Submission text (English, translated by Edmund Curtis)
Notarial Instrument XXIX records that: on the 19th day of January, 1394 [N.S. 1395], in a room within the enclosure of the Friars Preachers in Drogheda, in presence of the notary, &c., Niall O’Neill senior did liege homage to our lord Richard the Second, King of England and France, Duke of Aquitaine, and Lord of Ireland, for himself, his sons, his nation, and his subjects in Irish, publicly rendered into Latin by interpreters, in this form of words, as follows:
‘I, Niall O’Neill senior, both for me and my sons, my whole nation and kin and all my subjects, become your liegeman from this day forth in life and limb and earthly honour to live and die with you against all men, and both I and all the aforesaid, my sons, my whole nation and kin, and all my subjects will be faithful to you and your heirs and will bear true fealty to you and your heirs, so help me God and these God’s holy Gospels.’
And the said O’Neill senior brought a power of proxy to the Lord King Richard in the name of his son for doing liege homage as above, viz.:
‘Let it appear to all by these presents that I, Niall O’Neill junior, captain of my nation, have made and ordained and constituted in my place ’, &c. [as in Instrument XVI].
‘”By these present let it appear to all that I, Niall O’Neill, junior, captain of my nation, have [174] made and ordained and appointed in my place my beloved and right worshipful father, Niall O’Neill, senior, my deputy, proxy, agent, and special envoy in these affairs, giving and granting to him general power and special mandate in my name to appear before our illustrious prince and lord, Richard, by the grace of God King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, and before my noble lord Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, and to treat, agree, and conclude in my name with them and either of them or with any deputy sent by them and either of them, and to make and enter into a certain composition for obtaining and having peace to me and my nation, my subjects, and country; and if I possess any lands unjustly or harmfully or permit or make them to be occupied by others, to surrender them and all other possessions together with liberties, services, and customs whatsoever, and especially the bonnacht of the Irish of Ulster if by me or by any others in my name they are detained or occupied; also to offer, promise, and undertake sufficient amends or satisfactions for the injuries or excesses which I have wrought against the Lord our King or my lord the Earl or their lands or subjects, or have caused to be wrought or by my fault have permitted to be wrought; also to make and conclude indentures, agreements, or other writings containing any form for establishing peace and concord; and to seal and sign such writings with my seal or his own or even another for this purpose specially adapted; also firmly to bind me and my nation and country and all my goods to making and preserving peace and concord, as also to undertake amends and satisfaction and to undergo temporal or spiritual punishment or ecclesiastical censures in the event, which God forbid, of this concord being violated or about to be violated; also to undertake an oath of allegiance, homage, fealty, or obedience, as far as by an agent it can be performed or done, and to take any other kind of lawful oath upon my soul, expressly renouncing every exception, whether in law or fact, whereby the effect of the intended peace and concord could be in any manner impeded or delayed, and especially renouncing all objection to the jurisdiction of the court; finally to do, dispatch, and exercise all and sundry the things which shall be necessary or even opportune to obtaining and keeping the peace of our said Lord the King and my lord the Earl. Accepting beforehand as settled and approved whatever the said N. my father and proxy shall do in my name in the above matters. In witness of which my seal is affixed to these presents. Given at Madoyn on the 6th day of January, 1394 [N.S. 1395].”
By virtue of which power of proxy Niall O’Neill junior, by his aforesaid proxy, became liegeman of the aforesaid Lord King in the Irish language, turned publicly into Latin by interpreters, in the tenor of these words, as follows :
‘ I, Niall O’Neill junior, become liegeman ’, &c. [as in Instrument I].
'I, John MacDonald, become liegeman of the lord Richard, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland, sovereign lord of me and my nation, as also of his heirs, kings of England, from this day forth in life, limb, and earthly honour, so that
he and they shall have over me power of life and death, and I will be faithful to the same and his heirs for ever in all things and will help to defend him and his heirs against all worldly enemies whatsoever, and will be obedient to the laws,
commands, and ordinances of the same or any of them according to my power and that of all mine: and I will come to the said lord my King and his heirs, being kings of England, and to his or their parliament and council or otherwise whensoever he
or they shall send for me or whenever I shall be required, called, or summoned on his or their part or the part of their lieutenants: and I will well and faithfully come to the said Lord King, his heirs and their lieutenants, or to any of them,
to give counsel, and I will do in all and singular that which a good and faithful liegeman ought to do and is bound to do to his natural liege lord, so help me God and these God's holy Gospels.'
And afterwards the said Niall, senior, in his own name and that of his son and his subjects, made concord with Lord Roger Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, in presence of the said Lord King, concerning the restoring with damages of all lands with all their appurtenances wrongfully detained for a long time from the said Roger. And for doing, executing, and finally fulfilling all the abovesaid, all and sundry, the said Niall O’Neill senior, in his own name and that of his son and all his subjects, having touched the holy Gospels took corporal oath with mature and perfect deliberation on the missal and cross of the Archbishop of Armagh, otherwise Primate of Ireland. Whereupon the said lord Richard the Second, King of England, &c., on one side and Niall O’Neill senior on the other, requested me to make them public instruments.
Witnesses: John, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate, and Richard, Tydeman, and Robert, bishops of Chichester, Llandaff, and Waterford-Lismore.
Submission text (Latin, transcribed by Edmund Curtis)