These terms, so humiliating to English pride, were advocated in the Council ‘for certain secret respects;’ and even Sir William Cecil was not ashamed to say, ‘that, in Shane’s absence from Ireland,’ something might be cavilled against him or his, for non-observing the covenants on his side; and so the pact being infringed, the matter might be used as should be thought fit.  With this understanding Elizabeth wrote, making all the ignominious concessions demanded, save one, the evacuation of the cathedral.  Shane replied in lofty terms that, although for the Earl of Sussex he would not mollify one iota of his agreement, yet he would consent at the request of her Majesty.  ‘Thus,’ says Mr. Froude, ’with the Earl of Kildare in attendance, a train of galloglasse, 1,000 l. in hand, and a second 1,000 l. awaiting for him in London, the champion of Irish freedom sailed from Dublin, and appeared on the second of January at the English court.’

It is stated that Cecil, Pembroke, and Bacon, received him privately on his arrival, instructed him how to behave in the royal presence, gave him the promised money, and endeavoured to impress upon him the enormity of his offences.  But, to every appeal made to his conscience, Shane answered by a counter appeal about money; 2,000 l. was a poor present from so great a Queen; he was sure their honours would give him a few more hundreds.  He agreed, however, to make a general confession of his sins in Irish and English; and, thus tutored, Elizabeth received him in state on January 6, 1562, attended by the Council, the peers, the foreign ambassadors, bishops, aldermen, dignitaries of all kinds, who gazed ’as if at the exhibition of some wild animal of the desert.’  The scene is very graphically described by Mr. Froude:  ’O’Neill stalked in, his saffron mantle sweeping round and round him, his hair curling on his back, and clipped short below the eyes, which gleamed from under it with a grey lustre, frowning, fierce, and cruel.  Behind him followed his galloglasse, bare-headed and fair-haired, with shirts of mail which reached their knees, a wolf-skin flung across their shoulders, and short broad battle-axes in their hands.  At the foot of the throne the chief paused, bent forward, threw himself on his face upon the ground, and then, rising upon his knees, spoke aloud in Irish!’ Camden says he ’confessed his crime and rebellion with howling,’ and Mr. Froude adds that, to his hearers, the sound of the words ‘was as the howling of a dog.’  He said:—­

’Oh! my most dread sovereign lady and queen, like as I Shane O’Neill, your Majesty’s subject of your realm of Ireland, have of long time desired to come into the presence of your Majesty to acknowledge my humble and bounden subjection, so am I now here upon my knees by your gracious permission, and do most humbly acknowledge your Majesty to be my sovereign lady and Queen of England, France, and Ireland; and I do confess that, for lack of civil