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.