g4 THELIFEOJ? 



hand, and before his mafler had done his partj 

 he with the other hand held the firing that was 

 to difcharge the machine, and ere the collar was 

 faftened, pulled it, and put a period to the fuf- 

 ferings of the once great fovereign of France, 

 who fo lately, and fo juftly was idolized by ail 

 the people of that nation. 



No fooner had the guillotine performed its 

 dreadful office, than the executioner made a 

 pretext to prefs the knife down, as if it had not 

 gone quite through the neck, and that the head 

 was taken off by his hands; but this was unne- 

 cefTary, as the fall of the machine did its duty 

 compleatly. 



The aflirlant caught up the bleeding head, as 

 foon as it was fevered from the body, and hold- 

 ing it by the hair, expofed it to view on every 

 fide of the fcaffold, crying out, ** Five la repub^ 

 *^ liqiie^ le tiran n'eji plus;" he then threw it down 

 at his ^tcty and went to affifl- his mafter to put 

 the body into a long balket, which was already 

 bloody with the gore'of numerous vidims. The 

 ruffian then again held up the head as before, 

 and after expofing it fome little time, flanding 

 a few paces from the bafket, tolTed it in with an 

 air of difdain. 



Many now prefTed round to dip their hand- 

 kerchiefs in the King's blood, and the city re- 

 founded with fnouts of '' vive la repuhlique:''' nay, 



fo 



