IRELAND. 



deputy, who had reduceil the power of the Gcraldines, now 

 Ihewed equal adlivity in i'lippreffiiig the advocates of Rome, 

 and by a great vidory over O'Nial and liis aflociates at 

 Bellahoe, put an end for a time to open reiiftanee. The 

 fupprefiion of tlie inonadcries was carried into effed, and 

 the moil powerful and turbulent chieftains appeared earned 

 to exprefs their attachment. to the crown. Sir Anthony St. 

 X.eger aflTumed his charge as governor in 13:41, with the 

 faireft prefages of tranquiihty and public happiuefs. A par- 

 liament fuminoned by him declared Henry king of Ireland ; 

 this title, now firfl affumed, was acknowledged by O'Nial, 

 and the other chieftains by indenture, and they at the fame 

 time renounced the papal authority in the fulled manner. 

 Various regulations were pafTed for the government of 

 Munfter, where the laws of England, thougli formerly 

 eftabhflied, had been difufed for zoo years. St. Leger alio 

 prevailed upon O'Nial, O'Brien, and the head of the 

 Burkes called Mac William, to go into England, and pre- 

 fent tbemfelves to the king, who conferred on them the dig- 

 nity of earls, and granted unto them their feveral countries 

 by letters patent. He alfo granted to each a houfe and 

 lands near Dublin, that they might, by frequent retidence- 

 there, learn obedience and civility of manners. The reign- 

 of Edward VI. .was chiefly occupied in endeavours to 

 introduce the reformed liturgy, which was eflecled in 

 Dublin and fome other places, but was very generally difa- 

 greeable. On the acceffion of Mary, popery was rellored- 

 ■without any difficulty, except that occafioned by the aliena-- 

 tion of church property in the preceding reigns ; but the 

 regulations which the change required occupied much time 

 and attention. The diftricls of L.e\x and Ophaly, wliich. 

 had been before reduced, were now made (hires under the 

 names of the Queen's and King's counties, and the native 

 Irifli were, in general, not adverfe to a government wluch 

 favoured their religion. The reign of Mary, however, was. 

 (hort, and her fuccelTor Elizabctli was friendly to the re- 

 formation. Before we proceed to notice the more interell- 

 ing tranfadlions of this long reign, it will be ufeful briefly 

 to conlider the ftate of the country. The inliabitants have 

 been clalTed in four divifions : i. The native, or, as they 

 were contemptuouOy called, the mere Irifli. 2. The de- 

 generate Engll.fh, or thofe of Englifh defcent who had in- 

 termarried with the Irifli, and adopted their cuftoms and 

 language, fo as to be fcarcely ditlinguifliable from them. 

 They were alike governed by the Brehon law, for an ac- 

 count of which fee the article Breiiok ; ^nd alike ufed the 

 mode of fucceSion called Taniftry, for which fee Taxistry. 



3. The-Englifli of blood, fome of whom were poflelFed of 

 large eftatcs, and though the lituation of the country did 

 not allow of much refinement, yet their occaGonal inter, 

 courfe with England, or with the Englifli conftantly coming 

 over, enabled them to keep up an exterior appearance of 

 Englifh manners. ThcfL- chiefly rcfided within the paJe. 



4. The Englifti of birth, fent over to fill the principal offices 

 of Itate, and who generally acquiring property in the 

 country, their defcendants were coDlinually forming an ad- 

 ditisn to the 3d clals. Thefe, who might have been called 

 mere Englifh, as they were ever difpofed to facrifice' the in- 

 tereft of Ireland to that of England, were the perfons cou.^- 

 tenanced and affilted by the Engliflj government. Spenfer 

 the poet, who rcfided in Ireland for fome years in this 

 »eign, has dcfcribed feveral of the Irifh cultoms in his dia- 

 logue on the ilate of Ireland ; and, though it mu'.l be re- 

 membered that he faw every thing through the eye of pre- 

 judice, yet a quotation or t\yo may enable us to form a more 

 correct idea of the licentioufnefs of manners of the Irifh 

 «liieftains. Whatevir opinion, we may forpj of the impo- 



licy and injudiue of the Engltlh fettlers and govenmieiit ors 

 many occafions, it mull be acknowledged that the Iriih. 

 laws and cu'.loms were favourable to a lavage wildnefs of. 

 manners inconfiilent with the happinefs of fecial and civil 

 life. After noticing the barbarous manners of the Gailow- 

 glafTes or infantry, of the Kernes or predatory cavalry, and, 

 of t!ie horfe boys, Spenfer aifo defcribes two clalTes of mea 

 who contributed very much to the dilTolutenefs of the chief- 

 tain:, t-is. the Bards and the Carrows " Thefe Irifh bards,"' 

 fays he, " are fo far from intlrucl.ng young men in moral 

 diicipline, that they tbemfelves do more deferve to be fliarply 

 dilV;p!ined ; for they feliom nfe to caoofe U:no themfclves. 

 the doings of good men for the arguments of their poems, 

 but whomfoever they find to he moll licentious of life, moit 

 bold and la-.vlefs in his doings, moft da.^gerou- and def- 

 perace in all parts of difobedience and rebellious difpofi- 

 tion, him they fet up and glorify in their rhymes, him 

 tliey praife to the people, and to young men make an ex- 

 aJTiple to follow." Then,havi!:g defcribed the youth of one 

 of thefe chieftains, he adds "in which,, if he ihall find any 

 to praife- him, and to give him encouragement,, as thofe 

 bards and. rythmen do for little reward, or a fliare of a 

 flolen cow ;, then waxeth he moft in'olent, and half mad 

 with the Idve of lumfelf and his own lewd deeds And as for. 

 vi-ords to fet forth fuch lev.'dnefs, it is not hard for them to 

 give a goodly and painted fliow thereunto, borrowed even 

 from the praifes which are proper to virtue itfL-li. As of. 

 a moll notorious thief and wicked outlaw, who had lived, 

 all his lifetime of fpoils and robberies, one of their bards 

 in his praife will fay. That he was none of the idle milk- 

 fops that was brought up by the fire-fide, but that mofl of 

 his days he fpent in arms and vahant enterprizes, that he 

 did never eat his meat before he had won it with his. 

 fword ; that he lay not all night Hugging in a cabin nnder 

 his mantle, but ufed Commonly to keep others waking to. 

 defend their lives,, and did light his candle at the flames of 

 their houfes, to lead- him in the darknefs ; that the day 

 was his night, and the night his day ; that he loved not to. 

 be long wooing of wenches to yield to him, but where he 

 came, he took by force the fpoil of other men's love, and. 

 k-ft but lamentaaon to their lovers ; that his mufic was not 

 the harp, nor lays of love, but the cries of people, and the 

 clafliing of armour; and finally, that he died not bewailed, 

 of many, but made many wail when he died that dearly 

 bougiit his death.'" At the fame time, in anfwer to a quel- 

 tion refpefting thefe poems, " Whether they be any thing 

 witty or well favoured as poems iliould be," this excellent, 

 judge replies, " Yea truly, I have caufed divers of them 

 , to be trauilated unto me, that I might underiland them, 

 and fiu-cly they favoured of fweet wit and good invention, 

 but fkilled not of the goodly ornaments of poetry ; yet 

 were they fprinkled with fome pretty flowers of their na- 

 tural dewce, which gave good grace and comelinefs unto 

 them, the which it is great pity to fee abufcd, to the 

 gracing of wickednefs and vice, which, with g^od vfage, 

 would fcrve to adorn and beautify virtue." Thefe bards 

 probably had as great efiedl in roufing a fpirited oppofiticn 

 to the Englifh as the Welfh^ bards, whom the policy of 

 the firfl Edward led him mofl iniquitoufly to deftrcy. As 

 to the Carrows, they are " a kind of people that wander 

 up and down to gentlemen's houfes, living only upon cards 

 and dice, the which, though they have little or noihing of 

 their own, yet will they play for much money, v/hicli, if 

 they win, they walle mo;l lightly, and if they lofe, tiicy 

 pay as flenderly, but make recnmpence with one lleaMi or 

 another, whofe only hurt is not, that they tbemfelves are idle 

 lofffls, but that, through gaming, they drav.- others to like 

 5 lewdnefs 



