government of England in fending over men of mean birth to execute the laws. In 1394 Richard II. with great prudence, policy, and addrefs, took a method to gain the hearts of the Irish more effectually than any of his predeceffors; he came over attended by 30,000 foot and 400 horfe well armed, the use of fire arms having been lately invented. On his arrival he established a court, to which he invited all the principal men of the kingdom, entertained them in the moft fuperb, elegant and fplendid manner; and conferred the honour of knighthood on four of the petty princes, and on all their chiefs, who appeared in magnificent robes according to the cuftom of those times: and as he made ufe of no force, the Irish were highly pleafed at his refidence among them, esteeming it a high compliment fhewn to their nation. In fhort, by the munificence of his court and politenefs, he fucceeded to the utmost of his expectations in intirely gaining the affections of the people; and received the allegiance of most of the Irish in the province of Leinster, and he granted to the city of Dublin (for the purpofe of repairing the bridges and ftreets) a penny to be received out of every houfe, and fupplied the courts of justice with able and experienced lawyers. In 1399, the earl of March, then lord lieutenant of Ireland, having been murdered, Richard II. went over in person to revenge his death, when his army struck the

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natives with the utmoft confternation, who throwing themfelves on his juftice befought his mercy, which was granted them, but hearing from England that the duke of Lancafter was invading that kingdom, he immediately returned thither and was foon after depofed and killed. From this period to the reign of Henry VIII. the English were in poffeffion of a small part of Ireland, distinguished by the name of the Pale, which contained the counties of Dublin, Louth, Kildare, and Meath; for without the pale, the English were continually annoyed by the antient Irish, who endeavoured at all opportunities to difpoffefs the English, but their miscarriage in thefe attempts were principally to be attributed to their diffentions among themfelves; and every defeat of the Irish was attended by fome new ac quifition to the English, and when Henry VIII. governed Ireland, it was by continually fupporting one chief against another. In $542, James V. of Scotland afferting fome pretenfions to the crown the crown of Ireland, Henry affumed the title of king of Ireland, which had the defired effect; for the kings of England previous to this, were only called lords of Ireland; upon this occafion all prisoners except for murder were fet at li berty.

The Irish remained very peaceable during the reign of queen Mary, but much otherwife during that of queen Elizabeth,

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whofe frequent difputes with the Irish Ro man Catholics made her reign very uneasy; the Pope and the houfe of Auftria having at that time powerful friends against her in Ireland. The Spaniards having at this time poffeffed themfelves of Kinfale, during the rebellion of Tyrone, caufed infinite troubles, and it took a confiderable time before they could be fuppreffed, but at length it was effected by lord Mountjoy's defeating the Spaniards and the Irish before Kinsale, and fending Tyrone a prifoner to England, where queen Elizabeth afterwards pardoned him, being fearful of hurting her intereft with the Roman Catholics of Ireland. James I. was not long in poffeffion of his crown be fore he took the most effectual means of fe curing to the Irish their poffeffions, but in 1608, another rebellion broke out, in which Sir Calim O'Dogherty was the principal, who was fhortly afterwards killed, when his adherents were difperfed. There were at this time upwards of 510,000 acres of land vefted in the crown, which had belonged to those who were attainted; principally in the province of Ulfter. See MS. in Rolls Of 'fice, Dublin.

In the reign of Charles I the Roman Ca tholics in order to repoffefs themselves of the lands held by their forefathers, and to efta.. blifh their religion in Ireland, entered into a confpiracy of maflacring all the proteftants in Ireland, but their plan being discovered,

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by one concerned in the intended execution of it, to the council held at the Castle of Dublin the preceding night, the execution of their purpose was thereby prevented; they however partly executed their design in 1641, when the number, who were murdered, is difficult to be ascertained, but many are of opinion there were upwards of twenty thoufand; for further particulars I muft refer the reader to that valuable work the hiftory of Ireland, written by the celebrated Dr. Leland, and to Warner's history of the Rebellion. The difturbances in Ireland confiderably decreased in the reign of Charles II. tho' the Irish were again embroiled in new troubles in the year 1688, when James II. abdicated the throne of England, and William prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces was applied to by the principal nobility to come over, in order to defend the religion, liberties and properties of the English. In 1689, lord Tyrconnel having difarmed all the proteftants in Ireland and formed an army of Roman Catholics, amounting to near 30,000 foot, and 8000 horfe for the fervice of James, while the proteftants in the intereft of William, took up arms in the North; in a few days James made a public entry into Dublin, and his friends being collected together, he marched towards the North with 20,000 men, took Kilmore and Coleraine, and afterwards invested Londonderry, where the inhabitants

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amounting to upwards of 7000 men, all of them being determined, notwithstanding the difference of their numbers, to repulfe them; in this they were greatly aided by the rev. Mr. Walker, who, in conjunction with major Baker, took on him the government of the town, which had been deferted by the governor; they infpired the inhabitants with fuch heroic courage, fcarcely to be paralleled in hiftory, that they made a vigorous defence, refolving rather to facrifice their lives than furrender. In this extremity, famine made its approach, and they fuffered the greatest diftrefs, but after a very refolute defence for three months, to their great relief three ships arrived with provifions, and on the 30th of July the fiege was raised. At Enniskillen a fiege was alfo laid by general Mackarty with fix thousand men, but the inhabitants diftinguifhed themselves with peculiar courage, and though their numbers were not above two thousand men, under the command of col. Berry, yet was Mackarty defeated. A parliament was then called in Dublin by James, who voted king William an ufurper, deprived the proteftants who had abetted him of their poffeffions, and paffed an act of attainder. The French fent for the fervice of James a reinforcement of 5000 men, and a confiderable quantity of base money was at this time coined for the payment of his army. In the mean time marshal Schomberg with a confiderable

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