IRE L A N D. 
per encouragement* the inflitution for fome time lan- 
guilhed, and then expired amidlt the confufion and anar¬ 
chy of the country. 
This ftate of things could have no other than the raoft 
baneful influence on the manners of the people. The li- 
centioufnels of almoft perpetual war, produced a lamen¬ 
table fondnefs for irregular life. The king’s troops, un¬ 
paid from a deficient revenue, were authorized to procure 
fiubfiftence by what was denominated coyne and livery, 
in other words, arbitrary exactions or maintenance at free 
quarter. Freeholders, unable to fupport the rapacity of 
the foldiers and nobles, fled partly to England, partly to 
fepts of Irifh, abandoning their pofl'eflions. Thus the 
lands of Waterford, Cork, Kerry, and Limeric, deferted 
by Englilh fettlers, were occupied by a mixed rabble of 
Irilh manners, and moftly of Irilh blood; the followers of 
Maurice Fitz-Thomas of Defmond, who, to evade the 
claims of the proprietors, renounced all connexion with 
the Englifli; and aflumed the ftyle of an Irilh prince. So 
enviable did his fituation appear, that feveral other barons 
followed his example. 
The barbarifm then prevalent all over Europe, was 
perhaps no where fo grofs as in Ireland. The general 
ignorance and the intolerance of fup&rftition are difmally 
exemplified in the proceedings encouraged by an Irilh 
prelate for the imaginary crime of forcery. Alice Ketler 
was, with her fon and fome dependents, profecuted in the 
fpirituai court of Richard Ledred, bilhop of Olfory, for 
witchcraft. One of her dependents was condemned and 
executed, her fon was confined in prifon, and herfelf, 
though acquitted on this occafion, was afterwards, on a 
charge of herefy, configned to the flames. Arnold de la 
Poer, a magiltrate of Kilkenny, who endeavoured to pro- 
led thefe unfortunate perfons, was alfo denounced as a 
heretic by the malignant prelate; and when the chief juf- 
tice, the prior of Kilmainham, interpofed in favour of this 
worthy man, the accufation was extended to him ; fo 
that, for felf-prefervation, the chief juftice was obliged to 
abandon De la Poer, who expired in prifon. Adam Duff, 
a refpeftable Irilhtnan of Leinfter, was burned on the fame 
charge ; but at length, to put a flop to this atrocious 
raftice, Ledred himfelf was formally accufed of herefy 
y his metropolitan, and forced to quit the country with 
precipitation. 
In the reign of Edward III. the ftate of Ireland re¬ 
ceived very little improvement. We find the fame im¬ 
becility in the Englilh government, frequent repetitions 
of baronial feuds, and defultory wars of Irilh clans, now 
and then checked by the extraordinary exertions of a 
chief governor. In the beginning of this reign a furious 
war was kindled between Maurice of Defmond and his 
allies on one fide, and De la Poer and Burgo on the other, 
becaufe De la Poer had contemptuoufly called Maurice a 
rhymer. The regency was likewife involved in a war 
with a confederacy of Irilh princes, irritated by a frelh 
refufal of their application to be admitted under the pro¬ 
tection of Englilh law. During thefe hoftilities, about 
eighty perfons of Englilh anceftry were furprifed by the 
infurgents in a church at the time of divine fervice. De¬ 
ll pairing of mercy to themfelves, they only fupplicated for 
the life of the prieft, who in vain prei'ented the confecrated 
wafer. It was furioufly fnatched from his hands, he fell 
pierced with many wounds, and the miferable congrega¬ 
tion was confirmed in the flames of the church. 
To quell thefe difturbances, fir Anthony Lucy, on his 
appointment to the office of chief governor, adopted the 
molt vigorous meafures, the execution of which was fa¬ 
cilitated by the rumour of an intended viiit of the king 
in perfon with an army. Having iflued fummonfes for a 
parliament in 1333, he feized the perfons of feveral lords 
by whom they were difregarded. Some of the offenders 
were punilhed with impriionment, and one-was even ex¬ 
ecuted. Notwithftanding thefe energetic meafures, the 
weaknefs of .the Englilh government was clearly difplayed 
in the areftion of Palatinates.. Maurice Fitz-Thomas of 
VOL, XI. No. 754. 
2§7 
Defmond, created earl in 1329, had at the fame time re¬ 
ceived confirmation of what were denominated his royal 
liberties in the county of Kerry, which was thus converted 
info a palatinate; and the fame privileges were then alfo 
granted to the earl of Ormond in Tipperary. The num¬ 
ber of palatinates loon increased to nine. In thefe dif- 
trifts the king’s writs had no. authority, except in lands 
belonging to the church. Their lords were petty mo- 
narchs, who aflumed the power of creating knights and 
barons, of adminiftering juftice, of erediing courts in the 
fame form as thole of the king, and of appointing their 
own judges and other officers. In this manner above two- 
thirds of the Englilh pofl'effions became exempt from the 
royal jurifdidfion ; and the influence of the great barons, 
who affedted independence, was augmented to a danger¬ 
ous degree. 
In 1333, William de Burgo earl of Ulfter was mur¬ 
dered at Carrickfergus by his own attendants ; the fept of 
O’Nial, colledling all their force, feized great part of the 
Englilh fettlements in Antrim, and in the courfe of a 
few years almoft extirpated the colony ; while in Con¬ 
naught, the two moll powerful of the younger branches 
of the De Burgo famijy divided the extenlive demefnes 
between them; and, to difappoint all future claims, re¬ 
nounced, with their numerous followers, the Englilh de¬ 
nomination, laivs, and manners, adopting thofe of the 
natives in their ftead. 
The king was too much taken up with the idea of 
conquering France, to pay any regard to the interefts of 
Ireland. The unhappy people, indeed, fenfible of their 
own miferies, befought the king to admit all his fubjefts 
in Ireland to a participation of the Englilh laws ; but 
the petition being delivered as ufual to the chief governor, 
and laid before the parliament, it was either clandeftinely 
defeated or openly rejected. A new feene of tumult and 
bloodlhed immediately enfued ; which at laft produced 
an order from the king, prohibiting all Irilhmen, or En- 
glilhmen married and having eftates in Ireland, from 
bearing any public office whatever. This,' inftead of 
having a tendency to promote peace, made the diforders 
much greater than before ; and at laft produced a retnon- 
ftrance from the ftates aflembled at Kilkenny, in which 
they grievoully complain, not only of the diforders of the 
kingdom, hut alfo of the condutl of the king himfdf in the 
edift above-mentioned; and to this remonftrance Edward 
thought proper to give a gracious and condefcending an- 
fwer, in order to procure from Ireland the luccours which 
he wanted in his expedition againft France. 
It is not to be fuppofed, that mere promifes, unaffifted 
by any vigorous exertion, could make the leaft alteration 
in the ftate of a kingdom involved in fo much milery ; 
yet no wars of note occur for fome years in the Irilh an¬ 
nals, though there were fometi’mes alarming infurreftions. 
For their luppreffion, the earl of Defmond was nominated 
lord-juftice. On his deceafe in 1355, fit Thomas Rokeby 
became chief governor. This worthy man, whole maxim 
was “ let my dilhes be wooden rather than my creditors 
unpaid,” bellowed great attention on the regulation of 
the Irilh parliament, which he brought nearer to the En¬ 
glilh model. Previous to his adminiftration, according 
to Coke, Irifli conventions had not been fo properly par¬ 
liaments, as aflemblies of great men. To thefe parlia¬ 
ments was now firft configned the decilion of appeals 
from erroneous proceedings in the courts, which had be¬ 
fore been carried at great expence and trouble to England, 
During the adminiftration of Lionel, fecond Ion of 
king Edward III. who claimed the earldom of Ulfter, and 
the eftate belonging to it, in right of his wife, daughter 
to the murdered earl, a parliament was fummoned in 1 367, 
the refult of which was the famous Jlatute of Kilkenny. 
The preamble to this aft recites, that the Englilh had be¬ 
come mere Irifli in their language, names, apparel, and 
manner of living ; had rejefted the Englilh laws, and 
fubmitted to thofe of the Irilh, with whom they had 
united by marriage-alliance, to the ruin of the common- 
4 G wealth. 
