of its queen. A patriot of Ulster rather than of Ireland,
he had served against the Desmonds, and had been a looker
on at Smerwick. To suppress rivals of his own clan, to
check O'Donnell's encroachments, and to preserve an
interest at the English Court, were the objects of his
earlier ambition. In pursuing these objects he did not
hesitate to employ English troops in Ulster, nor to
accompany the Queen and her Deputy to the service of the
Church of England. If, however, he really believed that
he could long continue to play the Celtic Prince north
of the Boyne, and the English Earl at Dublin or London,
he was soon undeceived when the fear of the Spanish Armada
ceased to weigh on the Councils of Elizabeth.

A natural son of John the Proud, called from the
circumstances of his birth "Hugh of the fetters,"
communicated to Fitzwilliam the fact of Tyrone having
sheltered the shipwrecked Spaniards, and employed them
in opening up a correspondence with King Philip. This so
exasperated the Earl, that, having seized the unfortunate
Hugh of the fetters, he caused him to be hanged as a
common felon--a high-handed proceeding which his enemies
were expert in turning to account. To protect himself
from the consequent danger, he went to England in May,
1590, without obtaining the license of the Lord Deputy,
as by law required. On arriving in London he was imprisoned,
but, in the course of a month, obtained his liberty,
after signing articles, in which he agreed to drop the
Celtic title of O'Neil; to allow the erection of gaols
in his country; that he should execute no man without a