the Earl suffered a tedious imprisonment of fifteen years. Piercy was by far the most violent of the conspirators, and on one occasion, offered to rush into the presence-chamber and stab the king: but this was over-ruled by the more cautious Catesby, who then first opened to him his scheme of extirpating the whole royal family and nobles by gunpowder: to aid which purpose, Piercy engaged to furnish four thousand pounds out of the Earl of Northumberland's rents, and to provide ten swift horses in case of any emergency that might require speed. Upon the dis they were somewhat startled at hearing a noise, which they knew not how to account for. Upon inquiry, they found, that it came from the vault below the house of Lords; that a magazine of coals had been kept there; and that as the coals were selling off, the vault would be let to the highest bidder. The opportunity was immediately seized; the place hired by Piercy: thirty-six barrels of powder lodged in it; the whole covered up with faggots and billets, the doors of the cellar boldly flung open, and every body admitted as if it contained nothing dangerous. Confident of success, they now began to look forward, and to plan the remaining part of their project. The discovery of the plot, he betook himself to flight, and was killed with Catesby in the following manner : One John Street, of Worcester, who had charged his musquet with a brace of bullets, and resting it upon the wall by the gate, shot at them as they were coming in rank, and not in file, from the door towards the gate each bullet, as he thought, killed a man; for which action the king gave him two shillings a day during his natural life, to be paid him out of the Exchequer. SIR The King, the Queen, Prince Henry, were all expected to be present at the opening of Parliament. The Duke, by reason of his tender age, would be absent, and it was resolved, that Piercy should seize or assasinate him. The Princess Elizabeth, a child, likewise was kept at Lord Harrington's house, in Warwickshire; and Sir Everard Digby, Rookwood, Grant, being let into the conspiracy, engaged to assemble their friends on pretence of a hunting match, and seizing that princess, immediately to proclaim her Queen. So transported were they with rage against their adversaries, and so charmed with the prospect of revenge, that they forgot all care of their own safety; and trusting to the general confusion, which must result from so unex pected SIR EVERARD DIGBY. SIR EVERARD DIGBY was descended from an ancient family, resident at the time of his birth (1581) at Drystoke, in Rutlandshire. He was educated under the tuition of some popish priests, and his father dying when he was but eleven years of age, he was early introduced to the court of Queen Elizabeth, where he was much noticed, and received several pected a blow, they foresaw not, that the fury of the people, now unrestrained by any authority, must have turned against them, and would probably have satiated itself by an universal massacre of the Catholics. The day, so long wished-for, now approached, on which the parliament was appointed to assemble. The dreadful secret, though communicated to above twenty persons, had been religiously kept, during the space of near a year and a half. No remorse, no pity, no fear of punishment, no hope of reward had, as yet, induced any one conspirator, either to abandon the enterprise, or make a discovery of it. The holy fury had extinguished in their breast every other motive; and it was an indiscretion at last, proceeding chiefly from these bigoted prejudices and partialities, which saved the |