Life, who had miserably forfeited the Privilege of continuing longer in this.

In my private Examinations of them, they gave me the respective Accounts of themselves, which (with my own particular Observations of them, and occasional Advice to them) do here follow, viz.

I. James Neale< no role > , alias John Cobb< no role > , Condemn'd for Counterfeiting the current Coin of this Kingdom. He said, he was 28 Years of age, born in Northamptonshire , at a Place call'd Helmedon , near Oxford ; and, That he had liv'd above 12 Years in and about London , where he learnt (and that chiefly by Books) and practised the Art of Chymistry ; in which he had made some useful Discovery, but for want of Money and Credit, he could not carry it on. And being thus under great Straits, he was, by some Persons he became acquainted with, who us'd to put off false Money, easily perswaded to try his Skill upon Coining, promising, that they would assist him therein, which they did; but he said, he had not practis'd it above 20 months; and now was very sensible of the Heinousness of his Crime, considering (which he did not before) the Universality of the Mischief occasion'd by it. He said, that (this Crime excepted) he could not charge himself with any other Sins than were common to Human Frailty; which he nevertheless very much bewail'd, and earnestly begg'd Pardon for; as he did in a special manner for this publick Injury he had committed; adding, That his Design was, to have quitted this wicked Trade, and return'd to an honest way of living, after he had gotten a little Money, whereby he might have set himself at work on what was lawful, either in Chymistry or Watch-making , to which latter he was brought up.

2. John Hull< no role > , alias Barker< no role > , which latter was his right Name, as being his own Father's, and the other his Father-in-Law's, by which he was often call'd: And this, he said, was the reason he had two Names. He was condemn'd with the aforesaid James Neale< no role > , for Counterfeiting the current Coin of this Kingdom; which (as he told me) his Poverty (together with the Perswasion of others) had brought him to the commission of. He said, he was 42 Years of age, born at Colchester in Essex , where he serv'd an Apprentiship of Seven Years with a Bake r, and then came up to London , and was a Journey man to several Bakers alternately, at White-chapel , and other Places in and near this City: That afterwards he went to Dublin in Ireland , and there having work'd with a Baker for two Years, return'd to London , and set up for himself at Limehouse . He own'd he had liv'd a wicked Life, being addicted to the foul Sin of Lewdness, and other wilful Sins, but of late years had in a great measure left them off; and that tho' he fell into this Crime of Coining, yet he did not intend to continue long in the Practice of it. Here I observ'd to him, (as I likewise did to the other) that in this appear'd the Devil's Artifice, who putting him upon a wicked Fact, in hopes of repenting, knew that when he was once engaged in't, he would find more Difficulty to get out of it, than it would have been at first for him to have kept himself from meddling with it.

3. Henry Plunket< no role > , condemn'd for a barbarous Murder he had committed upon the Person of Mr. Jean le Brun< no role > , in English John Brown< no role > , by cutting his Throat with a Razour, on the 30th of August last . He said, he was just 20 Years of age on the 3d Day of July last ; That he was born at Saar-Louis in the Dutchy of Lorrain , a Place under the Dominion of the King of France; That for the most part of his Life he had been in the French Service in Italy, Germany, and Flanders; and, That when but ten Years of age, he had a Lieutenant's Com