an experiment to the most experienced, for no man, though his mortifications may be much greater than mine, can say he has already died."
His situation soon became critical in the extreme. The Parliament delivered him over by an ordinance to the High Commission Court, and he was removed to the Tower, preparatory to his being tried for his life. How he escaped we have no very authentic grounds for determining; but Milton is said to have interceded for him, and two aldermen of York, who had formerly been his prisoners under Newcastle, and whose escape he had favoured, hearing of his distress, hastened to London, and exerted themselves so effectually in his behalf as to obtain his pardon. Aubrey says: "'Twas Harry Martyn that saved Sir William's life; in the House when they were talking of sacrificing one, then said Henry, that in sacrifices they were always offered pure and without blemish; 'now ye talk of making a sacrifice of an old rotten rascal,' alluding to the personal deformity caused by his irregular course of life, and on which the wits were so 'cruelly bold.'" And not the wits only, but others of less pretensions ventured to indulge their raillery upon his unfortunate peculiarity. One day, while pensively perambulating the mews, a beggar-woman followed him, and with frequent and earnest tones implored Heaven his eyesight might be spared. Davenant, annoyed, at length turned round, and asked why she was so solicitous about his eyesight, as he felt no symptoms of approaching blindness. "Perhaps not," said she, "but if you ever should, you have nothing to hang your spectacles upon."
Though pardoned, he was not liberated, as, two years later, we find him still a prisoner in the Tower, by the following letter inserted in "Whitelocke's Diary."
Whitelocke writes: "12th Oct., 1652.—I received this letter from Sir William Davenant."
