Sentence:  ... he came to impart other news; to prepare the Earl for death; for the morrow was appointed for his execution. He received the intelligence with the firm <WSD>hardihood</WSD> of indignant virtue, disdaining to solicit, and disdaining to repine ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Unyielding boldness and daring; firmness in doing something that exposes one to difficulty, danger, or calamity; intrepidness.