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Chapter Six 205
the very heart of O’Neill’s territory. Things were so bad that O’Neill even set ire to his own castle as the Deputy’s army approached. Despite one small victory over the English forces in Connacht, in 1602, the rebellion was efectively over. It was during this time that one of Elizabeth’s soldier couriers wrote to her saying: “There is now little left in Ireland for your Majesty to reign over but carcasses and ashes.”
Bereft of his castles, and with most of his supporters either dead, war-wearied, or under submission to the English, O’Neill saw no point in further resistence-“the Arch Enemy” was now ready to submit to Elizabeth. The ailing queen, observing in O’Neill’s surrender the conclusion of the war, authorized Mountjoy to ofer terms-something he unwillingly adhered to, it is said. And so, ironically, on 30 March, 1603, six days after Elizabeth’s death, but unaware of it, O’Neill, one of Irish history’s great captains, submitted to Mountjoy, at Mellifont Abbey, in county Louth. Furthermore, in another piece of historical irony, Mount- joy, who knew of Elizabeth’s death, was as a result, technically without authority to accept the submission. In any case, Conragh na Mainstreach Móire -‘The Articles of Mellifont’, or to give it its more popular title, The Treaty of Mellifont, was signed, a treaty by which O’Neill, in a short time got back his titles and lands, on condition that he held them henceforth in ac- cordance with English law-he was also to renounce the title “O’Neill.” Red Hugh’s brother, Rory, was created Earl of Donegal on similar conditions.
The Nine Years War, or ‘Hugh O’Neill’s War,’ as it is sometimes coloquailly referred to, was now ended, not only without proit to Ireland, but also, with fearful loss. Famine and slaughter had done their grim work well, and the once promising spirit of nationality was at its lowest ebb. Writing of the downfall of the Irish after the Battle of Kinsale, one of the Four Masters says: “Though there fell a number of the Gaedhil at the battle.yet there was not lost in any one battle in Ireland so much as was lost then.”
After a reign of forty-ive years, Elizabeth was succeeded to the throne of England, and Ireland, by James Stewart, the only child of the executed Mary Quen of Scots, and remote descendant of Robert Bruce-James was also an ardent Protestant.
King James V1of Scotland since 1565-he now became King James 1 of England.
Some of the Irish may have hoped that with the crowning of this new King better days were in store, but they were naive in their aspirations and none of them could have foreseen the long years of misery they and their country had still to endure, for even though half his own nation spoke Gaelic, James had no love for the Gaels, a people he described as “sav-