in good health, and no ill accident attended the mother in her travail.

Difquifit. Anat. Ch. 3, p. 84.

In St. Martin's church, in Leicester, is this remarkable infcription: Here lies the body of John Heyrick, of this Parish, who departed this life April 2, 1589, aged about 76 years. He married Mary, the daughter of John Bond, of Ward-end, in the county of Warwick, Efq. he lived with the faid Mary in one house fifty-two years, and, in half that time never buried man, woman, or child, though there were fometimes twenty in his houfhold. He had iffue by the faid Mary five fons and feven daughters. He was mayor of this town in 1559, and in 1572. Mary lived to 97 years, and departed September 8, 1611. She faw before her death, of her children, and children's children, and their children, to the number of 142.

The Lady Hefter Temple, daughter of Miles Sands, Efq. and wife of Sir Thomas Temple, of Stowe, in the county of Buckinghamshire, Bart. had four fons and nine daughters, from whom defcended, before the lady's death, 700 children.

Fuller's Worthies of Buckinghamshire, p. 138.

G. G.

Inftances of EXTRAORDINARY Courage.

A PERSON unnamed in hiftory, having confpired to murder Malcolm, King of Scots, who was a truly valiant prince, the king took no notice of it, fo as to punish the traitor by law; but, being one day a hunting, he singled out the fellow, and taking him into a remote place from the rest of the company, faid, "Here is a convenient time and place for thee to do that like a bold man, that thou designeft to do bafely and cowardly. Draw thy fword then, and if thou can't kill me, being alone, thou art out of danger

EDWARD I. KING OF ENGLAND, &c.

167

of punishment, because there is nobody to accufe thee;" which words being spoken with an undaunted courage, ftruck fuch terror into the intended affaffin, that he fell down at the king's feet, and humbly begged his pardon; which the king granting him, he became a very ferviceable fubject to the king the whole term of his future life. Bak. Chron. p. 47, 48.

A calao, who had been fome time tutor to Tham, King of China, ingratiated himself into the favour of that monarch by acting the part of a flatterer, telling the king what he knew would please him, and omitting what was fit for him to know; which generally offended the Chinois, one of the captains took the courage to go to the king, and, kneeling before him, the king demanded "what he would have?" "Leave," faid the captain, " to cut off the head of a flattering courtier that abuses you." "And who is that man?" said the king. "The calao that stands near you," faid the captain. "What," faid the king in a great paffion, "would't thou cut off my master's head in my fight too? take him from my prefence, and chop off his head immediately." The officers laying hold of him in order to execute the king's command, he laid hold of a wooden balanfter, which, with their pulling, and his holding faft, broke afunder; and the king's anger by that time being abated, he commanded they fhould let the captain alone, and that the balanfter should be mended, and not a new one put in its place; "That it might remain to perpetuity as a memorial that one of his fubjects had the courage and fidelity (with the hazard of his life) to advise the king what he ought to do for his own and the people's fafety."

Alvarez. Semed. Hift. China, part 1, p. 109.

Edward I. King of England, commanding several of his -lords to go to the wars in Gascoign, and they all making apologies to excufe themselves, the king fell into fuch a

paffion,

paffion, that he fwore they fhould go, or he would difpofe the lands to fuch as would. Humphrey Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and High Constable of England, and Robert Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, Lord Marshal of England, being prefent, told the king, "They were not obliged to go to war out of their country, unless his majefty went in perfon; and if he did, they would attend him, but not otherwise;" whereupon the king, in a great rage, replied, "By God, Sir Earl, you fhall either go or hang!" "By God, Sir King," faid the Earl Marfhal, "I will neither go nor hang!" and fo went away without leave, affembled many noblemen and other friends, and ftood in their own defence; and the king, like a prudent prince, who knew his times, infifted no more upon that matter, and the noble men laid down their arms.

Hift. England, Vol. 1, p. 174.

L. Sylla, finding his army almost broken to pieces, and ready to give way, in a battle against Archelaus, general of King Mithridates, difmounted, laid hold of an enfign, and rushed among his enemies, crying out, "Here, Roman foldiers, I refolve to die, though you, fhould leave me; and, if any man hereafter shall afk you where and how you left your general, tell them you left him fighting alone, in the field of Orchomenum." The foldiers, afhamed with these words, ftood their ground, renewed the fight, and won the victory.

Fulgos, Ex. Ch. 2, p. 301.

Henry, Earl of Holfatia, furnamed Iron, by reason of his extraordinary ftrength and courage, being a favourite to Edward III. King of England, was hated by his courtiers, who, taking advantage of the king's abfence, prevailed with the queen to make trial whether he was nobly defcended, by expofing him to a lion, alledging the lion would not hurt him if he was truly noble. For this purpose a lion. was turned loofe in the night, and Henry, having a night

gown