hinding himself on the brink of convulfions, inftantly rang, and difpatched his fervant for the apothecary, who fufpecting foul play, brought a powerful antidote in his pocket, with which he foon expelled the horrid dofe fo lately given by this monster of a father.

Old Bertin thus difappointed, refolved to go a furer way to work with this laudable defign, he fuborned fome profligate villains to fwear that the marquis had attempted to take away his life, and had even been in treaty to murder his father with fome of the evidences themselves; this ftory, improbable foever as it was rendered by the character of our marquis, the old man, who was immenfely rich, by a feafonable exertion of his purfe, found means to get credited at court; in confequence of which, a lettre de cachet was inftantly ordered for the apprehenfion of the marquis, who was thereupon feized and imprisoned at a religious houfe, where he was treated with every indignity imaginable. In vain did the unfortunate youth apply for a regular trial; the ears of Juftice were shut as well as her eyes; and it is probable they would have difpatched him privately here at last, had not a few friends, who fhrewdly fufpected fome scheme of that nature, broke open his prison at midnight, and carried him forcibly off.

Deftitute of cloaths, money, friends, and recommendation, he flew into Spain, where he found an afylum in a relation's of his mother, the count of Marfillac: but the place of his retreat was no fooner difcovered, than the French ambaffador had orders to get him apprehended; upon which he was under a neceffity of feeking fome fafer place of July 1764.

refuge: turning his thoughts therefore on the propereft for his purpofe, he fet fail for England, where he arrived under the name of monfieur de St. Etienne, and took up his lodgings at a gardener's house at Paddington. From hence he wrote to France for recommendations, in confequence of which feveral perfons of dilination received fome very warm letters in his behalf, which foon introduced him to many of the English nobility. Having now a circle of acquaintance, he removed nearer town, and boarded with one Mrs. Bacon, a widow gentlewoman of much good-nature and underflanding, at Mary bone.

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Being now a little fettled, he began to confider on the propereft expedient of obtaining the juftice of the French court; and in a confultation with his friends, it was agreed, that he should fend over memorials to fome of the firft nobility, and beg they would lay a true ftate of his cafe before the king. The marquis wanting an amanuenfis to copy, thefe memorials, monfieur de Montignac, a gentleman of his acquaintance, recommended to him one Dages de Souchard, a crafty deep infinuating. fellow, for that purpofe, who had impofed upon M. de Montignac, and feveral others, by the appearance of every virtue to which he was totally lolt. This Dages, though he condefcended to act as an amanuenfis, took upon himself the title of baron, and made religion the pretence of his refidence in this kingdom. He was the fon of one Souchard, a lawyer of Libourne, a little town in Provence, where all his family, not withstanding the delicate confcience of our baron, were known to be the ftri&teft Roman Catholicks. Nay, the baron himfelf had been a 3 B cordelier

cordelier at Merac, from whence he ran away with a young girl, daughter to the wafherwoman of the convent; her name was du Taux; the had accompanied him to England, and took up the Proteftant religion, like her lover, for the fake of a penfion from the charitable fociety.

Such was the worthy fcribe recommended to the unhappy marquis of Fratteaux; the marquis being under a neceffity of admitting him into fome degree of confidence, frequently fled to that melancholy refource of all the afflicted, and dwelt pon the story of his misfortunes, generally concluding his narratives with faying his father would give 100,000 livres to have him dead or alive.

This laft intimation funk deep into Souchard's remembrance, and from the first moment he received it, thought of nothing but turning it to his own account.-With this view he wrote over to the marquis's father, and made him an oblique offer of his fervice to deliver him up. This was beyond what the old gentleman expected; he entered with the utmost alacrity into a correfpondence with the traytor, remitted him fome fmall fums, and at laft agreed to fettle a penfion of fix hundred livres on him for life, to give him a thoufand guineas in hand, befides two hundred guineas more as a reward for his accomplices. Souchard upon these affurances fet inftantly to work, and engaged a defperate ruffian, one Blazdell, a bailiff in St. Martin's Lane, to affift him. This honeft gentleman, with an Italian his follower, on the 27th of March, 1752, went to the marquis's lodgings at Marybone, and finding the door mott conveniently open for their purpose, ran up to his apart

ment, and arrested him in the king's name. The poor marquis was in a moft extravagant paffion, but fome of his friends, who came in upon the noife, advising him to fubmit to the officers of juftice, and affuring him that they would get bail with all poffible expedition, he walked down to the coach, and was carried directly to Blazdeli's houfe. The alarm was foon spread at Marybone, and five gentlemen, one of them a perfon of the firft fashion, went after him immediately to the bailiff's, where, in a pofitive tone of voice, they charged that rafcal to see that no violence of any nature was done to the prifoner, as in cafe of failure they would call him to a most exemplary account; they then retired and left a perfon with the marquis to keep him company for that night: about midnight Blazdell came up ftairs, and turned the man, whom the gentlemen had left with the marquis, out of the houfe: this exciting the ftrongeft fufpicions in the unfor tunate nobleman, he grew outrageous; upon which the defigning villain of a bailiff faid, he would have no fuch noife in his house, but would carry him to the county jail directly, where care enough would be taken of him. The marquis fwallowed the bait; thinking himself fecure from any farther attempts if he was lodged in a regular prifon; he confented to go, ftepped into a coach, which flood ready at the door, and drove off-But what was his aftonifhment when he found himself at the water-fide. He knew enough of London to know that was not the way to any prifon, and therefore called loudly for affittance. A croud gathered, but were difperfed in a moment, upon Blazdell's telling them it was nothing but a French

fellow

fellow whom they had arrefted, that was going to give the flip to his creditors. Refiftance was in vain; a loaded pistol was held to the marquiffes head all the time he was in the boat, and the moment they put him a hip-board, there was no pof

fibility of his efcape.-To conclude this melancholy ftory, they arrived fafe at Calais, delivered him as a ftate prifoner to the proper officer of that town; and he fent him chained by the neck in a postchaise to Paris.

GENTLEMEN,

TH

HE converfation of the people turning in a great measure on the fuppofed intention of seizing the Chevalier D'Eon, lately minifter plenipotentiary to our court, it may perhaps be no unentertaining matter to your readers, to have two or three words faid about the Chevalier; the caufe why he is to be feized, and the countenance which fuch a feizure is to expect from the laws of this kingdom.

The Chevalier D'Eon, at the time of his first coming over to England, was fecretary to the duke de Nivernois, and a captain of dragoons, in the service of his Moft Chriftian majefty. The Chevalier behaved with fo much fatisfaction to the duke, during that nobleman's refidence in this kingdom, that upon his departure for France, he exerted his intereft in favour of his fecretary to fuch purpose, that Monfieur D'Eon was appointed minifter plenipotentiary in his room.

In a little time after, however, the count de Guerchy being appointed ambaffador from the court of Verfailles, the Chevalier D'Eon received orders to refume his former ftation of Secretary, and to act in the fame capacity to this nobleman, in which he had officiated under the duke de

Nivernois.-This order, it is faid, mortified the Chevalier's fenfibility having acted in the quality of minifter with acknowledged abilities, it was reported that he thought it hard to be reduced to the level of a fecretary again; and hence, his enemies tell us, proceeded his quarrel with the count de Guerchy, by whom he was fucceeded in that employ.

The Chevalier's friends affign a different reafon : but be that as it may, he published, foon after his rupture with the ambaffador, A fuccinet Account of all the Negotiations in which he had been engaged, and expofed fome important fecrets of the French nation in his work, which excited the refentment of their court: he was ordered home, but refused to comply with that Mandate, from a dread of the confequences.-This refufal, it has been reported, gave birth to a defign of feizing him by furprife, and carrying him off in the fame manner as the infamous scheme was formerly executed on the unfortunate marquis de Fratteaux.

The Chevalier himself feems apprehenfive of fuch a fate, and has published fome advertisements, in which he relies entirely on the freedom and humanity of the English 3 B2

con.

conftitution.-Applications however having been made to deliver him up, it may not be improper to enquire how far fuch a step is warranted by Jaw.

By the laws of Great Britain, no man whatsoever, whether foreigner or fubject, is to be deprived of his liberty, without violating the laws of the land: thefe laws, if tranf greffed, are however only punishable in this kingdom; and we are, by no means, to fend foreigners to other countries for any crimes they may have committed in this.-Such a procedure would at once lay the ax to the root of our freedom and dignity as a nation, and furnish a precedent to every little ftate in Europe 口 call us to an account.

Having premised thus much, it may be necessary to afk, if the Chevalier D'Eon has violated our laws? Some time ago we were publickly informed, that a profecution was commenced againtt him for a libel in the book we have spoken of above, If the profecution ftill continues it would be trampling in the groffeft manner upon our own conftitution to give him up, till he has abided the fentence of our laws, which he is thus publickly charged with having tranfgreffed; but even in this

cafe, let him be either acquitted or condemned, we have no title to give him up at all; for if he be acquitted, with what degree of justice shall we dare to apprehend an innocent man? and if he be condemned, with what degree of propriety fhall we confign him for punishment to any body but ourselves?

Seeing therefore that our laws can no way juftify us in fending the Chevalier D'Eon out of the kingdom, it must of course follow, that they can by no means protect any perfon of a different nation, who attempts to feize and carry him off by force: on the contrary, fuch an attempt would be the moft flagrant violation of those rights and liberties which render us the envy as well as the admiration of the world, and muft excite the whole power of our indignation against any one daring enough to fet it on foot.-Abstracted from all this, the Chevalier D'Eon is, as an officer, of approved bravery; a minifter of acknowledged abilities; and a man of probity and honour: qualities that muft excite our humanity in his defence, if he was even unprotected by our laws. I am, your's, &c.

T. W.

14 This woman had, in her chamber,

a large cheft, in which the depofited her jewels, money, and things of moft value; and it was big enough to fecrete the adulterer, when there appeared any danger of a furprize, and it was not poffible for him to make off. They had alfo provided air holes, to prevent a fuffocation in cafe of a long continuance therein. The adulterefs was feized with a

mortal

mortal difeafe; ftill Pandolpho continued his vifits: and, being furprized one night by the coming of the husband, he was obliged to shut himself up in the cheft. The wife's maldy increased with that violence, that the grew delirious, and, with a Spirit not to be accounted for, prevailed with her husband to promise, upon oath, that he would not open that cheft, but place it in the vault with her dead corpfe. About two hours after the expired.

The busband strictly performed his oath. She was buried next day according to the custom of the country, and the cheft, with Pandolpho, was let down with the coffin into the vault; over which was laid a great stone, till it could next day be bricked up.

Pandolpho had no way to escape. Death, by the hands of the injured

husband, was the immediate confequence of his making a noise before he was entombed; fo that he refigned himself up to death, repenting of his lewd way of life, which had brought him to that wretched end: but one of the fervants, who expected to find a quantity of money and jewels in the cheft, prevailed with two others to go in the dead of night, and take out the treasure. They got into the vault undiscovered, and forced open the lid of the cheft: when Pandolpho, fummoning all his refolution to fave his own life, started up like a fury, and fo terrified the thieves, that they ran away, thinking it to be the devil, and left him with their light to retreat at his leifure, and to carry off the jewels and treasure, which had been buried with him.

GENTLEMEN,