The ORDINARY of NEWGATE his Account of the Behaviour, Confession, and Last Speech of ELIZABETH MASON< no role > , who was Executed at TYBURN, on Wednesday the 18th of JUNE, 1712 .

AT the Sessions held at Justice Hall in the Old-Baily , on Thursday the 5th , and Friday the 6th instant , Three Persons that were found Guilty of Capital Crimes, received Sentence of Death; from which, Two of them having obtained the Mercy of a Reprieve, One only is now order'd for Execution.

While they where under this Condemnation, I constantly visited them, and had them brought up, twice every day, to the Chapel in Newgate , where I pray'd with them, read and expounded the Word of GOD to them, and exhorted them to Repentance.

On the LORD's Day, the 8th instant , I preach'd to them, and others there present, both in the Morning and Afternoon, upon part of the Epistle for the Day, viz. Acts 2. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

From these Words, which I chose as proper for the Solemnity of the Day, I did (after a short Explanation both of them, and of the Context) take Occasion to discourse largely upon the following Particulars, viz.

I. The Effusion or Pouring-out of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, on the Day of Pentecost, according to CHRIST's Promise to them at his Ascension into Heaven; which was, That He would send them the Comforter, and endue them with Power from on high.

II. The happy Disposition the Apostles were in (by their Love, Unity, Faith, and Patience) to receive the inestimable Gift of the Holy Ghost.

III. The Divine, Wonderful, and Blessed Effects thereof.

IV. The great Motives we have to believe and obey the Doctrine of CHRIST, which was preach'd and establish'd with so much Authority, and the Truth of it attested and confirm'd by such astonishing and convincing Miracles, as were wrought by CHRIST's Apostles, and their Followers.

V. ult. The Unaccountableness and Inexcusableness of our living contrary to that Divine Doctrine, which teaches us, to depart from all iniquity, and to deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present World. itus 2. 12.

Those were the principal Points I then spoke to, both in the Morning and Afternoon; concluding at both times, with Exhortations suitable to my Auditory in general, and to the Condemn'd in particular.

And again, on the last Lord's Day, the 15th instant , I preach'd to them (according to my usual manner) both in the Forenoon and Afternoon, upon Exod. 20. 13. Thou shalt not kill.

From which Words, first explain'd in general, I then shew'd in particlar,

I. The Heinousness of the Crime of Murther, which of all other Injuries done to our Neighbour, is cercertainly the greatest, in that it is irreparable.

II. The Punishment due to it, which is Death, for the Law of GOD is positive and plain in this Matter. The Murderer must die without Mercy; no satisfaction is to be taken for his Life; and if he be not put to Death, the Land wherein he lives is to suffer for it; as we read, Numb. Chap. 35. Verses 30, 31 & 33.

III. and lastly, The timely Care they ought to take, and the earnest Endeavours they ought to use, to repent, who are guilty of such an enormous Crime, and indeed of any Sin whatsoever; whose Repentance must bear some Proportion to the greatness and heinousness of their Sins, if ever they desire to have GOD's Pardon, and blessed Consequents thereof; which are, the escaping the Torments and Miseries of Hell, and obtaining the Pleasures and Treasures of Heaven.

Upon these I enlarg'd, and concluded (as before) with such Exhortations, as I judg'd proper for Application to my Auditory.

The Condemn'd (as it highly concern'd them) appear'd to be very attentive (above the rest) to what was then deliver'd for their Instruction, and the Comfort of their Souls: And in my private Discourses with them, they express'd their Abhorrence of their past Sins; especially,

Elizabeth Mason< no role > , who was condemn'd, and is now to die, for the killing of her Mistress by Poison. The Account which she gave me of her self and barbarous Fact, is as follows, viz.

To begin with her Age: She said, That on the Tenth of April last , they told her, she then was just Fourteen Years old; but whether so, or no, she knew not; neither did she know any thing relating to her Birth or Parentage any more, than that she had heard some People say, her Father was an Excise-man, and, that she was born at Melton Mowbray in Leicester-shire , and from thence carried very young to Sutton near Peterborough in Northampton-shire . There, she said, she was at Nurse, and so remain'd till she came to be about Seven Years of age; and then was brought up to London , and liv'd above Seven Years with Mrs. Jane Scoles< no role > (who told her she was her Godmother) and Mrs. Catherine Cholwell< no role > , Sister to Mrs. Scoles; they dwelling both together, at that time without Temple-bar , and afterwards in Covent-Garden . As this young Maid grew up, they put her to all manner of House-work they had for her to do, and she help'd them also in their Business of Clear-starching : But growing weary of this Service, which she found hard, and hoping (as they promis'd her) that they would leave her all they were worth at their Death, she resolv'd to poison them both; which she accordingly did: And it was thus.

On Thursday in the Passion-Week, being sent by her Mistresses on an Errand, she tarried so long that they were very angry with her, and severely corrected her for it at her Return. After that, they sent her out again upon another Errand to Grace-church-street ; While being full of Spleen against them, she by the way stept into a Druggist's Shop, and there bought two ounces and an half of yellow Arsenick, (which she pretended was to kill Rats) and next Morning (that was Good-Friday) she mix'd part of that Poison with some Coffee she had then made for her Mistresses, and threw the rest away, as supposing she should have no further use for it. This Coffee thus prepar'd, thus poison'd, she brought to her Mistresses, who drank it; and thereupon one of them (viz. Mrs. Scoles) found her self extreamly ill, and without knowing the real Cause of her Illness, said, She felt Death upon her: And so it prov'd. For thereupon being strangely alter'd, and visibly growing worse and worse, she expir'd the next Morning before the Minister (who was then sent for) could