"just before me; and I believe the devil put it "into my head to fling my ftick at it.-Well, "what will you have on't? I kill'd the hare, and

was bringing it away in triumph, when the juf"tice himself mèt me: he called me a poacher and

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a villain; and, collaring me, defired I would give an account of myself. I fell upon my knees, begged his Worship's pardon, and began to give a full account of all that I knew of my breed, "feed, and generation: but, though I gave a very "good account, the juftice would not believe a fyllable I had to fay; fo I was indicted at the "feffions, found guilty of being poor, and fent up "to London to Newgate, in order to be tranfport"ed as a vagabond.

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"People may fay this and that of being in jail; "but, for my part, I found Newgate as agreeable

a place as ever I was in, in all my life. I had "my bellyful to eat and drink, and did no work at all. This kind of life was too good to last "for ever; fo I was taken out of prison after five months, put on board a ship, and fent off, with 66 two hundred more, to the plantations. We had "but an indifferent paffage; for, being all con"fined in the hold, more than a hundred of our

people died for want of fweet air; and those "that remained were fickly enough, God knows. "When we came on fhore, we were fold to the planters, and was bound for seven years more. " As I was no fcholar, for I did not know my letiers, I was obliged to work among the negroes;

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"When my time was expired, I work fage home, and glad I was to fee Ol again, because I loved my country. I 66 however, that I fhould be indicted "bond once more; fo did not much "down into the country, but kept

town, and did little jobs when I "them.

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"I was very happy in this manner for i "till one evening, coming home from v men knocked me down, and then defi "ftand. They belonged to a prefs-gan "carried before the juftice, and, as I "no account of myself, I had my ch "whether to go on board a man of war,

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a foldier. I chofe the latter; and, in

of a gentleman, I ferved two campaigns "ders, was at the battles of Val and Fonte "received but one wound through the bre "but the doctor of our regiment foon "well again.

"When the peace came on, I was difc " and, as I could not work, because my was fometimes troublesome, I lifted for

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man in the Eaft-India Company's ferv "have fought the French in three pitched " and 1 verily believe that if I could read o "our captain would have made me a corpo "it was not my good fortune to have any "tion, for I foon fell fick, and fo got leave

" and I hoped to be set on shore, and to have the pleasure of spending my money; but the govern"ment wanted men, and fo I was preffed for a fai"lor before ever I could fet foot on fhore.

་་

"The boatfwain found me, as he said, an obsti"nate fellow he fwore he knew that I understood my business well, but that I fhammed Abraham, "merely to be idle; but, God knows, I knew nothing of fea-bufinefs, and he beat me without confidering what he was about. I had still, however, my forty pounds, and that was fome comfort "to me under every beating; and the money I "6 might have had to this day, but that our ship was "taken by the French, and fo I lost all.

"Our crew was carried into Breft, and many of "them died, because they were not used to live in

a jail: but, for my part, it was nothing to me, "for I was feasoned. One night, as I was fleeping

on the bed of boards, with a warm blanket about

me, for I always loved to ly well, I was awa"kened by the boatswain, who had a dark lantern "in his hand; "Jack," fays he to me, "will you "knock out the French fentry's brains?" "I don't "care," fays I, ftriving to keep myself awake, "if "I lend a hand." "Then follow me," fays he, " and I hope we shall do business." So up I got, " and tied my blanket, which was all the clothes "I had, about my middle, and went with him to "fight the Frenchinen. I hate the French because they are flaves, and wear wooden fhoes.

"Though we had no arms, one Englishman is “able to beat five French at any time; fo we went "down

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"down to the door, where both the fentries were "pofted, and, rushing upon them, feized their arms "in a moment, and knocked them down. From "thence, nine of us ran together to the quay, " and, feizing the first boat we met, got out of the "harbour and put to fea. We had not been here "three days before we were taken up by the Dorset privateer, who were glad of fo many good hands, "and we consented to run our chance. However, 66 we had not so much luck as we expected. In three days we fell in with the Pompadour privateer of "forty guns, while we had but twenty-three; fo to "it

it we went, yard-arm and yard-arm. The fight "lafted for three hours, and I verily believe we "should have taken the Frenchman, had we but "had fome more men left behind; but, unfortunately, we loft all our men just as we were going "to get the victory.

"I was once more in the power of the French, " and I believe it would have gone hard with me, "had I been brought back to Breft: but by good "fortune we were taken by the Viper. I had al"moft forgot to tell you, that, in that engagement, "I was wounded in two places; I loft four fingers "of the left hand, and my leg was shot off. If I "had had the good fortune to have loft my leg and "ufe of my hand on board a king's ship, and not "aboard a privateer, I fhould have been entitled to

clothing and maintenance during the rest of my "life. But that was not my chance: one man is "born with a filver spoon in his mouth, and ano"ther with a wooden ladle. However, bleffed be "God,

"God, I enjoy good health, and will forever love 66 liberty and Old England. Liberty, Property, "and Old England, for ever, huzza!”

Thus faying, he limped off, leaving me in admition at his intrepidity and content: nor could I avoid acknowledging that an habitual acquaintance with mifery, ferves better than philosophy to teach us to defpife it.

ESSA Y XXV.

Suppofed to be written by the Ordinary of Newgate.

MA

"AN is a most frail being, incapable of directing his fteps, unacquainted with what is to happen in this life; and perhaps no man is a more manifeft inftance of the truth of this inaxim, than Mr. THE. CIBBER, juft now gone out of the world.. Such a variety of turns of fortune, yet fuch a perfevering uniformity of conduct, appears in all that happened in his short span, that the whole may be looked upon as one regular confufion: every action of his life was matter of wonder and surprise, and his death was an astonishment.

This gentleman was born of creditable parents, who gave him a very good education, and a great deal of good learning, fo that he could read and write before he was fixteen. However, he early difcovered an inclination to follow lewd courses : he refufed to take the advice of his parents, and purfued

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