Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/135

 i56o.] SHAN a NEIL. But the reconciliation was of brief duration ; the smaller chiefs of Ulster in loyal preference for greatness attached themselves for the most part to the O'Neils. Shan, no longer careful of offence, l misused ' his wife ; and the Callogh, at the time when the notice of the English Government began to be drawn towards the question, was preparing, with the help of the Scots, to revenge her injuries. 1 Where private and public interests were closely in- terwoven there was a necessary complication of sides and movements. The English Government, in the be- lief that the sister of the Earl of Argyle might be a means of introducing Protestantism into Ulster, made advances to the M'Connells whom before they had treated as enemies ; they sent a present to the Countess 2 of some old dresses of Queen Mary's ' for a token of favour/ and they promised to raise the Callogh to a rival earldom on condition of good service. They were encountered however by an embarrassing cross current. The M'Connells affected to reciprocate the English good will, but the Earl of Argyle's con- 1 A detailed account of these proceedings is found in a letter of Lord Justice Fitzwilliam to the Earl of Sussex, written on the 8th of March, 1560. Irish MSS. Rolls House. 2 This lady, who was mentioned ahove as the wife of the Callogh and the half-sister of Macallummore, is always described in the Irish de- spatches as the Countess of Argyle. There is no difficulty in identifying the person. It is less easy to under? stand the title. 3 ' MEMOKANDUM. To send to O'Donnell, with the Queen's thanks for service done, and her promise to make him an Earl on further merit on his part. The gown and kirtle that were Queen Mary's, with some old habiliments, to he sent to the Countess Avgyle, O'Donneli's wife, for a token of favour to her good dis- position in religion.' Irish MSS.