men
who had never borne arms, merely because they were in the Duke's
favour. The strongest impression had been produced on him by the
Remonstrance,[487] which censured similar transactions, and at the
same time represented the Duke as the enemy of religion and his
country. Felton was one of these men, who from the way in which they
combine religious and political opinions are capable of anything. In
this respect he may be compared with the assassins of William of
Orange, Henry III, and Henry IV; except that he came forward in behalf
of the opposite side, and in his case there is no mention of any
participation of a minister of religion. A paper was found on him in
which he pronounced that man cowardly and base who was not ready to
sacrifice his life for the cause of his God, his king, and his
country. In his lodging there was another, on which he had put down
some principles, which he seemed to have drawn from one or two books,
and which make his intentions somewhat clearer. It is there said that
a man has no relations which place him under greater obligations than
those which he has with his country; that the welfare of the people is
the highest law, and that 'God himself has enacted this law, that
whatsoever is for the profit or benefit of the commonwealth should be
accounted to be lawful.'[488] He was believed, and rightly, when he
affirmed that he had no accomplices: the slight put upon him, he said,
had inspired him with the thought, the Remonstrance had strengthened
him in it: 'On my soul,' he repeated, 'nothing but the Remonstrance.
He thought that he might remove the man out of the way who obstructed
the public welfare. And he looked with some feeling of sarcasm at
those who testified their horror of him when he was led by: 'In your
hearts,' he cried out, 'you rejoice in my deed.' There were some in
fact who really displayed such a feeling: the crews, who had once
already wished to mutiny, disguised their sentiments least; over their
beer and pipes they gave the assassin a cheer. Others lamented most
that an Englishman should have been capable of assassination. Felton
himself was afterwards convinced that his principles were false. He
was told that a man had other still nearer and deeper obligations to
God, and to his own soul, than to his country; that no one should do
the smallest evil for the sake of the greatest good,[489] much less
then a monstrous crime like his in behalf of a cause which to his
blinded e