'One plea may be urged for him, which, whether it avail or not, is the

truth, and shall be made
'One plea may be urged for him, which, whether it avail or not, is the
truth, and shall be made. It is painful to speak of my father as I must
now do; but there is no help for it. Of late years he has been subject
to strange mental hallucinations, which have bordered close upon
madness, if they have not reached that terrible point. Nocturnal vigils,
fastings, and prayers have affected his health. He has denied himself
sufficient rest, and has only partaken of food barely sufficient to
sustain nature, and no more. The consequence has been that strange
fancies have troubled his brain; that at dead of night, when alone in
his chamber, he has imagined that visions have appeared to him; that
voices have spoken--awful voices--talking of prophecies, lamentations,
and judgments, and charging him with a mighty and terrible mission. All
these things I have heard from his own lips, and I have heard and seen
much more, which has satisfied me that his intellects are disordered,
and that he cannot be held accountable for his actions.'