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THE LITTLE GIRL ON FILEY BRIDGE.*

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A TRUE STORY.

THE sun shone bright on Filey Bridge,

And glittered in the spray;
The billows o'er that rocky ridge

In gladness danced away.

A lady sat upon the shore,
With pencil in her hand,

And there she pondered o'er and o'er
That ocean, rocks, and strand.

She loved the works of God to scan,
The earth, the heavens, the flood,
But more she loved the Son of Man,
Who shed for us his blood.

As thus she sat, a little child
Stood gazing by her side-

A tiny thing 'midst scenes so wild,
So gently did she glide!

"Lady," she said, "I oft am here,

And know each rock full well,
Where I may find for father dear,
The muscles in their shell."

(How sweet for one so near her heart,

To do what she could do;

How sweet to do her little part

For her dear mother, too.)

"And do you see that cliff?" she cried

“That tall, steep cliff, I mean;

I once did climb its rugged side,

And on its top have been."

Filey Bridge is a ridge of rocks at Filey, near Scarborough, covered at high water, but at low water extending a long way into the sea. The rapidity with which the rising tide covers these rocks makes the passage over them extremely dangerous to the careless, or to those who are not aware that there is danger of their being surrounded by the water.

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My little maid, how came you there?

O tell me now, I pray!

For few, I think, would ever dare
To climb that fearful way."
"O I forgot all else beside,

Whilst busy with my store;
I thought not of the flowing tide,
Nor of the billow's roar.

"I felt that father's loving eye
Would watch his little child;
But soon the waters, rising high,
Dashed round with fury wild.

"And nothing now a hope could bring,
To 'scape the foaming wave,
But up that pathless rock to cling,
To flee a watery grave."

"O tell me now, my little dear,

Throbbed not your heart with dread ?
Shook not your little limbs with fear,
As up the cliff you sped?"

"No, lady; though the rock was high,
And I no path could find,
I still looked upward to the sky,
Nor cast one glance behind.

"My head it did not giddy grow,
As upwards I did move ;

I looked not at the depths below,
But at the height above."

O like this child, when tempests rise,
May we to fear not yield,

But look to God's own sacrifice,

To Christ, our Rock and Shield.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, James the First became king of England. He succeeded queen Elizabeth, and during her reign the Roman Catholics, and other persons who did not conform to the religion of the state, were subjected to great annoyances. The death of queen Elizabeth, and the accession of James to the throne, excited strong hopes that less hostility would be shown to Catholics; especially as the mother of James was a Papist.

It is most unrighteous for governors to persecute, to imprison, and take away the property of their subjects, on account of their not conforming to the religion of the State. No fines, imprisonments, or civil disabilities should be inflicted for the purpose of compelling compliance with any creed or form of worship, This is now much better understood, and more generally acknowledged in this country than it was two or three hundred years ago.

As the Roman Catholics did not obtain the relief which

they hoped for from king James-but, on the contrary, the laws were with great cruelty enforced against them— and as they were very numerous, they plotted to overthrow the government, and to restore Popery to power in the state.

When the Catholics were in power they very cruelly persecuted, fined, imprisoned, and burned multitudes of Protestants. This, however, was not a reason why Protestants should afterwards have persecuted the Catholics. But such were the laws of England at the time to which we are referring, that all persons, Protestants or Catholics, or whatever they might be, were by law liable to be fined twenty pounds a lunar month for refusing or neglecting to attend the services of the parish church; and many Roman Catholics, and other Nonconformists, were, during the reigns of Elizabeth, and James, subjected to very cruel treatment.

Being greatly enraged by the unjust laws which were cruelly enforced against them, a small number of Romanists, some of them members of highly respectable families, entered into a combination to overturn the government, and to effect this by destroying the king, and the members of both the House of Lords, and of the House of Commons. To arrange their plans the conspirators met sometimes at a house on Enfield Chase, a few miles from London, and at other times at a house at Lambeth, on the south side of the Thames, nearly opposite to the Parliament House; and they occasionally met in other places. The house at Lambeth is represented in the engraving, which precedes this article.

Robert Catesby, a descendant of the favourite minister of king Richard the third, was the originator of the Gunpowder Plot. His father had several times been imprisoned, because he was a Papist. Catesby made known his plan to a friend named John Wright, who belonged to a respectable family, and had suffered persecutions and imprisonments. Then Thomas Winter, a learned man and a man of considerable influence, was made acquainted with the plot. Winter at first objected, but his scruples were overcome.

HOUSE OF THE GUNPOWDER-PLOT CONSPIRATORS.

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Winter introduced Guido or Guy Fawkes, to the other conspirators. Guy Fawkes was descended from a respectable family in Yorkshire; had been a soldier in the Spanish army, and was a strict Papist. Next, Thomas Percy, a relative of the duke of Northumberland, joined the conspiracy. Also, Robert Winter, Charles Wright, Thomas Bates, Robert Keyes, John Grant, sir Everard Digby, Ambrose Rookwood, and Thomas Tresham, son of sir Thomas Tresham. The conspirators were most solemnly sworn to secrecy and fidelity to each other, and together received the sacrament from a Romish priest.

A house adjoining the Parliament House, was taken by Percy, under the pretence, that it was convenient for him, in consequence of an office which he held. A passage was made through the wall in the under-ground story, by which access was obtained to a cellar under the house of Parliament. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were brought over the water from Lambeth, and deposited in the cellar. These were covered with stones, bars of iron, and faggots of wood. It was arranged, that as the king was to open the Parliament on the 5th of November, 1605, that when the king and Parliament were assembled, Guy Fawkes should set light to a slow-match, which would—after he had escaped by a boat across the Thames-set light to the powder, blow up the Parliament House, and kill the king, the lords, and the members of the House of Commons.

One of the conspirators-Thomas Tresham, it was supposed-being desirous of saving the life of Lord Monteagle, wrote him a letter, strongly warning him not to attend the meeting of Parliament. Monteagle sent the letter to one of the chief officers of the government. This caused examination to be made of the basement of the Parliament house. On Monday afternoon, the 4th of November, the Lord Chancellor Suffolk, and Lord Monteagle, went to examine the premises, and threw open the door of the cellar in which the powder was covered with coals. They found Fawkes in the cellar, and asked him who he was. He replied, "Mr. Percy's servant.”—Mr. Percy, besides having taken a house adjoining, had taken the cellar. They replied, " Your