a look of sorrow, clench your hand, and work it round on your heart as a sign of sorrow. These signs will probably give him the idea you wish, namely, that he has within him a thinking mind, and a feeling heart in other words, that he has a soul. It is this soul which, you know, as we read in the Bible, God breathed into man when he made him after his own image.

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Point afterwards to some animal: say, by signs, "The dog think of God?"-"No." "Feel thankful to God?"-"No." "Pray to God?""No." "Learn words?"-" No." Try to be good?""Beasts have souls like men?""No." I will now tell you exactly how to put this last sentence into signs.

"No."

Beasts-sign, as if walking on all fours.

Have sign, drawing the hand close to the breast, as a sign of something belonging to you. Soul-sign, touch the forehead with a thinking, considering look; then lay the hand on the heart with a look of feeling.

Like-sign, put the two forefingers by one another, comparing them, and shewing they are alike, of the same size, &c.

Men-sign, hand touch the forehead, as if taking off the hat-and the sign for many, which is moving quickly about the fingers of both hands, as if counting more quickly, and a greater number than you

can count.

He will perhaps be pleased to observe what advantages God has given to him over animals, and you may take the opportunity of saying, by signs, "We are thankful to God; we will give our hearts and minds to God, and try to please him."

Then afterwards talk to him, by signs, about death. The sign for death will be the breath becoming shorter and shorter, and then stopping, and the body stiffening. When you walk with him in the church-yard, shew him the graves of men, and

Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb.

54L

tell him you and himself, his brothers and sisters, &c. will one day all be laid in the grave.

Touch your flesh and bones; shew that they will all decay, and perish, and moulder, and turn to dust. The sign, as if strewing dust between your fingers and thumbs, or as if touching something rotten and decayed, with an expression of not liking to do it, will give the notion of this decay of the body after death; and probably he will recollect having seen dead animals becoming putrid and decayed.

He will perhaps not like the notion of all this happening to his own body, after it is in the grave. Then take the opportunity of making him rejoice, by talking to him of the immortal, or never-dying part of himself. Make the sign for soul, and say, by signs, "Your soul die?"-"No." "Your soul moulder and decay?""No, no." "Your soul be buried in the grave?"-"No." "Your soul think-feel-for ever?"-"Yes."

The sign for the words "for ever," I will describe. Make circles round and round in the air with your forefinger a great many times, then stop suddenly from making them: then the sign for "no," shaking your head, as much as to say, "I must not stop-no ceasing;" and begin again making these circles, as if you were to go on always without stopping.

After you see, by the child's countenance and manner, that all this is understood, you may say, by signs, "You love God, and try to be good-die -soul happy for ever;" and point up to heaven, and join your hands, with your head inclined down, as it before God; and shew, by your actions, that the soul can go away from the dying body, and go to God. Then say, by signs, "You bad-diesoul unhappy for ever." "See God?”—“ No.”"God see wicked souls?"-"No." Probably he may remember the death of some good kind friend;

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think and hope the soul of that person is with God, and happy.

You must not try to say all these things in one day, but lead on to them a little at a time, just as your child shews you by his countenace that he is catching the meaning of what you tell him. And remember, a young child never likes to think many minutes at a time very seriously. Therefore when you find his mind turn away from what you are telling him, do you change to something else; make him count, or tell you the names of beasts, or birds, or insects, or the names of clothes, or furniture; or else write some of the little easy sentences which I have mentioned in my other letters.

I did promise to give you further instructions about the manner of teaching him to write about things that happen in the present time, or that did happen in past time, or will happen in future; but my letter would be too long if I said more now ; besides, I think you have enough to do, if you go on following all the directions given in my former letters. I wish, if I can, to help you to talk about every thing by signs; for then you will find it more easy to put signs into words. I have lately met with a very kind gentleman, who has taught many deaf and dumb people, and he has made me understand that it is not a good method, when you want to give a new notion to a dumb child, to shew a new word first, and then explain it afterwards by a sign; but, when you have in your own mind a notion, or idea, which you want to put into the mind of your child, find a sign for that notion first; and afterwards, when you see the child has caught the notion, or idea, by your sign, you may shew him that there are words which people speak, and which he may try to speak, or learn to write, which have the same meaning as the sign, or signs, you have been making.

I am your friend and well-wisher,

D. D.

Execution of King Charles the First. 543

EXECUTION OF KING CHARLES THE FIRST.

THE King proceeded through the long gallery (of Whitehall), lined on each side with soldiers, who, far from insulting the fallen Monarch, appeared by their sorrowful looks to sympathize with his fate. At the end an opening had been made in the wall, through which he stepped at once upon the soaffold. It was hung with black; at the further end were seen the two executioners, the block, and the axe: below appeared in arms several regiments of horse and foot; and beyond, as far as the eye was permitted to reach, waved a dense and countless crowd of spectators. The King stood collected and undismayed amidst the apparatus of death. There was in his countenance that cheerful intrepidity, in his demeanour that dignified calmness, which had characterized in the hall of Fotheringay his royal grandmother, Mary Stuart. It was his wish to address the people: but they were kept beyond the reach of his voice by the swords of the military; and therefore confining his discourse to the few persons standing with him on the scaffold, he took, he said, the opportunity of denying, in the presence of his God, the crimes of which he had been accused. It was not to him, but to the Houses of Parliament, that the war and all its evils should be charged. The Parliament bad first invaded the rights of the Crown by claiming the command of the army; it had provoked hostilities by issuing commissions for the levy of forces, before he had raised a single man. But he had forgiven all, even those, whoever they were (for he did not desire to know their name,) who had brought him to his death. He did more than forgive them, he prayed that they might repent. But for that purpose they must do three things: they

according to the Scripture; they must restore to the Crown those rights which belonged to it by law; and they must teach the people the distinction between the Sovereign and the subject; those persons could not be governors who were to be governed, they could not rule, whose duty it was to obey. Then, in allusion to the offers formerly made to him by the army, he concluded with these words :- -"Sirs, it was for the liberties of the people that I am come here. If I would have as sented to an arbitrary sway, to have all things changed according to the power of the sword, I needed not to have come hither: and therefore I tell you, (and I pray God it be not laid to your charge,) that I am the martyr of the people."

Having added, at the suggestion of Dr. Juxon, "I die a Christian according to the profession of the Church of England, as I found it left me by my father," he said, addressing himself to the Prelate, "I have on my side a good cause, and a gracious God."

Bishop." There is but one stage more: it is turbulent and troublesome, but a short one. It will carry you from earth to heaven, and there you will find joy and comfort."

King. I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown."

Bishop." You exchange an earthly for an eternal crown-a good exchange."

Being ready, he bent his neck on the block, and, after a short pause, stretched out his hands as a signal. At that instant the axe descended; the head rolled from the body; and a deep groan burst from the multitude of the spectators. But they had no leisure to testify their feelings: two troops of horse dispersed them in different directions.

LINGARD.