fons who had affaulted him: but had refolved not to speak of the affair till future circumftances made it neceffary for him to inform a court of justice of what had happened.

The intended affaffination having greatly engaged the attention of the neighbours, Woodburne was apprehended on fufpicion; when making a discovery of the whole truth, Cooke was alfo taken into cuftody. They were brought to their trials at the next affizes, when both of them were convicted.

When they were called up to receive sentence of death, Cooke defired to be heard; and the court complying with his requeft, he urged that "Judg

ment could not pafs on the verdict, because the "act of parliament fimply mentions an intention "to maim or deface, whereas he was firmly re"folved to have committed murder."

He quoted feveral law-cafes in favour of the arguments he had advanced, and hoped that judgment might be refpited till the opinion of the twelve judges could be taken on the cause. The council for the crown oppofed the arguments of Mr. Cooke, infifted that the crime came within the meaning of the law, and hoped that judgment would pafs against the prifoners.

Lord chief juftice King, who prefided on this occafion, declared that he could not admit the force of Mr. Cooke's plea, confiftent with his own oath as a judge; for (faid he) it would "establish a principle in the law, inconfiftent "with the firft dictates of natural reafon; as the <s greatest villain might, when convicted of a "fmaller offence, plead that the judgment must "be arrested, because he intended to commit a

greater. In the prefent inftance (faid he) judgment cannot be arrested, as the intention

is naturally implied, when the crime is actually "committed,"

His lordship faid. that " Crifp was affaffinated "in the manner laid in the indictment; it is "therefore to be taken for granted that the in"tention was to maim and deface; wherefore "the court will proceed to give judgment:" and accordingly fentence of death was paffed on the prisoners.

After condemnation Cooke employed his time principally in endeavours to procure a pardon: and when he found his expectations fail him, he grew reserved, and would not admit even the vifits of his friends. On the contrary, Woodburne was all penitence and contrition, fincerely lamenting the crime he had been guilty of, and the miferable fituation in which he left his poor children.

A short time before the day of execution Cooke wrote to the fheriff, requesting that he might be hanged in the night, to prevent his being expofed to the country-people, who were expected from all the adjacent towns and villages: and in confequence hereof he was hanged at four o'clock in the morning, and Woodburne was executed in the afternoon of the fame day. The latter behaved with every fign of penitence; but Cooke's conduct was very unfeeling, and he absolutely refufed to confefs his crime.

Thefe malefactors were executed at Bury St. Edmonds, on the 5th of April, 1722.

Serious reflections may well be made on the above melancholy tale. The baseness of Cooke's heart must render him an object of deteftation to every feeling mind. Of all the vices that can degrade humanity, covetoufnefs is one of the meaneft. The very wish to poffess what is not

our

our right, implies a degree of difhonefty; but the man whose covetous difpofition 'can inftigate him to the thought of committing murder, is below the beafts that perifh, and ought to be ranked with the infernal fiends,

What must have been Cooke's thoughts on the Christmas-day, when he was entertaining his brother-in-law with an appearance of friendship and hofpitality, yet had determined to murder him! Neither the fanctity, nor the decent feftivity of the feafon, could compofe or cheer a mind bent on the perpetration of fo horrid a deed. The cafe of this man will teach us the force of the commandment," Thou shalt not covet thy neigh "bour's house, thou fhalt not covet thy neigh"bour's wife, nor his man fervant, nor his maidfervant, nor his ox, nor his afs, nor any thing "that is thy neighbour's."

With regard to Woodburne, though not an object of pity, he is lefs an object of deteftation than Cooke. His large family, and diftreffed circumstances were temptations. He might fay, in the words of the poet,

My Poverty, but not my Will confents.

Still, however, his crime was of an aggravated nature, for no temptation fhould induce a man to embrue his hands in the blood of a fellow-creature. How dreadful to think of rufhing into eternity with the crime of murder on the head! May the preventing, grace of God preferve us all from the perpetration of fo fhocking a deed! May we live in a continual fenfe of our duty, and feek to make our own lives comfortable by acts of compaffion and humanity to our fellow-creatures!

Short

Short account of JOHN HARTLEY and THOMAS REEVES, who wete hanged for a robbery.

THE

HESE offenders were tried for stopping a journeyman taylor in the fields near Hoxton, and robbing him of two-pence and his cloaths; and because he had no more money, they beat him moft inhumanly, ftript him, and bound him to a tree.

While he was in this wretched fituation fome perfons coming by unbound him, and took him to an alehoufe, where he told the particulars of the robbery, mentioned the colour of his cloaths, and defcribed the perfons of the robbers to the beft of his power.

These circumstances were heard by a fiddler, who going next day into a public-house in Foreftreet, faw the fellows offering to fell the taylor's coat. The fiddler immediately propofed to be the purchafer, gave earneft for it, and pretending he had not money enough, faid he would fetch the difference; inftead of which he brought the party robbed, who knowing the footpads, they were taken into cuftody.

The evidence on their trial was fo plain, that the jury could not hesitate to find them guilty, in confequence of which they received fentence of death.

After conviction their behaviour was unbecoming perfons in their unhappy circumstances. That of Reeves was particularly hardened; he would fing and fwear while the other convicts were at prayers, yet he told the ordinary that he was certain of going to heaven.

Vol. I. No. 8.

N n

The

The most curious circumstance arising from the detection of thefe offenders, was the fingular method that Hartley took to fave his life. He procured fix young women, dreffed in white, to go to St. James's and prefent a petition in his behalf. The fingularity of their appearance gained them admiffion, when they delivered their petition, and told the king, that if he extended the royal mercy to the offender, they would caft lots which fhould be his wife; but his majefty faid that he was more deferving of the gallows than a wife, and accordingly refused their request.

As they were going to execution, the ordinary afked Reeves if his wife had been concerned with him in any robberies; "No, (faid he) fhe is a worthy woman, whofe first husband happening to be hanged, I married her, that the "might not reproach me by a repetition of his

"virtues."

At the fatal tree Reeves behaved in the most hardened manner, affected to defpife death, and faid he believed he might go to heaven from the gallows as fafely as from his bed.

Thefe offenders fuffered at Tyburn, on the 4th of May, 1722.

We fee, in the inftance of these malefactors, from what a cafual circumftance their detection arofe. A man hears a description of them in a public-house; the next day he went accidentally into another alehoufe, where he faw them offering the ftolen goods for fale; and, by an honeft deception, procured their being taken into cuftody. The poor fiddler had no intereft in their detection but what arofe from his abhorrence of vice; yet he was fo regardful of what he had heard, that he became the immediate inftrument of bringing them to justice.

Hence