ly and knowingly, shoot at Joseph Brown< no role > , he being on the King's high-way, against the peace of our sovereign Lord the King, &c.

The circumstances of this affair were so odious in themselves, so disgraceful even to the character of an highwayman, that the offender persisted to deny them, and charge the accusers with perjury, atheism, &c. still murdering their characters, when he missed their persons. It appears Lewis had an accomplice with him on the road near Wilsden , both were mounted, masked, and armed with pistols. They had just robbed a gentleman and a lady in a chariot, about five or six in the evening; quickly after they attacked John Cook< no role > , presented a pistol and demanded his money; he offered them his little money, they demanded more; in this dispute farmer Brown appeared and was forthwith attacked by Lewis, who because he would not stop at his command, fired on him very close to his side; he fell, though not wounded, by the startling of his horse; but fell on his feet; at that instant farmer Pope coming up, took Lewis prisoner. Brown went and took hold of him, clapt his knee on his breast, and bid Mr. Pope pursue his comrade; he got on his horse and pursued three quarters of a mile, till the fleer observing he came near, quitted his horse, and fled into the fields. Mean time Paul begged for mercy, urging that he was a gentleman bred, and would go with him where-ever he desired; Mr. B. unwarily let him up without searching him for arms. Scarce was he got up, when he clapt another pistol to his breast, with a d - n you, I'll shoot you dead; the pistol he knocked downwards, and as it pointed to his thigh, Lewis snapt it, and it only flashed in the pan. His heels were immediately kicked up, he was rifled of his pistols, ten bullets and a mould. The pistol he snapt was charged with a bullet. - The evidence of these three witnesses agreed so well, that there can be no doubt of the truth of the facts. Nor could the prisoner in his defence deny it; he only prevaricated, saying, he only fired at farmer Cook's horse, but had no intention to take the man's life; but not a word against Brown's evidence.

This criminal is publicly known to have been a prisoner in Newgate twice before for a considerable time; being moved the first time to be tried at Kingston , and acquitted by means not to his credit. Soon after he met me in Smithfield , politely thanked me for the good instruction given him while in our prison, promising to live and act agreeable to it. Having congratulated him on his deliverance, I hinted to him he, would do well to go abroad, and break off his connections here, as he only way to prevent further ill consequences; e thanked me, but said he had got a place of about a 100l a year in the Custom-house , which would support him. We parted. I saw no more of him till he was again apprehended and examined before Sir John Fielding< no role > , under a charge of several robberies, on which occasion he behaved with insolence, and even menaces to the justice. On his trial at the Old Baily , the ensuing sessions, for robbing Mary Brook< no role > , in the Worcesterstage, near Shepherd's-bush , he was again acquitted, for want of full and positive evidence to the person. His friends however had him detained in Newgate as a debtor, till within a fortnight of his being a third time taken in the fact, in the manner before described.

Although the anonymous collector of the newspaper paragraphs concerning Rice and Lewis, republished, under the title of A true, genuine, and authentic Account, &c. has closely followed all their mistakes, yet he must be allowed the honour of one invention, that Paul Lewis< no role > was one of the ten children of a worthy clergyman in Ireland ; we will venture to restore the honour of his birth to this land at present so prolific of such heroes, and fix his birth-place at Horsmanteux in Sussex . His parentage and education were such as would have given him credit and advantage, had he not disgraced and disappointed them.

About the age of six, he had interest enough to be placed out in a good foundation school, where being received into the first form, a young gentleman in the highest then went off to the university, continued there three or four years to take his first degree of B. A. and returning to be usher to the same school, found Paul Lewis< no role > still in the first form where he had left him; such was his incapacity, so inpenetrable his head to the rudiments of learning, - insomuch, that it is said, he never could spell, or write even his own language grammatically. For this reason among others, when his period of seven years on the foundation was expired, instead of being sent to the university, his father took him home, where he with some of his brothers being grown up into gay, idle young fellows, who must have money to spend, became suspected to the neighbouring gentlemen. This put them upon providing for them at a distance. Paul was made a Matross at Woolwich , by the interest of Sir C. B. - p. As sprightly dunces often turn out fops and beauxs, so Paul, by vying with his superior officers in dress, soon got deep in his taylor's books, to the tune of 150l. which obliged him to decamp and quit this genteel support. We hear of him next in the marine or sea-service , where several of his early feats of courage and conduct are boasted of, and some of more stratagem than honour. Such as his collecting three guineas a head from his brother officers in a man of war, to lay in fresh stores for a West-India