rule. When they saw me, therefore, come over from the French side, the conclusion was almost inevitable that I was a spy; and the evidence of my innocence must have been very strong, indeed, to have countervailed this potent presumption against it. My judges, as I have said, looked dubiously in each other's faces. After all,' at length began one-for they spoke openly before me-it is possible that at the time the young man passed, the enemy had really not taken up their position, in which case, you know, there would have been no hindrance offered to his passing: so that you see there is a possibility-mind, I say merely a possibility, for I don't build much on it--but there is a possibility of his having come over innocently, and without being aware of the danger.'

"I think you do well,' said another, not to make too much of your possibility; yet I confess myself perplexed. Appearances are desperately against the prisoner; and yet his own appearance and manner are as much in his favour as those of any man I ever saw. This I will say-either he is innocent or a most accomplished knave, and an infinitely more dangerous villain than a hundred such poor caitiffs as we took yesterday. If he be a spy, he is a perfect one.'

"I think,' remarked the former speaker, such a mere youth could hardly be such an adept in dissimulation: moreover, he is a Suabian by his tongue; and that is a people that have more of the ox than of the fox in them.'

"I see no great difficulty,' observed a third, in dealing with this matter: try five and twenty lashes for a beginning. My life on it, the provostmarshal will bring more truth out of the kerl in five minutes, than all your cross-examining will do in as many months.'

"I was now led back to my prison, and occupied myself with thinking over the necessary proofs of my innocence. At this time came to my recollection a story which had been told me in Switzerland, by one Böschel, of Pirna: it was to this effect. During the siege of Dresden, which took place in the seven years' war, communications were secretly carried on between that town

and Pirna; and the Pirna people having on one occasion hired a young girl of fifteen years of age, for a few groschen, to carry to Dresden one of their despatches, of the contents or nature of which she had not an idea; both the mission and its innocent bearer fell into the hands of the besiegers, who forthwith hung the poor child.

"The recollection of this story now depressed me; and when I reflected on the so called hussar-justice,' known to be acted upon particularly in spy trials, on the absence of any sufficing proofs of my innocence, and on the speedy effect which the torture of the lash would have, to wring from me a false confession of guilt, I saw, as I thought, that my hours were numbered; and the only consolation I had was in calling to mind, that shooting, as I had heard, was a speedy and not painful mode of execution, and that to suffer unjustly was, after all, no such unheard-of or unexampled fate.

"The prison, as I have said before, was situated within the precincts of the main-guard: it had on the outer sides three strong walls, and on the inner an iron grating, before which the sentries on guard paced to and fro. I had not long been led back from my examination, when a number of soldiers crowded to this grating, pushing and shouldering their way to gaze on us as if we had been wild beasts.

"One of these unlucky devils is to be shot this evening, or at day-break to-morrow,' said one of our specta

tors.

"Serve 'em right,' growled another, with many other the like sympathizing speeches. However, they were presently turned away, and no further molestation of the kind was permitted to be offered us. As for me, I knew that, as I had not yet been pronounced guilty, mine could not be the execution thus spoken of as so near: nevertheless, the impression the scene had made on me was far from agreeable.

"Still I had nothing for it but to accommodate myself as well as I could to my destiny; and I will say this, that I had at least no feeling of unmanly terror: I did not fear to die; what grieved me most was, that I should be thrust out of the world ig

nominiously, and as one of the most abandoned of men.

"A short time elapsed, and I was called to a further examination. On entering the guard-room, I noticed a certain grating which had not appeared there on the former occasion. What this boded, I could but too well divine: nevertheless, I felt no violent discomposure; only I was sensible all at once of a peculiar burning heat under the tongue, nowise painful, but which has so branded itself on me that I retain to this day a distinct and lively impression of it.

"Once more I was questioned on the subjects relating to my position, but naturally with a result as little satisfactory to the court as before it was resolved, therefore, to proceed without further delay to the experiment of the lash, and orders were given that I should forthwith be seized up to the grating aforementioned. That moment I felt a new spirit possess me: I was another man. Every trace of fear, all trepidation, all inquietude was gone. With an undaunted mind, I looked my judges in the face, and asked for one moment's speech before the putting of their purpose into execution. With some roughness (for they were impatient) they asked me what I had to say, and I spoke with emphasis as follows:

"Sirs! I am a travelling handicraftsman, not accustomed to being flogged; and therefore my determination is, at the very first stripe I receive, to cry guilty! false as the word will be; for I can foresee plainly enough, that once tied up to that grating, I shall find no compassion, and have no other prospect but to perish in the painfullest way. If, sirs, you have found, up to this moment, either in my papers or in my words, the faintest trace of a justification of your suspicions, I only pray you to have me shot at once. If you have found nothing of the kind, and want only to force me by torture to confess myself what you choose to consider me, you will attain your aim, it is true, but you will have blackened an honest man's name, and you will go to battle, to-morrow or the day after, with innocent blood on your hands.'

"There was a pause; and the officers looked upon me with a grave and

to

sad expression: for that time I was led back to my prison unscourged. About an hour and a half had elapsed, when the provost-marshal came usher me once more into the presence of my judges; and on this occasion I was no more flanked, as before, by the dragoons, with their drawn sabres. For the last time was the interrogatory addressed to me, whither I was on my way; and I answered, as before, to Dresden, by the nearest route, namely, by Chemnitz and Friedberg. My passport was handed me, the route duly marked upon it; every thing that had been taken from me was returned; and I was dismissed with the advice not to be too ready another time to thrust myself in between two armies on the point of engagement. A soldier was given me for escort, with orders to conduct me to the distance of a league and a half behind the Prussian lines: thence I was at liberty to pursue my way without restraint.

It was but a few days after my liberation-namely, the fourteenth of October, 1806-that the battle of Jena, so disastrous to the Prussian arms, was fought.

"And now, sirs, I ask you, are the concerns of men indeed abandoned to the sport of a blind haphazard? Consider it to my very great annoyance, I had forgot to re-possess myself of my second passport, which had been taken from me by my host, at Newstadt on the Aisch. But had this not taken place-had I been apprehended by the Prussians with two passports, varying in their accounts of me or my person that power is not on earth that could have saved me from the ignominious fate of the vilest of traitors.

"I can only pity the sceptic, who will, no doubt, say it was a mere chance that my passport was kept back from me. Never in my life, besides, was my passport taken from me by an innkeeper: how little likely such a thing is to happen, they who have travelled most will be best able to judge. And supposing your passport were thus taken away, how much more unlikely still were it that you should forget at parting to ask for it, or your host forget to return it!

"No! I say again, with the proofs I have of a good Providence ordering

the affairs of men, I should merit to be reproached, by infidels themselves, as a soul incapable of gratitude, could I believe my steps to be directed by no higher, no holier power than my own poor prudence, or than blind chance. And so, gentlemen, that is my story; and I crave your pardon for troubling you with it; but it has turned out longer than I counted on."

While the Suabian spoke, the tailor had applied himself, as if there had been nine of him, right manfully to the

Aud

gay

THE trouble and heaviness of spirit by which, on his elevation to the papacy, Hildebrand was disquieted, denotes an intellect of no vulgar order. Common minds are often betrayed by the flatteries of a transient prosperity into a thoughtlessness of unseen, although impending, dangers. The mind of Hildebrand was not of this stamp, else would it have been elated, not depressed, by elevation to an office which all the ambitious of the priestly order coveted to fill, effected under circumstances so extraordinary and so encouraging as those which Mr. Bowden has described.

"On the day following that of Alexander's decease, the dignified clergy of the Roman church stood, with the archdeacon, round the bier of the departed pontiff, in the patriarchal church of the Lateran. The funeral rites were in progress, and Hildebrand, it is probable, was taking a leading part in the celebration of these solemn ceremonies. But suddenly, from the body of the building, which had been filled to overflowing by the lower clergy and people, burst forth the cry of Hildebrand.' A thousand voices instantly swelled the sound Hildebrand shall be pope.' 'St. Peter chooses our Archdeacon Hildebrand.' These, and cries like these, rang wildly through the church; the ceremonies were interrupted; and the officiating clergy paused in suspense. The subject of this tumult, recovering from a momentary stupor, rushed into a pulpit, and thence, while his gestures implored silence, attempted to address the agitated assembly. But the attempt was vain; the uproar continued; and it was not until they perceived the cardinal presbyter Hugo Candidus coming forward, and soliciting their attention, that the multitude suffered their cries to subside.

"Brethren,' said the cardinal, 'ye know, and as it appears, ye acknowledge that from the time of our holy father Leo, Hildebrand, our archdeacon, has proved himself a man of discretion and

probity; that he has exalted the dignity of the Roman church, and rescued our Roman city from most imminent dangers. We can find no man more fitting to be entrusted with the future defence of our church or state; and we, the cardinal bishops, do, with one voice, elect Hildebrand to be henceforth your spiritual pastor and our own.'

·

"The joyous cries of the populace arose anew. The cardinal, bishops, and clergy approached the object of their choice, to lead him towards the apostolic throne. We choose,' they cried to the people, for our pastor and pontiff, a devout man; a man skilled in interpreting the Scriptures; a distinguished lover of equity and justice; a man firm in adversity, and temperate in prosperity; a man, according to the sayings of the apostles, of good behaviour, blameless, modest, sober, chaste, given to hospitality, and one that ruleth well his own house. A man from his childhood generously brought up in the bosom of this mother church, and from the merit of his life, already raised to the archdeaconal dignity. We choose, namely, our Archdeacon, Hildebrand, to be pope, and successor to the apostle, and to bear henceforward, and for ever, the name of Gregory.' The pope elect, upon this, was forthwith invested, by eager hands, with the scarlet robe and tiara of pontifical dignity; and placed, notwithstanding his gestures of reluctance, and even his tears, upon the throne of the apostle. The cardinals approached him with obeisance, and the people, with shouts yet louder and more joyous than before, repeated the designation of their new pontiff, and tumultuously testified their gratification."-Vol. i. p. 314.

An election such as this would have relieved the mind from ordinary apprehensions; it would have raised the pontiff, in whose favour all interests and all passions seemed to conspire, above the fear of conspiracy and disaffection: the difficulties and the resistance contemplated by Hildebrand, were of a nature to which it could not

VOL. XX. No. 117.

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