and Bishops the justice to remember that it was always
exercised against the oppression of the weak by the
strong, to mitigate the horrors of war, to uphold the
right of sanctuary (the _Habeus Corpus_ of that rude
age), and for the maintenance and spread of sound
Christian principles.




CHAPTER VII.

KINGS OF THE EIGHTH CENTURY.

The kings of the eighth century are Congal II. (surnamed
Kenmare), who reigned seven years; Feargal, who reigned
ten years; Forgartah, Kenneth, Flaherty, respectively
one, four, and seven years; Hugh V. (surnamed Allan),
nine years; Donald III., who reigned (A.D. 739-759) twenty
years; Nial II. (surnamed Nial of the Showers), seven
years; and Donogh I., who reigned thirty-one years, A.D.
766-797. The obituaries of these kings show that we have
fallen on a comparatively peaceful age, since of the
entire nine, but three perished in battle. One retired
to Armagh and one to Iona, where both departed in the
monastic habit; the others died either of sickness or
old age.

Yet the peaceful character of this century is but
comparative, for in the first quarter (A.D. 722), we have