The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African TravellerHead, Francis Bond, Sir
History
The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African Traveller
Head, Francis Bond, Sir
Bruce, James, 1730-1794; Ethiopia -- Description and travel
While Bruce was attending her during her last moments, he was driven
almost to distraction by the disgraceful bigotry of the French priests,
who, in the garb of Christian ministers, crowded around his door to
persecute the last moments of one whom they termed a dying heretic; and,
even when the pale object of their unmanly persecution had ceased to
exist, their intolerant fury sought to deny her Christian burial. At the
hour of midnight, when the savage passions of his enemies were lulled in
sleep, Bruce attended the corpse of his young wife to her untimely
grave; and a month afterward, on the 12th of November, 1754, he thus
addressed his father:
"My mind is so shocked, and the impression of that dreadful scene at
Paris so strongly fixed, that I have it every minute before my eyes as
distinctly as it was then happening. Myself a stranger in the country;
my servants unacquainted with the language and country, my presence so
necessary among them, and indispensably so with my dear wife; my poor
girl dying before my eyes, full of that affection and tenderness which
marriage produces when people feel the happiness, but not the cares of
it; many of the Roman Catholic clergy hovering about the doors, myself
unable to find any expedient to keep them from disturbing her in her
last moments.... But I will write no more. I cannot, however, omit
telling you an instance of Lord Albemarle's very great humanity. The
morning before my wife died he sent his chaplain down to offer his
services in our distress. After hearing the service for the sick read,
and receiving the sacrament together, he told me, in case I received any
trouble from the priests, my lord desired I would tell them I belonged
to the English ambassador. When my wife died, the chaplain came again to
me, desired me to go home with him, and assured me that my lord had
given him orders to see my wife buried in the ambassador's
burying-ground, which was accordingly done; and, had it not been for
this piece of humanity, she must have been buried in the common yard
where the wood is piled that serves the town for firing. Having ordered
the mournful solemnity, with as much decency as is allowed in that
country to heretics, at midnight, between the 10th and 11th ult.,
accompanied only by the chaplain, a brother of my Lord Foley's, and our
own servants, we carried her body to the burying-ground at the Porte St.
Martin, where I saw all my comfort and happiness laid with her in the
grave. From thence, almost frantic, against the advice of everybody, I
got on horseback, having ordered the servant to have post-horses ready,
and set out, in the most tempestuous night I ever saw, for Boulogne,
where I arrived next day without stopping. There the riding in the
night-time, in the rain, want of food, which for a long time I had not
tasted, want of rest, fatigue, and excessive concern, threw me into a
fever; but, after repeated bleedings, and the great care taken of me by
Mr.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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