Sentence:  Concerning the sentence , Foss wrote , `` If it be possible that mercy shall override <WSD>vengeance</WSD> and that John Brown 's sentence shall be commuted to imprisonment , it would be well - well for the country and for Virginia '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life; I will repay, saith the Lord"--Romans 12:19