had fought against the
King at Stoke, but they took no notice of the English in Ireland, who
were the real promoters of the rebellion. This is a curious and valuable
illustration of the state of affairs in that country.

[374] _Firing it_.--A valuable paper on this subject, by Sir S.R.
Meyrick, will be found in the _Archaeologia_, vol. xxii. The people of
Lucca are supposed to have been the first to use hand-cannons, at the
beginning of the fifteenth century. Cannon-balls were first made of
stone, but at the battle of Cressy the English "shot small balls of
iron." For popular information on this subject, see Fairholt, _History
of Costume_.

[375] _Ordnance_.--In 1489 six hand-guns or musquets were sent from
Germany to the Earl of Kildare, which his guard bore while on sentry at
Thomas Court, his Dublin residence. The word "Pale" came to be applied
to that part of Ireland occupied by the English, in consequence of one
of the enactments of Poyning's Parliament, which required all the
colonists to "pale" in or enclose that portion of the country possessed
by the English.

[376] _Butts_.--We give an illustration, at the head of this chapter, of
the Butts' Cross, Kilkenny.

[377] _War-cries_.--That of the Geraldines of Kildare was _Cromadh-abu_,
from Croom Castle, in Limerick; the war-cry of the Desmond Geraldines
was _Seanaid-abu_, from Shannid Castle.

[378] _Expensive_.--English writers accuse Henry of miserable
avariciousness. He is accused of having consented to the execution of
Sir William Stanley, who had saved his life, for the sake of his
enormous wealth.--Lingard's _History of England_, vol. v. p. 308. He is
also accused, by a recent writer, of having seized the Wealth of the
Queen Dowager, because he chose to believe that she had assisted
Simnel.--_Victoria History of England_, p. 223.

[379] _Ireland_.--On one occasion, when the Earl and Sir James Ormonde
had a quarrel, the latter retired into the chapter-house of St.
Patrick's Cathedral, the door of which he closed and barricaded. The
Earl requested him to come forth, and pledged his honour for his safety.
As the knight still feared treachery, a hole was cut in the door,
through which Kildare passed his hand; and after this exploit, Ormonde
came out, and they embraced each other.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Reign of Henry VIII.--The Three Eras in Irish History: Military
Violence, Legal Iniquity, and Religious Oppression--The Earl of
Kildare--Report on