Chapter I

Nathan Hale's Early Years

It is to-day a recognized fact that no life worthy
of our reverence, or even a life calculated to awaken
our fear, is the result of accident. Whatever may
be the character, its basis has been the result of
long-developing causes. This the life of Nathan
Hale well illustrates. He was born at a time and
under influences that were sure to develop the best
qualities in him. He was an immediate descendant
of the best of the Puritans on both sides of the sea.
His great-grandfather, John Hale, was the son of
Robert Hale, who came to America in 1632. John
Hale graduated from Harvard in 1657 and was the
first pastor settled in Beverly, Massachusetts, remaining
there until he died, an aged man. An
ardent patriot, this John Hale, in 1676, gave about
one-twelfth of his salary, some seventy pounds, for
defense in King Philip's War. When need arose in

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