But the bulk of his army consisted of English peasants who had just left their cottages.

His musketeers had still to learn how to load their pieces: his dragoons had still to learn how to manage their horses; and these inexperienced recruits were for the most part commanded by officers as inexperienced as themselves.

His troops were therefore not generally superior in discipline to the Irish, and were in number far inferior.

Nay, he found that his men were almost as ill armed, as ill lodged, as ill clad, as the Celts to whom they were opposed.

The wealth of the English nation and the liberal votes of the English parliament had entitled him to expect that he should be abundantly supplied with all the munitions of war.