A very remarkable STORY, related at large in a French Work, entitled Caufes TW Celebres, &c. Tom. VIII. Page 52. WO merchants in the street of St. Honore at Paris, were united by friendship and intereft and of equal fortunes; the one had a fon, and the other a daughter, who were brought up together, and flattered by their parents with the hopes of being united for ever. The happy time was draw ing near, when a man, who had nothing to recommend him but a large fortune, falling in love with the young lady, applied to her relations, and obtained her against her confent, and in fpite of all her intreaties and tears. This misfortune fo fenfibly touched her, that it visibly affected her conftitution; and he was, after a lingering illness, carried off and buried. The Lover, inftead of giving way to defpair, conceived fome hopes, remembering that fhe had once been in a lethargy; he therefore went in the night to the church-yard with the Grave-digger, whom he had bribed, took her out of the grave, brought her to his houfe, and used means, with fuch fuccefs, that she in a very short time recovered. How great her furprise to fee her Lover! It was not difficult to make her fenfible how much fhe was indebted to him. She was foon prevailed upon to forget her former husband, and to think that he who had restored her to life, had the best right to it. Soon after they thought proper to retire to England, where they remained ten years, when a fancy took them to go back to their native country. The old husband, foon ter their arrival, met her in a public walk; and, notwithftan ling his furprize, accofted her: he knew her again, and though ten years had made fome alteration in her perfon, and the endeavoured to conceal herself by altering her voice, he claimed her, and profecuted his right before a Court of Judicature. The Lover, on the contrary, endeavoured to fupport his right, by urging, that if it had not been for his care the lady in queftion would have been in her grave; that his antagonist had forfeited his right to her, by ordering her to be buried; and that he might even be charged with a defire to get rid of her, fince he had not waited long enough to know whether she was really dead, nor ufed proper means to awaken her out of her lethargy. But all this was in vain; the lawyers feemed deaf to the reafonings fuggefted by love; and the young couple, thinking it no longer fafe to truft to their decifion, quitted the kingdom, and paffed the remainder of their days in foreign countries. To the EDITOR of the OXFORD MAGAZINE. SIR, AS governments are inflituted for the pence of the many; it is an act of the general welfare of mankind, and not to aggrandize the few at the ex worft tendency in thofe men who are inftructed with the power of governing, to 22 On the Nature and Inftitution of Government. to fet at defiance the body from whom the origin of that power is derived; for notwithstanding their exalted fituation, yet, properly confidered, they are only the fervants of the people, and as fuch are more than fufficiently gratified; for after all their hoafted loyalty to their fovereign, and their pretended uprightnefs to their country, I cannot find that they ever performed any national bufinefs, without receiving more than an adequate gratuity. It is plain, therefore, that being employed to ferve the public, and being paid by the public, there cannot be any impropriety in calling them the fervants of the people. As I have thus prefumed to expatiate on the nature and inftitution of government, as well as on the fituation of its ministers, it may not be amifs to explain how far their actions may justly claim our veneration and efteem: to obtain the national applaufe, their rule of action must flow, Firft, from a principle of difinterestedness: Secondly, they muft have no other object in view, but the welfare of their country: Thirdly, in all foreign negociation they must fupport the honour of the crown, and the intereft of the people, with inflexible firmnefs and integrity, fo as to exact the conviction of foreigners to the virtuous fuperiority of Englishmen as ftate fimen, warriors, and legiflators. Faurthly, civil lifts must be lefs required, and when granted better applied: And left, the right of election, the liberty of the prefs, the habeas corpus act, and tryal by juries, must be fuffered to exift on a conftitutional bafis: and every attempt to infringe them must be a voided, as the inolt criminal act of political facrilege. When a particular attention is paid by adminiftration to the different political admonition thus given, it will be then and then only they will merit the just applaufe of their country: actions like thefe will claim the brightelt page in the annals of history; and pofterity of courfe will view fo virtuous a flame of patriotifin with its deferved etteem and veneration. Fut, alas, when we view the present fituation of this country we shall find the great body of people unhappily at ya iance with their public fervants. We fhall find that few of the many inestimable privileges of the people remain unviolated. We fhall find that the many petitions and remonftrances lately prefented to the fovereign, enumerating the various grievances of the kingdom, and praying a redrefs, are rendered ineffectual through the treacherous infinuations of evil minded minifters, who have laboured indefatigably in reprefenting the juft complaints of millions imaginary. No part of the regal prerogative whatever clains an equality with the pre-eminent power of redreffing the complaints of the people, and of pardoning criminals who have been fentenced to death by the legal decifion of Juries; this part of the prerogative is fo facred, that it approaches nearly to divinity. I have fufficiently explained the indifferent reception of the former, and as to the latter it is faid with fome certainty, that intereft has overpowered juftice, that is, mercy has been exercised without juftice, and I apprehend that mercy without juftice, in cafes of murder, is injus tice. The pernicious councils of the junto have already diffufed fuch a spirit of difcord through the land, that it requires a miracle to bring matters to their original state of tranquility. The miniftry have excited the just hatred of the peopi, by their numerous unconftitutional measures, and nothing but the interpofition of the magistrates, on fome late occafions, prevented their falling victims to popular fury. They have covered their arbitrary proceedings with the pretended fanction of their fovereign, who has shared fome part of their ignominy by being treated with indecency in his very capital. In fact, from a variety of recent occurrences, it is apparently clear to me, that a minifter who treats his fellow fubjects with contempt, will always avail hinfelf of every opportunity to extend the prerogative of the crown. How neceffary is it then for the people to be particularly watchful, and use every precaution to defend and preferve their liberties inviolate? I believe every man who has the good of his country at heart, would always wish to fee a fpirit of refiftence arife in proportion On the Nature and Inftitution of Government. proportion to the weight of oppreffion felt by the people; a conftitutional fpirit of refiftance has often faved this country from ruin; it was this antidote of defpotism that drove the tyrant James the fecond from a throne he was unworthy to poffefs; it was this glorious fpecific that glowed in the breafts of the virtuous affertors of liberty during that interesting period, and brought over our great deliverer William the third; it was this which elevated him to the honourable office of our chief magiftrate, and fecured the fupreme authority to the illuftrious houfe of Brunfwick; and I hope that the virtuous struggle of the prefent age will eftablish the family and the conftitution on fo permanent a footing, as to rendea them impregnable against the united attacks of the jacobite and tory factions. Few writers in the cause of liberty are exempted from the illiberal attacks of this defpicable faction :---They and their hirelings are very affiduous in their calumny: They roundly affert that every man who oppofes their daring encroachment is of republican principles, and of course an enemy to monarchical government: Thy never fuppofe that Hattery and ill advice to Kings is as injurious to themselves as it is dangerous to the conftitution.---Do they confider the fatal confequence of driving the people to an extremity? Can they view, without horror, a brave and refolute nation driven into the fate of nature through their ill advice and bad conduct? Do they ever drop a tear over the tragical fate of a Mortimer, a Spencer, or a Strafford? Surely they are well acquainted with the hiftorical facts of thofe times; and I fhould hope the inftructions they might reap from them, would fufficiently warn them from adopting the fame meatures---for what has been may be. The doctrine of paffive obedience and non-refiftance they would with to inculcate: They infinuate that the measures of government, right or wrong, are out of the province of the people, and that the people are incapable of judging. Perhaps from this fource fprung the answer to the last London Petition and remonftrance, where the people, in 23 prefenting their juft complaints to the throne, are charged with being deluded and misled, or more properly expreffed: "You are fools, you cannot judge when you are aggrieved." Altho' before I proceed, I must pay a little regard to courtly merit, it is very likely the words deluded and misled were meant in the literal fenfe they were to convey to the honeft and injured citizens the true ftate of their cafe: For the word deladed means no more than, "You are "cheated, you are deceived;" and indeed we are, but it is by the courtiers themtelves: In this fenfe had much right to tack it to the word mifled, for that word means, "You are feduced. you are led wrong;" which was actually the fact, in applying to them for redress who are the immediate authors of all our grievances. And can it be expected, if they are judges in their own caufes, that they fhall judge any otherwife than for themselves? No; their fafety depends on their non-compliance with the prayer of our petitions and remonstrances. From what I have obferved, it is very evident that no redress can be expected from that quarter, and from this event we may further add, that our fituations is truly difmal: On one fide we behold an injured people, on the other fide we behold a throne furrounded by men who have proved themselves enemies to the public liberty, and who exult in being fupported by a H---- of C confifting chiefly of their dependents, and tinctured with the fame pernicious principles.---It will be easily understood from hence, that the grand prerogative of addrefling grievances will naturally revert into the hands of the people; and as nothing political will claim their attention more than their choice of honeft reprefentatives, it behoves them, at the next General Election, to guard against bribery and corruption as they would against a plague, or a peftilence-It was this evil that diffolved the greatest empires in the univerfe, and funk them into the most abject state of poverty and slavery; witnefs the Roman and Grecian empires: It is from this evil we may dread the most fatal confequence.--The luxury and corruption of the times call a loud 24 Account of the Execution of Lady Jane Gray. loud on the virtuous for refiftance, for correction. It is therefore an object of the last importance to the electors of this kingdom, to be particularly circumfpect in choring men of approved whiggih principles: Men of virtue, hating corruption: Men who will place their greatest glory in promoting the true interef of their country. Men endued with this excellency will employ the power delegated to them as a real bulwark of the liberties of the people. They will refore parliament to its original purity, by fhortening its duration from feptennial to annual: They will refcue an amiable monarch from his prefent lamentable fituation, and by their juftice and virtue reinftate him in the true affection and hearts of his fubjects: They will co-operate with every just meafure of the crown, and will powerfully check every arbitrary attempt of its minitte: The great national criminals will tremble at an affembly rendered illuftrious by its justice; and that every patriotic measure may fpeédily take place is the great wish of A friend to conflitutional liberty. For the OXFORD MAGAZINE. The ALARM; IT or an Account of the Execution of LADY JANE GRAY. (With a reprefentation of that horrid affair annexed.) T is univerfally allowed, by every true lover of his country, that a few executions upon Tower hill, would be of infinite fervice to the community; but the following relation of the unhappy fate of the Lady Jane Grey, will furnish the ader with one among the many inftances, where innocence has been punished, while infamy has been greatly rewarded. Lady Jane Grey received the notice to prepare for immediate death with marks of real joy; and when Dr. Fecknam exhorted her to embrace the Catholic Religion, fhe told him, the had no time to enter into religious controverfies. He, mistaking her meaning, prevailed upon the Queen to reprieve her for three days; but, when he was informed of this refpite, the affured him it was far from being agreeable to her wishes. Then he difputed with her on different points of doctrine, concerning which the argued with uncommon ftrength of reafon, difplaying a furprizing fund of knowledge. Her husband had obtained leave to take his laft farewell of her, but he would not confent to fuch an interview, left it should shake their mutual fortitude: She neverthelefs viewed him through the window as he went to execution, and even faw his headless body brought back in a cart, to be interred in the Tower-chapel. She herself, in two hours after his execution, fuffered on a fcaffold within the fortrefs, left her fate should excite dangerous commotions among the populace. The lieutenant of the Tower, begging fhe would favour him with fome memorial, fhe prefented him with tablets, in which he had written three fhort fentences in the Greek and Latin languages, declaring her own innocence. In her way to the fcaffold fhe faluted the fpectators with equal affability and compofure, holding Fecknam by the hand. When the reached the fcene of her fuffering, the embraced him affectionately, faying, "God will requite you, Good Sir, for your humanity to me: Though it gave me more uneafinefs than all the terrors of approaching death." Then, turning to the fpectators, fhe obferved, that innocence was no excufe for facts that tended to the prejudice of the public. Having fpent a little time in devotion, her female attendants took off her gown, and the ornaments of her head and neck, and covered her eyes with an handkerchief. Thus prepared, the laid her head on the block, and encouraged the executioner, who hefitated to do his office; which at length he performed; her fate drawing tears from the eyes of all the fpectators, even those who were zealously attached to Queen Mary. Τα |