[1] [2] Here percaſe ſome ſnappiſh carper will take mée at rebounde, and ſnuffingly ſnibbe me, for debacing the Iriſh language. But truely whoſoeuer ſhall be founde ſo ouerthwarlly bent, he takes the matter far awrie. For as my ſkill is very ſimple there in, ſo I woulde be loath, to diſueyle my raſhneſſe, in giuing light verdict in any thing to me vnknowen: But onely my ſhort diſcourſe tendeth to this drift, that it is not expedient, that the Iriſhe tongue ſhoulde be ſo vniuerſally gagled in in the Engliſh pale, bycauſe that by proofe & experience we ſee, that the pale was in neuer more floriſhing eſtate, thẽ when it was whol|ly Engliſh, & neuer in woorſe plight, thẽ ſince it hath enfraunchyſed the Iriſhe.The ſu|perſtition of Game|ſters. But ſome will ſay, that I ſhewe my ſelfe herein as fri|uoulous, as ſome looſing gameſters ſéeme ſu|perſtitious, when they play themſelfes drye, they gogle wyth their eyes hither and thy|ther, and if they can pyre out any one, that gi|ueth, them the gaze, they ſtande lumping and lowring, fretting and fuming, for that they imagine, that all theyr euill lucke procéeded of hym. And yet if the ſtander by departe, the looſer may be founde as dryſhauen, as he was before. And euen ſo it fareth wyth you, bycauſe you ſée all things runne to ruine in the Engliſhe pale, by reaſon of great enor|mities in the countrey, eyther openly praui|ſed, or couertlye wyncked at, you glaunce your eye on that, which ſtandeth next you, & by beating Iacke for Iyll, you impute the fault to that, which perhappes woulde little further the wealepublicke, if it were exiled. Now truely you ſhoote very néere the mark. But it I may craue your patience, to tyme you ſée me ſhoote my bolt, I hope you will not deny, but that as néere the pricke as you are, & as very an hagler as I am, yet the ſcant|ling ſhall be myne. Firſt therefore take this wyth you, that a conqueſt draweth,A conqueſt implyeth 3. thinges. or at the leaſt wyſe ought to drawe to it, thrée things, to witte, law, apparayle, and languague. For where the countrey is ſubdued, there the in|habitants ought to be ruled by the ſame law that the cõquerour is gouerned, to weare the ſame faſhion of attyre, wherewith the vic|tour is veſted, & ſpeake the ſame language, that the vanquiſher parleth. And if anye of theſe thrée lacke, doubtleſſe the conqueſt liue|peth. Now whereas Irelande hath béene, by lawfull conqueſt, brought vnder the ſubiectiõ of Englande, not onelye in king Henry the ſecond his reigne, but alſo as well before, as after (as by the courſe of the Iriſh hyſtorye ſhal euidently be deciphered) & the conqueſt hath béene ſo abſolute and perfect, that all Leinſter, Méeth, Vlſter, the more parte of Connaght, and Mounſter, all the Ciuities & Burronghes in Irelande, haue béene wholly Engliſhed, and with Engliſhe conquerours inhabited, is it decent, thinke you, that theyr owne auncient natiue tongue ſhal be ſhrow|ded in obliuion, and ſuffer the enemies lan|guage, as it were a tettarre, or ringwoorme, [page 576] to herborow it ſelf within the iawes of Eng|liſhe conquerours? no truely. And nowe that I haue fallen vnawares into this diſcourſe, it will not be far amiſſe to ſtande ſomewhat roundly vpon this poynt. It is knowen, and by the hyſtorie, you maye in part perceyue, how brauely Vlſter Whillon flooriſhed. The Engliſhe families were there implanted, the Iriſh, eyther vtterly expelled, or wholly ſub|dued, the lawes duely executed, the reuenue great, and onely Engliſh ſpoken. But what brought it to this preſent ruine and decaye? I doubt not, but you geſſe, before I tell you. They were enuironned & cõpaſſed with euill neighbours. Neighbourhoode bredde acquain|tance, acquaintance wafted in ye Iriſh tõgue, the Iriſhe hooked with it attyre, attyre haled rudenes, rudeneſſe engendred ignorãce, igno|raunce brought contempt of lawes, the con|tempt of lawes bred rebelliõ, rebellion raked thereto warres, and ſo cõſequently the vtter decay and deſolatiõ of that worthy countrey.