first summons. But afterwards I would have none received, but left to their fortune and miserable end; my reason is, for that those which will afterwards remain without are stout and obstinate rebels, such as will never be made dutiful and obedient, nor brought to labour or civil conversation; having once tasted that licentious life, and being acquainted with spoil and outrages, will ever after be ready for the like occasions, so as there is no hope of their amendment or recovery, and therefore needful to be cut off.

Eudox. Surely of such desperate persons as will follow the course of their own folly there is no compassion to be had, and for others you have proposed a merciful means, much more than they have deserved; but what then shall be the conclusion of this war, for you have prefixed a short time of its continuance?

Iren. The end will, I assure me, be very short, and much sooner than can be in so great a trouble, as it seemeth, hoped for; although there should none of them fall by the sword nor be slain by the soldier, yet thus being kept from manurance,1 and their cattle from running abroad, by this hard restraint they would quickly consume themselves and devour one another. The proof whereof I saw sufficiently exampled in these late wars of Munster; for, notwithstanding that the same was a most rich and plentiful country, full of corn and cattle, that you would have thought they should have been able to stand long, yet ere one year and a half they were brought to such wretchedness as that any stony heart would have rued the same. Out of every corner of the woods and glens they came creeping forth upon their hands, for their legs could not bear them; they looked like anatomies of death; they spake like ghosts crying out of their graves; they did eat the dead carrions, happy where they could find them; yea, and one another soon after, insomuch as the very carcasses they spared not to scrape out of their graves; and if they found a plot of water

1 Manurance, cultivation.

cresses or shamrocks, there they flocked as to a feast for the time, yet not able long to continue there withal; that in short space there were none almost left, and a most populous and plentiful country suddenly left void of man and beast; yet, sure, in all that war there perished not many by the sword, but all by the extremity of famine which they themselves had wrought.

Eudox. It is a wonder that you tell, and more to be wondered how it should so shortly come to pass.

Iren. It is most true, and the reason also very ready, for you must conceive that the strength of all that nation is the kern, galloglasse, stocah,1 horseman, and horse-boy; the which, having been never used to have anything of their own, and now being upon spoil of others, make no spare of anything, but havoc and confusion of all they meet with, whether it be their own friends' goods or their foes'. And if they happen to get never so great spoil at any time, the same they waste and consume in a trice, as naturally delighting in spoil, though it do themselves no good. On the other side, whatsoever they leave unspent, the soldier, when he cometh there, spoileth and havocketh likewise; so that, between both, nothing is very shortly left. And yet this is very necessary to be done for the soon finishing of the war; and not only this in this wise, but also those subjects which do border upon those parts are either to be removed and drawn away, or likewise to be spoiled, that the enemy may find no succour thereby; for what the soldier spares the rebel will surely spoil.

Eudox. I do now well understand you. But now, when all things are brought to this pass, and all filled with these rueful spectacles of so many wretched carcasses starving, goodly countries wasted, so huge desolation and confusion that even I that do but hear it from you, and do picture it in my mind, do greatly pity and commiserate it; if it shall happen that the state of this misery and lamentable image of things shall be told and feelingly

1 Stocah, Irish, stocach, an idle fellow, a lounger; foot servant.

presented to her sacred Majesty, being by nature full of mercy and clemency, who is most inclinable to such pitiful complaints, and will not endure to hear such tragedies made of her poor people and subjects, as some about her may insinuate, then she perhaps, for very compassion of such calamities, will not only stop the stream of such violences, and return to her wonted mildness, but also con them little thanks which have been the authors and counsellors of such bloody platforms. So I remember that in the late government of that good Lord Grey,' when, after long travail and many perilous assays, he had brought things almost to this pass that you speak of, that it was even made ready for reformation, and might have been brought to what Her Majesty would, like complaint was made against him, that he was a bloody man, and regarded not the life of her subjects no more than dogs, but had wasted and consumed all, so as now she had nothing almost left but to reign in their ashes. soon lent thereunto, and all suddenly turned topside-turvy; the noble Lord eftsoons was blamed, the wretched people pitied, and new counsels plotted, in which it was concluded that a general pardon should be sent over to all that would accept of it. Upon which all former purposes were blanked, the governor at a bay, and not only all that great and long charge which she had before been at quite lost and cancelled, but also all that hope of good, which was even at the door, put back and clean frustrated. All which whether it be true or no yourself can well tell.

Ear was

Iren. Too true, Eudoxus, the more the pity, for I may not forget so memorable a thing; neither can I be ignorant of that perilous devise, and of the whole means by which it was compassed and very cunningly contrived by sowing first dissension between him and another noble personage; wherein they both at length found how notably they had been abused, and how thereby underhand this universal alteration of things was brought 1 Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, in whose service Spenser first went to Ireland,

K

about, but then too late to stay the same; for in the meantime all that was formerly done with long labour and great toil was, as you say, in a moment undone, and that good Lord blotted with the name of a bloody man, whom who that well knew, knew to be most gentle, affable, loving, and temperate, but that the necessity of that present state of things enforced him to that violence, and almost changed his natural disposition. But otherwise he was so far from delighting in blood, that oftentimes he suffered not just vengeance to fall where it was deserved; and even some of them which were afterwards his accusers had tasted too much of his mercy, and were from the gallows brought to be his accusers. But his course indeed was this, that he spared not the heads and principals of any mischievous practices or rebellion, but showed sharp judgment on them chiefly for ensample sake, that all the meaner sort, which also were generally then infected with that evil, might, by terror thereof, be reclaimed and saved, if it were possible. For in the last conspiracy of some of the English Pale, think you not that there were many more guilty than they that felt the punishment? Yet he touched only a few of special note; and in the trial of them also, even to prevent the blame of cruelty and partial proceeding, and seeking their blood, which he, as in his great wisdom, as it seemeth, did foresee would be objected against him, he, for the avoiding thereof, did use a singular discretion and regard; for the jury that went upon their trial he made to be chosen out of their nearest kinsmen, and their judges he made of some of their own fathers; of others, their uncles and dearest friends; who, when they could not but justly condemn them, yet he uttered their judgment in abundance of tears; and yet he even herein was called bloody and cruel.

Eudox. Indeed, so have I heard it here often spoken, but I 'perceive, as I always verily thought, that it was most unjustly; for he was always known to be a most just, sincere, godly, and

eousness.

right noble man, far from such sternness, far from such unrightBut in that sharp execution of the Spaniards at the fort of Smerwick, I heard it specially noted, and if it were true as some reported, surely it was a great touch to him in honour; for some say that he promised them life; others, at least he did put them in hope thereof.

Iren. Both the one and the other are most untrue; for this I can assure you, myself being as near them as any, that he was so far either from promising or putting them in hope, that when first their secretary, called, as I remember, Signor Jeffrey, an Italian, being sent to treat with the Lord-Deputy for grace, was flatly refused; and afterwards their colonel, named Don Sebastian, came forth to entreat that they might part with their arms like soldiers, at least with their lives according to the custom of war and law of nations, it was strongly denied him, and told him by the Lord-Deputy himself that they could not justly plead either custom of war or law of nations, for that they were not any lawful enemies; and if they were, he willed them to show by what commission they came thither into another prince's dominions to war, whether from the Pope or the King of Spain, or any other. The which when they said they had not, but were only adventurers, that came to seek fortune abroad and to serve in wars amongst the Irish, who desired to entertain them, it was then told them that the Irish themselves, as the Earl and John of Desmond, with the rest, were no lawful enemies, but rebels and traitors, and therefore they that came to succour them no better than rogues and runagates, specially coming with no license nor commission from their own King; so as it should be dishonourable for him in the name of his Queen to condition or make any terms with such rascals, but left them to their choice, to yield and submit themselves or no. Whereupon the said colonel did absolutely yield himself and the fort, with all therein, and craved only mercy; which it being not thought good to show them for