Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-01-27

wretched delinquents came to receive their doom
We suppose it to be refinement of modern days
that men are not punished for their crimes, but
only to deter others from committing them This
court of Henry seemed to think otherwise there
was all the array of human passions in the Judg-
es, as well as in the judged. On one hand re-
crcant fear abjured his creed another, hero
ism braycd all contingencies, counting the pile and
the stake with passionate desire, and the
pile and stake were given with unrelenting cru
| city.
AT length there stood at the bar aged man
and youthful girl; the long white hair of the
one fell loosely over the shoulders, and left un-
shaded face wrinkled as much by care by
age, the dark locks Of the other were braided
over countenance ciouded by sorrow and wet
with tears.
The mockery of trial went on. 1t was easy to
prove what even the criminal did not attempt to
gainsay. The aged merchant avowed his fidelity
to the Pope as a true son of the church-denied
the supremacy of Henry over any part of the fold,
| and thus sealed his own doom.
There was an awful stiffness through the court
Stiffness the precursor of doom-broken only
by tho sobs of the weeping girl, she clung to
her fathers arm. Howbeit, the expected SEN
tence was interrupted; then came sudden rush.
attendance throngcd the court. 4" Room for Lord
Cromwell room for Lord Cromwell ~ and the
Vicar General came in his pomp and state, with
all the insignia of Office, TO assume his place Of
pre- -eminence at that tribunal. Notes Of the
proceedings were laid before Lord Cromwell. He
was told of the intended sentence, and he made .
gesture Of appreciation.
A gleam of hope seemed to dawn upon the mind
of the Italian girl as Lord Cromwell entered
She watched his countenance while he read il
was stern, indicative Of calm determination but
there we're lines in it that spoke more Of mista-
ken duty than innate cruelty. Yet when the
Vicar General gave his token of assent the steel
entered E,nilia's soul, and sob the veriest &C
ut of despair, ran through that court, and
where it met the human heart, pierced through
all the cruelty and oppression that armed it, and
struck upon the natural feelings that dI, ide mea
from monsters.
The sound struck upon Cromwell iwn.hip /
eye sought the place whence it proceeded IteEs@
ted On Emilia and her father. A strange emo
ton passed over the face of the stern judge
perfect stiffness followed.
Lord Cromwell broke the silence. He glanced
over the notes that had been handed to him,
speaking apparently to himself: From Italy
Observation-Disclosures by the wars-ay,
those Milan wars were owing to Clements
btion and Charles knavery-the loss of sub
stance-to England to reclaim an old indebt-
ment."
Lord Cromwell's eye rested once more upon
the merchent and his daughter. =. Ye are of TIA
ly-from Milan-is that your birth place?''
"We are Tuscans," replied the merchant of
Lucca, and ch !. noble Lord, if there is mercy
in this world show it now to this unhappy
girl!
"To both or to neither :" exclaimed tie girl.
a. We will live or die together ~
The Vicar General made answer to neither.
lie rose abruptly at sign from him the proper
officer declared the court adjourned The suffer-
ers were hurried back to their cell, some went
whittier they would, Others where they would
not but all disappeared.
A faint and solitary light cleaned from a
chink of the prison wall-it came from the mar
row cell of the italian merchant and his daUgh-
ter.
The girl slept-ay, slept. Sleep does not ell
ways leave the wretched to light upon lids unsul-
lied with with tear. Reader thou has known
intense misery, and canst thou remember how
thou hast felt and wept and agonized until the
very excitement ofthe misery wore out of the
body S power of endurance, and slept Ike a tor
por, stupor, lethargy, bound thee in its chains!
Into such sleep had Emilia fallen. She was ly
ing the prison floor, her face pale, as If ready
for the grave, the large tears yet resting upon
her cheeks, and over her sat the merchant, think
ing what treasure She was and had ever been
to hi.a-he could wish that sleep to be the sleep
of death.
The clanking of key caught the merchant S
ear, gentle sleep entered the prison. The faith
ers first thought was for his child lie made
molten to enjoy silence; it was obeyed. His WIS.,
itor advanced with quiet tread the merchant
looked upon him with wonder. Surely-no-
and vet should it be, that his judge, Lord Crom-
well the Vicar General, stood before him, and
| stood notwith threatening in his eye, not with
denunciation his lips, but took his stand on the
! other side of Emilia gazing upon her WITH 81
eve in which pity and tend"-a were conspicu
Gus.
) Am.zement bound up the faculties ofthe mer
chant He seemed to himself as one that dream
eth.
Awake. gentle girl, awake said Lord Crom
well, as he stopped over Emilia. Let me hea
thy voice once more, as it sounded IN mine ca
in other days.
The gentle accents fell too light to break tn
spell of the heavy slumber, and the merchant
, whose tears, feelings and confusion formed pei