Tell the Truth
The person here referred to was the famous Algernon Sidney. He lived in the troublesome times of King Charles I. It was common then, for men to be imprisoned and even put to death, simply because they held different opinions, on some political matters, from those which were held by the heads of the government.
Sidney had written a political paper, and signed his name to it. The king was greatly offended by this paper. He ordered him to be arrested, and put in prison. He was afterwards tried, and condemned to death, for what he had written. That paper was brought to him in prison. His attention was called to the signature attached to the article, and he was told, that if he was willing to say that he had not signed that paper, his life would be spared, and he would be released from prison. Now here you see, the great question, which Algernon Sidney had to settle was this—”Shall I tell a lie and save my life, or shall I tell the truth and lose it?” His answer was, “I did sign that paper. I could save my life by telling a lie, but I would rather a thousand times tell the truth, even though my life must be the cost.”
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