10.15. The oration or speech which Herueie made. Chap. 15.

The oration or speech which Herueie made. Chap. 15.

WHen Reimond had ended his speech, & the whole companie being in a muttering, and as it were men well pleased and verie well allowing his mind and opinion: then Herueie stood vp and spake to them all in this ma|ner. Reimond hath verie exquisetlie discoursed with vs of pitie and mercie, and in set speeches vttering his eloquence, hath shewed his mind and declared his opinion; persuading and inducing vs to beléeue, that a strange land were to be conquered sooner by mercie and fond pitie than by sword and fire. But I praie you, can there be a worsse waie than so to thinke? Did Iulius Cesar or Alexander of Macedo|nie by such means or in such order conquer the whole world? Did the nations from out of all places run to submit themselues vnder their yoke and empire, in respect of their pitie & mercie, & not rather compel|led so to doo for feare & perforce? For people, whiles they are yet proud and rebellious, they are (all pitie and mercie set apart) by all manner of waies and means to be subdued: but when they are once brought into subiection and bondage, and redie to serue and obeie, then they are with all courtesie to be intreated and dealt withall: so that the state of the gouern|ment may be in safetie and out of danger. Herein and in this point must pitie be vsed, but in the other seueritie or rather crueltie is more necessarie: here clemencie is to be shewed, but in the other rigour without fauour is to be exhibited and vsed. Reimond persuadeth that mercie is to be extended, as vpon a people alreadie subdued and subiected; or as though the enimies were so few and of so small a number, as against whome no valiant seruice nor chiualrie can be exploited, and yet they redie to ioine with vs: whereby our force may be increased, and our power augmented. But alas! Doo not we sée how that the whole nation and people of Ireland are wholie bent, and not without cause altogither conspired against vs?

Suerlie me thinketh Reimond is contrarie vnto himselfe; for why, his comming hither was not to di|spute of pitie, nor to reason of mercie; but to conquer the nation and to subdue the people. O what an ex|ample of impious pitie were it then, to neglect our owne safetie, and to haue remorse and compassion vpon others distresses? Moreouer, we haue here in the fields, and in armour more enimies than friends, we are in the middle of perils and dangers, our enimies being round about vs in euerie place: and shall we thinke this to be nothing, but that we must be also in the like distresse and danger among EEBO page image 14 our selues. Round about vs our enimies are infinit, and within our selues some there be which practise our destruction. And if it should happen that our cap|tiues and prisoners should escape and breake loose out of their bonds, which are but verie weake and slender, no doubt they will foorth with take our owne armours and weapons against vs. Well well, the mouse is in the cupbord, the fire is in the lap, and the serpent is in the bosome; the enimie is at hand rea|die to oppresse his aduersarie, and the gest is in place with small courtesie to requit his host. And I praie you dooth not Reimond execute that in his facts and dooings, which he denieth in his words? Are not his spéeches contrarie to his deeds? Let him answer me to this. If our enimies when they come in good araie and well appointed to giue the onset, and to wage the battell against vs, if they should happen to haue the victorie and the ouerhand ouer vs, would they deale in pitie & mercie? Would they grant vs our liues? Would they put vs to ransome? Tush what néed ma|nie words when the déeds are apparant? Our victorie is to be so vsed, that the destruction of these few may be a terror to manie; wherby all others and this wild and rebellious nation may take an example, and be|ware how they meddle and incounter with vs. Of two things we are to make choise of one; for either we must valiantlie and couragiouslie stand to per|forme what we haue taken in hand; and all fond pi|tie set aside, boldlie and stoutlie to ouerthrow and vanquish this rebellious and stubborne peop [...]e: or (if we shall after the mind and opinion of Reimond al|togither be pitifull and full of mercie) we must hoise vp our sailes and returne home, leauing both the countrie and our patrimonie to this miserable and wretched people. Herueies opinion was best liked, and the whole companie allowed his iudgement, wherevpon the captiues (as men condemned) were brought to the rockes, and after their lims were bro|ben, they were cast headlong into the seas, and so drowned.

10.16. The comming ouer of Richard Strang|bow earle of Chepstow into Ireland, and of the taking of the citie of Waterford. Chap. 16.

The comming ouer of Richard Strang|bow earle of Chepstow into Ireland, and of the taking of the citie of Waterford. Chap. 16.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 IN this meane time Richard the earle, hauing prouided and made all things in rea|dinesse fit for so great an enterprise, tooke his iournie, and came through Wales to S. Dauids: and still as he went he tooke vp all the best chosen and piked men that he could get. And hauing all things in place and in a readinesse méet and ne|cessarie for such a voiage, he went to Milford hauen, and hauing a good wind tooke shipping and came to Waterford, in the kalends of September on the vi|gill of saint Bartholomew, and had with him about two hundred gentlemen of good seruice, and a thou|sand others. Then was fulfilled Celidons prophesie, Prephesies of Celidon and Merlin fulfilled. which was; that A little firebrand shall go before a great fire; and as the sparkels inkindle the small wood, so shall the same set the great wood a fire. Like|wise was fulfilled the saieng of Merlin; A great fore|runner of a greater follower shall come, and he shall tread downe the heads of Desmond and Leinster, and the waies before opened & made readie he shall inlarge. Reimond being aduertised of the earles ar|riuall, went the next morrow vnto him with great ioy, hauing with him in his companie fortie gentle|men of seruice. And on the morrow vpon saint Bar|tholomews daie, being tuesdaie, they displaied their banners, and in good arraie they marched to the wals of the citie, being fullie bent and determined to giue the assault: the citizens & such others as had escaped at Dundorogh manfullie defending themselues, and giuing them two repulses. Reimond who by the consent and assent of the whole armie was chosen and made generall of the field, and tribune of the host, hauing espied a little house of timber standing halfe vpon posts without the wals, called his men togither, and incouraged them to giue a new assault at that (1) place. And hauing hewed downe the posts wherevpon the house stood, the same fell downe togi|ther with a peece of the towne wall; and then a waie being thus opened, they entred into the citie, and kil|led the people in the streets without pitie or mercie, leauing them lieng in great heaps; and thus with bloodie hands they obteined a bloodie victorie. In the tower called (2) Reinolds tower they tooke two mur|therers prisoners, whom they vnarmed and killed; al|so they tooke there Reinold, and Machlathilen Ophe|lan prince of the Decies: but these were saued by meanes of the comming and suite of Mac Morogh, who was also come thither with Maurice Fitzgerald and Robert Fitzstephans. And when they had set the citie and all other their things in good order, Mac Morogh gaue his daughter Eua, whom he had then brought thither with him, to be maried to the earle according to the first pact and couenant; and then the mariage solemnized and all things set in order, they displaid their baners & marched towards Dublin.

(1) In the verie place of the assault is now builded a strong fort and blockehouse, which is verie well fur|nished and appointed with ordinance and shot. It is in the verie east angle or point of the walles of the citie: and within on the south side the walles dooth it appeere how the same was burned by the English|men at this their entrie.

(2) The Reinolds tower is a little tower in the wall of the old citie, and is next or verie neere adioi|ning to a late monasterie or friers there: it is a verie slender thing, and not worthie of any report; sauing that the author dooth alledge it as a fort in those daies vsed for a defense.

10.17. The besieging and taking of the citie of Dublin. Chap. 17.

The besieging and taking of the citie of Dublin. Chap. 17.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 DErmon being aduertised, and hauing perfect aduertisement that they of Dublin had procured & flocked all or the most part of the land to come to aid, helpe and to de|fend them; and that they had laied all the waies, pas|sages and streicts about the citie, whereby no man could passe that waie, he left all those waies; and pas|sing through the mounteines of Glundoloch, he brought his whole armie safe to (1) Dublin. And such was his mortall hatred towards the Dublians, that he could not forget the iniuries doon to himselfe, and the shamefull reproch doone to his father. For his father being on a time at Dublin, and there sit|ting at the doore of a certein ancient man of the citie, they did not onelie there murther him; but for a fur|ther satisfieng of their malice, they cast him and bu|ried him with a dog: and therefore aboue all others he most mortallie hated them. The citizens much mistrusting themselues, they send messengers to in|treate for peace; and in the end by the mediation and meanes of Laurence then the archbishop of Dublin, a parlée and a treatie was obteined: but whiles the old and ancient men were talking of peace, the yon|ger sort were busie in weapons. For Reimond and Miles of Cogan, two lustie yoong gentlemen, but more desirous to fight vnder Mars in the fields than EEBO page image 15 to sit in councell vnder Iupiter; and more willing to purchase honor in the warres, than gaine in peace. They with a companie of lustie yoong gentlemen suddenlie ran to the walles, & giuing the assalt, brake in, entred the citie, and obteined the victorie, making no small slaughter of their enimies: but yet the grea|ter number of them, with Hasculphus their captein, escaped awaie with such riches & iewels as they had, and recouered themselues vnto certeine ships which laie there, & so sailed to the north Ilands. At this time Two strange miracles. there happened two strange miracles in the same ci|tie, the one was of a crosse or a rood which the citizens minding to haue caried with them, was not nor would be remooued; the other was of a péece of mo|nie, which was offered to the same rood twise, & euer it returned backe againe, as you may sée more ther|of in our topographie. When the earle had spent a few daies in the citie, about setting and setling the same in good order, he left the same to the charge and gouernance of Miles Cogan: but he himselfe by the persuasion of Mac Morogh (who sought by all the waies he could, how to be reuenged vpon Ororike king of Meth) inuaded the borders of Meth, and wa|sted, spoiled, and destroied the same. All Meth being in the end wasted by the sword and fire; Rothorike King of Connagh thought with himself what might hereof befall vnto him, bicause his neighbors house being set on fire, his was next to the like perill: he sent his messengers vnto Dermon Mac Morogh with this message.

Contrarie to the order of the peace, thou hast procured, called, and flocked into this land a great multitude and number of strangers, and as long as thou didst staie and kéepe thy selfe within thy owne countrie of Leinster, we bare ther|with, and were contented. But forsomuch as now not caring for thy oth, nor regarding the safetie of thy hostages, thou hast so fondlie & lewdlie passed thy bounds: I am to require thée, that thou doo retire and withdraw these excurses of strangers; or else without faile I will cut off thy sonnes head, & send it thée.

Mac Morogh when he heard this message, full stoutlie answered, and said he would not giue ouer that which he had begun, nor desist from his enter|prise, vntill he subdued all Connagh his ancient in|heritance, as also he had recouered the monarchie of all Ireland. Rothorike being aduertised of this an|swer, was somwhat warmed and offended therwith, & forthwith in his rage commanded Mac Moroghs sonne, who was his pledge, to be beheaded.

(1) Dublin is the oldest and ancientest citie in all Ireland, and was builded by one Amelaus, the eldest of three brethren named Ostimen or Easterlings: which came first out of Norwaie, or (as some write) out of Normandie, and did inhabit the land. It was first named Aghalia, that is, the towne of hurdels; for it standeth somewhat low and in a marish ground: and bicause when the same was first builded, the la|borers were woont and did go vpon hurdels, it tooke the name thereof. It was also called Doolin, which is to saie blacke water, for of that name is a certeine brooke, fleeting not farre out of the towne, but now is called Dublin or Diuelin; it standeth vpon the riuer named Aneliphus or the Liffer, and it is a port towne, being the chéefest citie and emporium of all that land. It is walled with stone round about, & at the east part therof is a verie old castle, builded first by Henrie Londers archbishop of Dublin, about the yéere 1212, which is now the quéenes castell, & wher|in the lord deputie of that land most commonly lieth, as also wherin the courts for the common law at the vsuall terms are kept. The citie it selfe stands most on trade of merchandize, & is by that means of good wealth. The inhabitants are méere Englishmen, but of Ireland birth. The gouernment thereof is vnder a maior and two shiriffes. And as concerning the order, gouernement, state, policies, and good serui|ces of the same, I shall more at large declare in my particular historie of this land.