Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/169

 1562.] SHAN CPNEIL. 149 through the winter. The M'Connells were plied with promises to which they were not unwilling to listen ; and among -the O'Neils themselves a faction was raised opposed to Shan under Tirlogh, the murderer of the Baron of Dungannon. O'Donnell was encouraged to hold out; M'Ghiyre defended himself in his islands. By the beginning of February Sussex undertook to re- lieve them. Unhappily the Deputy had but too accurately mea- sured his own incapacity. His assassination plots were but the forlorn resources of a man who felt his work too heavy for him ; the Irish council had no confidence in a man who had none in himself; and certain that any enterprise which was left to him to conduct would end in disaster, they were unwilling to waste their men, their money, or their reputation. The army was disaffected, disorganized, and mutinous ; Sussex lamented its con- dition to the Home Government, but was powerless to improve it ; at length Kildare and Ormond, in the name - of the other loyal noblemen and gentlemen, declared that they had changed their minds ; they declined to supply their promised contingents for the invasion, and requested that it should be no longer thought of. The farmers of the Pale gathered courage from the example. They too refused to serve. When required to December. supply provisions, they replied with complain- ing of the extortion of the soldiers. They swore ' they would rather be hanged at their own doors ' than establish such a precedent. ' If the Deputy looked to have provisions from them he would find himself de-