Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/295

 1570.] STATE OF IRELAND, 275 nent with wandering Englishmen seeking employment. King had been an officer in the train of the Duke .of Guise during the French wars. He was paid off at the peace, and had gone to Spain to take service against the Moors. While at the Spanish Court ' a certain Duke of Ireland/ he wrote, ' otherwise called Master Stukely, being advertised of what I had done against the Prince of Conde, procured that I might speak with him. When I came to him he offered me the greatest courtesy in the world, gave me apparel better than I was accus- tomed to wear, and entertained me with great and mar- vellous liberality. In a short time he declared unto me that he with diligence must depart unto his country of Ireland with ten thousand men, in the which army he would have employed me for to have undermined the forts of Dingle, Wexford, and Waterford, with many other castles which were enemies unto this good Duke Stukely. But when I did see all his provision of soldiers and his intentions against my Prince and country, I presently desired him of leave, and declared unto him that I came to serve the King, and that I would not, while I had life, bear arms against my natural Prince, neither against my country wherein I was born. On the which he called me a villain and a traitor, and caused me to be taken prisoner for a Luteryan in his house. But a certain knight, Don Francesco, which kept him company, did well see every day that I did go to mass, and knocked my breast as well as they, and so he answered for me that I was no Luteryan. And when this good Duke did see that he might not put