The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confessions, and Dying-Speeches of the Condemn'd Criminals, that were Executed at Tyburn, on Wednesday, January the 29th. 1700 /1701.

THESE Persons having received their Sentence of Condemnation on Saturday the 18th instant , I preach'd to them the next day, in the Morning upon this Text, Acts 17. 31. Because he has appointed a Day in the which he will Judge the World; and in the Afternoon, upon these Words of our Saviour's, Mark 1. 15. Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. From both which Places having drawn Arguments to prove on the one hand, a Judgment to come; and on the other, the Necessity of Repentance and Faith, in order to avoid the severe Punishments threatned, and obtain the gracious Promises made in the Gospel; I continued, the whole Week after, in my constant Endeavours to perswade them to the Practice of these Duties, which I had thus laid before them, as the necessary Means of their Salvation. And in the prosecution thereof, on the last Lord's Day, being the 26th, I did again preach to them, both Morning and Afternoon; and took for my Text in the Morning these Words, Eccl. 11. 9. But know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment. In discoursing upon which Words, I both shew'd them, Who was to be their Judge; and laid open to them the Matter, and the Dreadfulness; the Certainty and Irreversibleness of that Sentence, either of Eternal Condemnation or Absolution, which every Man was to receive; first privately, with respect only to his Soul, at the hour of Death; and then publickly, both as to his Body and Soul, at the Day of Judgment. And in the Afternoon, I chose for the Subject of my Discourse, this Confession which David made of his Sins, Psal. 51. 3. For I acknowledge my Transgressions, and my Sin is ever before me. From which Words I represented to them, the Usefulness of an ingenuous Confession, and the Indispensableness and Availableness of a sincere Repentance: And then for their further Instruction and Direction, as well as Encouragement, in this Work, I gave them the Description and Character of a True Penitent; and shew'd them the transcendent Blessings propos'd to such. Concluding both these two, and my forementioned Sermons, with pressing Exhortations to true Humility, Self-Resignation, constant Prayer hearty Contrition, unfeigned Repentance, fervent Zeal, and sincere Love to God, and universal Good will and perfect Charity to all Men. Which Christian Virtues I labour'd to excite them to, and fix them in; and to that end attended them every day, both forenoon and afternoon, to the time of their Execution. And in my Examination of them, wherein I spar'd no pains to engage them to undo (as much as in them lay) the wrongs they had done, and to make all possible Satisfaction, and do all the right, and good they could, to all the world; I received from them the respective Declarations following.

1. Jane Eaglestone< no role > alias Browne< no role > , alias Jenkins< no role > ; condemned for Shop Lifting. She told me she was born in the Bishoprick of Durham , and brought up a Protestant, but turn'd a Roman Catholick . She confessed herself Guilty, both of the Crime she was condemned for, and of several others; owned that she had been an old Offender and a great Sinner, and that Pride and Idleness were the great Causes of her Fall. She said, that in her Passion, she had accused several innocent Persons, and among the rest, John Jenkins< no role > her Husband, having unjustly charged him with being privy to, and concern'd in her stealing a piece of Silk, about 10 months since, out of a certain Shop (viz. the Naked Boy) on Ludegate-Hill ; and that she likewise had much wrong'd Mr. Joseph Stratton< no role > , in saying, that about 3 years ago, he had received of her two Guineas, for some Service he was to do for her, and that for want of another Guinea, which she could not then procure, he had brought her to her ruin. All which she now declared (as a Dying Woman) to be utterly false; and that the said Mr. Stratton never demanded of her, nor she never gave him any Money upon any such account. She declared that she re embraced the Protestant Religion, which she had been (by some Persons she liv'd with) perswaded to depart from; and that she now dy'd in that Communion, and in Charity with all the World; praying and hoping that God would please to take pity of her, and to have mercy upon her sinful Soul.

II. Benjamin Harding< no role > ; Condemned for Robbing in the Streets. He said he was about 33 years of Age, a Hatter by Trade, and liv'd in Cripplegate Parish . He told me he was brought up a Protestant; but had forgotten almost all he was taught in Religion; having, for some years past, neglected Prayer and hearing of Sermons; & instead of discharging the Duties which his Christian Profession obliged him to, spent the Sabbath-days, and most of his time, in riotous Living; drinking to excess, and giving himself the liberty to Swear, and to take Gods Holy Name in Vain. He confessed he had sinned in all these, and many other ways; and that the loose Life he had led, had brought him to this his untimely end. He much lamented his past miscarriages, and said he heartily repented of them all. He owned he was justly condemned, and seemed not very unwilling to die; but desirous of God's Pardon and Eternal Life; which he hoped to receive through the Merits and Intercession of Jesus Christ.

III. Thomas Etherington< no role > , Condemned for Burglary. He said he was about 36 years Old, was born in Yorkshire , and of late years lived at Gravesend . He told me he was by his Profession a Seaman , and had been Pilot of several Ships, and Master of a Man of War. He seemed to be of a resolute and undaunted Spirit, and not much concern'd that he was to die. He confessed he had been a great Sinner, and liv'd contrary to his known Duty, and the Rules of Christianity; he being born and bred up a Protestant but having slacken'd in the practice of Religion, and given way to those Vices, too common among Seamen, namely Drinking, Cursing and Swearing. He (tho' with some Extenuation and Excuse) own'd the Crime he was condemn'd for, and begg'd God's pardon for it, and for all the Evil he had done; and pray'd also that those he had wrong'd would forgive him, as himself forgave, and dy'd in Charity, with all the World. See more at the end of this Paper.

IV. Thomas Cooper< no role > , likewise Condemned for Burglary. He was a young Man of about 20 years of Age. He said he was a Malster 's Son, born in Yorkshire ; who, for a while, follow'd his Father's Employment; but having left it, and since his Father's Death, sold his House and all its Appertances, he came to London, and kept an Alehouse in Barnaby street in Southwark ; which he was forced to leave, for want of a Trade. I found him (tho a Protestant) very ignorant in the Principles of Religion, but was now desirous of Divine Knowledge, and shew'd a disposition of receiving what Instruction was necessary for his furtherance towards Heaven. He did (but with some restriction) confess the fact for which he was to die, and said he was sorry for it, and for all other his Sins, and heartily repented of them; hoping for Pardon at God's hand, through the Merits of Christ.

V. Thomas Smith< no role > , also condemned for Burglary. He was about 24 years of Age. He said he lived at Kennington in Lambeth Parish , and was a Twine-Spinner by his Trade. He confess'd he was guilty of the Fact for which he was to die, and likewise of many other Crimes; which, upon his recollection, he found to have in a great measure sprung from his Profanation of the Lord's Day, and spending in publick Houses and idle and vicious Company, that time particularly appointed for Prayer and hearing of the Word of God. He seem'd to be much dejected and grieved for his Sins: Which he said he truly repented of, and heartily beg'd God's Pardon for.

VI. Edward Ward< no role > , Condemned for Robbing on the High-Way. He said he was about 36 years of Age, born at Willey in Warwickshire ; where he follow'd Husbandry for a time: But leaving this honest Calling, and associating himself with loose Persons, he fell from the Commission of one sin into another, and at last was overtaken