As he came down, he met Lord Cavendish, and took leave of him ; but remembering something of importance, he went back to him, and spoke to him with great earnestness. He pressed him anxiously to apply himself more to religion; and told him what great comfort and support he felt from it now in his extremity. Such was his last advice and farewell to his dearest friend. He went into his coach with great cheerfulness. Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Burnet accompanied him. As they were going, he looked about him, and knew several persons. Some he saw staring on him, who knew him, and did not put off their hats. He said, there was great joy in some, but that did not touch him so much as the tears he observed in the eyes of others; for that, he said, made him tender. He sung within himself, as he went along; and Dr. Burnet asking him what he was singing, he said it was the 119th psalm; but he should sing better very soon. As the carriage turned into Little Queen-street, he said, "I have often turned to the other hand with great comfort, but now I turn to this with greater." As he said this, he looked towards his own house, and Dr. Tillotson saw a tear drop from his eye.

Just as they were entering Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, he said, “This has been to me a place of sinning, and God now makes it the place of my punishment." He wondered to see so great a crowd assembled. He had before observed, that it rained, and said to his comhurt that are bare-headed."

panions, "This rain may do you

After all was quiet, he spoke to the sheriff as follows:

"Gentlemen*,

"I expected the noise would be such, that I should not be very well heard. I was never fond of much speaking, much less now; therefore I have set down in this paper all that I think fit to leave behind me. God knows how far I was always from designs against

* The night before he died, he thought of the short speech he was to make on the scaffold. Instead of beginning," Mr. Sheriff," he resolved to begin, "Gentlemen ;" because, he said, he was not truly sheriff. He accordingly did so; but he did not think it worth while to make the same alteration in the paper that was to be printed.—Burnet, MSS.

G G

the King's person, or of altering the government. And I still pray for the preservation of both, and of the Protestant religion. Mr. Sheriff, I am told, that Captain Walcot yesterday said some things concerning my knowledge of the plot: I know not whether the report is true or not."

Mr. Sheriff. “I did not hear him name your lordship."

Writer. "No, my lord, your lordship was not named by any them."

of

Lord Russell." I hope it is not true; for, to my knowledge, I never saw him, nor spake with him, in my whole life: and, in the words of a dying man, I profess I know of no plot, either against the King's life or the government. But I have now done with this world, and am going to a better: I forgive all the world heartily, and I thank God I die in charity with all men; and I wish all sincere Protestants may love one another, and not make way for Popery by their animosities. I pray God forgive them, and continue the Protestant religion amongst them, that it may flourish so long as the sun and moon endure. I am now more satisfied to die than ever I have been."

Then he desired the Dean to pray. After that he spoke a word to the Dean, and gave him his ring, and gave Dr. Burnet his watch, and bid him go to Southampton-House, and to Bedford-House, and deliver the commissions he had given him in charge. In these his last moments, one of his commissions was a message of kind remembrance to one who held the principles in opposition to which he was about to sacrifice his life. This was Mr. Kettlewell, a clergyman, who, for his religious zeal, had been introduced as chaplain into the Earl of Bedford's family, but who held, to their farthest extent, the doctrines of unlimited obedience, and the illegality of resistance under any pretence whatsoever. And he lost no opportunity for explaining and defending these opinions to Lord Russell. "But," says his biographer," although this unfortunate Lord had no very favourable opinion of the English clergy in general, as thinking them, for the most part, a set of men too much bigotted to slavish principles, and

not zealous enough for the Protestant religion, or the common interest of a free nation; yet it is worthy of observation, that the meek and Christian behaviour of Mr. Kettlewell would not suffer him not to have an esteem for him, which he failed not to express, even in his last moments, by sending a message to him from the scaffold, of his kind remembrance of him."*

He then knelt down and prayed three or four minutes by himself. When that was done, he took off his coat and waistcoat. He had brought a night-cap in his pocket, fearing his servant might not get up to him. He undressed himself, and took off his cravat, without the least change of countenance. Just as he was going down to the block, some one called out to make a lane, that the Duke of Albemarle might see; upon which he looked full that way. Dr. Burnet had advised him not to turn about his head when it was once on the block, and not to give a signal to the executioner. These directions he punctually attended to.

“When he had lain down," says Dr. Burnet," I once looked at him, and saw no change in his looks; and though he was still lifting up his hands, there was no trembling, though in the moment in which I looked the executioner happened to be laying his axe to his neck, to direct him to take aim: I thought it touched him, but am sure he seemed not to mind it.”

The executioner, at two strokes, cut off his head. †

• Memoirs of Mr. John Kettlewell, p. 59.

+ The greater part of this account is taken from Dr. Burnet's Journal, published in the General Dictionary, art. Russell, and in MSS. at Woburn. Other particulars are taken from notes in Lady Russell's and Dr. Burnet's hand-writing, also at Woburn. I have always preserved, as near as possible, the form of expression used in the original. For Dr. Burnet's Journal, see Appendix, where it is given at length.

CHAP. XVIII.

CHARACTER OF LORD RUSSELL. SPEECH DELIVERED TO THE SHERIFFS.

VISIT OF DYCKVELT. PATENT OF THE DUKE OF BEDFORD. CHARACTER.

THUS died William Lord Russell, on the 21st of July, 1683, in the 44th year of his age. Few men have deserved better of their country. Though not remarkable for very brilliant talents, he was a man of solid judgment; and was never led astray, by any curious sophistry, to confound the perceptions of right and wrong; to mistake slavery for duty; or to yield to power the homage which is due to virtue. He was a warm friend, not to liberty merely, but to English liberty ; a decided enemy, not only to regal incroachment, but to turbulent innovation. He was a good son, a good husband, a good father, and, like some others whom our own days have seen, united mildness of domestic affection with severity of public principle. His integrity was so conspicuous, as to gain him that ascendant over the minds of men, which is generally reserved for genius. And, although Englishmen have not much reason to be proud of the reign of Charles the Second, they cannot fail to recognize the sound morality of their countrymen, in the respect and confidence which accompanied an honest man contending against the general corruption, and even when opposed by statesmen of conspicuous ability. It is a gratifying thing to find that, even in the scale of popularity, eloquence and wit are outweighed by sense and integrity.

It must be owned, that few politicians have been so little swayed by interest as Lord Russell. Even Sprat, who wrote under the eye of James, for the purpose of defaming those who died for the Rye-House Plot, only attributes to him a too great love of popularity, and an idle fear of losing his abbey lands. And, after the Revolution, he eagerly retracted what he had said of the last speech of Lord Russell; declaring himself convinced of " that noble gentle

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man's great probity and constant abhorrence of falsehood." Evelyn, who was as likely as any man to speak the opinion of his time, says, Every one deplored Essex and Russell, especially the last, as being thought to have been drawn in on pretence only of endeavouring to rescue the King from his present counsellors, and secure religion from Popery, and the nation from arbitrary government, now so much apprehended."

The political opinions of Lord Russell were those of a Whig. His religious creed was that of a mild and tolerant Christian. If, as it must be admitted, he showed a violent animosity to the Roman Catholics, to an extent which cannot be justified, it must be recollected, that his hostility was almost entirely political. The attack which was made upon our constitution appeared in the colours and with the ensigns of Popery; and it was only by resisting the Romish Church, that civil liberty could be secured. He wished our own institutions to be more favourable to dissenters; or, in other words, for a larger comprehension of sects. Had this wish been gratified, the Protestant Church of England would have been strengthened, both against the See of Rome, and against future schism, with the loss only of some slavish doctrines, and a few unimportant ceremonies, which our early reformers never adopted.

It must be owned that the violence of Lord Russell against the Roman Catholics betrayed him into credulity. It was the fault of honest men in that age; and it is singular that, absurd as the story of the Popish plot avowedly is, we have more respect for those who fell into the delusion, than for those who escaped it. And whatever blame may attach to Lord Russell for an excess of political and religious zeal, it cannot be denied that his firmness and perseverance were eminently useful to his country, in a most critical period of her fortunes, and that his example contributed to the establishment of those liberties which he died to vindicate.

The following paper was delivered by Lord Russell to the sheriffs : "I thank God I find myself so composed and prepared for death, and my thoughts so fixed on another world, that I hope in God I am