o set himself free. He declared, in
earnest terms, that he was fully bent on remaining where he was rather
than seek to return to his former miserable greatness, as he called it:
where the seeds of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury might revive,
take root, and again overwhelm him. "Let me remain, dear sir," he said,
in conclusion--"let me remain in this blessed confinement, banished from
the crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at the expense
of the liberty of my reason, and at the future happiness which I now have
in my view, but should then, I fear, quickly lose sight of; for I am but
flesh; a man, a mere man; and have passions and affections as likely to
possess and overthrow me as any man: Oh, be not my friend and tempter
both together!"

If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood silent,
looking at him, and, indeed, admiring what I saw. The struggle in his
soul was so great that, though the weather was extremely cold, it put him
into a most violent heat; so I said a word or two, that I would leave him
to consider of it, and wait on him again, and then I withdrew to my own
apartment.

About two hours after I heard somebody at or near the door of my room,
and I was going to open the door, but he had opened it and come in. "My
dear friend," says he, "you had almost overset me, but I am recovered. Do
not take it ill that I do not close with your offer. I assure you it is
not for want of sense of the kindness of it in you; and I came to make
the most sincere acknowledgment of it to you; but I hope I have got the
victory over myself."--"My lord," said I, "I hope you are fully satisfied
that you do not resist the call of Heaven."--"Sir," said he, "if it had
been from Heaven, the same power would have influenced me to have
accepted it; but I hope, and am fully satisfied, that it is from Heaven
that I decline it, and I have infinite satisfaction in the parting, that
you shall leave me an honest man still, though not a free man."

I had nothing to do but to acquiesce, and make professions to him of my
having no end in it but a sincere desire to serve him. He embraced me
very passionately, and assured me he was sensible of that, and should
always acknowledge it; and with that he offered me a very fine present of
sables--too much, indeed, for me to accept from a man in his
circumstances, and I would have avoided them, but he would not be
refused. The next morning I sent my servant