the most probable method to prevent his coming to a fatal end.

In confequence hereof they got him rated as a midshipman, and he failed to the coast of Spain; but foon quitting the naval fervice, he returned to England, and, commencing highwayman, committed many robberies on the road to Hampftead, on Finchley-Common, and in the neighbourhood of Hammerfmith.

When he first began the practice of robbing, he formed a refolution to retire when he had acquired as much money as would fupport him; but this time never arrived; for finding his fuccefs by no means proportioned to his expectations, he became one of the gang under Jonathan Wild of infamous memory; and was for a confiderable time fcreened from juftice by that celebrated master of thieves.

*

Burridge being confined in New-Prifon for a capital offence, broke out of that goal; and he -was repeatedly an evidence at the Old Bailey, by which means his affociates fuffered the rigour of the law. At length, having offended Wild, the latter marked him down as one doomed to fuffer at the next execution after the enfuing feffions at the Old Bailey; which was a common practice with Wild, when he grew tired of his dependants, or thought they could be no longer ferviceable to him.

Alarmed by this circumftance, Burridge fled into Lincolnshire, where he stole a horse, and brought it to London, intending to fell it at

* A particular account of this notorious malefactor will appear in the course of this work. VOL. I. No. 7. M m

Smith

Sinithfield for prefent fupport: but the gentleman who had loft the horfe having fent a full defcription of it to London, Burridge was feen riding on it through the street, and watched to a livery ftable.

Some perfons going to take him, he produced a brace of piftols, threatening deftruction to any one who came near him; by which he got off; but being immediately purfued, he was taken in May-Fair, and lodged in Newgate.

On his trial a man and a woman fwore that they faw him purchase the horfe; but as there was a material difference in their ftories, the court was of opinion that they had been hired to fwear, and the judge gave directions for their being taken into cuftody for the perjury.

The jury did not hesitate to find Burridge guilty and after fentence was passed, his behaviour was extremely devout, and he encouraged the devotion of others in like unhappy circumstances.

He was executed at Tyburn on the 22d of March, 1722, in the 34th year of his age; having firft warned the fpectators to be obedient to their parents and mafters, and to beware of the crime of debauching young women, which had firft led him from the path of duty, and finally ended in his ruin,

The idea this unhappy man had conceived of leaving off robbing when he had obtained enough to fupport him, was ridiculous in the highest degree. Perhaps there never was a single inftance of a thief retiring on the profits of his plunder. What is got in an illegal manner is always fpent i debauchery and extravagance: but fuppofing retirement was poffible; could that man expect one moment of peace who had acquired his fub

fiftance

fiftance by acts of difhonefty? He could not eat a morfel of bread, or drink a draught of liquor, but he muft reflect that it was not his own. His

days would be wretched, and his nights fleepless; he would be terrified by every new face he faw; the fear of detection would be ever uppermost in his mind, and he would be perpetually tormented with the racking pains of a guilty confcience,

After this dreadful reprefentation of facts, nothing need be added to convince youth that to tread in the path of virtue is the fureft way to happiness; and that he who deviates from this path is in the certain way to bring deftruction on his own head!

Particulars refpecting ARUNDEL COOKE, Efq. and JOHN WOODBURNE, who were hanged for cutting and maiming Mr. CRISP.

THES

HESE people fuffered on what is called the Coventry Act, to understand which it will be neceffary to recite a few particulars.

The Coventry Act took its rife from the following circumstance. Sir John Coventry, in the reign of Charles the fecond, having opposed the measures of the court in the house of commons, in revenge hereof, fome armed villains attacked him one night in Covent-garden, flit his nose, and cut off his lips. Shocked by fo barbarous a deed, the members of both houfes of parliament paffed an act in a few days, by which it was or、 dered that "Unlawfully cutting out, or difabling "the tongue, of malice aforethought, or by ly ing in wait, putting out an eye, flitting the nofe or lip, or cutting off or difabling any

M m 2

"limb

"limb or member of any perfon, with intent to "maim or disfigure, fhall be felony without be"nefit of clergy." By this law it is likewife enacted that "Acceffaries fhall be deemed prinpals." The parties whofe crimes we are about to relate were the firft who were executed on this act.

Mr. Cooke was born near Bury St. Edmonds in the county of Suffolk. His father was a man of fortune, and when he had given him an univerfity education, he fent him to the Temple to study the law, after which he was called to the bar, and acted as a counfellor. After fome time he married a young lady, the fifter of Mr. Crifp, who lived in the neighbourhood of his native place.

Mr. Crifp being a gentleman of large property, but of a bad ftate of health, made his will in favour of Cooke, fubject only to a jointure for his fifter's ufe, which was likewife to become the property of the counsellor, in cafe the lady died before her husband.

It was not long after Mr. Crifp had made his will, before he recovered his health in fome degree; but he continued an infirm man, though he lived a number of years. This partial recovery. gave great uneafinefs to Cooke, who wishing to poffefs the eftate, was anxious for the death of his brother-in-law, though, as he had art enough to conceal his fentiments, they appeared to live on. tolerable terms.

However, he at length grew fo impatient that he could not come into poffeffion by the death of Mr. Crifp, that he refolved to remove him by murder; and for that purpofe engaged John Woodburne, a labouring man, who had fix chil

dren,

dren, to affist him in the execution of his diabo. lical plan.

For this piece of fervice he promised to give Woodburne a hundred pounds. The man was unwilling to be concerned in this execrable bufinefs; but reflections on his poverty, and the largeness of his family, tempted him to comply.

On this it was agreed that the murder fhould be perpetrated on Christmas evening, and as Mr. Crifp was to dine with Mr. Cooke on that day, and the church-yard lay between one house and the other, Woodburne was to wait, concealed behind one of the tomb-ftones, till Cooke gave him the fignal for the attack, which was to be a loud whistle.

Crifp came to his appointment, and dined and drank tea with his brother-in-law; but declining to stay to fupper, he left the house about nine o'clock, and was almost immediately followed into the church-yard by Cooke, who giving the agreed fignal to Woodburne, the latter quitted his place of retreat, knocked down the unhappy man, and cut and maimed him in a terrible manner; in which he was abetted by the counsellor.

Imagining that they had dispatched him, Mr. Cooke rewarded Woodburne with a few fhillings, and inftantly went home; but he had not been arrived more than a quarter of an hour before Crifp knocked at the door, and entered covered with wounds, and almost dead through lofs of blood. He was unable to speak, but by his looks seemed to accufe Cooke with the intended mur der, and was then put to bed, and his wounds dreffed by a furgeon.

At the end of about a week he was fo much mended as to be removed to his own houfe. He' had no doubt but that Cooke was one of the per

fons