When Pierre says to Jaffier, 'Cans't thou kill a Senator ?' there were three cheers, and so through the whole, whenever anything was said concerning conspiracy and in favor of it, the audience applauded, and when anything was said against it they hissed.

When Pierre asked the conspirators if Brutus was not a good man, the audience was in a great uproar, applauding so as to prevent for some minutes the progress of the performance.

This I think shows the public mind to be in great agitation.

The play of 'Venice Preserved' is not a moral play, and I should not ask you to read any part of it if I could better explain to you the feelings of the public." A few days later, on May 17, he says in a letter to his brothers:-- "The assassin Bellingham was immediately taken into custody.

He was tried on Friday and condemned to be executed to-morrow morning (Monday, 18th).
I shall go to the place to see the concourse of people, for to see him executed I know I could not bear." In a postscript written the day after he says:-- "I went this morning to the execution.