The life of Mr. Richard Savage, : who was condemn'd wih Mr. James Gregory, the last sessions at Old Baily, for the murder of Mr. James Sinclair, at Robinson's coffee-house at Charing-Cross ..
\ i^ :N >^ ^o*-*L; ^ .^^?fc 4i<';J Treadwell' Elizabeth- Phillips • Kirstein • THE WILLIAM P. TRENT COLLECTION WORKS RELATING TO DANIEL DEFOE AND HIS TIME T THEPUBLICLIBRARY OFTHECITYOF BOSTON SUNDRY TRUST FUNDS Clement • Charlotte Harris • VVTxitneti W C/3 FN7II: 29: 3M. S&^ /- '^ .<»'^ 7 S-JS,. A X 0. y THE 7 L I F E O F Mr. Richard Savage. who' was Condemned with Mr. James Gregory^ the laft Seflions at the Old Baily^ for the Mur- der of Mr. James Shiclair^ at Rohinfon\ Coftee-houfe at Cha^ rifjg-CroJs. With fome very remarkable Circumftances, relating to the Birth and Education^ of that Gentleman, which were never yet made publick. Quis t alia f undo ^ Temperet d haohrymis .<? L 0 V H 0 H: JPrlnted for, and Sold by 7. Roiertt, at the Oxford^Jlrms in (Varwick'Lanf ; and by the Bookfellcrs of imtntitTi mi fVeflminfisr, 1727. X / Q.J. ^i-^ui:^ N^VI 11-i.^ U ^\ Ai W (3) ifliiiMarhM|MB THE LIFE O F Mr. RicHARD Savage.^ ERHAPS no Hiflory in the World, either ancient or mo- deirn, can produce an Inftancci of any one Man's Life fiiFd with fo many calamitous Cir- cumftances, as That of the unhappy young Gentleman, who is the melancholy Subjed of the following Sheets •, his Misfortunes may be faid to be Begun, if not ftridly before he had a Being, yet, before his Birth ; for whea his Mother, the late Countefs of M — d^ was big with Child of him, flie publickly de- clared. That the Infant then in her Womb^ did not in the leafl: appertain to her Husband, but to another noble EarL upon which a (4 ) Trial was commenced in the Houfe of Lords, and my Lord M d^ obtained a Divorce, his Lady had her Fortune, which was very confiderable, paid back to her again, with full Liberty of marrying whom {he pleafed, which Liberty flie made ufe of in a very (hort Time, and my Lordili- — d meeting her new Husband, Colonel E f, in the Court of Requefi foon after, wilh'd him Joy upon it, and faid, he hoped my Lady M ^ would make the Colonel a better Wife than flie had done to him. It is very probable that this Divorce gave the Lady a great deal of Satif- fadion : But her Son, being thus baflardized, could not be born, as otherwife he would liave been, a Lord by Courtefy, and Heir to the Title of an EngUJJj Earl, with one of the fineft Eftates in the Kingdom, which was afterwards, for want of Male-lllue, the Oc- cafion of engaging two eminent Peers^ "^ in a Duel, in which they had the Misfortune to Icill each other. Happy we may fay it had been, as well for thefe Noblemen, as Mr. Sa- fvage himfelf, if he had either not been ille- gitimately begotten, or if that Illegitimacy had been prudently concealed: The being Cut off from the certain Inheritance of that great Wealth and Honour, which, nothing, fcut his Mother's refentful Confeffion, could have hindered him of, would have given any other Perfon, when he came to Years of Ma- turity * D. Hamilton and Lord Mahun. (5) turity and Refleftion, Sentiments of a quite different Nature from thofe which he always, with a Generofity of Temper peculiar to him- felf, exprefled when that Affair has been men- tioned to him 'y conflantly excufing his Mo- ther for taking any Methods, how injurious foever they may have been to himfelf, to be difengaged from an Husband, whofe ill Treat- ment of her could not fuffer her to live much to her Content with him. But to give the Reader his Hiftory in as exaft Order of Time as polTible, we fhall be- gin with the Day of his Birth, which was January the lof/?, 1697-8. A Day, that he might very reafonably, in the Language of the defpairing Job^ have repented his ever feeing, when he confidered, as he had too frequently the bitterefl Occafions to do, what an almofl uninterrupted Train of Miferies it had introduced him into. The Reader may eafily imagine, that an Affair of this extraor- dinary Kind, among Perfons of that high Rank, did not a little employ the Converfati- on and Scandal of the Town, for which Rea- fon, the Lady refolving to move out of her Sight, and if pofTible, by that, out of her Remembrance, him, who was innocently the Caufe of her Reproach, committed him to the Care of a poor Woman, with Orders to breed him up as her own, and in a Manner fuitable to her Condition, withal, laying a Itria Injunftion upon her, never to let him B 3 come (<5) come to the Knowledge of his real Parents, The Nurfe was faithful to the Truft repofed in her, at the fame Time not negleding to dp her Duty to the Infant in a homely Manner, agreeable to the Difpofition of a well-meaning prdinary Perfon, and her fcanty Allowance from his Mother's Relations j for Ihe did not appear in the Affair hcrfelf, but her Mother, piy Lady Mafon^ whether at her Daughter '§ Defire, or prompted by her own natural Com- panion, I fhall not pretend to determine, tranfaded every Thing with the Nurfe, whofe Name was the only one, for many Years, he knew he had any Claim to, and was called after it accordingly ^ although his real Father, the late Earl Rivers, was himfelf one of his God-fathers, and had his right Name regular- ly Regiflered in the Parifh Books of St. Jn^ arew^s Holhourn-y Mrs. Lloyd, his God-mo- ther, was as kind to him as the Time ftie lived ivould admit of, but her Death, next to hi^ own Birth, was his earliefl: Misfortune j for he not only loft, in all likelihood, a very good Friend, but could never recover any Part of the 300 Pounds fhe left him as a Le- gacy. (7) That by the great 'Natural Genius he difco- ver'd, this School has had ample Retribution for the little Afliftance he receiv'd from it, for as he never was favour'd with any Aca- demical Learning, fo it was no Secret to thofe he moft familiarly converfed with, that his Knowledge of the ClaJJics was very Sender and imperfefl:: Tho', with humble Submif- fion to the Judgment of thofe Gentlemen who are fuch bigotted fticklers for the Ancients^ he had fomething in the Force and Sprightli- nefs of his own Imagination, that more than made amends for the want of it. It was while he was at this School, that his Father, the Earl Rivers^ died, who had fe- veral Times made Enquiry after him, but could never get any fatisfaftory Account of him ^ and when on his Death-Bed, he more ftrenuoufly demanded to know what was be- come of him, in order to make him a Partaker in the Diftribution of that very handfomc Eftate he left among his natural Children, he was pofitively told he was dead: Thus was he, whilft, (as he expreffed it himfelf) kgaU ly the Son of one Earl^ and naturally the Son of another, by the Management of his own Mother, denied the Benefit of belonging to either of them. In a Piece that was printed, but, for fome weighty Reafons, never made publick, he tells us. That when he was about rifteen^ her AfFedion began to awake ^ and he was follicited tp be bound Apprentice to a Shomaker^ (8) Shoemaker, which Propofal he rejcfled with Scorn, for he had now by the Death of his Nurfe, difcover'd fome Letters of his Grand- mother's, and by thofe Means the whole Contrivance that had been carried on to con- ceal his Birth. And being now entirely de- ftitute of every the leaft Neceflary of Lire- to whom was it fo Natural to apply to as a Mo- ther? Can a Mother forget her fucking Child! But in this Inftance Nature feemM to be in- verted, the Mother upon no Terms would endure the Sight of her Son, the Son on all Occafions exprefling his AfFedion for his Mo- ther, and the ftrong Defire he had of feeing her j ** While Nature aded fo weakly, '* Jaj;s an ingenioits Ge?itleman, writing in Mr. Savage'j Behalf^ " on the Humanity of the " Parent, (he feems on the Son's Side to " have doubled her ufual Influence. Even the moft Ihocking perfonal Repulfes, and a Severity of Contempt and Injuries received at her Hands, through the whole Courfe of his Life, were jnot able to eraze from his Heart the Impreffions of his filial Duty j ^ nor, which is much more flrange, of his *^ Afteftion , I have known him walk three or four Times in a dark Evening, througli the Street this Mother lives in, only for the melancholy Pleafure of looking up at her Windows, in hopes to catch a Moment's Sight of her as (he might crofs the Room by Candle-light* fi CC cc 4( Ci (4 (9) Being thus abandoned on all Sides to the Frowns of Fortune and a capricious World, without any other Friend but his own Genius to fupport him, he threw himfelf upon the barren and unthriving Province of toetry^ a Science how ornamental a Flower foever it may be among the Qualifications of Men of Eafe and Fortune, when difplay'd only for the Amufement of a leifure Hour^ yet too frequently held in Contempt, when made the whole Bufinefs of a Man's Life, and fel to Sale for Bread 5 and more efpecially from the Tafte of the prefent Age, in which the Figure and Condition of the Author takes up a greater Share of the Reader's Enquiry, than his Parts or the Matter he writes upon. Had the unfortunate Gentleman I am fpeaking of, been inverted with either of his Father's Titles or.Eftates, Iqueftion not butweihould have almoft loft the Nobleman in the Ho- nours paid to the ?6et : But few modern Au- thors I fear, who launch into the World, un- aided by fuch Advantages, will, like Virgil^ when living, have the fame Refped paid to them that was due to an Emperor, or like Horner^ have Temples rais'd to their Memo- ries when dead. The firft toein Mr, Savage publiflied, was whilft he was very young, concerning the Bangorian Controverfy , although there were forae pretty Lines in it, yet as his Judg- ment ( 10 ) Judgment ripened, he grew hirafelf afhamedl of this Piece, and contributed all he could to fupprefs the Edition, fo that, it having but an indifferent Sale, very few of them are in any body's Hands at prefent. His next Performance was a Comedy, wrote at the Age of Eighteen, which he offered to the Managers of Lincoln s-Inn-Fields Houfe, but, they not entirely approving it, he could not get it afted immediately, but not long after, it was altered by Mr. Chrtjlopher BuU lockj one of the Managers, and brought up- on the Stage as his own, under the Title of WOMAN'S A RIDDLE, without any Man- ner of Benefit or Advantage to the diflreffed Author : This Play was reprefented with fome Applaufe in the Year 1716, the Plot is taken from a Spanijh Play called. La D^- ma Duende, and was Dedicated to -the then Marquis of Wharton. Two Years after this he got a Comedy up- on the Stage in Drury-Lane, called, LOVE IN A VEIL, built likewife on a Spaiiijh Plot, which he Dedicated to the Right Ho- nourable George Lord Lanfdown^ Thiis Play was indeed aded for his own Benefit, but it being very late in the Year, either May or June, the Profits of it hardly anfwet'd the Trouble he was at in writing and get- ting it adcd : It brought him acquainted however with fome Perfons who were good Friends to him afterwards, particularly a cer- tain ( ii ) tain Knight, whofe Name is not ai little known by his Writings, and Mr. TVilks, one of the Patentees of that Houfe j Tlie firft was fo, for a ftioirt Time, but the latter, who is very remarkable, notwithftanding his Profef- fion, fot his Humanity and Generofity, has continu'd his Friendfhip to him to the laft^ and done him many very kind and charitable Offices : The other Gentleman gave him a conftant Allowance, and was for a while fo fond of him that, it is faid, he propofed his natural Daughter to him, for a Wife, with a Thoufand Pounds Portion, and his Intereft, which was thought to be very good at that Time, to put him into fome fmall Place in the Government •, thinking, as their Births were alike, he could not reproach her, of ufe her ill, as fome others might have Crueltj^ enough to do, upon that Account* But this was too much good Fortune to fall to the Lot of one who feenis to have been born td tafte but little of the Comforts of this Life j for fome malicious Perfon, (and he inuft be fo to a great Degree^ who could think of in- juring the mofi: incffenfive Man living) had framed fuch a Story to the Ktiight of fcan- dalous Things faid by Mr* Savage apainft him and his Lady, that he withheld his Bounty fromhim^ and was noteafily prevail'd upon to fee him afterwards. Now was he again entirely to feek for every fupport of Life j when by the Aflift* 'w^^^i\ ~ Q anc2 (12) ance of the Gentleman, juft mention*d foi^ his Humanity, he obtained the Sum of fifty Pounds as a Prefent, from a Lady, whofe Duty it feem'd to have been to take forae Care of him ^ this Sum he was told (hould be made up two Hundred, but it being in the Height of the Sotith-Sea Infatuation^ by which this Lady was one of the imaginary Gainers, when that Grand Bubble broke, the other Hundred and Fifty Pounds evaporated with it *, and the poor Gentleman who is the Subjed of our Difcourfe would have been re- duced to as great Extremities as ever, if his Merit had not recommended him to that Ornament of FjtgUJh Poefy, Aaron Hill, Efqj Miferable as he was in every other Part of his Life, his Intimacy and Friend (hip with this Gentleman was a Happinefs he has been much envy'd for, by feveral, whofe Accom- plifhments could not entitle them to fo great a Share of his Efteem as himfelf. In the Year 1724 Mr Savage wxott his Tragedy of Sir Thomas Overbury, which was afted at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Laney and dedicated to Herbert Tryft, of the City of Hereford^ Efq;, In this Play he perform'd the principal Part himfelf, with much Ap- plaufe : In an Advertifement .to the Reader, printed before it, he acknowledges the Ob- ligations he had tohisbeft and deareft Friend, as he there talis him, Mr. Aaron Hilly for his many judicious Correftions in it. Tbe^ :,..i, . Vrohgue Ci3 ) froUgue and Epilogue were both wrote by that Gentleman^ in the former are thefe Lines concerning the Author* In a full World, our Author lives, alone ! Unhappy — ■' and^ of Confiquence unknown j Tet, atnidji Sorrow^ he difdains Complaint ^ Vor, languid^ in the Race of Life, grows : k. .... faint. He fwims^ wiyielding^ againft Fortune^s Stream^ Nor^ to ^/i- private SufFerings^yF^^/^j* /^f^^Theme: Adopts the Pains^ which others u?idergo ^ And for your Pleafure, feels 7iot his own Woe. The next Year he was perfwaded by his Friends to pubUfli his Poews by Subfcription, but not being enough " in Number to make a compleat Volume, he was favoured with thofe of feveral other Gentlemen, among which, Mr. Hill has the largeft Share. And the Author of a Paper which came out at that Time, call'd the Plain Dealer, recom- mended his Undertaking in a very handfome Manner, to the Publick : In which, fpeaking of him, he fays. Perhaps few Things could be more furprizing than an Hiftory of his Birth and Ufage ! Of two Fathers, whom he might have claim'd, and both of them Isoble, he loft the Title of the one, and a Provifion from the other s Pity, by the Means alone of his Mother ! Who, as if fhe had refglv'd not Qs ta ( 14) to leave hira a fingle Comfort, afterwards robb'd him of berfelf too | And in dired bppofition to the Impulfe of her natural Com- paflion, upon miftaken Notionsof a falfe De- licacy, ftiut her Memory againft his Wants, ^nd caft him out to the fevereft Miferiesj without allowing herfelf to contribute eveq fuch fmall Aid, as might at leaft have pre- ferved him from Anguilh, and pointed out forae Path to his future Iiiduflry. His good Qualities^ which are very nume- rous, ought the more to be efteem'd ancj cheriih'd, becaufe he owes them to himfelf enly : Without the Advantage of Friends, Fortune or Education, he wants neither Knowledge nor Politenefs, to deferve a Mo- therms Bleffing, and adorn, rather than difgrace her. lam ftrongly perfwaded, from the Character, which upon all Occafions, he has taken Pleafure to give of the Lady*s Huma* nity, with regard to the reft of the World, that nothing but her having, much too long, already been a Stranger to fuch a Son, couid make her fatisfy'd to continue fo. It is impofiible, at leaft, that (he fhould not dif- tinguirti him, by fome kind Notice, fome lit- tle Mark of her returning Tendernefs, if, without Regard to his Merit, fhe knew but his Manner of thinking of her: Which is, itfelf, a fliining Merit! and a furprifing In- ftance of Generofity! if coniider'd againft thofe (15) thofe Reafons, which might excufe a difFe* rent Treatment of her. He writ the following Copy of Verfes, and feveral others, on the fame Subjed, at a Time, when, I know not, which was mofl: to be won- der'd at. That he fhould be ferene enough for Poetry^ under the Extremity of Ill-For- tune! Or, that his Sithjeti Ihould be the Praife of her, to whom he ow'd a Life of Mifery ! Hopelefs^ ahandorCd^ aimlefs^ and cpprefs^d^ Lojl to Delight^ and^ every way^ dijirefs^d: Crofs his cold Bed^ in wildDiforder^ thrown^ Thus^ ftgh^d Alexis, Friendlefs^ and alone — Why do 1 breathe .<? — What Joy can Being give. When Jlje^ it'ho gave me Life^ fo^g^ts I live I f'eeJs not thefe Wintry Blajis^ — 7ior h^eds my Smart, ptit Jhuts me from the Shelter of her Heart ! Saw me expos* d^ to Want ! to Shame ! ta Scor?i ! To Ills ! — which make it Mifery, to he born ! 'Caft me^ regardlefs on the World^s bleak Wild: ^nd b/id me^ be a Wretch, while yet^ ^ Child! ' ^ Where can he hope for Pity^ Peace^ or Reft, Who moves no Softnefs in a Mother' j- Breaji ^ Cuftom^ ( i6) Cujlom^ Lnw^ Reafon^ All ! my Canfe for-* fake. And Nature deeps, to keep my Woes zwakel Crimes, which the Cruel fcarce believe, canbe^ The Kind are guilty of, to ruin me I Even She, who bore me, blajls me^ with her Hate, And, meant my Fortune, makes berfelf my Fate ! Tet has this fmeet tl^egleEier of my Woes, The foftejt, tend'rejl, Breajl, that Pity knows ! Her Eyes Jbed Mercy, wherefoe^er theyjhine^ And her Soul melts, at every Woe — ^ but mine. :Sure^ then ! fome fecret Fate, for Guilt, un^ wilPd, Some Sentence^ pre-ordain^ J to be fulfilVd ! Vlitngd me, thus deep, in Sorrow'* s fearching Flood: And wajh^d me from the Memory of her Blood. But, Oh ! wh/itever Caufe has mov d her Hate, Let me but figh^ hifilejicey at my Fate. iThe God, within, perhaps^ may touch her Breafi : And, when p^e pities, Te;^^? can be dijlrefs^d^ Thefe Verfes, as I faid before, were publilh- ed in the ?lain Dealer, to whom Mr. Savage afterwards wrote a Letter himfelf, that was printed in that Paper, in whigh he fays : I , V am^ ( 17) am, sir, that unfortunate Richard Savage^ the peculiar Circumftances of whofe uncom- mon Treatment from a Mother (whofe fine QuaUties make it impoffible to me not to for- give her, even, while I am miferable, by her Means only) induced you fome Months fia^ in your 28th Paper ^ to publilh a ffj:^ • fedual Lines, which I had written. : .^er furprifing Ufage of me : To which you? Hu- manity was pleas'd to add certain Refl^dions, in my Favour, which I remember, v^th due Gratitude j and am encouraged, by^^hat In- fiance of your Goodnefs, to make the prefent Application. When you fhall have perus'd my extraor- dinary Caje^ and thofe convincing Origi?tal Letters^ which I have entrufted with the Gentleman, who brings you this, I ihall need fay no more, to fatisfy you, what Right I have to complain^ in a more pitblkk Manner^ than I have, yet allowed myfelf to refolve on,—- The Papers, in the Order you will fee them, are prepared for a Hand, too Juft, and too Power ^ fill, to leave me the leaft Diftruft of being, fhortly, lefs opprejfed than I have been ^ but I judged myfelf obliged to lay them under your Eye, that you might be fenfible, you faid lefs, of my Wrongs^ and my Sufferings^ than the unhappy Truth could have jufti- fied. He afterwards, in the fame Letter, men- tions his Subfcription, and begs thofe, who think (i8) think hiftty or his Defign worth their Notice or Encouragement, to fend their Names, and the Number of Books they fubfcribe for, to Buttons Coffee-houfe. Accordingly when his Lift of Subfcribers was printed before his ^nok, the following Names were diftinguifh* t*:nuthe reft, and which I mention here, to iio,tT^em Honour, as having fent their SubfcrSptions without any other Sollicitation j prompted only by the Influence ofCompaf- fion, an^J. the Greatnefs and Generofity of their ow^. Tempers. Her Grace the Dutchefs of Cleveland^ The Right Honourable the Lady Vifcoun- tefs Cheyney. The Right Honourable the Lady Vifcoun- tefs Cajllemain. Mrs. Mary Floyer. The Right Honourable the Earl of Gahf- borough. The Right Honourable the Lady Gower. The Right Honouroble the Lady Lech* mere. » The Right Honourable the Lord Milfing-^ ton. Mrs. Sofuel Voel. His Grace the Duke of Rutland^ for Ten Books. Her Grace the Dutchefs Dowager of Kut^ land. ^ • Ber Grace the Dutchefs of Rutland. i iri> The (19) The Right Hoaourable the Countefs of Strafford. Mr. John Savage. The Right Honourable the Countefs Dowa- ger of Warwick^ The Dedication of this Book, was to the Right Honourable the Lady Marjf Worthy Montague-^ wherein he fays thus, " Nature " feeiiis to have form'd my Mind as incon- " fiftently, as Fortune has my Condition: •' She has given me a Heart that is as proud ^' as my Fathers , to a Rank in Life, almofl ** as low as the Humanity of my Mother ! He had alfo wrote a long Preface to it, giving fome Account of his yiother'*% unpa- rallel'd ill Treatment of him ^ but was pre- vails on through the Impofition of fome very confiderable Perfons to cancel itj and about that Time he had a Penlion of 50 Pounds a Year fettled upon him, I will not venture to fay whether this Allowance came diredlly from her^ or, if fo, upon what Motives Ihe was induced to grant it him j but chufe to leave the Reader to guefs at it. This was the firft Time that he may properly be faid to have enjoyed any Certainty in Life, and this^ alafs ! of how fliort a Duration is it like to be, from the unhappy Affair that has brought him under the heaviefl Sentence of the Law ! A Sentence, which, of all Men living, he Was thought, by his whole Acquaintance, D th« (ao) the moft unlikely to have incurrM his good Nature and Meeknefs of Temper, having before this fatal Accident, been remarkable, among all who. coavers'd with him, if I may be allow'd the Expreflion, even to a Fault. The lafl Piece which he exhibited to the World, was, a Foem Sacred to the Memory of our late moll gracious Sovereign, ad- drefs'd to the Right Honourable Mr. Bod^ dington^ one of the Lords Commiffioners of the Treafury, which Subject, tho' it em- ploy'd feveral other poetic Genius's , he is allow'd, by fome approved Judges in that way of Writing, to have manag'd with a Delicacy, fuperior to any of his Competi- tors. But to come to the difmal Caufe of his prefent Condition , having for fome Time had a Lodging, at Richmond in Surrey^ for the. Benefit of the Air, and the Conveni-* encies of his Studies \ he came to Town on Monday the 20th. Day of November laft, in order to pay off another he had in Queen- Jlreet^ Wejhnhifier^ thinking the Expence too great to keep them both^ and falling into Company with Mr. Merchant and Mr. Gregory^ they all went together to a CofFee- houfe near his old Lodgings, where they drank till pretty late in the Evening , Mr. Savage would willingly have got a Bed at the Coffee-houfe for that Night, but there not being a Conveniency for himfelf, and Company (21 ) CoiUpany both, they went away from thence with a Refolution to wafte Time as well as they could till Morning, when they purpofed to go together to Richfnond. In their Walks, feeing a Light in Robinjon's Coffee-hbufe, they thought rhat 3 Pince pro- per to entertain them, tlio' Mr. bavage pro- tefted he was entirely ignorant of the Cha- rader of the Houfe, and had never been there in his Life before. Let it fuffice in this Place to fay, that the direful Confe- quence of their going in there, was from an Infult ofFerM by Mr. Merchant to the Company who were drinking there, a mor- tal Wound given to Mr. Sinclair^ cf which he languifh'd till the next Day, and then died, and the Condemnation of Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory for the faid Fad. They were fecur'd for that Night, and in the Morning carried before Nathaniel Blackerby^ Efq, and two other of his Majefty's Ju dices of the Peace, and by them committed to the Gate-houfe-^ but Mr. Sinclair Ayiwg^ they were from thence removed to Isewgate^ be- tween Twelve and One o' Clock on Tuefday Night. The Coroner's Inqueft having fat upon the Body, did not finilh their Enquiry at their firft Meeting, but adjourn'd till the Tuefday following, and then brought in their Verdid Manjlaughter^ D 2 Let ( 22 ) Let the Reader now behold a Man of his unfpotted Charadter, and inofFenfive Behavi- our, till this fatal Aftion, involved all on a fudden in all the wretched Circumftances and Sufferings of the moft inhuman Cviminals and abandon'd of Profligates, and admire at the decent Fortitude and Serenity of Mind, with which, according to the Report of all who faw him, he fupported fo fhocking and unexpefted a Misfortune, as well before as at the Time of his Trial, which was on Thurfday the 7th of this Inftant December^ at the Old Baily •, where after eight Hours being taken up in hearing the Evidence on both Sides, he and Mr, Gregory were found Guilty of the Mnrther^ and Merchant of Man- jlanghter only. The whole Trial having already been made publick, it will be needlefs to give any Re- petition of it here, any farther than this, that upon the Teflimonies of Nuttal^ a Friend of the Deceased, and another Perfon, who was drinking with him and Mr. Sinclair-^ together, with thofe of the Women of the Houfe, it appear 'd the Affront was given by Mercha7ifs kicking down the Table that be- longed to the Deceafed and his Company, and that in Juftification of that Rudenefs, Mr, Savage and Mr. Gregory drew their Swords,' and Mr. Sinclair receiv'd his Death Wound from "hU^. Savageo Being ( =3 ) Being thus call out of all poflible Hopes of making any farther Defence by Law for his Life, he was carry 'd back to the Prifon, where the Indulgence which he had before obtained from the Keeper, of being excufed from having any Irons, could no longer with Safety, be allowed him, but he and Mr. Gregory were fettcr'd with near fifty Pounds Weight a-piece. On the Monday following^ at the Conclufion of theSeffions, he was car- ry'd down to the Court to receive Sentence, as ufual, previoui to which he made the fol- lowing Speech, IT is now, my Lord, too late, to offer* any thing by way of Defence, or Vin- dication i nor can we expect ought from your Lordfhips, in this Court, but the Sentence which the Law requires you as Judges, to pronounce againft Men of our calamitous Condition. — — But we are alfo perfwaded, that as meer Men, and out of this Seat of rigorous Juftice, you are fufceptive of the tender Paflions, and too humane, not to commiferate the un- happy^ Situation of thofe, whom the Law fometimes perhaps -' exads * from you to pronounce upon. No doubt you dfiftinguifh between Offences, which arife out of Premeditation, and a Difpo- litjon habituated to Vice or Immorality, f ^nd Tranfgreffionsj which are the unhappy ^ and and unforefeen Effefts of a cafual Abfence of Reafon, and fudden Impulfe of Paffion : We therefore hope you will contribute all you can to an Extenfion of that Mercy, which the Gentlemen of the Jury have been pleas'd to fhew Mr. lAerchant^ who (allowing Fads as fworn againfl: us by the Evidence) has led us into this our Cala- mity* I hope, this will not be conftru'd, as if we mean to refled upon that Gentle- man, or remove any thing from us upon him, or that we repitie the more at our Fate becaufe he has no Parcipitation of it : No, ^ my Lord ! For my Part, I declare nothing could more foften my Grief, than to be without any Companion in fo great a Misfortune. Who can read this without wifliing it may have its defir'd Effeft ? No one, I am fure, who knows him perfonally but intereftcd his Hopes warmly and zealoufly in it. His Friends (for his Calamities had added many to thofe Tirho were to his Merit before) were generous Partakers of that Diftrefs which he bore him- felf fo manfully, and are extreamly Affidu- ous in recommending him to the Mercy to the beft of Sovereigns. Among which we think nothing more to the Purpofe of thefe Sheets than the following Letter, with which we (hall conclude, fuppofed to be wrote by one of the Gentlemen before-men- tioned (25) for having publickly exprefs'd his Compaffion for Mr. Savage's SufFerings. A LETTER to a Noble Lord in the behalf of Mr, Savage and Mr. Gregory. My Lord, I Am perfuaded, you will not refufe this Letter a reading, fince the principal Sub- jeft of it is Mercy : I would not have took this Liberty with your Lordlhip, was I not throughly convinced that your Virtue is equal to your Wifdoni, and that you are al- ways ready to exert both in a proper Caufe, I know, for I have experienced it, that you have a Heart which can commiferate the Misfortunes of Man, and that you are ever willing to lend a Hand to the finking Wretch. What I now write is with the greateft Confufion of Spirits, and with the tendereft Sentiments of Humanity for two unhappy Gentlemen, one of which is my Friend ^ my Friend, my Lord, juft on the Brink of fuffering an ignominious Death. Imagine the Tumult of my Soul, when the dreadful Idea is before me: But Friendfhip is not the chief Motive of my Concern for him 5 he is a Man of Virtue and of Honour, fufficient (26) fufficient Recommendations for your Lord- fhip to intercede for him. Blot out the un- happy Moment which was the Source of his prefent Calamity, and he will appear unful- lied in either •, nor will that appear fo black, if Murder in any Cafe may be extenuated j when we confider the Evidences who caft him •, three Women, my Lord, who have fince contradided w^hat before they had fworn ^ the other Evidence, a Man, by Re- port of no amiable Character • but who are faid to have moft grofly mifreprefented the Fad, and to have induftrioufly fprcad that Mifreprefentation : But my Intention is not to prove innocent whom the Law has found guilty^ but to fubmit the two diftrefsful Gentlemen, who now lie under Sentence of Death, as Objeds of the Royal Mercy. When the Law has found guilty one or more terfons, whom it is confiftent with Virtue and Wifdom to fave, it is the blelTed Pri- vilege of the Sovereign to turn the Courfe of the Law, and bid the afflided live. The Reputations of Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory have been always clear , nor are they in any Adion of their Lives to be lamented by their Friends but on this melancholly Occafion. The firft I have known and con- verfed v;ith feveral Years, and can therefore mpre fully fpeak him: I have difcovered in him a Mind uncapable of Evilj I have be- held him iigh for the diftreffed, when more diftreffed (27) diftreffed himfelf •, I have feen him give that Relief to others, which not long before he has in fome degree wanted. He is fo far from a litigious Man, that he was always more ready to ftifle the Remembrance of an Injury than to refent it. Much more could 1 fay of his virtuous Qualities, without fwerving the leaft from Truth, but as his Friends, which are many, are as fenfible of them as my felf, I doubt not but they will be as ready to declare them as I am, who can make the mofl folemn Ap- peal to Heaven, that I have feen repeated Inftances of every one of thefe Virtues^ and more. In his Death, I am certain, the King would lofe a good Subject , all good Men, a Friend j and Vice, an Enemy. To enforce what I have faid, I muft beg Leave to ufe fome of Mr. Savages own Expref- fions in his Addrefs to the Court, when he received his Sentence : / am perfwaded that^ as mere M,en^ and out of the Seat of Juf tice^ the Court is fiifceptihle of the tender VaJJions^ and too humane not to commtferate the unhappy Situatiofi of him and his Fellow- fufferer Mr. Gregory ^ and to dijlinguip^ be^ tween Offences which arife out of premedi- tation and a Difpofition habituated to Vice or Immorality^ and TranfgreJJions which are the unhappy and tmforejeen Effecis of a cafual Abfeiice^ ( 28 ) Abfence of Reafo?Jy and a fudden Inipidfe of pajjiottt I hope the Court will contrlktte to an Extenfwn of that mercy which the. Jury had Jloewed to Mr. FINIS, :» <& \- y .^*«^ .y, ,K^- ■«6 #. '-'Wi * ^ r-.^. J "-_^' ^•^-C^-". 