After this, he turned his thoughts toward entering into one of our universities, by the assistance and interest of several of the reverend clergy, viz. Dr. A - n, Mr. P - ll and Mr. L - e, to whom he was recommended by Mr. C - d for that purpose. - But here also his groundless jealousies once more intervened to overset this scheme. This is said to have impelled him to utter some threats against those gentlemen for disappointing him, as he chose to express it.

Soon after this, and about a year since, his acquaintance with Mr. M - s began about which time he took it into his head to commence musician , together with teaching the classics, by the advice of Mr. M - s, who imagining him to be ill-treated by Mr. C - d, persuaded him to set up for himself in these branches.

Presently after his going to live with Mr. M - s, he found some pieces of bread in the dining-room, left by a child of the family; on which he concluded, that they were placed as reproachful expressive emblems of his poverty, and subsisting on the fragments of charity. On this trisling incident, with his own deep and ingeniously mischievous comment upon it, he ran up stairs and rapped suddenly and loud at Mr. M -s's chamber door, calling out, Mr. M - s! On being assured he was not there, he insisted on the door being opened, on which Mrs. M - s put on her clothes (it being eleven at night) and came out, asking him what he wanted? And what he meant by such behaviour? He answered, he sought Mr. M - s, and knew he was in the room. - At this instant Mr. M - s himself knocked at the street door; on his entrance, Mr. Stirn, in a furious manner, charged him with the affront before-mentioned. - But on their assuring him that the bread was carried there by the child, he was pacified for that time. Next day he waited on Mr. C - n, in order to praise and extol the patience of Mr. and Mrs. M - s, for so kindly passing over this fantastic behaviour of the preceding night.

During his residence at Mr. M - s's, he was by fits so visibly and remarkably pious, both in his reading and conversation, that he was there reproached with the name of a Whitfieldite.

In his reading the classics, he used to mark the virtuous sentiments and expressions, as well as the contrary, and committed both to memory; and would point out the one, or the other, according to his present caprice. - At some times, he was low and vulgar in his conversation, but only to those who, he thought, had offered him any indignity; and at other times, he was delicate to an extreme, so as not to bear the least deviation from it.

A gentleman who well knew the strange extravagant inconsistences in his character, used frequently to compare him to Catiline, which he did not seem displeased with, unless urged in resentment; and to verify the comparision, he himself would add, that one day he would perform a seat, which would make the city of London ring of his same.

He one day set out with Mr. C - d, and a Prussian gentleman, to dine at a Dutch merchant's, (Mr. V - t) at Mouswell-hill : in the way thither he quitted his company; and, by crossing the fields, got to the house before them; here he fell into some dispute with the merchant, called him a fool, and provoked the gentleman to have him put out of his gate by his servants, before his companions had go: thither.

On their arrival, the gentleman said to them here has been that mad-man Stirn. And on his return, and afterwards meeting his company at home, he charged them with having been there before him, and concealed in another room, and that he heard them rejoicing and laughing excessively, at the disgrace that was done him! So fruitful was his mind of imaginary affronts, that he might be stiled the Self-Tormentor.

This may suffice to give a general idea of this youth, relative to his birth, education, temper, and unhappy turn of mind. Let us now view him after the crime and his commitment. Having some intimation of the crime and character of the prisoner, and his several attempts on his own life, I hafted to visit him; found him walking in the Press-yard, apparently much