hand, and, kneeling,
read his confession. It evidently grieved his lion heart to do so, for
at times he faltered, and his voice, usually clear and distinct, was
half smothered. When he had finished, Sir William Berkeley said:

"God forgive you; I forgive you," and three times he repeated the words.

"And all that were with him?" asked Colonel Cole, one of the council.

Hugh Price, who was present, was about to interpose some objection; but
before he could say anything, Sir William Berkeley answered:

"Yes, and all that were with him." As Bacon rose from his knees, the
governor took his hand and added: "Mr. Bacon, if you will live civilly
but till next quarter day, but till next quarter day, I'll promise to
restore you to your place there," pointing to the seat which Bacon
generally occupied daring the sessions of the council.

The order to release the prisoners was at once given, and Robert Stevens
was again a free man. He hastened to the home of his mother and sister,
where he met his stepfather, whose conduct was so odious to the young
man that he took up his abode at "the house of public entertainment kept
by the wife of a certain thoughtful Mr. Lawrence." Bacon was also living
here under his parole, for it was generally understood that he had not
been given permission to leave the city.

One morning, just as the excitement incident to the arrest and
confession of Bacon had begun to subside, a large ship entered the river
and cast anchor before the town. The ship flew English colors and was a
veritable floating palace. There are few crafts afloat even at this day
that equal it in elegance. It had been built by the most skilful
carpenters in the world at that time, and the long, tapering masts, the
deck and bows were more of the modern style than ships of that day.

Her cabins were large, roomy and fitted up with more than Oriental
splendor. There were Turkish carpets, and golden candelabra. Wealth,
strength, ease and grace were evident in every part of the strange
craft. No such vessel had ever before entered James River. The ship was
well armed, and the crew thoroughly disciplined. There was a long brass
cannon in the forecastle, with carronades above and below, for she was a
double-decker with a row of guns above and below, and at that time such
a formidable craft was able to destroy half of the English navy. The
name of the vessel was not in keeping with her general appearance. In
spite of the elegance and m