ers to watch in the great
cabbin, relieving each other every four hours, as is customary at sea: so
that there was always one of them in the cabbin with him day and night,
who delivered up the charge of the Admiral's person to the next officer,
keeping a journal, in which was minuted down every person's name who came
to him, the time when he came, and the time of his going away; and the
order to the centinels for calling out every five minutes, was then
omitted.

When captain _Montague_ waited upon him, to inform him that the warrant
from the Admiralty was come, for putting the sentence passed upon him in
execution, he received the news with the same cool composure, that he had
received the sentence; without discovering the smallest emotion,
depression of spirits, or alteration in his behaviour.

The same gentleman waited upon him again, on the 27th of _February_, being
the day before that which was appointed for his execution, and, in
Admiral _Boscawen_'s name, acquainted him that a respite was arrived for
fourteen days. He composedly desired his compliments to Admiral
_Boscawen_, with thanks for his intelligence, without appearing in the
smallest degree elevated, or even pleased beyond his usual. His friends,
on that occasion, represented to him what had passed in the House of
Commons, magnified and dwelt upon every favourable circumstance; and,
giving themselves up to joy, congratulated him on the certainty of an
honourable pardon, which they imagined must follow. He calmly replied, "_I
am glad you think so, because it makes you easy and happy; but I think it
is now become an affair merely_ political, _without any farther relation
to_ right or wrong, justice or injustice; _and therefore I differ in
opinion from you_."

During all the time of his confinement, his comportment was uniformly the
same; almost always chearful, sometimes, with decency, facetious. This
gave rise to a rumour that he expected a pardon, or meditated an escape;
which was most industriously propagated, to lessen the merit of his
behaviour, by the same instruments that had been always made use of to
wrest every circumstance to his disadvantage, and asperse him. Some of
those _wretches_ were employed, during his trial, to send up to town, for
the newspapers, _false minutes_ of the evidence; and to pick out such
passages as could be made to bear a harsh construction, or, by
_sophistical_ comments, be brought to carry the appearance of _guilt_, in