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cipal objeft feems to have been private emolument, re¬ 
ceiving information that the Spaniards had left behind 
them conquerable treafure and ftores, went in fearch of 
the booty ; but, being totally difappointed, he feized, 
without any grounds, fir Owen Mac Toole and fir John 
O’Dougherty, two chiefs of approved fidelity to the En- 
gliffi crown, and clofely confined them in the caftle of 
Dublin. Thefie and other outrages committed on the 
perfons of Irifii chiefs, produced a fecret confederacy 
againft a jurifdidtion fo arbitrarily exercifed. 
About this time Elizabeth found leifure to attend to 
■the foundation of an Irifii univerfity, for the gradual im¬ 
provement of the church of Ireland ; and, in 1591, the 
granted a regular charter for the ereftion of a college, by 
the ftyle of the College of the holy and undivided Trinity 
near Dublin. The firft ftudents were admitted in Ja¬ 
nuary x 593 ; and Cecil lord Burleigh was the firft chan¬ 
cellor. 
An infurreftion more formidable than any which had 
-preceded was now ready to burft forth. Hugh O'Nial, fon 
of Matthew baron of Dungannon, a man of conl'ummate 
diffimulation, infinuating addrefs and manners, polifiied 
by a liberal education, and early fervice in the Englifn 
army, had in 1587 obtained from the queen the earldom 
and eftates of Tyrone. Being confidered a firm friend 
to the government, he was permitted to retain fix compa¬ 
nies of foldiers to keep the peace in Ulfter. By continu¬ 
ally difmifiing fuch men as had learned the life of arms, 
andfubllitutingfrefii recruits ; he trained molt of his vafials 
to military difcipline; and, under the pretext of covering 
the roof of his cattle at Dungannon, imported great quan¬ 
tities of lead for bullets. To ftrengthen his interett among 
the Irifii chieftains, he fent his fon to be foltered by the 
fept of O’Cahan, and gave his daughter in marriage to 
the young heir ofTyrconnel, who had been treacheroufly 
feized, and confined in the cattle of Dublin, whence he 
had made his efcape. Abufing the cotnmifiion of martial 
law, with which he had been entrufted, he put to death 
the ton of John O’Nial, who had endeavoured to expofe 
his treafonable defigns ; and fuch was the refpeift paid to 
this name, that a perfon to perform the office of executioner 
could only be procured with great difficulty, and in adif- 
tant part of the country. The real nature of his projects 
now became fo apparent, that fir Henry Bagnal, whofe 
filter he had feduced into marriage, exhibited articles of 
impeachment againft him. By a fpecious defence he frus¬ 
trated their effect; and, with a pretended zeal in behalf of 
the royal caufe, he joined the queen’s forces againft fome 
rebel chiefs, and fought with fuch apparent ardour, that 
he was wounded in the thigh. Various incidents gradu¬ 
ally removed this mafk of loyalty. Availing hinvlelf of 
the death of Turlough Linnough of Tyrone, he afl'umed 
the title of The O'Nial, or head of the fept, a title held in 
the higheft veneration by the Iriffi; and either from a de¬ 
fire to gain their attachment, or from pride of anceftry, 
he was often heard to fay, “ that he would rather be the 
O’Nial of Ulfter than king of Spain,” the molt powerful 
monarch at that time in Europe. Though he had him- 
felf, with a feigned folicitude for the queen’s intereft, 
earneftly recommended the fuppreffion of this title, as ef- 
fentially neceffary to fecure the obedience of the north, 
yet government was weak enough to accept his apology, 
that fie had taken the title merely to prevent its affump- 
tion by fome other lefs loyal than himl’elf, and would re- 
fign it whenever a regular fyftem of Englifii polity fhould 
be eftablifhed in his territories. 
His fon in law O’Donnel had been for a confiderable 
time in arms, and profecuting the war with extraordinary 
vigour, before O’Nial ventured upon open holtilities. 
Finding, however, that his artifices to gain time for the 
arrival of Spanifh fuccours, which he had earneftly foli- 
cited, would no longer avail him, he determined to ftrike 
the firft blow. Driving the Englifh garrifon from Black- 
water, he attacked the caftle of Monaghan, where, in a 
fkirmifh with fome troops fent to its relief, he had a nar- 
A N D. 
row efcape. Being unhorfed by Selfgrave, an Englifii of¬ 
ficer, he contrived to pull his antagonift after him in his 
fall; and, when Sedgrave who was uppermolt prepared to 
difpatch him, he prevented the blow, by plunging a dag¬ 
ger into his body. On the approach of an army under 
the lord-deputy and fir John Norris, O'Nial retired into 
the woods, and again had recourfe to feigned fubmiffion, 
by letters to the queen and Norris, fo pathetic that the 
latter became warmly interefted in his behalf. In a con¬ 
ference at Dundalk, he acceded to the articles required, 
one of which was the renunciation of the title of the 
O’Nial ; and, the other northern chiefs having likewife 
fubmitted, the war feemed at an end, while preparations 
were making for a more formidable explofion. 
Three vefi'els with ammunition and magnificent pro- 
mifes arriving from Spain, O’Nial, with his uiual duplicity, 
fent the letter of the Spanilh minifter to the lord-deputy 
and council, as a proof of the fincerity of his fubmiflion; 
while his emifiaries carried the intelligence of the pro- 
mifed aid through Leinfter and Munlter, exhorting the 
people of thefe diftrifts to make common caufe with thole 
of the north in defence of Chrift’s catholic religion. To 
keep alive the zeal of his afl'oeiates, he invelted Armagh, 
on which lord Burgh, the new deputy, advanced thither 
with the determination to chaltife his infolence. O’Nial 
was ftrongly polted near the town; after an obftinate con¬ 
flict, his forces were driven from their entrenchments. 
Blackwater was retaken; the rebels fuftained a fecond de¬ 
feat, and lord Burgh was preparing to attack them a third 
time, when, by his death, the command devolved on the 
earl of Kildare. This nobleman himl'eif did not long 
furvive, dying of grief for the lofs of his two fofter-bro- 
thers, who had fallen in their l'uccefsful exertions to 
refeue him from the enemy—fo powerful was this tie among 
the Irifii of thofe days. The military adminiftration was 
now committed to the earl of Ormond, with the title of 
lord-lieutenant of the army, who, on O’Nial’s humble fo- 
licitation, interceded for his pardon, which was once 
more granted by the queen. 
The infincerity of this chieftain is infinitely lefs fur- 
prifing than the patience with which the government fuf- 
fered itfelf to be fo often duped by his artifices. He foon 
recommenced hoftilities by the blockade of Armagh ; but, 
that place being relieved by fir Henry Bagnal, he with¬ 
drew, and laid liege to the fort of Blackwater. Thither 
he was followed by Bagnal with 5000 men, whofe num¬ 
ber O’Nial’s force exceeded by only one hundred. A 
furious engagement enfued ; but the royalifts, being thrown- 
into diforder by an accidental explofion of gun-powder, 
and the fall of their leader, were defeated with the lofs 
of fifteen hundred men, and all their artillery, ammuni¬ 
tion, and provifions. The furrender of Armagh and Black¬ 
water to the rebels was the immediate confequence of 
this" victory, but its more remote operation was ftill more 
important. The difafteCted were encouraged to avow 
their fentiments, and joined with enthufialVn the army of 
Tyrone ; all Connaught was involved in the flame of in- 
furreCtion ; leveral chiefs of Leinlter took arms, particu¬ 
larly O’Moore, who penetrated into Munlter, ravaged the 
new plantations in that province, and flaughtered without 
mercy the unfortunate fettlers. The fpirits of the infur- 
gents were farther elevated by the rumour that Philip of 
Spain was making prodigious preparations for another in- 
vafion, and that twelve thoufand of his troops were del- 
tined for Ireland. 
Convinced of the neceffity of great exertion in this 
ftate of affairs, Elizabeth fent over her favourite, Robert 
Devereux, earl ofEflex, with the title of lord-lieutenant, 
and a force of 22,000 men. With this formidable army, 
however, nothing was accomplifhed. Eflex, irritated by 
the queen’s difpleafure at his mifconduCt, fuddenly quit¬ 
ted the country ; and, on his departure, the earl of Or¬ 
mond was again appointed commander-in-chief of the ar¬ 
my. Tyrone, receiving from Spain frefh fupplies of mo¬ 
ney, ammunition, and promifes of lpeedy invafion, and 
from 
