little, desired not to be interrupted, made general
confessions of his sins, pleased himself with high conceits of the
Divine Mercy, and endeavoured as much as possible to avoid conferences
with anybody, and especially declined speaking of that offence for which
he was to die.

When he first came to Newgate, the keepers had, it seems, a strong
apprehension that he would attempt something against his own life, and
upon this suspicion they were very careful of him, and enjoined a barber
who shaved him in prison to be so, lest he should take that occasion to
cut his throat. Yet nothing of this happened until the day of his
execution, when the keepers coming to him in the morning, found him
praying very devoutly in his cell; but about twenty minutes after, going
thither again, they perceived he had fastened his sword belt which he
wore always about him to the grate of the window which looked out of
his cell, to the end of which he tied his handkerchief, and having then
adjusted that about his neck, he strangled himself with it, and was dead
when the keepers opened the doors to look in.

The Ordinary makes this remark upon his exit, that it is to be feared he
was a hypocrite and that little of what he said can be believed. For my
part, I am far from taking upon me either to enter into the breasts of
men or pretend to set bounds to the mercy of God, and therefore without
any further remarks, shall conclude his life with informing my readers
that at the time he put an end to his own being, he was about
forty-eight years of age, and a man in his person and behaviour very
unlikely to have been such a one as it is to be feared (notwithstanding
all his denials) he really was.

The Life of JOHN DOYLE, a Highwayman

When once men have plunged themselves so far into sensual pleasures as
to lose all sense of any other delight than that arises from the
gratification of the senses, there is no great cause of wonder if they
addict themselves to illegal methods of gaining wherewith to purchase
such enjoyments; since the want of virtue easily draws on the loss of
all other principles, nor can it be hoped from a man who has delivered
himself over to the dominion of these vices that he should stop short at
the lawful means of obtaining money by which alone he can be enabled to
possess them.

Common women are usually the first bane of those unhappy persons who
forfeit their lives to the Law as the just punishment of their offenc