May, 1903.
THE GAEL.
143
panied to London by a bodyguard of his gallow-glasses, and created a great sensation among the Cockneys of the period. The grand mistake of Shane's life was his attack on the Cineal Connaill; it was it that ruined him: and it was the same international quarreling that ruined the political past of his country.
It is very curious that the O'Neills of all the Irish claims, should be the only ones that seem to have adopted the English Christian name, John; for Seaghan or Seann, as it is spelled by "The Four Masters." is generally and apparently rightly, allowed to be an Irish form of John. A Seann O'Neill is mentioned by "The Four Masters" as early as the year 1339. The following is the Irish text and translation of Shane's letter to the Deputy:
| Shane's Letter. | Translation. |
| BEANDAĊT ó Ua Néill doċum an luistir mar ḋliġeas sé, agus doċum na coda eile do’n Coṁairle; agus atáim ag a ḟiarfuiġe ḋíoḃ créd do-rinne mé do ni[ḋ] do raċad a n-eas-onóir no a ndiġḃáil do’n ḃeanruiġain, no ḋaoiḃse, as ar ḃriseaḃair orm gan faṫa, gan aḋḃar agus tairgsin gaḃaltus do ḋenaṁ orm, gan giolla gan litir do ċur ċugam ó do ṫangaḃair a n-Eirinn; agus an luistis do ḟágaḃair in ḃur n-ionaḋ a n-Eirinn, go raḃamúidne uṁal dó; agus naċ raiḃe do ṁailís orm gan mo ṗearsa fén do ḋol a ḃfiaḋnuise grás na banrioġna, aċt an ṁéid gur ċuir mé iarraiḋ air ṡocaṁal airgid ar an mbanrioġain, ar son naċ imiġiṫeann airged na h-Ereann, a Saxanoiḃ; agus gur ḟuráil mé mo ḃráiġe gill fén do ċur ris an innṁus sin no go ḃfillinn fén as Saxanoiḃ. | A BLESSING from O'Neill to the Justiciary, as in duty bound, and to the rest of the Council, and I am asking of them what have I done that would go to the dishonor or to the injury of the Queen or to you, on account of which you have, since your arrival in Ireland, broken in on me without reason or cause, trying to make conquest on me without sending a messenger or a letter; for we were obedient to the Justiciary whom you left in your place in Ireland; and, inasmuch as it was not malice that prevented me from appearing in my proper person before her grace, the Queen, but that I asked for a small sum of money from the Queen, because the money of Ireland does not pass current in England. |
| Agus as í so an ḃraiġe ġill, .i. an mac is fearr dom ċloinn, agus mo ḋearḃċoṁalta, .i. mac m'oide, agus mo ḃuime agus mo ḃraṫair: aguf iad sin do ċur a ngioll resuin big aingid, ar naċ ḃrisfind mo ġeall dá mbeind gan mo ġeall ris; agus gur ċuir mé mo ḋaoine fén agus daoine an luistis d’á aṫ-iarraiḋ sin a ngioll air na braiġoiḃ sin a gceann na banriġna; agus an uair do ṡaoilemur sin do ṫeaċt ċugainn re ḃur [d]teaċtsa a n-Eirinn, ní h-aṁlaiḋ sin do rindeaḃairsi, aċt an [niḋ] nar ṡaoileamar do ḋenaṁ ḋaoiḃ; agus dar ndóiġ do ċuireamur a deiċ no a dó ḋég do litreaċaiḃ a gceand an luistis do ḃí a n-Eirinn ó do ímġeaḃairsi; fós, agus tugṫar na litreaċa sin do laṫair; agus cuirimsi fiaḋnuse Dé agus na litreaċa sin orm; agus fiaḋnuise an ṁéid ṫoigerus cogus do ḋenaṁ do’n Choṁairle, naċ mailis no mainneaċtnaiḋe fodeara daṁ gan dol a ḃfiaḋnuise gras na banrioġna gos ṫtrasta, aċt diṫ an innṁuis sin no go mbereḋ se oraind; agus atá an ċéo inntind do ḃi agam gur ttrasta anois agam um ḋul a gceann na ḃanrioġna, aċt an ṁéid toismisg do ċuireaḃairsi orm go h-anoirċeas, .i. gaḃaltus do ċur am ḋuṫaiḋ gan adḃar; uair an fad ḃias én ṁac Sasanoiġ am ṫír dom neaṁṫoil, ní ċuirfe mé reiḋiugaḋ nó teaċtaireaċt ċugaiḃ ó’n uairri amaċ, aċt mo ċosaoid do ċur [ar] sliġe ele a gceand na banrioġna da inisin di mar do ċuireaḃairsi an toirmeasc sin orm; agus do ṫéna mé mo ḋiċeall ar an mbarda sin agus ar gaċ duine dá gcuirfe ann iad, no go mberṫar as iad; agus má tá a ruin agoiḃ gan mo ṫoirmeasc ní is mó, beiriḋ mo ṁuintir ċugaiḃ, má’s toil le ḃur n-onóir é, agus do ḋénsa la riḃ mar is táoisge ḃeiseas siḃ mo ṁuinntir ċugaiḃ do ċrioċnuġaḋ gaċ geallta agus gaċ trialla dá tug mé do’n banrioġain. | And I offered to give up my own hostages for this money loan until I should return from England; and these hostages would be, namely, the best sons of my children, and my foster-brother, namely, the son of my tutor, and my nurse, and my brother, and these to put in pledge tor a small sum of money; for I would not break my promise if I had not given and pledge; and I sent my own people and the people of the Justiciary to request this again of the Queen for a pledge; and when I thought that loan would come to us on your coming to Ireland, it was not so you acted, but the thing we did not imagine was what you did; and indeed we sent ten or twelve letters to the Justiciary that was in Ireland since you left; also these letters were presented; and I put the witness of God and these letters (as testimony) for me and also the witness of the amount I conscientiously tried to do for the Council, to show that it was not malice or negligence that was the cause of my not going in the presence of her grace the Queen up to the present time, but want of that money until it would reach us. And the first intention which I then had of visiting the Queen I have still, but for the amount of obstruction ye put on me wantonly— namely, making conquest in my country without cause; for as long as there shall be one son of an Englishman in my country against my will, I will not send settlement or messenger to you from that time forward, but will send my complaint by another way to the Queen, telling her how ye put that hindrance on me; and I will do my best (to rout or kill) those soldiers (the men that had been sent to make conquest in his country), and on everyone who will send them there, until they are taken out of it; and if ye desire not to obstruct me any more, take my people (that is, the hostages) to you, if it please your honor, and I will appoint a day with you as soon as you take my people to you to fulfil every promise and every proposal I made to the Queen. |
| Agus ḃioḋ a deiṁin agaiḃ naċ d’eagla ċogaid no ġeall mé na ceand a roiṁe, aċ a ngioll ar a h-onóir agus ar a grásaiḃ bo ċúṁdaċ gaċ neiṫ dá ḃfuil agam dam, agus dom ṁeduġaḋ ó so suas innus go ttugaind na tírṫa fiaḋanta atá fúm, do ċum ṡiḃéltuis agus do ċum maiṫis; agus innus go caiṫind mé fén agus gaċ duine dá mbia am ḋiaiġ, re serḃís agus re h-onóir na banriġna agus an ḟeaḋmantaiġ ḃias a n-Eirinn uaiṫe. Agus ḃuḋ ferrde Eire uile mo ḋilsa a gceand na bainriġna, do ṫoil Dé; uair ní ḃiaiḋ a n-Eirinn én duine do ċuirfeḋ raoḃnós beg no mór ar a feaḋmanntaċ, ar a seasaṁaḋ se [an] saoḃnos sin do ċuṁaċtaiḃ Dé agus d’aonta (?) na banroġna agus do’n tserḃís do dénaimne d’á fedmantaċ. Ní ḃeg sin; aċt guiḋmid sib gaċ rún agus gaċ freagra ḃias agaiḃ air sin, do ċur ċugam gan mailis, agus gan ní is mo do ḋenaṁ orm no go tuga siḃ sgéla, agus taisḃénaiḋ mo litreaċa do ṁaiṫiḃ na Coṁairle. | And be ye assured that it was not for fear of war that I promised her previously (that I would visit her), but on account of her honor and her gracioueness to preserve everything I possess for me, and to Increase me henceforward, in order that I may bring the wild countries that are under me to civilization and goodness; and in order that I myself and every person who shall be after me, may be devoted to the service and honor of the Queen and the Deputy who shall be (sent) from her to Ireland. And all Ireland would be the better of my going to visit the Queen, with the will of God, for there will not be any person in Ireland who would put little or much of offence on her Deputy, for he would bear that offence by the powers of God and the consent (?) of the Queen, and by the service that we do to her Deputy. This is a good deal; but we beseech you to send me every secret and every answer which ye shall have without malice, and not to do any more (evil) to me until ye bring news, and until ye show my letters to the chief men of the Council.— I am |
| MISE O’NÉILL | O'NEILL. |
