stay away from this Parliament, for God and man have concurred to punish the wickedness of the times. And think not slightly of this advertisement, but retire yourself into your country, where you may expect the event in safety. For, though there be no appearance of any stir, yet I say they will receive a terrible blow this Parliament, and yet they shall not see who hurts them. This counsel is not to be condemned, because it may do you good, and can do you no harm. For the danger is past as soon as you have burned this letter."

This mysterious letter greatly puzzled lord Monteagle, and he at first thought that it was meant only to frighten him, and laugh at him. He, however, judged it safest to carry the letter to lord Salisbury, who was then secretary of state. Lord Salisbury, too, was inclined to think the letter not much worth attending to: yet he considered it the safest course to lay it before the king in council. None of the council knew what to make of it; and it is said that the king was the first person who found out the meaning of this strange letter. He thought he saw in it something of a plot to produce a great destruc

tion by means of gunpowder; and, upon this, they set about examining the cellars and vaults below both houses of Parliament. Here they found large heaps of faggots under the house of Lords, and they found a strange-looking man, dressed in a cloak and boots, and with a dark lantern in his hand. This was Guy Fawkes, who was laying the train, and getting every thing ready for the dreadful explosion, which was planned for the next day. This wretched man did not seem to be in the least sorry for what he was doing; but he told the officers who took him that he should have been glad to have blown them all up, and himself too. His spirit, however, was a little humbled, when he was threatened to be tortured to make him confess all he knew of the plot; and he then made a full discovery of all his accomplices. When the dreadful plot was thus discovered, the principal conspirators prepared for resisting the authority that was to seize and punish them. They accordingly shut themselves up in a house in Warwickshire, determined to defend it to the last. But a dreadful accident happened to them, and just such a one as they had themselves contrived for others. A spark of fire fell amongst

some gunpowder which was laid to dry; it blew up, and made terrible destruction among the conspirators. Some of them endeavoured to rush out of the gate, but were soon cut to pieces by the soldiers who surrounded the house. Some few escaped the slaughter, but were afterwards executed; and some experienced the king's mercy.

I have told you that sir Walter Raleigh was kept in prison, having been condemned for a supposed conspiracy against the king. There he remained for many years. He, at length, got leave to go on an expedition to America, having said that he had discovered a rich gold-mine there. They found no gold, however, but Raleigh attacked the Spaniards who were settled there, and this gave offence to the king of Spain; and king James declared that Raleigh had his orders to avoid all disputes with the Spaniards and then, to please the king of Spain, he signed the warrant for his execution, not for his present offence, but for his former conspiracy. This seems very hard upon Raleigh; he, however, suffered with the greatest calmness and resignation; he took hold of the axe, and he felt the edge of it, saying, that "it was a sharp, but a sure remedy for all suffer

ings in this world ;" he then made a calm address to the people, and laid his head on the block, without the least appearance of terror.

There were several circumstances, too long for me to mention, which prevented king James from having an easy or a happy reign. He was very fond too of trying how far he might carry his own authority, without consulting the Lords or the Commons; and this made him many enemies. He had besides many expensive friends and favourites about him, and he was constantly applying for money to supply their extravagant wants. In short, the people were full of dissatisfaction; and their discontents gave the king great trouble; they broke out still more violently, as we shall see, in the reign of his son, Charles the First.

The discontents of the people, and the bad success of the king, in his war against the emperor of Germany, might perhaps have had some effects on his constitution; but, however this might be, he was seized with a tertian ague. His cour

tiers, thinking to please him, told him of a foolish saying, that," this was health for a king;" but the king knew better, and said that the proverb was meant for a young king. After some fits, he

became extremely weak, and he expired in the year 1625, after a reign, over England, of twentyHe was about sixty years of age.

two years.

QUESTIONS.

I am, &c.

In what year did queen Elizabeth die?

Was she ever married?

As, therefore, she could leave no direct heirs behind her, who was the proper person to succeed to the throne?

Can you tell me how it was that James the Sixth of Scotland was heir to the crown of England?

Was any conspiracy formed for the purpose of setting aside king James?

Who was at the head of this conspiracy?

What became of lord Grey, lord Cobham, and sir Walter

Raleigh?

Was James the First a Papist, or a Protestant?

What is the story of the gunpowder plot ?

How was this plot discovered?

How did lord Monteagle act when he received a private letter from one of the conspirators?

James the Sixth of Scotland was son to Mary, queen of Scots, who was daughter to James the Fifth, who was son to Margaret, (the wife of James the Fourth,) which Margaret was daughter to Henry the Seventh of England.