Page:A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire Chunk 1.djvu/731

 LET justice of Ireland three and thirtie ycares. ltildare was in “Silken Thomas,” would form no uninteresting chapter of government roilde, to his enemies sterne. He wae open and a romance; and, after all, his determination was not so playne, hardly able to rule himself when he was moved; in hopeless of success as masy at the time imagined it to hs, anger not so sharp as short, being easily displeased and so extensive was the influence of the Geraldinea. lea disclaiming sooner appeased.” The great earl m. 1st, Alisen, den, and ce-heir of Rowland Roatace, Ilaron of Portlester, and had by all the chivalric honour of a knight of old, lie cahlsd a her six dane. and one son, Gesison he ca. lndly, Elizabeth, meeting of tho council at St. Mary’s Abbey, and when ho dan. of Oliver St. John, of Lydiard Tregrze, and had by her had seated himself at the head of the table, a pasty of his seven sons. - Geaoer One, i.e. GEnaLD, the younger, the 9th Earl of had not been previously warned of his intentions. The Ilildare, entered npan his office of lord-deputy under less wards in which he then addressed them were worthy of favourable auspices than his predesesosr had done, far lets great ancestors, and show of what metal the Geraldines HENRY VIII. if not more suspicious than his father, was wars made. He then tendered his sword of state to the much inferior to him in his knswledge of men, and in the chancellor (Cramer). The gentle prelate, who was a well- way of rnliog them by the show of a magnanimous confidence wisher of the Goralddnes, besought him, with tears in his Still, it must be allowed, that Gerald, as govemor eyes, to abandon his purpose; and naigbt, perhapo, have i ef Irsland, seemed to consider himself as representing the succeeded, but that Nolan, an Irish bard, then present, king’s interests only in the pale, which at that time, bnret out an the sudden into a heroic strain, in his native included the counties of Dublin, Louth, Heath, and Kildare; tongue, eulogistic of “Silken Thomas,” and canchsded by ruling the rest of his possessions as independently as any warning him, that he had “lingered there over long.” The native chief, and these were tolerably extensive, for he and sari was rouood by the fervour of thia appeal. Addressing his kinsmen occupied the counties of Kildare and Carlaw as ties chancellor somewhat abruptly, he renounced all allegiance I far as the bridge of Leigblin, exacting coin and livery within those bounds. In fact, while icc was English to the to die with valiantness and ltberty.” Never was there a Irish, he was, to a certain degree, Irish to the English who finer scene for poet or painter than this at St. Mary’s were placed in this unfortunate dilemma; they must of At’bey ; and never has ancient history left us a happier necessity support the lord daputy from his influence over theme for cttber of them than ‘‘Silkea Thomas.” His the pale, which was their instrument for curbing the rest of subsequent career fully corresponded with this commencement. Irsland, then divided amongst about thirty great Anglo- Irish lords, and sixty Irish chieftains. On the other hand famous lord deputy, Skeffington, with all the support that there was always a danger of the lord deputy’s growing overpewerfnl, England could afford him, or that he dorived from such of and turning round upon his masters. The only the native Irish sspts as had been previously hostile to the thing, as it seems, that prevented such a casualty, was ths earl, or were bsught over by the hope of present advantage. rooted hatred borne by the Irish chieftains towards the pale, When, finally, deserted by the last of his allies, Kildaro which they justly roissidered as ties great obstacle to their found himself obliged to surrender, it was upon a pronaiec, regaining that absolute independence which was the constant sealed upon the holy sacrament, that he should receive a object of all their struggles when not engaged in feud full pardon on his arrival in England. But this pledge was amongst themselves. Thus it happened to Gerald Gpo, as shamefully violated by HENRY VIII. For sixteen months it bad happened to his predecessors, to mere than once the earl wso incarcerated in the Tower of London, and then, incur the jealousy of the Euglish government, and to ho together with his five uncles, two of whom had always been deprived of his office of lord deputy. What was yet worse, stanch adherents of the king, was hanged, drawn, acid he unluckily drew down upon himself the hatred of the qoartorsd at Tybnm, on the S of February, 1117, being stern and lynx-eyed Wolosy, and nearlylasthie headin consequence, then but twenty-four years of age. The rohohlton of but the stout earl weathered the storm which had “Silken Thomas” is one of the moat interesting episodes well nigh foundered him, and even again atsained to his of history, and perhaps the whole range of romance former digseity; hul it was only to relapse inta suspicion produces no more affecting a story. It is melancholy to and disgmce, Ho was once more called over to England contrast the early cendition of the gay, glittering noble, and recommitted to the tower. Before his departure from ‘‘the Silken Lord,” Vice Deputy of Ireland, and head of Ireland, he sanstitntod his son Thonaao, Lord Offaly, vies. one of the naost illustrious families in the world, with that deputy; and strictly enjoined him to be “wise and bitter suffering which ho described in a letter to an adherent, prudent,” and to submit in all things to “the sannde and while a prisouer in the Tower :—“ I never had euy money sage advise of the council.” Nevertheless, “the hot and sycas I cam unto prison but a nohull. nor I have hod nethyo’ active temper” of ths young lord could not be restrained. hosyn, dublet, nor sboye, nor sbyrt, but on -. - - I have The murder of Archbishop Alms, perpetrated by his gone barefote dyverss tymea (when ytt bath not been very folloevsre, led to the severs sentence of oxconamunicatton warms) and so I should have don styli, acid now, hat that pronounced against him; winch being shown to the old pore prysoners, of their gentylnes, bath oometyme gevyu Earl in the Towor, had such an effect on him, that he died me old bosyn and shoys and old shyrtoa. This I wryte shortly after, of a broken heart. His remains received unto you, net as camphayniug on my fryndea, bnt for to sepulture within the tower walls, in fit. Peter’s Church,— shew yen the trewth of my gret nede.” Tho generous, a sorry recompense for all his services. The oxcoss of sslf-sacriflstng spirit of the youth still ohieacs tharougls all jealous suspicion which made the English government his sufferings; and the reader will scarcely fail to be struck so uncertain in their treatseient of the Fitegeralds—one with the marked ressnablanro between “Silken Thomas” day creating them lord deputies, and the next imprisoning and another equally ill-fated Geraldine, of a much later them in the Tower, provoked the very evils they were ss period—the amiable and high-minded Lord Edward FitsGcral’I. anxious to avoid. Some time before the 9th earl died, a nature; bath were chivalrously honanrable ; both diapla3 ed, rspert reached Ireland that he was to be beheaded. A throughout the contest, an unflinching spirit; and cash, in strange story is told by Ilohiusbed, how this report was the bloom of manhood, paid the penalty of his error in a furthsr confirmed in secret letters, written by certain violent death. Though attainder followed, the house of servants of Sir William Sksffington. “One of these letters Kildave was not destined to perish. Tlaomao’s half-brother, fell into the hands of a priest, who threw it amsng other GERALD, ths 11th Earl of Ktl,lars, then a neinor, only papers, meaning to read it at leisure. That nights a twelve years old, became the male rrpreasntative rf the gentleman, a retainer of Lard Thomas, lodged with the Geraldiues. So great was the sympathy in lets favour, priest, and sought in the morning when be ross for sonao from one end of Ireland to the other, that the Esegltals paper to darn on his strayte stockings; and, as the divsll Government became, beyond measure, anxious to get him would, be hit upon the letter, and hors It away in the into their power; but all their efforts were in vain to corrupt heels of his etocke.” At night he found the paper, and seeing that it announced the earl’s death, he carried it to entrnstsd. Dy them ho u-as safely convoyed to the Continent, his son, Lnnn Tnoaoss, who irnneodistely resolved to throw I off his allegiance to the English crown. From this moment the English monarch was sncocssfol in li:eving hem she- the adventurso of THoMAs, 10th EARL OF KoLoAssx,5 known missed from one place of refuge after the eteer, yot lie I (from ths fringes on the helmets of his retainers) as could not persuade any ales of his frtendly allies t” give the * The Lady Elizabeth FitsCoralel, the “Fair Geraldine” of boy up. At length, he obtained a safe retreat in Itonie, Surrey’s pastry, was half-sister of Silken Thooios, ao’t dan. of with his kinsman, Cardinal Pole, who caused hens t i be Gerald, 9th Earl of Itildars, by cbs Lady Elesaheth Grey, his educated, and subsequently sent him, at his owu slcstrc, lod csuntsss, whose grandmother, hltsabsis Wsodvtllc, became upan his travels. Us afteravisrds entered the service of Queen of Eownn IV, 681 LE] the English rule, the young earl proceeded with followers rushed in, to the sore amazement of those who to the English monarch, saying, that he chose rather For a length of time he resisted, successfully, the Both wsrs led away by the enthusiasm of their the fidelity of those to whose charge he had been where he found a welcome receptb’n; and, though