"about to fuffer a fhameful death.

Yes,

"Sir, you made me a drunkard, a thief, " and a murderer."-" How dare you, "William," cried Mr. Fantom, with great emotion," accufe me with being the cause "of fuch horrid crimes ?"-" Sir," anfwered the criminal, "from you I learned "the principles which lead to thofe crimes.

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By the grace of God I fhould never"have fallen into fins deferving of the gallows, if I had not overheard you fay "there was no hereafter, no judgment, no "future reckoning. O, Sir! there is a

..

hell, dreadful, inconceivable, eternal!" Here, through the excess of anguish, the poor fellow fainted away. Mr. Fantom, who did not at all relish this fcene, faid to his friend, "Well, Sir, we will go, if you pleafe, for you fee there is nothing to "be done."

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"Sir," replied Mr. Trueman mournfully, " you may go if you please, but I “fhall stay, for I fee there is a great deal "to be done."-"What!" rejoined the

other,

other, "do you think it poffible his life "can be faved."-" No, indeed," faid Trueman; "but I hope it is poffible his "foul may be faved."" I do not under"stand these things," faid Fantom, making toward the door." Nor I neither," faid Trueman; "I am bound to

but, as a fellow-finner, do what I can for this

poor man. Do you go home, Mr. Fan"tom, and finifh your Treatife on Uni"verfal Benevolence and the Bleffed Ef"fects of Philosophy; and hark ye, be "fure you let the frontispiece of your "book represent William on the gibbet; "that will be what our minifter calls a

PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATION. You know "I hate theories; this is realizing; this is "PHILOSOPHY made eafy to the meanest "capacity. This is the precious fruit "which grows on that darling tree, fo many flips of which have been tranfplanted from that land of liberty of "which it is the native, but which, with

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"" all

"all your digging, planting, watering, dunging, and dressing, will, I trust, never "thrive in this bleffed land of ours."

Mr. Fantom fneaked off to finish his work at home; and Mr. Trueman ftaid to finish his in the prifon. He paffed the night with the wretched convict; he prayed with him and for him, and read to him the penitential psalms, and fome portions of the Gospel. But he was too humble and too prudent a man to venture out of his depth by arguments and confolations, which he was not warranted to ufe: this he left for the clergyman; but he preffed on William the great duty of making the only amends now in his power to those whom he had led aftray.

up the following paper,

They then drew

which Mr. True

man got printed, and gave away at the place of execution.

The

The last Words, Confeffion, and dying Specch of WILLIAM WILSON, who was executed at Chelmsford for murder.

'I was bred up in the fear of God, and lived with credit in many fober families, ' in which I was a faithful fervant; but being tempted by a little higher wages, 'I left a good place to go and live with Mr. Fantom, who, however, made good

none of his fine promises, but proved a 'hard master. Full of fine words and ' charitable speeches in favour of the poor; 'but apt to opprefs, overwork, and underpay them.

In his fervice I was not allowed time to go to church. This 'troubled me at firft, till I overheard my 'mafter fay, that going to church was a fuperftitious prejudice, and only meant for 'the vulgar. Upon this I refolved to go 'no more; for I thought there could not ' be two religions, one for the master, and one for the fervant. Finding my master

C never

' never prayed, I too left off praying; this

gave Satan great power over me, fo that I from that time fell into almost every fin. I was very uneafy at first, and my 'confcience gave me no reft; but I was foon reconciled by overhearing my master and another gentleman fay, that death was only an eternal fleep, and hell and judgment were but an invention of priests to keep the poor in order. I mention this as a warning to all mafters and miftreffes to take care what they converse about while fervants are waiting at table. They cannot tell how many fouls they have fent to perdition by fuch loose talk.

The crime for which I die is the natural

'confequence of the principles I learnt of

my mafter. A rich man, indeed, who throws off religion, may efcape the gallows, because want does not drive him to commit thofe crimes which lead to ⚫ it; but what fhall reftrain a needy man, who has been taught that there is no ⚫ dreadful reckoning? Honefty is but a • dream