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all things fpeedily: he was willing, and he promised fairly to perform thus much. Our commiflioners were no fooner come, but one of them an old fubtil fox, had every night private and long conferences with him; to whom when his majefty had communicated his intentions of figning the propofitions, he utterly difliked the defign, and told him plainly, He fhould come unto his parliament upon eafier terms; for •he affured him the house of lords were wholly his, and at his devotion.' This old man knew that well enough, himself being one of them

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and in the house of commons he had fuch a ftrong party, that the propofitions fhould be mitigated, and made more eafy and, more fit for him to fign. Upon this, the old lord was to be treafurer apud Græcas Calendas, and a cowardly fon of his, fecretary of ftate. This was the laft and greatest misfortune ever befel him, to be thus ruled and fooled by that backfliding old lord, who was never fortunate either to parliament or commonwealth. But by this action, and the like, you may perceive how eafily he was ever convertible unto the worfer advice. In like nature, the former time of propofitions fent unto him, when of himself he was inclineable to give the parliament fatisfaction unto their propofitions, the Scots commiffioners pretending what their cold affectionate country would do for him : upon this their diffembling, he had fo little wit, as to flight the English, and confide in the Scots, though he well knew they only had been the fole means of ruining him and his pofterity by their juggling, felling, and betraying him.

Whilft he was in prifon at Carif

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brook-caftle, horfes were laid at feveral ftages, both in Suffex and Kent, purpofely to have conveyed him to the Kentish forces, and to have been in the head of them, and with the revolted fhips, if he could have escaped; and he was fo near efcaping, that his legs and body even unto the breaft, were out at the window; but whether fear furprized him, or, as he faid himself, he could not get his body out of the window, being full-chefted; he tarried behind, &c. and efcaped not. Many fuch misfortunes attended him; fo that one may truly fay, he was Regum infeliciffimus. Some affirm before his death feveral prodigies appeared. All I obferved long time before, was, that there appeared almoft in every year after 1646, feveral parelia, or mock-funs; fometimes two, fometimes three. So alfo mock-moons, or parafalenes, which were the greatest prodigies I ever obferved or feared. He was beheaded, Jan. 30, 1648.

After the execution, his body was carried to Windfor, and buried with Henry the VIIIth. in the fame vault where his body was lodged. Some, who faw him embowelled, affirm, had he not come unto this untimely end, he might have lived, according unto nature, even unto the height of old age.

Many have curiously enquired who it was that cut off his head: I have no permiffion to speak of such things; only thus much I fay, he that did it, is as valiant and refolute a man as lives, and one of a competent fortune.

King Charles being dead, and fome foolish citizens going a whoring after his picture or image, formerly fet up in the Old Exchange; the parliament made bold to take

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hand, and carried me to the fouth window faith he, Thefe are all mistaken; they have not named the man that did the fact; it was • Lieutenant Colonel Joyce; I was in the room when he fitted himfelf for the work; ftood behind him when he did it; when done, went in again with him: There is no man knows this but my 'mafter, viz. Cromwell, Commiffary Ireton, and myself.' Doth not Mr. Rushworth know it 'faid I. No, he doth not know it,' faith Spavin. The fame thing Spavin fince had often related unto me when we were alone.

[To clear up the foregoing paffage, with respect to the perfon who was the king's executioner, we shall prefent our readers with Lilly's examination, (as related by himself) before the first parliament of Charles the Second, in June 1660.] At my first appearance, many of the young members affronted me highly, and demanded feveral fcurrilous questions. Mr. Wefton held a paper before his mouth; bade me anfwer nobody but Mr. Prinn ; I obeyed his command, and faved myfelf much trouble thereby; and when Mr. Prinn put any difficult or doubtful query unto me, Mr. Wefton prompted me with a fit an fwer. At laft, after almoft one hour's tugging, I defired to be fully heard what I could fay as to the perfon who cut King Charles the Firft's head off. Liberty being given me to fpeak, I related what follows, viz. That the next Sunday but one after Charles the firft was beheaded, Robert Spavin,Secretary unto Lieutenant General Cromwell at that time, invited himself to dine with me, and brought Anthony Pierfon, and fevaral others, along with him to dinner; That their principal discourse all dinner-time, was only, who it was that beheaded the king; one said it was the common hangman; another, Hugh Peters; others also were nominated, but none concluded. Robert Spavin, fo foon as dinner was done, took me by the

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Of the Duke of Marlborough. From the Earl of Chesterfield's Letters.

F all the men that I ever knew

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in my life (and I knew him extremely well) the late Duke of Marlborough poffeffed the graces in the highest degree, not to fay engroffed them; and indeed he got the most by them; for I will venture (contrary to the custom of profound hiftorians, who always affign deep caufes for great events) to afcribe the better half of the Duke of Marlborough's greatness and riches to thofe graces. He was eminently illiterate; wrote bad English, and fpelled it ftill worse. He had no fhare of what is commonly called Parts; that is, he had no brightnefs, nothing fhining in his genius. He had, molt undoubtedly, an excellent good plain understanding, with found judgment. But thefe, alone, would probably have raised him but fomething higher than they found him; which was page to King James the

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fecond's

fecond's queen. There the graces protected and promoted him; for, while he was an enfign of the guards, the Duchefs of Cleveland, then favourite miftrefs to King Charles the IId. ftruck by those very graces, gave him five thousand pounds; with which he immediately bought an annuity for his life, of five hundred pounds a year, of my grandfather Halifax; which was the foundation of his fubfequent fortune. His figure was beautiful; but his manner was irresistible, by either man or woman. It was by this engaging, graceful manner, that he was enabled, during all his war, to connect the various and jarring powers of the grand alliance, and to carry them to the main object of the war, notwithstanding their private and feparate views, jealoufies, and wrong-headedneffes. Whatever court he went to, (and he was often obliged to go himfelf to fome refty and refractory ones) he as conftantly prevailed, and brought them into his meafures. The Penfionary Heinfius, a venerable old minifter, grown grey in bufinefs, and who had governed the Republic of the United Provinces for more than forty years, was abfolutely governed by the duke of Marlborough, as that Republic feels to this day. He was always cool; and nobody ever observed the leaft variation in his countenance; he could refufe more gracefully than other people could grant; and those who went away from him the moft diffatisfied, as to the fubftançe of their bufinefs, were yet perfonally charmed with him, and, in fome degree, comforted by his manner. With all his gentleness and gracefulness, no man living was

more conscious of his fituation, nor maintained his dignity better.

Curious Account of the Highland Rob bers. From Mr. Pennant's Voyage to the Hebrides.

T

HERE is not an inftance

of any country having made fo fudden a change in its morals as this I have juft vifited, and the vaft tract intervening between these coafts and Loch-nefs. Security and civilization poffefs every part; yet, thirty years have not elapfed fince the whole was a den of thieves, of the most extraordinary kind. They conducted their plundering excurfions with the utmost policy, and reduced the whole art of theft into a regular fyftem. From habit it loft all the appearance of criminality; they confidered it as labouring in their vocation; and, when a party was formed for any expedition against their neighbour's property, they, and their friends, prayed as earnestly to heaven for fuccefs, as if they were engaged in the moft laudable defign.

The conftant petition at grace of the old Highland chieftains, was delivered, with great fervour, in these terms: "Lord! Turn the world upfide down, that Chriftians may make bread out of it." The plain English of this pious request was, That the world might become, for their benefit, a scene of rapine and confufion.

They paid a facred regard to their oath; but as fuperftition muft, among a fet of banditti, infallibly fuperfede piety; each, like the diftinct cafts of Indians, had his particular object of veneration: one

would

would fwear upon his dirk, and dread the penalty of perjury; yet make no fcruple of forfwearing himself upon the bible: a fecond would pay the fame refpect to the name of his chieftain : a third again world be moft religiously bound by the facred book: and a fourth, regard none of the three, and be credited only if he fwore by his crucifix. It was always neceffary to discover the inclination of the perfon before you put him to the tett if the object of his veneration was mistaken, the oath was of no fignification.

The greatest robbers were used to preferve hofpitality to those that came to their houfes, and, like the wild Arabs, observed the ftrictest honour towards their guests, or thofe that put implicit confidence in them. The Kennedies, two common thieves, took the young Pretender under protection, and kept him with faith inviolate, notwith tanding they knew an immenfe reward was offered for his head. They often robbed for his fupport, and, to fupply him with linen, they once furprized the baggage-horfes of one of our general officers. They often went in difguife to Inverness to buy provifions for him. At length, a very confiderable time after, one of these poor fellows, who had virtue to refift the temptation of thirty thousand pounds, was hanged for stealing a cow, value thirty fhillings.

The greatest crime among thefe felons, was that of infidelity among themselves. The criminal underwent a fummary trial, and, if convicted, never miffed of a capital punishment. The chieftain had his officers, and different departments of government; he had his judge,

to whom he entrusted the decifion of all civil difputes; but, in criminal caufes, the chief, affifted perhaps by fome favourites, always undertook the process.

The principal men of his family,' or his officers, formed his council; where every thing was debated refpecting their expeditions. Eloquence was held in great efteem among them, for by that they could fometimes work on their chieftain to change his opinion; for, notwithstanding he kept the form of a council, he always referved the decifive vote in himself.

When one man had a claim on another, but wanted power to make it good, it was held lawful for him to fteal from his debtor as many cattle as would fatisfy his demand, provided he fent notice (as foon as he got out of reach of pursuit) that he had them, and would return them, provided fatisfaction was made on a certain day agreed on.

When a craach, or great expedition had been made against distant herds, the owners, as foon as difcovery was made, rose in arms, aud with all their friends, made inftant purfuit, tracing the cattle by their track for perhaps fcores of miles. Their nicety in diftinguishing that of their cattle from thofe that were only cafually wandering, or driven, was amazingly fagacious. As foon as they arrived on an estate where the track was loft, they immediately attacked the proprietor, and would oblige him to recover the track from his land forwards, or to make good the lofs they had fuftained. This cuftom had the force of law, which gave the Highlanders this furprizing skill in the art of tracking.

It has been obferved before, that to steal, rob, and plunder with dexterity, was esteemed as the higheft act of heroism. The feuds between the great families was one great caufe. There was not a chieftain but that kept, in fome remote valley in the depth of woods and rocks, whole tribes of thieves in readiness to let loose against his neighbours; when, from fome public or private reafon, he did not judge it expedient to refent openly any real or imaginary affront. From this motive the greater chief. tain-robbers always fupported the leffer, and encouraged no fort of improvement on their eftates but what promoted rapine.

The greatest of the heroes in the laft century, was Sir Ewin Cameron. He long refifted the power of Cromwell, but, at length, was for ced to fubmit. He lived in the neighbourhood of the garrifon fixed by the ufurper at Inver lochy. His vaffals perfifted in their thefts, 'till Cromwell fent orders to the commanding officer, that, on the next robbery, he fhould feize on the chieftain, and execute him in twenty-four hours, in cafe the thief was not delivered to justice. act of rapine foon happened: Sir Ewin received the meflage; who, inftead of giving himself the trouble of looking out for the offender, laid hold of the first fellow he met with, fent him bound to Inverlochy, where he was inftantly hanged. Cromwell, by this feverity, put a stop to thofe exceffes, till the time of the restoration, when they were renewed with double violence, till the year 1745.

An

Rob-Roy Macgregor was another diftinguished hero, in the latter end of the laft, and the beginning

of the prefent century. He contributed greatly towards forming his profeffion into a science, and eftablishing the police above-mentioned. The duke of Montrofe unfor, tunately was his neighbour: RobRoy frequently faved his grace the trouble of collecting his rents: used to extort them from the tenants, and, at the fame time, give them formal discharges. But it was nei, ther in the power of the duke, or of any of the gentlemen he plundered, to bring him to juftice, fo ftrongly protected was he by feveral great men to whom he was useful. Roy had his good qualities: he spent his revenue generously; and, ftrange to fay, was a true friend to the widow and crphan.

Every period of time gives new. improvement to the arts. A fon of Sir Ewen Cameron refined on those of Rob-Roy, and instead of diffipating his gains, accumulated wealth. He, like Jonathan Wild the Great, never ftole with his own hands, but conducted his commerce with an addrefs, and to an extent unknown before. He employed feveral companies, and fet the more adroit knaves at their head; and never fuffered merit to go unre. warded. He never openly received their plunder; but employed agents to purchase from them their cattle. He acquired confiderable poperty, which he was forced to leave be, hind, after the battle of Culloden gave the fatal blow to all their greatnefs.

The laft of any eminence was the celebrated Barrifdale, who carried thefe arts to the highest pitch of perfection befides exalting all the common practices, he improved that article of commerce, called the black-meal, to a degree beyond what

was

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