ner, but with unusual rapidity, as
the prisoner challenged none of the jury, nor called any witnesses. The
crown lawyers painted the prisoner's guilt in the most alarming
colours; insisting much on his extraordinary talents both military and
civil as a leader in popular tumults. The witnesses deposed with
tolerable consistency to his having tampered with them for purposes
connected with some design upon Harlech castle. The capture of one
outwork of Harlech was established. And at length the prisoner was
called on for his defence.

With his usual self-possession, and with an air of extreme good humour
except when he had occasion to speak of the counsel who opened the
case, Captain Nicholas spoke as follows:

"My lord, and gentlemen of the jury,--I should be sorry to treat with
levity any charge which I see that you treat with solemnity. The charge
of treason is here, I find, a very grave one: though elsewhere I have
known it as common and as trivial as assault and battery. However, be
that as it may, I trust there can be no offence in my noticing without
much gravity the attempt of the learned gentleman who opened the case
for the crown to aggravate the matter against me by representing that I
had engaged in an enterprize which had shaken the king of England on
his throne.

"Shake the king of England upon his throne I gentlemen, I have not that
vanity: and you must excuse my laughing a little. I am well assured
that it was never in my power nor that of much more potent persons to
alarm so great a prince. We all know that, if the kings of this earth
were to assemble in council, they would find it hard to devise that
message which could make a king of England turn pale. As to Harlech,
you gentlemen of the jury well know what Harlech is. A bathing place on
the coast, not far from Harlech, I mean Barmouth, is said to have a
little resemblance to Gibraltar; a _very_ little, I think: but, as to
Harlech, I can assure you that it has none at all: it is as unlike
Gibraltar as it is possible for any castle to be--whether as to
fortifications or garrison. The fortifications run more hazard every
month from treasonable west winds than ever they did from me; and, as
to the garrison, it musters (I think) or _did_ muster at that time
sixteen invalids. I will not say that the west wind is as full of peril
to _them_, for I think it will take an east wind to affect them
seriously: but this I venture to affirm, that, with five such Engl