charges rebellion. 

 against him, prepared his plans before his departure, A- D - *S3 

 for open rebellion, and committed the government to 

 his son Thomas. This young man, rash and violent in 

 his temper, was too well disposed to second the views 

 and schemes of his father ; and a rumour being spread 

 that he was put to death by Henry, the son immediate- 

 ly embarked in open and avowed rebellion. His move- 

 ments were rapid and bold ; he first marched to the at- 

 tack of Dublin, but he was unequal to the reduction of 

 this city ; he was more successful against the Butlers, 

 defeating their troops, and laying waste their country, 

 on their refusal to unite with him. Elated with his 

 success, he prevented for some time the landing of the 

 English forces, but being obliged to retreat, arid the 

 winter setting in, he spent this season in recruiting his 

 forces in the west of Ireland. 



The next year witnessed the termination of this re- Crushed, 

 bellion ; for his troops were so disconcerted and alarm- 

 ed at the reduction of the castle of Maynooth, that they 

 either deserted or fled in confusion on the approach of 

 the English. Lord Thomas immediately surrendered 

 himself on promise of a pardon, which, however, was 

 not performed, for he and his five uncles were executed. 

 As his father had previously died, only one of the Kil- 

 dare family remained, a brother of Thomas, about 



