Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Others on the contrarie side, being resolute fellowes, and trampling vnder foot these curious faultfinders, would not sticke to put themselues foorth in presse, and maugre all their hearts, to buskle forward, and rush through the pikes of their quipping nips, and biting frumps. But I taking the meane betweene both these ex|tremities, held it for better, not to be so faint and peeuish a meacocke, as to shrinke and couch mine head for euerie mizeling shoure, nor yet to beare my selfe so high EEBO page image 81 in heart, as to pranse and iet like a proud gennet through the street, not weighing the barking of currish bandogs. And therefore, if I shall be found in mine historie sometime too tedious, sometime too spare, sometime too fawning in commending the liuing, sometime too flat in reproouing the dead: I take God to witnesse, that mine offense therein proceedeth of ignorance, and not of set wilfulnesse. But as for the passing ouer in silence of diuerse euents (albeit the law or rather the liber|tie of an historie requireth that all should be related, and nothing whusted) yet I must confesse, that as I was not able, vpon so little leasure, to know all that was said or doone; so I was not willing for sundrie respects, to write euerie trim tram that I knew to be said or doone. And if anie be ouerthwartlie waiwarded, as he will sooner long for that I haue omittted, than he will be contented with that I haue chroni|cled; I cannot deuise in my iudgement a better waie to satisfie his appetite, than with one Dolie, a peintor of Oxford, his answer: who being appointed to tricke out the ten commandements, omitted one, and pourtraied but nine. Which fault espied by his maister that hired him, Dolie answered, that in verie deed he peinted but nine: howbeit, when he vnderstood that his master had well obserued and kept the nine commandements that alreadie were drawne, he gaue his word at better leisure throughlie to finish the tenth. And truelie so must I saie: I haue laid downe heere to the reader his view, a breefe discourse, wherof I trust he shall take no great surfet. And when I am aduertised, that he will digest the thin fare that heere is disht before him: it may be (God willing) heereafter, that he shall find my booke with store of more licorous deinties farsed and furnished; leauing to his choise, either nicelie to pickle, or greedilie to swallow, as much as to his contentation shall best beseeme him. Wherefore my good lord, sith I may not denie, but that the worke is painfull, and I doo forecast that the misconstruction may be perilous: the toile|somnesse of the paine I refer to my priuat knowledge, the abandoning of the pe|rill, I commit to your honorable patronage, not doubting thereby to be sheel|ded against the sinister glosing of malicious interpretors. Thus betaking your lordship to God, I craue your attentiuenes, in perusing a cantell or parcell of the Irish historie that heere insueth.
RICHARD STANIHVRST.
A continuation of the Chronicles of Ireland, comprising the reigne of king Henrie the eight.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _GIrald Fitz|girald earle of Kildare, son to Thomas Fitz|girald, of whõ mention hath béene made in the latter end of the former storie, a migh|tie man of sta|ture, full of ho|nor & courage, who had béene de [...]e [...] iustice of Ireland first & last 33 yéeres, 1514 deceased at Kildare the third of September, & lieth intoomed in the queere of Christes church at Dublin, in a chappell by him founded. Betwéen him & Iames Butler earle of Ormond (their owne gelousies fed with enuie & ambition, kindled with certeine lewd factious abettors of either side) as generallie to all noblemen, so especiallie to both these houses verie incident, euer since the ninth yeare of Henrie the seuenth, bred some trouble in Ireland. The plot of The occasion of the dissen|tion betwéene Kildare and Ormond. which mutuall grudge was grounded vpon the fac|tious dissention, that was raised in England be|tweene the houses of Yorke & Lancaster, Kildare cleaning to Yorke, and Ormond relieng to Lanca|ster. To the vpholding of which discord, both these no|ble men laboured with tooth and na [...]e to ouercrow, and consequentlie to ouerthrow one the other. And for somuch as they were in honour peeres, they wrought by hooke and by crooke to be in authoritie superiours. The gouernement therfore in the reigne of Henrie the seuenth, being cast on the house of Kil|dare; Iames earle of Ormond a deepe and a farre reaching man, giuing backe like a butting ram to strike the harder push, deuised to inueigle his aduer|sarie by submission & courtesie, being not then able to ouermatch him with stoutnesse or preheminence. Wherevpon Ormond addressed his letters to the deputie, specifieng a slander raised on him and his, that he purposed to deface his gouernement, and to withstand his authoritie. And for the cleering of him|selfe and of his adherents, so it stood with the deputie his pleasure, he would make his spéedie repaire to Dublin, & there in an open audience would purge himselfe of all such odious crimes, of which he was wrongfullie suspected.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 To this reasonable request had the lord deputie no sooner condescended, than Ormond with a puis|sant armie marched towards Dublin, incamping Ormond marcheth to Dublin. in an abbeie in the suburbs of the citie, named saint Thomas court. The approching of so great an armie of the citizens suspected, and also of Kildares coun|cellors greatlie disliked, lastlie the extortion that the lawlesse souldiers vsed in the pale by seuerall com|plaints detected: these three points, with diuerse o|ther suspicious circumstances laid and put togither, did minister occasion rather of further discord, than of anie present agreement. Ormond persisting still in his humble sute, sent his messenger to the lord de|putie, declaring that he was prest and readie to ac|complish the tenour of his letters, and there did at|tend (as became him) his lordship his pleasure. And as for the companie, he brought with him from Mounster, albeit suspicious braines did rather of a malicious craftinesse surmise the worst, than of cha|ritable wisedome did iudge the best; yet notwithstan|ding, vpon conference had with his lordship, he would not doubt to satisfie him at full in all points, wherewith he could be with anie colour charged, and so to stop vp the spring, from whense all the enuious suspicions gushed. Kildare with this mild message intreated, appointed the méeting to be at saint Pa|trike his church: where they were ripping vp one to another their mutuall quarrels, rather recounting the damages they susteined, than acknowledging the iniuries they offered: the citizens and Ormond The citie in an [...]. his armie fell at some iar, for the oppression and ex|action with which the souldiers surcharged them. With whom as part of the citizens bickered, so a round knot of archers rushed into the church, mea|ning to haue murthered Ormond, as the capteine and belwedder of all these lawlesse rabble. The earle of Ormond suspecting that he had béene betraied, fled to the chapiter house, put to the doore, sparring it with might and maine. The citizens in their rage, imagining that euerie post in the church had beene one of the souldiers, shot hab or nab at randon vp to the roodlost and to the chancell, leauing some of their arrowes sticking in the images.