enjoys an eternal recompense; whereas his per secutors have a great account to give to the sovereign judge for their evil proceedings."

Other circumstances in this letter, concerning Mr. Marolles, were passed over, for fear of discovering its author, who was thought to be a roman catholic, that had been smitten with the sufferings and behaviour of our martyr. The writer of it adds, "If you do not know Mr. Marolles's relations, communicate, if you please, what I write to Mr. Bernard, who has sometimes asked me about him. May God comfort the afflicted, who ought to be glad when they hear he is now at rest; for he had nothing to hope for but sufferings in this world."

There is another letter, of the twentieth of June, written to his wife, by that generous confessor that was on board the galleys, and who rendered our martyr all manner of services and consolations. Among other things, he says, "This dear martyr of the Lord, resigned his spirit into the hands of his father, on the seventeenth day of the present month; and was, the next day, laid in his grave by six Turks; as it is the custom of catholics here to bury those who die faithful to their Saviour. I cannot give you an exact account of his last hours, nor of his last words. tell you briefly, what has been known. already been informed, by the letters of this dear martyr, that after having groaned for some time

2

But I will

You have

under

under irons, he was removed to a dungeon dreadful for its obscurity, and much more so, for its stench. You know, they fed him but very ill there, and that he often laboured under hunger; not having enough of bread and water, which was his common diet."

"This great austerity made him very weak, and produced great vertigoes, so that he fell down, about two months since, with very weakness, and dashed his head against the wall, in which he made several wounds. From that moment he has been continually languishing, and his life has been nothing else but a kind of a living death. Those who had the management of him, were insensible to all his pains; excepting that for these six weeks past, they gave him a little better, and a little greater quantity of food. But his body was so weakened, and his nature was brought so low, that he could not recover his strength. This faithful servant of the Lord, about a month since, almost lost his sight; and though I have sent him your last letters, he could neither read them, nor return any answer; but gave me back those which I had on different occasions written to him. He was obliged to be contented with 'hearing of you by word of mouth from me, and caused me to be told, that he recommended himself to the prayers of his good friend, and that he thought of nothing else but his departure. God has at length disposed of him, and he shall return to us no more. He has gone through the most cruel torments,

which inhumanity, in its utmost extent, could inflict; yet God has never suffered his persecutors to make a prize of his innocence. I must tell you, for your consolation, that from the time they saw this dear martyr grow weak and decay, he was often visited by theological doctors of the contrary communion; but this firm and stedfast servant of God, was not moved by their visits. He heard, without trouble, that which he rejected, and did not return railing for railing. He blessed his enemies to the last. His glory will never be blotted out, neither in heaven, nor on the earth. AMEN."

Thus, Mr. Jaquelot closed his history of the sufferings and martyrdom of Mr. Marolles, to which he has subjoined the following remarks.

says,

" Let

Speaking of the preceding letter, he us follow the thoughts of this confessor, and say, with him, that the glory of M. de Marolles will never be extinguished in the eyes of God, or men. One may, without exaggeration, say, that he was one of the most famous martyr's the church ever knew. He experienced the most formidable afflictions, which the world and the fury of his persecutors could invent. He sustained every thing that was able to shock human nature; and sustained it, like that house that was built upon a rock, which the most violent storms could not overthrow. He seemed to be engaged to the world by the strongest bonds of flesh and blood; he had

an

an estate, and he had a wife and children, that were dear to him. How often has his enemies laid before him, by flattering promises, the advantages of the world, by which they attempted to triumph over his fidelity? They could not say, that a morose and conceited humour had produced any thing like obstinacy in his temper. His constancy was well founded; it was enlightened by sound principles, and grounded upon good reasons. He always gave a reason of the hope that was in him with modesty; all the doctors that had any conference with him, cannot refuse to give him this testimony."

"One year on board the galleys; five years in a dungeon, perplexed with darkness and stench; always exposed to cold, nakedness, and hunger; imagination itself cannot, without horror, form a just idea of those complicated afflictions. Yet this blessed martyr shews us, that during the whole of his dreadful combat, his soul was faithful to his God, and that he always kept his flesh in a respectful silence to the adorable providence of that great God, who would be glorified in his afflictions."

"What a treasure of consolation and instruction would it be to all the faithful, if we had the thoughts, the meditations, the prayers, the private conferences of this holy soul with his God, during those five years in which his body, to speak in the language of the royal prophet, lay buried in the deep mire! But since we cannot, we ought to make

as

as many useful reflections as we can, on so famous an example."

"Those libertines who despise piety, and ridicule the promises made to the pious, ought to tremble, and stand in awe of the judgments of God. But they believe there is neither heaven, nor hell, nor resurrection, nor life eternal. Yet what assurance have they of this annihilation, which makes them expect death with brutal security, as if they had the clearest demonstration of this pretended annihilation? Our martyr was endued with a solid judgment and a piercing spirit; he was an enlightened and sound philosopher; he had much leisure to reflect on eternity, and the reward of his confession appeared to him so great and certain, that the hope of it gave him the victory, over the most dreadful evils that are able to shake and stagger the heart of man. Such a steady and unshaken fidelity, wants but little of being as forcible and convincing, as the testimony of a soul which has already enjoyed the blessed vision of God."

"The account here given of the sufferings and martyrdom of Mr. Marolles, should awaken those christians, lulled asleep in error, who flatter themselves, they are not liable to those penalties which Christ has threatened those with, who shall deny him before men; and thus flatter themselves, because they have not yet abjured the gospel to receive the alcoran. But our martyr, being con