ion which had prompted him to murder so kind a master and all
his family, egged him on to rob a certain rich merchant there, which
villainous design he effected whilst the gentleman was at church. But he
gained not much by that, for the booty being too large to be concealed,
he was very quickly apprehended and for this fact condemned to be
hanged. He had more wit, however, than his companion, Masson, and
therefore never dreamt of appealing to the parliament of Paris, where he
knew he should meet with the same fate which had befallen the rest of
the gang. However, when he came to suffer that death which was appointed
him by Law, he did not stick to acknowledge that execrable parricide
which he had projected, as well as carried into execution; so that when
the news reached Paris, it occasioned universal joy that not one of
these bloody villains had escaped, but were so wonderfully cut off, when
they themselves fancied the danger to be over.

The French author from whom I have transcribed this account hath swelled
the relation with much of that false eloquence which was so common in
the last age, not only in France, but throughout all Europe. Except that
I have rejected this, I have been very faithful in this translation, the
story appearing to me to be very extraordinary in its kind, and worthy
therefore of being known to the public, since it will sufficiently
declare that as vice prevails generally throughout all countries and
climates, stirring up men to cruel and atrocious deeds, so the eye of
Providence is continually watchful, and suffers not the blood of
innocents to cry out for revenge in vain. It remains that I inform my
readers that this villainy was transacted about the year 1611, and that
Masson and Jacques Perrier suffered in the year 1616.

The Lives of ABRAHAM WHITE, FRANCIS SANDERS, JOHN MINES, _alias_
MINSHAM, _alias_ MITCHELL, and CONSTANCE BUCKLE, Thieves and
Housebreakers

Of these unfortunate lads, Abraham White was born of mean parents who
had it not in their power to give him much education, but taught him,
however, the business of a bricklayer, which was his father's trade, and
by which, doubtless, if he had been careful, he might have got his
bread. But he unfortunately addicting himself from childhood to drinking
and lewd company, soon plunged himself into all manner of wickedness,
and quickly brought on a fatal necessity of stepping into the road of
the gallows; and associating himself