and spake with the Earle of Thomond; but whether he were sent by the Presidents intreatie, to see whether he could perswade with Mac Goghagan vpon promise of reward, to render the Castle to the Queene, or whether Richard Mac Goghagan did intreat the Earle, that he might haue a Safe-conduct to speake with him, I am uncertaine, but of this I am sure, that the Earles meeting with him, was not without the Presidents knowledge and allowance: All the Eloquence and artifice which the Earle could use avayled nothing; for Mac Goghagan was resolved to persevere in his wayes, and in the great loue which he pretended to beare unto the Earle, hee advised him not to hazard his life, in landing upon the Mayne: for I know (sayd hee) you must land at yonder Sandy Bay, where before your comming, the place will bee so trenched and gabioned, as you must runne upon assured death: The Earle disdayning both his obstinacie, and his vaine-glorious advice, brake off his speech, telling Mac Goghagan, that ere many dayes passed, hee would repent that hee had not followed his counsell.

The sixth being Sunday, a foule and stormie morning, the Lord President very early taking but one Footman with him, rode two or three miles from the Campe, to the place where the Boats were assembled to passe the Army (which that day was to rise) over into the Maine: The cause which moved him to be stirring so timely, was to view the landing

place, which was lesse then halfe a mile from the place of the embarquing, from whence hee might easily discerne a low sandy Bay, betweene high ground, of a very little capacite, where the discent was to bee made, which was entrenched and barricadoed with gabions of earth; in the which trench and behind the gabions, the enemies had placed three Muskettiers, and their grosse at hand, to giue them seconds: But not contented with a view so farre off, the Queenes Pinnace the Merlin, riding not farre from him, hee commanded Captaine Flemming to passe him over into a little Iland, called Donghe Irish, which lay betweene the great Iland and the Maine, and some part of it not twelue score from the sandy Bay aforesaid: When hee came into the said Iland, and taking an exact view of the landing place, and how the rebels Army lodged to forbid our descent, and the apparent danger hee saw would ensue in the attempt, hee rounded all the small Iland, and at last hee found a convenient place to land in the Maine ; and the same (by reason of a rising ground in the middest thereof) was out of the sight of the sandy Bay presently hee commanded Captaine Fleming to land (out of his Pinnace) in the Iland two falcons of brasse, and hailed them upon their trunks to a place naturally formed like a platforme, and parrapetted with an old ditch, as if it had beene fashioned to that purpose: In this place the Peeces were planted; from it to the Maine land, it was not aboue one hundred paces; and although and although the distance from the sandy

Bay to this place, was not foure and twenty score, yet to come unto it was more then halfe a mile, by reason of a Gurt, or cleft Rock, made by the Sea; which ran up farre into the land, which the Enemy must compasse before hee could come unto it: By that time that the President had performed as much as hee intended in the small Iland, the Presidents and the Earle of Thomonds regiments were embarqued, and under saile, whom the President (when they came neere unto him) caused to land where hee stood in the small Iland, and drawing them to that end of the same which faced the sandy Bay to amuse the rebels, being not distant from them (as is said) a Musket shot, hee formed them into a battallion; and so stood firme confronting the Enemy, as if from thence hee would passe them into the Maine: Sir Richard Percy, and Sir Charles Wilmot with the reare Regiments (by this time) were likewise embarqued.

For you must understand that wee had not Boats sufficient to transport all our Regiments at once, and they likewise made to the small Iland, but in stead of landing in the same, the President directed them to passe by the end of it (when hee had placed the faulcons) and to land directly in the Maine; before the Rebels found themselues deceived, the two reare Regiments were landed, and formed into order ready to fight; then the President drew his owne, and the Earle of Thomonds regiments to the boats, not twelue

score from them, which the Rebels perceiving, and too late finding their error, in a disordered manner made towards our landing place, but before they could compasse the fret, or cleft rocky ground as aforesaid, all our Army was landed: Neverthelesse they came on brauely, but our falcons made them hault; our Vanguard made towards them, and a good skirmish ensued, which continued untill the other Regiments came up, but then they brake, and ran faster then wee could follow: vpon the place eight and twentie of them was slaine, whereof two were officers, and thirtie wounded, whereof Captaine Tirrell was one, shot in the body but not deepe enough: There was onely two prisoners taken, and presently hanged, whereof a servant of Iames Archer (the infamous Iesuit) was one, and with him his masters sword and portace: And if the Iesuit himselfe had not beene a light footed Priest, hee had fallen into our hands, and yet as nimble as hee was, hee escaped with much difficultie, and besides him, great numbers of them would haue passed the edge of the sword, had not they had a boggie Wood at hand, wherein they were sheltered: The losse of our side was onely the hurting of seven men, but none of marke; the skirmish being ended, wee lodged that night upon the same ground neere unto Castle Dermond.

CHAP. VII.

The Spanish ship which arrived neere Ardea brought Passengers, Munition, and Money to the Rebels. The distributers and distribution of some of the money. A Letter from Owen Mac Eggan unto Richard Mac Goghagan at Donboy. A Letter from Iames Archer Iesuit to Dominick Collins Iesuit at Donboy. A Letter from Iohn Anias to Dominick at Donboy. A Letter from Iohn Anias to the Barron of Lixnaw a little before his execution.

WITHIN two houres after the skirmish aforesaid was ended, the Rebels had intelligence that there was a Spanish patach landed the night before at the haven of Kilmokilloc, not farre from Ardea, in the bay of Camnarra, shee was purposely sent from Spaine, to know the estate of the Castle of Donboy, whether it held still for the King of Spaine; some Irish passengers was in her, namely a Fryer Iames Nelane, a Thomond man belonging to Sir Tirlogh Obrian, who had the charge of the treasure; Owen Mac Eggan the Popes Bishop of Rosse, and his vicarius Apostolicus, with Letters to sundry Rebels, and twelue thousand pounds, as the President was credibly informed by one called Moylmurry Mac Edmond Boy Mac Swyny, then a Rebell, who saw it, besides munition, which did put such a fresh spirit into the Rebels, (who formerly were advising rather to breake and disperse then to endure a siege) as they solemnly vowed to persevere in the defence of the Castle, assuring the Messenger (which they confirmed by their Letters) that they would hold the same until