children

his country, sought an asylum in England, and lost no time in claiming the aid of Henry in furtherance of the plans for the resumption of his authority, of which he had been deprived by the united voice of an indignant people. The flatterers of Henry exerted themselves in prevailing on the king to grant the desired assistance, by urging on him, that Edgar, the Saxon, had sent troops into Ireland, and made acquisitions of territory which Henry ought not to hesitate in reclaiming; that English children had formerly been English sold in the market at Bristol as slaves to those barbarians; sold as all of which, they averred, were good and substantial slaves. grounds for the invasion and subjugation of Ireland. Henry hesitated to act according to the wishes of his courtiers. He either affected a reluctance to attack an unoffending people, or really felt, that these were not sufficient reasons to warrant an invasion of their territory. Both nations had been guilty of trafficking in slaves. The Saxons had freely offered their children to the Irish, who purchased them for a mere trifle. The latter, however, were only guilty of selling their prisoners taken in their inroads in the reign of William the Norman.* Dermod, on his arrival, was received by the English with hospitality, to whom he represented himself as an injured prince, driven from his country by conspirators, carefully concealing his cruel, sordid, and infamous conduct. He was welcomed and entertained by the English clergy; and learning that Henry was in France, he proceeded to that country. On his introduction, he humbled himself, and did homage to the Mac Murrough does English monarch, and gave a touching narrative of the homage to persecutions he had endured; spoke in strong terms of the Henry. malice of his countrymen, of their depravity, their savage disposition, and barbarous customs; and finally implored, in the most abject manner, the assistance of the English arms in establishing him in his principality; offering, in the

* William of Malmesbury.

deavours to

army for

the invasion

event of success, to acknowledge Henry as king, and to become his vassal.* At any other time Henry would have instantly afforded the desired assistance, as he had long secretly entertained the idea of an attempt on Ireland; but as the war in France required all his resources and all his attention, his means to equip an army adequate to insure conquest were too limited. But the sagacity of Henry foresaw the great advantages to be derived from this application, and he deceived Dermod with promises of support, granting him letters patent, authorising his subjects to enter into the service of the expatriated prince on such terms as might be agreed on. Mac Murrough returned to England elated with his reception, and full of the hope of regaining his lost power. He first repaired to Wales, where he was received as an unfortunate prince, the victim of the hatred of an ungrateful people; and was treated with marked kindness, particularly by the clergy, who lent him their powerful influence in recruiting and embodying an army.

Mac Mur- Mac Murrough, under the authority of his letters patent, rough en- made flattering promises to all who would join his stanrecruit an dard; notwithstanding which, few offered to accompany him. Whether this unwillingness arose from a suspicion of Ireland that he had misrepresented the cause of his expulsion from Ireland, or a doubt of the fulfilment of his engagements, is not known; but his preparations were not supported with the warmth that from his reception he expected.

Becoming disheartened, he had nearly abandoned all Strongbow hopes of his restoration, when he bethought him of soliciting Pembroke. the council and aid of Richard, Earl of Chepstow and Pem

Earl of

broke. This nobleman, who had already acquired a name as a brave and skilful warrior, was beloved by his dependents; but his embarrassed circumstances separated him from the court, and his pride made him reserved to his vassals and haughty to his equals. Although prepared by

* Giraldus Cambrensis.

poverty to accept of any proposal that might offer an honourable hope of retrieving the fortunes of his house, he at first received the advances of Mac Murrough with a coldness amounting to contempt. He suspected the truth of his statement, and doubted the propriety of sending an army, although sanctioned by royal authority, into a foreign country, in support of a prince whom he knew, and whom he despised. Dermod aware that the assistance of Strongbow was the only hope that remained, renewed his supplications, and demeaned himself so far as to go on his knees before him, and even offered the young nobleman his daughter in marriage with, on his death, his kingdom as a dowry, although sensible that by the laws of his country he could not bequeath his authority. These promises were well calculated to overcome the scruples and excite the ambition of one situated as Richard. Accordingly his pride yielded more to his necessities than to the solicitations. of Mac Murrough, and he covenanted and agreed for the stipulated reward to give the assistance demanded, and promised to assemble a force with which he would accompany Dermod to Ireland the following spring.

consents to

On its being made public that Strongbow had consented Strongbow to put himself at the head of the expedition, the Welsh, aid Ma who had heretofore looked with an eye of suspicion on Mac Murrough. Murrough, and doubted his success, now crowded to his standard. Amongst others, two Welsh pauper chiefs, Fitzgerald and Fitzstephens, consented to take part in the expedition.

The rumour of the formation of an army for the invasion of Ireland rapidly spread throughout the north of Europe; and adventurers of all nations, hastened to enroll themselves as soldiers. Britons, Saxons, Normans, Gascons, and Flemish, officered by younger sons, swelled the ranks, all eager to establish themselves by the sword, and to peril their lives to obtain an existence, a host of indigent and hungry adventurers, whom the rich lands of fertile Ireland soon transformed into powerful and wealthy noblemen.

Mac Mur

ceeds in in

assist him.

Such is the description given of them by Nubrigensis.* The same authority thus describes their great leader, Strongbow:-"The count, who had dissipated his patrimony, and to whom nothing remained but his title of nobility, became in a short time powerful and illustrious by the riches he amassed in Ireland and England." The conduct of the invaders and of those who afterwards followed them, fully bore out the character thus given; for their progress was marked by plunder of the goods and confiscation of the lands of the natives, which were portioned out according to the will of the different commanders. Thus, under various pretexts, the possessions of the ancient families of Ireland were taken from them, and transferred to the soldiers of Strongbow.

Mac Murrough having so far succeeded in inducing the rough suc- Welsh leaders to espouse his interests, appeared impatient ducing the to depart; and in order to impress his new allies with a Welsh to belief in his popularity with his former subjects, he affected to have received a pressing invitation to return, and accordingly embarked without them. On landing in Ireland, he rough re- assumed a disguise which enabled him to avoid detection; and arriving at the town of Ferns, he there met with some adherents, and found concealment in a monastery which he himself had endowed.

Mac Mur

turns to

Ireland.

Notice of his arrival was dispatched to all who had remained faithful to his cause; and acting under the advice of the priesthood, to whom he boasted of the warm and friendly reception he had experienced from Henry, and of the complete equipment of the expected army under the Welsh nobles, he determined to assemble his forces, and

* Misso festinanter in Angliam filio accersivit viros militares, et juventutem strenuam spe lucri profusioris illectam accitis ex Anglia viris inopiâ laborantibus, et lucri cupidis.-Nubr. de Reb. Angl. lib. 2, cap. 26.

† Idem comes qui paulo antè exinanito prodigè patrimonio, fere nihil aluid quam nudam nobilitatem habuerat Hybernicus Anglicisque opibus inclitus, in multa felicitate agebat.-Nubrigensis, ibid.

declare himself, without waiting for the arrival of Strongbow. This bold step conveyed a confidence of success, and the number of Welsh invaders being greatly exaggerated, many, who would otherwise have opposed his attempt, became, through fear, his staunch supporters. Dreading, however, that some unforeseen circumstance might retard or totally prevent the embarkation of the Welsh, and foreseeing, that without them, certain destruction awaited himself and followers, he secretly dispatched a confidential messenger to hasten their departure, with directions to stimulate the Welsh leaders to further exertions, by renewed promises of grants of land, and splendid rewards to the adventurers that composed their army. These promises, so well suited to gratify the plundering propensities of the indigent mountaineers, soon completed the ranks of the invading army. Many leading men offered themselves as partisans; not, as may be easily imagined, from an attachment to Mac Murrough, but from a wish, like their commander, Strongbow, to improve their desperate fortunes by an onslaught on the persons, and plunder of the property of the unfortunate natives. During the absence of his messenger, Dermod marched with his small army and took possession of a part of his former kingdom, called Hikensallagh, and even risked a skirmish with some troops O'Rourke had sent against him, in which, his soldiers conducted themselves well, and remained masters of the ground.

Sensible, however, of his unpopularity, and certain, if unsupported by the foreigner, of ultimate discomfiture, this unprincipled and cunning chief, feeling the necessity of gaining time, offered to enter into a treaty, by which he would bind himself to renounce all claim to the sovereignty of Leinster, humbly requesting as a favour, that he might be permitted to establish himself as chief of a very small portion of the province, and as a vassal to Roderick O'Connor; offering at the same time, hostages for the fulfilment