English government procure his enlargement. The 1316. English interest was much weakened by the defection of the powerful family of De Lacy. The heads of it were formally summoned to appear and defend themselves against the charge of treason. They resented the indignity offered to their grandeur, by slaying the messenger. To revenge this outrage, their lands were seized, and they fled into Connaught to unite with their Scottish ally.

of the spi

power.

The disastrous prospect of affairs in Ireland drove Prostitution the English government to the unchristian and scan-ritual dalous shift of prostituting the spiritual powers of the church to the profane use of state policy, and perhaps of forwarding the unjust and wicked designs of corrupt men. It is here particularly noticed, because it drew from the more reflecting and better instructed part of the Irish nation, a solemn publication of their national grievances, and displayed such a portrait of English oppression and wickedness, as more than softens the harsh terms, in which the Irish historians usually represent them. The court of Rome found its interest in keeping up the arrogant policy, by which Adrian had made, and Alexander had confirmed the grant of Ireland to the English monarch and England deemed it prudent to render every adventitious power ancillary to her ultimate design of subjugating that country to her absolute sway. So powerfully therefore did the English agents press the mutual interest of both courts to resist the erection of a new Scotch dynasty in Ireland, that a solemn sentence of excommunication was published

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1316. from the papal chair against all the enemies of Ed. ward II. and nominally against Robert and Edward Bruce, who were then invading Ireland for the purpose of securing to the latter the throne, to which the generality of that nation had called him.

Strong re

monstrance

to Pope

This interposition of the pontiff had been expected; of the Irish and to guard against it, the Irish presented to Rome John XXII. a most affecting remonstrance on the wretched state of their nation, and the oppression they had long endured from the English government*. This remon

*It is given in the appendix to my Historical Review, as men tioned p. 165. The following lines convey some idea of the spirit of the whole :-" And those kings were not Englishmen, nor of any other nation but our own, who with pious liberality bestowed ample endowments in lands, and many immunities on the Irish church; though in modern times our churches are most wantonly plundered by the English, by whom they are almost entirely despoiled. And though these our kings so long and so strenuously defended against the kings and tyrants of different regions the inheritance given them by God, preserving their innate liberty at all times inviolate, yet Adrian the IV. your predecessor, an Englishman, more even by affection and prejudice than by birth, blinded by that affection and the false suggestions of Henry II. king of England, under whom, and perhaps by whom St. Thomas of Canterbury was murdered, gave the dominion of this our kingdom, by a certain form of words, to that same Henry II, whom he ought rather to have stript of his own on account of the above crime. Thus omitting all legal and juridical order, and alas! his national prejudices and predilections blindfolding the discernment of such a pontiff, without our being guilty of any crime, without any rational cause whatever, he gave us up to be mangled to pieces by the teeth of the most cruel and voracious of all monsters, &c."

strance produced so strong an effect upon Pope 1318. John the XXII. that his holiness immediately transmitted a copy of it to the King, earnestly exhorting him to redress the grievances complained of, as the only sure expedient to bring back the Irish to their allegiance, and then they would be without excuse, should they persist in their revolt. The advice of the spiritual pastor was in part attended to by the King; yet the distresses of famine, pestilence, and war continued to exhaust the country. Sir John. Bermingham was sent by Alexander Bicknor, archbishop of Dublin, the lord deputy, into Ulster, with several distinguished officers in his train, and about 1500 chosen men. Bruce met him with an army more than double his force at Dundalk. The conflict was sustained on each side with great bravery, but terminated in favor of the English. Edward Bruce fell in battle, and Robert Bruce arrived with his forces only to hear of the defeat and death of his brother, and instantly retreated.. Bermingham received the earldom of Louth, and manor of Alherdee, or Athunree, in reward of his services.

chiefs of

The English cause acquired considerable strength The mise from the death of Edward Bruce, who had been so- coigne and livery. lemnly crowned monarch of Ireland. The general calamities of the country however rendered the advantages scarcely an object of congratulation to the victors. There remained a devastated country, an exhausted treasury, and a thin population, equally disposed to avail itself of the abuses of the old, and to

1318.

oppose the introduction of new institutions. Law less violence, private revenge, and uncontrouled excesses prevailed every where. The English govern. ment was harassed and distressed as much by the re creant English, as by the obstinate Irish chieftains. These internal calamities were aggravated by the notorious imbecility and corruption of those, to whom the reins of government were intrusted. They sanctioned several abuses: and although they could not prevent the ordinary effects of famine and war, yet at their door lay the unprecedented disasters of that refined improvement upon national calamity, anciently called coigne and livery, (and latterly free quarters), which was a forced quartering of the soldiers on the inhabitants, leaving them to support themselves by arbitrary exactions. This engendered and gave impunity to a system of riot, rapine, rape, massacre, oppression, and every vice that can degrade mankind *.

Of this barbarous and nefarious practice, Sir John Davies thus speaks. Dav. Dis. p. 30 and 123. "In the time of king Edward II. Maurice Fitz-Thomas of Desmond being chief commander of the army against the Scots, began that wicked extortion of coygne and livery and pay, that is, he and his army tooke horsemeate and mansmeate and money at their pleasure, without any ticket or any other satisfaction. And this was, after that time, the general fault of all the governours and commanders of the army in this lande.". And, "By this it appeareth, why the extortion of coygne and livery is called in the old statutes of Ireland a damnable custome, and the imposing and taking thereof made high treason. And it is said in an ancient discourse of the Decay of Ireland, that though it were first invented in hell, yet if it had

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Ireland

freed from

Peter

two years

granted and

It appears, that Edward II. again sought to support 1323. his authority by help of the see of Rome, the temporal power of which had in those days a most unwarrant able influence on the minds of most christians. He pence, and had the address, in the twelfth year of his reign, to disme prevail on John XXII. to release the payment of Peter- refused. pence, which had been granted to his predecessors from the kingdoms of England and Ireland. In the sixteenth year of his reign, his holiness, at the instigation of the English monarch, imposed on the clergy of Ireland a disme for two years, payable to the King. It was to be levied by the dean and chapter of Dublin. But the prelates and clergy refused to pay it without pro

been used and practised there, as it hath been in Ireland, it had long since destroyed the very kingdome of Belzebub." And (p. 171), "But the most wicked and mischievous custome of all others was that of coygne and livery, often before mentioned; which consisted in taking of mansmeate, horsemeate, and money of all the inhabitants of the country at the will and pleasure of the soldier, who, as the phrase of Scripture is, did eate up the people as it were bread, for that he had no other entertainment. This extortion was originally Irish, for they used to lay bonaght upon their people, and never gave their soldier any other pay. But when the English had learned it, they used it with more insolency, and made it more intollerable; for this oppression was not temporary, or limited either to place or time; but because there was every where a continuall warre either offensive or defensive, and every lord of a countrie, and everie marcher, made warre and peace at his pleasure, it became universal and perpetuall; and was indeede the most heavy oppression, that ever was used in anie ehristian or heathen kingdom."