"attain the most distant and most improbable event in this world, will not furely deny us a little flattering profpect of thofe beautiful manfions, which, if they could be thought chimerical, muft be allowed the lovelieft which can entertain the eye of "man; and to which the road, if we understand it rightly, appears to have fo few thorns and briers in it, and to require fo little labour and fatigue "from those who fhall pass through it, that its ways are truly faid to be ways of pleafantnefs, and all "its paths to be thofe of peace. If the proofs of christianity be as ftrong as I imagine them, furely, enough may be deduced from that ground only, to "comfort and fupport the most miferable man in his affictions. And this I think my reafon tells me, that if the profeffors and propagators of infidelity are in the right, the loffes which death brings to the virtuous are not worth their lamenting; but if thefe are, as certainly they fecm, in the wrong, "the bleffings it procures them are not fufficiently to "be coveted and rejoiced at.

ན་

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"ON my own account then, I have no caufe for forrow, but on my childrens-! Why, the fame "Being to whofe goodness and power I entrust my own happinefs, is likewife as able and as willing to procure theirs. Nor matters it what state of life is allotted for them, whether it be their fate to procure bread with their own labour, or to eat it at the fweat of others. Perhaps, if we confider "the cafe with proper attention, or refolve it with due fincerity; the former is much the fweeter. The hind may be more happy than the lord; for his "defires are fewer, and thofe fuch as are attended "with more hope and lefs fear. I will do my utmost "to lay the foundations of my childrens happiness, I will carefully avoid educating them in a station fuperior to their fortune, and for the event trust to "that Being in whom whoever rightly confides, mußt "be fuperior to all worldly forrows."

In this low manner did this poor wretch proceed to argue, till he had worked himself up into an enthufiafm, which by degrees foon became invulnerable to

every

every human attack; fo that when Mr. Snap acquainted him with the return of the writ, and that he muft carry him to Newgate, he received the message as Socrates did the news of the fhip's arrival, and that he was to prepare for death.

CHAP. IIT.

Wherein our Hero proceeds in the road to Greatness.

B

UT we must not detain our reader too long with thefe low characters. He is doubtlefs as impatient as the audience at the theatre, till the principal figure returns on the stage; we will therefore indulge his inclination, and purfue the actions of the Great Wild.

THERE happened to be in the ftage-coach, in which Mr. Wild travelled from Dover, a certain young gentleman who had fold an eftate in Kent, and was going to London to receive the money. There was likewise a handsome young woman who had left her parents at Canterbury, and was proceeding to the fame city, in order, as fhe informed her fellow-travellers, to make her fortune. With this girl the young fpark was fo much enamoured, that he publickly acquainted her with the purpose of his journey, and offered her a confiderable fum in hand and a fettlement, if she would confent to return with him into the country, where the would be at a fafe distance from her relations. Whether the accepted this propofal or no, we are not able with any tolerable certainty to deliver: But Wild the moment he heard of this money, began to caft about in his mind by what means he might become mafter of it. He entered into a long harangue about the methods of carrying money fafely on the road, and said, he had at that time two bank bills of a hundred pounds each fewed in his coat; which, added he, is fo fafe a way, that it is almost impoffible I fhould be in any danger of being robbed by the moft cunning highwayman.

THE young gentleman, who was no defcendant of Solomon, or, if he was, did not, any more than fome other defcendants of wife men, inherit the wisdom of

F 2

his

his ancestor, greatly approved Wild's ingenuity, and thanking him for his information, declared he would follow his example when he returned into the country; by which means he proposed to fave the premium commonly taken for the remittance. Wild had then. no more to do but to inform himself rightly of the time of the gentleman's journey, which he did with great certainty, before they feparated.

At his arrival in town, he fixed on two whom he regarded as the most refolute of his gang for this enterprize: and accordingly having fummoned the principal, or moft defperate as he imagined him, of thefe two (for he never chofe to communicate in the prefence of more than one) he proposed to him the robbing and murdering this gentleman.

MR. Marybone (for that was rhe gentleman's name to whom he applied) readily agreed to the robbery; but he hesitated at the murder. He faid, as to robbery, he had, on much weighing and condering the matter, very well renconciled his confcience to it; for though that noble kind of robbery which was executed on the highway, was from the cowardice of mankind lefs frequent, yet the bafer and meaner fpecies fometimes called cheating, but more commonly known by the name of Robbery within the Law, was in a manner univerfal. He did not therefore pretend to the reputation of being fo much honester than other people; but could by no means fatisfy himself in the commiffion of murder, which was a fin of the most heinous nature, and so immediately profecuted by God's judgment, that it never paffed undiscovered or unpunished.

WILD, with the utmost difdain in his countenance, anfwered as follows. "Art thou he whom I have fe"lected out of my whole gang for this glorious undertaking, and doft thou cant of God's revenge againft murder? You have, it feems, reconciled your "confcience (a pretty word) to robbery from its being fo common. Is it then the novelty of murder "that deters you? Do you imagine that guns and

66

piftols, and fwords, and knives, are the only in"truments of death? Look into the world, and fee

the numbers whom broken fortunes and broken "hearts

"hearts bring untimely to the grave. To omit thofe "glorious heroes, who, to their immortal honour, ❝ have maffacred whole nations, what think you of "private perfecution, treachery, and flander, by which "the very fouls of men are in a manner torn from "their bodies? Is it not more generous, nay, more

good natured, to fend a man to his reft, than after "having plundered him of all he hath, or from ma"lice or malevolence deprived him of his character, "to punish him with a languishing death, or, what "is worfe, a languifhing life? Murder, therefore, is not fo uncommon as you weakly conceive it, tho', as you faid of robbery, that more noble kind, which lies within the paw of the law, may be fo. "But this is the most innocent in him who doth it,

..

and the moft eligible to him who is to fuf"fer it. Believe me, lad, the tongue of a viper is

lefs hurtful than that of a flanderer, and the gilded "fcales of a rattlefnake lefs dreadful than the purfe "of the oppreffor. Let me therefore hear no more "of your fcruples; but confent to my propofal with"out farther hesitation, unlefs, like a woman, you 66 are afraid of blooding your cloaths, or, like a fool, "are terrified with the apprehenfions of being hanged ❝ in chains. Take my word for it, you had better "be an honeft man than half a rogue. Do not "think of continuing in my gang without abandoning yourself abfolutely to my pleafure; for no man "fhall ever receive a favour at my hands, who flicks at any thing, or is guided by any other law than "that of my will."

WILD thus ended his fpeech, which had not the defired effect on Marybone: he agreed to the robbery, but would not undertake the murder, as Wild (who feared that by Marybone's demanding to fearch the gentleman's coat he might hazard fufpicion himfelf) infifted. Marybone was immediately entered by Wild in his Black-book, and was prefently after impeached and executed, as a fellow on whom his leader could not place a fufficient dependance; thus falling, as many rogues do, a facrifice not to his roguery, but to his confcience. CHAP.

F 3

CHA P. IV.

In which a young hero, of wonderful good promise, makes his first appearance, with many other GREAT MATT

TERS.

UR hero next applied himself to another of his gang, who inftantly received his orders, and inftead of hefitating at a fingle murder, asked if he fhould blow out the brains of all the paffengers, coachman and all. But Wild, whose moderation we have before noted, would not permit him; and therefore having given him an exact defcription of the devoted perfon, with his other neceffary inftructions, he difmiffed him, with ftricteft orders to avoid, if poffible, doing hurt to any other perfon.

THE name of this youth, who will hereafter make fome figure in this hiftory, being the Achates of our Eneas, or rather the Hæpheftion of our Alexander, was Fireblood. He had every qualification to make a fecond-rate GREAT MAN; or in other words, he was completely equipped for the tool of a real or firftrate GREAT MAN. We shall therefore (which is the propereft way of dealing with this kind of GREATNESS) defcribe him negatively, and content ourfelves which telling our reader what qualities he had not: in which number were humanity, modefty, and fear, not one grain of any of which was mingled in his whole compofition,

WE will now leave this youth, who was esteemed the most promifing of the whole gang, and whom Wild often declared to be one of the prettieft lads he had ever feen, of which opinion, indeed, were most other people of his acquaintance; we will however leave him at his entrance on this enterprize, and keep our attention fixed on our hero, whom we fhail obferve taking large ftrides towards the fummit of human glory.

WILD, immediately at his return to town, went to pay a vifit to Mifs Lætitia Snap; for he had that weaknefs of fuffering himself to be enflaved by women, fo naturally incident to men of heroic difpofi-"

tion;