Source.—Carew MSS. (Record Commission). Vol. iii. (1589-1600), p. xci., App. A.

First it is to be understand that the land of Ireland was divided into several Kingdoms, and so continued of long time, until the coming of King Henry the Second, who then did win by conquest the most part of the same land, and the same gave and departed amongst his nobles and certain English gentlemen and others that went with him into Ireland, in reward of their service there done, where they both planted themselves and remained as obedient subjects to the King and Crown of England and his laws, and maintained the same. The rest of the land some he put under tribute, other some were never by him conquered, and they both so left continued and maintained their old customs, which were the laws of the Brehons, which before the conquest was used. And as those then planted by the King maintained the laws of England, and continued the same by them and theirs successively until this day, as the English Pale and civil towns doth maintain and use the same, even as the others, as well [they] that were put under tribute and they that were never conquered, as also those by them since subdued brought under their rule, doth maintain the Brehon’s law as they did before the conquest, which custom they continue in the Irish Pale, who are now the more part of the realm. The race and stirpe of them this day do maintain and use the same contrary to God his law, and also repugnant to the Queen’s Majesty’s laws and all other good and civil orders.

So all the lords and gentles of the Irish Pales that are not governed under the Queen’s laws are driven and compelled of necessity to keep and maintain a number of idle men of war, as they may be able always to rule their own people at home and exact their neighbours abroad, as their need shall require in their wars, which they commonly use and maintain against those that pretendeth any right to that they at any time have or do sometimes possess by wrong: giving neither place to law nor yet good orders, but working every one his own wilful will for a Law, to the spoil of the country and decay and waste of the common weal of the same.

The charge and finding of the men of war of every private Irish lord is such a burden to his country as keepeth the same ever in great poverty, and by that means bringeth them that taketh most pain to most penury, and those that getteth all to gain nothing: whereby husbandry is so hard to live by as very few covet it, as no plenty can prosper, but ever scarcity, where this is used, not only hindering the good but forwarding the evil, so far that the most mischief of all the land is fed and nourished withal. This is called Coyne and Livery. Besides this they have many other customs, exactions, and undertreddinges, so that in a manner all that ever the tenants can win with their weary working the lord hath at last, if his need be such in wars, or otherwise he will take all that his tenants have and destroy them in a day: and he never the better himself, for (as aforesaid) idle men of war eateth all together.

And thus their countries are impoverished as inhabitants having nothing left to cherish or care for (unless sometime a few cattle which the poor people are forced to drive with them wheresoever they go, for finding their Lords’ men of war), they, as careless of their behaviour, become as idle as the rest, stealing by night and robbing by day, as at last stirreth them to war one Lord against another. Although [they do so] until they have spoiled and wasted one another’s country, yet no malice can increase their enmity so much one against another but upon every occasion they become friends, and join their former dispersed strength in one force against the Queen’s Majesty and her liege people.

For their Religion.

The appearance of their outward behaviour sheweth to be the fruits of no good trees, for they exercise no virtue, nor yet refrain or forbear any vice, but think it lawful to do every one what him listeth, as thereby should seem they neither love nor dread God, nor yet hate the Devil. They are superstitious and worshippers of images and open idolaters. Their common oath they swear is by books, bells and other ornaments, which they use as holy relics. If for any greater cause they take the name of God, they seldom perform unless to do a shrewd turn. Their chief and solemnest oath that bindeth them is by their lord’s or master his hand, which whoso forsweareth is sure to pay a fine or sustain a worse turn. The Sabbath day they rest from all honest exercise, and the week days they are not idle but worse occupied. They do not honour their fathers and mothers so much as they do reverence strangers.

For any murder they commit [it] should seem they do not so soon repent for whose blood they once shed. They lightly never cease killing of all that name, although nothing akin, so many as they find ever after, whom they may overcome.

They did not so commonly commit adultery, not for that they do profess or keep such chastity, but for that they seldom or never marry, and therefore few of them [are] lawful heirs, by the laws of the realm, to those lands they presently possess.

They steal but from the strong, and take by violence from the poor and weak. They know not so well who is their neighbour, as whom they favour, with him they will witness in right and wrong.

They covet not their neighbour’s goods, but command all that is their neighbour’s as their own.

And this ungodly life they lead, and pass their years without amendment, until their dying day, that they are able to do no more harm, without knowledge of God or understanding of his Word, which they never hear truly taught, nor can, for lack of good ministers to instruct and preach the same: nor yet will any minister take pains without living, which is not to be had where there is neither church nor parish, but all decayed and waste, nor can be inhabited to increase a parish without people, nor anywise people will come to inhabit and dwell where there is neither defence of Law nor equity of Justice maintained, as they might enjoy the fruit of their labour.

Which is every King’s part and charge, to minister Justice to his people, and the Queen’s Majesty’s our liege sovereign presently more bound thereto than any her Grace’s noble progenitors hitherto were, who by style had but the name of Lords of Ireland (although all princely prerogative withal) before her Highness’ father, of most famous memory, King Henry the Eight, to whom by Parliament was given the title, style and name of King of Ireland, and now her Majesty’s possession by lawful succession.

And withal her Majesty, under God, of whom her Highness hath received also the charge, as most worthy for the supreme government of his creatures, her people, within these her Highness’ own realms and dominions, as besides Christian charity and princely dignity her Highness oweth to God, by that title to reform and direct and lead those blind and wilful ignorant people to the knowledge of God his most holy Word, to the salvation of their souls, which he so dearly bought; as, if the Angels of Heaven rejoiced so much at the conversion of one sinner to repentance, what joy, solace, and welcome shall our most dear Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth have for converting, or rather recovering, of so many a thousand lost souls as at this present are in Ireland, ready to go on headlong to the Devil, if her Grace seek not speedy remedy to prevent the same, as by their fruits shewed there is already a great many gone to his dam!

Who lying in the English Pale, where commonly the most number of soldiers do sojourn at cess,[20] both footmen and horsemen, with their double horse and horse boys dispersed in the civil shires, which is such a burden to the liege people of the same as hath greatly impaired the good state of the Pale, where they are not so serviceable: for when the Irish maketh any entry by sudden roads upon the borders of the English Pale, although the Governor might within four hours assemble the captains for the defence of the Pale, no captain is able to assemble his band in four days, which is too late to pursue the enemy, who is gone three days before with the spoil of the country.

When for more ease and better defence of the Pale the soldiers are sent to lie upon the borders in peace time, where, a great number being cessed upon a small territory, the burden is so heavy to the inhabitants, upon whom if they but lie one quarter of a year, the poor people liven the worse seven years after. And although in war time the living of the soldiers there be such service indeed as causeth enemies to forbear that border for the time, yet is that service so dear bought as all that the poor man saveth by the defence of the soldier’s presence, when the soldier is gone, the enemy cometh and taketh all away: so as between the soldier and the enemy the poor man hath nothing left.

And where a certain number of soldiers continually do lie in garrison at the Newery and Knockfargus they are also most commonly found for their provision by cess out of the English Pale to as great a charge as before. Although some more ease they find by their absence than when they are lodged in their houses, and to the Queen’s Majesty an increase of charge by as much as freights and carriages by sea and land, with great allowances to victuallers and clerks, as sometime the charges is more than the principal provision so transported is worth at the arrival, and sometime the whole perisheth by shipwreck, as every way the Queen’s Majesty is a loser. And lying thus in garrison, as they use their service, they are a defence to themselves only, and a burden to the poor inhabitants dwelling about them (who dependeth upon the Queen’s defence), whom they daily oppress and spoil, and cannot defend them when they have done; nor yet defence can they be to the English Pale, which is so far off from the one (which is Knockfargus) and may be diversly and many ways annoyed by the Neles, the Fewes, and others, as those which is in the Newery can neither prevent nor let the enemy coming in, nor yet rescue at their going forth anything they take away. Nor yet can so few as they are in those garrisons be a scourge to any enemy of force, who may easily keep from them that he listeth not to lose, as nothing they can get themselves unless they make a sudden raid, as commonly they do upon those with whom they have no war, and take a prey of them: who, to revenge the same, cometh and spoileth all the poor people that dwelleth about those forts, to their utter decay and waste. As at this day there is not any way within ten mile about Knockfargus six plough land manured with tillage [or] any kind of grain, but all that province waste, where was five or six hundred ploughs before the garrison were planted there: so neither can any of those garrisons plant or sow anything abroad whereof they can assure themselves to reap the fruit: nor yet will the enemies suffer their own people to plant or improve any commodity near those forts, lest the soldiers should thereby be relieved: and so between both all waste.

And when they lie in garrison in the Irish enemy’s country, as sometimes was maintained a garrison at Ardmaughe, Belefarst, and of late in Glanarme, Mountsendall, Island Sydneye, Castle-Town, Don-Lewse and other places, they were also furnished for their provision for the most part by like cess out of the English Pale as before, and to the Queen’s Majesty more charge than any the others were, by as much as the English Pale for carriages by sea and land is further distant to those remote places than the other garrisons upon the borders were; and keeping of fort in the heart of the enemy’s country, they were a defence and stay and strength only to themselves in those pieces which they kept, wherein they were shut up as they could neither relieve themselves by anything they could get in the country itself, being waste, as it is always so kept by the enemy of purpose; nor yet could they be so easily victualled of the Queen’s provision, but sometime with conduct, to more charge and trouble than the rest, as was Ardmaughe, which cost the English Pale many men’s lives and their garrisons lost with victualling thereof; and of late Glanarme, Mount Sendall, Donnlewse, Island Sydneye, and others, whereof some were lost by casualty, as of late Castle-Town, Island Sydneye, Donlewse; and those that were kept and impregnable to the enemy were, after great charge bestowed, abandoned and voluntary given up to the Irishry again in better case than it was before.

And when in time of war with any Irishry of power, as of late with one Nele, and such like occasion moveth the Governor to proclaim a main journey for 30 or 40 days to invade the enemies’ country, the Governor goeth with the army and force of the English Pale, to their great charge, where they continue out their days, whilst their victuals last, and then fain to return home again, as many times they do, without booty or other harms they do or yet can be done to a waste country, the inhabitants thereof, whilst the English host is in their country, shunneth all their cattle into woods or pastures, where they continue until the English Army be gone; and then do they come into the plains of their country with their cattle again, where they are as ready anew to invade and spoil the English Pale as before; as commonly they do bring with them great booties out of the borders of the same, whereof if recovery be not made by hot pursuit of some part of that they take away, very seldom or never can be found anything of theirs worth the having to be taken from them for the same again. So as by these appearances, wheresoever the service is done, the same is a charge to the Queen’s Majesty, a burden to the liege people, to the decay both of them and the English soldiers, fretting one another of themselves, with small defence to the Pale, nor yet can be any great scourge to the enemy, who always gaineth by our losses, and we never gain by them, although we win all that we play for, the stakes being so unequal, viz., not a penny against a pound, for that the English Pale is planted with towns and villages, inhabited with people resident, having goods, chattels, corn and household stuff, good booties for the Irish enemies to take from us, and their countries being kept of purpose waste uninhabited, as where nothing is, nothing can be had.

And thus the crown of England, being at charge this 37 years past since the rebellion of Thomas FitzGerrelde,[21] at which time the same army were sent into Ireland, which hath cost your late father, of worthy memory, King Henry the Eighth, and your late brother and sister, and now your Highness’ time, not so little as the sum of thirteen or 14 hundred thousand pounds in all that time. And until this day they have neither won to your Majesty obedience of people, nor yet increased your revenue by any territory of ground they have annexed to your Crown, saving Lexe and Ophale, which yieldeth to your Crown a yearly rent, although not so much as it standeth your Majesty in wages to the farmers thereof that do dwell upon the same for the only keeping and defending of the same, unto whom was paid wages before 30 thousand pounds for keeping thereof waste, and could not find the means to make twenty acres worth a penny a year rent to the Queen’s Majesty; but since they have had property and fee-farm thereof, they have learned the way to make every acre worth 20d. a year rent to themselves, and that well paid by the poor churls and native inhabitants of those countries, whom they could not frame to any better use but as enemies to the Queen’s Majesty whilst her Highness was at the charge of keeping; but since they have obtained and had the fee-farm thereof to themselves they have found the mean to make of those that erst were called rebels to the Queen to become to themselves profitable tenants.

Where the Queen’s Majesty’s charges is increased of late extraordinarily four or five thousand pounds a year, bestowed upon presidents and judges, with their retinue, for deciding of causes, in remote parts, as it was then devised, for more ease and less charges for the people inhabiting thereabouts than to go to the Courts to Develyn, so far off; and where the laws was executed but in one place within the realm, the train now of the president[s and] justices at hand is such a burden to the poor liege people of those provinces, who dependeth upon the Queen’s Majesty’s laws to be defended, as they are all by the same now impoverished and decayed in worse case than they were before, as they complaineth; and saith that when they went to Develyn to sue for their right, though their charges was great, yet they saved somewhat; but now, since justice is come to their doors, it, say they, leaveth them nothing: and as for the Irishry of that province, that are of power of themselves able to take by violence and hold the same perforce, they will neither go to justice to give right to their neighbours, nor tarry at home to take wrong. And thus all service in Ireland, as the same is yet used, is a great and continual charge to the Crown of England, no ease nor benefit to the liege people of Ireland, but pain and penury, a consuming of them and the English soldiers, as a bough with the wind, and native people fretting one another of themselves, and the Irish unreformed, or yet the rebels and enemies repressed, who keepeth their countries waste of purpose, as having nothing to lose, but living by the spoil of others.