his former converse, and to run and transform into the manners of
the ancient tyrants, thinking to please and mitigate his own
tortures with the sufferings of others."

But now the fate his vigilance had hitherto combated at last
overtook him in a manner impossible to evade. He was attacked by
divers infirmities, but for some time made no outward sign of his
suffering, until one day five physicians came and waited on him,
as Dr. George Bate states in his ELENCHUS MOTUUM NUPERORUM. And
one of them, feeling his pulse, declared his Highness suffered
from an intermittent fever; hearing which "he looked pale, fell
into a cold sweat, almost fainted away, and orders himself to be
carried to bed." His fright, however, was but momentary. He was
resolved to live. He had succeeded in raising himself to a
position of vast power, but had failed in attaining the great
object of his ambition--the crowned sovereignty of the nation he
had stirred to its centre, and conquered to its furthest limits.
Brought face to face with death, his indomitable will, which had
shaped untoward circumstances to his accord with a force like
unto fate itself, now determined to conquer his shadowy enemy
which alone intercepted his path to the throne. Therefore as he
lay in bed he said to those around him with that sanctity of
speech which had cloaked his cruellest deeds and dissembled his
most ambitious designs, "I would be willing to live to be further
serviceable to God and his people."

As desires of waking hours are answered in sleep, so in response
to his nervous craving for life he had delusive assurances of
health through the special bounty of Providence. He was
therefore presently able to announce he "had very great