The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-12

eaten their horses and their boots, cap
tured 30 Scotsmen, whom they ate,
after which their health becoming in
different, struck their colors. A little
later King Robert Bruce arrived with
| reinforcements from Scotland, and
the two kings with an army of 10000
men marched OH Dublin. The Red Earl
laid an ambuscade for them in the
| wood of Slane, but his ambush failed,
and musing whether or not to throw
in his lot with his royal son-in-law, the
Earl rode back to Dublin and fixed his
quarters in st. Mary's Abbey. From
Slane the national army marched on
to Dublin without further interruption
save once when the cry of a woman in
pain smOte on the ears of Robert
Bruce-one of Gods gentlemen-and he
halted his army for the woman's sake.
Next day the two kings reached Cas-
tie knock, and took the castle by as
sault and it's baron prisoner. The
watchtires of his army were soon seen
from the walls of Dublin, behind
which the defenders crouched with
faces as pale as that Of the Lord Dep,
uty himself.
| Now, at this time the Mayor or Pro
| vOst of Dublin was Robert Noting.
| ham. Were an Irish Imperialist l
should cheerfully aid in rearing a mon
ument to Robert Nottingham, for of a
certainty he was one of the men who
preserved the empire. A sturdy fell
low, with a stout heart, he took no
ton into his obstinate head that the
Red Earl, lying quietly at st. Mary IS
Abbey, was secretly intriguing with
the Bruces to deliver him up the city.
So gathering some citizens as stout
hearted as himself, the bold Mayor
marched across to the Abbey, and
bursting through it's gates seized the
Red Earl and put him under lock
and key The citizens, who had been
put to the trouble of Staying some of
the Earl's men, recouped themselves
by spelling the Abbey. Next day,
when with tcrror-stricEen voices the
warders OH the wallis cried out that
down through the woods Of Killnain-
ham, and along the banks of the An
n n1if1ny Of fhN al
vancing to the assault, the valiant
Mayor, at the head of hoary burghers
and young apprentice boys, each way
ing flaming torch in his hand, rush
ed through the High street, and I'M
barring the gates, ran round the walls
firing the wooden houses and every
thing that was tireable as they went.
The flames rolled from st. Thomas
street on to the woods of I\ilmainham,
and drove the aSsaulters back; blaze
burst out from the Merchants Quay
and sped along the riverside, devour-
ing as it ran. Tongues of fire burst
from the towers of st. Patrick, and Il
party of the assaulters who penctrat-
eel SO far as the cathedral persisted in
the flames. Dublin was surrounded
by a ring of flame, and the two kings
recalled their army from the hopeless
attempt to pierce the defences built
by the ingenius Robert Nottingham
and his fellow-citizens. Moreover
they abandoned their design on Dub
lin, a fatal mistake, and marched
| through LeiXlip and Mas across Lem
ster to Limerick without meeting one
| to say them nay. But allies did not
as previously, flock to their standard
famine was raging in the country, and
an unlucky attempt of the O'Mores to
try the virtue of linen shirts against
coats of mail in pitched battle and re.
suited in disaster to them some time
before. At Limerick the Bruces
learned that Roger Mortimer with all
the powers of a king and an army of
$4,000 men, had debarked at Youghal
while the Lord Deputy, encouraged by
the retirement from the walls Of Dub
lin, had raised an army of 10000 men
which was assembled Mt Kilkenny
The two kings fell back to the north
and the prudent Deputy did not dis.
pute their going. King Edward
reached his capital of Dundalk in tho
May of tlesyear 1918, just three years
from the date Of his landing. and King
Robert sailed home, promising to re
turn later in the year. The Irish sol.
dicrs dispersed to their homes until
the harvest had been gathered in, and
Bruce at Dundalll and Mortimer ut
Dublin sat waiting for the reaping be-
fore they again sounded the trump of
battle.
AS the days passed, King Edward
grew violent and morose. Chagrn at
the length of time he had been oec,l-
pied in his campaigns displayed itself
in unpleasant forms. His fiery spirit
would brook no curb. and when tho
autumn of the year the army of the
Pale, under the crafty and ruthless Sir
John dc Birmingham. approached
Dundall, Bruce declared he would
give battle. In vain O'Neill and all his
officers, Irish and Scotch, pointed out
to the headstrong king that With his