been ake it

In water and in land that mony mighten see,
What sayst thou thereto, how will thou quite thee,
Do say.

So foul he him wist,
Nede war on trust
For to say nay.

1

"With fetters and with gives 1 y-hot he was to draw
From the Tower of London that many men might know,
In a kirtle of burel, a selcouth wise,

And a garland on his head of the new guise.
Through Cheape

Many men of England
For to see Symond

Thitherward can leap.

"Though he cam to the gallows first he was on hung,
All quick beheaded that him thought long;
Then he was y-opened, his bowels y-brend,2
The heved to London Bridge was send

To shende.
So evermore mote I the,
Some while weened he
Thus little to stand.$

"He rideth through the city, as I tell may,

With gamen and with solace that was their play,
To London-bridge he took the way,

4

Mony was the wives child that thereon lacketh a day *

And said alas!

"Now standeth the heved above the tu-brigge,
Fast by Wallace sooth for to segge ;
After succor of Scotland long may he pry;
And after help of France what halt it to lie

I ween
Better him were in Scotland
With his axe in his hand

To play on the green," &c.

1 He was condemned to be drawn.

2 Burned.

* Meaning that he little thought ever to stand thus.

4 Saith lack a day.

5 The gallant knight was pitied by the female spectators.

"The Friday next, before the assumption of Our Lady, King Edward met Robert the Bruce at Saint Johnstowne in Scotland, and with his company, of which company King Edward qvelde seven thousand. When Robert the Bruce saw this mischief and gan to flee, an hov'd him that men might not him find; but Sir Simond Frisell (Frazer) pursued was so sore, that he turned again and abode bataille, for he was a worthy knight and a bolde of body, and the Englishmen pursuede him sore on every side and qvelde the steed that sir Simon Frisell rode upon, and then toke him and led him to the host. And Sir Symond began to speke fair, and saide, Lordys, I shall give you four thousand marks of silver, and myne horse and harness, and all my armoure and income. Tho', answered Thobaude of Pevenes, that was the king's archer, now, God me so helpe, it is for nought that thou speakest, for all the gold of England I would not let thee go without commandment of King Edward. And tho' he was led to the king, and the king would not see him, but commanded to lead him away to his doom in London, on our Lady's even nativity. And he was hung and drawn and his head smitten off, and hanged again with chains of iron upon the gallows and his head was set at London-bridge upon a spear, and against Christmas the body was burnt."

We have quoted these notes in full for three reasons: of which the first is that there are many of Sir Simon Frazer's descendants living in America who may not have read them before; to picture the extreme cruelty with which brave men were treated in those times; and to show the changes the English language has undergone, when even this version has been "translated out of its rude orthography."

[See page 234]

The family of Biddle have added many important names to the roll of honor of their adopted country. In what year any of its members first came to America we know not, but they were settlers and proprietaries of western New Jersey before the war of independence. Clement Biddle, in 1764, united with others to form a military corps for the protection of the friendly Indians against the zealots called Paxton boys. He and his brother, Owen Biddle, identified themselves with the

non-importation resolutions of 1765. During the Revolution, Clement was instrumental in forming the body of Quaker volunteers of which he was colonel. He took part in the battle of Trenton and was appointed by Washington to receive the swords of the Hessian officers. He also served in the battles of Princeton, the Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He, as well as his brother Owen, had a share in framing the revolutionary State constitution of 1776.

Edward Biddle was an officer in the French war, 1756-63. He was speaker in the Assembly, and a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress 1774-6 and 1778-9.

Nicholas Biddle entered the royal navy in 1770 and was made captain in the U. S. Navy in 1776 and took several prizes from the English. Freneau commemorated his death in the following poem, although with too great poetical license he represented him as falling in the moment of victory. Captain Biddle met the adversary in a very unequal contest and acted with great gallantry.

ON THE DEATH OF

CAPTAIN NICHOLAS BIDDLE

Commander of the Randolph Frigate, blown up near Barbadoes

What distant thunders rend the skies,
What clouds of smoke in columns rise,
What means this dreadful roar !
Is from his base Vesuvius thrown,
Is sky-topt Atlas tumbled down,

Or Etna's self no more?
Shock after shock torments my ear;
And lo! two hostile ships appear,

Red lightnings round them glow :
The Yarmouth boasts of sixty-four,
The Randolph thirty-two -no more-
And will she fight this foe!

The Randolph soon on Stygian streams
Shall coast along the land of dreams,
The islands of the dead!

But Fate, that parts them on the deep
Shall save the Briton yet to weep
His days of victory fled.

Say, who commands that dismal blaze,
Where yonder starry streamer plays;

Does Mars with Jove engage!
'Tis Biddle wings those angry fires,
Biddle whose bosom Jove inspires

With more than mortal rage.

Tremendous flash! and hark, the ball
Drives through old Yarmouth, flames and all :
Her bravest sons expire;

Did Mars himself approach so nigh,
Even Mars, without disgrace, might fly
The Randolph's fiercer fire.

He spoke they charg'd their cannon round, Again the vaulted heavens resound,

The Randolph bore it all,

Then fix'd her pointed cannons true—
Away the unwieldy vengeance flew ;
Britain, thy warriors fall.

The Yarmouth saw, with dire dismay,
Her wounded hull, shrouds shot away,
Her boldest heroes dead -

She saw amidst her floating slain
The conquering Randolph stem the main
She saw, she turn'd—and fled!

That hour, blest chief, had she been thine, Dear Biddle, had the powers divine

Been kind as thou wert brave;
But Fate, who doom'd thee to expire,
Prepar'd an arrow, tipt with fire,

And mark'd a wat' ry grave.

And in that hour, when conquest came
Wing'd at his ship a pointed flame,

That not even he could shun
The battle ceas'd the Yarmouth fled,
The burning Randolph ruin spread,
And left her task undone.

James Biddle entered the navy in 1800. He served against Tripoli, where he was taken prisoner and detained over a year and a half. He served with great distinction in the war of 1812. For his services he received a gold medal from Congress, besides other honors. Captain Biddle was afterward Commissioner to Turkey, China, etc.

Clement Cornell Biddle entered the naval service of the United States in the beginning of the last century, but retired to the study of law. He served in the war of 1812 with the

rank of colonel.

Richard Biddle was a lawyer and writer; he served in Congress from 1837 to 1841.

Nicholas Biddle, the great American financier, was named after his uncle, the naval officer. After graduating from Princeton College he studied law, but being too young to practise he went to France as Secretary to General Armstrong, U. S. Minister. He afterwards went as Secretary to Mr. Monroe, U. S. Minister to England. He travelled extensively in Europe and gained a knowledge of the modern languages. In 1810 he was in the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, and in 1812-15 was State Senator. In 1819 President Monroe appointed him government director of the United States Bank, and upon the resignation of Mr. Cheves, he was elected its president. The old charter expiring in 1836, the bank ceased to exist. Its success, however, caused the Legislature of Pennsylvania to create a State bank, called the U. S. Bank, and Mr. Biddle reluctantly accepted its presidency. In 1839, by reason of his failing health, Mr. Biddle resigned, leaving the bank in an apparently prosperous condition. Two years after his resignation it became insolvent. Mr. Biddle's character won high eulogiums from even his political opponents. Mr. Biddle, as president of the trustees of Girard College, planned the building, as also that of the U. S. Custom House, which was formerly the U. S. Bank. His speeches, essays, and letters are said to exhibit great elegance with vigor of