was threatened with, worked upon his imagination to
such a degree, that he suffered himself to be led like a lamb to the
slaughter by this artful band of villains, who secreted him at the
lodgings of one P--, an intimate of G--'s, for several days, under
colour of his being hunted by bailiffs employed by Mr. M--, where he was
not only obliged by them to change his name, but even his wife was not
suffered to have access to him.

"Their design was to have sold him, or drawn him into a ruinous
compromise with his adversaries, for a valuable consideration to
themselves. But as no ties are binding among such a knot of villains,
the rest of the conspirators were jockeyed by G--, who, in order to
monopolize the advantage to himself, hurried his prize into the country,
and secreted him even from his confederates, in a place of concealment
one hundred miles from London, under the same ridiculous pretence of
M--'s having taken out a writ against him, and of bailiffs being in
pursuit of him everywhere round London.

"He was no sooner there, than G--, as a previous step to the other
villainy he intended, tricked him out of a bond for six thousand pounds,
under colour of his having a person ready to advance the like sum upon
it, as an immediate fund for carrying on his cause; assuring him, at
the same time, that he had a set of gentlemen ready, who were willing
to advance twenty-five thousand pounds more for the same purpose, and to
allow him five hundred pounds a year for his maintenance, till his cause
should be made an end of, provided that Mr. M-- should have no further
concern with him and his cause.

"Mr. A--, having by this time received some intimations of the deceit
that had been put upon him, made answer, that he should look upon
himself as a very ungrateful monster indeed, if he deserted a person who
had saved his life, and so generously ventured his own, together with
his fortune, in his cause, until he should first be certain of the truth
of what was alleged of him, and absolutely rejected the proposal. G--,
who had no other view in making it, than to cover the secret villainy he
meditated against him, and to facilitate the execution thereof, easily
receded from it, when he found Mr. A-- so averse to it, and undertook
nevertheless to raise the money, adding, that he might, if he pleased,
return to Mr. M-- whenever it was secured. The whole drift of this
pretended undertaking to raise the twenty-five thousand pounds,