but at length, a celebrated leader, Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, better known by the name of Strongbow, was tempted by an offer of the hand of Eva, the daughter of Dermot, and the promised succession of the kingdom of Leinster, to engage in the cause of the exiled king. Before the Earl of Pembroke, however, could raise sufficient forces to fulfil his engagements with Dermot, that prince had obtained also the support of two young noblemen of high reputation, named Maurice Fitzgerald and Robert Fitzstephen. Satisfied with this success, he returned to Ireland, and with a few men whom he had collected in Wales, commenced the warfare before any of the great nobles had arrived. In this warfare he was unsuccessful; but he contrived to temporise with his enemies, till Fitzstephen, with a considerable body of chosen troops, and several experienced commanders sent by the Earl of Pembroke, joined him, and enabled him to take the city of Wexford, and perform some other exploits. The news of these efforts spreading through Ireland, the whole native forces of the island were collected to overwhelm the small body of English who supported the King of Leinster. They remained firm, however; and Maurice Fitzgerald following about this time, with a reinforcement, the whole of Leinster was recovered, before the Earl of Pembroke appeared.* The ambition of Dermot, however,

*In regard to these points, as in regard to every other histo

extended with success, and the re-conquest of Leinster by the aid of his English auxiliaries led him on to contemplate the subjection of the whole land. This tempting design he held out to the Earl of Pembroke, whose vast revenues had been squandered in acts of magnificent extravagance; but as Henry's commission had only permitted Dermot to raise men for the recovery of Leinster, Strongbow was afraid to undertake the vast attempt suggested to him, without the King of England's permission. He accordingly visited Henry in Normandy; and with his usual shrewd policy, Henry did not absolutely either refuse or grant his request, but rather encouraged him in the undertaking than otherwise, not at all sorry that the way should be prepared for his own meditated invasion, by the efforts of others, but without the slightest intention of permitting the Earl of Pembroke to acquire that power in Ireland which he aimed at.

Strongbow, though he appeared somewhat doubtful as to Henry's consent, probably thought the King's hesitation in this matter proceeded merely from the intention of avowing him if he succeeded,

rical fact, there are several statements, varying in different particulars. Some writers say that Dermot did not commence the war before the arrival of Fitzstephen; and others, that Leinster was completely recovered previous to the landing of Fitzgerald. I have followed the accounts I think the most authentic, and chosen the narrative that seems to me most probable.

and abandoning him if he failed; and, confident of his own military skill, he determined to go on without a more definite acquiescence being pronounced on the part of the King. Hurrying back therefore into Wales, he at once sent over to Dermot a small body of knights and archers; and proceeding along the rest of the Welsh sea-coast, he gained a great number of volunteers, while his officers were preparing a fleet and all the necessary provisions and arms for so great an enterprise. At the end of a few weeks he led a very formidable host to Milford Haven; but just as he was upon the very point of setting sail, a messenger reached him, bearing Henry's most positive commands, that he should not on any account leave the kingdom. Pembroke however, had gone too far to recede, unless compelled; his honour was pledged to Dermot; his private fortune was ruined; he had collected a vast number of men, who would require to be indemnified in some manner for their expenses and disappointment if he abandoned the enterprise; and in despite of the King's own order, he set sail with an army of about twelve hundred

men.

It is unnecessary to recount all the exploits that he performed previous to Henry's return to England. Before that event took place, the Earl had made great advances towards a conquest of the country; and Henry, while still in France, evidently fearing that Pembroke would gain too much

power to remain a submissive vassal of the crown of England, published a mandate, forbidding all his subjects, in the strictest terms, from holding any trade or communication with Ireland, and commanding all who had invaded that country to return, on pain of forfeiture and banishment.

This was a terrible stroke upon Pembroke, who lost a number of his followers and every hope of fresh reinforcements by this decree; and he immediately sent messengers to Henry, offering to submit all that he had acquired to the will of the king. To drive him to do this was certainly one of Henry's objects; but still he gave the Earl no encouragement, and Pembroke maintained himself unassisted, until, by the death of Dermot towards the end of 1170, he became sovereign of Leinster, in virtue of the treaty formerly concluded between them. He continued to struggle on, performing feats of valour and generalship scarcely credible, during the early part of 1171; but in the interim of that year, he received intimation that Henry had arrived in England, and had prepared a large army in order to cross the sea himself, and add Ireland to the rest of his dominions. This was not the only news, however, that the Earl received from England; for the wrath of the King at his determined resistance to his will, had shown itself in various ways. His English estates had been seized and confiscated for his high crimes, and Pembroke, wisely advised, hastened over to throw himself at

the feet of his offended sovereign. It was with great difficulty that Henry could be induced to see him; but the Earl having once been admitted, humbled himself so completely, and submitted himself and the whole of his possessions so unreservedly to the will of the King, that Henry again received him into favour, on the condition of his giving up to the crown the city of Dublin, with the surrounding cantreds or hundreds, and also his fortified seaports. The rest of his conquests he was permitted to hold by homage of the English crown, and his hereditary estates were restored to him. This being done, he proceeded with Henry to Milford Haven.

With a fleet of four hundred and forty large ships, and an army containing five hundred knights, the King sailed for Ireland, and landed on the coast of Waterford on the eighteenth day of October 1171. It is unnecessary here to give any more than the mere heads of the King's proceedings in Ireland, for he met with no resistance, and tame submission awaited him wherever he came. Although his invasion of that country was certainly an act of usurpation, it must be acknowledged that he strove to confer the benefits which he had promised in his application to Adrian for a grant of the

* The words of William of Newbury are: "Itaque extorsit ei famosissimam civitatem Divelinum, et cetera quæ in adquisitione potiora videbantur, parte vero reliqua cum patrimonio suo Anglico integre illi restituto, jussit esse contentum."