field, great numbers of people went to take view of the body, among whom was the woman of the house where the lodged, who recollected that she had faid fhe was going to walk with Mr. Caddell, on which the inftruments were examined, and known to have belonged to him: whereupon he was taken into cuftody, and committee to the jail of Stafford; and being foon afterwards tried, he was found guilty, condemned, and executed, at Stafford, on the 21st of July, 1700.

There is no particular account of the behaviour of this malefactor while under fentence of death, or at the place of execution; yet his fate will afford an inftructive lesson to youth. Let no young man who has connections of any kind with one woman, think of paying his addreffes to another. There can be no fuch thing as honourable courtship, while difhonourable love fubfifts. Mr. Caddell might have lived a credit to himself, and an ornament to his profeffion, if he had not held a criminal connection with Mifs Price. Her fate ought to imprefs on the minds of our female readers the importance of modeft referve to a woman. We would not be fevere on the failings of the fex'; but we cannot help obferving, that a woman, who has fallen a facrifice to the arts of one man, fhould be very cautious in yielding to the addrefes of another. One falfe ftep may be recovered; but the progrefs of vice is a down-hill road; and the farther we departs from the paths of virtue, still the fafter we run. On the contrary, the ways of virtue are pleafant," and all her pa hs are paths of peace." From this ftory likewife the young officers of our army and navy may learn an ufeful leffon; for if Mifs Price had not been debauched by one of that

pro

profeffion, the fatal catastrophe above mentioned had never happened.

A full and particular Account of the Life, Amours, Behaviour, and Execution of GEORGE GRIFFITHS, who fuffered at Tyburn, for privately ftealing from his Mafter, whofe Daughter he endeavoured to deceive..

MR.

R. GRIFFITHS was the fon of an apothecary of extenfive practice at Thetford, in the county of Norfolk. After receiving the ru diments of his education at the grammar school of the town above mentioned, he was articled as a clerk to an attorney of eminence in London, and foon became diftinguifhed for his attention to, and knowledge of bufinefs. His father dying during his clerkship, and having a large family, left his fon George only about an hundred pounds.

This young man as foon as his clerkship was expired, contracted with his mafter to manage his business for a certain annual ftipend: and he discharged his duty for a confiderable time with great regularity; but unhappily becoming acquainted with fome young lawyers who poffeffed more money than difcretion, he foon spent the little fortune which his father had bequeathed to him, and also became indebted to feveral of his master's employers..

During great part of Griffiths's fervitude, the only daughter of his employer had been at a boarding-school at Windfor for the advantage of education; and now returning home, her father, who was uncommonly tender of her, requested

that

that she would take his domestic affairs under her own management.

This old gentleman being frequently about from home, the business of the office was committed, to the care of Mr. Griffiths; and an intimacy foon enfued between him and the young lady, in whofe company he spent all thofe evenings in which he had not particular engagements with his old affociates. The confequence was that their acquaintance ripened into esteem; their esteem' into love. The reciprocal declaration foon took place, and the young lady confidered Mr. Griffiths as the man who was to be her future husband.

Some fhort time after this attachment, Grif fiths was under the neceffity of attending his mafter on the Norfolk circuit, and while he was in the country he held a conftant correfpondence with the young lady; but the father was totally unacquainted with all that had paffed, and had not formed the leaft idea that his daughter had any kind of connection with his clerk; but at length the circumftance of the affair tranfpired in the following manner.

The daughter having gone to Windfor for a few days, on a vifit, to her former acquaintance, continued to correspond with Mr. Griffiths. On a particular day when Griffiths was not at home, it happened that a letter was brought to the office, directed to this unfortunate man; when one of the clerks, imagining that it might be of confequence, carried it to the mafter, at an adjacent coffee-house. It is impoffible that any language fhould exprefs the furprize of the old gentleman, when he faw the name of his daughter fubfcribed to a letter, in which the acknowledged herself as the future wife of the clerk.

The

The father knew that Griffiths had no fortune: but he foon found that he had been mafter of fufficient art, to prevail on the daughter to believe that he was poffeffed of confiderable property. Hereupon he reprefented to his daughter the great impropriety of her conduct; in anfwer to which fhe faid that Mr. Griffiths was a man of fortune, though he had hitherto carefully concealed this circumftance from her father. However, it was not long before a discovery was made, which reprefented Mr. Griffith's fituation in a light equally new and contemptible.

His mafter for a confiderable time past had acted as the folicitor in a capital caufe depending in Chancery; but the determination refpecting it had been put off, on account of lord Sommers being removed from the office of chancellor, and the great feal given in commiffion to Sir Nathan Wright. The folicitor had received immense fums while the caufe was depending, which he had committed to the care of his clerk: but the latter, preffed for cafh to fupply his extravagance, purloined fome of this money. At length the cause was determined, and Griffiths was called upon to account with his mafter for the money in his hands.

Alarmed at this fudden demand, he knew not what course to take. He was already confiderably indebted to different people, and had not a friend to whom he could apply for as much money as was deficient in his accounts: but being driven to the utmost neceffity, he came to the refolution of breaking open his mafter's bureau, which he did while the family were afleep, and stole a confiderable fum of money; but as nothing else but money was stolen, Griffiths would very probably VOL. I. No. I. D

have

have escaped fufpicion, had he not been tempted to a repetition of his crime.

At this time the old gentleman and his daughter went to Tunbridge; and during their refidence at that place of amufement, Griffiths procured a key that would unlock his master's bureau, from whence he again took money to a confiderable amount. On the master's return, he miffed this fum; but ftill he did not fufpect Griffiths, as the drawer was found locked: but hereupon he depofited his jewels in the bureau, but locked up his money in another place.

The amour betwixt Griffiths and the young lady ftill continued; and they would foon have been married at the Fleet, but that a fatal circumstance now arofe, which (happily for her) brought their connection to a period.

Griffiths being (as already ohferved) poffeffed of a key that would open his master's bureau, and difpofed to go out and spend a chearful evening with his old affociates now during their absence, opened the drawer, but was greatly disappointed in not meeting with the money that was ufually left there; finding, however, jewels in its ftead, he stole a diamond ring, which he carried to a jeweller and fold for twelve pounds; and then went to spend his evening as he had intended. The old lawyer came home about ten o'clock at night, and cafually looking into his drawer, found the ring was gone; and being enraged at this renewed robbery, he had every person in the house carefully fearched; but no difcovery was made.

Griffiths did not return till a late hour, and on the following day his employer told him what had happened, and requested that he would go to the feveral jewelers' fhops, and make enquiry for the loft ring. Griffiths pretended an obedi

ence