went into the kitchen chamber where his mistrefs lay, and finding the door into the parlour chamber open, he went into that, and coming up to his mafter's bed-fide, found him afleep. He flood, he faid, by the bedfide, almoft a quarter of an hour, doubting and irrefolute, before he could lay hold of him; but at laft he threw himfelf upon him, catched hold of the fore part of his throat, and endeavoured to ftrangle him he ftruggled very much, and, in ftriving together, both fell off the bed, and in their fall broke down the curtain rod: in the fall, alfo, Ringe loft his hold,, but immediately recovering it again in the fame place, and griping him hard, he foon killed him. : In the mean time the wife of this unhappy man was awaked by the noife, and, in her firft fright, awaked Cleobold the maid, who was in bed with her, and who, having been up all the night before, was fo faft afleep that the noife did not awake her: the immediately heard a groaning, as if fomebody was in an agony, and, being extremely frightened, begged her miftrefs to get up; but her miftrefs, having by this time recollected the horrid bufinefs that was doing, faid, They had better lie fill. In about two minutes the noife ceafed, and Ringe, coming into their room, and ftanding on that fide of the bed where his miftreis lay, he faid, I have done for him; to which fhe replied, Then I am eafy. Cleobold, in her confufion, ftarted up in the bed, and thinking it was Beddingfield, called Maßer! Ringe, who imagined his mitrefs had been in bed alone, cried, Hold your tongue; and, fpeaking again to his miltre fs faid, Does any body know it but you two? to which the anfwered No. Cleobold now knew it was Richard, and faid, How came you here? His confcience referred the queftion to what he had been doing, and he anfwered, I was forced to it. The women immediately began to get their cloaths on, while Ringe ftaid in the room, and having fome of them on, and the reft in their hands, Ringe, knowing that Cleobold was now privy to the murder, faid he would go to his own chamber to be called up, and accordingly went down ftairs. Soon after, Mrs. Beddingfield having conjured Cleobold not to difcover, went with her into the back-house chamber to the other maid, Elizabeth Riches; and, pretending to be very much frighted, faid, Betty, go and call up Richard, meaning Ringe, fomething is the matter with your mafter. Riches, whofe chamber lay partly behind the kitchen chamber, and partly behind the parlour chamber, one end of it coming against the partition which divided thofe chambers from each other, had been alarmed already by the noife, which the defcribed to be like the crying of children; the therefore rofe, and called Ringe haftily: He had again flipped into bed with his breeches and stockings on, and, when Riches called him, he pretended to be half furprifed and half angry, and cried out, What the devil's the matter now! but did not immediately rife. Riches therefore went into his room, and called him. again, begging him to get up, and come away. He then rofe, and it appears by the trial, that he got a tinder box, and went into Riches's chamber and struck a light: This is a ftrange particular, for it looks as If I had faid to you what you have jaid to me, I should be afraid of ever going into this room alone, for I should think my mafler would appear to me. Riches having feen the body, returned to her miftrefs, and the other maid, who were still in the backhoufe chamber, and they continued there till the morning dawned, the mittrefs feeming uneafy, and having lain down on the bed in her cloaths. as if this whole dreadful tranfaction paffed in the dark. Cleobold being afked, faid, there was no candle in the room, where he and her mistress was in bed, when Ringe came in after he had committed the murder. It no where appears that Ringe had a light when he went into his matter's room, nor is there any reafon to fuppofe that a candle was left burning there, but the contrary, as Riches, who lighted him up, feems to have staid till he went to bed, merely to take the candle away, that he might go to bed by it herself. Neither does it at all appear where the children lay, or who lay with them, though as they were very young, they could not be left alone; nor, indeed, could those who were with them be conveniently without a light. However, a light being ftruck, and a candle lighted, Ringe was ordered by his mistress to go into the parlour chamber, for the believed, the faid, fomething was the matter with his master: he ac cordingly went, leaving his miftrefs with both the maids, in the backhoufe chamber, and in a very few minutes returned, with much feeming furprife, and faid, His mafter was dead. Riches cried out, No, fure! and immediately went to fee; Ringe went with her, and fhe found him lying with his face downward upon the floor, at the further fide of the bed, with his head towards the foot; his neck appeared black and fwelled, two buttons were torn off the fhirt collar, and it was rent Qut of the gathers, the bed-curtain was down, and the rod bent. It is not clear whether Riches even now fufpected that her mafter was murdered, but remembering the affair The fervants were examined of the porfen, the faid to Ringe, upon oath, particularly Riches and In the mean time Ringe, having returned into his chamber, called up Masterfon; "For God's fake, Will, fays he, get up and come down, your matter has fallen out of bed, and has killed himself. The lad immediately rofe, and Ringe carried him alfo to fee his master's body, which he found in the fame fituation in which it had been feen by Riches, except that the hand was placed under it on the throat. He affifted Ringe to lift the body from the ground, and place it upon the bed; and then went to fetch his unhappy mafter's mother and fifter, who lived not far off, and who both came before. it was broad day. They asked if the doctor had been fent for; to which Mrs. Beddingfield replied, "What fignifies fending for the doctor when he is dead ?" In the forenoon of that day he was laid out, and a sheet thrown over him; the fervants then saw him again, took notice that his face was black, and his throat and neck almoft round. The next day the coroner came; but his inqueft feems to have been very negligently and fuperficially taken. Cleobold: Cleobold: Cleobold an gave acCount of the groans the had heard, but faid nothing of Ringe, becaufe he was to stay in her place till Michaelmas, and was afraid her miftrefs, who had a violent fpirit, would use her ill; and Riches related the circumftances of lighting her mafter to bed, and of her being called up, and told he was dead; but faid nothing of the propofal to poifon him, which Richard had made to her, because the alfo was to stay in her place till Michaelmas, and was afraid fhe fhould be used ill. One Sparham, a furgeon, was alfo examined: He. found the coroner in a great hurry to go home; he took a hafty view of the body; was of opinion that the blackness of the face and throat was occafioned by the deceased's own fingers; and having with great expedition difpatched the impatient coroner, went away, without having been in the house five minutes. When this fagacious obferver was afked, upon the trial, concerning the appearance of the body, he declared there were marks of violence, fuch as he had never feen before; and that if a man fell from the bed upon the floor, with his hand under his throat, it would not produce fuch appearances; being then afked how he could think, when fent for by the coroner, that the man died a natural death, he was pleased to declare, that he did not think much about it. As the reader will probably conceive a juft opinion of the diligence, attention, and confcientious regard to life, that appears in this gentleman's conduct, it is not neceffary to make any remarks upon it, except that he was not, as he ought to have been, examined upon oath: this, however, was the fault of the coroner, who, it must be remembered, was in a great hurry; and if that ought to excufe him, let him be excufed. There was another furgeon alfo prefent, one Edgar, who viewed the body, but the coroner did not think fit to ask him any queftions at all. The jury, after thefe hopeful proceedings, brought in their verdict accidental death, and the body was buried. The hufband being removed out of the way, and the murder concealed, the intimacy between Ringe and his miftrefs now, and not till now, became criminal: She was, he faid, very fond of him for about a fortnight or three weeks; but then began to diflike him, and afterwards feemed to hate him: Thus deceitful and tranfient was the pleafure for which he had, at the risk of life, violated the most facred obligation, and contracted the most aggravated guilt. In the mean time, Cleobold, who though for the reafons already mentioned, fhe had not discovered what fhe knew to the coroner, was determined not to let it remain a fecret. When the judges came down to the affizes at Saxmundham, only ten days were wanting to compleat the time fhe was to stay in her place; the therefore thought this a good opportunity to make it known, and accordingly disclosed it to her mother, who applied to proper perfons for taking the criminals into cuftody. After fhe had told her mother, he told her fellow fervant Riches; and Riches, then, for the first time, told her of the poifon. Ringe and his mistress foon heard the rumour, and queftioned Cleobold Cleobold about it: The girl readily confeffed that he had told her mother and fellow fervant all the knew; upon which her miftrefs, turning to Ringe, faid, Now Richard, you are done for; you will certainly be banged. She then expoftulated with the girl, Did you not promife, faid fhe, not to discover? Yes, faid the girl, but I could not be easy, till I had discovered: And fo, replied her mistress, to make yourfelf eafy, you will ruin two for ever. Ringe then attempted to tamper with the girl, and would have had her gone to Saxmundham and fwear to a paper of his dictating; but the refufed: And his mistress foreseeing what would happen, abfconded the fame day, which was a Thursday; but on the Saturday following was taken up, with Ringe, who does not appear to have taken any precautions for his fafety. Their trial came on the 21st of March, 1763, when they were both capitally convicted, upon proper evidence being given of the facts already related. Both infifted upon their innocence, till a few days before their execution, when Ringe made a full confeffion, which has been included in this narrative. He faid he did not, at any time after he committed the murder, believe he should efcape: He acknowledged that he ought to die, and declared that he and his mistress only were guilty. He talked with much compofure concerning the manner of his death, yet was greatly fhocked at the thoughts of being diffe&ted. Beddingfield ftill perfifted in declaring herfelf innocent: But being SUPPLIES granted by Parliament for the Service of the Year 1763. DECEMBER 2. 1. That 30000 men be employed for the fea fervice for 1763, including 4287 marines 2. That a fum not exceeding 41. per man per month, be allowed for maintaining them, for 13 months, including ordnance for sea service FEBRUARY 3 For defraying the extraordinary expences of his majesty's land forces, and other fervices incurred, from 25 December 1761, to 31 October 1762, both days inclufive, and not provided for by parliament FEBRUARY 3. 1. For the ordinary of the navy, including half pay to fea and marine officers for 1763 2 For compleating the works of the hofpitals for fick and wounded feamen, building near Plymouth 3. Upon account, to be applied by the commiffioners, or governors, of Greenwich hofpital, for the fupport and relief of feamen, worn out and become decrepit in the fervice of their country, who fhall not be provided for within the faid hofpital 4. That provifion be made, for enabling his majefty to fatisfy all the bills payable in courfe of the navy and victualling offices, and for tranfports, which were made out on, or before, the 31st of December 1762, amounting to the fum of |