Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1812-12-21

iSooOi AhS AOiiONA6 SOpl VI lGllCT al.
dressed 10 BonaIarte -
g A scaffoId en- no more degrade vir-
tue than a thrne can ennoble crime.
In cOndemnlng Re unheard, TO death,
you have acted tie part of tyrant-in
submitting, with resignation, have
performed The dity Of a christian My
age and inhrInitis could not promise
much longer exklence-by yoLr cruel
" you have therefore merely shortened
he agony, the hsl painful scene, 1
trust, OF well spent inofensive life.
Can you suppose death an unwslcome
visitor to a man who near 10 years ago
dug his grave with his own hands, and
who ever since has endeavored TO pre-
pare himself for that awful moment
when he shall appear before his Celes
trl Creator, before the Supreme Judge
OF the unlverse,-terrible to guilt, ter
llble to asSasSlns, however elevated
kind 10 innocence, however obscure ?
Unfortunate man you have my
prayers oh !-repnt before the
door OF mercy is shu against you for
Sver
Your corrupt flattertrs, your debased
slaves call you all poverlul"-a sinful
man all powerful IA weak, a wicked
man, all powerful that profanity
what impiety what Dasphemy You,
all powerful you mo have not the
power to create blad: of grass, or the
wing of an insect you who cannot
arrest drop of rain rom the smallest
cloud, or produce the least ray Of the
sun through an overcait armament
Blush, Oh sinner, for the mean.
ness Of your accomplices, and acknowl-
edge, Frustrated in the dust, your own
bitterness, your own insigni6cance be
fore God TVho atone is al ho7verfuL-
VINO In an instant can reduce you and
your usurped dominions to atoms, and
from a pltlless scourge transform you
10 bleeding sacrifice
Listen to dying man who has moth
ing more to hope or to fear in this
wretched Worldwide addresses YOU
with no other view but to prevent you,
II possible, from incl easing the mass Of
your enormities--from provoking the
lmprecatiCns OF more innocent blood on
your already too Culpahle head
Educated in christianity, by the
bounty of that family whose throne you
have usurped, your perverse disposition
or your unnatural amtitIoli, caused you
to proclaim yourself an inhdel before
you had attained the age of manhood.
You enlisted, while yet ayouth, in the
ranks of the prosecutors Of the robbers,
the murderers Of the ministers of
Christ You assisted this sacriligious
horde to overthrow his temples, to lev
Ell his affairs, but you surpassed them in
wickedness by adding to your outrages
against christianity an apostacy to Ma
hamet TO delude those whom you had
shocked by your armies, you, from base
and selfish motives, pretended to return
to the God Of your childhood to the
church of your foreiathers,b but no sooner
had the Holy Father administered his
absolution and condescended 10 conse.
crate you a ruler, than you plotted to
confound the sacred authority Of the
Pontiff with the arrogated right Of the
emperor, and to dictate doctrine 10 the
church, as well as code to the State
Co the admonitions of Plus VII YOU
replied, by the seizure of the papaI ter
ritory, by innovations in religion, by
threats to extirpate the very founda-
lions Of christianity The excommuni.
cation, necessarily pronounced, dissol.
we'd the allegiance Of all your oppressed
subjects, made you in the christianworld
an outlaw; for whose conversation
charity might iRduce US secretly 10
pray, but whose temporal prosperity it
would have been sinful to desire. We
had no choice but 10 obey, or to wound
our consclences-instead of furnishing
Us who remained firm in our duty, you
ought rather to have esteemed us as
honest men, and trusted us as conscien-
tlous christians (; those who are not in
Inundated by poverty, by prisons by
racks aud eXecutioners, must be above
all earthly considerations and are more
worthy of confidence than those to
whom perjury is familiar those who
fear their God will never forsake or be-
tray their rightfuI Prince. In the day
of calamity Chat day which worketh
Eepeniance) you viii be sure to find
THEM arms stretched out to protect you,
and their lips ready to speak consolation