"Out of the countye of Sligo I had nothing but lettres, but those humblye written from Ochonnor, affirminge that he durst not come, for Feare of the Warres, hapned betwene Odonnell, and Con his nephewe; but lewd and malitious Tales rather made hym afrayd, as I take it. He hath under his Tyrannie O Doud, twoe Mac Donoghes, twoe Ohares, and Agare, and yet he hym selfe trybutarie to O Donnell. They be all men of great Landes, and they shall not chuse, but yeelde bothe Rent and Service, to the Crowne; all but Ochonnor hym selfe, have offered it, and he, to be dischardged of Odonnell, will most willinglye do it; I loke daylie for Orwarcke, whose Countrie called West Breanye is also a Porcion of this Countie, with whome I doubt not but to conclude for a good Rente and Service for the Quene: This countye, or these countries, are well enhabited, and ritche, and more Haunted with Straungers, then I wish it were, unles the Quene were better answered of her Custome; and thus moche for the Countye of Sligo.

"Out of the countye of Maio, came to me to Galway, first seaven principall men of the Clandonells, for everye of theire seaven Linagies one, of that surname, and enhabitinge that Countye, all, by profession, mercenarie Soldiers, by the name of Galloglas; they are verie stronge, and moche of the wealth of the countrie is under theim; they are able to goe where they will, and withe the Countenaunce of any meane Lorde of Force, to make Warre with the Greatest. Theise humblye submitted theim selves, and their severall Linagies to her Magestie, protestinge, by othe, and byndinge theim selves by Endenture and Hostage, never to serve any, but with Allowaunce of the Govornor. Troth it is, I was enformed by Dyvers Advertisments, that Mac William Eughter wold not come to me; and therefore I drewe this Plott, that I wan his chiefe Force from hym, in getting theise Clandonells: But it fell out otherwise in the Ende, for Mac William verye willinglye came hymselfe; and moche the rather, by the good Perswasions, and Meanes of the Deane of Christ Churche, one of this Counsell, whome I sent into Connaught, when I went in Mounster, onely to sounde the Disposicion of the Potentates, and great ones of that Province; and therein he did good service, and surelye so is he well able, both for his owne skill, and the creditt that others repose in hym; if it please your Lordship to bestowe a thankfull lettre upon hym, it will be verie comfortable to the olde Man, which I humblye beseache your Lordships to doe. I founde Mac William verie sencible, though wantinge the Englishe tongue, yet understandinge the Lattin; a lover of Quiet and Civylitie, desierous to holde his Landes of the Quene, and suppresse Irish Extorcion, and to expulse the Scotts, who swarme in those quarters, and in deede have almost suppressed theim; in some Proffe whereof, he taried with me, most of the Tyme I remayned at Galway, and thence went with me to Athlone, and departed not till I went from thence, where verie reverentlye, by Othe,

he

he shewed his feaultye, and did his Homage, as Humblye bynding hym selfe, as well by Othe or Indenture, ever hereafter to holde his Landes of her Majestie, and her Crowne, and to pay yerelye twoe hundered fyvetie Markes Sterlinge, and to fynde twoe hundered Soldiors, Horssemen and Footemen, for two Monethes by the Yere; and to geve theim Foode in that Proporcion, as I trust, in Tyme, shall suffice bothe for their Meate and Wagies. In one of his Peticions exhibited unto me, he humblye besought (doubtinge that I would have taken away the Bonnaught from the Clandonells, which they have of him and his countrie) that they might (with drawinge it from hym) holde it of the Quene. This Devise was underhande practized by me, and they, verie glade of this Overture made by hym, humblye desiered to hold it of her Majestie; and so, by Indenture passed betwixt the Galloglas and the Quene, they presentlye doe. This, my Lords, is an entraunce of no small Consequence, bothe for the reducinge of the Countrie to her Majesties Obedience, and no small Increase may be made besides to her Commoditie, and the Augmentacion of her Revenue. He received his Countrie at my Handes, by Way of Senesshallshipp, which he thankefullye accepted. The Order of Knighthoode I bestowed upon hym, whereof he semed verie joyous; and some other little Triffles I gave hym, as Tokens betwene hym and me, where with verie well satisfied he departed. This is all I thought necessarie to write of Mac William, savinge that he was desierous I should sende thether an Englishe sheriffe, as I have lykewise donne in all the other Counties within that Province, which, of late, hath bene omitted: Mac William protested he would obey hym I sent, and geve hym Findinge for a sufficient Strenth of Men on Horssebacke and Foote; which I accomplished accordinge to his Desier, and sent one with hym. Surelye, my Lords, he is well wonne, for he is a great man; his Lande lyeth a longe the West North West Coast of this Realme, wherein he hathe maney goodly Havens, and is a Lorde in Territorie of three Tymes so moche Lande as the Earll of Clanricarde is. He brought with him all his Betheren, Mac Phillippin, who in Surname is a Bourke, as he is; and, besides theim, a great Nomber of Owners of Landes and Castells, lienge in the same Countrey: Omaylle came lykewise with him, who is an originall Irishe Man, stronge in galleys and Seamen; he earnestlye sued to hold of the Quene, and to pay her Rent and Service. At that instant were also with me Mac Phaten, of Englishe surname, Barrett; Mac Ivyle, of Englishe surname, Staunton; Mac Jordan of the lyke Dexter, Mac Custelo of the lyke Nangle, Mac Morris, of English surname, Prendergast; and theise v shewe Matter of some Recorde and Creditt, that they have not onely bene Englishe, which everye man confesseth, but also Lordes and Barons in Parliment, as they theim selves affirme; and suerlye they have Landes sufficient for Barons, if they might weeld their owne quietlye; but so bare, barbarous

Barons

Barons are they nowe, as they v have not three Hackneys to carrye theim and their Trayne Home. There were with me maney more of lower Degree, and no deeper of Wealth, as the Chiefe of Clanandros, and Mac Thomyn; both they, and maney more Barretts, Cusackes, Lynches (Lynottes) and of sundrie Englishe surnames, now degenerate, and all lamentinge their Devastacion, and with one Consent crienge for Justice and Englishe Government, in so miserable (and yet magnanimous) Manner, as it would make an English Harte to feele Compassion with theim; and thus for the Countye of Maio. "Touchinge the countye of Galway; first, I finde the Towne of Galway moche decaied, both in Nomber of expert sage men of yeares, and younge Men of Warre, in respect of that I, have seene; which great Decay hath Growen thorough the horrible Spoyle donne upon theim, by the Sonnes of the Earle of Clanrickarde, in so moche as it was evidentlye proved before me, that fiftie Howseholders of that Towne doe nowe enhabite under Mac William Croghter. And it seameth, they have not onelye lost their Wealth, but with it their Wittes and Hartes; Surelye it may well seme they were in Pointe to have geven up all, and almost to have forgotten that they received any corporacion of the crowne; but I trust they are nowe revived, and I hope on the mending Hande. Duringe mine Aboade there, the Earle of Clanricarde continuallye attended on me, and so did the Earle of Thomounde, the Archbishopp of Tweom, the Bishopps of Clanfert and Kilmagkogh, and the Baron of Athenrie, by surname Beriminghme, as poore a Baron as lyveth, and yet agreed on to be the auntientest Baron in this Lande; Oflahertye, Okelley, and maney of their Surnames, which are verye great; O Madden, and all of any Accompt of that Surname; Onaughton, and maney other pettie Lordes and Capteines of Countries, all were with me, confessinge that they ought service, cravinge that they might hold their Landes immediatlye of her Highnes: Theise are the principall of this Countye, savinge soche as be of my Lord of Clanrickards Sute or Surname, as Oheyne, originall Irishe, and in old Tyme verye great, nowe meane: Mac Cough, Mac Hubbert, Mac Davye, Mac Edmound, Mac Redmounde; all theise Burks, and many more, but all holdinge of the Earle of Clanrickarde (by due Service sayeth he) but Thorough Oppression, say they, but all longinge for Reformation crye for Englishe Governement and wold fayne hold of the Quene and her Crowne.... I departede from thence the xxiith of Marche, and passed through Athenrie. I went thence with the Earle of Clanrickarde, and was verye honorablye enterteined with hym. The next Night I lodged in the Kellies Countrie, and the Night followinge in the Castle of Rossecommon.

"I stayed at Rossecommon but a night, both for that I had apointed Provision at Athlone, which is in the Same Countye; as also, for that I found nothinge there layed in to furnishe me withall, and therefore willed the Assemblie to be at Athlone; yet, duringe

duringe my abode at Rosscommon, O Chonnor Donne come unto me, whose Auncestor, they say, was sometymes called Kinge of Connaught. The Castle of Rossecommon I tooke from hym in my former Governement, whose Auncestors possessed the same the contynuance of cxl Yeares, and never came into English men Handes: vnder his Rule there are, Obyrne and Offlun. O Chonnor Roe came not at me, for Feare I wold make hym make Recompence for Hurts donne in the Rebellion Tyme; under hym is Oflanigan, but I can have theim when I will, and make theim bothe Arme in Arme beare and drawe, with their Fellowes. Mac Dermod was with me, and one under hym called Mac Manus; theise people, and some more pettie Lordes enhabite the Playnes of Connaught, and are all destroyed by the Scotts chieflye. The Countrie is large, and of excellent Soyle; the best, and all the rest Beggars, desireous to be delyvered from the Tyrannie of their stronger Neighbours they all craue to be subiected to the English Governement. A number of perticular Cawsies were ended duringe my beinge at Athlone, wher I remayned ix days in which Tyme was executed a notable Rebell of the Burks, whome I cawsed to be apprehended in the countye of Galway; and by Order of Lawe, (for Burninge comitted by hym in Westmeithe) he was indyted, atteinted, and executed as a Traytor, (whose Landes I have Cawsed to be seised to her Magesties Vse); and thus moche for the countye of Rossecommon.

"I look daylie for Ochonnor Sligo, Orwarcke, and Odonnell, and Con Odonnell, his Nephewe, and doubt not but so to agree with theim, as the Scottes shalbe sone banished out of that Province of Connaught."—Letters and Memorials, &c., vol. i. p. 104.

The foregoing is, perhaps, the most interesting of all the dispatches made by Sir Henry Sydney, during his then government in Ireland. It has been introduced here, as explanatory of the causes which led to the Composition with Connaught, and introductory to the documents connected with that measure, which follow. See in the same Collection, vol. i. p. 114, a curious account of the Deputy's proceedings with O'Rourke, O'Conor Sligo, O'Donnell, and the O'Kellys, which concludes thus: "The O'Kellies and I are agreed, and Articles of the same drawne betwene us to be perfected at Michelmas Terme next; from which Terme for ever, they shall pay for their Countrie in Rent and Service, better than fyve hundred Markes yerelye." Soon after that, the Lord Deputy was recalled, and the progress of this "Civil Reformation" of the province was in a great measure suspended, until the government of Sir John Perrot, in A. D. 1585.

a The following intermediate State document may serve to develope the views of Government, in A. D. 1579, respecting the "Civil Reformation" here referred to. It is entitled," Orders to be obsarved by

The

Sir Nicholas Malby, Knight, for the better goverment of the Province of Connaght. At Westminster the last of March, 1579, in the xxi. yere of our Raigne.

The achievement of the "Composition," appears to have been a principal object with Sir John Perrot. Accordingly, on 15th July, 1585, a commission issued, di