The central regions of the island, all Tyrone, the remainder of Fermanagh and Leitrim, all Monaghan, and the reft of Ardmagh; all Cavan, ali Longford, and all Weft Meath; and all the King's and Queen's county, all Kilkenny, and all Tipperary, were planted by the SCOTI. The Shannon, Logh Allin, and Logh Erne, were their great boundaries on the W. the Barrow, Boyne, and Logh Neagh, on the E. the Swire and Blackwater on the S. and a chain of mountains on the N. And the two greatest of their towns were Rheba, a city feated, like the Rheba of the Venicnians, upon the lake and river Rhebius, but on a different part of them, and fomewhere in the N. of Cavan; and Ibernin, a town placed a little to the E. of the Shannon, and fomewhere in the county of Tipperary."

(4) IRELAND, ANCIENT NAMES OF. The name of Ireland, according to Mr Whitaker, is obvioufly derived from the word Jar or Eir, which in the Celtic language fignifies west. This word was fometimes pronounced Iver, and Hiver; whence the names of Iris, Ierna, Juverna, Iverna, Hibernia, and Ireland; by all of which it hath at some time or other been known.

(5.) IRELAND, GENERAL HISTORY OF, TILL THE FIRST ENGLISH INVASION. Whether we receive as truth the accounts given by Mr Whitaker, thofe of the Irish annalifts, or any other, it is certain, that, till little more than a century ago, 'Ireland was a fcene of confufion and flaughter. Very few of their monarchs efcaped a violent death. The hiftories of their kings, indeed, amount to no more than this, viz. that they began to reign in fuch a year, reigned a certain number of years, and were flain in battle by the valiant prince who fucceeded. The introduction of Chriftianity feems to have mended the matter but little. The fame wars between the chiefs continued till they were invaded by the Danes and Normans, about the end of the 8th century. At this time the monarchical power was weakened by factions, but the evils of the political conftitution had confiderably fubfided by the refpect paid to religion and learning. The first invafions of the Danes were made in fmall parties for plunder, and were repelled by the chieftains whofe dominions were invaded. Other parties appeared in different parts of the island, and terrified the inhabitants by the havoc they committed. Thefe were in like manner put to flight, but foon returned; and in this manner was Ireland harassed for 20 years, before the inhabitants thought of dropping their inteftine contefts, and uniting against the common enemy. The northern pirates, by force or treaty, gradually obtained fome fettlements on the island; till at length Turgefius, a warlike Norwegian, landed with a powerful armament in 815 His followers plundered, burned, and maffacred, without mercy, and perfecuted the clergy on account of their religion. The Danes, already fettled in Ireland, flocked to the ftandard of Turgefius, who thus was enabled to feat himself in Armagh, from which he expelled the clergy, and feized their lands. The Irish, in the mean time, were infatuated by their private quarrels; till at laft they funk into a ftate of abject fubmiffion, and Turgelius was proclaimed

a brave and experienced officer, agreed to engage in his fervice with all his followers, and Maurice Fitz-Geraid his maternal brother; while Dermod, on his part, promised to cede to thefe two principal leaders, the dominion of the town of Wexford, with a large adjoining territory, as foon as by their affiftance he should be reinftated in his rights. Dermod having accomplished his purpose, fet fail for Ireland in winter 1169, and recovered a small part of his dominions even before the arrival of his new allies; but being attacked with a fuperior force by his old enemies Roderic and O'Ruare, he was obliged to feign fubmifhon till the English allies came to his affiftance. The expected fuccours arrived in May 1170, in a creek called the Bann, near the city of Wexford. FitzStephen commanded 30 knights, 60 men in armour, and 300 archers. With thefe came Harvey of Mountmorris, nephew to earl Richard, but without any military force. Maurice of Pender. gaft commanded 10 knights and 200 archers: and thus the English force which was to contend with the whole ftrength of Ireland, amounted to no more than 600 men. Trifling as this affiftance nay feem, it changed the face of affairs almoft inftantaneously. Numbers of Dermod's fubjects, who had abandoned him in his diftrefs, now flocked to his ftandard. Wexford was immediately attacked, and foon furrendered; Fitz-Stephen and Fitz-Gerald were jointly invefted with the fordship of this city and its domain; and Harvey of Mountmorris was declared lord of two confiderable diftricts on the coaft. After 3 or 4 weeks were spent in feafting and rejoicing, a new expedition was undertaken against the prince of Offory (a diftrict of Leinster), who had not only revolted. from Dermod, but put out the eyes of one of his fons with fuch cruelty, that he expired under the operation. The allied army was now increased to 3000 men, who were opposed by Offory at the head of 5000, ftrongly entrenched among woods and moraffes.. By the fuperior conduct of the English troops, however, the Irifh were decoyed from their advantageous fituation, and entirely defeated. The English were for keeping the field till they had totally reduced their enemies: but Dermod, accustomed to ravage and plunder, contented himself with deftroying the country; and a fudden reverse of fortune feemed ready to take place, The prince of Offory, though defeated, ftill appeared in arms, and only waited for an opportunity of again oppofing the enemy in the field. Pendergaft alfo joined him with his whole troop, being provoked by Dermod, who had refufed him leave to return to Wales. This defection, however, was in part fupplied by the arrival of FitzGerald with 10 knights, 30 horfemen, and roo archers. Pendergaft repented of his new alliance, and retired into Wales; fo that the prince was obliged to make his fubmiffion to Dermod, which the latter with reluctance accepted. In the mean time, Roderic, having fettled all his other affairs, advanced against the allies with a powerful army. Dermod, encouraged by Fitz-Stephen, encamped in a very ftrong fituation, where he was foon be fieged by Roderic. The latter, however, dreading the valour of the English, treated firft with them, and then with Dermod, to detach them from

each other: but his offers were rejected by botk parties, upon which he began to prepare for battle: but at the very time when the engagement fhould have commenced, Roderic entered into a new negociation, which at laft terminated in a perce. The terms were, that Dermod fhould asknowledge the fupremacy of Roderic, and pay him fuch fervice as the monarchs of Ireland had ufually received from inferior princes; and as a fecurity for his performance, he delivered up his favourite fon as a hoftage to Roderic, who obliged himself to give his daughter in marriage to the young prince as foon as Leinfter thould be reduced, and the peace of the island effectually reftered. By a fecret article, Dermod engaged to dif mifs the British forces immediately after the fettlement of his own province, and in the mean time not to bring over any further reinforcements from England. Thus ended the first English expedition into Ireland; the confequences of which were then fo little dreaded by the natives, that their hiftorians, though they dwell upon the contefts in other parts of the island, fpeak of the fet tlement of the Welshmen in Leinster with a carelefe indifference.

(7.) IRELAND, HISTORY OF, FROM THE FIRST BRITISH INVASION, TILL ITS SUBMISSION TO HENRY II. Dermod was fearce fettled in his dominions, when he began to afpire at the fovereignty and form fchemes for dethroning Roderic. He applied to Fitz-Stephen and Fitz-Gerald; by whom he was again directed to apply to Richard earl of Chepstow, who, after confulting K. Henry and receiving an ambiguous anfwer, which he con ftrued as a permiffion, prepared for his expedi tion. In May 1171, Raymond le Grofs, Richard's friend, and a near relation of Fitz-Stephen and Fitz-Gerald, landed at Dondonalf, near Water ford, with 10 knights, 70 archers, and Harvey o Mountmorris, attended by a small train. The English immediately intrenched themselves, and erected a temporary fort, which proved a very neceffary precaution; for the natives, juftly attri buting this new debarkation to the practices of Dermod, inftantly formed a tumultuous_army and marched to expel the invaders. The Englift prepared to meet them; but when they perceiv ed their great fuperiority, they retired to thei fort. Here, however, they must have been to tally cut off, had they not luckily collected a nu merous herd of cattle from the neighbouring coun try for their fubfiftence. These they drove with fury among the Irish, who were thus put into the utmoft confufion. The invaders, falling upon the difordered enemies, put them to flight, and drove great numbers of them into the fea, where they perished. Seventy prifoners were taken, all prin cipal citizens of Waterford; who, though the offered large fums for their ranfom, and even tha the city fhould be delivered up to the English were barbarously put to death. This fuccefs and cruelty fo intimidated the Irish, that they fuffer ed thefe merciless invaders to maintain their fla tion unmolefted, and wait for the arrival of the affociates. Richard in the mean time having a fembled his vaffals, led them through Wales where he was joined by great numbers of othe adventurers; but, when juft on the point of em

barking was furprised by a pofitive command from the king, to defift from his intended enter prize, on pain of forfeiture of his lands and honours. He was now, however, too much inte rested in his scheme to retract; and therefore pretended to difbelieve the authenticity of the royal mandate. On the eve of the feaft of St Bartholo mew, he landed at Waterford with 300 knights and 1200 infantry, all chofen and well appointed foldiers. They were immediately joined by Raymond and his troop; and the very next day it was refolved to make an attempt upon Waterford. The city was taken by ftorm, and a dreadful maf lacre enfued; to which Dermod had the merit of putting an end. The marriage of Richard with Eva, the daughter of Dermod, was folem nized without delay, and a scene of joy and fef tivity fucceeded the calamities of war. A new ex pedition was next undertaken against Dublin; the inhabitants of which had either manifefted fome recent difaffection to Dermod, or had never been thoroughly forgiven for their old defection. Ro deric advanced againft the allied army with a formidable body, confifting, as is faid, of 30,000 men; but fearing to come to a general engage ment, he contented himself with some flight skirmishes, after which, great part of his vaflals forced him to difmifs them, and Dublin was left to its fate. The inhabitants were treated very feverely; however, a confiderable body of them, with Hef calph their governor, reached fome veffels lying in the harbour, and made their efcape to the northern islands. Earl Richard was now invefted with the lordship of Dublin, and appointed Milo de Cogan, a brave English knight, his governor; while he himself, in conjunction with the forces of Dermod, over-ran the country of Meath, committing every where the moft horrid cruelties. Roderic, in the mean time, unable to oppose them in the field, fent deputies to Dermod, commanding him to retire, and putting him in mind that his fon was in his hands, and muft answer with his life for the breach of thofe treaties which his father violated. Natural affection, however, had very little place in the breaft of Dermod. He expreffed the utmoft indifference about his fon; and, with the greateft arrogance, claimed the fovereignty of all Ireland: Roderic, provoked at this answer, cut off the young prince's head. This piece of impotent cruelty ferved only to make the king odious to his own fubjects, while Dermod and his English allies committed every where the greatet devastations, and threatened to fubdue the whole ifland. This indeed they would probably lave accomplished, had not the extraordinary faccefs of Strongbow alarmed king Henry; who, fearing that he might render himself totally independent on the crown of England, iffued an edict, forbidding any English veffel from paffing into Ireland with men, arms, or provifions; and commanding all his fubjects in Ireland, to return to England before Eafter, on pain of forfeiting their lands, and being declared traitors. Our adventurers were plunged into the greatest diftrefs by this peremptory edict. They now found them felves cut off from all fupplies in the midft of their enraged enemies, and in danger of being fotfaken by those who had attached themfelves to them

during their fuccefs. Raymond was dispatched with a moft fubmiffive meffage to the offended monarch; but before he received any favourable anfwer, every thing was thrown into confufion by the death of Becket (See BACKET, No 2, and ENGLAND, § 23.), fo that the king had neither leifure nor inclination to attend to the affairs of Ireland. About the fame time, the death of Dermod, their great ally, feemed almost to give a finishing ftroke to the English affairs. An univers fal defection took place among their affociates and before they had time to concert any proper meafures, Hefculph, who had formerly escaped from Dublin, appeared before that city with a for midable body of troops armed after the Danish manner. A furious attack enfued, which ended in the defeat and captivity of Hefculph, who was immediately put to death. This danger, how ever, was foon followed by one ftill greater. Roderic had formed a powerful confederacy with many of the Irish chieftains, and the kings of the northern ifles, to expel the English totally from the island. The harbour of Dublin was blocked up by a fleet of 30 fhips from the northern illes; while the confederated Irish took their stations in such a manner as to surround the city, and totally cut off all fupplies of provifions. In two months the English were reduced to great ftraits. On the first alarm, Richard had fent for affistance to Fitz-Stephen; who having weakened his own force, in order to ferve the earl, the people of Wexford had rifen and befieged Fitz-Stephen in his fort called Carrig near that city. A meffenger arrived, informing Strongbow that his friend was in the utmost danger, and muft fall into the hands of his enemies, if not affifted within three days; upon which a council of war was called, to deliberate on the measures to be pursued in this defperate emergency. It was foon refolved to enter into a treaty with Roderic, upon any terms that were not totally fervile or oppreffive. Layrence, prelate of Dublin, was appointed to carry the terms; which were, that Richard propofed to acknowledge Roderic as his fovereign, and to hold the province of Leinfter as his vaffal, provided he would raise the fiege. Laurence foon returned with an answer, probably of his own framing; namely, that Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, and all the forts poffeffed by the British, should be immediately given up; and that the earl and his affociates fhould depart with all their forces by a certain day, leaving every part of the island free from their ufurpations, and abfolutely renouncing all their pretended claims. On thefe conditions they were to be fpared; but the leaft reluctance or delay would determine the befiegers to form the city. These terms, though they contained nothing unreafonable, confidering the fituation of the English, were intolerable to our indignant adventurers. After fome time spent in filence, Milo de Cogan, fuddenly starting up, declared his refolution to die bravely rather than fubmit to the mercy of barbarians. The spirit of defperate valour was inftantly caught by the whole affembly; and it was refolved to risk their whole fortune on one defperate effort, by fallying out against the enemy, and to make their attack upon that quarter where Roderic himself commanded. AccordRr 2

ingly,