16.2. The earle of Kildare his exhortation to his sonne the lord Thomas.
The earle of Kildare his exhortation to his sonne the lord Thomas.
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2 _SOnne
Thomas, I doubt not, but you know that my souereigne lord the king hath sent for me into England, and
what shall betide me God knoweth, for I know not. But howsoeuer it falleth, both you and I know that I am
well stept in yeares: and as I maie shortlie die, for that I am mortall, so I must in hast decease,
bicause I am old. Wherefore in somuch as my winter is welneere ended, and the spring of your age now
buddeth, my will is that you behaue your selfe so wiselie in these your
greene yeares, as that to the comfort of your friends you maie inioie the pleasure of summer, gleane and
reape the fruits of your haruest, that with honour you maie grow to the catching of that hoarie winter,
on which you sée me your father fast pricking. And wheras it plea|seth the king his maiestie, that vpon
my departure here hense, I should substitute in my roome such one, for whose gouernement I would answer:
albeit I know, that your yeares are tender, your wit not set|led, your
iudgement not fullie rectified, and therefore I might be with good cause reclamed from putting a naked
sword in a yoong mans hand: yet not with|standing, forsomuch as I am your father, and you my sonne, I am
well assured to beare that stroke with you in steering your ship, as that vpon anie in|formation I maie
command you as your father, and correct you as my sonne for the wrong handling of your helme.
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3 There be
here that sit at this boord, far more suffici|ent personages for so great charge than you are. But what
then? If I should cast this burthen on their shoulders, it might be that hereafter they would be so farre
with enuie carried, as they would percase hazzard the losse of one of their owne eies, to be assu|red
that I should be depriued of both mine eies. But forsomuch as the case toucheth your skin as néere as
mine, and in one respect nigher than mine, bicause (as I said before) I rest in the winter, and you in
the spring of your yeares, and now I am resolued daie by daie to learne
rather how to die in the feare of God, than to liue in the pompe of the world, I thinke you will not be
so brainesicke, as to stab your selfe thorough the bodie, onelie to scarifie my skin with the point of
your blade. Wherefore (my sonne) consi|der, that it is easie to raze, and hard to build, and in all your
affaires be schooled by this boord, that for wisedome is able, and for the entier affection it bea|reth
your house, will be found willing, to lesson you with sound and sage aduise. For albe it in authoritie
you rule them, yet in councell they must rule you. My sonne, you know that my late maimes stifleth my
talke: otherwise I would haue grated longer on this matter. For a good tale maie be twise to id, and a
sound aduise (estsoones iterated) taketh the dee|per impression in the attentiue hearer his mind. But
although my fatherlie affection requireth my dis|scourse to be longer, yet I trust your good inclinati|on
asketh it to be shorter; and vpon that assurance, here in the presence of this honourable assemblie, I
deliuer you this sword. ¶ Thus he spake for his last Kildare fal|leth into
England. farewell with trickling teares, and hauing ended, he stood, imbrased the councell,
committed them to God, and immediatlie after he was imbarked.
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2 But
although with his graue exhortation the fro|sen hearts of his aduersaries for a short spirt thawed, yet
notwithstanding they turned soone after all this gaie Gloria patri vnto a further fetch; saieng
that this His oration misconstrued. was nothing else but to dazell their eies
with some iugling kn [...]ke, to the end they should aduertise the king of his loiall spéeches: adding further, that he was
too too euill that could not speake well. And to force the prepensed treasons they laied to his charge,
with further surmises they certified the councell of England, that the earle before his departure
furni|shed He is accused for taking the king his ar|tillerie his owne piles and
forts with the king his artil|lerie and munition taken foorth of the castell of Du|blin. The earle being
examined vpon that article be|fore the councell, although he answered that the few potguns and chambers
he tooke from thense, were placed in his castell to strengthen the borders a|gainst the inrodes of the
Irish enimie; and that if he intended anie treason, he was not so foolish, as to fortifie walles and
stones, and to commit his naked bones into their hands: yet notwithstanding he deli|uered his spéeches by
reason of his palseie, in such staggering and making wise, that such of the coun|cell as were not his
friends, persuading the rest that he had sunke in his owne tale, by imputing his li|sping and dragging
answer rather to the gilt of con|science, than to the infirmitie of his late maime, had him committed,
vntill the king his pleasure were Kildare com|mitted. further knowne.
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3 But before
we wade anie further in this matter, for the better opening of the whole ground, it would be noted, that
the earle of Kildare, among diuerse hidden aduersaries, had in these his later troubles foure principall
enimies that were the chiefe means Kildare his chiefe eni|mies. Iohn Alen archbishop
of Dublin. & causes of his ouerthrow, as in those daies it was commonlie bruted. The
first was Iohn Alen archbi|shop of Dublin, a gentleman of a good house, chap|leine to cardinall Wolseie,
& after by the cardinall his means constituted archbishop of Dublin, a lear|ned prelat, a good
housholder, of the people indiffe|rentlie beloued, and more would haue béene, had he not ouerbusied
himselfe in supplanting the house of Kildare. And although it were knowne, that his first grudge towards
the Giraldins procéeded from the great affection he bare his lord and master the cardi|nall, insomuch as
he would not sticke, were he able, for the pleasuring of the one to vndoo the other; yet such occasions
of greater hatred after insued (name|lie for that he was displaced from being lord chancel|lor, &
Cromer the primat of Armagh by Kildare his drifts setled in the office) as notwithstanding the car|dinall
his combe was cut in England, yet did he per|sist in pursuing his woonted malice toward that sée.
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3 The second
that was linked to this confederacie, Sir Iohn Alen knight. was sir Iohn Alen
knight, first secretarie to this archbishop, after became maister of the rolles, lastlie lord chancellor.
And although sir Iohn Alen were not of kin to the archbishop, but onelie of the name; yet notwithstanding
the archbishop made so great rec|koning of him, as well for his forecast in matters of weight, as for his
faithfulnesse in affaires of trust, as what soeuer exploit were executed by the one, was EEBO page image 89
foorthwith déemed to haue béene deuised by the other. The third of this crew was Thomas Canon,
secreta|rie Thomas Canon. to Skeffington, who thinking to be reuenged on
Kildare for putting his lord and master beside the cushin, as he surmised, was verie willing to haue an
ore in that bote. The fourth that was suspected to make the muster, was Robert Cowlie, first bailiffe
Robert Cow|lie. in Dublin, after seruant to the ladie Margaret Fitz|girald,
countesse of Ormond and Ossorie, lastlie ma|ster of the rolles in Ireland, and finallie he deceased
at London.
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3 This
gentleman for his wisdome and policie was well estéemed of the ladie Margaret countesse of Ossorie, as
one by whose aduise she was in all hir af|faires directed. Wherevpon some suspicious persons were
persuaded and brought in mind, that he was the sower of all the discord that rested betwéene the two
brethren Kildare and Ossorie: as though he could not be rooted in the fauour of the one, but that he must
haue professed open hatred vnto the other. These foure, as birds of one
feather, were supposed to be open enimies to the house of Kildare, bearing that swaie in the
commonwealth, as they were not occasioned (as they thought) either to craue fréend|ship of the
Giraldines, or greatlie to feare their ha|tred and enimitie. There were beside them diuerse o|ther secret
vnderminers, who wrought so cunning|lie vnder the thumbe, by holding with the hare, and running with the
hound, as if Kildare had prospe|red, they were assured, their malice would not haue béene in manner suspected: but if he had béene in his affaires stabled, then their
fine deuises for their fur|ther credit should haue beene apparented. Wherefore the heauing of his backe
fréends not onelie surmi|sed, but also manifested by Kildare, the lord Tho|mas being iustice or
vicedeputie in his fathers ab|sence, The lord Thomas in|kindleth the Alens against
him. fetcht both the Alens so roundlie ouer the hips, as well by secret drifts as open taunts,
as they were the more egerlie spurd to compasse his confusion. For the lord iustice and the councell,
with diuerse of the nobilitie, at a solemne banket discoursing of the
anciencie of houses, and of their armes, sir Iohn A|len spake to the lord iustice these words.
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7 My lord,
your house giueth the marmoset, whose The proper|tie of the marmoset. propertie
is to eat his owne taile. Meaning thereby (as the lord Thomas supposed) that Kildare did vse to pill and
poll his fréends, tenants & reteiners. These words were no sooner spoken, than the lord Thomas
striking the ball to Alen againe, answered, as one that was somewhat slipper toonged, in this wise.
You saie truth sir, indéed I heard some saie, that the mar|moset
eateth his owne taile. But although you haue béene fed by your taile, yet I would aduise you to
be|ware, that your taile eat not you.
Shortlie after this quipping gamegall, the lord iustice and
the councell rode to Drogheda, where hauing for the space of three or foure daies soiourned, it happened
that the councellors awaited in the councell chamber the go|uernour his comming, vntill it was hard vpon
the stroke of twelue. The archbishop of Dublin rawlie digesting the
vicedeputie his long absence, said: My lords, is it not a prettie matter, that all we shall staie thus
long for a boie? As he vttered these speeches, the lord iustice vnluckilie was comming vp the staires,
and at his entrie taking the words hot from the bi|shop his mouth, and iterating them verie coldlie, he
said: My lords, I am heartilie sorie, that you staied
The archbi|shop h [...]s taunt thus lon
[...] for a boie. Whereat the prelat was appal|led, to see how vnhappilie he was gald with his owne
caltrop. These & the like cutting spéeches inkindled such coles in both their stomachs, as the
flame could not anie longer be smouldered, but at one clift or o|ther
The enimies
conspire the ouerthrow of the Giraldins must haue fumed. The enimies therefore hauing welnigh
knedded the dough that should haue béene baked for the Giraldines bane, deuised that secret rumors should
sprinkle to and fro
[...], that the earle of
The occasion of Thomas Fitzgirald his rebellion.
Kildare his execution was intended in England; and that vpon his death the Lord Thomas and all his bloud
should haue beene apprehended in Ireland. As this false muttering fiue abroad, it was holpen for|ward by
Thomas Canon, and others of Skeffing|ton his seruants, who sticked not to write to certeine of their
fréends, as it were, verie secret letters, how that the earle of Kildare their maister his secret eni|mie
(so they tooke him, bicause he got the gouerne|ment ouer his head) was alreadie cut shorter, as his issue
presentlie should be: and now they trusted to sée their maister in his gouernment, after which they sore
longed, as for a preferment that would in short space aduantage them. Such a letter came vnto the hands
of a simple priest, no perfect Englishman, who for hast hurled it amongest other papers in the chim|nies
end of his chamber, meaning to peruse it bet|ter at more leisure. The same verie night, a gentle|man
reteining to the lord Thomas, the lord iustice or vicedeputie, as is before specified, tooke vp his
lodg|ing with the priest, and sought in the morning when he rose for some paper, to draw on his strait
stock|ings; and as the diuell would, he hit vpon the letter, bare it awaie in the heele of his stocke, no
earthlie thing misdéeming. At night againe he found the pa|per vnsretted, and musing thereat he began to
pore on the writing, which notified the earle his death, and the apprehension of the lord Thomas. To
horsse go|eth he in all hast, brought the letter to Iames de la
Iames de la
Hide. Hide, who was principall councellor to the lord Tho|mas in all his dooings. De la Hide
hauing scantlia ouerread the letter, making more hast than good spéed, posted to the lord Thomas,
imparted him that letter, and withall putting fire to flax, before he diued to the bottome of this
trecherie, he was contented to swim on the skum and froth thereof, as well by soo|thing vp the tenor of
the letter, as by inciting the lord Thomas to open rebellion, cloking the odious name of treason with the
zealous reuengement of his fathers wrongfull execution, and with the warie defense of his owne
person.
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3 The lord
Thomas being youthfull, rash, and head|long, and assuring himselfe that the knot of all the force of
Ireland was twisted vnder his girdle, was by de la Hide his counsell so far caried, as he was resolued to
cast all on six and seauen. Wherefore ha|uing confedered with Oneale, Oconor, and other Irish potentats,
he rode on saint Barnabies daie, accompanied with seauen score horssemen in their shirts of maile,
through the citie of Dublin, to the Dam his gate, crost ouer the water to saint Marie abbeie, where the
councell according to appointment waited his comming, not being priuie to his in|tent: onelie Cromer the
lord chancellour excepted, who was secretlie aduertised of his reuolt, and there|fore was verie well
prouided for him, as heereafter shall be declared. This Cromer was a graue Cromer lord
chan|cellor. prelat, and a learned, well spoken, mild of nature, no|thing wedded to factions,
yet a welwiller of the Giraldines, as those by whose means he was aduan|ced to dignitie. When the lord
Thomas was set in councell, his horssemen and seruants rusht into the councell chamber armed and
weaponed, turning their secret conference to an open parlée. The coun|cell here at amazed, and silence
with securitie com|manded, the lord Thomas in this wise spake.
