l> : ^-* J> 1 ' y fc v» Jfe» - 3 ^ ;».*■: . >„, ,-> ;*> ^ 3^- I> H ► y> T>~?> r*> >»2» 3 >53 r, > OS> ®2> :> > c J» s£S > .^ ^> » .>> > 3£^t ii^Us* <- 1 UBF R JF CONGRESS. | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. - > ■■• '■■ >i>3> 3> o >» Z» >::c*» . > > >->">>»: ^> ^> >>>£> ;>>> .^>2> • ~> ~> ,-,>3> >>>:> ^5> >»~> > ^>»-> ~~> "f>:H> > B> » ^ >3> > H* :"2sr>S>->.ti*P THE ENGLISH I IRELAND, People Wlio Live in Glass Houses," Etc, — A REPLY TO- 'THE TURKS IN EUROPE," — BY — EDWARD A. FREEMAN, D.CL, l.L.D. — UY— Philadelphia: J. L. SI BOLE & CO. 1878. Copyright, 1878, by J. L. SlBOLE & CO. THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND A REPLY TO "THE TURKS IN EUROPE," BY EDWARD A. FREEMAxV, D.C.L., LL.D. THOMAS ADOLPHUS. -.- - • PHILADELP1 J. L. SIBOLE & CO., PUBLISHERS. 1878. ft INTRODUCTION. The author would not that any one should so misconstrue his purpose and intention as to imagine for one moment that this brochure was written merely to vent any malice, spite or spleen that the author may entertain against England, or that he was influenced by any but honest motives in bringing forth this trea- tise, wherein the English are shown in no enviable light. It has been custom- ary, in speaking of the Turk, to de- pict him as a bloody tyrant, as a monster in human form, as one who has no rights that any one is bound to respect. Now, to the author it does seem that a gross injustice is done the Turk. Not but that he has been guilty of the most heinous offences, that he has committed IV INTRODUCTION. great wrongs, that he deserves the repro- bation of the entire civilized world, which he is now receiving. But there let it stop. Do not raise the hue and cry o1 barbarism, bloody monster, and the like and, before fully considering the subject advocate his utter annihilation anc destruction Because, 'tis a dangerous proceeding, 'tis full of risk, especially tc those who advocate such policy; anc herein does its danger consist. It lay* down a precedent. When the Pharisees brought before Christ the woman taken in the commission of sin, Hisi reply to her accusors was — "He that if without sin, let him first cast a stone at her." Not one was thrown jj for no one was without sin. So is it with nations. Mr. Freeman ha;! drawn up a long and terrible arrajl. against the unfortunate Turk. He showii who he was, where he came from, whai INTRODUCTION. V i has done ; and he ends by asking, What shall be done with him ?" His nswer is, " Drive him out of Europe." low, the same arguments that he has sed, if capable of use against other ations, must bring about the same ver- ict ; and with equal good grace he mst abide by the decision, as he does hen he advocates the driving out of the urk. Mr. Freeman being an English- lan, and as nothing is so plain as when is brought home to us, we have taken fngland, and have subjected it to the fcme process as that which Turkey has ndergone at his hands. We have taken ■ history for several hundred years, in ae part of the empire — Ireland. We ave followed its events step by step, leav- ut much detail, of course, and adher- pg to the most important parts. We must [ave it to you, kind reader, to decide which the two is the best, from the records VI INTRODUCTION. given — England or Turkey. If we have proved that Turkey, after all, — bad as she has been — is no worse than the boasted civilized nations of Europe ; and that those who desire to drive her out of Europe are by their own argument fit subjects for similar treatment, we shall have fulfilled our purpose. Perhaps this treatise may have the effect of causing some heedless persons to inveigh bitterly against England and say all manner of hard things against her. The author beseeches such to pause ere they do so, and think of what they themselves have done, and how they would look were they put into the same microscope and carefully dissected. No matter who they be — American, French, Russian, Turk, Austrian, Jew, Catholic or Protestant ; a tale of horror equal to this, if not worse, can be placed INTRODUCTION. Vll o the credit of any one of them. Thus the precedent laid down by Mr. Free- nan is a dangerous one ; for what nation s there that might not at any moment be ;rushed by a similar argument ? Suppose France, Germany, and Russia were to ombine to drive the English out of [reland, or out of India. If the policy :>f Mr. Freeman is adopted at the present :ime, and Turkey is allowed to be devas- tated, what could they say against France Russia, or Germany ? whom would they kppeal to? "Ha! ha!" the world would say, "remember the precedent you laid down when Turkey was allowed to be dismembered ; you allowed it then, you preached it ; now abide by the con- sequences." The Author. Philadelphia, March, 1878. THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. Who and What are the English ? It may seem superfluous and unneces- sary for us to enter into an elaborate dissertation as to who and what the Eng- lish are. But still, in order that a proper understanding may be obtained by all who happen to peruse this, we will give a mere outline of the origin of one of the greatest peoples the world has ever seen. In the earliest times of which we have any recoid, we find that Britain was in- habited by a barbarous and uncivilized race of people, whose only vocations were the tending of cattle, and agricultural pursuits sufficient for their own suste- WHO AND WHAT ARE THE ENGLISH t V nance, and the (to them) delightful Occupation of forestalling the process of a natural death by exterminating one another with the sword. They were gov- erned by chiefs who gained their office by personal prowess and bravery ; and in the majority of cases they ob- tained it by imbruing their hands in the blood of their predecessors Their main law was might : might was right, and they respected it The Romans came. Believing in the same principles, they immediately car- ried them out by a similar process ; which process, when applied to those who previously believed in and practiced them, was found by the Britons so burden- some and so unpalatable that they rose to a man to put down and utterly annihilate the foreign in- vader and bloody tyrant. The story of their efforts to do so, and of the many 10 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. furious struggles that took place before they were finally subdued, forms one of the most interesting pages of English history. But might asserted itself, and the Roman arms once more proved invincible. Under the Roman dominion the Britons rapidly improved in civil- ization. Peace was established; laws were introduced among them ; Christi- anity was introduced ; the Druidical power began to wane. The old condi- tion of things passed away, and a new one took its place. Time passed. The Romans themselves now began to suffer what they had practiced on others. The empire began to fall to pieces. They left England, they forsook their con- quests in Gaul, till, finally, they were driven to their last stronghold, and the lion was at bay. The Britons were left to themselves. The long peace had made them helpless. Their restless WHO AND WHAT ARE THE ENGLISH ? 1 1 neighbors, the Picts and the Scots, fell upon them. They appealed to their old friends, the Romans. What help these could give in their distress, they gave. But Attilla was thundering at the very gates of Rome. Her resources were taxed to the uttermost; she needed help, instead of being able to give it. The few Romans that remained finally bade adieu to Britain in the year 448, after having been masters of it for nearly four hundred years. Help the Britons needed ; where would they get it ? They cast their eyes across the sea. The Saxons ! No sooner thought of than done. A deputation was sent to invite them over. Did they refuse ? Oh, no ! they came with alacrity. Joy beamed on their countenances. The Picts and the Scots retired out of deference to them. The Britons applauded their wisdom in call- ing over the Saxons, and they hoped for 12 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. peace. Peace they obtained. The Saxons received thanks, and, perhaps, many a polite intimation that their services were no longer needed. But Hengist and Horsa were too well pleased by the hos- pitality shown them ; and, indeed, they were overjoyed at discovering so delec- table a spot. They resolved to stay. They sent intelligence home of the para- dise they had found. Thousands came over to look at this paradise The thou- sands were pleased with it. These thou- sands continued the narrative begun by Hengist and Horsa; and, lo and be- hold ! the Britons awoke to the disgust- ing fact that they were in the hands of the Saxons. They arose to repel them ; but they found them more formidable than the Picts and Scots. They lamented their folly in inviting over the Saxons ; but it was too late. After a struggle of one hundred and fifty years, they gazed WHO AND WHAT ARE THE ENGLISH? 13 on the homes of their ancestors and found that they had become totally changed in inhabitants, language, cus- toms, and political institutions. The new conquerors, instead of im- proving matters, only made them worse. Everything went back to the old-time barbarity, and those who bore the proud title of Briton were hunted like very dogs, and were either massacred, expelled from their homes, or reduced to abject slavery. A lamentable change, surely. Christianity was almost extin- guished, save among those few who were hunted and despised. But a desirable change at length took place. Christianity was once more introduced. Augustine came and preached the Living Faith to them. At first the progress of the new faith was slow ; but it soon spread over the whole country. Time flew apace. The continent continued to pour in its 14 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. thousands of hardy adventurers. And now another cloud loomed up. The restless Danes began to pour up- on the Anglo-Saxons from all quarters. The?e daring pirates feared and respected no one. They made the coast of England, and whatever riches it pos- sessed, their own. They fell upon all the unprotected places like locusts. Rollo, that valiant pirate, whose name figures in song and story, was the terror of that part of the world. The French enjoyed his company as well as the Anglo-Saxons. But it was such sorry company, that Charles, the French mon- arch, in utter desperation, bestowed up- on him his daughter in marriage, and like- wise a very handsome present in the shape of considerable territory called Neustria, which was afterwards known as Normandy. Many of the Danes had been settled in England for some time. WHO AND WHAT ARE THE ENGLISH ? 1 5 | They were admired and hated alternately, till an end was put to this system of chicanery on the part of the English, by the amiable Ethelred. The plan was very simple. At a given hour, all the Danes that remained were quietly dis- patched, and thereby sent to a place where they would no longer trouble the living. But the English paid dearly for this luxury; for the Danes beyond the sea did no sooner hear of it, than they flew into a furious rage ; in short, they became highly indignant. They called upon the English, and left their compli- ments — which, out of politeness, they were bound to do — in the shape of divers massacres, burnings, pillaging, etc , such as the English had never before witnessed. Peace was made with the avengers at an enormous sacrifice ; but it was broken by the avengers at convenience, made again, and again broken ; tried again, 16 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. but with like result. Nearly fifty years had passed. The Danes once more arose. William the Conqueror led them on. The battle of Hastings closed the scene, and the Anglo-Saxon government gave way to the invincible Normans. Thus for eleven hundred years had England been alternately in the hands of the Roman, the Saxon, and the Norman. These changes had not been devoid of good result, but these are too numerous to be recounted in so short a treatise as this. This closed the series of conquests to which England was subjected. Grad- ually she grew from an insignificant power to one of the greatest nations in the world. We cannot follow her step by step in her growth, or describe the trials and tribulations through which she passed ; or of seasons of prosperity, , or of adversity. We must leap the gulf, and ask, What are the English now ? WHO AND WHAT ARE THE IRISH ? 17 Who and What are the Irish ? The early history of the Irish is shrouded in myth. Some historians maintain, and ancient manuscripts can be shown in proof of it to this day, that Ireland's history extends as far back as two thousand years before Christ. We have no desire to go back thus far. Suffice it for our purpose to say that the ancient Irish were more advanced in the arts of civilization and general culture than were their neighbors the Britons. Christianity was known and practiced among them. Palladius was consecrated by Pope Celes- tine as the first bishop to the Irish believ- ing in Christ. St. Patrick, A. D. 431, was ordained by Pope Celestine, and arrived in Ireland AD. 432. Christianity was now thoroughly introduced, but not without opposition from the native Drinces, who were jealous of St. Patrick's Dower and influence and feared greatly for 18 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. their own. But the zealous mission- ary triumphed over all. The see of Armagh was founded; religious houses for both sexes were founded near the church, and were rapidly filled with converts from the old to the new religion. St. Patrick died. Feuds were engendered between the; native princes, Christian against Chris- tian ; Pagan against Pagan ; and Pagan against Christian. But, in spite of all, Christianity continued to spread, and the arts and sciences flourished. Eric of Auxerre wrote thus to Charles the Bald : " What shall I say of Ireland, which/ despising the dangers of the deep, is migrating with her whole train of philos^ ophers to our coast?" And Rency, after' describing the poetry and literature o I ancient Erin, speaks of her as perhaprjtl the most cultivated country of all wester/ Europe, and adds that Ireland countec WHO AND WHAT ARE THE IRISH? 19 a. host of saints and learned men venerated in England and Gaul. " No country," he says, "has furnished more Christian missionaries." The Venerable Bede, in speaking of the pestilence " crom cronaillf that devastated Ireland, says, "Many of the nobility and lower rank of the Eng- ish nation were there at the time, who, n the days of Bishops Finan and Colman, brsaking their native land, retired thither, either for the sake of divine studies or or a more continent life. During this period, it is said, no less than three housand students collected from all parts of Europe to attend the school of Ar- nagh. But this happy condition of affairs vas suddenly brought to a standstill, and uffered a severe check from the hands of he rapacious Danes. Plunder was the object of their visit. Churches, mon- I .steries, abbeys, were despoiled ; vil- ages were placed under the rule of the 20 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. Danish chieftains. All education wasll forbidden; manuscripts were burned;' poets, historians and missionaries wei either driven to the caves and mountains,!' or imprisoned ; martial sports were inji' terdicted. A reign of terror ensued Jl The Irish rose, and were defeated ; rose! again, were again defeated; again am again, till, finally, at the battle of Clon-: tarf, on the 23d of April, 10 14, the' Danes were defeated, and the Irisr gazed sadly upon the ruins of what were once their happy homes. Their forme! glory had departed. They were crushec! and broken. They fell into a conditior of anarchy. Civil war broke out rival princes contend for power ; usurp: ers assert false claims and maintain the™ by the sword; legitimate princes wen murdered in cold blood. Interned ill strife was rampant. Dermot Mac Mur rough sought the assistance of Henri WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 21 of England to carry out his nefari designs ; and this is the first pk of the chain by which Ireland was |iited to England (1170), seven hun- ed years ago. But we will follow this under the head of "The English in eland.'' And we ask, What are the !ish now? Vhat Have the English Done in Ireland ? This question can be answered in a v words. They have destroyed, and fcy have oppressed. They have checked progress in Ireland. They have made omises, and they have broken them, ley have shown themselves cruel, lust- and faithless, even beyond other liristian and civilized conquerors. This all true in a general way ; but it will well to go a little more into detail, jd to give a short sketch of the English 22 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. power in Ireland, — of its rise, and not decline. Dermot MacMurrough sought the as- sistance of Henry II. But Henry was too much engaged with his own affairs to enter Ireland himself. Pope Adrian, misled by false representations, issued a Bull granting Henry the right to enter the island of Ireland, to subject its peo- ple to obedience to laws, to eradicate the seeds of vice, and also to make every house pay the annual »tribute of t one penny to the blessed Peter, and pre- serve the rights of the church of that land whole and entire. Henry granted Dermot's request to be allowed to obtain assistance : but for some time he was unable to do so ; till, finally, the knights, Maurice Fitz-Gerald and Robert Fitz -Stephen joined the party under the Earl of Pembroke, Richard de Clare, commonly known as Strongbow WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 23 from his skill in archery. They landed in Ireland with a small army, and were met by the inhabitants, who, unfortu- nately, were easily overcome. Water- ford was besieged and its inhabitants were massacred. Dublin was also be- sieged, and the inhabitants, hearing of the horrible massacres which attended the footsteps of the English, concluded it would be wiser to treat for a surrender. But while the negotiations were going on ,wo of the English leaders, Raymond le jros and Miles de Cogan, effected an entrance into the city, and commenced a nerciless butchery of the inhabitants. vVhen the archbishop, who had treated *or peace, returned, he heard cries of nisery and groans of anguish in all quarters; and it was not without the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in ippeasing the fury of the soldiers, and he rage of the people who had been so 24 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. basely treated. Thus was the advent of the English announced in blood. The Irish rose up against them; but in vain. Henry II. himself arrived. Though apparently opposed to Strongbow, and jealous of him, nevertheless he accepted his submission and a tender of all the lands he had won in Ireland. Thus Irish Jand became for the first time the property of an English king (1171). The English did not look upon the natives with favor. On the contrary, they looked upon them as a people to be conquered, as a race to be exterminated and enslaved ; and they practiced with a vengeance what they preached. The petty chiefs were set against one another. The English aided first this one, then that one. Better that they should exterminate themselves : that would save the English much trouble. This exquisite policy was well carried out, and in the same manner as the Turk is accused of doing it. WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 25 Cambrensis describes the state of Ireland at this period as follows: "The nhabitantsare barbarians-" Nevertheless he writes severely of the evils which resulted from the invasion. " The clergy are reduced to beggary. The cathedral churches mourn, having been deprived by the aforesaid persons (the leading adven- turers) and others along with them, or who came over after them, of the lands and ample estates which had been for- merly granted to them faithfully and devoutly. And thus the exalting of the Church has been changed into the de- spoiling or plundering of the Church." This new and bloody conquest was accomplished by an enormous effusion of blood, and by the slaughter of Christian people. The English proceeded with their conquests. Various parts of Ireland were invaded. Defeat after defeat fell upon the inhabitants, till suddenly they won a 26 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. victory over the English. This victory was the signal for a general revolt. The Irish became animated with hope. The chieftains arose, the people arose; but in vain. The arm of the oppressor was too strong, and once more the Irish cause was lost. Fitz-Aldhelm de Burgo was appointed Viceroy of Ireland (1176). Treaties were made, only to be almost instantly broken. The northern provinces were plundered. The native Irish were in a deplorable condition, — foes within and foes without. Henry conferred the title of King of Ireland on his son, Prince John. The few remaining estates approachable by the English were be- stowed on new-comers. Vain attempts to throw off the yoke were continually made. The English colony carried things with so high a hand that some of the English themselves were disgusted. But it availed the poor Irish nothing. WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 27 Finally disputes arose among the English settlers. The Irish chieftains took advan- tage of this to make another stand for their rights. But this united the English, and down went the Irish again. Henry III. succeeded his father, John, upon the throne of England. In consequence of the complaints from the English Barons in Ireland, a modified form of the Magna Charta was granted them ; but it was specially provided that the Irish should have no share in these favors ; and the Viceroy was charged to see that no native of the country ob- tained cathedral preferment. This piece of injustice was annulled through the interference of Pope Honorius III. But the condition of the Irish did not improve. In 1221, the Archbishop of Dublin, Henry of London, was made governor. He obtained the name of " Scorch Villain," from his having cast 28 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. into the fire the leases of the tenants of his see, whom he cited before him to produce these documents in his court. Such was the mode of government adopted by the English officials. Portions of the country were completely depopulated, and its kings and princes nearly annihilated. Fierce strife ensued between the con- queror and the conquered, but to the disadvantage of the latter. A century had passed. The English now held in firm possession only a small portion of Ire- land, and, not possessing the affections of the people, they were in constant apprehension. Their endeavors to make a complete conquest had met with a great deal of resistance; and though for a time they might hold what they gained, still, no sooner did they feel a sense of of security, than the Irish rose up against them. Thus it was one whirlwind of blood and strife, massacre and pillage, first on one side, and then on the other. WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 29 Henry III. died in 1272, after a reign of fifty-six years. Edward I. succeeded him. His father had previously made him a grant of Ireland, on condition that it should not be separated from England. Hostilities were renewed by the unfortu- nate Irish, but with no better success than before. Those who dwelt near the Eng- lish petitioned that they might be ad- mitted to the privileges of the English law. Though, apparently, the king was willing, yet nothing was done. The laws of England were for the English, not not the Irish. The English possessions at the close of this century consisted of the Liberties and ten counties, Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Waterford, Tipperary, Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Roscommon, and part of Connaught. The Liberties were those of Connaught, Ulster, Meath, Wexford, Carlo w, Kilkenny, Thormony and Desmond. These absolute palatines 30 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. made barons and knights, appointed their own courts, criminal and civil, judges, sheriffs, coroners, escheaton, etc., to which offices none of the native Irish were eligible. On the lands thus plundered many native septs existed, whom neither war nor famine could exterminate. The chiefs of Offaly were invited to dinner on Trinity Sunday, A. D. 13 15, by Pierce Mac Feorais. As they rose from the table they were cruelly massacred, one by one, with twenty-four of their followers. The murderers were arraigned before King Edward ; but no justice was ever obtained for this foul deed. High food-rates and abject poverty now existed in consequence of the cruel ex- actions of the English. Edward Bruce entered Ireland with six thousand men. Multitudes of the Irish flocked to his standard, hoping he would deliver them from the oppression under which they WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 31 had so long groaned. They sent a re- monstrance to the Pope, in which they stated their grievances These are some of them : ' ' The people have been obliged to take refuge like beasts in the moun- tains, in the woods, marshes, and caves. Even there they are not safe. First, no Irishman who is not a prelate can take the law against an Englishman ; but every Englishman may take the law against an Irishman. Second, any Englishman may kill an Irishman falsely and perfidiously, — as often happened, — of whatsoever rank, innocent or guilty, and yet he cannot be brought before the English tribunals ; and, further, the English murderer can seize the property of his victim." Pope John wrote to Edward III., some years after, saying "That the object of Pope Adrian's Bull has been entirely neglected, and that the most unheard-of miseries and 32 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND persecutions had been inflicted on the Irish." He advised a change of policy, lest it might be too late hereafter to apply a remedy when the spirit of revolt had grown stronger. Bruce began his operations. Victory after victory was gained by him. He was proclaimed King of Ireland. But, unfor- tunately, the miserable dissensions among ] the Irish broke out afresh. Had they united soul and body with Bruce, the English would have been driven out of Ireland. Defeat after defeat now fol- lowed, till finally the Scotch and Irish were completely routed and dispersed, and the English resumed their sway, with only the Irish to contend against. Pestilence as well as domestic strife now assailed them. The Black Death broke out in 1348. The annalists give fearful accounts of this visitation. The third son of Edward III. was now ap- pointed Viceroy. He landed with an WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 33 army. Before his arrival, Irishmen were excluded from the office of mayor, bailiff, or officer, in any town within the English domain But Lionel improved matters : he forbade any Irish by birth to come near his army. It was the policy of the English to keep the two races distinct and at variance, so as to preserve a sort of balance of power. The Statute of Kilkenny was enacted. It provided, (i) That any alliance with the Irish by marriage, nur- ture of infants, or gossipred (standing sponsor), should be punishable as high treason. (2) That any man of English race taking an Irish name, or using the Irish language, apparel, or customs, should forfeit all his lands. (3) That to adopt or submit to the Brehon Law (old Irish law) was treason. (4) That the English should not make war on the Irish with- out permission of government. (Very 3 34 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. little heeded.) (5) That the English should not permit the Irish to pasture or graze upon their lands, nor admit them to ecclesiastical benefices or religious houses, nor entertain their minstrels 01 rhymers. (6) It was also forbidden tc impose or cess any soldiers upon the English side against their will, undei the pain of felony. Have the Turks passed any laws more oppressive than were these ? Richard II. succeeded his grandfather. We are now in the year 1377; and how do we find Ireland ? In its normal state of partial insurrection and general dis- content. War, as usual, was carried on against the Irish chiefs : indeed, Ireland was the school for the practice of the art of war by the chivalrous youth of Eng- land. The war of the Roses broke out in England. Henry IV. became king. His second son, Thomas, was made WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 35 Viceroy of Ireland (1402). He fol- lowed in the footsteps of his prede- cessors. Writing to his father, he says, "I, by the advice of my coun- cil, rode against the Irish, your enemies, and did my best to harass them ;" much being conveyed in the last five words. Henry VI. next ascended the throne, and, ; as usual, the Irish question was found to be one of the greatest difficulty. Peculiar laws were passed which widened still more the fatal breach between the English and the Irish. It was declared that any man who did not shave his upper lip should be treated as an Irishman. The said shaving was to be performed once at i least in every two weeks. Edward and Henry VII. passed away. The same sad state of affairs in Ireland continued ; but at this period the English power was reduced to the lowest ebb. In 1494 an act was passed known as Poynings' Law. 36 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. It affected those who lived within the Pal< (that part of Ireland which was occupie( by the English). It required all the Englisl colonists to pale or enclose that portioi of the country possessed by them, s( that the Irish could be kept out It is wearisome to follow out in thii strain the enormities practiced by th< English in Ireland. Still we must do it in order to show the barbarity of th< English, and why it is a disgrace tha Europe allows the English still to remaii there. We pass hurriedly over an interval Ireland is now in the hands of the Tudors and the Stuarts. Henry VIII ordered a report to be made of the condition of Ireland. The only counties really subject to English rule wen Louth, Meath, Dublin, Kildare, and Wex ford. Within thirty miles of Dublin till Brenon laws were in force. There wai| WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 37 list of some sixty different petty rulers, if ell, the opinion expressed by the re- ort was that war to the knife was the nly remedy for Ireland's grievances, he report concludes that, "if the king ere as wise as Solomon the sage, he lall never subdue the wild Irish to his bedience without dread of the sword, ven this may fail. So long as they ay resist and save their lives, they will ever obey the king." The English imfessed that it was hopeless to contend th an enemy who was defeated one ay and rose up the next with renewed tergy. Now came the great Reforma- on in England, which Henry VIII. atermined to introduce into Ireland, he king supposed he would easily ac- omplish his mission. Dr. Browne was nt into Ireland to carry it out. And ow the English are aliens in blood, dens in language, and aliens in religion. 38 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. Dr. Browne, after he had been in Ireland a while, writes thus to Henry: "I find that the common people of this isle are more zealous in their blindness than the saints and martyrs were in the truth." And so it was. The Irish clung to their religion. They would not adopt that imposed upon them by the invader. The cup of bitterness was now so full that the Irish bowed their heads and wept. What could they do? hunted like dogs, with no security of life from one day to another, with no home but what was likely to be snatched from them at any moment. It was now evident that the Irish nation would not accept Henry's supremacy. An expedient was devised for their utter extermination. " Curses on the Irish !" we almost fancy we hear Henry cry out; ''exterminate them, hound them, drive them to the dogs." It would be impossible to be- lie e 'hat the human heart could be WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 39 guilty of such cruelty, if we had not the evidence of the fact in the "State Papers." By this diabolical scheme it was arranged :o kill or carry away all the cattle, and :o destroy their corn while growing- 1 The very living of the Irish," says the writer, "doth clearly consist of two .hings. Take away the same from them, ind they are past power to recover or yet to annoy any subject in Ireland." Such was the arrangement; and it was from no want of inclination that it was not entirely carried out and the Irish starved to death in their own land. Abbeys and churches were despoiled ; everything the Irish held most sacred was destroyed. They scoured the land from end to end, destroying cathedrals, plundering abbeys, and burn- ing relics, did these civilized Christians the English. Five years later, Sir. An- thony St. Leger, after piteous complaints 40 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. of the decay of piety and the increase of immorality, epitomizes the state of the country thus : "I never saw the land so far out of good order.' ' Now came the reigns of Edward VI. and Queen Mary. Under the former, deputies were sent over to quell the ever- recurring disturbances. When Mary as- cended the throne (1553), a sigh of relief went up over all Ireland. The poor Irish were naturally much excited and elated, hoping for a time of peace. This they certainly gained, so far as the practice of their religion was concerned ; but they failed to receive any temporal advantage. What Henry VIII. had done was now undone. When tidings came of the death of Edward, the people flung up their caps to the battlements of the great temple, set the bells ringing, brought out incense and holy water, and formed once more a Catholic procession, WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 41 chanting the Sancta Maria, orapro nobis as of old. But when Mary came to the throne, so little had been done in the interest of the Reformation in Ireland, that there was very little to be undone. Next Elizabeth ascends the throne (1558). Everything is again reversed. The joy of the Irish was but momentary. Back they go to their old state of misery. The bishops were convened by the queen's command for the purpose of establishing the Protestant religion. Dr. Adam Loftus, in his first report to the queen, recommends that all Catholics should be fined a good round sum, which should be paid for her majesty's use, and that they be sharply dealt withal. After twenty-five years of fruit- less attempt to convert the Irish, he writes to Lord Burleigh, detailing the cause of the general decay of the Protestant reli- gion in Ireland, and suggesting how the 42 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. same may be remedied. He advises that ecclesiastical commissions be put in force, for the people are poor and fear to be fined. He requests that such commis- sioners as are well affected in religion be permitted to imprison and fine all such as are obstinate and disobedient ; and he has no doubt that in a short time they may be reduced to good conformity. Sir John Perrott, who has the name of being the most humane of the lords deputies, could not refrain from acts of cruelty where Catholics were concerned. On one occa- sion he killed fifty persons and brought their heads home in triumph to Kilmal- lock, where he arranged them as a trophy, around the cross in the public square. In 1582 he advised her majesty that Friars, Monks, Jesuits, Priests, Nuns, and such like vermin, who openly uphold the papacy, should be executed by martial law. The officers of the troops sent to WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 43 put down popery seem to have rivalled each other in acts of cruelty. One is said to have tied his victim to a May-pole and then punched out his eyes with his thumb. Others amused themselves with flinging up infants into the air and catch- ing them on the points of their swords. Francis Crosby, the deputy at Lei, used to hang men, women, and children on an immense tree which grew before his door, without any crime being imputed to them except their faith, and then would watch with delight how the unhappy infants hung by the long hair of their martyred mothers. The Irish are driven to a state of frenzy. They revolt ; Shane O'Neill leads them on. But it amounts to nothing. Sir Henry Sidney is Viceroy. The old troubles are re- newed. The Lord Deputy writes thus of Munster : "Like as I never was in a more pleasant country in all my life, so never 44 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. saw I a more waste and desolate land ; such horrible and lamentable spectacles are there to behold — as the burning of villages, the ruin of churches, the wasting of such as have been good towns and castles, yea, the view of the bones and skulls of the dead subjects who, partly by murder, partly by famine, have died in the fields — as in truth hardly any Christian with dry eyes could behold. " As for religion, the Privy Council de- clared that there was but a small appear- ance of it, the churches were uncovered, and the clergy scattered. Elizabeth attempted to remedy this ; but, alas ! it was incurable. Everything went to ruin. The Irish had long been imbued with the deepest hatred of everything English, and abhorred the adoption of a religion which came to them from those whom they con- sidered as their oppressors. They saw the ancient churches and monasteries, which WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 45 had once been the pride of their country, desolated and in ruins. They would not repair them when they knew they could no longer be used by the priests of their own faith. The English would not repair what they had destroyed, and so they remained what they had made them, ruins. The priests remained concealed in the woods nearest their old parish churches, from whence they came forth at night to administer the sacrament to the people, who faithfully guarded their retreat. Sir Henry Sidney tried to improve matters : he attempted a plan of local government, by appoint- ing presidents to rule different provinces. But this arrangement simply multiplied the number of licensed oppressors. Strong measures were now adopted, of which cruelty to the unfortunate natives was the predominant feature. ' ' Hunt the fox out of his hole/' was the motto; for 46 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. they were a wicked, barbarous, and uncivil people. The uncivil people gave them plenty of opportunity to hunt them. Rory Oge O'More and divers other natives kept up the excitement. The Spanish sent troops to help the Irish. But the English had their usual good luck, for at the end of the struggle the country was left one levelled plain, without corn or edifice. The Fort del Ore was besieged ; the Spaniards assisted the insurgents to hold out ; but the cour- age of the latter forsook them, and they surrendered to the English. The next day a banquet was prepared for them, and after it was over a signal was given, and the garrison, six hundred in all, were massacred. The Irish were constantly excited by the cruel execution of Catholic priests; some were hung, some were cruelly flogged, and, in several places, Franciscan friars were tied together by WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 47 their cords and flung over steep preci- pices into the sea, in the presence of the exasperated and weeping multitude. As the news of these barbarities spread throughout the country the people grew more and more excited. Insurrections broke out, and in consequence, a mighty army was sent into Ireland. Essex came with 20,000 foot, 2,000 horse, the best equipped force ever sent into the country. The Irish gazed on these preparations with terror. The English now made a complete conquest. They marched from one end of the Island to the other. The O'Neills and the O'Donnells passed away, with thousands of their followers, forever. The Irish were totally defeated and at the end of the war, an unusually barbarous one, English authority was better estab- lished than it ever had been before. James I. succeeded to the throne. The Irish Catholics hoped for peace. But they 48 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. I were disappointed ; for the King drank " to the eternal damnation of the Papists," at a public dinner. He was proclaimed in Dublin in 1605. His proclamation said, " We hereby make it known to our subjects in Ireland that no toleration shall ever be granted by us. This we do for the purpose of cutting off all hope that any other religion shall be allowed save that which is consonant to the laws and statutes of the realm." The penal statutes were renewed and enforced with increased severity. The vicar apostolic of Water- ford wrote : "There is scarcely a spot where Catholics can find a safe retreat. The impious soldiery, by day and night, pursue the defenceless priests, and mercilessly persecute them." Ulster was planted. A Presbyterian minister, whose father was one of the planters, says, " Those who came to establish English rule and root out Popery were WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 49 enerally the scum of England and Scotland, who from debt, or fleeing from justice, or seeking shelter, came hither, hoping to be without fear of man's justice in a land where there was nothing or little but as yet of the fear of God. Iniquity abounded with contention, fight- ing, murder, and adultery." Charles I. graced the throne in 1625, and a reign of terror was at once com- menced. Money was wanted from Ireland. Graces'' would be given if they would give the supply. Six subsidies of ^50,000 were granted ; but not a grace did the poor Irish receive. Such was the du- plicity of Charles. A commission of ' 'de- fective titles" was issued for Connaught. The process was extremely simple. The lawyers were set to work to hunt out old claims for the crown The object of the crown was, of course, the general good of the country. The people of 4 50 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. Connaught were to be civilized and en- riched. To this end, according to the then prevalent English idea, their prop- erty was confiscated and given to other parties. Thus the country was placed entirely in the hands of the sovereign. A new insurrection broke out. O'Neill assumed the title of Lord-General of the Catholic army in Ulster ; and this was the inauguration of the celebrated Con- federation of Kilkenny (1641). They convened a synod at Kilkenny, and pronounced the war undertaken by the Catholics of Ireland lawful and justifiable, at the same time denouncing murders and usurpations. They issued a manifesto explaining their conduct and forming a provisional government, and concluded their labors after three days spent in careful deliberation. Six members were elected from each province. The ad- ministrative authority was vested in a « WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 51 supreme council. Lord Mountgarret was elected president. All this was obnox- ious to the English. Ormend was ordered to put down the rebellion. Battles en- sued with varying fortune, till finally a cessation for one year was agreed upon. Troubles came thick and fast. Dissen- sions, as usual, came among the Irish Anarchy prevailed, and Charles I. lost his head. Now came the delightful reign of Oliver Cromwell. Peaceable and harm- less-looking he was. He entered Ireland attended by some of the greatest generals of the age — Monk, Blake, Ireton, Waller, Ludlow and others. He brought with him for the propagation of the gospel and the Commonwealth, ^200,000 in money, eight regiments of foot, six of horse, several troops of dragoons, a large supply of Bibles, and a corresponding provision of ammunition and scythes. The Bibles 52 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. were distributed among the soldiers, to be by them distributed to the natives, who could not understand a word of their contents. English were now opposed to English and Irish. Ormend had garri- soned Drogheda. Cromwell besieged it. After a brave resistance the garrison yielded, quarter being promised them. But quarter was not given, and five days were spent in butchering men, women and children in cold blood. Cromwell's theory was that extermination was the most merciful policy ; and this he ruth- lessly carried out. The grand idea was that of unpeopling Ireland of the Irish and planting it over with English. A grand effort was made to get rid of as many Irishmen as possible in a feasible manner. They were shipped abroad. Transporta- tion free was offered them out of the coun- try, if they would enter foreign service. Sooner than stay at home and endure such WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 53 barbarities as were practiced upon them, they resolved to expatriate themselves; and between 1651 and 1654, thirty-four thousand Irishmen had left their native land ; and few, indeed, ever returned to its desolate shores. The country was sufficiently depopulated by war and emi- gration to admit of the commencement of the grand planting. The country was once more portioned out. In 1653, all the property of the Irish people was declared to belong to the English army and adventurers; and it was announced that the Parliament had assigned Con- naught for the habitation of the Irish nation. Whither they must transplant with their wives, daughters and children, before the first of May following, under penalty of death if found on this side of the Shannon after that day. This dreadful project was carried into effect. Those who remained were hanged, and pla- 54 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. cards put on their breasts and backs, upon which was written, " For not trans- planting." Hundreds were condemned to death, but were eventually sent as slaves to Barbadoes. Sir William Petty stated that "six thousand boys and girls were sent as slaves to the West Indies.'" But we draw a curtain over this scene of I horror, out of mercy to our readers. Thus was the Cromwellian settlement of! Ireland accomplished. Have the Turks; ever done worse than this ? Charles II. ascends the throne. A> change has taken place. It is the yean 1660. Will there be any relief from the: change ? No ; the old order of things is' continued. Three thousand Catholic: claimants for their own property were; condemned to forfeit their estates, with- out the shadow of an inquiry, but with the pretense of having justice done them; or, as Leland puts it, "without WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 55 the justice granted to the vilest criminal, that of a fair and equal trial." James II. was a Catholic. The Quak- ers were set free in England ; the Cath- olics, in Ireland. But the bitterness of the Protestant faction prevented the re- form from being carried out. Fears prevailed on all sides. The hope that had been engendered in the bosoms of the Irish fled with the rapidity of light- ning; for William, Prince of Orange, appeared on the scene. James fled, and the Pro- testants assumed the supremacy. In 1689 James is furnished with an armed force by the French king, and lands in Ireland As did their ancestors with Bruce, so did the Irish army with James — they flew to his assistance. But, alas ! the battle of the Boyne, the siege of Derry and of Limerick followed. This closed the scene. England gained the victory, and 56 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. Ireland gained fresh oppression and in- tensification of religious and political animosity unparalleled in the history of nations. The treaty of Limerick was signed October 3d, 1691. It was agreed by this treaty that the Roman Catholics of Ireland should enjoy unmolested the exercise of their religion. Pardon and protection were offered to all who had served King James, and many other equitable arrangements were made. But the treaty was soon broken. Harris, an English historian, was obliged to write thus of the open violation of its arti- cles : " The justices of the peace, sheriffs other magistrates presuming on their power in the country, dispossessed several of their majesties' Catholic subjects not only of their goods and chattels, but also of their lands and tenements, to the great reproach of their majesty's govern- ment." An oath was introduced in Par- WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 57 liament, which denied that in the sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper there was any transubstantiation of the elements ; and asserted that the invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary, or any other saint, or the sacrifice of the mass, as now used in the Church of Rome, are damnable and idolatrous. The Catholic Peers and Commoners would not take this oath, and retired from the house. Thus the Irish Parliament consisted of members exclusively Protestant until its extinction in rSoo. In 1695 Lord Capel was ap- pointed viceroy. Parliament was assem- bled, and the following penal laws were enacted against the Catholics : 1 The Catholic Peers were deprived of their right to sit in Parliament. 2. Catholic gentlemen were forbidden to be elected members of Parliament. 3. Catholics were denied the privilege of voting, and were excluded from all 58 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. offices of trust, and, indeed, from all remunerative employment^ however insig nificant. 4. They were fined £60 a month foi absence from the Protestant form ol worship. 5. They were forbidden to travel five miles from their homes, to keep arms, tc maintain suits at law, or to be guardians* or executors. 6. Any four justices of the peace could, without further trial, banish an) man for life if he refused to attend the Protestant service. 7. Any two justices of the peace coulc call any man over sixteen before them and if he refused to abjure the Catholic religion they could bestow his propertj on the next of kin. 8. No Catholic could employ a Catho: lie schoolmaster to educate his children 1 and if he sent his child abroad for educa WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 59 tion he was subject to a fine of ^ioo, and the child could not inherit property in either England or Ireland. 9. Any Catholic priest who came into Ireland should be hanged. 10. Any Protestant suspecting any other Protestant of holding property in trust for a Catholic, could file a bill against the suspected trustee, and take the estate or property from him. 1 1 . Any Protestant seeing a Catholic tenant-at-will on a farm which, in his opinion, yielded more than one-third more than the yearly rent, might enter on that farm and, by simply swearing to the fact, take possession. 12. Any Protestant might take away the horse of a Catholic, no matter how valuable, upon paying him ^5. 13. Horses and wagons belonging to Catholics were, in all cases, to Lie seized for the use of the militia. 60 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. 14. Any Catholic gentleman's child who became a Protestant could at once take possession of his father's property. These were the famous penal laws. Have the Turks ever done worse than this ? The English Parliament suppressed the woolen trade in Ireland. In 1698 a law was passed for the prevention of the exportation of wool and woolen manufactures from Ireland, under for- feiture of goods and ships, and a penalty of ^£500. Forty thousand persons were reduced to utter destitution by this meas- ure. The Embargo laws followed, of which twenty- two were passed in forty years. Irish merchants were not allowed to trade beyond seas in any ship, except it was built in England. Queen Anne succeeded in 1702. The Duke of Ormond was sent over as Lord-Lieutenant. No insurrection this time. They had been too well ground WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 61 down, and too carefully admonished. George I. and George II. reigned successively. And during this period the country was suffering from the most fearful distress. There were many causes for this destitution. Trade was crushed. Agriculture was not permitted. There was no resource for the majority but to emigrate, steal, or starve. Men, liable at any moment to be driven from their miserable holdings, if they attempted to effect an improvement or to plant such crops as might attract the rapacity of their landlords, planted only what they needed. Potatoes formed the main staple, and all Ireland subsisted on potatoes. In 1739 a severe frost destroyed the entire crop, and Providence aided the English in the extermination of the Irish, for about four hundred thousand of the poor, miserable Irish perished by starvation. What a commentary on English rule in Ireland ! 62 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. George III. was now king. America was fighting for its independence. The Irish flew to their assistance. Barry, Carrol, Col. Wm. Irvine, and many others can be named. The exiled Irish won the battle of Fontenoy for the French, against the English ; they fought in the armies of Spain : in fact, they fought all over Europe. George III. exclaimed, " Cursed be the laws that deprive me of such subjects ! " Startled England began to recover slowly and sadly from her long infatuation, to discover that Irishmen, from their habits of endurance and undaunted courage, were the best soldiers she could find. Now came the Agrarian outrages. Bear in mind the abject con- dition of the people, the penal laws, etc. Now the landlords rented their grounds far above their value, with the privilege of the tenants using certain commons for the pasturage of their cows. But the WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE ? 63 landlords enclosed the commons, and would not allow the use of them, nor did they lower the rents. An English writer says the tithe-mongers were as harpies, who squeezed the very vitals out of the people, and dragged from them the little that the landlord had left them. It was hard, terribly hard, for those who had once been the owners of the soil to be obliged to support the intruders on their property in affluence. The White-Boys were organized. The tithe-mongers and landlords were murdered. The White- Boys rose against their tyrannical oppres- sors. \t this period cattle were exceptionally valuable. A murrain had destroyed most of the cattle in England, Germany and Holland : hence there was a great foreign demand for butter and beef. As ground appropriated to grazing became more and more valuable, cottiers, being tenants at will, were ejected from 64 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. their little holdings, which were let by the landlords to contractors, who took large tracts of land and paid high prices for them. Thus even whole baronies were turned into pasture. Some of those who were ejected fled to the large cities. But here the penal laws met them. No resource was left but to fly the country which, they did, leaving it forever. Those who remained rented small tracts of land at exorbitant prices, and struggled against famine to support themselves and their families. Intimidations, threatening notices, pun- ishment for disobedience of orders by destruction of property, personal violence and murder were now the order of the day. A large military force was sent over and properly distributed. Says Dr. Carey, in writing of it, " During the space of three years the Catholics of Munster were in a terrible condition, WHAT HAVE THE ENGLISH DONE? 65 and so general did the panic at length become, and so many of the lower sort were already hanged, in jail, or on the informer's list, that the greater part of the rest fled through fear, so that the land lay untilled for want of hands to cultivate it. The better sort, who had something to lose, were in constant fear : if they stayed at home, they were perse- cuted; if they left, their absence was construed as guilt. The danger of having their lives sworn away was immi- nent, for the suborning and corrupting of witnesses of that period were frequent and barefaced to a degree beyond all belief. In 1771 a grace was granted to the Catholics, by which they were allowed to take a lease of fifty acres of bog and half acre of arable land for a house ; but this holding was not to be within a mile of any town. But at last a brighter day dawned on Ireland, after all these centuries of 5 66 THE ENGLISH IN IRELAND. oppression and wrong. The American war alarmed England. Parliament at once resolved to relieve Ireland of some of her commercial disabilities. Some trifling concessions were made ; but the export of Irish commodities from Ireland was forbidden, and, in consequence, the country was reduced to great distress The Irish debt rose to nearly a millior pounds. When the independence of the American states was acknowledged bj: France a bill for the partial relief of th