'The lord nuncio's excommunications,' says Bellings, 'had now by his often thundering of them, grown more cheap.' A sense of this may have been the reason why he made it as stringent as possible, though he was without books or canonists, and therefore open to criticism in point of form. In the letters written at the time he admits that the result varied very much in different places, but in the narrative composed after he left Ireland he says he 'knew of no occasion when the censure has better deserved the name of a thunderbolt,' and that it had at once sent 2000 of Preston's soldiers over to O'Neill. The paper was publicly posted in Kilkenny, and the Supreme Council at once appealed to Rome. O'Neill and his officers declared unreservedly for the nuncio, professing to believe that Ormonde was really a partisan of the Parliament, and that those who adhered to him were inclined the same way. The Council thereupon revoked his commission as general of Ulster, and advised him and his officers by letter. O'Neill collected these missives and burned them publicly in the presence of Bishop Macmahon and others, and proceeded to increase his forces as fast as possible. Some money brought from Rome by Dean Massari enabled him to do this. The Dean had also brought a sword from Luke Wadding, which was said to have been Tyrone's, and for which he had a splendid scabbard made at Paris. As a former Pope had sent Tyrone a crown of peacock's feathers, so this was thought to be a confirmation of the report that Owen O'Neill was designated as king in Mahony's pamphlet. The sword never came into O'Neill's hands, and there is no evidence that he had any such ideas, though the nature of his ambition must always be somewhat questionable. Things came to a head about the end of July, when James Preston, the general's son, besieged Athy, which was held by Shane O'Hagan against the Confederates, and where O'Neill had established a bakery for ammunition-bread. Summoned by O'Hagan to his relief, the northern general came from Longford without meeting much resistance, and passed the flooded Barrow by felling an oak tree across it. Preston drew off at his approach, and he encamped a few days later in Lord Mountgarret's park at Dunmore with 10,000 foot and 500 horse. His men ate the deer and drank the good ale in the lodge. He made no attempt on the town, about which Preston had collected some troops, and after a stay of five days drew off into Queen's County, Inchiquin following him with a much inferior force.[126] [Sidenote: Panic at Kilkenny, May-August.] [Sidenote: Inchiquin urges Ormonde to return.]