his own Account of the Matter, was just 10 Years before, he made his unfortunate Exit at Tyburn. He acknowledged with a good deal of Sorrow and Repentance, that he did not use his Wife so kindly as she deserved, and prays God to forgive him.

Soon after he was married, he enter'd into the Army, and had the Honour of his Majesty's Commission as Ensign in the Regiment of Foot , commanded by Colonel Cholmondely, which Commission bore Date January 1741. He continued in the Army in that Station for above three Years, and he says, that his Behaviour was such, as that in March, 1744, he was promoted to the Rank of a Lieutenant . He might have lived very well, had it not been for that Itch of Gaming, which generally left him Pennyless; tho' sometimes he got Money, he could not be content and make good Use of it, but still continued to play till he could get no more Money.

And here it may not be improper to take some Notice of that abominable, tho' fashionable Vice, of high Gaming; to which too many of our Nobility and Gentry are so excessively and scandalously addicted, to the utter Ruin of many of both Sexes, both as to this World, and, it is to be feared, the next World too. This was the fatal Spring from whence the unhappy Mr. Parsons drew all his Misfortunes; this was the grand Source of all his Crimes, and the first Cause of his miserable and untimely End. What a shocking Thought is it, that a young Gentleman of his Birth, Education, and personal Accomplishments, should be thus unhappily, tho' most deservedly, cut off in the Flower of his Days? He who might have been an Honour to his Family, and the Delight of all his Acquaintance! And all thro' his unfortunate Inclination for Gaming; a Vice which has perhaps brought more young Men of gay Dispositions, and slender Fortunes, to the Gallows, than any other of those fashionable Methods, which idle and thoughtless People take to kill Time, that can be mention'd. This polite Diversion, or rather this wicked and foolish Practice of gaming High, so as to hurt ones own, or another Man's Fortune, embarrasses ones Circumstances, or destroy ones Peace of Mind; this is a Vice of such a peculiar Nature, that it seems to deprave and corrupt the Heart more than any other. It is a Kind of declaring War against all Mankind: The Gamester looks upon every Man that plays with him, as his Enemy, over whom he makes it his Business to take every Advantage; and if he ruins him, and leaves him without a Shilling in the World, this is look'd upon as nothing. The Gamester has no Bowels of Compassion; his Heart feels no Tenderness for any Man; Friends or Foes are all alike to him; he builds his Success upon their Misfortunes; his Avarice or Extravagancies must be supplied; and to these every Thing, every tender or friendly Connexion, every social Tie, every virtuous and honourable Sentiment, must be sacrificed. - Of the Truth of this Observation, the Life of Mr. Parsons has been but one continued Evidence. As no Man was ever more fitly qualified by Nature to impose upon, deceive, and abuse Mankind, than he was; so perhaps, among the numerous Tribe of gaming Miscreants that he has left behind him (till their Hour too shall come) none ever shewed more Instances of a Heart steel'd and harden'd against the Checks of Conscience and common Humanity than this young Man. For what but the blackest Ingratitude could be capable of using poor Mr. St. J - in the base Manner that he did? His Behaviour towards this Gentleman deserves particular Notice here, among many other Instances which might be mentioned, if Room could be afforded in this Paper. The Story of Mr. St. J - then in few Words, is this: