Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/320

 3oc REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 59 into the castle, and a fresh list of engagements was sub- mitted to his acceptance. He was required to dispense with the retinue which formed the usual body-guard of the Irish chiefs, to undertake to disarm his castles, and leave the English undisturbed in possession of Castle- may ne and Castlemartyr. The Queen had insisted that Ormond ; his rival was to abandon it for ever. There were to be no more armed assemblies in the provinces, 110 Brehon law, and justice was to be administered ac- cording to English forms by judges under the writs of the Viceroy. Excellent regulations, all of them, if in- troduced by England with the strong hand, or if sanctioned by Desmond from a conviction of their in- herent fitness. But as the matter stood, the Earl was required to do everything which England had struggled to do by force, and had failed. The Government had sent him back to his people because he alone was able to control them ; and it was idle to expect that the Queen could bind him now by engagements which his liberation was sufficient evidence that she could not enforce. Wiser advice had been given by Burghley's corre- spondent. Tremayne had recommended that immedi- ately on Desmond's return the Irish noblemen should be invited to meet in a general council. They should be told distinctly that the Queen would not part with the sovereignty of the country, but that she was ready to listen to their opinions as to the manner in which the government should be administered. If they on
 * coyn and livery ' should be continued to the Earl of