But the safety of England, do what she might in the way of oppression, lay then, as it lay often since, and ever will lie, in the tendency to division, and the instability of the Celtic character.  The Rev. Mr. Meehan, with all his zeal for Irish nationality, admits this failing of the people with his usual candour.  He says:  ’These traits, so peculiar to the Celtic character, have been justly stigmatised by a friendly and observant Italian (the Nuncio Rinuccini) who, some thirty years after the period of which we are writing, tells us that the native Irish were behind the rest of Europe in the knowledge of those things that tended to their material improvement—­indifferent agriculturists, living from hand to mouth—­caring more for the sword than the plough—­good Catholics, though by nature barbarous—­and placing their hopes of deliverance from English rule on foreign intervention.  For this they were constantly straining their eyes towards France or Spain, and, no matter whence the ally came, were ever ready to rise in revolt.  One virtue, however—­intensest love of country—­more or less redeemed these vices, for so they deserve to be called; but to establish anything like strict military discipline or organisation among themselves, it must be avowed they had no aptitude.’  This, says Mr. Meehan, ’to some extent, will account for the apathy of the Northern Catholics, while the undertakers were carrying on the gigantic eviction known as the plantation of Ulster; for, since Sir Cahir O’Dogherty’s rebellion till 1615, there was only one attempt to resist the intruders, an abortive raid on the city of Derry, for which the meagre annals of that year tell us, six of the Earl of Tyrone’s nearest kinsmen were put to death.  Withal the people of Ulster were full of hope that O’Neill would return with forces to evict the evicters, but the farther they advanced into this agreeable perspective, the more rapidly did its charms disappear.

The proclamations against wood-kerne present a curious picture of these ‘plantation’ times.  The lord deputy, in council, understood that ’many idle kerne, loose and masterless men, and other disordered persons, did range up and down in sundry parts of this kingdom, being armed with swords, targets, pikes, shot, head-pieces, horsemen’s staves, and other warlike weapons, to the great terror of his majesty’s well-disposed subjects, upon whom they had committed many extortions, murders, robberies, and other outrages.  Hence divers proclamations had been published in his majesty’s name, commanding that no person of what condition soever, travelling on horseback, should presume to carry more arms than one sword or rapier and dagger; and that no person travelling on foot should carry any weapons at all.  Twenty days were allowed for giving the arms to the proper officers.  If the proclamation was not obeyed within that time, the arms were to be seized for the king’s use, and the bearers of them committed to prison.