10.32. The citizens of Wexford present vnto the king Robert Fitzstephans, and sundrie princes of Ireland come and submit themselues to the king. Chap. 32.

The citizens of Wexford present vnto the king Robert Fitzstephans, and sundrie princes of Ireland come and submit themselues to the king. Chap. 32.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 THe king being thus landed at Water|ford, and there resting himselfe; the citizens of Wexford, vnder colour and pretense of great humblenesse and dutie, and in hope of some thanks, they brought Robert Fitzstephans bound as a captiue and a prisoner, and presented him to the king as one who deserued small fauor or cour|tesie, that he had without his consent & leaue entered into Ireland, & giuen thereby an occasion to others to offend and to doo euill. The king not liking of him, fell out with him, and charged him verie déepelie and sharplie for his rash and hastie aduentures, and that he would take vpon him to make a conquest of Ire|land without his assent and leaue: and forthwith commanded him to be handlocked and fettered, with an other prisoner, and to be safelie kept in Renold tower. Then Dermon Mac Arth prince of (1) Corke came to the king of his owne frée will, submitted himselfe, became tributarie, and tooke his oth to be true and faithfull to the king of England. After this the king remooued his armie and marched toward (2) Lisemore, and after that he had tarried a|bout two daies, he went to (3) Cashill, and thither came vnto him at the riuer of (4) Sure, Donold prince of (5) Limerike: where when he had obtei|ned peace, he became tributarie and swore fealtie. The king then set (of his men) rulers and kéepers o|uer the cities of Corke and Limerike.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Then also came in Donold prince of Ossorie, and Macleighlin O Felin prince of the Decies, and all the best & chiefest men in all Mounster, & did submit themselues, became tributaries and swore fealtie. Whome when the king had verie liberallie rewar|ded, he sent them home againe: and he himselfe re|turned backe againe to Waterford through (6) Ti|brach. When he came to Waterford, Fitzstephans was brought before him, & when he had well beheld him, and considered with himselfe the valiantnesse of the man, the good seruice he had doone, & the perils & dangers he had beene in: he began to be mooued with some pitie and compassion vpon him, and at the in|tercession & by the mediation of certeine noblemen, he heartilie forgaue him, and released him from out of bonds, and restored him wholie to his former state and libertie, sauing that he reserued to himselfe the towne of Wexford, with the territories and lands therevnto adioining: & not long after some of those traitors, who thus had betraied him, were themsel|ues taken and put to death.

(1) Corke, in Latine named Corcagium, is an an|cient citie in the prouince of Mounster, and builded (as it should appeare) by the Easterlings or Nor|waies. It standeth now in a marish or a bog, and vn|to EEBO page image 22 it floweth an arme of the seas, in the which are ma|nie goodlie receptacles or harboroughs for ships, & much frequented as well for the goodlie commodities of fishings therein, as also for the trade of merchan|dize, by the which the citie is chieflie mainteined: for the inhabitants are not onlie merchants & great tra|uellers themselues; but also great s [...]ore of strange merchants doo dailie resort & traffike with them. It is wailed round about, and well fortified for a suffici|ent defense against the Irishrie. In it is the bishops sée of that diocesse, being called by the name of the bishop of Corke. The citie is gouerned by a maior and two bailiffes, who vsing the gouernement accor|ding to the lawes of England; doo keepe and main|teine the same in verie good order. They are verie much troubled with the enimie, and therefore they doo continuallie, as men lieng in a garison, keepe watch and ward both daie and night. The prince of that countrie did most commonlie kéepe & staie himselfe in all troubles within that citie, vntill the time the same was conquered by the Englishmen, who euer since haue inhabited in the same.

(2) Lisemore in times past was as faire a towne as it is ancient, and standeth vpon a goodlie riuer, which floweth vnto Youghall, and so into the maine seas. It was sometimes a bishoprike, but of late v|nited to the bishoprike of Waterford, and so it lieth in the countie and diocesse of Waterford, but the soile it selfe was within the countie of Corke.

(3) Cashill is an old ruinous towne, but walled, and standeth vpon the riuer Sure. In it is the see and cathedrall church of the bishop, bearing the name therof, who is one of the foure archbishopriks of that land, and vnder him are the bishops of Waterford, Corke, and seuen others.

(4) The Sure is a goodlie and a notable riuer, and one of the chiefest in that land. It hath his head or spring in a certeine hill called Blandina, but in Irish Sloghblome, for the pleasantnesse thereof. Manie good townes are seated and builded vpon the same, & it is nauigable more than the one halfe. It fléeteth from the spring or head fast by the towne of Thorleis, whereof the earle of Ormond is baron: from thense to the holie crosse and so to Clomnell, & from thense to Carig Mac Griffith, where is an an|cient house of the earles, sometime named the earles of the Carig, but now earles of Ormond; and from thense fléeting by Tibrach, it commeth to Water|ford; and fléeting by the wals thereof, it runneth into the seas.

(5) Limerike is one of the first cities builded by the Norwaies or Easterlings, named sometimes Ostomen: the founder whereof was the yoongest of thrée brethren whose name was Yuorus. It standeth vpon the famous and noble riuer of Shenin, which goeth round about it, the same being as it were an Iland. The seat of it is such, as none can be more faire or more statelie. It lieth in the maine land with|in the prouince of Mounster, called the north Moun|ster, and is from the maine seas aboue fortie miles, and yet at the wals euen the greatest ship at the seas maie be discharged and vnladen, and yéerelie so there are: for the citie it selfe is chieflie inhabited by mer|chants. It is gouerned by a maior and bailiffes after and according to the English lawes and orders. It was in times past vnder a particular prince of it self, but euer since the conquest it hath béene inhabited by the Englishmen, who doo so still continue therin.

(6) Tibrach is an old towne, which in times past was rich and verie well inhabited, it lieth vpon the north side of the Sure, and about two miles from Carig Mac Griffith. In it is a great stone standing, which is the bound betwéene the counties of Kilken|nie and Ormond.