Condition, having a kind of undaunted expectation and wild assurance of future Happiness; yet at length he said, that he found his Inclinations and the Frame of his Mind surprizingly altered, when Death approached near him, which he principally imputed to the good Advice given him by his Parents and others, and to Mr. George Nicholas< no role > 's frequently reading to him, and to his frequenting so constantly the Chappel, till he perceived a sort of Delight in what was at first Uneasy, and found a Pleasure by Use and Custom infused into those Duties, which at first he perform'd with a great Reluctancy.

1. JAMES SHAW< no role > , otherways Smith< no role > , &c. was found Guilty of Assaulting Charles Hungate< no role > , on the 27 of December last , between Highgate and Kentish-Town , and taking from him an Horse value ten Pounds, and eight Shillings in Silver. He was also Convicted of Robbing Philip Potts< no role > , on the 24 of June last , of a silver Watch, value five Pounds, and a silver Hilted Sword, value three Pounds, near the Tile-Kilns at Pancrass ; and likewise found guilty of the Murthering of the said Philip Potts< no role > , by knocking him off his Horse, and then striking him with a large Staff over the Head and Body, while one of his Companions struck at him several times with his own Sword; insomuch, that being carryed to the Pindar of Wakefield , as able to go no farther, he there languished from the Saturday till Monday, and then died.

The Malefactor, was about 28 Years old, and born of Parents who he said, would have given him a competant Share of Learning, had not his Temper been too Unfix'd and Unsettled; which Roving Humour appear'd in his being unable to continue in any 'Prentiship, being tryed at a Forgers of Gun-Locks , and other Trades. Yet he would not own that his Inclination was naturally Vicious, but endeavour'd to cast the whole of his Vices and Calamities upon his Wife, asserting, that one while he acquired by his Industry 9 Shillings per Week when first married, but returning weary from his Work, he constantly found his Wife from home, and all things in a melancholly Confusion, which made him (as he said) resolve no longer to labour to so little purpose. And so deep was his inveterate Hatred engrafted in him against his Wife, that no Threats of Hell Fire, no Assurances of being Forgiven, if he heartily forgave Others, could ever abate this settled Eternity; nor could the Sight or Speech of her be supportable; saying also, that the Child which she had, was nothing related to him.

He said, that he perform'd all that was in his power to obtain God's Pardon for the vast Number of Robberies he had committed: That these Assaults were chiefly made between Hamstead and London , upon those who went to, or return'd from the Wells or Bellsize; and that the Soldiers were but little Hindrance to them: He owned that he had sometimes taken 60 or 80 Pounds at a time; adding, that he had often robb'd both on Horseback on Hamstead-Heath , Finchly-Common , &c. and often on Foot, but that the most Cruel and Savage, was the way of Robbing on Foot, Murther being commonly committed, they having no other method on Foot of escaping from a Horseman, but by striking him down from his Horse, and then either Binding or else Disabling