will for ever do upon, May it please Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness's most humble, and most obedient servant,

Newgate, July 16. 1683.

" WILLIAM RUSSELL."

As he folded up this letter, which was written at the earnest solicitation of his wife, he said to Dr. Burnet," This will be printed, and will be selling about the streets, as my submission, when I am hanged.”

He was, however, by no means disposed to yield in a single article of his opinions, with the wish of saving his life. Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Burnet were in hopes, that if he could be brought to allow that resistance was unlawful, the King would grant him a pardon. With this view, they both used all their influence to persuade him to retract his well-known sentiments on the right and duty of a subject.

On the Monday, which was the first day on which Burnet saw Lord Russell after his trial, he spoke to him on this subject, and though he found him perfectly prepared and steady in his opinion, yet that opinion was so moderate, as to give Dr. Burnet hopes of prevailing with him to allow the absolute illegality of resistance. As he came away, he met Dr. Tillotson, and told him that he believed he had brought Lord Russell to a willingness to declare himself convinced on that point. He desired Dr. Tillotson to go to Lord Halifax, and acquaint him with it, in order that his lordship might relate it to the King in such a manner, as to be the means of saving Lord Russell's life. Lord Halifax did so, and told the Dean that the King seemed to be more moved with it, than by any thing that he had said before. On the Thursday, Dr. Tillotson communicated his satisfaction and his hopes to Lord Russell; but he replied that he was not so clearly convinced as Dr. Tillotson supposed. Dr. Tillotson said he was very sorry for it, because the message had been carried to the King, that he was convinced, and would declare it at his death. Lord Russell answered he was willing to be convinced, but yet could not say he absolutely was. The next morning he showed Dr. Tillotson a passage that he intended to form part of his speech, to be delivered to the sheriffs on the scaffold, in these terms:

"For my part, I cannot deny, but I have been of opinion, that a free nation like this might defend their religion and liberties, when invaded, and taken from them, though under pretence, and colour of law. But some eminent and worthy divines, who have had the charity to be often with me, and whom I value and esteem to a very great degree, have offered me weighty reasons to persuade me, that faith and patience are the proper ways for the preservation of religion; and the method of the Gospel is to suffer persecution, rather than to use resistance. But if I have sinned in this, I hope God will not lay it to my charge, since he knows it was only a sin of ignorance."

Dr. Tillotson was much dissatisfied with this passage, and particularly with the coldness of the concluding paragraph. He felt that he had been the instrument of conveying a wrong impression to the King; so, not having opportunity at that time to urge the matter, he went home, and wrote a paper concerning it, which he brought to Lord Russell. This was on the Friday afternoon, the day before the execution. The paper was in the form of a letter, in the following words:

"My Lord,

"I was heartily glad to see your lordship this morning in that calm and devout temper at receiving the Sacrament. But peace of mind, unless it be well grounded, will avail little. And because transient discourse many times have little effect for want of time to weigh and consider it, therefore, in tender compassion of your lordship's case, and from all the good-will that one man can bear to another, I do humbly offer to your lordship's deliberate thoughts, these following considerations concerning the point of resistance; if our religion and rights should be invaded, as your lordship puts the case, concerning which I understood, by Dr. Burnet, that your lordship had once received satisfaction, and am sorry to find a change.

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First, that the Christian religion doth plainly forbid the resistance of authority.

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Secondly, that though our religion be established by law, (which your lordship argues as a difference between our case, and that of the

primitive Christians,) yet in the same law, which establishes our religion, it is declared, that it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take up arms, &c. Besides that, there is a particular law declaring the power of the militia to be solely in the King. And this ties the hands of subjects, though the law of nature, and the general rules of Scripture, have left us at liberty, which I believe they do not, because the government, and peace of human society, could not well subsist upon these terms.

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Thirdly, your lordship's opinion is contrary to the declared doctrine of all Protestant churches. And though some particular persons have thought otherwise, yet they have been contradicted herein, and condemned for it, by the generality of the Protestants. And I beg of your lordship to consider, how it will agree with an avowed asserting of the Protestant religion, to go contrary to the general doctrine of the Protestants.

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My end in this is to convince your lordship, that you are in a very great and dangerous mistake; and being so convinced, that, which before was a sin of ignorance, will appear of a much more heinous nature, as in truth it is, and call for a very particular and deep repentance; which, if your lordship sincerely exercise upon the sight of your error, by a penitent acknowledgment of it to God and men, you will not only obtain forgiveness of God, but prevent a mighty scandal to the reformed religion.

"I I am very loth to give your lordship any disquiet in the distress you are in, which I commiserate from my heart; but am much more concerned, that you do not leave the world in a delusion and false peace, to the hindrance of your eternal happiness.

"I heartily pray for you, and beseech your lordship to believe, that I am, with the greatest sincerity and compassion in the world,

"My Lord,

"Your Lordship's most faithful,

"And afflicted Servant,

July 20, 1683.

"JOHN TILLOTSON."

Lord Russell, on receiving the paper, went into an inner room, and, after staying some time, upon his return, told the Dean he had read the letter, and was willing to be convinced, but could not say he was so; and hoped God would forgive him, if he were in error. Dr. Tillotson said, he hoped so too, and soon went away. Meeting Dr. Burnet as he came out, he desired him either to prevail upon Lord Russell to go farther, or to strike out the whole paragraph, above cited, from his speech. He went himself to Lord Halifax, to whom he gave his letter, and expressed his regret for having engaged him to make a wrong statement to the King. Upon Dr. Burnet's entering upon the subject, Lord Russell answered, that he could not tell a lie; and if he went farther, he must needs lie. He said, he had not leisure then to study politics. The notion he had of laws, and of the English government, was different from theirs; yet, he said, so far did he submit to them, and to the reasons they had offered him, that he was willing to go so far as he had done, but could not go further without being disingenuous. When Dr. Burnet proposed striking out the whole paragraph, he was very well satisfied to do so, and said his chief reason for putting it in, was to prevent any inconvenience that might come to Tillotson and him. But he often said, that, whatever his opinion might be, in cases of extremity, he was against these ways, and ever thought a parliamentary cure was the proper remedy for all the distempers of the nation; and protested that he, and a few more, had taken much pains to moderate people's heats for three years together, and had ever persuaded their friends to be quiet, and wait for a parliament.*

It will not now be denied, that the opinion which Lord Russell entertained of the duty of a subject, was more correct than that of the two worthy and respectable clergymen who attended him, and his asserting that opinion at a moment so solemn, when a different conduct might perhaps have saved his life, ought to make his memory dear to every friend of freedom.

* Birch's Life of Tillotson. - Burnet's Journal.

CHAP. XVII.

E

THE LAST WEEK OF LORD RUSSELL'S LIFE.- HIS EXECUTION.

We have now to detail the last, but not the least glorious circumstances of Lord Russell's life. During the week which elapsed between his condemnation and his execution, he had full opportunity to exercise the most remarkable virtues of his character, patience, fortitude, affection to his family, love of his country, piety to his God. Perhaps there never was a period in the life of any man, in which so much resignation at the prospect of approaching death was combined with such a zealous consideration of every circumstance which might affect the happiness of mankind. From his first coming to the Tower, he had considered that the sheriff would take care to return such a jury as would condemn him, if the King's counsel should bid them. He had also reflected, that it was probable there might be such a noise at his execution, that he would not be able to say much. So he employed his leisure in framing a paper, to leave behind him, which should contain a large avowal of his sentiments, principles, and conduct. This occupation took up all the hours he was alone, and even induced him to forego, several times, the society of his wife. He discussed the heads of this paper with Dr. Burnet, and afterwards wrote them out fully, with a critical exactness in the choice of every word. Dr. Burnet, who was much with him, has also drawn up a very copious journal of his conversation.

tion.

Of his own death, he spoke with calmness and deliberate resignaHe often said that he had passed over the best part of his life, for he had lived two parts in three; and he could not think that the remaining third would have been as comfortable as the two former had been. He told his wife, that he was so willing to leave