THe king to aduance his yoonger sonne named Iohn had giuen him the dominion ouer Ireland, and he therevpon had taken homage of sundrie persons for the same: and now minding to bring the same to a finall end & perfect order, sendeth ouer into Ireland before his sonne Iohn the new archbishop of Dublin, who as a forerunner vnto his sonne should prepare all things in readinesse against his comming, who foorthwith tooke his iournie about the kalends of August, and sailed ouer into Ireland. Also in the moneth of Sep|tember then next following, he sent ouer Philip of Worcester, a valiant souldier, a sumptuous and a liberall man, with fortie gentlemen, who was com|manded to send ouer (1) Hugh de Lacie, and he to staie there as gouernour of the land vntill Iohn his sonne came ouer. This Philip being thus placed in authoritie, the first thing he did he resumed and tooke into the kings vse the lands in O [...]hathesie, and di|uerse other parcels which Hugh de Lacie had before sold, and these he appointed to serue for the kings pro|uision and diet. And after the winter was past, he as|sembled and mustered all his men and companie, & began to trauell from place to place; and in March about the middle of Lent he came to (2) Armagh, where when he had extorted and perforce exacted from the cleargie there a great masse of monie and trea|sure, he returned vnto the citie of Downe, and from thense to Dublin in safetie: being well laden with gold, siluer, and monie, which he had exacted in euerie place where he came: for other good he did none. In this iournie there happened two strange miracles, Two strange miracles. the one at Armach concerning the great anguish and griefe of (3) Philip when he departed and went out of the towne, the other was of a (4) fornace which Hugh Tirell tooke away from the poore priests at Armagh, as more at large is declared in our to|pographie.
(1) This Hugh de Lacie albeit he were thus sent for, yet he went not ouer, as it appéereth by the course of the histories of this time, he was about building of a castell at Deruagh, and there being among his [page 49] laborers, and séeing one not to frame verie well in his worke, taught him what he should doo, taking his pickeax in both his hands and brake the ground. This wicked Irishman when he saw his lord and master thus stooping and labouring, suddenlie came behind him, and with his ax or weapon strake him in the head and slue him, but his inheritance and pos|sessions came & descended to his two sonnes Wal|ter and Hugh.
(2) In Ireland there are foure archbishoprikes, one at Dublin for the prouince of Leinster, another at Cashill for the prouince of Mounster, the third at Thomond for the prouince of Connagh, & the fourth at Armagh for the prouince of Ulster. The chiefest of them is the archbishop of this Armagh, for al|though euerie one of the others be named a primat of Ireland, yet this one alone is named primat of all Ireland; which title he hath partlie bicause he is successour to S. Patrike, who first conuerted Ire|land to the christian faith, and had his see and church at this Armagh; one other cause is bicause this archbi|shop was the first that receiued a pall from the pope, This pall is a certeine inuesture of cloth, which the What the bi|shops pallis. pope haloweth and giueth or sendeth to euerie arch|bishop, who weareth the same vppermost vpon his garment. The nature of this pall, of the first inuen|tion thereof and the causes whie it is giuen to euerie archbishop, is not incident nor apperteining to the course and nature of this historie, and therfore I will omit it. This Armagh was somtimes a faire towne, and therein a faire cathedrall church, lieng farre and remote from all good neighbors, and in the middle of the Onels and other sauage people; the same hath beene and still is and lieth wast: and the archbishop remooued to a house of his named Terseekam, which lieth néere the towne of Drogheda, being a place of better safetie.
(3) The historie is, that this Philip of Worcester being well landed with great riches exacted from the cleargie and departed, he was no sooner out of the towne, but that he was taken with a sudden pang, which for the time was so vehement, that it was sup|posed he would neuer haue recouered it.
(4) This Hugh Tirell among other the spoiles which he tooke, he had a great bruing fornace or pan which serued for the whole house, for which his dooing the priests curssed him, and he caried this along with him vntill he came to the citie of Downe. And on a night he being in his lodging, the same was entred with fire, and the horsses which drew the said pan, as also much goods which they brought with them, and a great part of the towne was burned. In the mor|ning, when he saw the great spoile, and yet the said pan as nothing hurt nor perished, he began to re|pent and be sorie, and so restored the pan againe.