an audible voice, very devoutly repeated the Lord's Prayer, and afterwards, with great energy, the following ejaculation, " O God, forgive me all my errors, pardon all my sins."

His Lordship then rising, took his leave of the Sheriffs and the Chaplain; and after thanking them for their many civilities, he presented his watch to Mr. Sheriff Vaillant, which he desired his acceptance of; and signified his desire, that his body might be buried at Breden or Stanton, in Leicestershire.

His Lordship then called for the executioner, who immediately came to him, and asked him forgiveness; upon which his Lordship said, "I freely forgive you, as I do all mankind, and hope myself to be forgiven." He then intended to give the executioner five guineas, but by mistake, giving it into the hands of the executioner's assistant, an unseasonable dispute ensued between those unthinking wretches, which Mr. Sheriff Vaillant instantly silenced.

The executioner then proceeded to do his duty, to which his Lordship with great resignation submitted.-His neckcloth being taken off, a white cap, which his Lordship had brought with him in his pocket, being put upon his head, his arms secured by a black sash from incommoding himself, and the cord put round his neck, he advanced by three steps, upon an elevation in the

middle of the scaffold, where part of the floor had been raised about eighteen inches higher than the rest, and, standing under the cross-beam which went over it, covered with black baize, he asked the executioner, "Am I right?"-Then the cap was drawn over his face; and then, upon a signal given by the Sheriff, (for his Lordship, upon being asked before, declined giving one himself,) that part upon which he stood instantly sunk down from beneath his feet, and left him entirely suspended; but not having sunk so low as was intended, it was immediately pressed down, and levelled with the rest of the floor.

For a few seconds his Lordship made some struggles against the attacks of death, but was soon eased of all pain by the pressure of the executioner.

From the time of his Lordship's ascending upon the scaffold, until his execution, was about eight minutes; during which, his countenance did not change, nor his tongue falter:-the prospect of death did not at all shake the composure of his mind.

Whatever were his Lordship's failings, his behaviour in these his last moments, which created a most awful and respectful silence amidst the numberless spectators, cannot but make a sensible impression upon every human breast.

The accustomed time of one hour being past, the coffin was raised up, with the greater decency

to receive the body, and being deposited in the hearse, was conveyed by the sheriffs, with the same procession, to Surgeons' Hall, to undergo the remainder of the sentence, (viz. dissection.) Which being done, the body was on Thursday evening, the 8th of May, delivered to his friends for interment.

He was privately interred at St. Pancras, near London, in a grave dug 12 or 14 feet deep, under the belfry.-(State Trials, vol. xix. p. 886.)

SCRIBLERUS'S REPORTS.

The following admirable jeu d'esprit is, perhaps, too well known to require its republication; but its humour and wit will not allow us to omit it. It is probably the sole composition of Mr. Fortescue Aland, the friend of Pope, afterwards one of the Puisne Judges of the Common Pleas and Master of the Rolls.

A SPECIMEN OF SCRIBLERUS'S REPORTS.

Stradling versus Stiles.

Le report del case argue en le commen banke devant touts les Justices de mesme, en le banke en le quart an du raygne de Roy Jacques, entre Matthew Stradling, Plant. et Peter Stiles, Def. en un action propter certos equos coloratos, anglicé, pied horses port. per le dit Matthew vers le dit Peter.

Le recitel del Case.

"Sir John Swale, of Swale Hall, in Swale Dale fast by the river Swale, Kt. made his last Will and Testament. In which, among other bequests, was this, viz. Out of the kind love and respect that I bear unto my much honoured and good friend, Mr. Matthew Stradling, gent. I do bequeath unto the said Matthew Stradling, gent. all my black and white horses.

"The testator had six black horses, six white horses, and six pied horses.

Le Point.

"The debate, therefore, was, whether or no the said Matthew Stradling should have the said pied horses by virtue of the said bequest.

Pour le Pl.

"Atkins aprentice pour le pl.

Moy semble

que le pl. recovera. And first of all it seemeth expedient to consider what is the nature of horses, and also what is the nature of colours, and so the argument will consequently divide itself in a two-fold way, that is to say, the formal part, and substantial part. Horses are the substantial part, or thing bequeathed: black and white the formal or descriptive part.

Horse, in a physical sense, doth import a cer

tain quadruped or four-footed animal, which, by the apt and regular disposition of certain proper and convenient parts, is adapted, fitted, and constituted for the use and need of man. Yea, so necessary and conducive was this animal conceived to be to the behoof of the Commonweal, that sundry and divers acts of Parliament have from time to time been made in favour of horses. First Edw. VI. makes the transporting of horses out of the kingdom, no less a penalty than the forfeiture of 407.; 2nd and 3rd of Edward VI. takes from horse-stealers the benefit of their clergy.

"And the Statutes of the 27th and 32nd of Hen. VIII. condescend so far as to take care of their very breed. These our wise ancestors prudently foreseeing, that they could no better take care of their own posterity, than by also taking care of that of their horses.

"And of so great esteem are horses in the eye of the common law, that when any Knight of the Bath committeth any great and enormous crime, his punishment is to have his spurs chopt off with a cleaver, being, as Master Bracton well observeth, unworthy to ride on a horse. Littleton, Sect. 315, saith,If tenants in common make a lease reserving for rent a horse, they shall have but one Assize, because, saith the book, the law will not suffer a horse to be severed.' Another argument