WILLIAM, Lord, a distinguished English patriot, was descended from a family which had held land in Dorsetshire from a very early period, was the third son of William, Earl of Bedford, and was born on the 29th of September 1639. He entered Cambridge about 1654, afterwards resided with his elder brother at Augsburg, and spent the winter of 1658 at Paris. On his return to Eng- land, he was chosen member of Parliament for Tavistock. The court, which was at that time the abode of gaiety and licentiousness, seems at first to have attracted his attention, and, according to Bishop Burnet, "drew him into some irregularities." An earnest and truthful nature like Rus- sell's soon shook itself rid of the entanglements of court life; and in 1669 he married Rachel Wriothesley, second daughter of the Earl of Southampton, and widow of Lord Vaughan. To the influence of this most excellent woman, who seems to have been endowed with all the charms which captivate and all the virtues which elevate man's nature, we must attribute not a few of the noble qualities which adorn the memory of her husband. Had the government of the country been conducted with security and honour, Lord William Russell would have continued to enjoy the happi- ness of private life in the company of this admirable woman; but, roused by the hypocrisy and scandalized by the open and shameless venality of Charles II. and his brother the Duke of York to restore the Roman Catholic religion, no Englishman who had any regard for the independence, the freedom, and the religion of his country, could any longer keep aloof. He accordingly, with no very remark- able talents, ranged himself at once on the side of the Pro- testants, and became the declared opponent of the king. "I never knew," says Burnet, "any man have so entire credit with the nation as he had;" and again, the bishop continues, "his understanding was not defective; but his virtues were so eminent that they would have more than balanced real defects, if any had been found in the other." Lord Russell joined Lord Cavendish, Sir W. Coventry, Colonel Birch, Mr Powle, and Mr Littleton, in their endeavours to thwart the scandalous proceedings of the king, and advancing as they did, and as they required to do, at first with moderation, gained so great an influence in the coun- try, that the king found it necessary to prorogue the Parlia- ment. This step broke off the alliance with France. Fresh intrigues, however, were speedily renewed; and against these Lord Russell resolutely opposed himself. Barillon was busy with his French gold. Russell, as well as Sidney, are accused of having received bribes to serve French in- terests. Lord John Russell, who has written the Life of his noble ancestor, does not hesitate to impeach the honesty of Barillon, rather than have men suppose that such a charge is true. And no one can have observed Lord William Russell's strong sense of justice, his scrupulous integrity, his zeal and energy in every noble and generous undertak- ing, who would for a moment listen to such a charge. His character is wholly at variance with such an act. However, the testimony of Barillon will be differently estimated by different men; and the reader may consult on the matter the views taken by Macaulay (History of England, vol. i.), and Hallam (Constitutional History, vol. ii.) In no long time the principal Whigs were accused of having conspired to take the king's life as he returned from the Newmarket races. This is known as the "Rye-house Plot," from the name of a farm near Newmarket, where the conspirators agreed to meet. The king having, it is said, returned earlier from Newmarket than was anticipated, the court ascribed to this lucky accident the shielding of his majesty's life. Russell, Essex, Sidney, and a number of others, were at once committed to the Tower. Russell was, on the 13th of July 1683, brought before the Old Bailey on a charge of high treason. He was indicted "for conspiring the death of the king, and consulting and agreeing to stir up insurrection, and to that end to seize the guards for the preservation of the king's person." The evidence against him was contradictory; no one charge in his indictment was proved; yet the sheriffs, who were the tools of the court, secured his conviction. He was accordingly found guilty, and was sentenced to death. During his imprisonment he manifested great calmness and pious resignation. Lady Russell, who had greatly assisted him during his trial, was now near, like an angel of comfort, administering to his wants with the most singular tenderness and resolution. Bishop Burnet and Dean Tillotson attended him; and the former has left a written account of his last days. He was beheaded in Lincoln's Inn Fields on the 21st of July 1683.

Charles James Fox, in alluding to the death of Lord William Russell (History of James II.), says, "It is impossible not to assent to the opinion of those who have ever stigmatized the condemnation and execution of Russell as a most flagrant violation of law and justice." The act for annuling Russell's attainder, passed in the first year of William and Mary, says, he "was by undue and illegal return of jurors, for want of freehold, and by partial and unjust constructions of law, wrongfully convicted, attainted, and executed for high treason." (See the Life of William, Lord Russell, by Lord John Russell, London, 1819.)