A.D. 1223-1583
THE KYTELER CASE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS OF SORCERY AND HERESY--MICHAEL
SCOT--THE FOURTH EARL OF DESMOND--JAMES I AND THE IRISH PROPHETESS--A
SORCERY ACCUSATION OF 1447--WITCHCRAFT TRIALS IN THE SIXTEENTH
CENTURY--STATUTES DEALING WITH THE SUBJECT--EYE-BITERS--THE ENCHANTED
EARL OF DESMOND
In one respect the case of Dame Alice Kyteler stands alone in the history
of magical dealings in Ireland prior to the seventeenth century. We have
of the entire proceedings an invaluable and contemporary account, or at
latest one compiled within a very few years after the death of Petronilla
of Meath; while the excitement produced by the affair is shown by the more
or less lengthy allusions to it in early writings, such as _The Book of
Howth_ (Carew MSS.), the Annals by Friar Clyn, the Chartularies of S.
Mary's Abbey (vol. ii.), &c. It is also rendered more valuable by the fact
that those who are best qualified to give their opinion on the matter
have assured the writer that to the best of their belief no entries with
respect to trials for sorcery or witchcraft can be found in the various
old Rolls preserved in the Dublin Record Office.
But when the story is considered with reference to the following facts it
takes on a different signification. On the 29th of September 1317 (Wright
says 1320), Bishop de Ledrede held his first Synod, at which several
canons were passed, one of which seems in some degree introductory to the
events detailed in the preceding chapter. In it he speaks of "a certain
new and pestilential sect in our parts, differing from all the faithful in
the world, filled with a devilish spirit, more inhuman than heathens or
Jews, who pursue the priests and bishops of the Most High God equally in
life and death, by spoiling and rending the patrimony of Christ in the
diocese of Ossory, and who utter grievous threats against the bishops and
their ministers exercising ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and (by various
means) attempt to hinder the correction of sins and the salvation of
souls, in contempt of God and the Church."[8] From this it would seem
that heresy and unorthodoxy had already made its appearance in the
diocese. In 1324 the Kyteler case occurred, one of the participants being
burnt at the stake, while other incriminated persons were subsequently
followed up, some of whom shared the fate of Petronilla. In 1327 Adam
_Dubh_, of the Leinster tribe of O'Toole, was burnt alive on College Green
for denying the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity, as well
as for rejecting the authority of the Holy See.[9] In 1335 Pope Benedict
XII wrote a letter to King Edward III, in which occurs the following
passage: "It has come to our knowledge that while our venerable brother,
Richard, Bishop of Ossory, was visiting his diocese, there appeared in the
midst of his catholic people men who were heretics together with their
abettors, some of whom asserted that Jesus Christ was a mere man and a
sinner, and was justly crucified for His own sins; others after having
done homage and offered sacrifice to demons, thought otherwise of the
sacrament of the Body of Christ than the Catholic Church teaches, saying
that the same venerable sacrament is by no means to be worshipped; and
also asserting that they are not bound to obey or believe the decrees,
decretals, and apostolic mandates; in the meantime, consulting demons
according to the rites of those sects among the Gentiles and Pagans, they
despise the sacraments of the Catholic Church, and draw the faithful of
Christ after them by their superstitions." As no Inquisitors of heresy
have been appointed in Ireland, he begs the King to give prompt assistance
to the Bishop and other Prelates in their efforts to punish the aforesaid
heretics.[10] If the above refer to the Kyteler case it came rather late
in the day; but it is quite possible, in view of the closing words of the
anonymous narrator, that it has reference rather to the following up of
the dame's associates, a process that must have involved a good deal of
time and trouble, and in which no doubt many unhappy creatures were
implicated. Again, in 1353, two men were tried at Bunratty in co. Clare by
Roger Cradok, Bishop of Waterford, for holding heretical opinions (or for
offering contumely to the Blessed Virgin), and were sentenced to be
burnt.[11] The above are almost the only (if not the only) instances known
of the punishment of death by fire being inflicted in Ireland for heresy.
From a consideration of the facts here enumerated it would seem as if a
considerable portion of Ireland had been invaded by a wave of heresy in
the first half of the fourteenth century, and that this manifested itself
under a twofold form--first, in a denial of the cardinal doctrines of the
Church and a consequent revolt against her jurisdiction; and secondly, in
the use of magical arts, incantations, charms, familiar spirits, _et hoc
genus omne_. In this movement the Kyteler case was only an episode, though
obviously the most prominent one; while its importance was considerably
enhanced, if not exaggerated out of all due proportion, by the aggressive
attitude adopted by Bishop de Ledrede against the lady and her companions,
as well as by his struggles with Outlawe and Le Poer, and their powerful
backers, the Chancellor and Treasurer of Ireland. The anonymous writer,
who was plainly a cleric, and a partisan of the Bishop's, seems to have
compiled his narration not so much on account of the incident of sorcery
as to show the courage and perseverance of De Ledrede, and as well to make
manifest the fact that the Church should dictate to the State, not the
State to the Church. It appears quite possible, too, that other separate
cases of sorcery occurred in Ireland at this period, though they had no
historian to immortalise them, and no doubt in any event would have faded
into insignificance in comparison with the doings of Dame Kyteler and her
"infernal crew."
From this on we shall endeavour to deal with the subject as far as
possible in chronological order. It is perhaps not generally known that at
one time an Irish See narrowly escaped (to its misfortune, be it said)
having a magician as its Chief Shepherd. In 1223 the Archbishopric of
Cashel became vacant, upon which the Capitular Body elected as their
Archbishop the then Bishop of Cork, to whom the temporalities were
restored in the following year. But some little time prior to this the
Pope had set aside the election and "provided" a nominee of his own, one
Master M. Scot, to fill the vacancy: he however declined the proffered
dignity on the ground that he was ignorant of the Irish language. This
papal candidate was none other than the famous Michael Scot, reputed a
wizard of such potency that--
"When in Salamanca's cave
Him listed his magic wand to wave
The bells would ring in Notre Dame."
Scot had studied successively at Oxford and Paris (where he acquired the
title of "mathematicus"); he then passed to Bologna, thence to Palermo,
and subsequently continued his studies at Toledo. His refusal of the See
of Cashel was an intellectual loss to the Irish Church, for he was so
widely renowned for his varied and extensive learning that he was credited
with supernatural powers; a number of legends grew up around his name
which hid his real merit, and transformed the man of science into a
magician. In the Border country traditions of his magical power are
common. Boccaccio alludes to "a great master in necromancy, called Michael
Scot," while Dante places him in the eighth circle of Hell.
"The next, who is so slender in the flanks,
Was Michael Scot, who of a verity
Of magical illusions knew the game."[12]
Another man to whom magical powers were attributed solely on account of
his learning was Gerald, the fourth Earl of Desmond,[13] styled the Poet,
who died rather mysteriously in 1398. The Four Masters in their Annals
describe him as "a nobleman of wonderful bounty, mirth, cheerfulness of
conversation, charitable in his deeds, easy of access, a witty and
ingenious composer of Irish poetry, a learned and profound chronicler." No
legends are extant of his magical deeds.
King James I of Scotland, whose severities against his nobles had aroused
their bitter resentment, was barbarously assassinated at Perth in 1437 by
some of their supporters, who were aided and abetted by the aged Duke of
Atholl. From a contemporary account of this we learn that the monarch's
fate was predicted to him by an Irish prophetess or witch; had he given
ear to her message he might have escaped with his life. We modernise the
somewhat difficult spelling, but retain the quaint language of the
original. "The king, suddenly advised, made a solemn feast of the
Christmas at Perth, which is clept Saint John's Town, which is from
Edinburgh on the other side of the Scottish sea, the which is vulgarly
clept the water of Lethe. In the midst of the way there arose a woman of
Ireland, that clept herself as a soothsayer. The which anon as she saw the
king she cried with loud voice, saying thus: 'My lord king, and you pass
this water you shall never turn again alive.' The king hearing this was
astonied of her words; for but a little before he had read in a prophecy
that in the self same year the king of Scots should be slain: and
therewithal the king, as he rode, cleped to him one of his knights, and
gave him in commandment to turn again to speak with that woman, and ask
of her what she would, and what thing she meant with her loud crying. And
she began, and told him as ye have heard of the King of Scots if he passed
that water. As now the king asked her, how she knew that. And she said,
that Huthart told her so. 'Sire,' quoth he, 'men may "calant" ye take no
heed of yon woman's words, for she is but a drunken fool, and wot not what
she saith'; and so with his folk passed the water clept the Scottish sea,
towards Saint John's town." The narrator states some dreams ominous of
James's murder, and afterwards proceeds thus: "Both afore supper, and long
after into quarter of the night, in the which the Earl of Atholl
(Athetelles) and Robert Steward were about the king, where they were
occupied at the playing of the chess, at the tables, in reading of
romances, in singing and piping, in harping, and in other honest solaces
of great pleasance and disport. Therewith came the said woman of Ireland,
that clept herself a divineress, and entered the king's court, till that
she came straight to the king's chamber-door, where she stood, and abode
because that it was shut. And fast she knocked, till at the last the usher
opened the door, marvelling of that woman's being there that time of
night, and asking her what she would. 'Let me in, sir,' quoth she, 'for I
have somewhat to say, and to tell unto the king; for I am the same woman
that not long ago desired to have spoken with him at the Leith, when he
should pass the Scottish sea.' The usher went in and told him of this
woman. 'Yea,' quoth the king, 'let her come tomorrow'; because that he was
occupied with such disports at that time him let not to hear her as then.
The usher came again to the chamber-door to the said woman, and there he
told her that the king was busy in playing, and bid her come soon again
upon the morrow. 'Well,' said the woman, 'it shall repent you all that ye
will not let me speak now with the king.' Thereat the usher laughed, and
held her but a fool, charging her to go her way, and therewithal she went
thence." Her informant "Huthart" was evidently a familiar spirit who was
in attendance on her.[14]
Considering the barrenness of Irish records on the subject of sorcery and
witchcraft it affords us no small satisfaction to find the following
statement in the Statute Rolls of the Parliament[15] for the year 1447. It
consists of a most indignantly-worded remonstrance from the Lords and
Commons, which was drawn forth by the fact that some highly-placed
personage had been accused of practising sorcery with the intent to do
grievous harm to his enemy. When making it the remonstrants appear to have
forgotten, or perhaps, like Members of Parliament in other ages, found it
convenient to forget for the nonce the Kyteler incident of the previous
century. Of the particular case here alluded to unfortunately no details
are given, nor is any clue for obtaining them afforded us. The
remonstrance runs as follows: "Also at the prayer of John, Archbishop of
Armagh (and others). That whereas by the subtle malice and malicious suits
of certain persons slandering a man of rank this land was entirely
slandered, and still is in such slanderous matters as never were known in
this land before, as in ruining or destroying any man by sorcery or
necromancy, the which they think and believe impossible to be performed in
art--It is ordained and agreed by authority of this present parliament,
with the entire assent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons of
said parliament, that our lord the king be certified of the truth in this
matter, in avoidance of the slander of this land in common, asserting that
no such art was attempted at any time in this land, known or rumoured
among the people, nor any opinion had or entertained of the same by the
lay men in this land until now." It seems likely that the accusation was
prompted by personal enmity, and was groundless in fact; but the annals of
witchcraft show that such an indictment could prove a most terrible weapon
in the hands of unscrupulous persons. With respect to the above we learn
that Ireland was coming into line with England, for in the latter country
during the fifteenth century charges of sorcery were frequently raised
against persons of eminence by their political adversaries. One of the
most celebrated cases of the kind occurred only six years prior to the
above, in 1441, that of the Duchess of Gloucester in the reign of Henry
VI.
Nothing further on the subject is recorded until the year 1544, under
which date we find the following entry in the table of the red council
book of Ireland:
"A letter to Charles FitzArthur for sendinge a witch to the Lord
Deputie to be examined."
This note is a most tantalising one. The red council book has been lost,
but a succinct "table" of its contents, from which the above has been
extracted, and which was apparently compiled by Sir William Usher, has
been preserved in Add. MSS. 1792, and published in Hist. MSS. Comm. 15th
Report, appendix, part 3, but an examination of the original MS. reveals
nothing in addition to the above passage; so, until the lost book is
discovered, we must remain in ignorance with respect to the doings of this
particular witch.
The next notice of witchcraft in Ireland occurs in the year 1578, when a
witch-trial took place at Kilkenny, though here again, unfortunately, no
details have been preserved. In the November of that year sessions were
held there by the Lord Justice Drury and Sir Henry Fitton, who, in their
letter to the Privy Council on the 20th of the same month, inform that
Body that upon arriving at the town "the jail being full we caused
sessions immediately to be held. Thirty-six persons were executed, amongst
whom were some good ones, _a blackamoor and two witches_ by natural law,
for that we find no law to try them by in this realm."[16] It is easy to
see why the witches were put to death, but the reason for the negro's
execution is not so obvious. It can hardly have been for the colour of his
skin, although no doubt a black man was as much a _rara avis_ in the town
of Kilkenny as a black swan. Had the words been written at the time the
unfortunate negro might well have exclaimed, though in vain, to his
judges:
"Mislike me not for my complexion--
The shadowed livery of the burning sun."
Or could it have been that he was the unhappy victim of a false etymology!
For in old writers the word "necromancy" is spelt "nigromancy," as if
divination was practised through the medium of _negroes_ instead of _dead
persons_; indeed in an old vocabulary of 1475 "Nigromantia" is defined as
"divinatio facta _per nigros_." He may therefore have been suspected of
complicity with the two witches.
As yet the "natural law" held sway in Ireland, but very soon this country
was to be fully equipped with a Statute all to itself. Two Statutes
against witchcraft had already been passed in England, one in 1541, which
was repealed six years later, and a second in 1562. Partly no doubt on
account of the Kilkenny case of 1578, and partly to place Ireland on the
same footing as England, a Statute was passed by the Irish Parliament in
1586. Shorn of much legal verbiage the principal points of it may be
gathered from the following extracts:
"Where at this present there is no ordinarie ne condigne punishment
provided against the practices of the wicked offences of
conjurations, and of invocations of evill spirites, and of sorceries,
enchauntments, charms, and witchcrafts, whereby manie fantasticall and
devilish persons have devised and practised invocations and
conjurations of evill and wicked spirites, and have used and practised
witchcrafts, enchauntments, charms, and sorceries, to the destruction
of the persons and goods of their neighbours, and other subjects of
this realm, and for other lewde and evill intents and purposes,
contrary to the laws of Almighty God, to the peril of their owne
soules, and to the great infamie and disquietnesse of this realm. For
reformation thereof, be it enacted by the Queen's Majestie, with the
assent of the lords spirituall and temporall and the commons in this
present Parliament assembled.
"1. That if any person or persons after the end of three months next,
and immediately after the end of the last session of this present
parliament, shall use, practise, or exercise any witchcraft,
enchauntment, charme, or sorcery, whereby any person shall happen to
be killed or destroied, that then as well any such offender or
offenders in invocations and conjurations, as is aforesaid, their
aydors or councelors ... being of the said offences lawfully convicted
and attainted, shall suffer paines of death as a felon or felons, and
shall lose the privilege and benefit of clergie and sanctuarie; saving
to the widow of such person her title of dower, and also the heires
and successors of such a person all rights, titles, &c., as though no
such attaynder had been made.
"2. If any persons (after the above period) shall use, practise, or
exercise any witchcraft, enchauntment, charme, or sorcery, whereby any
person or persons shall happen to be wasted, consumed, or lamed, in
his or their bodie or member, or whereby any goods or cattels of any
such person shall be destroyed, wasted, or impaired, then every such
offender shall for the first offence suffer imprisonment by the space
of one yeare without bayle or maineprise, and once in every quarter of
the said yeare, shall in some market towne, upon the market day, or at
such time as any faire shall be kept there, stand openlie in the
pillorie for the space of sixe houres, and shall there openly confesse
his or theire errour and offence, and for the second offence shall
suffer death as a felon, saving, &c. (as in clause 1).
"3. Provided always, that if the offender in any of the cases
aforesaid, for which the paines of death shall ensue, shall happen to
be a peer of this realm: then his triall therein to be had by his
peers, as is used in cases of felony and treason, and not otherwise.
"4. And further, to the intent that all manner of practice, use, or
exercise of witchcraft, enchauntment, charme, or sorcery, should be
from henceforth utterly avoide, abolished, and taken away; be it
enacted by the authority of this present Parliament that if any person
or persons ... shall take upon them by witchcraft, &c., to tell or
declare in what place any treasure of gold or silver shall or might be
found or had in the earth or other secret places, or where goods or
things lost or stollen should be found or become, or shall use or
practice any sorcery, &c., to the intent to provoke any person to
unlawful love (for the first offence to be punished as in clause 2),
but if convicted a second time shall forfeit unto the Queen's Majesty
all his goods and chattels, and suffer imprisonment during life."
On the whole, considering the temper of the time, this Statute was
exceedingly mild. It made no provision whatsoever for the use of torture
to extract evidence, nor indeed did it offer any particular encouragement
to the witch hunter, while the manner of inflicting the death penalty was
precisely that for felony, viz. hanging, drawing, and quartering for men,
and burning (preceded by strangulation) for women--sufficiently
unpleasant, no doubt, but far more merciful than burning alive at the
stake.
In some way Ireland was fortunate enough to escape the notice of that keen
witch hunter, King James I and VI; had it been otherwise we have little
doubt but that this country would have contributed its share to the list
of victims in that monarch's reign. The above was therefore the only
Statute against witchcraft passed by the Irish Parliament; it is said that
it was never repealed, and so no doubt is in force at the present day.
Another Act of the Parliament of Ireland, passed in 1634, and designed to
facilitate the administration of justice, makes mention of witchcraft, and
it is there held to be one of the recognised methods by which one man
could take the life of another.
"Forasmuch as the most necessary office and duty of law is to preserve
and save the life of man, and condignly to punish such persons that
unlawfully or wilfully murder, slay, or destroy men ... and where it
often happeneth that a man is feloniously strucken in one county, and
dieth in another county, in which case it hath not been found by the
laws of this realm that any sufficient indictment thereof can be taken
in any of the said two counties.... For redress and punishment of such
offences ... be it enacted ... that where any person shall be
traiterously or feloniously stricken, poysoned, or _bewitched_ in one
county (and die in another, or out of the kingdom, &c.), that an
indictment thereof found by jurors in the county where the death shall
happen, shall be as good and effectual in the law as if, &c. &c."
Before passing from the subject we may note a curious allusion to a
mythical Act of Parliament which was intended to put a stop to a certain
lucrative form of witchcraft. It is gravely stated by the writer of a
little book entitled _Beware the Cat_[17] (and by Giraldus Cambrensis
before him), that Irish witches could turn wisps of hay, straw, &c. into
red-coloured pigs, which they dishonestly sold in the market, but which
resumed their proper shape when crossing running water. To prevent this it
is stated that the Irish Parliament passed an Act forbidding the purchase
of red swine. We regret to say, however, that no such interesting Act is
to be found in the Statute books.
The belief in the power of witches to inflict harm on the cattle of those
whom they hated, of which we have given some modern illustrations in the
concluding chapter, was to be found in Elizabethan times in this country.
Indeed if we are to put credence in the following passage from Reginald
Scot, quoted by Thomas Ady in his _Perfect Discovery of Witches_ (London,
1661), a certain amount of witch persecution arose with reference to this
point, possibly as a natural outcome of the Statute of 1586. "Master Scot
in his _Discovery_ telleth us, that our English people in Ireland, whose
posterity were lately barbarously cut off, were much given to this
Idolatry [belief in witches] in the Queen's time [Elizabeth], insomuch
that there being a Disease amongst their Cattel that grew blinde, being a
common Disease in that Country, they did commonly execute people for it,
calling them _eye-biting_ Witches."
From incidental notices in writers of the latter half of the sixteenth
century it would seem at first sight as if witchcraft, as we are treating
of it in this work, was very prevalent in Ireland at this period. Barnabe
Rich says in his description of Ireland: "The Irish are wonderfully
addicted to give credence to the prognostications of Soothsayers and
Witches." Stanihurst writes that in his time (1547-1618) there were many
sorcerers amongst the Irish. A note in Dr. Hanmer's Collection speaks of
"Tyrone his witch the which he hanged."[18] But these statements seem
rather to have reference to the point of view from which the English
writers regarded the native bards, as well as the "wise women" who
foretold the future; probably "Tyrone" put his "witch" to death, not
through abhorrence of her unhallowed doings, but in a fit of passion
because her interpretation of coming events, by which he may have allowed
himself to be guided, turned out wrongly.
We have already alluded to Gerald, the fourth Earl of Desmond. His
namesake, the sixteenth holder of the title, commonly known as the "Great
Earl," who was betrayed and killed in 1583, has passed from the region of
history to that of mythology, as he is credited with being the husband
(or son) of a goddess. Not many miles from the city of Limerick is a
lonely, picturesque lake, Lough Gur, which was included in his extensive
possessions, and at the bottom of which he is supposed to lie enchanted.
According to the legend[19] he was a very potent magician, and usually
resided in a castle which was built on a small island in that lake. To
this he brought his bride, a young and beautiful girl, whom he loved with
a too fond love, for she succeeded in prevailing upon him to gratify her
selfish desires, with fatal results. One day she presented herself in the
chamber in which her husband exercised his forbidden art, and begged him
to show her the wonders of his evil science. With the greatest reluctance
he consented, but warned her that she must prepare herself to witness a
series of most frightful phenomena, which, once commenced, could neither
be abridged nor mitigated, while if she spoke a single word during the
proceedings the castle and all it contained would sink to the bottom of
the lake. Urged on by curiosity she gave the required promise, and he
commenced. Muttering a spell as he stood before her, feathers sprouted
thickly over him, his face became contracted and hooked, a corpse-like
smell filled the air, and winnowing the air with beats of its heavy wings
a gigantic vulture rose in his stead, and swept round and round the room
as if on the point of pouncing upon her. The lady controlled herself
through this trial, and another began.
The bird alighted near the door, and in less than a minute changed, she
saw not how, into a horribly deformed and dwarfish hag, who, with yellow
skin hanging about her face, and cavernous eyes, swung herself on crutches
towards the lady, her mouth foaming with fury, and her grimaces and
contortions becoming more and more hideous every moment, till she rolled
with a fearful yell on the floor in a horrible convulsion at the lady's
feet, and then changed into a huge serpent, which came sweeping and
arching towards her with crest erect and quivering tongue. Suddenly, as
it seemed on the point of darting at her, she saw her husband in its
stead, standing pale before her, and with his finger on his lips enforcing
the continued necessity of silence. He then placed himself at full length
on the floor and began to stretch himself out, longer and longer, until
his head nearly reached to one end of the vast room and his feet to the
other. This utterly unnerved her. She gave a wild scream of horror,
whereupon the castle and all in it sank to the bottom of the lake.
Once in seven years the great Earl rises, and rides by night on his white
horse round Lough Gur. The steed is shod with silver shoes, and when these
are worn out the spell that holds the Earl will be broken, and he will
regain possession of his vast estates and semi-regal power. In the opening
years of the nineteenth century there was living a man named Teigue
O'Neill, who claimed to have seen him on the occasion of one of his
septennial appearances under the following curious conditions. O'Neill was
a blacksmith, and his forge stood on the brow of a hill overlooking the
lake, on a lonely part of the road to Cahirconlish. One night, when there
was a bright moon, he was working very late and quite alone. In one of the
pauses of his work he heard the ring of many hoofs ascending the steep
road that passed his forge, and, standing in his doorway, he saw a
gentleman on a white horse, who was dressed in a fashion the like of which
he had never seen before. This man was accompanied by a mounted retinue,
in similar dress. They seemed to be riding up the hill at a gallop, but
the pace slackened as they drew near, and the rider of the white horse,
who seemed from his haughty air to be a man of rank, drew bridle, and came
to a halt before the smith's door. He did not speak, and all his train
were silent, but he beckoned to the smith, and pointed down at one of the
horse's hoofs. Teigue stooped and raised it, and held it just long enough
to see that it was shod with a silver shoe, which in one place was worn as
thin as a shilling. Instantly his situation was made apparent to him by
this sign, and he recoiled with a terrified prayer. The lordly rider,
with a look of pain and fury, struck at him suddenly with something that
whistled in the air like a whip; an icy streak seemed to traverse his
body, and at the same time he saw the whole cavalcade break into a gallop,
and disappear down the hill. It is generally supposed that for the purpose
of putting an end to his period of enchantment the Earl endeavours to lead
someone on to first break the silence and speak to him; but what, in the
event of his succeeding, would be the result, or would befall the person
thus ensnared, no one knows.
In a letter[20] written in the year 1640, the Earl assumes a different
appearance. We learn from it that as a countryman was on his way to the
ancient and celebrated fair of Knockaney, situated a few miles from Lough
Gur, he met "a gentleman standing in the waye, demanding if he would sell
his horse. He answered, yea, for £5. The gentleman would give him but £4,
10_s._, saying he would not get so much at the ffaire. The fellow went to
the ffaire, could not get so much money, and found the gentleman on his
return in the same place, who proffered the same money. The fellow
accepting of it, the other bid him come in and receive his money. He
carried him into a fine spacious castle, payed him his money every penny,
and showed him the fairest black horse that ever was seene, and told him
that that horse was the Earl of Desmond, and that he had three shoes
alreadye, when he hath the fourthe shoe, which should be very shortlie,
then should the Earl be as he was before, thus guarded with many armed men
conveying him out of the gates. The fellow came home, but never was any
castle in that place either before or since." The local variant of the
legend states that the seller of the horse was a Clare man, and that he
went home after having been paid in gold the full amount of a satisfactory
bargain, but on the following morning found to his great mortification,
that instead of the gold coins he had only a pocketful of ivy leaves.
Readers of Victor Hugo's _Notre Dame_ will recall the incident of the
_écu_ that (apparently) was transformed by magic into a withered leaf.
Similar tales of horse-dealing with mysterious strangers are told in
Scotland in connection with the celebrated Thomas the Rhymer, of
Erceldoune.