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been said only to deceive him, and since his naming them would cast a slur upon them, he thought he ought to be so tender of their reputation, as not to publish their names. This will shew both the strictness of his conscience, and the soundness of his judgment; and that he would not say a thing, though it was true, in so far as he said it, unless he had believed it was true in itself.

He told me, that for some weeks before the fact was done, he fell under a darkness and stupor in his mind, which he could com. pare to nothing, but the sense a man has when he is half asleep: he continued to say his prayers, but it was only as a child repeats a lesson by rote, for he had no sense of God all that while, and he lamented much, that he had not read any thing in that book of Dilheren's, written much like our Practice of Piety, which he had carried about with him two or three years.

He was so little able to judge of things aright, that he thought he would be free of the crime, if he did it not with his own hand; and, because he abhorred the acting it himself, he fancied he would not be guilty, if he only went in the company of those that were to do it. When the fatal day came, in which it was done, he said, though he was not drunk, yet he was like one drunk, for he was almost stupid; it was on a Lord's day, which he had much and often prophaned, and on that day, in particular, he had not worshipped God neither in publick or private. The captain desired him to go with him, and fight with Mr. Thynn (I think it was near six o'clock at night, but am not sure as to the hour.) He confessed, he believed it was designed to act what followed, for he saw the musquetoon in the hand of the Polander, and he remembered well the use for which it was bought; but he still resolved, that he would do nothing, but fight, if there should be occasion for it. He had delighted much in horses, and had a great opinion, that there was some sagacity in them; so the dulness of his horse in following Mr. Thynn's chariot, all along Pall-Mall, made some impressions on him; for, though he used the spur pretty smartly, yet he could not get him to follow close. That, and a disorder in his own mind, made that he was almost twenty paces behind, when the fire was given, which had that deplorable effect on that unfortunate gentleman. He told me, even that did not awaken him, but his stupor continued so, that some little time past, before he offered to fly away; and then his horse, without the spur, was quick enough. He was not after that affected with it, but spent that night almost as ill as he had done the day; nor was he recovered of that stupidity, till the second day of his imprisonment.

He said he would have writ nothing concerning the fact, if his whole confession had been read at his trial; but, that not being done, he thought it fit for him to leave it behind him to the world, that the whole truth of that matter might appear; but he professed often, that he did it not out of any resentment to any person whatsoever; and, though he looked on the captain, as the fatal instru. ment that had drawn him into this sin, and this misery that followed it, yet he ceased not every day to pray for him. When sentence was pronounced, the captain reproached him, and called him with

some scorn a murderer: he said, that it touched him very sensibly to see him, that was the cause of his ruin, insult over him; yet he often asked news of him, whether he was touched with a sense of his sin, or not? And, when he understood that he continued still to deny all, but only an intention to fight with Mr. Thynn, he desired, that he might be suffered to go to him, and speak with him; for, he said, though others might speak much better, yet he hoped he might say somewhat that would be more effectual: so, on Wednesday the eighth of March, he was carried to him. I warned him beforehand, that the captain would, perhaps, use him roughly; for he was often upbraiding him, for his ingratitude, and for having accused him falsely; but he answered me, that he went to see if he could be a means to do him any good, and not to dispute a matter of fact with him, which he knew in his conscience was true; and, if he saw there was no appearance of doing any good to him, he would soon leave him. In his way to him, he was to go up some stairs, and pass through the chapel, and then to go down; so he told me he was going up to the house of God, but he should go higher within two days, to a house not made with hands. Dr. Horneck was then with the captain, and prepared him for his coming. There was no other witness of what passed between them in that short in. terview, but he only. He told me afterwards, that the lieutenant spoke to the captain with great humility; he told him, he heartily forgave him all the injury he had done him by drawing him into this business; he knew he had said nothing but the truth; he exhorted him to repent, that so he might find mercy at God's hands. But the Captain fell in some passion, and said, he lyed, and gave him other reproachful words; upon which he left him. When he came back to his chamber, he told me how sorry he was to see the captain in such a condition; but he said, though at another time he could not have endured such reproaches from the greatest man in the world, yet he felt no resentment in his mind, at what he had said to himself; and added, that, by bearing this in such a manner, he hoped he had got two steps higher in his way to heaven. When I replied, that it was a good sign, that he had learned to be like his Saviour, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, he said: Ah! Such a miserable criminal, as I am, must not be in any thing compared to my blessed redeemer. He desired that the Polonian might be suffered to stay all the day long in his chamber, for he found he had a mind well disposed, but was ignorant: so he took great pains to instruct him. They were together the last night of their life, in which, as the one slept, the other watched and prayed; for the lieutenant said to me, he thought it was not fit that both should be together asleep that night, but that, all night long, either the one, or the other of them should be constantly calling upon God. He expressed not the least desire of living any longer: He never once asked me, if I thought a pardon might be obtained: On the contrary, he said he deserved to die, and desired it as much as he had deserved it: He only wished, that, if it could be obtained, his head might be cut off; but he easily acquiesced, when I told him

that was not to be expected. He often blessed God for bringing him to a prison, and that he had not made his escape to have led a wicked life any longer. After he had been under great horror for almost a week, he found great quiet come instead of it, chiefly after he had disburdened his conscience by a sincere confession; at last it grew upon him to a joy in God, and at the approaches of death.

The night before he suffered, he told me, he was languishing through desire to die; he was now so settled in his assurance of God's goodness to him, that he was longing to be with him; he considered that night as the eve of his wedding, and therefore it would seem tedious to him. A little while after he said, To-morrow is the last battle I shall fight; my enemy shall gain the camp, the tent I dwell in, but I shall, by the grace of God, win the day. And, when he spoke of that at another time, he looked up to God, and said: I go to fight with thy weapons, and thy armour, and when I have overcome, I will come and offer them up to thee. He had that day received the sacrament with great devotion, and said: Now I have got my passport, and I long to be gone. He was much rejoiced to hear, that night, that the Captain was in a better temper, than he had been in formerly; for the minister of the Augsbourg Confession in London told him, in my hearing, that the Captain had confessed, That he had drawn them into this snare, and had engaged them in this murder. The Captain also sent a kind message to him, and gave orders for every thing that concerned his burial; upon which he sent a return to him full of great af fection. This made him change a resolution he once had, of speaking somewhat concerning the murder at his execution. He said there was nothing material in his last confession, that was not in his first taken by the justices of the peace, so there was no need of making any other public declaration; and he thought, if he said. any thing that might reflect on the Captain, it would, perhaps, put him in some disorder, and he would not venture the being dis composed in the last moment of his life; therefore he resolved to seal up all, and give it to me at the place of execution. He had shewed it four days before to one Mr. Essart, a German, in CoventGarden, and had ordered me to let him copy it; he had likewise shewed it to Dr. Horneck, and it was almost all copied out, before he died.

In this temper I left him at night, but found him much better on the morning of his execution. He had slept three hours, and was then well in his heart and health; for the night before he was very faint. He told me, Now he was full of joy, he was going to exchange a prison for a palace: A prison (said he) that has been, to me, better than any palace; for here God has touched me, he has drawn me, he has quickened me; and now, O God, I come to thee, to live with thee for ever. He broke often out in great transports of joy; he said this that follows so often, both in French and Dutch, that I could not but remember it well:-O my God, my good God, my infinitely good God, How do I love thee! I bless thee,

I will bless thee as long as I live; yea, Lord, I will sing of thy praises for ever, for thou hast blessed me wonderfully. Thou hast put many good inclinations in me; thou hast often touched my heart with the motions of thy Holy Spirit; but, above all thy blessings, for this I will bless thee, That, when I had forsaken thee, and was at the gates of hell, thou hast brought me from thence, and hast now brought me even to the gates of Heaven; open them, O Lord, and I will enter in, and praise thy name for ever. I bless thee, that thou hast chastised me with thy rod, but thy rod is a rod of mercy; and, now thou hast done so much for me, O grant me a greater sense of thy love, that I may praise thee with my whole soul, and from the very bottom of my heart.

This he repeated often, in such a manner that he seemed as one ravished for joy. He wept, but he told me these were not tears of sorrow, but flowed from the abundance of his joy. He and the Polonian sung the fifty-first psalm in High Dutch, three several times; and I saw him particularly touched, when he sung those words, Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation.' He spent the rest of the time in prayers and eja. culations. A gentleman came in, and asked how he did? He an. swered him, he thanked God, well; his friend had sent to call him to come to dine with him, and he was ready to go. And when

it was told him, he was now to fight his last battle, he answered, That battle was already fought, there was but one shock behind, and he was sure he should overcome. His heart was so full of the sense of the goodness of God, that he could now complain of nothing, or desire nothing but that he might be able to rejoice more perfectly in God, and to praise him more. He longed much for the officers that should carry him away, and looked with great chearfulness at me, when he saw them come to lead him out. When his irons were taken off, he told me, Some of his fetters were taken from him, but he had others yet about him that should be likewise taken off very speedily; but I have chains upon my soul which shall draw me up to heaven. He told me,

That he

intended to make a short exhortation on the cart, chiefly to have warned the people not to cast off the sense of God; and par. ticularly, that as they did their own business all the week, that they would do God's work on the Lord's-Day; and learn from him what the ill effects of profaning that day were. He was likewise to have exhorted them not to think there was any wicked. < ness so great, but if they did cast off God, and were forsaken of him, they might fall into it. He had been once in a good way, but had left it, and they saw the effects of that; yet God had mercifully brought him back to it, and therefore he intended to pray them to fear God, and keep his commandments, and it would be well with them.'

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This was the substance of that which he had purposed to say; but when he came to the place, the noise was so great there, that he said he would speak nothing, but left it to me to publish what I knew he had intended to say; and so he continued in his devo

tions, reading some prayers and hymns out of Dilheren's book; and, in several passages as he read them, I perceived great joy in his looks. He told me, his mind continued firm and settled in his joy in God; and so he went on a while reading, at last he threw his book to me, and wished me to give it to some good soul. He said a few words to the Captain in High-Dutch, which I did not quite understand: but by his manner I judged it was a declaring that he forgave him, and died in charity with him; to which the Captain made a short answer, that seemed to me a return of his kindness. But the crowd was such, that the German minister could not pos sibly come to the place, so this was lost.

And this is all the account I can give of Lieutenant Stern; it is the substance of many and long conversations I had with him; French was the language in which we discoursed, and he expressed himself very well in it.

I cannot give so long an account of Borosky, the Polander, for all my discourse with him was by an interpreter, and the Lieutenant did for the most part interpret between us. I found that the course of his life had been very honest and innocent; and that, before he committed this barbarous act, he had not been guilty of any enor. mous crime in his whole life; and that, particularly the last year of it, he had a greater sense of the fear of God than formerly, so that he had reformed his life to such a degree, that he had not been guilty of one act either of drunkenness or uncleanness, of swearing or lying; and that he had constantly prayed to God. He said, That, when Count Conningsmark made that proposition to him, which he told me much more largely than I find it is in his con. fession, he was troubled at it, and went into another room, and kneeled down and said the Lord's prayer; but concluded, since his mind was not fortified against it, that God had appointed that he should do it. He said, in his country they were bred up in such an opinion of their duty to their masters, and of their obligation to maintain their honour, that he, believing the relation the Count made of the English gentleman (for Mr. Thynn was not named to hm) having intended to murder him, and having set six assassins on him, thought himself in some sort absolved, if he should revenge such an attempt. He was also deluded by what the Captain told him, that, if they happened to be taken, he only, and not the Polander, would suffer for it; so that he was easily wrought on to do it. He was not spoke to by the Count till one o'clock on Sun. day, but whether in the morning or afternoon, I do not know, and it was acted that same evening; so that he was never alone, nor had he any opportunity of recollecting himself, but was hurried upon it blindly.

He told me one passage that befel him after his imprisonment, which he firmly believed was real, and not the effect of a disturbed fancy. He said, being shut up in his chamber a day or two after his imprisonment, he thought in the night being fully awake, that one opened the door, which he fancied was his keeper coming to him; but when he looked at it, it was a woman who had appeared

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