s, and trumpets to welcome him as a deliverer.[352]

[Sidenote: An English detachment cut off through Skeffington's
imprudence.]

Skeffington was less successful; he remained under Lambay waiting for a
wind for Waterford, and in the meantime Fitzgerald, hearing of the
arrival of the fleet, was in force upon the hills overlooking the
anchorage. The English commander, though aware that the insurgents were
in the neighbourhood, allowed himself, with extreme imprudence, to land
a detachment of troops, with directions to march to Dublin. He himself
went with the fleet to the Skerries,[353] where he conceived, under
false information, that a party of the rebels were lying. He found
nothing there but a few fishing-boats; and while he was engaged in
burning these, Fitzgerald attacked the division which had been sent on
shore, and cut them off to a man. Nor was this the only misfortune. The
pirate ships which had been watching Dublin Bay hovered round the fleet,
cutting off straggling transports; and although one of them was chased
and driven on shore, the small success poorly counterbalanced the injury
which had been inflicted.[354]

[Sidenote: October 21. Skeffington lands in Dublin,]

[Sidenote: November. And resolves, the season being late, to do
nothing.]

After a week of this trifling, Skeffington consented to resign his
intention of going to Waterford, and followed Brereton into Dublin. Why
he had delayed a day after discovering that the river and the city were
open to him, it is impossible to conjecture. But his presence was of
little benefit, and only paralysed his abler subordinates. As soon as he
had brought his army into the city, he conceived that he had done as
much as the lateness of the season would allow. The November weather
having set in wild and wet, he gave up all thought of active measures
till the return of spring; and he wrote to inform the king, with much
self-approbation, that he was busy writing letters to the Irish chiefs,
and making arrangements for a better government; that Lord Thomas
Fitzgerald had been proclaimed traitor at the market-cross; and that he
hoped, as soon as the chancellor and the vicar-general could come to an
understanding, the said traitor might be pronounced excommunicated.[355]
All this was very well, and we learn to our comfort that in due time the
excommunication was pronounced; but it was not putting down the
rebellion--it was not the work for which he was sent to Irelan