roused into admiration, at the noble, generous, and successful exertions
of Sir R. Wilson and his friends, to assist in snatching the life of that
devoted victim, from the bloody hand of the executioner! But many brave
men have voluntarily sacrificed themselves to save the life of a friend;
in the pages of history, we find that many an excellent wife has done the
same to save a beloved husband; but where shall we find a similar instance
of disinterested devotion in a sister?--To be the descendant of such a
woman--to bear the same name and belong to her family, is in itself
something that I am proud to boast of. With what delight have I (while yet
a boy) listened to this recital, while my father dwelt on it with rapture;
his eye glistening with a dignified pride as he recounted the tale of this
heroine of the family! How often have I been sent up stairs to unlock the
old oak chest, and to bring down the musty records of these eventful days,
that they might be unrolled either to refresh my father's memory, or to
vouch for particular acts and circumstances! How many times, subsequently,
has it been my lot to turn to this or that particular event, and while he
enjoyed his pipe, how often did I at his command read the minute detail as
I found it written, upon the old musty parchments and papers! However, to
proceed, Colonel Desbrow, who then had the command of Oliver's troops at
this place, was instantly informed of the flight of the prisoner; he
ordered Margery to appear before him, which she did habited in her
brother's clothes, and he threatened to have her executed instantly,
without judge or jury, in her brother's stead, if she did not immediately
inform him of the whole plot, and assist in the re-capture of her brother.
She calmly replied, that she had not the least objection to comply with
his demand as far as she knew of the plot. She confessed that she went
into the prison to visit her brother with the intention to effect his
escape if possible; that neither her brother, nor even her sister, had the
slightest knowledge of her intentions till she proposed it to him in the
prison, that there she found him resigned to his fate, and it was with the