Page 48 - Hampdens Monument Unveiled

see the errors, and turn the hearts of his wicked counsellors
from the malice and wickedness of their designs. Lord God,
receive my soul! 0 Lord, save my country! 0 Lord, be merciful
to ------!" He expired as he uttered the words. I will not
presume, concluded Lord Nugent, to add one word more of him who
thus spoke with his dying breath to his creator, in testimony
of the last, as they had been the never ceasing, aspirations of
his heroic, pious, and spotless life. His prayer has been
fulfilled. God has been very merciful to this our land. The
blood of our civil martyrs, which is the seed of civil liberty,
has sprung up into a glorious and happy harvest of public
blessings. Blessings dearly bought, but, through the virtue of
our forefathers and the abundant goodness of heaven, secured to
us now on a tenure which can never, but by our own deliberate
abandonment of it, depart from us or from our children. Let us
cherish those blessings as dearly and as worthily as they were
gained. And now let us join, with full heart, do honor to this
toast : "The immortal memory of John Hampden, and of the cause
in which he shed his blood on this field." The toast was drunk
in impressive silence.

Eulogy

Lord Nugent, after a short space, gave the, "Liberty of the
Press." Sir John Easthope acknowledged the toast. He was not so
arrogant as to feel that he could fitly respond to the toast,
or fairly represent the press of England; but he was proud of
his connection with that press, for, without reference to its
sections and contending portions, he felt that it was a proud
boast, as well as a great security for the country, that in the
present day her liberties were not so much as formerly based
upon the deeds of those fiery spirits -those giant patriots -
the memory of one of the greatest of whom they had that day met
to commemorate (loud cheers). Such efforts as these men had
made in the cause of liberty-such an amount of blood as was too
often expended in the contest was at present happily not
needed. Public liberty was now secured by equally certain, but
more pacific methods.

No sooner was there an inroad made on the happiness of the
People -no sooner were their liberties endangered or even
threatened than the public press instantly stepped forward to
plead the cause the distressed, to advocate the rights of those
who were threatened with oppression. Whatever their opinion on
minor points might be, they would agree with him that they
lived under a government which, in the present state of things
was compelled to yield to the good of the many rather than the
interest of the few. They were united in opinion as to the
advantages of public discussion -relying on its advantages, and
reposing in security without the fear of losing them. There was
now no fear of the Parliament being long turned aside from its
legitimate purposes, or if there should be any undue influence
used in this respect, any which should for a brief time triumph
over England, it would be for a brief time only. The people