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him fix of their principal citizens with halters about their necks, as victims of due atonement for that spirit of rebellion with which they had inflamed the vulgar. When his meffenger, Sir Walter Mauny, delivered the terms, confternation and pale difmay were impreffed on every countenance. To a long and dead filence deep fighs and groans fucceeded, till Euftace St Pierre getting up to a little eminence, thus addreffed the affembly :"My friends, we are brought to great ftraits this day. We muft either yield to the terms of our cruel and enfnaring conqueror, or give up our tender infants, our wives, and daughters, to the bloody and brutal lufts of the violating foldiers. Is there any expedient left, whereby we may avoid the guilt and infamy of delivering up those who have fuffered every mifery with you, on the one hand, or the defolation and horrour of a facked city on the other? There is, my friends; there is one expedient left; a gracious, an excellent, a godlike expedient! Is there any here to whom virtue is dearer than life Let him offer himfelf an oblation for the fafety of his people! He fhall not fail of a bleffed ap probation from that power, who offered up his only Son for the falvation of mankind." He fpoke;-but an univerfal filence enfued.-Each man looked around for the example of that virtue and magnanimity which all wished to approve in themselves, though they wanted the refolution. At length St Pierre refumed, "I doubt not but there are many here as ready, nay more zealous, of this martyrdom than I can be; though the ftation to which I am raised by the captivity of Lord Vienne, imparts a right to be the firft in giving my life for your fakes. I give it freely; I give it cheerfully. Who comes next?" "Your fon," exclaimed a youth not yet come to maturity." Ah, my child!" cried St Pierre; "I am then twice facrificed.-But, no: I have, rather begotten thee a fecond time. Thy years are few, but full, my fon. The victim of virtue has reached the ut moft purpofe and goal of mortality. Who next, my friends? This is the hour of heroes."- "Your kinf man," cried John de Aire. "Your kinfman," cried James Wiffant. "Your kinfman," 'cried Peter Willant. "Ah exclaimed Sir Walter Mauny, burfling in

to

to tears, "why was not I a citizen of Calais !" The fixth victim was still wanting, but was quickly fupplied by lot from numbers who were now emulous of so enno. bling an example. The keys of the city were then delivered to Sir Walter. He took the fix prifoners into his cuftody; then ordered the gates to be opened, and gave charge to his attendants to conduct the remaining citizens, with their families, through the camp of the English. Before they departed, however, they defired permiffion to take their laft adieu of their deliverers.--What a parting! what a fcene! They crowded, with their wives and children, about St Pierre and his fellow-prifoners. They embraced; they clung around; they fell proftrate before them. They groaned; they wept aloud; and the joint clamour of their mourning paffed the gates of the city, and was heard throughout the English camp. The English, by this time, were apprifed of what paffed within Calais. They heard the voice of lamentation, and their fouls were touched with compaffion. Each of the foldiers prepared a portion of his own victuals to welcome and entertain the halffamished inhabitants; and they loaded them with as much as their prefent weakness was able to bear, in order to fupply them with fuftenance by the way. At length St Pierre and his fellow-victims appeared under the conduct of Sir Walter and a guard. All the tents of the English were inftantly emptied. The foldiers poured from all parts, and arranged themselves on each fide, to behold, to contemplate, to admire, this little band of patriots as they paffed. They bowed down to them on all fides. They murmured their applause of that virtue, which they could not but revere even in enemies; and they regarded thofe ropes which they had voluntarily affumed about their necks, as enfigis of greater dignity than that of the British garter. As foon as they had reached the prefence, "Mauny," fays the monarch, "Are these the principal inhabitants of Calais ?"They are," fays Maumy: they are not only the principal men of Calais, they are the principal men of France, my Lord, if virtue has any fhare in the act of ennobling." "Were they delivered peaceably," fays Edward?" Was there no resistance, no commotion

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among the people?" "Not in the leaft, my Lord; the people would all have perished, rather than have delivered the leaft of thefe to your Majefty. They are selfdelivered, felf-devoted, and come to offer up their ineftimable heads as an ample equivalent for the ransom of thoufands." Edward was fecretly piqued at this reply of Sir Walter; but he knew the privilege of a British fubject, and fuppreffed his refentment. "Experience," fays he, has ever fhown, that lenity only ferves to invite people to new crimes. Severity, at times, is indifpenfibly neceffary to compel fubjects to fubmiftion by punishment and example. Go," he cried to an officer, lead these men to execution."

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At this inftant a found of triumph was heard throughout the camp. The Queen had just arrived with a powerful reinforcement of gallant troops. Sir Walter Mauny flew to receive her Majefty, and briefly informed her of the particulars refpecting the fix victims.

As foon as the had been welcomed by Edward and his court, fhe defired a private audience." My Lord," faid fhe, "the question I am to enter upon, is not touching the lives of a few mechanics-it refpects the honour of the English nation; it refpects the glory of my Edward, my husband, my king.-You think you have fentenced fix of your enemies to death. No, my Lord, they have fentenced themselves; and their exeution would be the execution of their own orders, not the orders of Edward. The ftage on which they would fuffer, would be to them a ftage of honour, but a stage of fhame to Edward; a reproach to his conquefts; an indelible difgrace to his name. Let us rather difappoint thefe haughty burghers, who wish to inveft themselves with glory at our expence. We cannot wholly deprive them of the merit of a facrifice fo nobly intended, but we may cut them short of their defires; in the place of that death by which their glory would be confummate, let us bury them under gifts; let us put them to confufion with applaufes. We fhall thereby defeat them of that popular opinion, which never fails to attend thofe who fuffer in the cause of virtue."-" I am convinced; you have prevailed. Be it fo," replied Edward: "Prevent the execution; have them inftantly before us.".

They

They came; when the Queen, with an aspect and accents diffufing sweetness, thus bespoke them:-" Natives of France and inhabitants of Calais, ye have put us to a vaft expence of blood and treasure in the recovery of our juft and natural inheritance: but you have acted up to the best of an erroneous judgment; and we admire and honour in you that valour and virtue, by which we are fo long kept out of our rightful poffeffions. You noble burghers you excellent citizens! though you were tenfold the enemies of our perfon and our throne, we can feel nothing on our part, fave refpect and affection for you. You have been fufficiently tefted. We loofe your chains; we fnatch you from the scaffold; and we thank you for that leffon of humiliation which you teach us, when you fhow us, that excellence is not of blood, of title, or station ;-that virtue gives a dignity fuperiour to that of kings; and that those whom the Almighty informs with fentiments like yours, are juftly and eminently raised above all human diftinctions. You are now free to depart to your kinsfolk, your countrymen, to all those whofe lives and liberties you have fo nobly redeemed, provided you refufe not the tokens of our esteem. Yet we would rather bind you to ourselves, by every endearing obligation; and for this purpose, we offer to you your choice of the gifts and honours that Edward has to beftow.-Rivals for fame, bút always friends to virtue, we wish that England were in titled to call you her fons."—"Ah, my country!" exclaimed Pierre; "It is now that I tremble for you. Edward 'only wins our cities, but Philippa conquers

hearts."

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SECTION V.

I. On Grace in Writing.

I Will not undertake to mark out with any sort of precifion, that idea which I would exprefs by the word Grace and, perhaps, it can no more be clearly defcribed than justly defined. To give you, however, a general intimation of what I mean when I apply that term to compofitions of genius, I would refemble it to that eafy air which fo remarkably diftinguifhes certain per fons of a genteel and liberal caft. Ir confifts not only in the particular beauty of fingle parts, but arifes from the general fymmetry and conftruction of the whole. An author may be juft in his fentiments, lively in his figures, and clear in his expreffion; yet may have no claim to be admitted into the rank of finished writers. The feveral members must be fo agreeably united, as mutually to reflect beauty upon each other; their arrangement muft be fo happily difpofed as not to admit of the leaft tranfpofition, without manifeft prejudice to the entire piece. The thoughts, the metaphors, the allufions, and the diction, fhould appear easy and natural, and feem to arife like fo many fpontaneous produc tions, rather than as the effects of art or labour.

Whatever, therefore, is forced or affected in the fentiments; whatever is pompous or pedantic in the expreffion, is the very reverfe of Grace. Her mien is neither that of a prude nor a coquette; fhe is regular without formality, and fprightly without being fantaftical. Grace, in fhort, is to good writing what a proper light is to a fine picture; it not only fhows all the figures in their feveral proportions and relations, but hows them in the most advantageous manner.

As gentility (to refume my former illuftration) appears in the minuteft action, and improves the most in-confiderable gefture; fo grace is difcovered in the placing even a fingle word, or the turn of a mere expletive. Neither is this inexpreffible quality confined to one fpe

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