Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603 -- Sources
And where a certain number of soldiers continually do lie in garrison at
the Newery and Knockfargus they are also most commonly found for their
provision by cess out of the English Pale to as great a charge as
before. Although some more ease they find by their absence than when
they are lodged in their houses, and to the Queen’s Majesty an increase
of charge by as much as freights and carriages by sea and land, with
great allowances to victuallers and clerks, as sometime the charges is
more than the principal provision so transported is worth at the
arrival, and sometime the whole perisheth by shipwreck, as every way the
Queen’s Majesty is a loser. And lying thus in garrison, as they use
their service, they are a defence to themselves only, and a burden to
the poor inhabitants dwelling about them (who dependeth upon the Queen’s
defence), whom they daily oppress and spoil, and cannot defend them when
they have done; nor yet defence can they be to the English Pale, which
is so far off from the one (which is Knockfargus) and may be diversly
and many ways annoyed by the Neles, the Fewes, and others, as those
which is in the Newery can neither prevent nor let the enemy coming in,
nor yet rescue at their going forth anything they take away. Nor yet
can so few as they are in those garrisons be a scourge to any enemy of
force, who may easily keep from them that he listeth not to lose, as
nothing they can get themselves unless they make a sudden raid, as
commonly they do upon those with whom they have no war, and take a prey
of them: who, to revenge the same, cometh and spoileth all the poor
people that dwelleth about those forts, to their utter decay and waste.
As at this day there is not any way within ten mile about Knockfargus
six plough land manured with tillage [or] any kind of grain, but all
that province waste, where was five or six hundred ploughs before the
garrison were planted there: so neither can any of those garrisons plant
or sow anything abroad whereof they can assure themselves to reap the
fruit: nor yet will the enemies suffer their own people to plant or
improve any commodity near those forts, lest the soldiers should thereby
be relieved: and so between both all waste.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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