He was accordingly carried before a Justice of Peace, where after being baulk'd in the Attempt he made to snatch the Pistols out of the Person's Hand, who had the Care of them before the Justice, he begg'd very hard for Mercy, and pleaded his Family, &c. as he did in all Cases of Danger; but the Justice thought proper to commit him to Newgate , and he was brought up in a Coach. His Behaviour since in Newgate is not to be spoken well of in all Respects; but his general Behaviour would engage any one to think favourably of him, till such Time asthey thoroughly knew him. The Gentlemen that took him, out of Regard to the Family, did not chuse to be hasty in the Prosecution of him; but as publick Justice requir'd it, they have now done it to the general Satisfaction of the World. Had he lived ever so long, he had been the same Man, always deceiving himself with Thoughts of deceiving the whole World.

Parsons acknowledg'd that he has been guilty of many thousand Extravagances; tho' like frail, weak Man, he is not willing to take the Blame entirely to himself, but would shift off Part of the Weight of his Crimes, by endeavouring to lay some of the Blame on others. And therefore says, in a Paper he himself wrote,

"That he pleads

"it not as an Excuse, but what is

"absolutely Fact, that Necessity and the Neglect

"of his Relations (tho' to be sure, he

"says, he has deserved their Frowns) obliged

"him to commit almost every ill Act

"of his Life, contrary to his natural Inclinations;

"for I ever had, says he, the utmost

"Remorse and Shock on me when doing

"Ill: But starve I could not, to beg I

"was ashamed. He goes on in the same

"Paper to say, that his Sentiments were, and

"are to this Moment, just and honourable;

"but Gaming has been chiefly his fatal

"Ruin." Now how far the Publick will rely on this Declaration in Regard to his Sentiments, I must leave entirely to them to judge.

N. B. If a certain independent Teacher, or any one else intends to print a Life of Parsons write by himself, take Care left he has imposed upon your Credulity, as he has done to all that had any Thing to do with him.

Copy of Two LETTERS sent to his Father and Wife, before he was transported, taken upon him when retaken at Hounslow.

Wood-Street Compter , Aug. 27. 1748 .

SIR,

'AFter so prostigate and infamous a Life as

'I have led, I hardly dare to put Pen

'to Paper to intercede with you for Forgiveness;

'but by being sincerely penitent of my

'many and enormous Crimes, which I am,

'from the Bottom of my Heart, I hope to

'obtain Pardon of my Heavenly Father in

'the World to come; so by the same Repentance

'here on Earth, I hope to obtain Forgiveness

'of my terrestrial Parent (and my

'much injured Wife.) Certain it is, I am

'undeserving of the minutest Charity from

'any of my Relations, and in a more especial

'Manner from you, whom I have so greatly

'and so oft offended. Notwithstanding my

'past mispent Life, your Goodness is so manifest

'to me in the Letter and Support you

'sent me by M. B -, that, during the

'short Time the Law allows me in this

'World, (through a long and severe Imprisonment)

'I shall, in the most grateful and

'humblest Manner, be truly thankful for

'your Tenderness and Compassion towards

'me. I am,

Sir, (Tho' heretofore a Profligate) Now your sincerely penitent, And unhappy Son, William Parsons< no role > This name instance is in set 3526. .

'P. S. I beg Forgiveness of my much injured

'Wife and Brother, and humbly beg

'their Prayers to obtain Pardon for me in

'the World to come.'

To my much injured Wife.

Wood Street Compter , August 29, 1748 .

'HAD I but heretofore been as thoroughly

'sensible of my profligate and mispent

'Life as now, I need not have dated a

'Letter to you from this dismal Place. The

'Reflections which I now make on my past

'Crimes make me in a Manner distracted,