Noorthouck, in his History of London, gives the words of the exhortation. He states that the sexton “comes at midnight, and after tolling his bell calls aloud,
‘You prisoners that are within,
Who for wickedness and sin,
after many mercies shewn you, are now appointed to die to-morrow in the forenoon, give ear and understand, that to-morrow morning the greatest bell of St. Sepulchre’s shall toll for you in form of and manner of a passing bell, as is used to be tolled for those that are at the point of death; to the end that all godly people hearing that bell, and knowing it is for you going to your deaths, may be stirred up heartily to pray to God to bestow his grace and mercy upon you whilst you live. I beseech you for Jesus Christ’s sake to keep this night in watching and prayer, to the salvation of your own souls, while there is yet time and place for mercy; as knowing to-morrow you must appear before the judgment seat of your Creator, there to give an account of things done in this life, and to suffer eternal torments for your sins committed against Him, unless upon your hearty and unfeigned repentance you find mercy through the merits, death, and passion of your only mediator and advocate Jesus Christ, who now sits at the right hand of God to make intercession for as many of you as penitently return to him.’
“On the morning of execution, as the condemned criminals pass by St. Sepulchre’s churchyard to Tyburn, he tolls his bell again and the cart stopping, he adds, ‘All good people pray heartily unto God for these poor sinners, who are now going to their death, for whom this great bell doth toll. You that are condemned to die, repent with lamentable tears; ask mercy of the Lord for the salvation of your own souls, through the merits, death, and passion of Jesus Christ, who now sits at the right hand of God, to make intercession for as many of you as penitently return unto Him.
‘Lord have mercy upon you!
Christ have mercy upon you!
Lord have mercy upon you!
Christ have mercy upon you!’”
The Pardoned Poet’s Farewell
“John Carter,” the convict whose poems brought him pardon, did not leave his Minnesota prison without a farewell message to his friends within its walls. This “last will and testament” was first printed in the weekly Prison Mirror, published in the penitentiary. The St. Paul Dispatch quotes it as follows:
“This is the last will and testament of me, Anglicus. I hereby give and bequeath my collection of books (amounting to some 6000 volumes) to Mr. Van D., in memory of the not altogether unpleasant hours we spent together, hours marked by no shadow of animosity at any time. We could not be happy, but we were as happy as we could be. To Dr. Van D. I leave my mantle of originality, and what remains of the veuve cliquot, in memory of encouragement when I most needed it.
“To the editor I leave my space on this journal and the best of good wishes in memory of his unfailing courtesy and forbearance.
“To Uncle John and to Sinbad go my heartiest wishes that we may meet soon in some brighter clime.