Part 32 (2/2)

The King's account of his reception shows that he had formed a tolerably just opinion of the political state of the country. He mentions in a letter from Dublin, that the people might be divided into three cla.s.ses--the ”wild Irish, or enemies,” the Irish rebels, and the English subjects; and he had just discernment enough to see that the ”rebels had been made such by wrongs, and by want of close attention to their grievances,” though he had not the judgment or the justice to apply the necessary remedy. His next exploit was to persuade the princ.i.p.al Irish kings to receive knighthood in the English fas.h.i.+on. They submitted with the worst possible grace, having again and again repeated that they had already received the honour according to the custom of their own country. The dealings of the Anglo-Norman knights, with whom they already had intercourse, were not likely to have inspired them with very sublime ideas of the dignity. They might, indeed, have been chevaliers _sans peur_, but the latter part of the flattering appellation could not be applied.

The customs of the Irish n.o.bles were again made a subject of ridicule, as they had been during the visit of Prince John; though one should have supposed that an increased knowledge of the world should have led to a wiser policy, if not to an avoidance of that ignorant criticism, which at once denounces everything foreign as inferior.[360] Richard returned to England in 1395, after nine months of vain display. He appointed Roger Mortimer his Viceroy. Scarcely had the King and his fleet sailed from the Irish sh.o.r.es, when the real nature of the proffered allegiance of seventy-two kings and chieftains became apparent. The O'Byrnes rose up in Wicklow, and were defeated by the Viceroy and the Earl of Ormonde; the MacCarthys rose up in Munster, and balanced affairs by gaining a victory over the English. The Earl of Kildare was captured by Calvagh O'Connor, of Offaly, in 1398; and, in the same year, the O'Briens and O'Tooles avenged their late defeat, by a great victory, at Kenlis, in Ossory.

In 1399 King Richard paid another visit to Ireland. His exactions and oppressions had made him very unpopular in England, and it is probable that this expedition was planned to divert the minds of his subjects. If this was his object, it failed signally; for the unfortunate monarch was deposed by Parliament the same year, and was obliged to perform the act of abdication with the best grace he could. His unhappy end belongs to English history. Richard again landed in state at Waterford, and soon after marched against the indomitable MacMurrough. His main object, indeed, appears to have been the subjugation of this ”rebel,” who contrived to keep the English settlers in continual alarm. A French chronicler again attended the court, and narrated its proceedings. He describes MacMurrough's stronghold in the woods, and says that they did not seem much appalled at the sight of the English army. A special notice is given of the chieftain's horse, which was worth 400 cows.[361]

The chieftain's uncle and some others had made an abject submission to the English monarch, who naturally hoped that MacMurrough would follow their example. He, therefore, despatched an emba.s.sy to him, to repair the ”wrongs” which he had inflicted on the settlers, for which he demanded reparation. The Leinster king, however, could neither be frightened nor persuaded into seeing matters in that light, and, probably, thought the term rebel would be more appropriately applied to those who resisted the native rulers of the country. He declared that for all the gold in the world he would not submit.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Interview between MacMurrough and the Officers of Richard the Strong.]

Richard's army was on the verge of starvation, so he was obliged to break up his camp, and march to Dublin. Upon his arrival there, MacMurrough made overtures for peace, which were gladly accepted, and the Earl of Gloucester proceeded at once to arrange terms with him. But no reconciliation could be effected, as both parties refused to yield.

When Richard heard the result, ”he flew into a violent pa.s.sion, and swore by St. Edward he would not leave Ireland until he had MacMurrough in his hands, dead or alive.” How little he imagined, when uttering the mighty boast, that his own fate was even then sealed! Had he but the grace to have conciliated instead of threatened, a brave and loyal band of Irish chieftains would soon have surrounded him, and the next chapter of English history would have been less tragic. Disastrous accounts soon reached him from England, which at once annihilated his schemes of Irish conquest or revenge. His own people were up in arms, and the prescriptive right to grumble, which an Englishman is supposed to enjoy par _excellence_, had broken out into overt acts of violence. War was inaugurated between York and Lancaster, and for years England was deluged with blood.

[Ill.u.s.tration: b.u.t.tS' CROSS, KILKENNY.]

FOOTNOTES:

[349] _Carte_.--See his _Life of the Duke of Ormonde_, folio edition, p.

7.

[350] _Ormonde_.--The name Ormonde is intended to represent the Irish appellative _Ur-Mhumhain_, or Eastern Munster. This part of the country was the inheritance of _Cairbre Musc_.

[351] _Palatine_.--The Lords-Palatine were endowed with extraordinary power, and were able to exercise a most oppressive tyranny over the people under their government.

[352] _Execution_.--Bermingham was related to De Lucy, which perhaps induced him to deal more harshly with him. De Lucy's Viceroyalty might otherwise have been popular, as he had won the affections of the people by a.s.sisting them during a grievous famine. See page 329 for an ill.u.s.tration of the scene of this tragedy.

[353] _Carrickfergus_.--See ill.u.s.tration at the commencement of this chapter.

[354] _Elizabeth_.--This lady was married to Lionel, third son of Edward III., in 1352. This prince was created in her right Earl of Ulster. The t.i.tle and estates remained in possession of different members of the royal family, until they became the special inheritance of the crown in the reign of Edward IV.

[355] _Coigne and livery_.--This was an exaction of money, food, and entertainment for the soldiers, and fodder for their horses. A tax of a similar kind existed among the ancient Irish; but it was part of the ordinary tribute paid to the chief, and therefore was not considered an exaction.

[356] _Unsuccessful_.--_Ireland, Historical and Statistical_, vol. i. p.

200.

[357] _Law_.--_Irish History and Irish Character_, p. 69.

[358] _Favour_.--_Ibid_. p. 70.

[359] _Irish law_.--A considerable amount of testimony might be produced to prove that the Irish were and are peculiarly a law-loving people; but, in the words of the writer above-quoted, ”a people cannot be expected to love and reverence oppression, because it is consigned to a statute-book, and called law.”--p. 71. The truth is, that it was and is obviously the interest of English writers to induce themselves to believe that Irish discontent and rebellion were caused by anything or everything but English oppression and injustice. Even in the present day the Irish are supposed to be naturally discontented and rebellious, because they cannot submit silently to be expelled from their farms without any compensation or any other means of support, either from political or religious motives, and because they object to maintain a religion contrary to their conscience, and which is admitted by its own members to be ”clearly a political evil.” See concluding remarks in Mr.

Goldwin Smith's interesting little volume.

[360] _Inferior_.--While these sheets were pa.s.sing through the press, we chanced to meet the following paragraph in an English paper. The article was headed ”International Courtesy,” apropos of the affair at Dinan:--”Prince John pulling the beards of the Irish chiefs is the aggravated type of a race which alienated half a continent by treating its people as colonial, and which gave India every benefit but civility, till Bengal showed that it was strong, and Bombay that it could be rich,” And yet it would be quite as unjust to accuse a whole nation of habitual insolence to foreigners and dependents, as to blame every Englishman, in the reigns of John or Richard, for the insults offered to the Irish nation.

[361]

_Cows_.--”Un cheval ot sans sele ne arcon, Qui lui avint conste, ce disoit-on, Quatre cens vaches, tant estoil bel et bon.”

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