Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1856-02-01

''"s ~"s "SH Ho"icuSe tHdt, IL VIC AIcu
traitor, who had hitherto opposed to con-
science and to public opinion the same
cool and placid hardihood which distin-
guished him on fields Of battle, had real
ly begun to feel rcmorse. it would be alb.
surd to reject, on account of his unworthi-
ness, the inestimabIe services which it
was in his power to render to the good
cause. He sat in the interior council, he
held high command in the army, he had
been recegtly entrusted, and would doubt
less again be entrusted, with the direc-
ton Of importnt military operation. 1t
waa true that no man had incurred equal
gnilt !; but it was true also that no man
had it in his power to make equal rcpara
ton. If he was sincere, he might doubt
less earn the pardon he so much dcsirdc
But was he sincere Had he not been
just as loud in Professions of loyalty on the
very eve of his crime 1t was necessary
to put him to the test. Several tests were
applied by sackyille and Lloyd. Marl-
borough was required to furnish full in
formation touching the strength and dis
tribution of all the divisions of the En-
glish army, and he complied. He was
required to disclose the whole plan of
the approaching campaign and he did
so. The Jacobte leaders watched care
fully for inaccuracies in his reports, but
could find none. 1t was thought still
stronger proof of his fidelity that he gave
valuable intelligence about what was do
ing in the office Of the Secretary of State
A deposition had been sworn against one
Jealous ioyalist. A warrant was prepar-
ing against another These limitations
saved several of the malcontents from
imprisonment, if not from the galiows
and it was impossible for them not to fee
some rclcnting toward the awakened sin
ncr to whom they owed so much.
"He, however, in his secret converse
ton with his new allies, laid no claim 10
merit He did not, he said, ask for con.
fdence. How could he after the villa
mics which he had committed against the
best Of Kings, hope ever to be truste ed
again 1t was enough for wretch like
him to be PERMITTED to make, at the cost
Of his life, some poor attonement to the
basely injured, but whom he had never
ceased to love. 1t was not improbable
that, in the summer. he might command
the English forces in Flanders. Was il
wished that he should bring them over
in body to the French camp, If such
were the royal pleasure, he would un-
dertakc that the thing should be done.
But on the whole he thought that it
would be bettes to wait till the nc1tses-
sion of Parliament.
"Marlborough's pretenled repentance
imposed so completely on those who man
aged the affairs of James in London that
they sent Lloyd to France, with the cheer
ing intelligence that the most depravcd
of all rebels had been wonderfully trans
formed into loyal subject. The tidings
filled James with delight and hope. Had
he been wise, they would have excited in
him only aversion and distrust. 1t was
absurd to imagine that man really heart
broken by remorse and shame for one
act of perfdy would determine to Tighten
his conscience by committing second
act of perfdy as odious and as disgrac e.
ful as the first. The promised atonement
was so wicked and base, that it never
could be made by any man sincerely de-
sirous to atone for past wickedness and
baseness. The truth was that, when
Marlborough told the Jacobites that his
sense Of guilt prevented him from swal-
lowing his food by day and taking his
rest at night, he was laughing at them.
The loss of half guinea would have done
more to spoil his appetite and to disturb
his slumbers than all the teryors of an
evil conscience.
"The pcnitent was informed BY his ia
cobite friends that he was forgiven. The
news was most welcome but something
more was necessary to restore his lost
peace of mind. Might he hope to have
in the royal handwriting two lines con-
tanning a promise of pardon 1t was
not, of course. for his own sake that, he
asked this. But he was confident that,
with such a document in his hands. he
could bring back to the right path some
persons of great note who adhered to the
usurper, only because they imagined that
Al 1o1 80. the,