were many religious families in Londonderry then, and we may well suppose how they felt, and how they were employed too, at such a time as that. Remember that all the suffering they endured,-the privations, the famine, the dangers, the losses, were endured for the sake of truth, Protestant truth. Had they been induced to surrender, and to open their gates, and to submit to James, they would have sacrificed principle; and therefore resistance, even to death, was a duty. But we were speaking of those who could not join the brave soldiers of the garrison, in defending themselves from the enemy with their guns and their swords. There were especial duties for them to perform. What were they? There was patience to be exercised; there was confidence in God to be displayed; and above all, there was prayer to be offered. And we may fully believe that all these duties were attended to then. Many a woman, and many a child too, might have been found in Londonderry during that siege, praying earnestly for their city, and their country, and their Protestant faith, when they could not fight with "carnal weapons," for the blessings they so highly prized. And we may be assured that the assistance which arrived at last, and the deliverance which followed, came as much in answer to the prayers of the patient sufferers, as in

consequence of the means used for defence and preservation by the brave soldiers who manned the walls. We are told that "the righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, and delivereth them from all their troubles." Oh let us never forget the lessons of patience, and faith, and trust in God, which we may learn from the besieged city of Londonderry.

But I have another lesson for you of a different kind, one which the sad story of Glencoe has suggested,-a lesson on the duty of exercising mercy and compassion. We owe much to King William, and we ought never to hear his name, without feelings of gratitude for all the blessings which accompanied his accession to the English throne at the time of the Great Revolution. And yet, when we read such a story as that of the massacre of Glencoe, and remember the part he had in it, we cannot think of William with that affection which we would desire to feel for a good king. Now there is something so delightful in a merciful, compassionate, gentle disposition, that I would not pass over this trait in William's character, without taking the opportunity of pressing upon you the importance of cultivating these graces, if you wish to be not only respected, but loved. The king we are speaking of was perhaps naturally deficient in the amiable parts of character; and though he

was on the whole a good man, yet he was certainly, on account of these deficiencies, feared rather than loved. We may wish that he had acted more in accordance with the beautiful lines which follow from our great poet, with which we will conclude the chapter,-and more in accordance too with the spirit of Him who said, "Be ye merciful, even as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." Had he so acted, we should not have been obliged to mourn over the massacre of Glencoe, as a stain on the memory of our sovereign William

III.

The quality of mercy is not strain'd;

It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice bless'd;
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute of God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's,
When mercy seasons justice.

XXXV. A CHAPTER ON GREAT MEN.

A.D. 1702-1714.

Lives of great men all remind us
We may make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time ;-
Footprints which, pérhaps, another

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,—
Some forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,—
Seeing, may take heart again.-LONGFELLOW.

WILLIAM III left no children; when he died, therefore, Anne, the youngest daughter of James II., succeeded to the throne, according to the arrangements made at the time of the Revolution. Anne was an amiable woman, and a good queen. She had not indeed very brilliant qualities or talents; but though she did not attract the admiration, she gained the affections of her subjects.

A great part of this reign was taken up with a war against France. Louis XIV was still king of that country. He now rejoiced in the death of his enemy William III, thinking

that he should have little further to fear from the English, headed as they were by a female sovereign. This however was far from being the case. Forces were soon collected against him from Germany and Holland, the allies of our own country, and preparations for war commenced. The command of the English army was given to the Duke of Marlborough, one of the most celebrated men who distinguished the times of Queen Anne. He had been a great favourite with William III, who used to say, that he had the coolest head and the warmest heart of any man he knew. Marlborough enjoyed a great deal of honour under Anne also; and this was increased by the influence of his wife, to whom the Queen was much attached. The Duchess of Marlborough was a clever woman, but haughty and passionate, and she exercised a great deal too much power over the meek and gentle Anne.

I should tell you, that at this time there was a great deal of disputing between the two parties of whom you have already heard,-the Whigs and the Tories. They differed in opinion as to the expediency of this war with France. The Whigs wished to carry it on ; but the Tories objected, on account of the expense it would bring upon the country. However, the Whigs prevailed, and so, as I said, the Duke of Marlborough and his army