Chief Governor; Sir W. Skeffington, a veteran officer in favour with the King, being appointed to command the English troops. Allen, one of those able men who owed their first advancement to the discernment of Wolsey, was nominated Archbishop of Dublin, and directed to keep a sharp watch on Kildare. Meantime the most violent feuds broke out between the Geraldines and Butlers, while O'Neill ravaged the province of Ulster. In consequence probably of Archbishop Allen's reports to the King, Kildare was for the third time summoned to London, and, without any form of trial, thrown into the Tower. The King had got wind of the negotiation with Charles V.; and Pope Clement having proceeded to his sentence of excommunication of Henry, there was every likelihood of the troubles in Ireland assuming a religious character. The son of Kildare, Lord Thomas Fitzgerald, best known as "Silken Thomas," accompanied his father to London, but was not imprisoned with him, and shortly returned to Ireland. Historians have differed as to whether it was with his father's sanction or not that Silken Thomas, on his return, broke out into rebellion. It is not likely that Kildare would have desired his son to do that which must imperil his own life; and the most probable version is, that his son's rash and hopeless rebellion was not approved or instigated by the Earl. It is at all events certain that Lord Thomas, breaking violently into the presence of the Council, seized the sword of state, and, abjuring all further allegiance to the King, dashed it on the table, and, mounting his horse, galloped off with a large body of his adherents to raise the country in rebellion. At the head of several thousand men he laid siege to Dublin, and obliged Sir J. White, who commanded. the garrison, to withdraw into the Castle. Archbishop Allen endeavoured to escape to England in a small vessel, which, unobserved by the Irish, dropped down the Liffey to the sea; but, unluckily, the master, being attached to the Geraldines, ran her on shore at Clontarf, and, sending a messenger to Dublin, betrayed the unfortunate Archbishop. Silken Thomas rode down to Clontarf with three of his uncles, and caused him to be dragged from the pallet where he had lain down, in a small cabin, for repose; and one of the savage followers of the Geraldine having struck him on the head as he kneeled for mercy, he was instantly despatched with numerous wounds, and his body treated with every indignity. Although Silken Thomas afterwards attempted to show that he had had no intention of committing this ruthless murder, yet all doubt must be removed by the fact of his having written to boast of the deed, both to the Emperor and to the Pope. The siege of Dublin Castle was now pressed hard; but Ormonde, with his brave Butlers, made so gallant an assault on the Geraldine forces that he forced his way through their lines and relieved White when at the last extremity. Sir W. Skeffington arrived a few days after with a considerable body of troops from Wales; and though he acted with little decision or promptitude himself, yet his lieutenant, Sir W. Brereton, entered the Liffey with five or six hundred men, and at once restored confidence in Dublin. Silken Thomas withdrew with his troops in confusion into the country; but not finding himself pursued by Skeffington, who was in a bad state of health, as well as far advanced in years, made some attempts with parties of horse to harass the English posts round Dublin. The inactivity of Skeffington being reported to Henry, he sent over Lord Leonard Grey, brother to the Countess of Kildare, to act as marshal of the army. Roused by the arrival of Lord Leonard, Skeffington marched upon Maynooth Castle, the stronghold of the Geraldines, and, besieging it with heavy cannon (supposed to be the first employed in a siege in Ireland), took the castle by storm, and barbarously hanged the survivors of the garrison. Meantime the news of these proceedings in Ireland, and the expectation of the King's vengeance, so affected the unfortunate Earl in his prison, that he expired, after a short illness, and was buried in the Tower chapel. Lord Thomas, driven to the last extremities, and deserted by most of his followers, was induced by Lord Leonard to surrender on hopes of pardon. How far Lord Leonard may be said to have entrapped his unfortunate nephew by false assurances was never quite clear; but the result was the seizure and committal to the Tower of Lord Thomas and his five uncles. His name and arms carved on the gloomy wall of the Beauchamp Tower bear witness to his confinement in that dreary prison, which lasted about a year before he was taken to Tyburn and there hanged, with his uncles. It was said that the Duke of Norfolk advised this cruel delay, on the ground that to execute them at once would have cast dishonour on Lord Leonard Grey; while, on the other hand, if a certain time were allowed previously to elapse, other circumstances might be supposed to have transpired concerning their rebellion which would to a certain degree disconnect their execution from the actual seizure and delivery of their persons by their kinsman. EXECUTION OF ANNE BOLEYN. N Her present Majesty's first visit to the was pointed out as one of melancholy interest, and by Her Majesty's personal commands a small brass tablet recording the event was placed in the middle of the space where the scaffold upon which she received the blow of the executioner had been erected. suddenness of this unfortunate lady's transition from favour to disgrace, and from disgrace to death, is not the least affecting part of her story. The It was on the 1st May, 1536, that during a tournament at Greenwich, she dropped her handkerchief, which one of the courtiers took up and put to his face with such a gesture as to excite the King's suspicions; if indeed those suspicions ever in reality existed, or were other than the pretence for removing Anne, to make way for the new object of his desire. Next day the Queen's brother, Lord Rochford, Norris, Weston, and Brereton, all gentlemen about the Court, and Smeton, a musician, were committed, and Anne herself arrested and placed in the |