10.12. Dermon Mac Morogh sendeth for the earle Richard, who foorthwith maketh great pre|paration for his comming. Chap. 12.

Dermon Mac Morogh sendeth for the earle Richard, who foorthwith maketh great pre|paration for his comming. Chap. 12.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 MAc Morogh, being by meanes of his good successe well quieted and satisfied, be|thinketh himselfe now of greater mat|ters, and deuiseth how and by what means he might recouer his old and ancient rights; as also purchase all Connagh to his subiection. And herein he vsed a secret conference with Fitzstephans and Fitzgerald, vnto whome he vttereth and discouereth all his whole mind and intent: who foorthwith gaue his answer that his deuise was verie easilie to be compassed, if he could get a greater supplie and aid of Englishmen. Wherevpon he made most earnest requests vnto them, both for the procuring of their kinsmen and countriemen, as also for the furthering to effect his purpose and deuise. And that he might the better persuade them herevnto, he offereth to ei|ther one of them his daughter and heire in mariage with the inheritance of his kingdome: but they both being alreadie married, refused the offer. And at length after much talke they thus concluded, that he should with all spéed send his messengers with his letters vnto the earle Richard, of whome we spake before, and vnto whome he the said Mac Morogh at his being at or about Bristow, had promised his daughter to wife, which letters were as followeth. Dermon Mac Morogh prince of Leinster, to Ri|chard earle of Chepstone, and sonne of Gilbert the Mac Mo|roghs letter to earle Ri|chard. earle sendeth gréeting.

If you doo well consider and marke the time as we doo which are in distresse, then we doo not complaine without cause nor out of time: for we haue alreadie seene the (1) storkes and swal|lows, as also the summer birds are come, and with the westerlie winds are gone againe; we haue long looked and wished for your comming, and albeit the winds haue béene at east and easterlie, yet hitherto you are not come vnto vs: wherefore now linger no longer, but hasten your selfe hither with spéed, that it may thereby appeare not want of good will, nor for|getfulnesse of promise, but the iniurie of time hath béene hitherto the cause of your long staie. All Lein|ster is alreadie wholie yéelded vnto vs: and if you will speedilie come away with some strong compa|nie and force, we doubt not but that the other foure portions will be recouered and adioined to this the fist portion. Your comming therefore the more spée|die it is, the more gratefull; the more hastie, the more ioifull; and the sooner, the better welcome: and then our mislike of your long lingering shall be recom|pensed by your soone comming, for fréendship & good will is recouered and nourished by mutuall offices, and by benefits it groweth to a more assurednesse.

When earle Richard had read these letters, he ta|keth aduise with his fréends, and taking some com|fort and stomach of the good successe of Fitzstephans, whereof he was at the first both fearefull and doubt|full, fullie determineth to bend his whole force and power to follow this seruice and hostings. This earle was a man of a verie noble parentage, and descen|ded of verie honorable ancestors; but yet more fa|mous in name, than rich in pursse; more noble in blood, than endowed with wit; and greater in hope of succession, than rich in possessions. Well, he thought long yer he could wend himselfe ouer into Ire|land, and therefore to compasse the same to good ef|fect, maketh his repaire to king Henrie the second, and most humblie praieth and beséecheth him that he will either restore him to such possessions, as by inhe|ritance did apperteine vnto him; or else to grant him the libertie to trie and séeke fortune in some other forren countrie and nation.

(1) The storke and the swallow are named A|ues semestres, or the halfe yeares birds: for they come at the spring, and depart againe awaie at the au|tumne or fall of the leafe, for in the winter they are not séene. And by this Mac Morogh alludeth and meaneth that he hath awaited that whole halfe yeare for the earles comming: whose promise was, that in the spring of the yeare past he would haue come.

10.13. Of the arriuall of Reimond le grosse in|to Ireland, and of the fight which he had against the Waterford men at Dundorogh. Chap. 13.

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Of the arriuall of Reimond le grosse in|to Ireland, and of the fight which he had against the Waterford men at Dundorogh. Chap. 13.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 THe king hauing heard the earles requests, be thought himselfe a while thereof: but in the end he alowed not of the one, nor gran|ted the other, but fed him still with good spée|ches, and nourished him with faire words, commen|ding his noble mind, that he would aduenture so ho|norable an enterprise. And in words the king sée|med to giue him leaue to follow his deuise, but to saie the truth, it was rather in game than in earnest, for the king minded nothing lesse. But the earle ta|king the aduantage of the kings words, and accep|ting the same for a sufficient leaue and licence, retur|neth home. And the same being the winter season & verie vnfit to trauell into forren nations in martiall affaires, dooth now make preparation of all things fit to serue when time should require. And assoone as the winter was past, he sendeth ouer before him in|to Ireland, a gentleman of his owne houshold and familie named Reimond le gross [...]: who had with him ten gentlemen of seruice, and three score and ten archers well appointed, and taking shipping about the kalends of Maie, then landed at the rocke of (1) Dundonolfe, which lieth south from Wexford, and about foure miles east from Waterford: and there they cast a trench, and builded a little castell or hold, with turffes and wattell. This Reimond was ne|phue to Robert Fitzstephans and to Maurice Fitz|gerald, being the sonne vnto their elder brother named William, and was verie valiant, of great courage, and well expert in the warres and in all martiall affaires. The citizens of Waterford, and Omolaghlin Ofelin, being aduertised of this their arriuall, and nothing liking the neighborhood of such strangers, take counsell togither what were best to be doone: and finding it most necessarie and néedfull to withstand at the beginning, they doo conclude and determine to giue the onset vpon them; and being about thrée thousand men, they take botes, and rowe downe the riuer of the Sure (which fléeteth fast by the wals of Waterford on the east, and diuideth Lein|ster from Mounster) and so came to the place where Reimond and his companie were, where they lan|ded and set their men in order for the assaults, and marched boldlie to the ditches of Reimonds fortresse or castell: but then it appeered how valiantnes can neuer be hid, lustie courage be daunted, nor yet pro|wesse or worthines be blemished. For Reimond and his companie, although they were but few in num|ber, and too weake to incounter with so great a com|panie as their aduersaries were: yet being of cou|ragious minds & lustie stomachs, went out to méet with their enimies; but when they saw that their small number was not sufficient nor able in the plaines to abide and indure the force of so great a multitude, they retired to their fort. The enimies thinking then to discomfit and cleane to ouerthrow them, followed and pursued them so shortlie, that the Englishmen were no sooner in at the gates, but the Irishmen were also at their heeles, and some of them within the gate. Which thing when Reimond saw, and considering also with himselfe what a di|stresse and perill he and all his were in, suddenlie turneth backe his face vpon his enimies; and the first of them which entred, he ranne him thorough with his sword (or as some saie claue his head asun|der) and then with a lowd voice cried out to his com|panie to be of a good comfort. Who forthwith as they turned and stood most manfullie to their defense: so their enimies also being dismaied and afraid at the death of that one man, they all fled and ranne awaie: and then they which in this doubtfull chance of fight, were thought should be vanquished and cleane ouerthrowne, suddenlie became to be the victors and conquerors. And these sharpelie then pursued their enimies, who were scattered abroad in the plaines and out of arraie; that in a verie short time and space they slue aboue fiue hundred per|sons: and being wearie with killing, they cast a great number of those whome they had taken priso|ners headlong from the rocks into the sea, and so drowned them. In this fight and seruice a gentle|man named William Ferand did most valiantlie acquit himselfe. For albeit he were but of a weake bodie, yet was he of a verie stout stomach & courage: he was diseased and sicke of the leprosie, and there|fore desirous rather to die valiantlie, than to liue in miserie: and for that cause would and did ad|uenture himselfe in places where most perill and danger was and séemed to be; thinking it good with a glorious death to preuent the gréefe and lothsom|nesse of a gréeuous disease.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thus fell the pride of Waterford, thus decaied their strength and force, and thus began the ruine and ouerthrow of that citie, which as it bred a great hope and consolation to the Englishmen; so was it the cause of a great desperation and terror to the eni|mies. It was a strange matter and neuer heard of before in those parties, that so great a slaughter should be made by so small a number: neuerthelesse by euill counsell and too much crueltie, the En|glishmen abused their good successe and fortune. For hauing gotten the victorie, they saued seuentie of the best citizens, whom they kept prisoners; and for the ransome or redemption of these, they might haue had either the citie of Waterford yeelded & surren|dred vnto them, or such a masse of monie as they would themselues. But Herueie of Mount Moris (who came ouer with three gentlemen of seruice, and ioined with his countrimen and Reimonds) being both of contrarie minds, striued the one with the o|ther, what were best to be doone héerein.

(1) Dundonolfe is a rocke standing in the coun|tie of Waterford vpon the sea side, lieng east from the citie of Waterford about eight English miles, and is from the towne of Wexford about twelue miles, lieng southwards from the same: it is now a strong castell, and apperteining to the ancient house of the Powers of Kilmaithen, & called by the name of Dundorogh.

(2) The citie of Waterford or Guaterford, na|med sometimes (as Ptolomeus writeth) Manapia, is a faire, ancient, and honorable citie, standing vpon the south side of the riuer of Sure, which fléeteth fast by the walles thereof, and was first builded by one named Sitaratus, one of the thrée princes which came out of the east parts to inhabit that land. It was at the first but a small pile, lieng in forme of a long triangle, but since & of late times inlarged by the citizens & inhabitants of the same. It is the chée|fest emporium in a manner of all that land, and standeth chéeflie vpon the trade of merchandize, they themselues being not onelie great trauellers into forren nations, but also great resort and dailie con|courses of strangers are to it. Concerning the go|uernement, order, state and seruice of this citie, and of sundrie other things incident to the same, are at large described in the later historie of this land.

10.14. The oration of Reimond for the deliuerie of the prisoners taken. Chap. 14.

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The oration of Reimond for the deliuerie of the prisoners taken. Chap. 14.

REimond being verie desirous that the captiues taken might be deliuered, laboreth by all the waies he could how to compasse the same, & in presence of Herueie maketh these spéeches, and vseth these persuasions to all his companie. Yée my noble and valiant companions and souldiers, for increase of whose honour, vertue and fortune séeme to contend; let vs now consider what is best to be doone with these our prisoners and captiues. For my part I doo not thinke it good, nor yet allow that anie fauour or courtesie should be at all shewed to the enimie. But vnderstand you, these are no enimies now, but men; no rebels, but such as be banquished and cleane ouerthrowen, and in stand|ing in defense of their countrie, [...] euill fortune and a worse destinie they are subdued. Their aduentures were honest and their attempts commendable, and therefore they are not to be reputed for théeues, facti|ous persons, traitors, nor yet murtherers. They are now brought to that distresse and case, that rather mercie for examples sake is to be shewed, than cruel|tie to the increasing of their miserie is to be mini|stred. Suerlie our ancestors in times past (although in déed it be verie hard to be doone) were woont in times of good successe and prosperitie, to temperat their loose minds and vnrulie affections with some one incommoditie or other. Wherfore let mercie and pitie, which in a man is most commendable, worke so in vs, that we who haue ouercome others, may also now subdue our owne minds, and conquer our owne affections: for modestie, moderation, and dis|cretion are woont to staie hastie motions, and to stop rash deuises. O how commendable and honorable is it to a noble man, that in his greatest triumph and glorie, he counteth it for a sufficient reuenge, that he can reuenge and be wreaked?

Iulius Cesar, whose conquests were such, his vic|tories so great, and his triumphs so manie, that the whole world was noised therewith; he had not so ma|nie fréends who reioised for the same, but he had ma|nie more enimies who maligned and enuied at him, not onelie in slanderous words and euill reports; but manie also secretlie conspired, deuised, and practised his death and destruction: and yet he was so full of pitie, mercie, and compassion, that he neuer com|manded nor willed anie to be put to death for the same, sauing onelie one Domitius, whome he had of meere clemencie for his lewdnesse before pardoned, for his wickednesse released, and for his trecherie ac|quited. And thus as his pitie did much increase his honour, so did it nothing hinder his victories. O how beastlie then and impious is that crueltie, wherin vi|ctorie is not ioined with pitie? For it is the part of a right noble and a valiant man, to count them eni|mies which do [...] wage the battell, contend and fight for the victorie; but such as be conquered, taken priso|ners, and kept in bonds and captiuitie, to take and repute them for men, that hereby fortitude and force may diminish the battell and end the quarrell, as also humanitie may increase loue & make peace. It is therefore a great commendation and more praise|worthie to a noble man in mercie to be bountious, than in victorie to be cruell; for the one lieth onelie in the course of fortune, but the other in vertue: and as it had béene a great increase of our victorie, and an augmentation of honour, if our enimies had béene slaine in the field and ouerthrowen in the battell: so they being now taken and saued, and as it were men returned from rebels to the common societie and fel|lowship of men; if we should now kill them, it will be to our great shame, dishonor, and reproch for euer. And for somuch as by the killing and destroieng of them we shall be neuer the néerer to haue the coun|trie, nor neuer sooner to be the lords of the land; and yet the ransoming of them verie good for the mainte|nance of the souldiers, the good fame of vs, and the aduancement of our honour: we must néeds thinke it better to ransome them than to kill them. For as it is requisit and meet, that a souldier in the field figh|ting in armes, should then thirst for the bloud of his enimies, trie the force of his sword, and valiantlie stand to his tackle for victorie: so when the fight is ended, the wars are ceassed, & the armor laid downe, and all fiercenes of hostilitie set apart; then in a no|ble man must humanitie take place, pitie must be shewed, and courtesie must be extended.