your Honour, to bee a meane unto his most Catholique Majestie, that hee may vouchsafe speedily to releeue this place, where many of his Royall Shipps in time of service may bee kept in safetie; Or otherwayes to send some small Ship towards this coast, for to receiue mee and the rest of my Family, and Children, for to bee carryed into Spaine, for the saving of our liues out of the hands of these mercilesse, Hereticall Enemies, making choyce rather to forsake my ancient Inheritance, Friends, Followers, and Goods, then any way to trust to their most gracelesse Pardon or Promise. Thus much I hope your godly charitable Nature will draw you to doe for such a one as I am, who hazarded Life, Lands, Goods, and Followers for the Catholique Faith, and the Kings Majesties Service: All which, leaving to your Honourable Discretion, through whose vertuous meanes I chiefely hope to receiue comfort, I humbly take leaue. From Beare-haven Castle the last of February, 1602.

Your most Faithfull and bounden,

Donnell Osulevan Beare.

To the Earle of Caracena, Governor and Captaine Generall for his Majestie in the kingdome of Galitia.

A Letter from Osulevan Beare to Don
Pedro Zubiaur.

My honorable good friend, your kind letters I haue of late received, & for your carefull furtherance, I cannot but rest beholden and thankfull as before: Our state sithence your departing, notwithstanding many crosses was reasonable well; partly because of the weaknesse of the English forces, untill a brute came unto us credibly, that Don Iuan de Aguila did not onely agree and compound to yeeld the Towne of Kinsale, but also the other Castles and Havens, delivered voluntarily by the owners unto you, and the Veador to the King his use, during the occasion of service which notwithstanding (being delivered to the Enemies hands) would mightily discourage and weaken all the Kings friends in Ireland; namely my selfe, who by keeping my possessions belonging to my Castle, and Haven of Beerehaven, and able (God bee thanked) and ready at all times to find out for his Majesties service, upon warning and necessitie one thousand men, besides the ward of my owne Castle, where loosing the same so unexpected, and surrendered to the hands of most hereticall enemies, I am not onely disappoynted of all power, but also driven to run to the Mountaines, there to liue like Woolfes, for the safetie of my life, and to leaue to their mercilesse discretion all the poore men, women, and children within the length of twenty Leagues contayning

of my ancient inheritance under my jurisdiction: I pray you as you haue begun, and in his Majesties name, past your promise unto me, to be a meane unto his Majestie, that such shamefull composition void of lawfull ground, may not bee an overthrow and disgrace to the Kings service, and a perpetuall destruction to my posterity for ever, whose Ancestors main. tayned the credit and calling of great Gentlemen these two thousand and sixe hundred yeares, sithence their first comming out of Spaine: I haue made offer to the Veador to mainetaine all the Spaniards that were at Castlehaven, Baltimore, and here, with Beefe, Fish, Corne and Salt, till his Majesties pleasure were knowen, and to find upon my owne charges one thousand men to defend them: I would personally haue repaired thither, to make relation hereof to the King, his Majestie, but that I doe feare the warres might haue the worse expedition here by my absence; although you might thinke, I would for a while use some resistance against the Englishmen, with my people and the Fastnesse of my Countrey, yet I know you will pitty old Sir Finnin, forced by this composition to yeeld his body to the mercilesse butchery of our Hereticall enemies, which leaving partly to bee prevented by your good meanes to the King his most Catholike Majestie : I take leaue, committing you to God: Beare-haven the twentieth of February, 1602.

Donnell Osulevan Beare.

It was first much doubted and feared, that the Castle of Dunboy had beene voluntarily, not without the privitie and consent of the chiefe Commanders amongst the Spaniards, delivered unto Donnell Osulevan, there being such an excellent Haven for the Kings ships, if hee should send forces to repaire the ruines of his honour, so much shaken by the former proceedings; but afterward understanding that the Castle was not surprised without some blood, and also intercepting those Letters which verified the contrary, it cleered the Spaniards of that suspition; but howsoever, the holding of this Castle gaue оссаsion to the countrey more obstinately to stand out in the action, because Osulevan Beare (for defence hereof) against the English, had according to the contents of these Letters, entertayned Tirrell, William Burke, and others with one thousand Bonnoghs, which were by course employed about the fortifying of this Castle. Neere unto the mouth of the Haven of Beare, there is a small Iland called the Durses, which is very strongly seated by nature, by reason of the difficulty of landing (which is conveniently) but in one narrow entrance, which may bee defended with a few hands, and besides it is impossible for any Boat to arriue at this enterance, except it bee in a dead calme, the least gale of wind, raising such billowes, as doe endanger any Boat as shall come neere the shore : this impregnable place, was elected for their extreame refuge, if Dunboy should bee wonne by the English; and therefore the custody thereof was committed to

Conner Odrischall, Sonne and Heire to Sir Finnin before mentioned, who procuring three Peeces of Spanish Ordnance to be convayed into the Iland, with certaine quantity of powder and shot, and having sixtie choise men, fortified the same (as they thought) against the most potent Enemy; but wee leaue these Rebels busying their braines, and wearying their bodies about these fortifications, and returne to Captaine Harvie, who while the Veador Pedro Lopez de Soto, remayned at Baltimore, many curtesies and familiar conferences passed betweene them, wherein hee shewed himselfe to bee a man of great humanity, and a good statesman, able to relate many things, both concerning the State of England, and particularly of the Nobility in the same, as well as some that had spent their whole liues in that Realme; but the end of all his conference, still tended towards a peace between our Soveraigne and his Master, whereby it may bee gathered, that the King of Spaine was wearey of the warre, which himselfe had injuriously begun: The substance of their discourse Captain Harvie related to the President, and also shewed him a Pasport of the Veadors, and a Letter which hee sent unto him after his arrivall in Spaine, all which are thus Englished.