With a view to establish order in those portions of Munster under Desmond's influence, St. Leger visited Cork, where the notables readily obeyed his call. They abjured the Pope, and agreed to refer all differences to certain named arbitrators. Henceforth no one was to take the law into his own hands, but to complain to Desmond and to the Bishops of Cork, Waterford, and Ross, who were to have the power of summoning parties and witnesses, and of fining contumacious persons. Difficult cases were to be referred to the Lord Deputy and Council, and legal points reserved for qualified commissioners, whom the King was to send into Munster at Easter and Michaelmas. This was part of a scheme for establishing circuits in the southern province, but it was very imperfectly carried out during this and the three succeeding reigns. The state of the country seldom admitted of peaceful assizes, and martial law was too often necessary. The Munster gentry now promised to keep the peace, and to exact no black-rents from Cork or other towns. The Anglo-Norman element was represented by Lord Barrymore and his kinsmen, Barry Roe and Barry Oge, by Lord Roche, and by Sir Gerald MacShane of Dromana. The Irish parties to the contract were MacCarthy More, MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, MacDonough MacCarthy of Duhallow, O'Callaghan, and O'Sullivan Beare. St. Leger himself, Desmond, Brabazon, Travers, and Sir Osborne Echingham, marshal of the army, represented the Crown.[257] [Sidenote: An Earldom for O'Neill.] O'Neill was at last induced to go to Court to receive the Earldom of Tyrone, the title chosen for him by the Irish Government. He would have preferred that of Ulster, but it was in the Crown, and the King refused to part with it. St. Leger did what he could to conciliate O'Neill by attention and hospitality while in Dublin, and rightly attached great importance to the fact that he was the first O'Neill who had ever gone to the King in England. He advised that he should be received with the greatest distinction. 'O'Neill,' say the 'Four Masters,' 'that is, Con the son of Con, went to the King of England, namely, Henry VIII.; and the King created O'Neill an Earl, and enjoined that he should not be called O'Neill any longer. O'Neill received great honour from the King on this occasion.' The acceptance of a peerage was universally considered a condescension, if not a degradation, for the head of a family who claimed to be princes of Ulster in spite of the Crown. The Irish Government were willing that he should have Tyrone, 'but for the rule of Irishmen, which be at his Grace's peace, we think not best his Highness should grant any such thing to him as yet.'[258] [Sidenote: His submission.] It may be doubted whether O'Neill fully understood the scope of a document which was written in English, and which he signed with a mark; but the form of his submission to his 'most gracious sovereign lord' was as ample as even that sovereign lord could wish:--