Unhappy is that gentleman who falls into fuch hands; for there was not one evidence for the king that was not manifeftly perjured, as I have faithfully fet forth in my printed cafe, with all the juftice a perfon expecting nothing less than death was capable of. And it is also as evident, that the proper evidences on my fide were never called: I wish I could perfuade myself that mifmanagement did not proceed from the infidelity of my attorney, employed on my trial: for it appears but too evident, that he never made one regular step towards my intereft, and, I wish I could aver that he did not arm my enemies against me.

After all this, his majefty, in his great wifdom, thought fit to grant me a reprieve, and ordered me for transportation; but the restless malice of my enemies would not fix here.

The pretended widow of the deceased lodges an appeal against me. How fhe had a right so to do, I leave thofe gentlemen learned in the law to determine: yet this, with her falacious petition, found entrance to the Royal Fountain, and turned that former stream of mercy from me; caufing his majesty to recede from his firft decree of mercy, and order my execution: under which fentence I ftill, with all humility, fubmit.

Another reflection, I am credibly informed, is caft upon me, in order to make my load the greater; which is, that I was frequently vifited, during my confinement, and even fince my conviction, by lewd and infamous women. I cannot fay that I have not been vifited by divers women; but do not know them to be fuch: fome of them were relations, and other perfons, who had bufinefs with me relating to my unhappy circumftances. What cannot malice invent.

There

There is one thing more which I omitted in my printed cafe, relating to my adverfary's evidence; depofing, that the deceafed Loxton fell without the door: which I declare folemnly, is utterly false; for what was done was in the room; was not off from my bed when the accident happened and when he dropped, he fell backwards upon the bed.

I might take notice of many more false afperfions, but will omit them; having, I thank my God, forgiven them all.

In the next place, it will be expected that I fay fomething of my religion.

I declare, that I die a Proteftant, and of the communion of the church of England, whose doctrine teaches me to forgive my enemies, which fincerely I do: humbly begging, at the fame time that all thofe, who through inadvertency, heat of blood, or any juvenile folly, I have offended, will do the fame to me.

As for the manifold reflections caft upon me fince my confinement; the pretended widow's violent profecution; the Farrier's notoriously falfe affidavit, and all other offences committed against me, I heartily forgive them.

And to conclude, I wish all gentlemen would only weigh the fatal caufe of my unhappy exit, and avoid all fuch houses where the fcene of this misfortune was firft laid: let me be an example to them, to avoid thofe rocks I have split upon; that they may, with lefs difficulty than I have found it, be able to compofe their thoughts, (which I thank God I have done) through the affistance of his divine Spirit, and fink into a willing refignation of his divine will.

EDWARD BIRD.

This

This unfortunate youth feems to have fallen a facrifice to the irregularity and violence of his own paffions to the pride of his heart, and his love of lawless pleasure. Hence let the youth who read this be taught to walk in the plain paths of fobriety and difcretion, "neither turning afide to "the right hand nor the left." His taking poifon and stabbing himself, to defeat the execution of the law, is a strong proof of that pride of heart we have mentioned. He could be guilty of a crime deferving the utmoft ignominy, but dreaded to fuftain it. Humility, then, is another doctrine to be learned from the fate of this man.

The fituation of Bird's mother, in her attending him to Tyburn, must have been dreadful beyond all expreffion! Mr. Bird had been well educated, and ought to have made a different return to the care of his parents. Women in general, however, fhould confider that it is by a religious education that the mind of the child is most likely to be guarded from the contaminations of vice. The facred maxim will hold good in moft instances: train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart

"therefrom."

Singular Cafe of CATHERINE JONES, who was tried for Bigamy, and acquitted.

CATH

ATHERINE JONES was indicted at the Old Bailey, on the 5th of September, 1719, for marrying Conftantine Boone, during the life of her former husband, John Rowland.

Proof

Proof was made that she was married to Rowland, in the year 1713, at a houfe in the Mint, Southwark, and that fix years afterwards, while her husband was abroad, fhe was again married, in the fame houfe, to Conftantine Boone; but Rowland, foon returning to England, caufed his wife to be indicted for this crime.

The prifoner did not hesitate to acknowledge the double marriage, but infifted that the latter wast illegal, as Boone was an hermaphrodite, and had been fhewn as fuch at Southwark and Bartholomew fairs, and at other places.

To prove this a perfon fwore that he knew Boone when a child, that his (or her) mother dreffed it in girls apparel, and caufed it to be inftructed in needle-work, till it had attained the age of twelve years, when it turned man, and went to fea.

These last words were those of the depofition; and the fact was confirmed by Boone, who appeared in court, acknowledged being an herma-. phrodite, and having been publicly fhewn in that character.

Other witneffes depofed that the female fex prevailed over that of the male in the party in queftion on which the jury acquitted the prifoner.

It is impoffible to defcribe how much this affair was the fubject of the public converfation at, and long after, the time that it happened: and it would be idle to make any serious remarks on it. We can only express our aftonishment that an hermaphrodite fhould think of fuch a glaring ab furdity as the taking a wife!

Nar

Narrative of the Trial and Execution of JOHN MATTHEWS, a Printer, who was hanged for High-Treafon.

JOHN

OHN MATTHEWS was the fon of a printer in Alderfgate-Street, to whom he was apprenticed; but his father dying, he continued to ferve with his mother. Having made connections with fome perfons of Jacobitical principles, he printed fome papers against the government, for which he was once taken into cuftody; but the evidence being incomplete, he was difmiffed.

Encouraged by this efcape, he was induced to print a pamphlet, entitled "Ex ore tuo te Ju"dico: Vox populi, vox Dei*." For this offence he was brought to his trial, on the 30th of October, 1719, when it appeared that he had compofed the pages of the pamphlet in queftion, but locked them up, left they fh uld be found, and made ufe of to his prejudice.

An elder brother of Matthews, apprehending that the youth might endanger himself by his propenfity to the printing fuch pamphlets, directed a journeyman, named Lawrence Vezey, to lock up the door of the printing-houfe every night, and bring him the key: but Vezey, like a villain as he was, firft fuffered the young fellow to print the fuppofed treasonable matter, and then gave evidence against him.

A general warrant being granted by the fecretary of state, for the search of Mrs. Matthews's

* That is, "Out of thy own mouth will I judge "thee:-The Voice of the People is the Voice of "God."

Vol. I, No. 7.

I i

house,