THEPRISON—DOOR。
ATHRONGofbeardedmen，insad—colouredgarments，andgrey，steeple—crownedhats，intermixedwithwomen，somewearinghoods，andothersbareheaded，wasassembledinfrontofawoodenedifice，thedoorofwhichwasheavilytimberedwithoak，andstuddedwithironspikes。
Thefoundersofanewcolony，whateverUtopiaofhumanvirtueandhappinesstheymightoriginallyproject，haveinvariablyrecogniseditamongtheirearliestpracticalnecessitiestoallotaportionofthevirginsoilasacemetery，andanotherportionasthesiteofaprison。Inaccordancewiththisrule，itmaysafelybeassumedthattheforefathersofBostonhadbuiltthefirstprison—housesomewhereinthevicinityofCornhill，almostasseasonablyastheymarkedoutthefirstburial—ground，onIsaacJohnson’slot，androundabouthisgrave，whichsubsequentlybecamethenucleusofallthecongregatedsepulchresintheoldchurchyardofKing’sChapel。Certainitisthat，somefifteenortwentyyearsafterthesettlementofthetown，thewoodenjailwasalreadymarkedwithweather—stainsandotherindicationsofage，whichgaveayetdarkeraspecttoitsbeetle—browedandgloomyfront。Therustontheponderousiron—workofitsoakendoorlookedmoreantiquethananythingelseintheNewWorld。Likeallthatpertainstocrime，itseemednevertohaveknownayouthfulera。Beforethisuglyedifice，andbetweenitandthewheel—trackofthestreet，wasagrass—plot，muchovergrownwithburdock，pig—weed，apple—peru，andsuchunsightlyvegetation，whichevidentlyfoundsomethingcongenialinthesoilthathadsoearlybornetheblackflowerofcivilisedsociety，aprison。But，ononesideoftheportal，androotedalmostatthethreshold，wasawildrose—bush，covered，inthismonthofJune，withitsdelicategems，whichmightbeimaginedtooffertheirfragranceandfragilebeautytotheprisonerashewentin，andtothecondemnedcriminalashecameforthtohisdoom，intokenthatthedeepheartofNaturecouldpityandbekindtohim。
Thisrose—bush，byastrangechance，hasbeenkeptaliveinhistory；
butwhetherithadmerelysurvivedoutofthesternoldwilderness，solongafterthefallofthegiganticpinesandoaksthatoriginallyovershadowedit—orwhether，asthereisfairauthorityforbelieving，ithadsprungupunderthefootstepsofthesaintedAnnHutchinson，assheenteredtheprison—door—weshallnottakeuponustodetermine。