Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

myfelf, and my Urania feemed to confider me, in the glorious character of her protector. She raifed up her head, and looked at me again with eyes enlivened by ineffable delight!-Will you leave me ? faid fhe, with eyes that looked as if the knew I would not-No, my Urania, never in diftrefs!

She fignified her fears to me. I told her fhe need not be under any concern; my mind was ferene again;-that the delight I experienced made me confider my rival's difappointment with compaffion: that I meditated a plan to foothe his madness, and if she would give me leave, I would go and put my thoughts in execution. Urania faid she knew fhe might truft my prudence; and God forbid fhe fhould ever obftruct the benevolent purposes of my heart.

I went home, and immediately wrote as follows to my impetuous foe.

Sir,

When you fee my hand, and recollect fome words which fell from you when you left my houfe, perhaps you will expect an addrefs different from what you will find here. But, Sir, when I confider the occafion of your paffion, I cannot think a rafh expreffion a fufficient caufe for pursuing your life," or for hazarding my own. There was a time, when if I had unfortunately met you, I fear I fhould have yielded to my own paffion; but now I fhould be afhamed not to be able to pardon an infirmity in you, for which, in myfelf, I had already implored the forgiveness of heaven. Put yourself in my place for a moment, and me in yours, and fee what you would think of me, if I were to pretend to arreft you in the innocent purfuit of happinefs. I have already placed myfelf in your fituation, and feel that you deferve compaffion. But, be bold, Sebaftian; exert your fortitude; exert your reason; and, instead of pity, deferve admiration. Subdue a passion which can never be gratified. Difturb not the peace of a

[blocks in formation]

virtuous woman whom you profefs to love. Deftroy not your own peace, by harbouring defigns, which must be as fruitlefs as they are injurious. You are young, time will do much for you: you are amiable, and your virtues muft one day meet with their reward. Be juft, be generous, and you will be happy; happier at least than you could poffibly be by any other means. If you have the noblenefs of mind, the candor you fee I fuppofe you to have, you will juftify me in calling myself fill

Your faithful Friend,

and humble Servant.

I knew Sebaftian had good fenfe; and therefore was per fuaded that if he could be brought to think coolly, he would think rightly you will find by his answer that I was not mistaken.

Sir,

When I received your letter, I did indeed expect to find the contents very different; for I was confcious of having spoken words in paffion, which I doubt not were injurious. You will find that I mean ftill to be your rival, Sir, your rival in virtue; would to God you were not mine in love! You exhort me to magnanimity. I have endeavoured to avail myself of your advice; and the firft inftance was in de termining not to write you an anfwer till this morning, that I might have time to compofe my thoughts, in order to judge fairly of the contents of your letter. I perceive that I have been greatly in the wrong, and ought to acknowledge it: the next inftance is, that I now freely defire your pardon; and will truft to your generofity, to intercede with Urania for her forgivenefs. Time may do much, you fay. I will try what time can do.-Abfence too, I will try.-I will return immediately to College, and, if I can, will ftudy there. Religion is my proper ftudy. I want all its affiftance to enable me to

bear

T

[ocr errors]

bear my own lot, and to think, without rancour, of yours. Sophronius, farewel! You will be happy in spite of me; for you deserve to be fo.

I hope to fee you no more, till I can with fincerity fubfcribe

myself

Your Friend,

SEBASTIAN.

[To be continued.]

The last LETTER of MARY Queen of Scots, to Queen
ELIZABETH.

MARY being informed of the Parliament's confirming
the fentence of her death, wrote the following moving

Letter to Elizabeth.

Madam,

[ocr errors]

I give thanks to God with all my heart, who by the fentence of death, hath been pleased to put an end to the tedious pilgrimage of my life. I defire not that it may be prolonged; having had too long a time to try the bitterness of it. I befeech your Majefty, fince I am to expect no favour from fome zealous Minifters of State, who hold the first place in your Councils, I may receive from you only, and from no other, these following favours, In the first place, I defire, that fince it is allowed me to hope for a burial in England, I may be decently interred, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Catholic Church, of which I am a member, and in which faith all your predecessors and mine lived and died; and when my enemies are fatisfied with the fhedding of my blood, that my fervants may be allowed to carry my bones into France, to be there interred, with the bones of the Queen my moft honoured mother. Secondly, I beseech your Majesty, in the apprehenfion which I have of the tyranny of thofe to whofe power you

abandon

abandon me, that I may not fuffer in any private place, but in the view of my fervants and other people; who may give a teftimony of my faith, and of my obedience to the true Church, and defend this period of my life, against the false reports which my adverfaries may contrive against me. In the third place, I require, that my fervants who have attended on me with great fidelity, auring fo many afflictions, may have leave to return where they pleafe, and enjoy thofe fmall legacies, which in my laft will, my poverty hath bequeathed to them. I conjure you, Madam, by the blood of Jefus Chrift, by the nearnefs of our confanguinity, by the memory of Henry the Seventh our common father, and by the title of a Queen, which I carry to my grave, not to deny these reasonable requests; but by one word from under your hand, to grant me an affurance of them, and I fhall die as I lived,

Your most affectionate Sifter,.

MARY R.

Elizabeth was as much moved with this, as you could expect a deliberate murderer to be, and one loft to all fentiments of Juftice, Mercy and Truth.

An Extract from a Circumftantial NARRATIVE of the lofs of the HALSEWELL.

IT

[Concluded from page 511.]

T was not till late in the day that the furvivors were all conveyed to fafety. One indeed, William Trenton a foldier, remained on his perilous ftand till the morning of Saturday the 7th of January, expofed to the united horrors of the extremeft perfonal danger, and the moft acute difquietude of mind nor is it easy to conceive how his ftrength and spirits could have fupported him for fuch a number of hours.

Though

[ocr errors]

Though the remains of the wreck were no longer difcoverable, yet the surface of the sea was covered with the fragments as far almost as the eye could reach. And even fo late as ten o'clock on Friday morning, a fheep, part of the live stock of the officers, was obferved buffeting the angry waves.

The furviving officers, feamen, and foldiers, being now affembled at the houfe of their benevolent friend, Mr. Garland, they were mustered, and found to amount to seventy-four, out of rather more than two hundred and forty. Of those who loft their lives, upwards of feventy are fuppofed to have reached the rocks, but to have been washed off, or to perish in falling from the cliffs, and fifty or more to have funk with the Captain and the Ladies in the round-houfe, when the fhip went to pieces.

All those who reached the fummit furvived, except two or three, who are fuppofed to have expired in drawing up, and a black, who died in a few hours after he was brought to the house, though many of them were fo miferably bruised that their lives were doubtful.

On Saturday morning Mr. Meriton and Mr. Rogers, having been liberally affifted by Mr. Garland with the means of making the journey, fet off for London, to carry the melancholy tidings to the Directors of the India-Houfe; and having taken the precaution to acquaint the Magiftrates of the towns through which they paffed, that a number of fhipwrecked men would be foon on the road to this metropolis, (left the tedious and disagreeable wayfare of these unfortunate beings fhould be rendered more miferable by unjuft fufpicions) they arrived at the India-Houfe on Sunday the 8th inftant at noon, where the fad tale was no fooner told, than the Directors ordered handfome gratifications to the quarry-men and others, who affifted in faving the furvivors, and provided immediate fupport for those who out-lived this lamentable event. To Mr. Garland, the Directors have alfo made fuch acknowledgements of thanks, as his benevolent conduct merited.

It

« ZurückWeiter »