And if credit can be given to the accounts propagated by antient monks, they affert with great plaufibility that Ireland had a fucceflion of kings, and flourished in all the arts and sciences, particularly thofe of government, before they were known in Egypt or Greece. Sir James Ware speaks of this kingdom as of no great repute before they were converted to christianity (as does alfo Strabo in his Hift. de Bello Belgico) about the year 460 by St. Patrick, whofe first arrival in Ireland was in the year 432; he is faid to be nephew to St. Martin bishop of Tours, who having a commiffion from Pope Celeftine I. compleated the converfion of the Irish, a few only having received it before, on the preaching of feme converted Irish who had been at Rome, and by the miffion of Palladius-St. Patrick in a thort time confecrated 360 bishops, and near 3000 prefbyters, and established the metropolitan fee of Armagh in the county of Donegal, of which he was the first bishop. The Irish after this period, were frequently invaded by the Saxon kings of England, and in the year 796, the Danes and Normans invaded the coafts of Ireland, and particularly a Danish fleet confifting of fixty fail entered the river Liffey, in the year 838, and another of the fame number poffeffed themselves of the mouth of the river Boyne at Drogheda, Vide annal. four Maft, under the year 838. Ware's Antiq. cap. 24. They B 5 They afterwards fettled in Dublin and its neighbourhood Fingal, where to this day are feveral original English families. About the year 962, the natives folicited the afliftance of Edgar the Anglo Saxon king; which is fuppofed to have given rife to his being called king of part of Ireland. From the time of St. Patrick to the reign of Henry II. a period of 740 years, there were continual quarrels between the kings of Munster and Meath, and the feveral petty princes; and frequent attempts were made by the Danes to make themselves mafters of Ireland. But in the reign of Henry II. in the year 1168, and in the 18th of his reign, Diarmuidh, or Dermot Mac Murrough, king of Leinster, having quarrelled with Roderick O'Connor, king, paramour of Ireland, and all the petty princes, and feduced the wife of Teighernan O'Rourke, king of Breifne, during his abfence; Teighernan at his return, refolving to be revenged on Dermot, entered into a confederacy with Roderick, who marching fome forces into Leinster, forced Dermot to quit the ifland, who immediately fled to England and prevailed upon Henry If. to efpoufe his caufe. This was perfectly agreeable to Henry, who wanted a pretext to revenge himself for the piracies committed by the petty princes of Ireland, and for their affifting his enemies in his wars with France by frequent aids fent from thence: (fee Cox's hift. of Ireland vol. vol. i. page 1.) and having previously procured a bull from Pope Adrian to licence his fubjecting Ireland to the dominion of England, (fee Prynne's Papal Ufurpations, vol. i. page 709) the king having given directions to Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, Robert Fitzftephen, and Maurice Fitzgerald, to proceed to Ireland, they, attended by 400 of the principal nobility who embarked on this expedition, and a confiderable body of forces, landed at Bannow Bay, near Wexford, in the year 1171; and being reinforced with fome thousands of the natives took poffeffion of Wexford and Offory, and the next year Strongbow, who was a man of high birth and of great abilities and power, (Vide manufcript in the College of Dublin Library) was married to Eva, king Dermot's daughter. About this time king O'Connor, with about fifty thousand men befieged Dublin, but was forced in a short time to raise the fiege; O'Connor took up his pofts at Caftlenock and Finglas Mac Dunleve, king of Ulfter, encamped at Clontarf,--Bryen, king of Munfter, at Kilmainham, and Moriertach, prince of Kinfellagh, at Dalkey. Dublin being thus befieged, and being within but badly provided with men or provifions,, yet earl Strongbow and the inhabitants perfevered in bearing the fiege for two months, when all ne ceffaries failing, a council was called and a treaty was propofed to king O'Connor, in which which Strongbow agreed to fubmit himself unto him, and hold Leinfter as a feudatory province; Laurence, archbishop of Dublin, was appointed to treat with Roderick O'Connor, who on the other hand infifted that the cities of Dublin, Waterford, and Wexford, fhould be delivered up, with the caftles, &c. and that Strongbow with all the Englifh forces fhould return to England. These demands of O'Connor not being complied with, Strongbow, Miles de Cogan, and Raymond le Grofs, agreed to raise all their forces and make a fudden attack on O'Connor at Finglas, which was executed with fuch vigour, and being fo unexpected, that they flew 1500 of O'Connor's army, and he escaped with great difficulty, this dif couraged the reft of the Irish encamped about the city, who abandoned the fiege, and great quantities of provifions were found in their camp. In 1172 king Henry landed at Waterford, attended by most of the English nobility, and fettled for fome time in Dublin, and established a civil adminiftration there the fame as in England, and receiv ed the fubmiffions and fealty of the petty princes who fwore allegiance to him in perfon, viz. Gillemoholmock, O’Chadefie, O'Carroll, king of Uriel, O'Melaghlin, king of Meath, O'Roirk, king of Brefuy, with many others. But Roderick O'Connor, king of Connaught and monarch of all Ireland, was received on the banks of the river Shannon by Hugh de Lacy, Lacy, and William Fitzaldelm, by commiffion from K. Henry, to whom he became tributary, fwore allegiance, and gave hostages for his fidelity. To the king of England therefore, allegiance was acknowledged by all Ireland, for they were never conquered, except the princes of Ulfter, and they alfo virtually did fo in the fubmiffion of the supreme monarch Roderick O'Connor. The laws of England were at this time accepted by the people of Ireland, which, fays Matthew Paris, were joyfully received by them all and confirmed by the king; having first received their oaths for the obfervation of them. Courts of justice were likewife eftablished, and officers for the adminiftration of the laws, and a parliament was held in Dublin, which though the ftatutes are loft, yet mention is made of it in a ftatute made in a parliament held at Trim, 2d of Richard III. relative to the election of a chief governor. Rot. Parl. 2d Rich. III. It appears from what has been already mentioned in this treatise, that the old Irish were never conquered by the English, which is ftrictly true; for the diffentions of the Irish provincial kings first invited the English to come over, when Henry II. adopted a regular fyftem of government, which the Irish approving of, as they thought it would contribute more to the happiness and tranquillity of Ireland to receive the English laws than to continue any longer fubject to the |