EXECUTION OF THE EARL OF ARGYLE.

Fox's History of James II.

7 On the thirtieth of | June, | 7 one | thousand | 7 six | hundred | 7 and | eighty | five, | 7 the | Earl of Ar- | gyle | 7 was | brought from the | castle, | 77 | first, 7 to the Laigh | council house, | 7 and | thence,

7 to the place of exe- | cution. | 7777 | Be- | fore he left the | castle, | 7 he | had his | dinner | 7 at the | usual | hour, | 7 at | which he dis- | coursed, | 77 not only calmly, | 7 but | even | cheerfully, | 7 | with | Mr. | Chateris | 7 and | others. | 77 | 77 | After | dinner | 7 he re- | tired, | 7 7 | (as was his | custom,) | 7 to his bed-chamber, 177 | where | 7 it is recorded, | 7 he slept | quietly | 7 for a- | bout a | quarter of an hour. | 77 | 77 | While he was in | bed, | one of the members of the | council | came, | 7 and | intimated | 7 to the at- | tendants, | 7 a de- | sire to | speak with him: | 77 | 7 upon | being | told | 7 that the | Earl | 7 was a- | sleep, | 7 and had | left | orders not to be disturbed, | 7 the | manager | disbe- | lieved the ac- count, | 77 | which he con- | sidered | 7 as a de- vice | 7 to a- | void | further questionings. | 77 | 77 |

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7 To satisfy him, | 7 the | door of the | bed-chamber, | 7 was | half | opened, | and | then he be- | held, | 7 en- | joying a sweet and tranquil | slumber, | 7 the | man, | 77 | 7 who | 7 by the | doom of | him and his | fellows, | 7 was to ❘ die | 77 | 7 with- | in the | short space 7 of two hours. | 77 | 77 | Struck with

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the sight, | 7 he | hurried | 7 out of the | room, | 77 | quitted the | castle | 7 with the | utmost pre- | cipi- | tation, | 7 7 | 7 and | hid himself | 7 in the lodgings of an acquaintance | 7 who lived | near, | 77 | 7 where he threw himself | 7 upon the | first | bed that pre-sented itself | 7 7 | and had every ap- pearance of a man | suffering | 7 the most ex- | cruciating | torture. 7 7 7 7 7 His | friend | 77 | 7 who was ap- | prised of the state he was in, | 7 and who | naturally cluded he was | ill, | 7 7 | offered him | 7 some | wine 7 7 7 7 7 He re- | fused, | saying, | " no, | no, that will not help me. | 77 | 7 I have been at Ar- | gyle, 7 and saw him | sleeping | 7 as | pleasantly as | ever | man | did | 7 with- | in | one | hour | 7 of E- | ternity, | 7 7 | 7 but | as for ¦ me." | 77 | 77 | 7 The | name of the person | 7 to | whom | this | anecdote relates 7 is not mentioned, | 77 | 7 and the | truth of it | 7 may therefore | 7 be | fairly con- | sidered | 7 as | liable | 7 to that de- | gree of | doubt, | 7 with | which | men of | judgment | 7 re- | ceive | every | species | 7 of traditional | history. | 77 | 7 7 |

Woodrow, 7 how- | ever, | 77 |whose ve- racity | 7 is a- | bove sus- | picion, | 7 7 | says, | 7 he | had it | 7 from the most un- | questionable | 7 au- | thority. | 7 7 7 7 7 It is not in it- | self | 7 un- | likely ; | 7 7 1 7 and who is there, | 7 that would not | wish it | true? | 7 7 7 7 | What a | satis- | factory | spectacle | 7 to a philosophical | mind, | 7 to | see the op- | pressor | 7 in the zenith of his | power | 7 7 | envying his | victim! | | 77|77| What an ac- | knowledgement | of the | superi- | ority of | virtue ! | 77 | 7 7 | What an af- | fecting | 7 and | forcible | testimony | 7 of the | value of that |

peace of mind, | 7 which | Innocence | 7 a- | lone | 7

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can con- fer! | 77 | 7 7 7 We | know not who | 7 this | man | was, | 77 | 7 but | when we re- |flect | 7 that the guilt 7 which | agonized him, | 7 was | probably 7 in-curred | 7 for some | vain | title, | 7 or at least | 7 for some increase of wealth | 7 which he | did not | want, | 7 and | possibly | knew not how to en- | joy, | 77 | 7 our dis- | gust | 7 is | turned into something like com- | passion, | 7 for that | very | foolish class of men, whom the | world | calls | wise in their generation. | 77 | 77 |

Soon after this short re- | pose, | 7 Ar- | gýle | 7 was brought | 7 ac- cording to | order, | 7 to the | Laigh council-house, | 7 from | which | place | 7 is | dated the letter to his wife, | 77 | 7 and from thence 7 to the place of exe- | cution. | 77 | 77 | 7 On the scaffold 7 he had some dis- | course, | 7 as well with | Mr. | Annand, | 7 a | minister | 7 ap- pointed by Government | 7 to at- | tend him, | 7 7 | as with | Mr. | Chateris. | 7 7 7 7 He de- | sired | both of them 7 to pray for him | 7 and | prayed him- | self 7 with | much | fervor | 7 and de- | votion. | 77 | 7 7 | 7 The speech which he made to the | people | 7 was | | such as might be ex- | pected | 7 from the passages al- ready re- | lated. | 77 | 7 7 | 7 The | same | mixture of firmness 7 and mildness | 7 is con- | spicuous in every part of it. 7 7 7 7 7 "We ought not," | 7 said he, | 7" to des- | pise | our af- | flictions, nor to | faint | under them. | 77 | 77 | 7 We | should not | suffer ourselves 7 to be ex- | asperated | 7 a- | gainst the | instruments | 7 of our | troubles, | nor by | fraudulent | 7 or | pusillanimous com- pliance, | 77| bring | guilt |

upon our- ❘ selves; | 7 7 | faint | hearts | 7 are | usually false hearts, choosing | sin, rather than suffering." | 77 | 77 | 7 He | offers his | prayers | 7 for the three kingdoms of | England, Scotland, | 7 and | IreI land, 7 7 and that an end | 7 may be | put | 7 to their | present | trials. | 77 | 7 7 | Having | then | asked | pardon 7 for his own faults, both of God and man, | 7 he would have con- | cluded, | 7 but | being re- | minded | 7 that he had said | nothing | 7 of the | royal | family, 7 he adds, | 7 that he re- fers, 7 in this matter, | 7 to ❘ what he had | said | 7 at his | trial | 7 concerning the test ; | 77 | 7 that he | prayed ¦ 7 there | never might be ❘ wanting | one of the royal | family | 7 to support the ¦ Protestant re- | ligion; | 77 | 7 and if any of them | 7 had swerved | from the true | faith, ¦ 7 he ¦ prayed | God | 7 to | turn their | hearts;| 7 7 | 7 but at ¦ any rate | 7 to | save his | people | 7 from their machi- nations. | 77 | 77 |

When he had ended, | 7 he | turned to the south | side of the scaffold | 7 and | said, | 77 |"Gentlemen, | 7 I pray you, I do not | miscon- | struct | my behavior this day. | 77 | 7 I | freely for- | give | all men | their wrongs and | injuries | done a- | gainst | me, | 7 as | I de- | sire | to be for- | given of | God.” | 77 | 77 | 7 He | then em- | braced his | friends, | 7 7 gave some tokens | 7 of his re- | membrance | 7 to his | son-in-law, | Lord | Maitland, | 7 for his | daughter and | grand-children, | 7 7 | stript himself | 7 of | part of his ap- | parel, | 7 of | which he | likewise made | presents, 7 and | laid his | head | upon the block. | 7 7 | 7 7 |

Having uttered a | short | prayer, | 7 he gave the |

signal 7 to the exe- | cutioner, | which was | instantly o- | beyed, | 7 and his head | severed from his | body. | 77 | 77 |

Such were the last | hours | 7 and | such the | final close 7 of this great | man's | life. | 77 | 7 7 | May the like happy se- | renity. | 7 in such | dreadful | circumstances, | 7 and a | death | equally | glorious | 7 be the lot of all, | 7 whom | tyranny | 7 of what- | ever description | 7 or de- | nomi- | nation, | shall | 7 in | any | age, | 7 or in | any | country, | 7 7 | call to expiate their | virtues |7 on the | scaffold!|77|77|

THOUGHTS IN A PLACE OF WORSHIP.

Hannah More.

7 And here we | come and | sit, 7 | time after | time, 7 | 7 And call it | social | worship; | 7 7 | Is it |

thus? 7|77|

Oh 7 | Thou! | 77 | 7 whose | searching | all per- | vading | eye 7 |

Scans every secret | movement of the heart, 7 |

7 And | sees us | as we | are 7 | 7 7 | why 7 | mourns my soul 7 |

7 On these occasions? | Why so | dead and | cold 7 | 7 My best af- fections? | I have | found thee | oft 7 | In my more secret | seasons, | 7 in the |field, | And in my chamber: | 7 7 | even | 7 in the | stir 7 | 7 Of outward | occu- | pations | 7 has my mind 7 |