Judge of this vexatious warfare! To foldiers of hightempered courage, who had feen fufficient fervice among trained bands; who had shared in fyftematic fieges; who had fought with enemies as knowing in the science of arms, as intrepid, as chivalrous as ourfelves, what a miferably trying cafe was ours! Ye who have been at Zutphen, at Roan, at Lisbon, at Gades, fee how patiently my Lord undergoeth all, and take courage!

Defmond cared ever to have fome broad stream, or deep bog, or thick forest, or unscaleable rock between him and us. And, truth to say, we might, with as much chance, follow Will-o'-the-Whisp, who nightly gleamed, dancing around the Camp, as feek Fitzgerald among his native mountains.

The Earl paffed on, however. He felt it would be a crowning victory in the South were he to capture the great traitor in his home, among his kindred, i' the midst of his rebel sept; for of all, not excepting Tyr Oen, this was the most constant outlaw, and the hardest to be borne with, being of a noble English family, nay, of the very Royal blood o' Plantagenet. Yet were he and his forbears ever enemies to her Grace and the late Princes, ever fostering revolt among

the mere Irish, and difaffection in the fettlers; ever treacherously inviting Spain to fet her hated foot upon her Highness' land of Ireland, to fuccour England's enemies.

But the old Tory was not fo to be taken. Still raking the Earl's flank, occafionally disputing fords and mountain paffes, as both forces drew nigh Castle Conan, Desmond, by paths no armed troops could travel, hurried forward. Instead of strengthening or defending this, his ancestral Home and princely Tower, he thoroughly razed it to the ground; and Effex found a reeking pile of ruins, and a folitary Glen, where he had hoped to meet a chivalrous resistance, and gain a glorious victory!

Now was there no farther obstacle. The army passed through Kerry, where the ground feemed all of stones, rocks being their hedges. And the wild men's houses were beyond all inftance wretched, having no chimneys, though they burn turfes, and whinnes, or furze bravely. And there the enemy had been brought to great extremities; nay, some said, to as hard straights as thofe Jews which the Emperor Titus had besieged, inafmuch as they were constrained to eat dead men's carcaffes for very hunger.

And little wonder, for the common fort have no induf

trious habits, never tilling the ground but under preffure; and, provided they have fufficient just from hand to mouth, they take no further care either of themselves or offspring, so that, when by a raid their cattle be driven off, they must needs ftarve, having naught laid bye.

And beyond this the land was fertile, and there was store of beeves, and pigs, and prime sheep, from the Blasket Isles off that coaft; and for five groats, or two fhillings, we bought muttons; and for threepence, hens and little pigs. And the foldiers picked up Chrystals, naturally fquared like the diamond, and very clear. A goodly country 'tis.

So we moved on to Cork; and there the children ran up and down the streets utterly naked, and thofe of a greater age had seldom more than a rag mantle to cover their indecency.

And at Kyle one fhewed my Lord the Holy Bell of S. Molua, a pretty toy, in the form of a parallelogram, formed of plates of gold and filver, richly ornamented with precious ftones, and inlaid with a bluish metal, like an enamel. It was very curious and goodly; but for the working of miracles by it, 'tis not to be endured. Yet they fay the

1

very cafe of it (which is of iron, the fides rivetted and ftudded with brafs) is meritorious and effective in diseases.

Thence he came to Waterford, purporting now to return to Dublin.

Hitherto prosperity had gone hand in hand with the Earl. He had recovered every fortrefs which had erft acknowledged the English rule. He had fresh garrisoned and repaired cities and caftles, that had become timeworn and weak. He had encouraged the well-affected, overawed the rebellious, punished those in revolt. Neceffarily brief

and imperfect as had been this military progress, he felt

his career had been more effective and better worth than

the Queen's arms had yet experienced. And, though there had been nothing congenial to the foldier-ardour of nobles and knights, Englishmen, the fuccefs had been fo certain and unprecedented, that Effex felt elated at the thought that he had done his duty well, and that her Grace would testify her royal fatisfaction, not less than her private gratitude.

He felt like a puissant cavalier who, for the honour of his Ladye-love, had run a tilt against all odds, and yet held his plume erect. Truly he had gone 'à l'outerance, and he

Waterford and Wexford.

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knelt, hoping, trusting for that smile which was the guerifon

he fought.

And in this spirit my Lord wrote letters to the Queen

and to the Privy Council.

From

There was, however, yet much to be overcome. Waterford to Dublin there were but two ways. The one through the Glennes, a mountainous district, utterly impaffable even for horses: the other along the fea-coaft. Even in this latter route were found thofe woods, bogs, and scrubs, whence the rebels could and did pursue their wont. Perpetual skirmishing night or day, but little rest for the weary troops. Still, that habit of discipline which the English foldier had now acquired and which Effex was imperaative in keeping up, was a fure fupport: and thus at Arklow ford, where, in prospect of their quarters, fome prefumed to haften carelessly from their ranks, their momentary disorder had proved ruinous to them and the whole power, had not the General, riding on an elevation with William and his train, perceived the enemy spread over bog and plain.

Then was his call to instant arms as inftantly obeyed. For the troops knew there was no trifling with fo punctual a Marshal. And no fooner was my Lord's plan of defence