of which seven-eighths of the Irish nation consist, are the most miserable and destitute people on the face of the earth. "Was change and reformation needed in Ireland?" asks Carlyle. "Has Ireland been governed in a wise and loving manner? A government and guidance of white European men, which has issued in perennial hunger of potatoes to the third man extant, ought to drop a veil over its face, and walk out of court under conduct of proper officers; saying no word; expecting now of a surety sentence, either to change or die." If History be regarded, as it ought to be, as the grand storehouse of Experience of the human race,-not as a mere record of tyranny and slaughter, but a general accumulation of experiments, successful and unsuccessful, all tending towards the solution of the grand problem-how mankind can be governed so as to secure for the mass the largest possible amount of happiness and liberty, then a careful perusal of the history of Ireland cannot fail to teach a most impressive and instructive lesson. It teaches that centuries of Physical Force have utterly failed to attach the people of Ireland to the English government,-that seven hundred years of coercion-instead of producing Union,' affectionate allegiance, peacefulness, contentment, and prosperity,-have issued only in disunion, in constitutional resistance,' in national agitation and 'passive' rebellion-ready, on a moment's notice, to become 'active,' in burning discontent and deep-seated hostility to the governing classes, and in a mass of national pauperism and misery unequalled in the history of the world. What failure could be more complete? What experiment could be more conclusive as to the utter inefficiency of all the means which have heretofore been employed in the government of Ireland? And what more calculated to rouse the people of Great Britain, to demand that an entirely different course of policy should be henceforward pursued with reference to the sister country? It were, indeed, full time that the English people made themselves acquainted with the condition of Ireland. It is in no small degree to their apathy and indifference as to her fate, that her present sufferings are to be attributed. Let them consider the expense of governing Ireland by force; it has cost for many years past, more than a million sterling a-year in soldiers, and half a million in police. The Union, indeed, exists merely by force. And yet no people are more easily governed than the Irish-none are more grateful for acts of justice and kindness. It has been truly said of them, by one who knew them well, that "the Irish are indeed a tractable nation, and though they have resisted chains of iron, they may easily be conducted by a kindly hand with a silken thread." When the English people and the English government know Ireland, they will give up attempting to govern them by the sword—that old and used-up instrument of despots,—and betake themselves to Justice; employing, instead of the weapons of the soldier and policeman, the more powerful instrument of Redress. That the publication of this book may hasten that period, by diffusing among the English people a knowledge of the past history and sufferings of Ireland, is the foremost hope and desire of its author. Though, in the course of the following work, considerable sympathy and partiality are expressed for the Irish people—a sympathy and partiality which are based upon the feeling that where force and fraud alone are relied upon for the maintenance of power, the nation that resists is much more likely to be right than the nation that oppresses-yet the writer has not allowed his partiality (which is not that of either an Irishman or a Catholic) to interfere with the strict and impartial statement of facts, which he has, for the most part, purposely cited from the works of Protestant writers themselves. He has consulted a very large number of authorities, and has put forward no assertion, of which he is conscious, that cannot be supported by abundance of creditable evidence. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE 111.-X. CHAPTER I.-EARLY History of Ireland, and its state previous to the Anglo- CHAPTER II.-Causes which led to the Anglo-Norman Invasion-The Irish CHAPTER III.-The Norman Invasion-The resistance of the Irish-Strong- CHAPTER V.-State of Ireland at the death of Henry-The Pale-The" mere .............. CHAPTER VI.-Ireland in the reigns of Richard I.-John-Henry III.- CHAPTER VII.-Ireland invaded by Edward Bruce-Joined by the Irish-Is CHAPTER VIII.-Reign of Edward III.-Statutes of Kilkenny-Richard II. 33 CHAPTER IX.-Reign of Henry VIII.-Rebellion of Simnel and Perkin 39 CHAPTER X.--Accession of Henry VIII.-The "Reformation "Is extended 44 CHAPTER XI.-Reign of Elizabeth-The Acts of Supremacy and Conformity CHAPTER XII.-Reign of James I.-Abolition of the Irish laws-Immense CHAPTER XIII.-Reign of Charles I.-Wentworth sent to Ireland-His ... CHAPTER XIV.-Insurrection of 1641-The Lords Justices-The Earl of PAGE 76 83 CHAPTER XV.-Continuation of the Civil War-Lord Inchequin-Rinunc- 97 CHAPTER XVI.-Civil War continued-Battle of Benburb-Dublin sur- 107 CHAPTER XVII.-The Commonwealth-Oliver Cromwell in Ireland-Siege 115 129 CHAPTER XVIII.-The war continued-Siege of Clonmel-Hugh O'Neill- CHAPTER XXI.-Distress in England-Importation of Irish cattle prohibited CHAPTER XXII.-Reign of James II.-The Lords Justices Forbes and 156 168 179 CHAPTER XXIII.-Excitement in Ireland, and panic of the Protestants-- CHAPTER XXIV.-Schomberg's army lands in Ireland-Carrickfergus taken CHAPTER XXV.-Entry of William into Dublin-General Douglas repulsed 189 204 Sarsfield-Arrival of General Marlborough and capture of Cork-Raparees CHAPTER XXVI.—Campaign of 1691-Saint Ruth appointed Commander of CHAPTER XXVII.-Condition of Ireland at the close of the war— -Extensive CHAPTER XXVIII.-Reign of Queen Anne-Legal oppression of the Irish CHAPTER XXIX.-Ireland at the Accession of George I. State of Agricul- CHAPTER XXX.-Ireland in the reign of George II.-The Irish Parliaments CHAPTER XXXI.-Growth of the Catholics in wealth and intelligence-The CHAPTER XXXII.-The American Revolution-Its influence on Irish CHAPTER XXXIII.—Irish Parliament of 1779-80---Grattan, Flood, Burgh, CHAPTER XXXIV.-Irish Parliament of 1781-The Patriots defeated- PAGE 217 227 251 261 272 289 309 329 340 |