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to another; but the Argus-eyes of the English government were upon him, and it is said, that a plan was laid to assassinate him at Augsburg, and which he escaped only by being at the time in Holland. Thus he continued during seventeen years, sometimes in danger of his life, wandering from place to place in indigence, because (says he) it was known I could not be corrupted. But at length his father, the earl of Leicester, was anxious to see him before his death, and the son obtained leave of Charles II. to return, as also his pardon. But associating afterwards with the duke of Monmouth, he was considered as one of the accomplices in the presbyterian plot, was arrested for high treason, and sent to the Tower. Being arraigned to the bar of the court of King's Bench, the only admissible evidence against him was lord Howard of Esrick, a man of an abandoned character," whose deposition was very rhetorical, and nothing at all to the purpose." In aid therefore of this lame evidence, his Discourses on Government were produced, and affirmed to be "A Seditious and Traitorous Libel;" their design being. "to persuade the people of England, that it is lawful, nay, that they have a right to set

aside their prince, in case it appear to them that he hath broken the trust laid upon him by the people." Upon this plea (for it is blasphemy to reason to call it evidence) he was convicted of high treason, and beheaded on the 7th of December, 1683. His attainder, however, was reversed at the revolution. Sidney had proposed to himself Marcus Brutus as a pattern, and met death with dauntless fortitude.

At his execution he delivered a paper to the sheriffs, containing a statement of the injustice of his sentence. It began-" Men, brethren, and fathers; friends, countrymen, and strangers."-And after displaying the hardship of his case, and the insufficiency of the evidence against him, he concluded in these words:" But I was long since told that I must die, or the plot must die. Lest the means of destroying the best protestants in England should fail, the bench must be filled. with such as had been blemishes to the bar. None but such as these would have advised with the king's council of the means of bringing a man to death; suffered a jury to be packed by the king's solicitors and the undersheriff; admit of jurymen, who are not free

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holders; receive such evidence as is abovementioned; refuse a copy of an indictment, or to suffer the statute of 46 Edward III. to be read, that doth expressly enact, it should in no case be denied unto any man upon any occasion whatsoever; over-rule the most important points of law, without hearing. And whereas the statute 25 Edward III. upon which they said I should be tried, doth reserve unto the parliament all constructions to be made in points of treason, they could assume unto themselves not only a power to make constructions, but such constructions as neither agree with law, reason, or common sense. By these means I am brought to this place. The Lord forgive these practices, and avert the evils that threaten the nation from them. The Lord sanc tify these my sufferings unto me; and though. I fall as a sacrifice unto idols, suffer not idolatry to be established in this land. Bless thy people and save them. Defend thy own cause, and defend those that defend it. Stir up such as are faint; direct those that are willing; confirm those that waver; give wisdom and integrity unto all. Order all things so as may most redound unto thine own glory. Grant that I may die glorifying thee for all thy mer

cies, and that at the last thou hast permitted me to be singled out as a witness of thy truth; and even by the confession of my opposers, for that Old Cause,' in which I was from my youth engaged, and for which thou hast often and wonderfully declared thyself."

Sidney suspecting that the sheriffs might suppress it, took the precaution of giving a copy of it to a friend. And it being understood that written copies were dispersed, it was printed; though not till a fortnight after the

execution.

No work of Algernon Sidney is now extant, but his "Discourses concerning Government," and some letters to Henry Saville, esq. though he says himself that he "believed he had burned more papers of his own writing, than a horse could carry." There still remain how ever at Penshurst, in his own hand-writing, treatises in Latin and Italian; as also an Essay on Virtuous Love, in English. His " "Discourses" were first published in 1698, folio, and reprinted in 1704. But a more beauti ful edition appeared in 1751, to which are added, "Memoirs of his Life, and an Apology for himself, both now first published, and

the latter from his original MS. with an alphabetical Index of the principal Matters."

The title to the above Letters is "Letters of the Honourable Algernon Sidney, to the Honourable Henry Saville, Ambassador in France, in the year 1679, &c.; now first printed from the Originals in Mr. Sidney's own hand." London, 1742, 8vo. They relate chiefly to the proceedings of parliament, and the popish plot. Several of his letters too are inserted in the Letters and Memorials of State of the Sidney Family, published by Arthur Collins, esq.

The Discourses concerning Government are divided into three chapters, which are again subdivided into sections. They were written in reply to a book of sir Robert Filmer on the subject of monarchy. The author begins:

Having lately seen a book, intitled "Patriarcha," written by sir Robert Filmer, concerning the universal and undistinguished right of all kings, I thought a time of leisure might be well employed in examining his doctrine, and the questions arising from it; which seem so far to concern all mankind, that, besides the influence upon our future life, they may be said to comprehend all that in this world deserves to be

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