Year: 1868

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suring him that he was ready and willing
to abide by his decision. he told him
that be was on the point of publishing a
history of the Revolution of Flanders,
under the reign of Phillip II, when he
heard of the dangerous competition to
which he was exposed. and that he deemed
it his duty to abandon his right TO his
glorious rival. Far from encouraging his
young visitor in that idea, Prescott begged
him to persevere in his design, and uniting
action with speech, he at once gave access
to the special books in his library to his
loyal antagonist. The unknown visitor
was Mr.. Lathrop Motley, who afterwards
earned a legitimate reputation in the lit
erary world by his History of the Repub-
lie Of the Netherlands But Prescott was
more active than Motley. and the Life of
Phillip II. having appeared the first, Pres
colt announced in the preface, in the most
amiable manner, the early publication of
Mr.. Motley's History of the Revolution
of Flanders.


In the early part of the year 1858, three
volumes of the Life of Phillip II. had
been published, but those three volumes
were to be the last. OF all Prescotts
works, they are the least known, but we
do not hesitate to put them on level
with the Conquest of Mexico. If the
Life of Phillip ii. has not acquired in
America or other parts of the world more
popularity, it is because it was not termi-
mated. Prescott was not destined to pur-
sue any longer his great labors. For some
time vigilant eye might have foreseen
his coming death, in witnessing the grad
ual weakening of his organs. He was no
more able, as once, to sit in the shade of a
cluster of trees at Pepperell, and known
throughout the surrounding country as the
"Fairies' Bower" His eyes could no longer
admire the graceful outlines of the charm
ing scenery they had so long contemplated.
He was soon obliged to limit his blind
mans walk to turning solitarily round and
round an old cherry-tree not far from the
house; and his continual walking in the
same place cut deep path, which he me-
chanically followed. At this time, he first
perceived the symptoms of another in
trinity, and he remarked with indescriba-
BILE terror, that he was getting deaf. One
may well imagine how dreadful that ca
lamity would have been to him. He
would probably have experienced this last
cruel infrmity had he remained much
longer on earth. 1t is not then, perhaps,
a matter of regret that sudden death
should have spared him that trial


In the beginning of 1858, be experienced
the first shock of fearful disease, which,
judging from the words he uttered when
he felt the attack, was nothing extraordi-
nary to him. Having had slight stroke
of apoplexy, he murmured with faint, in
distinct voice to his wife, bending over
him, "My dear friend, am very sorry for
you that this misfortune should occur so
soon." He passed the danger, and having
regained the complete equilibrium of his
faculties, he was fain to believe that he
had nothing further to apprehend. The
last lines written in his journal with his
own hand, are expressive of his confidence
in the future, and of his gratefulness to
God but his friends did not share in this
assurance, and experience was, alas to
prove that their surmises were right. On
the 9th of January, 1859, he had a sudden
stroke, as he entered his library, and died
surrounded by his wife, his children, his
favorite sister, (who had been the COM
panion and confident of his YOUTH and
his old friend Ticknor, who had hastened
to see him when he heard of the fatal at
tack. To die amongst those he loved was
an oft-repeated wish. They found in his
will the expression of singular desire.
He earnestly requested that before being
taken to the cemetery, his body should be
deposited for several hours in that dear
library where he had passed the sweetest
hours of his life. This wish was religiousy
complied with, and on the same day his
coffin was taken to the church and depos-
tied in the vault where his parents and the
little girl he had SO dearly loved, were at
rest. His remains were followed by his
friends, and q vast multitude of people.
Many men, who had seen Prescott but
once or twice In their lives, or who knew
him merely by reputation, accompanied
his body to its last resting place. Every
body looked sad and deeply moved, and it
was easy to see, as his faithful biographer
informs US, that she world had expert.
enced q great loss, and that light as
useful as it was brilliant, had been extin-
guished by the hand of Death