"Shoot me, fhoot me, fhoot me, for I fhall be hanged." Somebody then faying, Matthews is dead, Stirn replied, "I am not forry, but I am forry that I did not fhoot myself."

After his commitment he obftinately refused all kinds of food, with a view to ftarve himself, that -he might avoid the infamy of a public death by the hands of the executioner; he perfifted in this abftinence till the Friday following, the 22d of Auguft, being juft a week, drinking only a difh or two of coffee, and a little wine; this conduct he endeavoured to juftify, by faying, that his life was forfeited both by the law of God and man, and what does it fignify, fays he, by whofe hands this forfeit is paid. The ordinary ufed various arguments to diffuade him from this horrid refolution, but without any great effect, for he never eat any folid food, till he had, by the affiftance of fome who vifited him, procured a quantity of opium fufficient to answer his purpofe a

nearer way.

On Wednesday, the 10th of Sept. having then in fome degree recovered his ftrength, he was brought to the bar and arraigned; he was decently dreffed in a fuit of black cloth, but, contray to the general expectation, he pleaded not guilty, and requested that his tryal might be put off till Friday the 12th, which was granted.

On the 12th he was brought to the bar again, but, inftead of his fuit of black, he appeared in a green night gown; he had been advifed to feign himself mad, but this advice he rejected with difdain.

During his tryal which lafted a

bout four hours, he was often ready to faint; he was therefore indulged with a feat, and feveral refreshments; when fentence was paffed upon him he quite fainted away; but being recovered by the application of fpirits, he requested the court that he might be permitted to go to the place of execution in a coach with the clergyman; upon which the court told him, that was in the fheriff's breaft, but that fuch a favour, if granted, would be contrary to the intention of the law, which had been lately made to diftinguish murderers by exemplary punishment; upon this he made a profound reverence to the court, and was taken back to prifon.

About fix o'clock, the fame evening, he was vifited by the ordinary, who found in the prefs-yard a German, who faid he was a minifter, whom Stirn had defired might attend him: The ordinary therefore took him up with him to Stirn's chamber, he having been removed from the cells by the affiftance of fome friends. They found him lying on his bed, and as he expreffed great uneafinefs at the prefence of the ordinary and a prifoner that had been fet over him as a guard, they withdrew and left him alone with his countryman; soon after this, an alarm was given that Stirn was extremely ill, and fuppofed to have taken poifon; he was immediately vifited by the sheriff, and Mr. Akerman the keeper of the prifon, who found him in a state of stupefaction, but not yet convulfed; a furgeon was procured, and several methods tried to discharge his ftomach of the poifon, but without effect; he was then let blood, which apparently rendered him worse.

About

About nine o'clock he was pale and fpeechlefs, his jaw was fallen, and his eyes were fixed, and about five minutes before eleven he expired.

It does not appear what reafon Matthews had for charging Stirn with an attempt upon his wife; but Stirn folemnly declared in his

laft moments that there was none.

He expreffed many obligations to Mr. Crawford, who often vifited him in prifon with great kindness and humanity; and perhaps if he had been in a fituation more fuit able not only to his hopes, but to his merit and his birth, he would

have been lefs jealous of afronts s and, confcious of undifputed dig nity, would have treated rudeness and flander with contempt, instead of pursuing them with revenge.

He spent his life in perpetual tranfitions from outrage and fury, to remorfe and regret; one hour drawing his fword upon this dearest friends, to revenge fome imaginary affront, and the next lamenting his folly, and entreating their pardon with contrition and tears. How many are there whofe keen fenfibi lity, and violence of temper, keep them nearly in the fame fituation, though they have not been pushed to the fame excefs!

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Bout the beginning of the year 1759, one Jofeph Payne, a country lad about 16, came to live with Capt. Fisher of Reading, as a foot-boy. He had before been fervant to a farmer, at Lambourn Woodlands, and, till this time, followed the plough, and other farming bufinefs: he was wholly unac quainted with letters, but was, notwithstanding, of a very serious turn, attended conftantly at church, and was very attentive to what he heard there. His mafter, the farmer, was a Quaker, a man of ftrict morals, and the lad profited much by the example fet before him in fo regular a family; where reading the fcriptures, and converfing upon religious topics, was a principal part of the employment of the leifure hours of the mafter and his children, at which the lad was often prefent.

After he had been fome time in

the fervice of Capt. Fisher, his fellow fervant was one day alarmed by his falling into a fit. Being much frightened, fhe went to call other affiftance, and feveral people were foon got about him, who were aftonished to find that he had begun á very pertinent and regular discourse, which he continued for half an hour, and then, as if rifing from à trance, or waking from a profound fleep, he came to himself, and declared in the most folemn manner, that he neither knew what had happened, nor what he had faid. This was reported to his mafter, who ordered that the boy fhould be watched more narrowly, both as to his behaviour and converfation, fearing left he fhould have been made the inftrument of fome enthufiaftical bigot, no man detefting enthusiasm more. In a few days he was seized with a fecond fit, in which, he again difcourfed as rationally as before; and in little more than a week with a third; at which time Dr. Hooper, late an eminent man-midwife in Reading, and now of Queen's-ftreet, being upon a vifit at his fon's, Capt. Fisher dispatched a billet to the doctor, requesting his prefence immediately, upon a matter of much curiofity. The doctor haftened to the captain, and being told what he had to expect, fent for his fon, who wrote fhort hand; being determined to convince himself of the truth of the fact.

By the time that young Mr. Hooper arrived, the lad had begun

to fpeak, fitting up, with great compofure, but with his eyes fixed. Master, faid he, will you go to church to day? it is Good-Friday, we will have a fermon,-ah ! neigh bours, be you going to church today? I have afk'd my mafter to let me go; and though he don't hold with faints days himself, he has given me, leave-After a few more unconnected but fenfible expreffions, as if talking to the farmer his firft mafter, he fuppofed himself to have been at church, named a text, and repeated a kind of fermon, of which the following (fo far as we think it necessary to infert it,) is an exact tranfcript.

They led him away to crucify him.

Don't you know what was then done? or do you know the meaning of this day Good-Friday, why it is to be kept holy? You read in the scriptures, "They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they hear, but do not understand ;" we find that the chief priests and rulers, led him, or caused him to be led away to crucify him; they attempted to do it before, but had not power, for his time was not then come. Chrift himself, before he came upon earth, knew he was to fuffer. And this day was the Son of man nailed to the cross, whilft his inveterate enemies the Jews, with jears, and fcoffs, telling him, if he would fhew himself to be the Son of God to come down from the crofs and fave himfelf, but he prayed for them, and faid, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Dear heart! if we did but duly and right ly confider these things, we fhould act very differently from what we do

at prefent. Did he not break bread, and blefs it? Obferving, at the fame time, that one of his difciples that dipped with him at the table should betray him," Good were it for that man, if he had never been born." When he was about to fuffer, he cryed out, "There is no forrow like unto my forrow," for the fins of the whole world bore more heavily upon him, and were more painful by much than the nails in his hands and feet. During these things all nature was darkened, and feemed to be put out of order: the temple was rent, and thofe who had been dead appeared out of their graves. Notwithstanding these terrible appearances, the Jews remained hard. hearted, and unbelieving; and when he was laid in the fepulchre, the priests and rulers caufed a guard of foldiers to take care that his difciples did not fteal away the body. On the fabbath day, the angel of the Lord came and rolled away the ftone, and fat upon it, and for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men. When the women came, and were informed by the angel that Chrift was rifen, they went back towards the city, and in their way met with him. When this was reported in Jerufalem, the Jews were fo far from being inclined to believe in him, that they gave the foldiers that watched large fums of money to fay his body was ftolen away by his difciples. They even then would not be convinced of their stubbornness, and there are too many remain fo to this day. As Chrift was raifed from the dead on Sunday, or the first day of the week, we keep that day in commemoration of it, and is called EafterSunday. After his refurrection, he was feen of many. Why do you

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als

af how I know these things? I have it from the fcriptures. I take pains, and I fearch for them. Is it not faid, "Seek and you shall find, knock and it fhall be opened unto you, ask and it shall be given you; for every one that asketh receiveth, and he thet feeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." How then can any man expect to find, unless he feek? or expect mercy without asking for it? Or is it reasonable to fuppofe, in a natural sense, a door will be opened to you, unless you first knock at it? No, feek mercy and you shall find it, and then you will fay at the last day, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith." Now, we go to church from Sunday to Sunday, confeffing our manifold fins and wickedness, and come away with no alteration in our former conduct. We fay, "Almighty and moft merciful Father, We have erred, and ftrayed from thy ways like loft fheep. We have followed too much the devices and defires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone thofe things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us." Now, what benefit can any perfon expect from this confeffion, unless he does it with a fincere mind, and full refolution to lead a better life? Do not we fee the contrary of this every day? Intead of compofed and ferious behaviour, how many run it over with a light, airy, and laughing countenance, and are glad when the task is finished? But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miferable offenders." When finners go to church

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and crave mercy, with what face can they do it, unless it be with a full determination to change their ways? Do they not know they thereby add fin to fin? Has not the Lord declared, the prayers of the wicked are an abomination to him? but God looketh at that man that is of a broken and a contrite heart, and trembleth at his word, for God is a fpirit, and will be worshipped in fpirit and in

truth.

Now, what I have faid, I hope you will keep in remembrance; be fober, not rioting in drunkenness and other wicked things; leave the broad way and chufe the narrow way, for there is a broad way and narrow way; the broad way leads to deftruction, but the narrow to life everlafting. Now for a comparifon; fuppofe every one who went a forbidden way, was to be foundly whipt, when he came to his journey's end; would that man be in his fenfes that made choice of it before the narrow, where, instead of punishment, he fhould find a reward?" For he that knoweth my Father's will, and doth it not, fhall be beaten with many ftripes." Was you never chaftifed? Your father never whipt you for not doing your duty? Perhaps you do not know what is required of you: Why, it is "to honour your parents, and obey the king, and all that are put in authority under him; to fubmit yourself to all your governors; to order yourself lowly and reverently to all your betters; to hurt nobody, by word or deed;" that is, not to fpeak ill, or use abufive language, but you must carry yourfelf foberly and with charity towards your neighbour; "to be true and just in all your dealings,"

that