English conquest of Ireland : A.D. 1166-1185 : mainly from the 'Expugnatio hibernica' of Giraldus Cambrensis : part I, the text / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

CHAPTER XV.

Macmurgℏ vndyrstode that myche of the pepill of the contrey was come to helpe ham of the Cite of deuelyn, and hadde be-sette al the wodd-weyes and the Narrow-weyes thedyrward̛. He lefte thay weyes, and lad the hoste throw the montanys of Glyndelagh, al holde and sound, tyl thay come to the Cite. The Citteseynes ouer al othyr hatid Macmurgh; and they wer hatyd of hym: and that was no wondyr. For in some tyme thay slowyn his fadyr in the Cite; and aftyr the harme, thay dyd hym moche shame, for thay buryed an hounde with hym in the buryles that he was In-leyde. Thay send messangeris to the Erle, and namely the archebyschope Laurance, and besoghten Pees; and as thay weryn Spekyn of pees, on oone halue was Reymond and on the othyr syde a ful hardy knyght, Miles de Cogan, with yonglynges wel couetos of batail and of getynge: They assaylid the Cite, and brokyn In, and toke the Cite with grete slaghte of the Citesenes. Natheles, the beste parte of ham, with the rychest and the wourdyest thynges that thay haddyn, in botis escapedyn, and wentyn into the north ylondes wyth hastoyl, that was Captayn in the Cite, and har gouernoure / That day befel two Miraclis in the Cite: that one, of the cros in the Cee churche of the trynyte, wych the Citteseynes wold haue take wyth ham into the Ilandys in the see / And for no thyng thay myght not take hit out of the place. That othyr, of a Sergeant that had yrobyd̛ the archebysshope-is Place; and ther-aftyr come to-for the rode, and offerid a peny: fryst, and aftyr, and in euery tyme, the peny styrte ayeyñ to hym̃. he bethoght hym that god was not aplesid of the robery that he had

done. he turned̛ hym than, and toke al that he toke wyth hym, and bare hit ayeyñ, and went to the rode, and offerid; and his offerynge ther abode. / When the Erle had a few dayes y-ordaynyd for the state of the Cite, he lefte there myles de Cogan, kepere of the Cite and of the contrey, and a partey of the meynne wyth hym. And by entycement [instinctu.] of Macmurgh, that be-thoght hym̃ of the olde enemyte that he had to the kynge of Myth, he went hym to the contrey, brantyn, Slouedyñ and robedyñ, and broghten the contrey to noght, for non ne durst hym wythstond. Oconghoure of connaght Saw that he was the nexte, (as a man that seth his evyncrystyñ his house brenne, he may dred the sparkys;) he send messangeres to Macmurgh in these wordis: "Ayeyne the forume of oure pees, thow haste made come into this londe mych strange pepill. the whyle that thow helde the in thy leynystre we hit tollid̛ euynly. Now thow,—as man that noght rekyth of his trouth, ne no pite hauest of thyn hostage,—the meris y-sette [metas positas…] ofthyn eldryñ lond, vnryghtfully ouer-goste [insolenter excessisti] . Make thy strangeres [Fol. 8a.] Wyth-draw, and turne ayeyne; othyr ellys Sothly we shall the sende thy Sonnys hede." Macmurgh this herde, and to hym yaue a prowte answere, and Sende hym to Say, that 'he ham wold holde, and send aftyr more, and eke more, / ande that he wold neuer reste, til he had take and conquerid al connaght, with al the kyngdome of al the lond, as his predessessouris had to-for hym.' Oconghoure here-of had grete indignacioñ, and gretly ther-of was grewid̛; And he comandid to Smyte of his Sones hede, that he yafe hym for an hostage.