As for Mr. Juftice Baber, he fhew'd himself but coldly in giving his Teftimony, and faid, that my Wife did confefs before him, that fhe was marry'd by her own free Confent; but at the fame Time he added, that the feem'd very much diforder'd: As for that Gentleman, I forgive him, and shall leave God to be Judge between him and me.

It is to be noted, That my Wife did not deny, in open Court, that fhe had made the Declaration aforefaid, of her Marriage, to Mr. Bennet, the Conftable, and others, that Night we were marry'd; but faid, fhe did not know what he did when the faid fo, and many other things the pofitively, upon Oath, denied at my Tryal; which makes me have Pity upon her poor Soul, confidering the confefs'd many things at Mrs. Baynton's Tryal, which the denied upon Oath at mine : The World may fee what it is to be a Stranger, and unacquainted with the Laws; nay, I myself heard my Wife openly confefs in Court, in Mrs. Baynton's Tryal, That there was a young Lady in the World, who was at her own Difpofal, that wish'd me a good Wife, and at laft confefs'd the herfelf was the Perfon.

Amongst my many Misfortunes, I was reprefented by my Wife's Friends to the Court, to be a Sharper and a Bully; but I call'd in, and produc'd feveral Gentlemen of Repute, to give Account of my Life and Converfation, who have accordingly attested the Honesty of my Principles by my Practice.

It is further obfervable how my Jury difagreed about the Verdict. There was one of them, Mr. Erafmus Johnson, a Perfon to me altogether a Stranger; for I declare, in the Prefence of Almighty God, that I do not remember to have been in his Company three times in my Life, ex

cept

cept in Church: This Mr. Johnfon alledg'd, that none of the Evidence did prove, or fwear, that I had any Hand in the Arreft, nor us'd any Force or Violence to the Gentlewoman, but the confefs'd the Marriage, which was prov'd by feveral Witneffes; which render'd my Case so hard, that the faid Mr. Johnson infifted upon it to have me difcharg'd, according to the Dictates of his Confcience; but at last he was over-rul'd.

Since my Conviction I have us'd all the Means I could to procure my Pardon; but finding little or no Probability of it, I am now going to beg for Entrance at the Gate of Mercy in Heaven, which I befeech God to open for me.

I expected my Tryal fhould be publish'd, that the World might fee my Treatment; what I have done, and what I have left undone in my Cafe; but I am inform'd it may not be printed. I have faid this only to do myself Justice, altho' I could fay a great deal more of Moment to the purpose; but my Time being so very fhort and precious, I muft employ that little Time to the faving of my molt precious Part, my Soul.

I humbly befeech Mankind to believe me ; and that I have faid, or shall fay, are the Words of a dying Man; this is not the time for me to equivocate, nor to go out of the World with a Lie in my Mouth I do therefore declare, and call the great Omnipotent God of Heaven to my Witness, that I have afferted nothing, to the best of my Knowledge, but the whole Truth, nor utter'd a Syllable out of Malice, or Bitterness of Heart, against any Perfon whatsoever; but fo far from it, I do frankly forgive all my Enemies, and befeech God to put it in their Hearts to repent of their Sins.

As

As for my Wife, I am fo much in Charity with her, that I cannot believe the Severity extended to me, did altogether proceed from herself, but her confenting to fpill my Blood, makes the Guilt her own. God of his great Mercy give her a true Senfe of her Crimes, that the heavy Judgment hanging over her Head may not defcend on her.

As for Mrs. Baynton, who is likewise under Sentence of Death on the fame Account with my felf, as I have in the Court, fo do I now again pofitively declare fhe had no Hand in the Intrigue of my Marriage, any more than what fhe did by my fpecial Direction and Perfuafion; for Mrs. Baynton was wholly a Stranger to Mrs. Rawlins, untill the unhappy Contrivance of my Marriage made them acquainted, neither did I know Mrs. Baynton till June laft paft; tho' fome have been pleas'd to fay that I kept her Company for three Years, and have had two Children by her; all which I declare is a wrong Notion, and nothing of Truth in it. The only Load I have on my Confcience is her Death, of which I am the unhappy Inftrument. I befeech God in his Mercy to move the Queen's Clemency to fpare her Life, that her Blood may not rife in Judgment against

me,

As for myself, I am now a going to fuffer an ignominious Death, for a Crime which my own Confcience doth not accufe me of, but the Rigour of the Law hath made it my unpardonable Crime. And as I forgive all Mankind, fo I beg Forgivenefs of those, whom, thro' Inadvertency, or otherwife, I have injur'd or offended, befeeching God, of his great Mercy, to vouchfafe them Forgivenefs whenfoever they fhall ask it.

My

My great Comfort is that I have reconcil'd my felf with my God, and that I die in my natural Senfes, and that fhort time I have had fince my Tryal, I truft in my Saviour, I have not mifpent.

And now, O Lord God! of thy infinite Goodness hear my Petition, pardon my Offences, and forgive me my Sins, forgive mine Enemies, and lay not my Blood to their Charge, but grant that a fincere Repentance may wash away their Guilt.

I am now going out of this Vale of Calamity and Sin to my eternal Repofe, where, thro' the Merits of my Saviour Jefus Chrift, I hope to fee God in his Glory; and fo I conclude, O Lord receive my Soul into thy boundless Mercy, for the Merits of my Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen.

After which the Executioner did his Office.

The Paper deliver'd by Mr. GREGG to the Sheriffs, at the Place of Execution, April 28, 1708.

HE Crime I am now juftly to fuffer for,

T having made a great Noife in the World, a

Paper of more than ordinary Length will be expected from the Criminal; who therefore takes this laft Opportunity to profefs his utter Abhorrence, and fincere Repentance of all his Sins againft God, and of the heinous Crime committed againit the Queen, whofe Forgiveness I most humbly implore; as I fhall heartily pray for her Majesty's long Life and happy Reign over her united People, and Succefs against her Enemies, with my parting Breath. This being all the Satisfaction I can make injur'd Majesty.

I declare in the next Place, the Reparation I would make, were it in my Power, to those of her Majefty's Subjects I have wronged in any

kind,

my

kind, and particularly the Right Honourable Robert Harley, Efq; whofe Pardon I heartily beg, for bafely betraying my Truft: Which Declaration, tho' of itself fufficient to clear the faid Gentleman, yet for the fake of those whom it was my Misfortune not to be able to fatisfy in Lifetime, I do facredly proteft, that as I fhall anfwer it before the Judgment-Seat of Chrift, the Gentleman aforefaid was not privy to my writing to France, directly nor indirectly; neither I, his unworthy Clerk, any ways acceffary to the Mifcarriage before Thoulon, nor the Loffes by Sea; all which happen'd before the firft of my Letters, which was writ the 24th of October, 1707.

As for my Creditors, as I am in no Condition to fatisfy them, fo I earnestly beg they would forgive me; and I pray God to make up their Loffes to them seven-fold.

For my own Part, I do freely forgive all Men, and die in perfe&t Charity with them; not without humble Hopes of finding Forgiveness, thro' the Merits of Jefus Chrift, with God; who in Mercy touched my Conscience so powerfully from the beginning, as to prevent my prostituting the fame to fave my Life; for which Inftances of his Love, to be preferr'd before Life itself, I bless and magnify his holy Name with unspeakable Joy and Comfort at my Death, nothing near fo ignominious as would have been fuch a Life.

After this Confeffion, the Duty of a dying Man leads me to profefs the Religion in which I was brought up, and do now die, which is the Proteftant; the Scandal given whereunto, by my enormous Practices, can't be better taken away, than by my publishing to the World my hearty Sorrow for thofe fenfual Pleafures which have prov'd Bane. Wherefore let all that fhall read this

my

poor