At the end of the period of turmoil associated with the Protestant Reformation in England, the English people became free to turn their attention to other matters and to seek new opportunities outside their tiny island. Internal stability under Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and an expanding economy combined with a bold intellectual ferment to produce a soaring self-confidence.Ireland experienced the first impact: by the beginning of the 17th century it had been wholly subjugated by the English....