Trusty men were enlisted, and armed with great expedition.

As there was a scarcity of swords and pikes, smiths were employed to make weapons by fastening scythes on poles.

All the country houses round Lough Erne were turned into garrisons.

No Papist was suffered to be at large in the town; and the friar who was accused of exerting his eloquence against the Englishry was thrown into prison, [129] The other great fastness of Protestantism was a place of more importance.

Eighty years before, during the troubles caused by the last struggle of the houses of O'Neil and O'Donnel against the authority of James the First, the ancient city of Derry had been surprised by one of the native chiefs: the inhabitants had been slaughtered, and the houses reduced to ashes.