The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 289: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

178 THE MYSTERIES. blows out the brains of the said ravisher upon the spot. You, who have already reminded me of the law of high treason, should be equally well in- structed on another point of the English code— which is, that a husband acting in such a manner and under such circumstances, is held to be fully justified by the facts—although the ravisher whom he kills on the spot, be the heir-apparent to the British throne !” “Good God! can the Earl have employed you to assassinate me?” exclaimed the Prince, endea- vouring to rise from his chair as all the fearful tsuth of Meagies’ statement burst upon him with overwhelming force: but, crushed by his fears, he sank back again upon the seat, an ice-like tremor shooting through his frame and a cold sweat burst- ing forth upon his forehead. “The Earl has done nothing of the kind,” re- sponded Meagles: “but he has sworn to follow, with a blind obedience, any course which I may choose to dictate. If, then, I kill you upon the spot, the Earl will stand boldly forth before the world, and, taking upon himself the responsibility of the deed, will declare that in an instant of un- frome wrath, and not observing who the in- vidual was, he slew the ravisher of his wife [° “ Meagles—my dear Meagles, wherefore should we remain at variance? cried the Prince, in an imploring tone. “You would not do me an injury —much less carry your vindictiveness to such a point as——- But, no—I cannot think it—I dare not contemplate such a horror——” “ And yet you had no remorse for me, when you exerted your secret influence to procure my expa- triation,” said Meagies, adopting a stern tone: “nor did you manifest the slightest compunction when you sent and ransacked the dwelling of Lady Lade, your myrmidons performing their mission so brutally that they caused the death of the old man te whom she owed so much. Nor pitying her on that account, did you express sorrow or con- trition for what had taken place: but you even menaced her with that cowardly virulence which so eminently characterises you. Oh! I have already told your Royal Highness that you are a thorough- paced rascal: and I now tell you, in addition thereto, that you are an accomplished bully.” The heir-apparent winced fearfully under this cutting language ;—but his terrors began to evapo- rate—for he felt assured that Meaglies would not prolong the discourse in this manner if he intended to wreak a bloody vengeance. He knew, in fact, that his former friend was naturally good-hearted and generous, and that he was the last individual in existence to perpetrate a deed of deliberate cruelty and wanton atrocity. At the same time, although the Prince thus gathered courage from the reflections which he had now acquired presence of mind sufficient to make, he was not blind to the necessity of using a conciliatory tone and forbear- mg policy towards the man who still retained the murderous weapon in his grasp,— a weapon the discharge of which might be provoked by defiance or irritation. ° “Mr, Meagies,” said the Prince, “will you inform me at once the nature of the atonement you require at my hands and the reparation which you expect me to make?” “In the first place,” replied Tim, drawing forth @ sheet ef paper from his pocket, and reach- ing down a China inkstand from the mantel, “you will have the kindness to write according to my dictation. Nay—do not fear that I am going to push matters to any extraordmary verge: I shall not compromise you farther than I may deem con- sistent with prudence and propriety.” “But of what nature is the document I am to draw up?” demanded the Prince, growing bolder now that he felt his way so far as to ascertain that Meagles himself was ready to effect a compromise. “Leave that to me to dictate,” was the stern reply. “And now, Prince of Wales, let me warn you to beware how you attempt to trifle with me in any leas refuse to obey me in the present instance.” “Obey you” echoed the Prince, mustering up courage enough for the purpose of a last endeavour to assert his authority and overawe the enemy. “ Yea—obey me, I said,” responded Meagles, in a still sterner tone. “For the man who holds the life of his foe at his disposal, candiotate his own terms. Such are our relative positions. And now be seated at this table—and prepare to write.” The Prince hesitated a moment—but only a mo- ment: for the sharp click of the pistol as Meagles cocked it, fell upon his ear and made his coward heart sink within him. He accordingly placed himself at the table—took up the pen—and began to write to the dictation of Meagles, who now stood close by the chair in which his Royal High- ness was seated. The dictation of the triumphant Tim was to the following effect :— “J the undersigned, George Prince of Wales, do here- by acknowledge that, without just provocation of any kind, and simply because Mr. Timothy Mengies ie ac- quainted with many private and secret matters which it would be inconvenient to me to have divulged, I did treacherously and falsely cause certain unfounded charges of sedition to be preferred at the Home Office against the said Timothy Meagies, with a view to procure his depor- tation to a foreign land;—that those charges had the desired effect, the result being the expatrtion of the said Mr. Menagies on a warrant from the Home Office, and without any regular form of legal and coustitutional trial ;--that, subsequently influenced by threats of ex- posure at the hands of one of the sald Timothy Meagies’ most devoted friends, I procured the revocation of the arbitrary sentence pronounced upon him ;—that in order to testify my deep regret and thorough contritien for the course which I so despotically pursued, and Mhewise to afford the injured party such satisfaction as shall pre- vent him from seeking redress by any meane which would result in the exposure of my condact,I hereby bind my-— eelf to pay to the said Timothy Meagles the sum of twenty thousand pounds within one month from the date hereof ;—and lastly, I do declare that this document has been drawn up by my own free will, in my own band- writing, and under no other influence than that of my owa spontaneous desire to afferd full and compete satis- faction to Mr. Timothy Meagles for the grievous injury which be has sustained et my hands. “ Dated, the 17th day of May, 1795.” The reader must not suppose that his Royal Highness penned the above document without much wincing at some and many remon- strances against others: but on each occasion when he stopped to exhibit either hesitation or anger, or to beseech a mitigation in the pointed severity of the terms in which he was made to speak of his own conduct, the inexorable Meagies presented the pistol to his head and sternly commanded him to | proceed. Nothing, therefore, could possibly exceed ea a a ecomilcooolks