cknowledged. He did not,
like Robin Hood, plunder the rich to relieve the poor, nor rob with an
uncouth sort of courtesy, like Turpin; but he escaped from Newgate with
the fetters on his limbs. This achievement, more than once repeated, has
encircled his felon brow with the wreath of immortality, and made him
quite a pattern thief among the populace. He was no more than twenty-three
years of age at the time of his execution, and he died much pitied by the
crowd. His adventures were the sole topics of conversation for months; the
print-shops were filled with his effigies, and a fine painting of him was
made by Sir Richard Thornhill. The following complimentary verses to the
artist appeared in the _British Journal_ of November 28th, 1724:

"Thornhill! 'tis thine to gild with fame
Th' obscure, and raise the humble name;
To make the form elude the grave,
And Sheppard from oblivion save!

Apelles Alexander drew--
Caesar is to Aurelius due;
Cromwell in Lilly's works doth shine,
And Sheppard, Thornhill, lives in thine!"

This was a very equivocal sort of compliment, and might have meant, that
if Apelles were worthy to paint a monarch, Thornhill was worthy to paint a
thief. But the artist did not view it in that light, nor did the public;
for they considered the verses to be very neat, pointed, and flattering.
So high was Jack's fame, that he was thought a very fit subject for the
stage; and a pantomime entertainment, called "_Harlequin Jack Sheppard_,"
was devised by one Thurmond, and brought out with considerable success at
Drury Lane Theatre. All the scenes were painted from nature, including the
public-house that the robber frequented in Clare Market, and the condemned
cell from which he had made his escape in Newgate.[47]

[47] Since the publication of the first edition of this volume,
Jack Sheppard's adventures have been revived. A novel upon
the real or fabulous history of the burglar has afforded, by
its extraordinary popularity, a further exemplification of
the allegations in the text. The _Sixth Report of the
Inspector of Prisons for the Northern Districts of England_
contains a mass of information upon the pernicious effect of
such romances, and of the dramas founded upon them. The
Inspector examined several boys attending the prison school
in the New Bailey at Manchester, from whose evidence the