A.D. 123-1.] WAK LN IRELAND. 587 arrival there, there came to him Geoffrey de Marisco who was his liege dependant, but had proved faithless and had confederated himself with .Maurice the justiciary, Hugh de Lacy, Richard de Burgh, aud others o f the marshal's enemies ; this man pretended to join his party ; aud advised him to make war on the above-mentioned nobles his enemies, and to subdue Ireland. The marshal then proceeded through his territory, collected an army, and, attacking his enemies, regained some of the castles which they had taken from him ; he also, after a siege of four days, took Limerick, a famous city of Ireland, and forced the inhabitants to give him their allegiance ; ho then marched forward and took some castles belonging to the king as well as to some of bis other enemies, the castellans of which he compelled to take an oath not to obstruct him in his purpose. Tho Irish nobles did not dare to moot him, but lied before him to a distant part of the country, whore they collected knights and horse soldiers with an innumerable host of foot, aud prepared themselves for a pitched battle; they incited all their followers by distributing the king's money amongst them, and by large promises, to kill the marshal, in order that by his death they might become rich. After this they sent some of the brothers of the temple to the marshal, telling him that he was acting as a traitor to their lord tho king, on whom he was now making war in J reland as he had before done in Kngland ; they also added, that they to whom the king had entrusted the charge of the kingdom of Ireland, being sworn faithful subjects of the said king, could not endure this insult without incurring the charge of treachery ; they therefore demanded a truce till they could learn from the king if ho meant to defend Ireland, and if he refused to do so, and determined to leave that country to its fate, they would at once give up the whole country to the marshal without strife and bloodshed. (if the justness of the war which the marshal eiiaatictl in against the kino. On receipt of this message, the earl marshal replied to their proposals one by one as follows : " In the first place," said ho, " i reply that I have not acted as a traitor against the king ; for he. unjustly and without any trial by my peers, deprived ine of my office of marshal, ordered me to be declared an exile throughout England, burnt my houses, and destroyed my possessions. Twice he held me in defiance, although 1 was always prepared to appear in his court to answer any charge made against inc. and to abide by the décision of my peers ; for this reason 1 was no longer a liege of his, but was absolved from all fealty to him. not by my own means but by himself." With regard to the other offers made to him, and the truce, the marshal sent word by ilio said templars io the noble;;, to come to meet him in conference on ilio following day in a field pointed out by him, there to make arrangement* lor peace ; he however unhesitatingly declared that he «as fully jtisti