THis Iohn de Courcie was white and pale of colour, but verie fierce and arro|gant, he was sinowous and a verie strong made man, verie tall and mightie, and of a singular audacitie: and being from his verie youth [page 44] bent to the wars proued a verie valiant souldior. He would be the first in the field and formost in the fight; and so ambitious and desirous he was of ho|nor, that were the enterprise neuer so perillous, and the seruice neuer so dangerous, yet he would giue the aduenture. And albeit he were the generall or capteine, yet setting the prioritie thereof apart, he would be as a common souldior, and serue in the place of a priuat seruitor; and manie times being more rash than wise, and more hastie than circum|spect, he had the woorst side and lost the victorie. And although in seruice he were thus forward, earnest, and vehement; yet in time of peace and rest he was verie sober, modest, and altogither giuen and dis|posed to serue God, and hauing the victorie of his enimies and good successe in his affaires, he would ascribe the honor vnto God, and be thankefull for the same. But as Tullius writeth, nature neuer made anie thing perfect and absolute in all points. And so it appeared in this man; for through his too much pin|ching and sparing, and by reason he was verie vn|certeine and vnconstant, his vertues (otherwise great, and deseruing great praises and commenda|tions) verie much imperished and blemished. He maried the daughter of Gotred king of Maime. And after that he had waged manie battels, and fought sundrie times with his enimies, he at length had the masterie and conquest ouer them: and then hauing brought the whole countrie to a good peace and rest, he builded sundrie and diuerse castels throughout Ulster, in such méete and conuenient places as he thought best. And by the way this one The thrée chiefe posts of Ireland w [...]thout issue lawfull. thing me thinketh is verie strange, that these thrée notable & the chiefest posts of Ireland, namelie Her|ueie, Reimond, and this Iohn de Courcie, by Gods secret (but not vniust iudgement) neuer had anie lawfull issue. I might also say the like of Meilerius, who as yet hath no lawfull issue by his wife. Thus much hauing bréeflie and by the waie spoken of the noble acts of Iohn de Courcie, and leauing the same vnto others to be more at large set forth and de|scribed, we will now returne againe to Dublin.