ing otherwife of no Service. As the thus intended therefore to have taken away the Lives of thofe three guiltless Perfons, and would have added Murder to Murder, for aught that has yet been found to the contrary, and died with a Lie in her Mouth, it is much to be feared, fhe launched unprepared into Eternity.

Almost of the fame obdurate Stamp was Elton Lewis, a Man who had been bred to the Sea, but afterwards followed the Trade of felling Milk, wherein, had he not given too much Way to his vicious Inclinations, he might have lived very comfortably. This unfortunate Perfon, together with his Wife, and a Girl about ten Years of Age, their Apprentice, lodged in the House with an ancient Woman their Relation, who let out Money to Ufe, and from whom they had once fome Expectations; but Lewis, who was of a furly Difpofition, and fomewhat extravagant, having by fome Means difobliged his ancient Kinfwoman, fhe made her Will, and left every thing away from him.

This of itself provoked him greatly, but what exafperated him yet more, was that fhe had demanded back a Watch fhe had let him have for fome Time in his Pocket, and dunned him for fome Money he had borrowed of her, but without any In. tention of restoring or repaying either, not imagining fhe would infift thereon. All these Things working together upon a Man of his morofe Temper, he at laft fuffered his Malice fo far to get the better of all Sentiments of Humanity and Religion, that he refolved to be revenged of her, by depriving her of Life, as he did accordingly, in the Manner following.

One Monday Evening when the Houfe was clear, nobody being therein but himself, having provi ded himself a Hatchet, he waited within the

Entry,

Entry, for her coming in, well knowing the would not fail to be at home before it was quite Night; and as foon as the had ffept within Doors, and paffed by him, it being dusk, he ftruck her on the Head with the Hatchet with all his Force: This not doing her Bufinefs fo effectually but that fhe fhrieked out, he twisted some small Cords about her Neck to prevent her crying out a fecond Time, and then with reiterated Blows quite difpatched her. After all this Barbarity acted in cold Blood, fo little was he troubled with Remorfe, that he went to the next Door to light a Candle, wiped up the Blood with one of her old quilted Petticoats,and dragging the Corpfe into his Room, concealed it there under his Bed, and without taking any Notice of what he had done till next Morning to his Wife, who was then big with Child, went to fleep therein very unconcerned. He now thought himfelf fecure from any Discovery, his Intent being to have crammed the mang. led Body into a Hamper, and fo to have carried it a pretty Way out of Town, and there left it in fome Ditch, or amongft fome Bufhes: Accordingly, he had hired a Chaife for that Purpofe the next Day, on Pretence of having fome Hams to make a Prefent of to his Friends in the Country, and was to have fet out very early that Night, or the Morning following, with his hopeful Luggage.

But how much in vain does Man appoint, when Heaven has determined to disappoint! That very Night is he taken fo ill, that he is forced to be let Blood; whereupon, not believing he should be in a Condition to purfue his intended Journey, and being apprehenfive the Corple, fhould it remain any longer under the Bed, might by fome Means or other be difcovered, he refolves to difpofe of it forthwith in another Manner. Accordingly, he prevails on the Watchman, by giving

him a Shilling for his Trouble, to fetch him a Pint of Wine from a particular Tavern at fome Diftance; and while the Coaft was clear, lugs the dead Carcafe to the Ditch at Hockley in the Hole, which was about two Hundred Yards from his Lodging, and there throws it in.

He could not do this however fo cleverly, but that he fufered the mangled Head to hit againft a Poft near his Houfe, fo that fome of the Brains ftuck thereon, and not only fo, but the Blood was plainly to be traced back to his very Door, which the Darkness had prevented his obferving: It was no Wonder therefore, that next Morning when the Body was found, and Multitudes gathered about it, fome Perfon more intelligent than the reft fhould perceive this, and miftruft that the Murder had been committed there; and that on declaring his Sufpicion, the Neighbours fhould recollect Mrs. Robinson had been miffing a Day or two, nor yet that notwithstanding the Head's being mangled, it fhould be known to be her's, and that thereupon the Man with his Wife and Girl fhould be fecured.

"

But notwithstanding all this, and even though the Marks of Blood remained in the House, nothing but Circumftances appearing against him, he might ftill have escaped, had not the Divine Juftice purfued him. For the Girl, being examined, declared (what was really true) fhe knew nothing of the Matter, neither had heard any Buftle in the Houfe, which was credited the more eafily, becaufse he had always been a cruel Mafter to her, ftripping her naked, and almoft flaying her upon very flight Provocations. Neither had the next door Neighbours, one of which was a Baker, and up greatest Part of the Night, been alarmed with any Noife; and as for the Marks of Blood, as he had a Vein opened, it was not at al range fome Signs thereof

fhould

hould be feen upon the Floor; there being no Evidence against him, he must have been acquitted, had not the Hand of Heaven interpofed, and he been judicially infatuated.

The Murder had been perpetrated on Monday in the Dusk of the Evening, and he was not apprehended till the Wednesday Morning; he had therefore fufficient Time to have made away with every thing that could have contributed towards difcovering his Guilt; but so much was he blinded by Providence, that he had not the Power in all that Interval, to destroy the fmall Cords wherewith he had ftrangled the poor Woman, fo that they were taken out of his Pocket, after his being feized; and being bloody, with fome Hairs flicking thereon, and exactly answering to the Mark about her Neck, they were of themselves fufficient to condemn him: Whereupon then, and not till then, he acknowledged himfelt guilty, and figned his Confeffion; having before perfifted obftinately in maintaining his Innocence.

At the fame Time that this poor Wretch, who appeared to be quite ftupified, was executed for this heinous Crime, one of the Foot Guards alfo fuffered, for the barbarous Murder of his own Mother, whom, on fome flight Provocation, perhaps for not fupplying him with Liquor, when he had drank too much before, he cruelly fhot through the Head, as the lay in her Bed. He feemed indeed very penitent for fo unnatural a Villainy, but all his Repentance, however fincere, could not recal to Life that unfortunate Creature, whom he had precipitately fent out of the World, it may be in her Sins, and in her 'Blood; a Circumftance, which, if feriouly reflected on, muft grievoutly imbitter his laft Moments, and more than double the Horrors of Death. Such are the dreadful Fruits of the Breach of the Sixth Commandment,

even in those who fuffer the Law, and make the beft Atonement they can for so horrid an Offence! And what the Confequences must be in all others, we tremble to think on.

Another barbarous Wretch at Coventry, who be ing out of Bufinefs, was charitably taken into a House, and kindly entertained by an ancient Woman his Relation, who lived retired together with her Neice, requited all their Goodnefs by villanoufly murdering them, only because they had refufed fupplying him with Money, according to all his extravagant Demands. So prevalent is the Devil on every trifling Occafion with fome People, and

fo little Scruple do they make of vertakes them,

Blood! But when Divine Juftice

which it never fails to do, and they are on the Point of fuffering for their Wickedness, in how different. a Light do they fee Things, though it is then too late?

Doftansq protor given; point

About the fame Time, another hardened Miltreant, coming to a lone Alehoufe in Suffex, took the Opportunity, whilft the Mafter was bufy in the Stable rubbing down and cleaning his Horfe, to come upon him unawares, and cut his Throat from Ear to Ear, after which he butchered the poor Woman, who lay fick in Bel, and then, to compleat the Tragedy, murdered the innocent Servant Maid, and plundered the Houle Bat Divine Vengeance foon overtook him, and he was apprehended, condemned, and defervedly executed: Too mild a Punishment for fo barbarous and complicated a VilJainy But what will not the curfed Thirst of Gold tempt fame Profligates to perpetrate (longington

; Lcold, to ni bas are asd

Another inhuthan Villain being in Hurry to be a rich, and determined to make his Fortune at any Rate, Joined in Concert with Tome offer Wretches, as wicked as himself, torch way with a Ship, with

the