JAMES THE SECOND.

barber in Whitechapel. Fernley was very poor. He wasbesieged by creditors. He knew that a reward of a hundredpounds had been offered by the government for the appre-hension of Burton. But the honest man was incapable ofbetraying one who, in extreme peril, had come under theshadow of his roof. Unhappily it was soon noised abroadthat the anger of James was more strongly excited againstthose who harboured rebels than against the rebels them-selves. He had publicly declared that of all forms of treasonthe hiding of traitors from his vengeance was the most un-pardonable. Burton knew this. He delivered himself up tothe government; and he gave information against Fernleyand Elizabeth Gaunt. They were brought to trial. Thevillain whose life they had preserved had the heart and theforehead to appear as the principal witness against them.They were convicted. Fernley was sentenced to the gallows,Elizabeth Gaunt to the stake. Even after all the horrors ofthat year, many thought it impossible that these judgmentsshould be carried into execution. But the King was withoutpity. Fernley was hanged. Elizabeth Gaunt was burnedalive at Tyburn on the same day on which Cornish suffereddeath in Cheapside. She left a paper written, indeed, in nograceful style, yet such as was read by many thousands withcompassion and horror. “My fault,” she said, “was onewhich a prince might well have forgiven. I did but relieve apoor family, and lo! I must die for it.” She complainedof the insolence of the judges, of the ferocity of the gaoler,and of the tyranny of him, the great one of all, to whosepleasure she and so many other victims had been sacrificed.In as far as they had injured herself, she forgave them: but,in that they were implacable enemies of that good cause whichwould yet revive and flourish, she left them to the judgmentof the King of Kings. To the last she preserved a tranquilcourage, which reminded the spectators of the most heroic