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Thy life for the love of me, blessed be thy

Name, that Thou permittest me to consummate
My life for Thee in thy service.

O, my dearest Jesus, into thy hands I
Commend my spirit."

EARL OF MONTROSE.

James Grahame, Marquis of Montrose, was born at Auld Montrose, 1612, and was hanged at Edinburgh, May 21, 1651. He was an earnest defender of the Covenanters in his early life, but espoused the cause of the Stuarts, and was defeated by the Scottish clans.

He evidently believed in the justice of his political course, and was governed in his private life by the highest religious principle.

But though regarded as a hero and martyr by the Royalists, he was looked upon as an enemy to the Scottish faith and nation by the Presbyterians of Scotland.

The following account of his execution, from

the pen of his principal biographer, presents a partial and partisan view of Montrose in the extreme hour:

"The ministers, because he was under the sentence of excommunication, would not pray for him; and even on the scaffold were very bitter against him.

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Being desired to pray apart, he said:

"I have already poured out my soul before the Lord, who knows my heart, and into whose hands I have committed my spirit; and He hath been pleased to return to me a full assurance of peace in Jesus Christ my Redeemer; and, therefore, if you will not join with me in prayer, my reiterating it again will be but scandalous to you and to me.'

"So, closing his eyes, and holding up his hands, he stood a good space with his inward devout ejaculations; being perceived to be mightily moved all the while.

"When he had done, he called for the executioner, and gave him four pieces of gold; who, weeping, took his book and declaration, and other printed papers which he had published in his life, and, being all tied in a string,

hanged them together about his neck; when he said:

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"I love this more than my badge of being Knight of the Garter, which his Sacred Majesty was pleased to make me. Nay, more my honor than a chain of gold.'

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Then, his arms being tied, he asked the officers if they had any more dishonor-as they considered it to put upon him; he was ready to receive and accept of the same.

"And so, with an undaunted courage and gravity, in spite of all their affronts, uncivil, and barbarous usage, he went up to the top of that prodigious gibbet, where, having freely pardoned the executioner, he desired him that at the uplifting of his hands he should tumble him over; which was accordingly done by the weeping hangman, who, with his most honest tears, seemed to revile the cruelty of his countrymen, which may serve for a test of the rebellious and diabolical spirit of the malicious Consistory.

"After three hours he was taken down, and had his head cut off; which was fixed on the iron pin, west end of the Tolbooth; his quar

ters sent to be placed and set up in the several cities; and the rest of his mortal parts buried under the gallows." [Account of the execution of Montrose, by a Scotch minister, given by Napier in his "Memoirs of Mon

trose."]

PRAYER. [WRITTEN IN HIS CELL. ] "Let them bestow on every airt a limb; Then open all my veins, that I may swim To Thee, my Maker, in that crimson lake, Then place my par-boiled head upon a stake; Scatter my ashes-strew them in the air, Lord! since Thou knowest where all these

atoms are;

I am hopeful Thou'lt recover once my dust, And confident Thou'lt raise me with the just.”

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