very pathetic reprefentation of the author's fufferings, printed in the Plain-Dealer, a periodical paper written by Mr. Hill. This generous effort in his favour foon produced him feventy-guineas, which were left for him at Button's, by fome who commiferated his misfortunes.

Mr. Hill not only promoted the subscription to the Mifcellany, but furnished likewise the greatest part of the poems of which it is compofed, and particularly the Happy Man, which he published as a fpecimen. To this Mifcellany he wrote a preface, in which he gives an account of his mother's cruelty, in a very uncommon ftrain of humour, which the fuccefs of his fubfcriptions probably inspired.

Savage was now advancing in reputation, and though frequently involved in very perplexing neceffities, appeared however to be gaining on mankind; when both his fame and his life were endangered, by an event of which it is not yet determined, whether it ought to be mentioned as a crime or a calamity. As this is by far the most interesting circumstance in the life of this unfortunate man, we shall relate the particulars minutely.

On the 20th of November 1727 Mr. Savage came from Richmond, where he had retired, that he might purfue his ftudies with lefs interruption, with an intent to discharge a lodging which he had in Weftminster; and accidentally meeting two gentlemen of his acquaintance, whofe names were Marchant and Gregory, he went in with them to a neighbouring Coffee-Houfe, and fat drinking till it was late. He would willingly have gone to bed in the fame houfe, but there was not room for the whole company, and therefore they agreed to ramble about the streets, and divert themfelves with fuch

3

fuch amusements as fhould occur till morning. In their walk they happened unluckily to difcover light in Robinson's Coffee-Houfe, near CharingCrofs, and went in. Marchant with fome rudenefs demanded a room, and was told that there was a good fire in the next parlour, which the company were about to leave, being then paying their reckoning. Marchant not fatisfied with this anfwer, rufhed into the room, and was followed by his companions. He then petulantly placed himfelf between the company and the fire; and foon afterwards kicked down the, table.. This produced a quarrel, fwords were drawn on both fides; and one Mr. James Sinclair was killed. Savage having. wounded likewife a maid that held him, forced his way with Gregory out of the house; but being intimidated, and confus'd, without refolution, whether to fly, or ftay, they were taken in a back court. by one of the company, and fome foldiers, whom he had called to his affiftance..

When the day of the trial came on, the court: was crowded in a very unusual manner, and the public appeared to intereft itself as in a caufe of general concern. The witneffes against Mr. Savage and: his friends, were the woman who kept the house, which was a house of ill-fame, and her maid, the men who were in the room with Mr. Sinclair, and a woman of the town, who had been drinking with them, and with whom one of them had been feen in bed.

They fwore in general, that Marchant gave the provocation, which Savage and Gregory drew their fwords to justify; that Savage drew firft, that he ftabb'd Sinclair, when he was not in a pofture of defence, or while Gregory commanded his fword; that after he had given the thrust he turned pale,

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and

and would have retired, but that the maid clung round him, and one of the company endeavoured to detain him, from whom he broke, by cutting the maid on the head."

Sinclair had declared feveral times before his death, for he furvived that night, that he received his wound from Savage; nor did Savage at his trial deny the fact, but endeavoured partly to extenuate it, by urging the fuddennefs of the whole action, and the impoffibility of any ill defign,or premeditated malice, and partly to justify it by the neceffity of felf-defence, and the hazard of his own life, if he had loft that opportunity of giving the thrust. He obferved that neither reafon nor law obliged a man to wait for the blow which was threatened, and which if he should fuffer, he might never be able to return; that it was always allowable to prevent an affault, and to preferve life, by taking away that of the adverfary, by whom it was endangered.

With regard to the violence with which he endeavoured his efcape, he declared it was not his defign to fly from juftice, or decline a trial, but to avoid the expences and feverities of a prison, and that he intended to appear at the bar, without compulfion. This defence which took up more than an hour, was heard by the multitude that thronged the court, with the most attentive and respectful filence. Those who thought he ought not to be acquitted, owned that applaufe could not be refufed him; and thofe who before pitied his misfortunes, now re. verenced his abilities.

The witneffes who appeared against him were proved to be perfons of fuch characters as did not entitle them to much credit; a common ftrumpet, a

woman

woman by whom fuch wretches were entertained, and a man by whom they were fupported. The character of Savage was by feveral perfons of diftinction afferted to be that of a modeft inoffenfive man, not inclined to broils, or to infolence, and who had to that time been only known by his misfortunes and his wit.

Had his audience been his judges, he had undoubtedly been acquitted; but Mr. Page, who was then upon the bench, treated him with the moft brutal feverity, and in fumming up the evidence endeavoured to exafperate the jury against him, and mifreprefent his defence. This was a provocation, and an infult, which the prifoner could not bear, and therefore Mr. Savage refolutely afferted, that his caufe was not candidly explained, and began to recapitulate what he had before faid; but the judge having ordered him to be filent, which Savage treated with contempt, he commanded that he should be taken by force from the bar. The jury then heard the opinion of the judge, that good characters were of no weight against positive evidence, though they might turn the fcale, where it was doubtful; and that though two men attack each other, the death of either is only manflaughter; but where one is the aggreffor, as in the cafe before them, and in pursuance of his first attack kills the other, the law fuppofes the action, however fudden, to be malicious. The jury determined, that Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory were guilty of murder, and Mr. Marchant who had no fword, only manflaughter.,,

Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory were conducted back to prifon, where they were more clofely confined, and loaded with irons of fifty pound weight. Savage had now no hopes of life but from the king's mercy, and can it be believed,

that

that mercy his own mother endeavoured to intercept.

When Savage (as we have already obferved) was first made acquainted with the ftory of his birth, he was fo touched with tenderness for his mother, that he earnestly fought an opportunity to see her.

To prejudice the queen against him, she made ufe of an incident, which was omitted in the order of time, that it might be mentioned together with the purpose it was made to ferve.

One evening while he was walking, as was his custom, in the street fhe inhabited, he faw the door of her house by accident open; he entered it, and finding no perfons in the paffage to prevent him, went up ftairs to falute her. She difcovered him before he could enter her chamber, alarmed the family with the most distressful out-cries, and when fhe had by her fcreams gathered them about her, ordered them to drive out of the house that villain, who had forced himself in upon her, and endeavoured to murder her.

This abominable falfehood his mother represented to the queen, or communicated it to some who were bafe enough to relate it, and fo ftrongly prepoffeffed her majesty against this unhappy man, that for a long while the rejected all petitions that were offered in his favour.

Thus had Savage perished by the evidence of a bawd, of a ftrumpet, and of his mother; had not justice and compaffion procured him an advocate, of a rank too great to be rejected unheard, and of virtue too eminent to be heard without be

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