Whatever becomes of me you will have as woeful a business here as you had in Calais if you do not look to it in time.'1

Elizabeth was not contented till she had written out her passion to Sidney with her own hand. She told him that she disapproved of all that he was doing. If he chose to persist, she would give him half the men that he required, and with those he might do what he could on his own responsibility. It seemed however that she had relieved her feelings as soon as she had expressed them. A week later she yielded to all that was required of her. Cecil soothed Sidney's anger with a gracious message; Sidney, since she was pleased to have it so, consented to remain and do his duty; and thus, after two months had been consumed in quarrels, the preparations for the war began in earnest.

3

The troops from England were to go direct to Lough Foyle; to land at the head of the lake and to move up to Lifford, where they were to entrench themselves and wait for the Deputy, who would advance from the Pale to join them. The command was given to Colonel Edward Randolph, an extremely able officer who had served at Havre; and the men were marched as fast as they could be raised to Bristol, the port from which the expedition was to sail, while Sidney was setting a rare example in Dublin, and spending the time till he could take the field 'in hearing the people's causes.'

1 Sidney to Cecil, June 24: Irish MSS. Rolls House.

2 Elizabeth to Sidney, June 15: MS. Ibid.

3 Cecil to Sidney, June 24: MS. Ibid.

July.

Shan O'Neil finding that no help was to be looked for from France, and that mischief was seriously intended against him, tried a stroke of treachery. He wrote to Sidney to say that he wished to meet him, and a spot near Dundalk being chosen for a conference, he filled the woods in the neighbourhood with his people and intended to carry off the Deputy as a prize. Sir Henry was too wary to be caught. He came to the Border on the 25th of July; but he came in sufficient strength to defend himself; Shan did not appear, and waiting till Sidney had returned to Dublin, made a sudden attempt on the 29th to seize Dundalk. Young Fitzwilliam, who was in command of the English garrison there, was on the alert. The surprise failed. The Irish tried an assault but were beaten back, and eighteen heads were left behind to grin hideously over the gates. Shan himself drew back into Tyrone: to prevent a second occupation of Armagh Cathedral by an English garrison, he burnt it to the ground; and sent a swift messenger to Desmond to urge him to rise in Munster. Now was the time or never to set upon the enemies of Ireland. If Desmond failed or turned against his country, God would avenge it on him.'1

September.

Had Sidney allowed himself to be forced into the precipitate decision which Elizabeth had urged upon him, the Geraldines would have made common cause with O'Neil. But so long as the English Government was just, Desmond did not care to carve

1 Commendation from O'Neil to John of Desmond, September 9: Irish MSS. Rolls House.

a throne for a Celtic chief; he replied with sending an offer to the Deputy to go against the rebel with all his power.' Still more opportunely the Earl of Murray at the last moment detached Argyle from the pernicious and monstrous alliance into which he had been led by his vindictiveness against Elizabeth. The Scots of the Isles, freed from the commands of their feudal sovereign, resumed their old attitude of fear and hatred. Shan offered them all Antrim to join him, all the cattle in the country and the release of Surlyboy from captivity; but Antrim and its cattle they believed that they could recover for themselves, and James M'Connell had left a brother Allaster who was watching with eager eyes for an opportunity to revenge the death of his kinsman and the dishonour with which Shan had stained his

race.

The Scots, though still few in number, hung as a cloud over the north-east. Dropping boat-loads of Highlanders from the Isles were guided to the coast by the beaconfires which blazed nightly over the giant columns of Fairhead. Allaster M'Connell offered his services to Sidney as soon as the game should begin; and Shan, after all, instead of conquering Ireland might have enough to do to hold his own. The weather was unfavourable and the summer was wet and wild with westerly gales. Sir Edward Horsey, who was sent with money from London, was detained half August at Holyhead; Colonel Randolph and his thousand men were chafing for thirty days at Bristol, fearing that their enemies the winds would let them that they should not

1

help Shan to gather his harvest; '1 and Sidney as from time to time some fresh ungracious letter came from Elizabeth would break into a rage again and press Cecil 'for his recall from that accursed country." Otherwise however the prospects grew brighter with the autumn. In the second week in September the Bristol transports were seen passing into the North Channel with a leading breeze. Horsey came over with the money; the troops of the Pale with the long due arrears paid up were ordered to Drogheda; and on the 17th, assured that by that time Randolph was in Lough Foyle, the Deputy, accompanied by Kildare, the old O'Donnell, Shan M'Guyre, and another dispossessed chief O'Dogherty, took the field.

Passing Armagh, which they found a mere heap of blackened stones, they reached the Blackwater on the 23rd. On an island in a lake near the river there stood one of those many robber castles which lend in their ruin such romantic beauty to the inland waters of Ireland. Report said that within its walls Shan had stored much of his treasure, and the troops were eager to take it. Sidney selected from among the many volunteers such only as were able to swim, and a bridge was extemporized with brushwood floated upon barrels. The army was without artillery; it had been found impracticable to carry a single cannon over roadless bog and mountain, and the storming party started with hand

1 Edward Randolph to Cecil from Bristol, September 3: Irish MSS.

Rolls House.

VOL. VII.

2 Sidney to Cecil, September 10: MS. Ibid.

36

grenades to throw over the walls. The bridge proved too slight for its work; slipping and splashing through the water the men got over, but their 'fireworks' were wetted in the passage and they found themselves at the foot of thirty feet of solid masonry without ladders and with no weapons but their bows and battle-axes. The place was better defended and more strongly fortified' than Sidney had supposed. Several of the English were killed and many more were wounded; and the Deputy had the prudence to waste no more valuable lives or equally valuable days upon an enterprise which when accomplished would be barren of result. On the 24th the army crossed the river into Shan's own country. The Irish hung on their skirts but did not venture to molest them, and they marched without obstruction to Benbrook, one of O'Neil's best and largest houses, which they found utterly burnt and razed to the ground.' From Benbrook they went on towards Clogher, through pleasant fields and villages 'so well inhabited as no Irish county in the realm was like it:' it was the very park or preserve into which the plunder of Ulster had been gathered; where the people enjoyed the profits of unlimited pillage from which till then they had been themselves exempt. The Bishop of Clogher was a 'rebel,' and was out with Shan in the field; his well-fattened flock were devoured by Sidney's men as by a flight of Egyptian locusts. There we stayed,' said Sidney, ‘to destroy the corn; we burned the country for twentyfour miles' compass, and we found by experience that now was the time of the year to do the rebel most hurt.'