Chapter XVIII: Letter III: Clapton, November 1, 1769

My ears still ring with the sounds of "O Jack! O Jack! How do the dear Lichfieldians? What do they say? What are they about? What did _you_ do while you were with them?" Have patience, said I, good people! and began my story, which they devoured with as much joyful avidity as Adam did Gabriel's tidings of heaven. My mother and sisters are all very well, and delighted with their little Frenchman, who is a very agreeable lad. Surely you applaud the fortitude with which I left you! Did I not come off with flying colors? It was a great effort, for, alas! this recreant heart did _not second_ the smiling courage of the _countenance_; nor is it yet as it ought to be, from the hopes that it may reasonably entertain of seeing you all again e'er the winter's dreary hours are past. Julia, my dear Julia, gild them with tidings of our beloved Honora! Oh, that you may be able to tell me that she regains her health, and her charming vivacity! Your sympathizing heart partakes all the joys and pains of your friends. Never can I forget its kind offices, which were of such moment to my peace! _Mine_ is formed for friendship, and I am blessed in being able to place so _well_ the purest passion of an ingenuous mind! How am I honored in Mr. and Mrs. Seward's attachment to me! Charming were the anticipations which beguiled the long tracts of hill, and dale, and plain that divide London from Lichfield! With what delight my eager eyes _drank_ their first view of the dear spires! What rapture did I not feel on entering your gates! in flying up the hall steps! in rushing into the dining-room! in meeting the gladdened eyes of dear Julia and her enchanting friend! That instant convinced me of the truth of Rousseau's observation, that "there are _moments_ worth ages." Shall not those moments return? Ah, Julia! the cold hand of absence is heavy upon the heart of your poor _cher Jean_. He is forced to hammer into it perpetually every consoling argument that the magic wand of hope can conjure up, viz., that every moment of industrious absence advances his journey, you know whither. I may sometimes make excursions to Lichfield, and bask in the light of my Honora's eyes! Sustain me, Hope!--nothing on my part shall be wanting which may induce thee to _fulfill_ thy blossoming promises.

The happy social circle--Julia, Honora, Miss S----n, Miss B----n, her brother, Mr. S----e, Mr. R----n, etc., etc.--are now, perhaps, enlivening your dressing-room, the dear _blue region_, as Honora calls it, with the sensible observation, the tasteful criticism, or the elegant song; dreading the iron-tongue of the nine-o'clock bell, which disperses the beings whom friendship and kindred virtues had drawn together. My imagination attaches itself to _all_, even the _inanimate_ objects which surround Honora and her Julia; that have beheld their graces and virtues expand and ripen--my dear Honora's--from their infant bud.

The sleepy Claptonian train are gone to bed, somewhat wearied with their excursion to Enfield, whither they have this day carried their favorite little Frenchman, so _great_ a favorite; the parting was quite tragical. I walked hither from town, as usual, to-night; no hour of the twenty-four is so precious to me as that devoted to this solitary walk. O my friend! I am far from possessing the patient frame of mind which I so continually invoke! Why is Lichfield an hundred and twenty miles from me? There is no _moderation_ in the distance! Fifty or sixty miles had been a great deal too much, but _then_ there would have been less opposition from _authority_ to my frequent visits. I conjure you, supply the want of these blessings by frequent _letters_. I must not, will not ask them of Honora, since the use of the pen is forbid to her declining health; I will content myself, as usual, with a postscript from her in your epistle. My sisters are charmed with the packet which arrived yesterday, and which they will answer soon.

As yet I have said nothing of our journey. We met an entertaining Irish gentleman at Dunchurch, and, being fellow-sufferers in cold and hunger, joined interests, ordered four horses, and stuffed three in a chaise. It is not to _you_--I need not apologize for talking in rapture of an higgler whom we met on our road. His cart had passed us, and was at a considerable distance, when, looking back, he perceived that our chaise had stopped, and that the driver seemed mending something. He ran up to him, and with a face full of honest anxiety, pity, good-nature, and every sweet affection under heaven, asked him if we wanted anything; that he had plenty of nails, ropes, etc., in his cart. That wretch of a postillion made no other reply than "We want nothing, master." From the same impulse the good Irishman, Mr. Till, and myself, thrust our heads instantly out of the chaise, and tried to recompense to the honest creature by forcing upon him a little pecuniary tribute. My benevolence will be the warmer, while I live, for the treasured remembrance of this higgler's countenance.

'I know you interest yourself in my destiny. I have now completely subdued my aversion to the profession of a merchant, and hope in time to acquire an inclination for it; yet God forbid I should ever love what I am to make the object of my attention!--that vile trash, which I care not for, but only as it may be the future means of procuring the blessing of my soul. Thus all my mercantile calculations go to the tune of _dear Honora_. When an impertinent consciousness whispers in my ear that I am not of the right stuff for a merchant, I draw my Honora's picture from my bosom, and the sight of that dear talisman so inspirits my industry that no toil appears oppressive.

The poetic talk you set me in is a sad method. My head and heart are too full of other matters to be engrossed by a draggle-tailed wench of the Heliconian puddle. I am going to try my interest in Parliament. How you stare!--it is to procure a frank. Be so good as to give the enclosed to Honora; _it_ will speak to _her_. And do _you_ say everything that is kind for me to every _other_ distinguished friend of the dressing-room circle; encourage them in their obliging desire of scribbling in your letters, but don't let them take Honora's corner of the sheet.

Adieu! May you all possess that cheerfulness denied to your _cher Jean_. I fear it hurts my mother to see my musing moods, but I can neither help nor overcome them. The near hopes of another excursion to Lichfield could alone disperse every gloomy vapor of my imagination. Again, and yet again, adieu!

J. André.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 86: name of kindness, by which Mr. André was often called by his mother and sisters, and generally adopted by the persons mentioned in these letters.]

[Footnote 87: The trees in the cathedral-walk in Lichfield.]

[Footnote 88: _Field of blood._--Here is a small mistake. Lichfield is not the field of blood, but "the field of dead bodies," alluding to the battle fought between the Romans and the British Christians in the Diocletian persecution, when the latter were massacred. Three slain kings, with their burying-place, now Barrowcop Hill, and the cathedral in miniature, form the city arms. Lich is still a word in use. The church-yard gates, through which funerals pass, are often called Lich-gates, vulgarly Light-gates.]

INDEX.

A

Adams, Alice, Hale's affianced, 21 (_note_).

Alexander, William, Lord Stirling, 71 (_note_).

American army on Manhattan Island, condition of, 11;
on Harlem Heights--perils menacing the, 12.

American cause, gloomy prospects for the, 79.

Anderson, the fictitious name of Major André, 65.

André, John, birth, parentage, education, and family of, 37;
at Lichfield with Anna Seward, 38;
personal appearance of--betrothed to Honora Sneyd--paints a miniature
portrait of her--correspondence of, with Anna Seward, 40, 41;
enters the British army--alleged presages of his death, 42, 43;
goes to America--his observations there, 43, 44;
made a prisoner, exchanged, and promoted by General Howe, 44, 45;
social position of, in Philadelphia, 45, 46;
writes "Yankee Doodle's Expedition to Rhode Island"--aide-de-camp to
General Clinton, 61;
genius of, displayed--goes with Clinton up the Hudson River, 62;
letters of, to Mrs. Benedict Arnold, 63;
secret correspondence of, with General Arnold, 65;
a spy at Charleston--made adjutant-general of the British forces
in America, 66;
writes "The Cow-Chase," 68;
at a dinner-party given by Colonel Williams--sadness of, 80;
sings a campaign song--important mission of, 81;
meets Arnold near Haverstraw--goes to Smith's house--bargain with
Arnold, 83, 84;
attempts to return to New York through the American lines--disguise
of, 84;
conceals papers received from Arnold in his boots--journey of, toward
New York, 85;
arrest of, 86;
suspected of being a spy, 87, 88;
tries to bribe his captors--taken to an American post, 88;
confession of, 91;
letter of, to Washington, 91-93;
sent to West Point, 97;
sent to Tappaan in charge of Major Tallmadge, 97, 98;
sympathy for, 99, 105, 106;
effect of the news of capture of, 99;
trial and sentence of, 100, 101;
exertions to save the life of, 101;
letter of, to Washington, on the mode of his death, 102;
letters of, to friends--drawings of, 103 (_note_);
execution of, 103-105;
monument in honor of, in Westminster Abbey, 106;
remains of, removed to the abbey, 106 (_note_);
place of execution of, marked by memorial-stones, 108, 109.

André Brook, the, 117.

Arnold, Benedict, life of, in Philadelphia--charges against, 63;
urges an investigation, 64;
treasonable correspondence of, 64, 65;
secret correspondence of, with Major André--disguised handwriting
of, 65;
in command at West Point, 78;
tries to meet André in disguise, 79;
plans of, for consummating treason, 83, 84;
meets André near Haverstraw, 83;
takes André to Smith's house--finishes his bargain to betray his
country--gives André important papers, 84;
receives notice of the arrest of André, 93;
hurried interview with his wife--escapes to the _Vulture_--patriotism
of his barge crew, 94;
attempts to arrest, 96;
impudent letter of, to Washington, 101 (_note_).

Arnold, Mrs., distress of, 94;
Washington's kindness to, 96.

Austin, Henry, designer of the Hale Monument at Coventry, 27.

B

Babcock, J.S., poetic tribute of, to the memory of Nathan Hale, 29.

Boothby, Sir Richard, a literary friend of Anna Seward, 38.

Boudinot, Elias, concerning the arrest and execution of André, 99.

British army near New York, condition of the, 11.

Buchanan, James, assists in the removal of André's remains to
England, 108.

C

Caldwell, Rev. James, 77 (_note_).

Captors of André, 85;
rewarded, 89.

Carleton, Governor of Canada, 43.

Cathcart, Captain, and Miss Eliot, 51 (_note_).

"Cedars, The," and the Widow Chichester, 16.

Chichester, the Widow, and the Tories, 16.

Clinton, Sir Henry, 43;
succeeds Howe, 46;
in command of the British army--flight of, across New Jersey--fights
at Monmouth Court-House, 60;
headquarters of, at New York, 61, 62, 83;
letter of, to Washington--André's letter to, 101.

Court of inquiry in the case of André, 100.

"Cow-Chase, The," a satire by Major André, 67-78.

Cunningham, William, character of, 24 (_note_), 25.

D

Darwin, Erasmus, 38.

De Lancey, Oliver, assists André in art-work--marries Miss Franks
56 (_note_).

Demorest, Rev. John, assists at the disinterment of the remains of
Major André--silver cup sent to, by André's sisters, 108.

Depew, Chauncey M., oration by, at Tarrytown, 121.

D'Estaing, with French fleet, goes to Rhode Island, 61.

Dobb's Ferry, 84;
conference at, 101.

Dream, a singular, concerning André, 42.

E

Edgeworth, Richard Lovell, marries Honora Sneyd, 38, 41.

Eliot, Miss, and Captain Cathcart, 51.

F

Field, Cyrus W., erects a memorial-stone at the place of André's
execution, 109-115;
proposes to erect a monument in memory of Nathan Hale at his own
expense, 113, 114;
letter of, on the subject, to the New York Historical Society, 114;
contribution of, to the Hale monument at Coventry, 114;
generous designs of, for the benefit of the Rockland County
Historical and Forestry Society, 118.

Finch, Francis M., poem on Nathan Hale by, 29.

Fort Hale, 28.

G

Gibbs, George, epitaph for Hale's tomb, written by, 84.

Grey, General, marauding expedition of, to New Bedford, 61.

Greene, General Nathanael, in command at Tappaan, proclaims Arnold's
treason, 98.

"Gustavus," the fictitious name of Arnold, 61.

H

Hale and André, character and motives of, iv.

Hale, Edward Everett, 4.

Hale, Enoch, 4.

Hale, Nathan, childhood and youth of--personal appearance and vigor
of--enters Yale College, 4;
Dr. E. Munson's recollections of, 5;
letter of, to Dr. Munson, 6 (_note_);
a school-teacher at East Haddam and New London, 7;
patriotism of, aroused--speech of, 8;
a volunteer soldier at the siege of Boston--patriotism
displayed--commissioned captain--daring feat of, at New York, 9;
generosity of--in the battle of Long Island and the retreat--illness
of, 10;
volunteers for the secret service, and resists the dissuasions of his
friends--ideas of, concerning secret service, 14, 15;
receives instructions from Washington--departure of, on secret
service, 15;
goes to Long Island and enters the British camps in disguise--methods
of, as a spy, 16;
arrest of, 17;
character of, discovered, 18;
at General Howe's headquarters at the Beekman mansion--confined in a
greenhouse, 19;
interview of, with General Howe, 20;
treatment of, by Cunningham, 21, 22;
last words of, 23;
place of execution of, 23 (_note_);
execution of--sympathy for--neglect of memory of, 24;
memorials of, 25;
monument erected in memory of, 27, 28;
poem written concerning, 27-31;
and André compared, 31;
proposed monument in memory of, at New York--statue of,
contemplated, 33;
epitaph for tomb of, 34;
monument to, proposed, 111, 113, 114.

Hale, Richard and Elizabeth, parents of Nathan Hale, 3.

Hayley, Thomas, an English poet, 38.

Hamilton, Alexander, 73, 93, 96, 100, 102.

Harrison, Richard, 73 (_note_).

Hempstead, Stephen, 15.

Hillhouse, James, a classmate with Hale, 7.

Howe, General William, succeeded by Sir Henry Clinton, 46;
_fête_ given in honor of, 46-59;
estimate of the character of, 59.

Hull, Lieutenant William, and Nathan Hale, 14.

Huntington, Rev. Dr., fits Hale for college, 4.

Husted, General James, marshal at the dedication of the monument at
Tarrytown, 121.

Husted, Dr. Nathaniel C., author of a "Memorial Souvenir," 121.

I

Irvines, the two, 71 (_note_).

J

Jameson, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Major André, 90.

Johnson, Jeremiah, concerning the place of Hale's execution, 23.

K

Knowlton, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Nathan Hale, 13;
death of, 16 (_note_).

L

Lafayette with Washington at West Point, 93.

Laurance, John, Judge Advocate-General, 100.

Lawrence, William, 21 (_note_).

Lee, Charles, and Colonel Hamilton, 73 (_note_).

Lee, Henry ("Legion Harry"), 67.

Lee, James, marks the spot where André was executed, 108, 110;
statue of Washington in New York, 108 (_note_).

Lionian Society of Yale College, 29.

Livingston, Susannah, 77 (_note_).

M

Memorial-stone near Tappaan, unveiling of the, 113;
description of, and inscription upon the, 115;
what the stone commemorates, 116, 117;
attempts to destroy the, 117-119.

Military execution, method of, 23 (_note_).

Mischianza, the, description of, by Major André, 46-58;
criticism of the, 59;
the, deplored, 60.

Monmouth, battle of, 60.

Munson, Dr. Eneas, relates his personal recollections of
Nathan Hale, 5.

Monody on Major André, 135.

Murray, Robert, Washington at house of, 12.

N

Neutral ground, the, and its inhabitants, 85.

New York City, great conflagration at, 20.

O

O'Donovan, sculptor, author of a statue at Tarry town, 121.

P

Paulding, John, a captor of André, 85-89.

Philadelphia, British army in, and its demoralization, 45;
flight of British from--American troops and Congress enter, 60.

R

Raymond, Henry J., oration of, at Tarrytown, 31-33.

Reed, General Joseph, and General Arnold, 63.

Ripley, Eleazar, 21 (_note_).

Robertson, General, and General Greene at Dobb's Ferry--bears a letter
from Arnold to Washington, 101.

Robinson, Beverly, letter of, 64;
and André and Arnold, 79;
with André on the _Vulture_, 81;
letter of, to Washington, 95.

S

Samson, Ezra, 7.

Seward, Anna, literary friends of, 38;
biographical sketch of, 125;
Major André's letters to, 152.

Seward, Rev. Thomas, father of Anna Seward, 38.

Smith, J.H., and Arnold and André, 82-84.

Sneyd, Honora, betrothed to André, 40;
marries Richard Lovell Edgeworth, and death of, 41.

Sparks, Dr., on André, 64.

Spies, character of, defined, iii.

Sprague, Rev. W.B., 68.

Stanley, Rev. Arthur Penrhyn, Dean of Westminster, visits the place of
André's execution, 110;
writes an inscription for a memorial-stone placed on the spot--letter
to Mr. Whittemore concerning the inscription, 112;
inscription by, 115.

Stuart's biography of Hale, 28.

T

Tallmadge, Benjamin, and Nathan Hale, at college, 7;
pronounces André a spy, 90;
custodian of and frank conversation with André, 98.

Tappaan, allusion to, in "The Cow-Chase," 69;
André taken to, 99;
André executed near, 103;
memorial-stone near, erected by Mr. Field, 113;
indignation meeting at, 119.

Tarrytown, monument at, 119-121.

Thacher, Dr., on André's execution, 105, 106.

Tilden, Samuel J., presides at the dedication of a monument at
Tarrytown, 121.

U

Union Grammar-School at New London taught by Hale, 7.

V

Van Wart, Isaac, a captor of André, 85-87.

_Vulture_, the, sloop-of-war, bears André up the Hudson River, 81.

W

Washington asks and receives instructions from Congress, 11, 12;
at Murray's house, 12;
instructions of, for obtaining information, 12;
calls a council of war--desires a trustworthy man for secret
service, 13;
in conference with French officers, 79;
at West Point and Arnold's quarters--discovers Arnold's
treason--kindness to Mrs. Arnold, 96, 97.

Watson, J.F., and relics of the _Mischianza_, 48 (_note_).

Wayne, General Anthony, expedition of, 67.

Webb, Colonel Charles, 9.

West Point, surrender of, contemplated, 67;
and arranged for, 79, 80.

Wharton, Thomas, house of, the scene of the _Mischianza_, 46.

Whittemore, Henry, and the Field memorial-stone at Tappaan, 111-113.

Willard, Solomon, architect of the Bunker Hill Monument, 27.

Williams, David, a captor of André, 85.

Williams, Colonel, gives a dinner-party to Sir Henry Clinton, 80.

Windt, John de, 99 (_note_).

Wood, E.S., sculptor, 34 (_note_).

Wright, Ansel, Hale's trusty servant, 15.

Y

"Yankee Doodle's Expedition to Rhode Island," by André, 61.

Yerks, John, a captor of André, 85.

York, Duke of, causes the remains of André to be removed to England,
106 (_note_);
sends a snuff-box to Rev. J. Demorest, 108.

Monody on Major André, 135.

André's letters to Miss Seward, 152.

THE END.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Two Spies, by Benson J. Lossing and Anna Seward