but he endured it with admirable firmness and resignation. his first care was for his country. he wrote from his bed several letters to london concerning public affairs, and sent a last pressing message to the head-quarters, recommending that the dispersed forces should be concentrated. when his last public duties were performed, he calmly prepared himself to die. he was attended by a clergyman of the church of england, with whom he had lived in habits of intimacy, and by the chaplain of the buckinghamshire green-coats, dr. spurton, whom baxter describes as a famous and excellent divine. a short time before his death, the sacrament was administered to him. he declared that, though he disliked the government of the church of england, he yet agreed with that church as to all essential matters of doctrine. his intellect remained unclouded. when all was nearly over, he lay murmuring faint prayers for himself, and for the cause in which he died. lord jesus, he exclaimed, in the moment of the last agony, receive my soulo lord, save my countryo lord, be merciful to, in that broken ejaculation passed away his noble and fearless spirit. he was buried in the parish church of hampden. his soldiers, bareheaded with reversed arms, and muffled drums, and colours, escorted his body to the grave, singing, as they marched, that lofty and melancholy psalm, in which the fragility of human life is contrasted with the immutability of him, in whose sight a thousand years are but as yesterday when it is passed, and as a watch in the night. the news of hampdens death produced as great a consternation in his party, according to clarendon, as if their whole army had been cut off. the journals of the time amply prove that the parliament and all its friends were filled with grief and dismay. lord nugent has quoted a remarkable passage from the next _weekly intelligencer_. the loss of colonel hampden goeth near the heart of every man that loves the good of his king and country, and makes some conceive little content to be at the army now that he is gone. the memory of this deceased colonel is such, that in no age to come but it will more and more be had in honour and esteem;a man so religious, and of that prudence, judgment, temper, valour, and integrity, that he hath left few his like behind him, he had indeed left none his like behind him. there still remained, indeed, in his party, many acute intellects, many eloquent tongues, many brave and honest hearts. there still remained a rugged and clownish soldier,half-fanatic, half-buffoon,whose talents discerned as yet only by one penetrating eye, were equal to all the highest duties of the soldier and the prince. but in hampden, and in hampden alone, were united all the qualities which, at such a crisis, were necessary to save the state,the valour and energy of cromwell, the discernment and eloquence of vane, the humanity and moderation of manchester, the stern integrity of hale, the ardent public spirit of sidney. others might possess the qualities which were necessary to save the popular party in the crisis of danger; he alone had both the power and the inclination to restrain its excesses in the hour of triumph. others could conquer; he alone could reconcile. snatches from eugene aram. _love_.what a beautiful fabric would be human naturewhat a divine guide would be human reasonif love were indeed the stratum of the one, and the inspiration of the other. _the pathetic and sublime_.what a world of reasonings, not immediately obvious, did the sage of old open to our inquiry, when he said that the pathetic was the truest source of the sublime. _fortune-telling by gipsies_.very few men under thirty ever sincerely refuse an offer of this sort. nobody believes in these predictions, yet every one likes hearing them. _gardening_.tis a winning thing, a garden! it brings us an object every day; and thats what i think a man ought to have if he wishes to lead a happy life. _knaresbro castle_.you would be at some loss to recognise now the truth of old lelands description of that once stout and gallant bulwark of the north, when he numbrid 11 or 12 toures in the walles of the castel, and one very fayre beside in the second area. in that castle, the four knightly murderers of the haughty becket (the wolsey of his age) remained for a whole year, defying the weak justice of the times. there, too, the unfortunate richard the second,the stuart of the plantagenetspassed some portion of his bitter imprisonment. and there, after the battle of marston moor, waved the banner of the loyalists against the soldiers of lilburn. it was made yet more touchingly memorable at that time, as you may have heard, by an instance of filial piety. the town was straitened for want of provisions; a youth, whose father was in the garrison, was accustomed nightly to get into the deep, dry moat, climb up the glacis, and put provisions through a hole, where the father stood ready to receive them. he was perceived at length; the soldiers fired on him. he was taken prisoner, and sentenced to be hanged in sight of the besieged, in order to strike terror into those who might be similarly disposed to render assistance to the garrison. fortunately, however, this disgrace was spared the memory of lilburne and the republican arms. with great difficulty, a certain lady obtained his respite; and after the conquest of the place, and the departure of the troops, the adventurous son was released. the castle then, once the residence of pierce gaveston,of hubert iii,and of john of gaunt, was dismantled and destroyed. it is singular, by the way, that it was twice captured by men of the name of lilburn, or lilleburne, once in the reign of edward ii., once as i have related