In vain did he urge the force of his passion, and offer to repair the insult by an immediate marriage, and a life devoted to her love. With all the indignation of wronged innocence, she rejected every proposal; and demanded her liberty, with a firmness which at once awed and astonished him.

She reproached him with the meanness of thus seizing a defenceless woman; and stung him by the most solemn asseverations, that she loved his injured brother with a regard which could alone be equalled by her detestation of himself: that brother, she warned him, would end, or revenge, her wrongs; and heaven, who well knew how unmerited these wrongs were, would not fail to assist him.

The voice of soothing having been fruitlessly employed by Lycander, he now began to try the effect of menaces: and the brutality of his threats would have instantly sunk Sophinia into insensibility, had she not providentially been sustained by the reflection of what consummate villainy might be induced to attempt when there was no longer a possibility of resistance. In the frenzy which now possessed his soul, he even meditated the death of the lovely victim; and the hand of the Demon of Murder was at last only restrained by the suggestions of the Demon of Lust.

At this critical juncture, the watch-word was loudly repeated; and the cry of arms, resounding through the castle, summoned the immediate attention of Lycander.

Acanthus, the friend of Polyphon, who had been too successfully rivalled by Miranthus in the affections of the unfortunate Elwina, whose hapless fate he still too keenly regretted, was indulging his favourite contemplation in the impervious gloom of the forest that afternoon, when his ears were invaded by the cries of a distressed female, whose voice he had been able to trace as far as this lonely castle; and, soon afterwards, meeting Polyphon in all the agony of his disappointment, it was concluded that Sophinia had been carried off, and not a moment was lost in convening their mutual friends and dependents, with a determination to effect her rescue, or die in the attempt.

Polyphon and his brave friends had now reached the walls; and, having surrounded the castle, made a most furious assault, and at length forced an entrance, with considerable slaughter. The fortress was defended by a hundred and fifty men, and Polyphon had brought about an equal number against it. As they now fought hand to hand, the eye of Miranthus glanced at the injured Acanthus; and the remembrance of his basensss made him dread the avenging hand of retribution: but his fears only urged him to desperation, and the vehemence of his attack gave the cooler Acanthus an opportunity of doing himself justice; the spear of Miranthus was evaded by the dexterity of Acanthus, who instantly plunged his own into the bosom of his enemy. When Lycander saw Miranthus fall, he advanced furiously towards his brother Polyphon, who now requested a parley; but the rage of Lycander was too great to accept any terms of accommodation, and the proffered kindness was imputed to a pusillanimity unworthy the offspring of Laon. He disclaimed, therefore, the title of brother; and madly impeached the sacred and unsullied honour of their deceased parent. Polyphon could no longer sup port such infufferable insolence, and his arm was strongly nerved against the slanderer of his mother's fame. In such a struggle, the bat

tle is not always to the strong; and Lycander, who could hardly have been vanquished in a righteous cause, fell beneath the sword of his brother.

"Tis well!' he cried; thou hast proved thyself the son of Laon, and nobly vindicated our mother's virtue! O my brother, I am justly punished for my perfidy; but, unworthy as I am, see my remains deposited in the tomb of our ancestors, whose worth could never have been perpetuated had Lycander's arm prevailed. By thee and the chaste Sophinia shall our ancient honour be transmitted unsullied to posterity; and, with this reflection, and your forgiveness, as well as that of a father whom you must continue to comfort, I now close my wretched exis• tence!'

These were the last words uttered by Lycander; who died in the arms of his brother Polyphon, and left him in a state of but little superior animation.

Thus ended the contest of the Rival Brothers. Laon was with difficulty consoled by his duteous son, who himself greatly needed consolation; and it was not till two years afterwards, that the peace of the several parties in this melancholy affair was sufficiently restored, to admit a joyful celebration of the nuptials of Polyphon and Sophinia, whose conduct disappointed not the high expectations which had been formed of the connubial- felicity to be derived from the union of such consum.. mate virtue and honour.

ANECDOTE.

In 1748, when the Austrians were in possession of Genoa, the Re, public was in want of money, and for a supply, was going to lay some new taxes. On the day in which the edict was to be debated and passed, M. Grillo, a citizen, no less distinguished by his birth than by his riches, but who was looked upon to be a humourist, strewed the lobby of the council-room with pieces of rope, a foot and a half long, and then withdrew. This was thought nothing more than some new stroke of humour; he was asked, what was the meaning of those ropes? He replied, that the people having, in the constant service and defence of their country, abandoned their work, by which they formerly were maintained; and having exhausted all their resources, it was humanity to furnish them with ropes to hang themselves, rather than lay new taxes, which would drive them to despair, without being of any service to the state. But, replied they, we want money, and where is it to be had? Where is it!' said he; and going out of the palace he returned, followed by porters, who, loaded with the sum of 500,000 livres, in gold and silver, threw it down in the middle of the hall, Let every one of you levy a like contribution on himself,' added M. Grillo, as he retired, ' and the money that you want will be found.'---This example was followed; the tax was no more mentioned; the nobility made a voluntary contribution, in proportion to their circumstances, and Genoa was saved.

AUTHENTIC NARRATIVES

of the

* ASSASSINATIONS

of

WILLIAM I. PRINCE of ORANGE; and HENRY IV. KING of FRANCE.

From the Gentleman's Magazine.

WHE

MURDER OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE.

HEN the tyrrany of Philip II. first caused the Walloons to revolt, he sent the Duke of Alva, the greatest captain of that age, to reduce them, vesting him with an unlimited power, which only administered fuel to his cruel temper. Happily for his countrymen, William I. Prince of Orange, escaped the snares laid for him, and put himself at their head; he was one of the greatest statesmen and general's of his time; and a protestant; a sect to whom Philip gave no quarter, burning and massacring them with a zeal, worthy the title of catholic which the Kings of Spain assume. I shall not enter into this Prince's military exploits, which were attended with various success; I shall only observe that, in his greatest misfortunes he never lost the confidence and affection of the people, a circumstance very uncommon, and which is, to me, an incontestible proof of his merit. After long struggles with fortune, sometimes victorious, sometimes vanquished, at length he triumphed to form that glorious union, which constituted the Republic of Holland, and which so far alarmed Philip II. that, believing when the head was gone it would be easy to divide and subdue the members of the confederacy, he offered considerable rewards to whoever should assassinate him, and the clergy, to second so pious a design, promised the wreaths of Paradise to the hand that should strike the blow.

A merchant of Biscay, named Gaspar Anastro, who lived at Antwerp, and was reduced, hoped to repair his broken fortunes, by so detestable an action; but as he wanted courage himself, he hired a young countryman, who lodged at his house, one Juan Tauregni, to make the attempt. The day this villain chose for his design was March 15th, 1582, being

the Festival of the Duke of Anjou's nativity; the Prince lodged in the Castle of Antwerp, and after dinner, as he passed from one chamber to another, this Tauregni fired a pistol at his head; a sudden turn the Prince that moment made with it, saved his life, the ball grazing his temple; this stroke failing, other tools were sought out, to whom the greatest rewards, eternal and temporal, were promised, in the name of God and the King of Spain, in case of success. Two years passed in this manner, when one Balthazar Gerrard, a Burgundian, aged 27, undertook this wicked design.

The Prince then kept his court at Delft, in Holland, where the assassin arrived in May, 1584, and delivered him a letter, signed Francis Guion; his highness demanding from whom he brought it, he replied, from himself, adding that his name was undersigned, that he was the son of Peter Guion, put to death for the protestant religion, and that he could serve his highness in a certain affair.

He was accordingly sent to France, and being returned, the Prince, who was affable and humane, ordered him to be called into his bed chamber, not being yet up, and spoke to him with great goodness; yet the villain afterwards had the impudence to own, that if he had then had a pen-knife or a dagger, he would have lodged it in his heart.

The Prince ordered him 12 crowns for the present; with part of this sum the wretch bought a pistol from one of the guards, but finding it not answer upon trial, he bought a pair from a serjeant, and proving them to his mind, kept them for use.

Next morning (July 10, 1584,) he waited for the Prince, as he came out of his apartment to dinner, and advancing towards him, desired a pass-port, but with so confused an air, that the Princess of Orange took notice of it, and asked her husband why he suffered so ill-looking a fellow to come near him;' the Prince replied, the man wants only a pass-port,' and turning to the false Guion, told him it should be granted.

While the Prince was at dinner the wretch walked round the avenues, then posted himself behind a pillar of the gallery, through which he knew the Prince would come from the dining room; he had two pistols under his mantle, and as his highness crossed, he took aim so well, that at the first shot, the ball went through his body; the Prince fell on his knees, and being carried to the hall where he dined, expired in a moment after.

Mean time the criminal had got as far as the stables, and was about to climb the wall, when he was discovered and seized by a footman and a halberdier. Being confined, he was told he had missed his aim, at which he appeared much concerned, saying, he should die with pleasure, if he had killed the favourer and patron of heresy, but if he had failed in it, the thought afflicted him more than all the torments he could suffer.

They put him several times to the most exquisite torture, and as he gave not the slightest groan, nor shewed any mark of pain, they thought he had some spell about him; on this account, they shaved all the hair off his body, and in that condition led him to execution; he marched undauntedly, in the middle of the officers of justice, though his feet were half consumed by the fire; the hand with which he committed the murder, was a long time squeezed with red-hot pincers, after which, he

lifted it up, and shewed it to the spectators, laughing at the executioners, who, taking him for a devil, or at least a sorcerer, ran away, so that the magistrates were forced by threats to bring them back to their office; the red-hot iron was applied to several parts of his body, after which, being ripped open alive, his heart was flung in his face. He was lastly quartered, and his limbs hung up on the ramparts of the

town.

MURDER OF THE KING OF FRANCE.

N order to exhibit a particular account of the murder of King Henry IV. it will be necessary not only to relate the fact, but to shew the motives from which it was committed, and these can only be deduced from the character and situation of the murderer, with which it is therefore proper to begin this relation.

Francis Ravaillac, the son of a practitioner of the law, was born at Angouleme, distant from Paris about 100 leagues. When he was very young he lived with one Rosiercs, an advocate at Angouleme, whom he served as a clerk and valet de chambre. He lived afterwards with several attorneys, the last of whom dying while he was in his service, he took a little lodging, and solicited law-suits for himself. This practice he continued several years, but with so little advantage, that he, at length quitted it, and subsisted by instructing youth,

At this time his father and mother were parted, and were so indigent, that both subsisted chiefly on alms. Ravaillac, who was then about 30 years old, and unmarried, lived with his mother, and becoming insolvent, was thrown into prison for debt.

He seems to have been naturally of a gloomy disposition, and enthusiastic turn of mind, which his misfortunes heightened to a degree of phrenzy. While he was in prison, he frequently fancied himself surrounded with fire, sulphur and incense, and the same kind of delusions continued after he was released. He said that, on the Saturday night after Christmas 1609, having made his meditations as was his custom, in bed, with his hands clasped, and his feet crossed, he felt his mouth and face covered by some invisible agent, and was, at the same time urged by an irresistible impulse to sing the Psalms of David; he therefore sung the Psalms, Dixit Dominus, Miserere, and De Profundis, quite through, and declared, that he seemed to himself to have a trumpet in his mouth, which made his voice shrill and loud, as the sound of that instrument in war.