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VI. 



lEISH POETS, HISTORIANS, AND JUDGES IN ENGLISH 

 DOCUMENTS, 1538-1615. 



By THOMAS F. O'RAHILLY, M.A. 



[Eead Febkuahy 27. Published June 30, 1922.] 



In the succession of desperate, if more or less isolated, struggles for national 

 freedom which marks the history of Ireland in the latter half of the sixteenth 

 century, Irish poets, as was natural, are in general found ranged on the side 

 of their country.^ English writers of the time complain that their poems 

 incited to resistance and rebellion, and tended " for the most parte to the 

 hurte of the English or mayutenance of theire owne lewd libertye." " They 

 seldome use," says Spenser,- " to chuse unto themselves the doinges of good 

 [i.f . loyal] men for the ornamentes of theire poems, but whomsoever they 

 finde to be most lycentious of lief, most bolde and lawles in his doinges, 

 most daungerous and desperate in all partes of disobedience and rebellious 

 disposicon, him they sett up and glorifie in theire rymes, him they prayse to 

 the people, and to younge men make an example to followe." In retaliation 

 the English government looked upon the Irish literati with particular dis- 

 favour, and time and again^punitive measures were put in force against such 

 groups of enemies as " rebels, vagabonds, rimers, Irish harpers, bards, and 

 other malefactors." As the conquest proceeded the lot of the harried literary 

 class became more and more desperate, until in the disastrous battle of 

 Kinsale Ireland's literary organization was crushed no less than her political 

 independence. 



But, while there is frequent enough denunciation of " rimers " in general, 

 as well as references to the ''' brehon laws," we seldom find the names of 

 individual Irish men of letters recorded in contemporary English documents. 

 In the following pages I have brought together most of the references I have 

 been able to find to particular poets, historians, and judges, in the hope that 



' Not that these poets, any more than any other section of the Irish aristocracy of the 

 time, were always animated by motives of pure patriotism or always possessed even a 

 moderate amount of political foresight. 



- "View of the State of Ireland," ed. Grosart, pp. 118, 117- 



