Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 3 (of 3)Bagwell, Richard
History
Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 3 (of 3)
Bagwell, Richard
Ireland -- History -- 16th century
O'Rourke's turn had now come. He may have supposed that his country
was unassailable, but was quickly undeceived. Bingham had no doubt
about being able to subdue him in ten days, but refused to move without
written orders from the Lord Deputy, lest he might be disavowed
afterwards. The order was given, and the Governor, who was suffering
from dysentery, sent four divisions of soldiers into Leitrim under his
brother George and Sir Henry Duke. Some malcontent O'Rourkes helped
the English, and much damage was done. The mere presence of so large a
force was enough to exhaust the district, and the subordinate chiefs
were glad to make their peace, and perhaps glad to free themselves
from O'Rourke, who fled to the MacSwineys in Donegal. Cuellar's friend
MacClancy was hunted down, and killed as he tried to swim to one of
his islands. He had still fourteen Spaniards with him, and some of
these were taken alive. O'Rourke remained during the rest of the year
in Donegal, and then escaped to Scotland, but James gave him up to the
English Government. In thanking her dear brother for this, Elizabeth
wondered how his 'subjects of Glasgow should doubt the stop of their
traffic for so poor a caitiff, who was never of ability to make or give
traffic.' In London O'Rourke justified Sidney's assertion as to his
being the proudest man he had ever dealt with, for he demanded that
the Queen herself should judge him. His refusal to surrender Spaniards
after the proclamation was treason, and he was told the indictment
was sufficient if he refused to plead. 'If it must be so,' he said,
'let it be so,' and he was accordingly condemned and hanged at Tyburn,
with all the usual barbarities. He was attended on the scaffold by
Miler Magrath, but refused his ministrations and upbraided the old
Franciscan as an apostate. He had previously refused to bend the knee
before the Council. 'I have always thought,' he said, 'that a great
distance separated you from God and the Saints, whose images alone I am
accustomed to venerate.'[205]
[Sidenote: Mutiny in Dublin.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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