tions; fo that I foon loft my character. Having then fome money at my difpofal, I collected and bribed a gang of the moft defperate villains who ever infefted this metropolis, and urged them on to acts of outrage, thievery, and bloodshed, that caused the ruin and deftruction of many pious Chriftians in this land. Though I never expofed my miferable perfon in any action of danger, yet I fent many poor deinded' wretches to murder others, and oftentimes to be murdered themfelves; for which reason I hope all people here affembled will pray for my future falvation in another world, fo that I may efcape the dreadful punishment of eternal damnation. Though my crying fins are manifold, I can yet fay, by the bleffing of Heaven, that I never was addicted to the company of harlots; and though I may frequently have been feen with my vile accomplices in a bad houfe, yet I always preferved my chastity therein, and never, at any time, did commit a rape on the body of any woman whatever; for which, I truft, I may find favour hereafter. I confefs that I treated the poor with great cruelty, and took even their bread away without mercy, while at the fame time I favoured the rich on all occafions; I likewife have caufed many thoufands of my fellowcreatures to be maffacred at different times, and in different places, for the doing of which I have nothing to fay in my defence. I acknowledge that I have been a hardened reprobate, and would not ftick at any thing. to forward my own bafe fchemes, being led thereto by a finful luft of the lucre of gold, and a moft wicked ambition, for which I am now about to meet my juft reward. I entreat, above all things, the forgivenefs of Mr. French, whom I endeavoured, by the wicked means in my power, to deprive of his liberty, to starve him and all his family, and to fet his house on fire. Alas! I never fhewed mercy to any perfon who had difpleafed me, if I could once get him into my clutches, but glorified myself for a fanguinary vengeance

14

geance, which I moft affuredly must have derived from the devil. My pride of heart was fo great, that I would take no advice, but went on my abominable career for many years, until I was declared by all men to be an enemy to the human race, and am in confequence now brought to juftice. Lord have mercy upon my poor foul! Amen."

The wretched culprit was fo execrated by the populace, that he was pelted all the way to the place of execution with rotten eggs, dead cats, and the like; and when the awful moment arrived in which he was launched into eternity, there was a loud and general fhout of approbation and joy from all the fpectators. William Pittmore, alias Gallows Billy, was upwards of thirty-fix years of age, of a moft forbidding coun-. tenance, with a fpare figure, thin legs, no vifible protuberance behind, and fcarcely any chin.

A DARING ROBBERY.

[From the Morning Chronicle.]

THIEVES! thieves! thieves! was the general cry which alarmed me in my bed a few nights ago; when opening my chamber-door, I found two thieves had made a forcible entry at the top of the houfe, and were plundering it without mercy. "Hip! hilloa!" faid I, "who the devil are ye?" In anfwer to which question, a voice came down the well of the ftaircafe as hoarfe as thunder, informing me they were the High Contracting Parties. "You be d-d," faid I, " for a brace of blackguards; I know you well enough. Did not one of you break into my houfe a fortnight ago? did not you rob my hen-rooft? fteal my geefe and turkies, drive away my pigs, fet fire to my barn, ravifh my wife, ftrip my orchard, and frighten my children into fits? Did not you do all this, you fcoundrels? and pick my pocket into the bargain?"" Well, no matter for that," faid they; "we are difpofed to be good-humoured

now,

now, and heartily forgive you for all that has paffed between us: fo let 's fhake hands, and be friends again. Come, come, to forget and forgive is our maxim; and as we don't wifh to quarrel again, we mean now to remove every bone of contention, by leaving nothing behind to contend for." On which, Sir, they very deliberately proceeded to ftrip my butler's pantry; my filver candlesticks, my filver waiters, my old family filver tankard, my coffee-pot, my table-fpoons, and fnuff-box, were all removed off without ceremony, and my chairs and tables followed. I had but one pair of black breeches in the world; and thefe, with my beft hat and wig, they rolled up carefully in the flap of my coat, and placed them to the account of profit and lofs with the articles above-mentioned. In fhort, Sir, I found them to be literally as they defcribed themselves, High Contracting Parties; for they fat down to a fillet of veal of ten pounds, and contracted it to half a one. They tapped a barrel of beer of nine gallons, and contracted the quantity to half a pint. They opened a quart bottle of cherry-bounce, and contracted it to a thimble-full. In the parlour they left nothing ftanding but the mantle-piece; in the kitchen, nothing but the dreffer; in the pantry, nothing but the fhelves. They then stole my cart and horfes, to carry my goods off the premises; but had the goodnefs to inform me, after quitting my houfe, and leaving me as bare as a bird juft hatched, that I need not be under any uneafinefs about future plunder, as the High Contracting Parties, I might depend upon it, would guarantee me. Now, Mr. Editor, as thefe High Contracting Perfons are very well known to Mr. Reeves and his friends, I with much to give them notice of what is going forward; as no honeft man will be able to fleep in his bed if these inferni thieves are not speedily brought to justice.

אן

THE SORCERESS: A FABLE.

[From the St. James's Chronicle.]

N the dead of the night, a Sorcerefs entered into a wood to exercife her infernal arts; a large circle was made, which was to enclofe the fcene of her terrible machinations; a dreadful hurricane was presently raised, the timber of the foreft was feized with convulfions, a peftilence went abroad among the folds, the moon was drawn down from her orbit, and legions of fpirits appeared before the Sorcerefs, and demanded her pleafure. "Only," fays fhe, "fhew me where is my little dog that has run away from me."

MORAL.

Would the reader wish for a better picture of a modern democrat?

He has been paffed over in the lift of preferments; he is rich, and unrewarded with nobility; he is a lawyer, and has not obtained a filk gown; he is a member of Parliament, and his predilection for fome favourite measure has been croffed; or, he has loft a borough by the oppofition of Government; he is a country gentleman, and his vote has not gained him a place; he is a perfon of feeling, and has received a fuppofed flight from a man in power; he is a merchant, and has loft a veffel for want of a convoy; he has not been received into the loan; he is a mechanic, and his invention for burning the enemy's fleet has been ill received. Any one of thefe disappointments is enough to make a democrat; that is to fay, a man who, to gratify his refentment, would willingly involve this country in the ruin of France, break up all the peace and profperity of the land, and bring mifery and defolation upon the fairest kingdom which the nations of the earth have exhibited.

TERRORIST

SIR,

TERRORIST NOVEL WRITING *.

I NEVER complain of fashion, when it is confined to externals; to the form of a cap, or the cut of a lapelle; to the colour of a wig, or the tune of a ballad: but when I perceive that there is such a thing as fashion, even in compofing books, it is, perhaps, full time that fome attempt fhould be made to recall writers to the old boundaries of common fenfe.

I allude, Sir, principally to the great quantity of novels with which our circulating libraries are filled, and our parlour tables covered, in which it has been the fashion to make terror the order of the day, by confining the heroes and heroines in old gloomy caftles, full of fpectres, apparitions, ghofts, and dead men's bones. This is now fo common, that a novelift blushes to bring about a marriage by ordinary means, but conducts the happy pair through long and dangerous galleries, where the light burns blue, the thunder rattles, and the great window at the end prefents the

She

It is easy to see that the fatire of this letter is particularly levelled at a literary lady of confide able talents, who has prefented the world` with three novels, in which the has found out the fecret of making fall in love with what we fear to look on." The fyftem of terror which she has adopted is not the only reproach to which he is liable. Befides the tedious monotony of her descriptions, the affects in the moft difgufting manner a knowledge of languages, countries, cuf. toms, and objects of art, of which fhe is lamentably ignorant. fufpends tripods from the ceiling by chains, not knowing that a tripod is a utenfil ftanding upon three feet. She covers the kingdom of Naples with India figs, because St. Pierre has introduced those tropical plants in his tales, of which the fcene is laid in India, and the rakes a convent of monks a neceffary appendage to a monafte y of nuns. This fhews how well a lady understands the wants of her fex. Whenever the introduces an Italian word, it is fure to be a grofs violation" of the language. Inftead of making a nobleman's fervant call him Padrone, o lliuftriffimo, the makes him addrefs him by the title of Maeftro, which is Italian for a teacher; the converts the fingular of Lazzaroni into Lazzaro, &c. &c. &c.

This lady's hufband told a friend that he was going to Germany with his wife, the object of whote journey was to pick up materials, for a novel. "I think in that cafe," aufwered his friend, "that you' had better let her go alone""

L 6

hideous