Page:A View of the State of Ireland - 1809.djvu/472

1^4 campion's hisTorle for whose goverment he would undertake at his perill to answere : He left his heire the Lord Thomas Fitz Gerald, and ere he went, furnished his owne pyles, forts, and castles, with the Kings artillery and munition, taken forth of Divelin. Being ex- amined before the Councell, he staggered in his answer, either for conscience of the fact, or for the infirmity of his late mayme : Wherefore a false mut- tering flew abroad that his execution was intended. That rumour helped forward Skevingtons friends and servants, who sticked not to write into Ireland secret letters, that the Earle their Masters enemy (so they tooke him, because he got the governement over his head,) was cut shorter, and now they trusted to see their Master againe in his Lordship, whereafter they sore longed as crowes doe for carryon. Such a letter came to the hands of a simple Priest, no perfect English man, who for haste hurled it among other papers in the Chimneyes end of his chamber, mean- ing to peruse it better at more leisure. The same very night a Gentleman retaining to Lord Thomas (then Lord Deputy under his father) tooke up his lodging, with the Priest, and raught in the morning for some paper to drawe on his straite hosen, and as the devill would he hit upon the letter, bare it away in the heele of his hose, no earthly thing misdeeming, at night againe he found the paper unfretted, and musing thereof began to pore on the writing, which notified the Earles death. To horsbacke got he in all haste, and spreading about the country these un-