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5 Turgesius
therefore with his Norwegians the second time inuaded Ireland, susteined diuerse los|ses
Turgesius what he did. and ouerthrowes: but in the end fortifieng him|selfe by the
sea coasts, & receiuing thereby his fréends at his pleasure, waxed so strong that he subdued the
whole Ile, still erecting castels and fortresses as he He buildeth fortresses. wan
ground, so to maister the Irish that with such manner of strengths of wals and rampires had not as yet béene
acquainted: for till those daies they knew no defense but woods, bogs, or strokes. Tur|gesius so brideled
the Irish kings, and kept them in Turgesius reigned in Ireland thir|tie yeares.
awe, that without interruption he reigned like a conqueror thirtie yeares.
He cried hauocke & spoile where anie rich preie was to be had, sparing neither those of the laitie
nor of the clergie, neither church nor chappell, abu [...]ing his victorie verie insolentlie. Oma|laghlilen king of Meth was in some trust with the Omalaghli|len king of Meth. tyrant. His onelie daughter Turgesius craued for his
concubine. The father hauing a readie wit, and watching his time, began to breake with Turgesius in this
wise: Sauing your fansie my lord (quoth he) there are diuerse ladies of bloud in this countrie mée|ter
bedfellows for a king than that browne gristie: and therewith he began
to reckon vp a number of his néeces and cousines, indowed (as he set them foorth) with such singular
beautie, as they séemed ra|ther angels than mortall creatures. The tyrant as it were rauished, and doting in
loue of those peereles péeces before he saw them, by reason of such excée|ding praises as he thus heard of
them, doubted yet least Omalaghlilen extolled them to preserue his The policie of
Omalaghli|len. daughter out of his hands: and the subtill father clo|ked his drift with modest behauior, lingering time to inflame the leachers follie, as he that
wished anie thing more to be suspected, than that which he meant most earnestlie to bring to passe.
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when Turgesius séemed to take his de|laieng thus of time somewhat displeasantlie, he vsed this or the like
speech:
If I should saie (quoth he) that I gaue you my sole daughter with goodwill to be de|floured, your
high wisdome would soone ghesse that I did but flatter you; and yet if ten daughters were déerer to me than your good pleasure and contentati|on, by whose bountifull
goodnes both she, & I, and we all are supported, I were vnwoorthie that secret and nere
fréendship wherin it liketh you to vse me. As for the wench, it will be in part honorable for hir to be
re|quired to the bed of such a prince, sith quéenes haue not sticked to come from farre, and yeeld the
vse of their bodies to noble conquerors, in hope by them to haue issue. And howsoeuer it be taken, time
will weare it out, and redéeme it; but such a fréend as you are to me
and mine, neither I nor mine shall liue to see. And verelie I meane not to hazard your displeasure, if it
were for a greater matter than the value of twentie maidenheads; séeing fathers haue not sticked to giue
vp their owne wiues to quench the lusts of their sons. Therefore am I thus agréed, name the daie and
place, separat your selfe from the view of your court, conferre with those that haue a deintie insight,
& skilfull eies in discerning beuties; I will send you my daughter, & with hir the choise
of twelue or sixteene gentlewomen, the meanest of the which may be an empresse in comparison. When they
are before you, make your game as you like, and then if my child please your fantasie best, she is not
too good to be at your commandement: onelie my request is, that if anie other shall presume vpon your
leauings, your maiestie will remember whose child she is.
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proffer was of Turgesius accepted (whose desire was most insatiable) with manie good words, thanks,
& faire promises. To be short, the same daie Omalaghlilen put his daughter in prince|like apparell,
attired after the trimmest wise, and with hir sixteene proper yoong men beautifull and a|miable to behold:
and so being sent to the king were The like was practised by Alexander son to Amyn|tas
king of Macedon a|gainst the Persian ara|bassadors. Carion lib. 3. fol. 109. presented
vnto him in his priuie chamber, hauing none about him but a few dissolute youthfull per|sons; whervpon those
disguised yoong striplings drew foorth from vnder their long womanish garments their skeins, and valiantlie
bestirring themselues, first stabbed their weapons points through the bodie of the tyrant, and then serued
all those youths that were about him with the like sawce, they making small or no resistance at all. The
brute of this mur|ther was quicklie blowne abrode through all Ire|land: and the princes readie to catch hold
on such ad|uantage, rose in armes with one assent, in purpose to deliuer themselues from bondage, and
recouer li|bertie.