John's-college, Cambridge, where, on his ex
amination
by Dr.
Caulfield - Portraits, Memoirs, of Characters and Memorable Persons - v4
Portraits, memoirs, and characters, of remarkable persons, from
the revolution in 1688 to the end of the reign of George II. Collected
from the most authentic accounts extant. By James Caulfield.
Caulfield, James, 1764-1826. London, T. H. Whitely, 1819-20.
http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. hx15cv
Public Domain, Google-digitized
http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
We have determined this work to be in the public domain, meaning that it is not subject to copyright. Users are free to copy, use, and redistribute the work in part or in whole. It is possible that current copyright holders, heirs or the estate of the authors of individual portions of the work, such as illustrations or photographs, assert copyrights over these portions. Depending on the nature of subsequent use that is made, additional rights may need to be obtained independently of anything we can address. The digital images and OCR of this work were produced by Google, Inc. (indicated by a watermark on each page in the PageTurner). Google requests that the images and OCR not be re-hosted, redistributed or used commercially. The images are provided for educational, scholarly, non-commercial purposes.
PORTRAITS, MEMOIRS, AND
REMARKABLE PERSONS, ntOM THE
REVOLUTION in 1688 TO THE
END OF THE REIGN OF GEORGE II.
COLLECTED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS EXTANT.
JAMES
CAULFIELD. IN FOUR VOLUMES.
VOL. IV.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED BYT. H. WHITELEY,3, PATERNOSTER-ROW.
■1■ 1820.
i
If
>3
JLIZte.
HfXVARO COUEC. F. LIFJF. mIV BE'. mtST OF
DR. WILLIAM L. RICHARDSON fuJIIUAK* ^, IJJj
W. Lewis, Prioter, Finch-Une, Coruhlll.
CONTENTS.
REIGN OF GEORGE II. CONTINUED.
Henley, John, Orator -
Hensey, Florence, a Convict
Kitchener, William, Beadle of St. Andrew's, Holborn Lovat, Simon Frazer, Lord, beheaded for High-Treason
Page - 1
- 11 - 29 - 31
-
Lowry, Captain James, a Convict Macdonald, Ranald, a Scotch Rebel Malcolm, Sarah, a Convict - Malden, Daniel, a Convict - Mapp, Mrs. Sarah, a Female Bone-setter Macdaniel, Stephen, Thief-taker Macleane, James, Highwayman M'Pherson, Samuel, a Deserter
-
- - 87 - - 97 Miller, Maximilian Christopher, a German Giant - 109
. . . . Rogers, Henry, a Convict - - - 148
Mills, Anne, a Female Sailor
Page, William, a Convict -
Parsons, William, a Convict
Patten, Margaret, died in St. Margaret's Workhouse, aged 143 143
. . .
Short, Robert, cured of the Stone - - 158
Pixley, John, a Smuggler
146 Shakeshaft, Thomas, who obtained the Flitch of Bacon at
. . . Smith, Layton, an Eccentric Debtor — - 168
Dunmow
. 151
Simons, Henry, a Polish Jew
180
-
- -126
-
-
-
-
- 41
-
. . . - -113
-
- 60 - 55 - 67
--
- 78
70
m
IT CONTENTS. . . -.
Page 176 Swan, John, and Elizabeth Jeffries, executed for Murder - 191
200
Snell, Hannah, a Female Soldier
Taylor, John, Oculist . Taylor, George, Pugilist
207
- • - 209
- 214
- - 218 223
Turpin, Richard, the celebrated Highwayman - - 226 - 248
Topham, Thomas, the Strong Man - Tour, Jean de la, a Pirate -
Townley and Fletcher, Rebels Turner, James, an Aged Beggar
-
Wood, Samuel, a Miller - -
Will, Little, Waiter at the Turk's-head Coffee-house
Warman, Catherine, an Alms-woman of St. Martins' Parish 2att
. . . . . .
-
Walker, William, who lived during eight Reigns
Ward, Joshua, a Quack-Doctor - - 262
- 265
- 256
MEMOIRS 01
REMARKABLE PERSONS. Orator f#ente£*
[GEORGE II. John HenLey, better known by the appellation
of Orator Henley, was born at Milton Mowbray, Leicestershire, August 3d, 1692. His father, the Reverend Simon Henley, and his grandfather by his mother's side, were both vicars of that parish. His grandfather, by his father's side, John Henley, M. A. was likewise a clergyman, rector of Salmonby and Thetford, in Lincolnshire, was educated
among the dissenters, and conformed at the restoration.
The orator was bred up first in the free-school of Milton, under Mr. Daffy, a diligent and expert grammarian. From this school he was removed to that of Okeham, in Rutland, under Mr. Wright,
2 MEMOIRS OF [seorgb n.
eminent for his knowledge of the Latin, Greek,
and Hebrew languages. About 1709, he entered
St. John's-college, Cambridge, where, on his ex amination by Dr. Gower, then master, Dr. Lambert, Dr. Edmundson, and others, he was, according to
his own account, particularly approved. While an under-graduate at St. John's, he wrote a letter to the Spectator, dated from that College, February 3, 1712, signed Peter de Quir, abounding with quaint- ness and local wit. He began here to be very uneasy, and was more inclined to dispute than to assent to any points of doctrine ; and already fancied himself able to reform the whole system of academical edu cation.
After he had commenced his degree of Bachelor of Arts, he was first desired by the trustees of the school in Milton to assist in, and then to take the direction of, that school ; which he increased, and raised from a declining to a flourishing condition.
He established here, he informs us, a practice of improving elocution, by the public speaking of pas sages in the classics, morning and afternoon, as well as orations, &c. Here he was invited, by a letter from the Rev. Mr. Newcome, to be a candidate for a fellow ship in St. John's; but, as he had long been absent,
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 3
and therefore lessened his personal interest, he de clined appearing for it. Here likewise he began his " Universal Grammar," and finished ten languages, with dissertations prefixed, as the most ready in troduction to any tongue whatever. In the be ginning of this interval he wrote a poem on " Esther," which was approved by the town, and well received, as indeed it amply deserved. It is preceded by a learned preface, in which he discovers an intimate knowledge of Oriental studies, and some learned ety mologies from the Persic, Hebrew, and Greek, con cerning the name and person of Ahasuerus, whom he makes to be Xerxes. On the occasion of his "Grammars," Dr. Hutchinson wrote him a com
plimentary letter. He was ordained a deacon by Dr. Wake, then Bishop of Lincoln ; and, after having taken his degree of M. A. , was admitted to priest's orders by Dr. Gibson, his successor in that see. He did not long consent to rest in the country, but, impatient to obtain wealth and fame in London,
resigned his offices of master and curate, and entered upon a new career.
george ii. ]
In town he produced several
Translations of Pliny's Epistles; several works of
publications ; as,
4 MEMOIRS OF
[<
Abbe Vertot; of Montfaucon's Italian Travels, in folio, and many other books. His principal patron was the Earl of Macclesfield, who gave him a bene fice in the country, the value of which, to a resident, would have been about eighty pounds a-year; he had likewise a lecture in the city ; and, according to his own account, preached more charity-sermons about town, was more numerously followed, and raised more for the poor children, than any other preacher, however dignified or distinguished. This popularity, with Henley's enterprising spirit, and introducing regular action into the pulpit, were " The true causes," he says, " why some obstructed his rising in town, from envy, jealousy, and a disrelish of those who are not qualified to be complete spaniels. For there was no objection to his being tossed into a country benefice by the way of the sea, as far as Galilee of the Gentiles, like a pendulum swinging one way as far as the other. " Not being able to obtain preferment in London, and not choosing to return into the country, he struck out the plan of his Lectures, or Orations, which he puffed with an astonishing vulgarity of arrogance, as may be seen in the following specimen : —
"That he should have the assurance to frame a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 5
plan, which no mortal ever thought of; that he should singly execute what would sprain a dozen of modern doctors of the tribe of Issachar ; that he should have success against all opposition ; challenge his adversaries to fair disputations, without any offering to dispute with him ; write, read, and study twelve hours a-day, and yet appear as untouched by the yoke, as if he never wore it ; compose three disser tations each week, on all subjects, however uncom mon, treated in all lights and manners, by himself, without assistance, as some would detract from him ; teach in one year what schools and universities teach in five ; offer to learn—to speak, and —to read ; not to be terrified by cabals, or menaces, or insults, or the grave nonsense of one, or the frothy satire of another; but he should still proceed and mature this bold scheme, and put the church, and all that, in danger. "
In this style Henley lectured on Sundays upon theological matters, and on Wednesdays upon all other sciences. He declaimed some years against
the greatest persons ; and, occasionally, says Warbur- ton, did Pope that honour. The poet retorted upon him in the well-known lines : —
VOL. iv. c
george ii. ]
6
MEMOIRS OF [grorge ii.
" But where each science lifts its modern type, History her pot, Divinity his pipe ;
While proud Philosophy repines to show,
Dishonest sight ! his breeches rent below ;
Imbrown•d with native bronze, lo Henley stands," &c.
Orator Henley endeavoured, on all popular occa sions, to render himself particular, and caught at even the most trifling incidents to excite the public atten tion. Dr. Cobden, one of George the Second's chap
lains, having, in 1748, preached a sermon at St. James's from these words : " Take away the wicked from be fore the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness it gave so much displeasure, that the doctor was struck out of the list of chaplains ; and the next Saturday, the following parody of his text appeared as a motto to Henley's advertisement
" Away with the wicked before the king, And away with the wicked behind him ; His throne it will bless
With righteousness
And we shall know where to find him. "
Hogarth has more than once indulged the vein of his humour at Henley's expense. In a print entitled the Oratory, Henley is represented on a scaffold, a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 7
monkey (over which is written amen) by his side ; a box of pills and the Hyp-doctor lying beside him ; over his head, "The Oratory. " — Inveniam viam aut
faciam, (the motto on the medals which the orator dispersed as tickets to his subscribers. ) Over the door, " Ingredere ut proficias —The inscription over the outer door of St. Paul's school. A parson receiving the money for admission ; under him, " The Treasury ;" a butcher stands as porter. On the left hand, Modesty in a cloud ; Folly in a coach ; and a gibbet prepared for Merit. People laughing ; — one marked the scout introducing a puritan divine ;
and a boy easing nature. Several grotesque figures, one of them (marked tee hee) in a violent fit of laughter; underneath the following inscription: —
An extempore Epigram, made at the Oratory: —
" O, Orator ! with brazen face and lungs,
" Whose jargon's form'd often unlearned tongues,
" Why stand'st thou there a whole long hour haranguing, " When half the time fits better men for hanging 1"
Henley was too good a subject to part with easily, and we find him a second time brought into notice, in the act of christening a child, represented in a print, with the following verses under it:—
c2
george ii. ]
8
MEMOIRS OF [GEORGE i! .
" Behold Vilaria, lately brought to bed,
Her cheeks now strangers to their rosy red, Languid her eyes, yet lovely she appears!
And oh ! what fondness her lord's visage wears ! The pamper'd priest, in whose extended arms The female infant lies, with budding charms, Seeming to ask the name ere he baptize,
Casts at the handsome gossips his wanton eyes. While gay Sir Fopling, an accomplished ass,
Is courting his own dear image in the glass: The midwife busied, too, with mighty care, Adjusts the cap, shews innocency fair.
Behind her stands the clerk, on whose grave face Sleek Abigal cannot forbear to gaze :
But master, without thought, poor harmless child, Has on the floor the holy-water spill'd,
Thrown down the hat; the lap-dog gnaws the rose; And at the fire the nurse is warming clothes.
One guest inquires the parson's name ; — says Friendly, Why, don't you know, Sir? —'tis Hyp-doctor Henley. "
Mr. Nichols, in his biographical anecdotes of Hogarth, has clearly ascertained that the clergyman in the Modern Midnight Conversation was intended to represent Orator Henley ; and to degrade him still more, he is introduced drinking gin with a prostitute and female robber, in the last plate of his Harlot's Pro gress, while attending, in his clerical character, the ceremony of the funeral.
Orator Henley struck medals, which he dispersed as tickets to his subscribers, representing a star rising
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 9
to the meridian, with this motto, " ad summa ;" for each of these the price was one shilling. His audience was generally composed of the lowest ranks ; and it is well known, that he once collected a vast number of shoe-makers, by announcing that he could teach them a speedy mode of operating in their business, which proved only to be the making of shoes, by cutting off the tops of ready-made boots. His motto on this occasion was, " Omne majus continet in se minus. "
He was author of a weekly paper of unintelligible nonsense, called " The Hyp-Doctor," for which secret service he had 100/. a-year given him, and which was intended to counteract the effect of the u Craftsman," a proof how little his patron, Sir Robert Walpole, knew of literary assistance. Henley used, every Saturday, to print an advertisement in " The Daily Advertiser," containing an account of the sub jects on which he intended to discourse on the ensu ing evening, at his Oratory near Lincoln's-inn-fields.
The advertisement had a sort of motto before which
was generally sneer at some public transaction of
the preceding week. Henley died Oct. 14, 17. 56.
A late reviewer of the life of this extraordinary man says, " He was scholar of great acquirements, and of no mean genius hardy and inventive eloquent
george n. ]
a ;
;
a
it,
[0 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
and witty ; and might have been an ornament to literature, which he made ridiculous ; and the pride
of the pulpit, which he so egregiously disgraced ; but having blunted and worn out that interior feeling, which is the instinct of the good man, and the wis dom of the wise, there was no balance in his passions, and the decorum of life was sacrificed to its selfish ness. He condescended to live on the follies of the people, and his sordid nature had changed him till he crept licking the dust with the serpent. " In his ac count of himself he assumes the credit of considerable learning, and a strong zeal for knowledge; which, at
one time, certainly was the case, but his talents became
miserably perverted ; both his style and his thoughts were low ; vanity and censoriousness are the most
conspicuous qualities he exhibited ; and his manners became gross and ferocious, and entirely corresponded with his writings.
FL. ORKXCE
I1ENSET;m. D
ceorge ik] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 11
tflotmtt
Florence Hensey was born in the county of Kildare, in Ireland. When very young he came to England, and soon after went over to Holland ; and was educated in the university of Leyden. His na tural parts were rather phlegmatic than sprightly ; and he made greater advances in physic, and the laborious sciences, than in polite literature. He afterwards travelled in Switzerland, and continued some time at Berne, from whence he went to Italy. On leaving Italy he sailed from Genoa to Lisbon, and journeyed through Spain in his way to France. By these tra
vels he gained a competent knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; and his residence for some years at Paris enabled him to speak and write the French tongue with great fluency.
During his time abroad, he supported himself in quality of a physician, and came over to England in hopes of settling here in that character ; but either he had not interest, or merit, to recommend him, for we
cannot learn that he had any patients of consequence,
fg*n£e$.
12 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
though some of his prescriptions were the means of his detection. Having continued a literary corres pondence, since he left the university, with a fellow- student who resided at Paris and had lately got into the secretary of state's office for foreign affairs, he wrote to him a more than usual complimentary letter, informing him, in general terms, " he should be glad
of an opportunity of doing him any service that lay in his power, and executing any commission he might have in London," which general invitation his correspondent shrewdly construed into a desire of
a criminal correspondence ; but as he did not think proper to hazard any communications
until such time as he should be convinced of the doctor's real intentions, he wrote word back, " that he was infinitely obliged to him for the service he offered, and that if he understood him rightly, their correspon dence might be rendered more advantageous to both, by changing their topics from literary to political. " The doctor replied, " he was glad to find so dis cerning a man in his fellow-student, and if he could obtain for him a recompense suitable to the trouble, he would endeavour to make his intelligence of the
utmost importance. " By the next post he received an answer, containing instructions, directions, and an
commencing
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 13
appointment of 500 livres (about 25/. sterling) a quar ter. The instructions were, to send lists of all our men-of-war, in and out of commission : their condi tion, situation, the number of men on-board each ; when they sailed, under what commanders, from what ports, and their destinations: accounts of the actual number of our troops, what regiments were
complete, and which were recruiting ; where they were quartered or garrisoned ; the earliest accounts of any enterprises against France ; plans of fortified places in England, America, &c. The directions were of those persons to whom he was to send under cover; some at Cologne, some at the Hague, and some at Bern, in Switzerland ; and they were to for ward his letters from those respective places to Paris. Though the doctor was far from being satisfied with this stipend, he nevertheless thought proper to accept
george ii. ]
in hopes by his merit to obtain
With this view he endeavoured to insinuate himself into the good graces of some of the clerks in our offices, in hopes by their means to gain intelligence of what was transacting concerning naval and military affairs. But not finding in them any such treacherous
disposition
as animated him, he, after some fruitless
efforts, gave over the attempt, fearing their zeal might
VOL. IV. D
'
greater salary.
it,
a
14
MEMOIRS OF [georceii.
induce them to make a discovery of any hints he might give of his design ; so that we do not find he had any connection with the clerks in our offices, as
some persons have supposed.
But we find, that being frustrated in this project, he
used to frequent all the political coffee-houses about
hours in silence at Toms'sin Devereux-court; the largeness of his peruke, and the sanction of doctor, rendering him unsuspected
among the medical gentlemen that resorted there. He often pushed himself into the back-room at Old Slaughter's; and picked as much prejudice, and ill- natured remarks, upon the situation and conduct of our affairs as replenished a sheet for next post. He plied at the Mount, under pretence of reading the Hague Gazette, though he had got it by heart before
at the Exchange. He was a constant customer at the St. James's or the Smyrna on a council-day ; and never failed being at the Cocoa-tree after the house was up. By these means he got acquainted with many particulars, that remained perfect secrets to us a long while. It is confidently asserted, that it was resolved in council, so late as the 24th of July, to attack Rochefort, and that his letter of the 29th of the same month particularly mentioned this resolution;.
John's-college, Cambridge, where, on his ex amination by Dr. Gower, then master, Dr. Lambert, Dr. Edmundson, and others, he was, according to
his own account, particularly approved. While an under-graduate at St. John's, he wrote a letter to the Spectator, dated from that College, February 3, 1712, signed Peter de Quir, abounding with quaint- ness and local wit. He began here to be very uneasy, and was more inclined to dispute than to assent to any points of doctrine ; and already fancied himself able to reform the whole system of academical edu cation.
After he had commenced his degree of Bachelor of Arts, he was first desired by the trustees of the school in Milton to assist in, and then to take the direction of, that school ; which he increased, and raised from a declining to a flourishing condition.
He established here, he informs us, a practice of improving elocution, by the public speaking of pas sages in the classics, morning and afternoon, as well as orations, &c. Here he was invited, by a letter from the Rev. Mr. Newcome, to be a candidate for a fellow ship in St. John's; but, as he had long been absent,
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 3
and therefore lessened his personal interest, he de clined appearing for it. Here likewise he began his " Universal Grammar," and finished ten languages, with dissertations prefixed, as the most ready in troduction to any tongue whatever. In the be ginning of this interval he wrote a poem on " Esther," which was approved by the town, and well received, as indeed it amply deserved. It is preceded by a learned preface, in which he discovers an intimate knowledge of Oriental studies, and some learned ety mologies from the Persic, Hebrew, and Greek, con cerning the name and person of Ahasuerus, whom he makes to be Xerxes. On the occasion of his "Grammars," Dr. Hutchinson wrote him a com
plimentary letter. He was ordained a deacon by Dr. Wake, then Bishop of Lincoln ; and, after having taken his degree of M. A. , was admitted to priest's orders by Dr. Gibson, his successor in that see. He did not long consent to rest in the country, but, impatient to obtain wealth and fame in London,
resigned his offices of master and curate, and entered upon a new career.
george ii. ]
In town he produced several
Translations of Pliny's Epistles; several works of
publications ; as,
4 MEMOIRS OF
[<
Abbe Vertot; of Montfaucon's Italian Travels, in folio, and many other books. His principal patron was the Earl of Macclesfield, who gave him a bene fice in the country, the value of which, to a resident, would have been about eighty pounds a-year; he had likewise a lecture in the city ; and, according to his own account, preached more charity-sermons about town, was more numerously followed, and raised more for the poor children, than any other preacher, however dignified or distinguished. This popularity, with Henley's enterprising spirit, and introducing regular action into the pulpit, were " The true causes," he says, " why some obstructed his rising in town, from envy, jealousy, and a disrelish of those who are not qualified to be complete spaniels. For there was no objection to his being tossed into a country benefice by the way of the sea, as far as Galilee of the Gentiles, like a pendulum swinging one way as far as the other. " Not being able to obtain preferment in London, and not choosing to return into the country, he struck out the plan of his Lectures, or Orations, which he puffed with an astonishing vulgarity of arrogance, as may be seen in the following specimen : —
"That he should have the assurance to frame a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 5
plan, which no mortal ever thought of; that he should singly execute what would sprain a dozen of modern doctors of the tribe of Issachar ; that he should have success against all opposition ; challenge his adversaries to fair disputations, without any offering to dispute with him ; write, read, and study twelve hours a-day, and yet appear as untouched by the yoke, as if he never wore it ; compose three disser tations each week, on all subjects, however uncom mon, treated in all lights and manners, by himself, without assistance, as some would detract from him ; teach in one year what schools and universities teach in five ; offer to learn—to speak, and —to read ; not to be terrified by cabals, or menaces, or insults, or the grave nonsense of one, or the frothy satire of another; but he should still proceed and mature this bold scheme, and put the church, and all that, in danger. "
In this style Henley lectured on Sundays upon theological matters, and on Wednesdays upon all other sciences. He declaimed some years against
the greatest persons ; and, occasionally, says Warbur- ton, did Pope that honour. The poet retorted upon him in the well-known lines : —
VOL. iv. c
george ii. ]
6
MEMOIRS OF [grorge ii.
" But where each science lifts its modern type, History her pot, Divinity his pipe ;
While proud Philosophy repines to show,
Dishonest sight ! his breeches rent below ;
Imbrown•d with native bronze, lo Henley stands," &c.
Orator Henley endeavoured, on all popular occa sions, to render himself particular, and caught at even the most trifling incidents to excite the public atten tion. Dr. Cobden, one of George the Second's chap
lains, having, in 1748, preached a sermon at St. James's from these words : " Take away the wicked from be fore the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness it gave so much displeasure, that the doctor was struck out of the list of chaplains ; and the next Saturday, the following parody of his text appeared as a motto to Henley's advertisement
" Away with the wicked before the king, And away with the wicked behind him ; His throne it will bless
With righteousness
And we shall know where to find him. "
Hogarth has more than once indulged the vein of his humour at Henley's expense. In a print entitled the Oratory, Henley is represented on a scaffold, a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 7
monkey (over which is written amen) by his side ; a box of pills and the Hyp-doctor lying beside him ; over his head, "The Oratory. " — Inveniam viam aut
faciam, (the motto on the medals which the orator dispersed as tickets to his subscribers. ) Over the door, " Ingredere ut proficias —The inscription over the outer door of St. Paul's school. A parson receiving the money for admission ; under him, " The Treasury ;" a butcher stands as porter. On the left hand, Modesty in a cloud ; Folly in a coach ; and a gibbet prepared for Merit. People laughing ; — one marked the scout introducing a puritan divine ;
and a boy easing nature. Several grotesque figures, one of them (marked tee hee) in a violent fit of laughter; underneath the following inscription: —
An extempore Epigram, made at the Oratory: —
" O, Orator ! with brazen face and lungs,
" Whose jargon's form'd often unlearned tongues,
" Why stand'st thou there a whole long hour haranguing, " When half the time fits better men for hanging 1"
Henley was too good a subject to part with easily, and we find him a second time brought into notice, in the act of christening a child, represented in a print, with the following verses under it:—
c2
george ii. ]
8
MEMOIRS OF [GEORGE i! .
" Behold Vilaria, lately brought to bed,
Her cheeks now strangers to their rosy red, Languid her eyes, yet lovely she appears!
And oh ! what fondness her lord's visage wears ! The pamper'd priest, in whose extended arms The female infant lies, with budding charms, Seeming to ask the name ere he baptize,
Casts at the handsome gossips his wanton eyes. While gay Sir Fopling, an accomplished ass,
Is courting his own dear image in the glass: The midwife busied, too, with mighty care, Adjusts the cap, shews innocency fair.
Behind her stands the clerk, on whose grave face Sleek Abigal cannot forbear to gaze :
But master, without thought, poor harmless child, Has on the floor the holy-water spill'd,
Thrown down the hat; the lap-dog gnaws the rose; And at the fire the nurse is warming clothes.
One guest inquires the parson's name ; — says Friendly, Why, don't you know, Sir? —'tis Hyp-doctor Henley. "
Mr. Nichols, in his biographical anecdotes of Hogarth, has clearly ascertained that the clergyman in the Modern Midnight Conversation was intended to represent Orator Henley ; and to degrade him still more, he is introduced drinking gin with a prostitute and female robber, in the last plate of his Harlot's Pro gress, while attending, in his clerical character, the ceremony of the funeral.
Orator Henley struck medals, which he dispersed as tickets to his subscribers, representing a star rising
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 9
to the meridian, with this motto, " ad summa ;" for each of these the price was one shilling. His audience was generally composed of the lowest ranks ; and it is well known, that he once collected a vast number of shoe-makers, by announcing that he could teach them a speedy mode of operating in their business, which proved only to be the making of shoes, by cutting off the tops of ready-made boots. His motto on this occasion was, " Omne majus continet in se minus. "
He was author of a weekly paper of unintelligible nonsense, called " The Hyp-Doctor," for which secret service he had 100/. a-year given him, and which was intended to counteract the effect of the u Craftsman," a proof how little his patron, Sir Robert Walpole, knew of literary assistance. Henley used, every Saturday, to print an advertisement in " The Daily Advertiser," containing an account of the sub jects on which he intended to discourse on the ensu ing evening, at his Oratory near Lincoln's-inn-fields.
The advertisement had a sort of motto before which
was generally sneer at some public transaction of
the preceding week. Henley died Oct. 14, 17. 56.
A late reviewer of the life of this extraordinary man says, " He was scholar of great acquirements, and of no mean genius hardy and inventive eloquent
george n. ]
a ;
;
a
it,
[0 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
and witty ; and might have been an ornament to literature, which he made ridiculous ; and the pride
of the pulpit, which he so egregiously disgraced ; but having blunted and worn out that interior feeling, which is the instinct of the good man, and the wis dom of the wise, there was no balance in his passions, and the decorum of life was sacrificed to its selfish ness. He condescended to live on the follies of the people, and his sordid nature had changed him till he crept licking the dust with the serpent. " In his ac count of himself he assumes the credit of considerable learning, and a strong zeal for knowledge; which, at
one time, certainly was the case, but his talents became
miserably perverted ; both his style and his thoughts were low ; vanity and censoriousness are the most
conspicuous qualities he exhibited ; and his manners became gross and ferocious, and entirely corresponded with his writings.
FL. ORKXCE
I1ENSET;m. D
ceorge ik] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 11
tflotmtt
Florence Hensey was born in the county of Kildare, in Ireland. When very young he came to England, and soon after went over to Holland ; and was educated in the university of Leyden. His na tural parts were rather phlegmatic than sprightly ; and he made greater advances in physic, and the laborious sciences, than in polite literature. He afterwards travelled in Switzerland, and continued some time at Berne, from whence he went to Italy. On leaving Italy he sailed from Genoa to Lisbon, and journeyed through Spain in his way to France. By these tra
vels he gained a competent knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; and his residence for some years at Paris enabled him to speak and write the French tongue with great fluency.
During his time abroad, he supported himself in quality of a physician, and came over to England in hopes of settling here in that character ; but either he had not interest, or merit, to recommend him, for we
cannot learn that he had any patients of consequence,
fg*n£e$.
12 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
though some of his prescriptions were the means of his detection. Having continued a literary corres pondence, since he left the university, with a fellow- student who resided at Paris and had lately got into the secretary of state's office for foreign affairs, he wrote to him a more than usual complimentary letter, informing him, in general terms, " he should be glad
of an opportunity of doing him any service that lay in his power, and executing any commission he might have in London," which general invitation his correspondent shrewdly construed into a desire of
a criminal correspondence ; but as he did not think proper to hazard any communications
until such time as he should be convinced of the doctor's real intentions, he wrote word back, " that he was infinitely obliged to him for the service he offered, and that if he understood him rightly, their correspon dence might be rendered more advantageous to both, by changing their topics from literary to political. " The doctor replied, " he was glad to find so dis cerning a man in his fellow-student, and if he could obtain for him a recompense suitable to the trouble, he would endeavour to make his intelligence of the
utmost importance. " By the next post he received an answer, containing instructions, directions, and an
commencing
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 13
appointment of 500 livres (about 25/. sterling) a quar ter. The instructions were, to send lists of all our men-of-war, in and out of commission : their condi tion, situation, the number of men on-board each ; when they sailed, under what commanders, from what ports, and their destinations: accounts of the actual number of our troops, what regiments were
complete, and which were recruiting ; where they were quartered or garrisoned ; the earliest accounts of any enterprises against France ; plans of fortified places in England, America, &c. The directions were of those persons to whom he was to send under cover; some at Cologne, some at the Hague, and some at Bern, in Switzerland ; and they were to for ward his letters from those respective places to Paris. Though the doctor was far from being satisfied with this stipend, he nevertheless thought proper to accept
george ii. ]
in hopes by his merit to obtain
With this view he endeavoured to insinuate himself into the good graces of some of the clerks in our offices, in hopes by their means to gain intelligence of what was transacting concerning naval and military affairs. But not finding in them any such treacherous
disposition
as animated him, he, after some fruitless
efforts, gave over the attempt, fearing their zeal might
VOL. IV. D
'
greater salary.
it,
a
14
MEMOIRS OF [georceii.
induce them to make a discovery of any hints he might give of his design ; so that we do not find he had any connection with the clerks in our offices, as
some persons have supposed.
But we find, that being frustrated in this project, he
used to frequent all the political coffee-houses about
hours in silence at Toms'sin Devereux-court; the largeness of his peruke, and the sanction of doctor, rendering him unsuspected
among the medical gentlemen that resorted there. He often pushed himself into the back-room at Old Slaughter's; and picked as much prejudice, and ill- natured remarks, upon the situation and conduct of our affairs as replenished a sheet for next post. He plied at the Mount, under pretence of reading the Hague Gazette, though he had got it by heart before
at the Exchange. He was a constant customer at the St. James's or the Smyrna on a council-day ; and never failed being at the Cocoa-tree after the house was up. By these means he got acquainted with many particulars, that remained perfect secrets to us a long while. It is confidently asserted, that it was resolved in council, so late as the 24th of July, to attack Rochefort, and that his letter of the 29th of the same month particularly mentioned this resolution;.
town. He commonly passed
george n. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 15
and that General Mordaunt and Admiral Hawke
were at that time unacquainted with the intent. He
never entered into any political
controversies ; but
when there was an absolute
opinion, he always decided in favor of England ; so that, though a papist, he was never suspected by those he conversed with ; nor was he supposed guilty of any illegal practices in the house where he lodged, having appointed a coffee-house near St. Clement's church for the receipt of his letters, under a fictitious name.
He had continued his correspondence from the be ginning of the year 1756, without any material inter ruption, writing upon the margin of a newspaper such news and observations as were not there con tained ; in this manner the examiners of the post- office were deceived, and let these letters pass, imagin ing there was nothing more contained than the news paper. At length his employers complained of the insignificancy of his intelligence, and the necessity there was of extending his plan, otherwise they would discontinue his appointment; and actually threatened to deduct a guinea for every letter that did not con tain some advice of importance. This letter, which was transmitted from Paris by the Hague, contained
D2
necessity of giving his
16 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
nothing seemingly but a few wide lines, written upon
the most trifling, complimentary subject; and was therefore re-sealed and conveyed to him by means of the fictitious direction. An answer to this came from him, which was sent by Holland, to Paris^ This letter of the Doctor's, which then appeared upon examination to be nothing but an answer to the com
pliments, contained (as since has been found, by the copies he kept by him) a representation of the small income, which was not sufficient to make him neglect his practice, and such company as proper intelligence was to be obtained from. These wide-wrote letters had their desired effect, by passing unnoticed for some time at the post-office ; at length the secretary sus pecting there must be something more contained than these corresponding trifles, held one to the fire, when many lines, written with lemon-juice, between the black ones plainly appeared. This letter, which was dated from Twickenham, after giving a very exact account of the state of our finances, the condition of our fleet and army, their disposition, how many ships guarded, and how many soldiers lined the coasts of England, concluded with asserting that the only means
of preventing the success of the expedition (to Roch- fort) would be to make a powerful diversion upon the
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 17
coast of England, with a considerable force ; that by thus attacking us in our very vitals, we might be en
gaged at home, and be prevented from sending a num ber of troops abroad sufficient to give them any real
The discovery of this letter unravelled the whole mystery of all the former ; henceforth all letters directed as before were stopt, and those that
came from abroad were intercepted. The real person to whom they were directed was soon discovered, and his haunts were as soon known. Being a papist, he never failed going to one of the ambassador's chapels on a Sunday ; and as the Spanish minister's in Soho- square was that which he most usually frequented, a secretary-of-state's warrant being issued for his ap prehension, he was way-laid coming from thence by two of his Majesty's messengers on Sunday, the 2 1st of August, 17-57; and after being dodged to two houses in Dean-street, and from thence to the Montpellier coffee-house, facing Greek-street, where he dined, he was seized in St. Martin's-lane, and conducted to the house of one of the messengers in Jermyn-street.
As soon as he was secured, his lodgings, at Mr. Blount's, Arundel-street, in the Strand, were searched, where they found in his bureau twenty-nine rough draughts of letters ; also his correspondence from his
annoyance.
18 MEMOIRS OF [george n.
employers ; all written with lemon-juice between the
black lines. In those he had received from abroad
were complaints of the insignificance of his intelli gence, and how they were better served by a person who lived (or had lived) at Colchester: that there was no need of acquainting them with what the Duke was doing in Germany, they being much earlier and better informed than he could instruct them. They likewise contained instructions, how to write with greater safety and dispatch, by means of directing all the important letters to his brother, who served in the double capacity of chaplain, and under-secretary to the Spanish minister at the Hague. These instructions he closely followed,
as appeared by the rough draughts of his letters, which lately contained more important intelligence, as well with respect to the disposition of our fleets and armies, as to the secrets of the cabinet, which is sur prising how he could obtain ; nor can it be otherwise accounted for than by his frequenting such coffee
houses where it is supposed subjects of this nature were usually most spoken of. It appears he gave intelligence of Admiral Holbourne's destination to America, a few days after the admiral's instructions were signed ; and was particularly minute with respect to the number of ships and troops on-board, with the
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. iy
day of their departure, &c. This improvement in his intelligence is to be attributed to the increase which his salary now received ; for instead of five hundred livres a quarter, he was promised that sum every month ; and was also given to understand, that if there were any hopes of procuring intelligence of great consequence, not to spare expense, as he might assure himself of all possible encouragement. But this rich endowment was of short duration ; for he received merely one month's salary before he was taken into custody, when his poverty was so great that all his cash, both in his pocket and his bureau, did not amount to a guinea.
During his confinement at the messenger's he was particularly reserved, very seldom entering into any conversation, and never mentioning any thing relative to his own affairs. This precaution was of very little use, as he afterwards found ; but he all along imagined that proceedings against him would not be carried to any great extreme, and that he could, by the intercession of friends, procure a mitigation of his punishment ; but, alas ! his friends were like most others, merely temporary ; his coffee-house ac quaintance all disowned him ; and those persons who had been connected with him were, through
20 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
necessity, obliged to be evidences; otherwise they would have been guilty of misprision of high-trea
son, and liable to have suffered
facts were too glaring to suffer him to escape with impunity ; and it was high time to make an exam ple of some, to deter others from the same practices. On his examinations before the secretary-of-state, he made the most trifling excuses : pretending his ignorance of the consequences of his conduct, though, at the same time, he was conscious of the enormity of his offence, by actually inviting and
counselling the French to make an invasion on
England. He was committed to Newgate on Wed-
nesdays the 9th of March, by the Right Honorable the Earl of Holdernesse, one of his majesty's prin
treason, in adhering to, and
enemies. If his finances were low at the time of
his being taken into custody,
greater ebb at the time of his commitment, after near seven months confinement at the messenger's, during which time he had more than exhausted the small remains of his stock for superfluities; in fine, he found himself under the necessity of pawning his
sword for a guinea, to pay garnish, and was much
accordingly. The
cipal secretaries-of-state, being charged with
high- assisting, the king's
they were at a still
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 21
in arrears for the room in the press-yard, which he was to pay five shillings a week for. His confine ment in Newgate all along resembled that at the messenger's ; and he scarce spoke to any but his
confessor, who frequently visited him.
He was indicted at Easter-term, in the 31st of
George II. , the solicitor of the treasury being pro secutor for the crown ; and the indictment was found at Westminster, by the grand inquest for the county of Middlesex. The same being returned to Banco
Regis, he was brought from Newgate that term to the bar of the court, and arraigned for high- treason, in adhering to the king's enemies, and carry ing on, by letters, a treasonable correspondence with one La Roche, and P. de France, as appeared
by the answers he received from these French corres
pondents ; to which he pleaded not guilty. A copy of the indictment being delivered to him, the
court ordered him to prepare for his trial, on Monday, the 12th of June following.
He was, in consequence, on the 12th of June conducted from Newgate in a hackney-coach, the irons which he wore being taken off; and, between nine and ten o'clock that morning, brought into the
court of King's-bench by Mr. Richard Akerman, VOL. IV. E
22 MEMOIRS OF [george n.
head-keeper of Newgate, in whose custody he was ; when, after the usual forms for silence, &c. the jury being called, the prisoner was arraigned on the indictment. He stood charged by the name of Florence Hensey, doctor of physic, late of the parish of St. Clement Danes, in the county of Middlesex, with being a " traitor to his country, and not obeying the duty of his allegiance to our Sovereign Lord George the Second, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, &c. In the months of May and June,
1757, and at divers other times, as well before as after, in the parish aforesaid, and county aforesaid, with force and arms, feloniously, traitorously, and of his malice aforethought, did write certain letters to the agents and subjects of Lewis, the French king, with whom we are now at open war, giving an ac count of the strength of our fleets and armies that
were then preparing in Great Britain ; and inviting the said Lewis, the French king, his subjects and vassals, to invade these realms, and to make a most bloody slaughter on his majesty's subjects. "
To this indictment he pleaded Not guilty, object ing to eleven of the jury before they came to be sworn; and, having finished his challenges, a special
was summoned, composed of twelve gentle
jury
george ii. ]
men of great property in the county of Middlesex. The counsel for the crown opened the indictment,
by setting forth that " the prisoner at the bar, though a subject of this realm, and living under the protection of its laws, had for a considerable time past held a treasonable correspondence with the enemies of our gracious Sovereign Lord the King, and stood accused of other high crimes and misdemeanors. They fur ther set forth, that the prisoner had solicited for a pension from the French ministers, in order, as far as lay in his power, to betray the secrets of our Sovereign Lord the King; and give such intelligence to his said enemies of the destination of his majesty's fleets, and number of ships they were composed of, and by whom commanded ; as also of the number of troops in Great Britain, and the English colonies
abroad, whereby any design to annoy the enemies of these kingdoms might be frustrated, his majesty's territories invaded, and even his sacred life endan gered ; as it is reasonable to conclude, from his known valor and love for his subjects, he would head his own troops in so perilous and critical a situation. That, as to the crime for which he stood indicted, it was
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 23
as much more fatal in its consequences e2
than an act
24 MEMOIRS OF [aEORCE u
of open rebellion, as the power of a whole nation was superior to that of a single person. "
The counsel then proceeded to shew, that notice having been received by the government of such treasonable correspondence, messengers were sent to
the prisoner, who found in his bureau copies of twenty-nine letters of intelligence, which he sent to France; some being of the most dangerous tendency, not only giving advice of our fleets and armies, their destination, but also advising a descent on this island, in order effectually to prevent our successes abroad.
The witnesses were then examined : —
The servant-maid at Mr. Blount's, and another witness, (his washerwoman,) proved that he lodged in a room up one-pair of stairs at Mr. Blount's, and that the bureau, in which the letters were found by the messengers, was in the prisoner's said room.
The prisoner's counsel remarked, in regard to this evidence, " That as the house was a common lodging- house, and at that time full, those papers and letters might have been put in by some other person, Mrs. Blount, the landlady, having a key to the same. " But this objection was soon set aside, by its being proved
apprehend
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 25
that the key Mrs. Blount, the landlady, had in her
possession, could not open the upper part of the bureau where these papers were ; but only the drawers of the under part of the bureau, where the doctor's linen was.
The identity of the hand-writing was the principal point to be proved, which was done by several cre dible witnesses ; namely, Mr. Mendez, on whom he had various bills of exchange ; Dr. Wilbraham, of Westminster, and several apothecaries, who had received prescriptions from the doctor, for patients under his care, which they had kept on their files.
A point of law was argued by the prisoner's coun sel, concerning a flaw in the indictment; as they asserted all the letters read in court were written in London, and intercepted at the general post-office, in Lombard-street ; and that, therefore, the indict ment could not be laid in Middlesex; but it ap peared one of these letters was dated at Twickenham, and the court in consequence over-ruled this opposi
tion. Various points of law being now started by the counsel for the prisoner, to oppose the proof of the overt-act of high-treason, they endeavoured to in sinuate, that holding a correspondence with the king's enemies was not in itself high-treason ; and that
geobge ii. ]
MEMOIRS OF
[GEORGE II.
if it were, as he had not actually corresponded with them but in Holland, Germany, and Switzerland, which were not parts of the dominions of the French king, hecould not be found guilty of the crime for which he was indicted. But the sophistry of these argu ments was easily combated by the counsel for the crown, who made it plainly appear, that these letters were not written to those persons to whom the out side superscription was addressed, but directed to
them to be forwarded to Paris ; that the correspon dence itself did not only render him guilty of treason, but also the nature of the correspondence, by which he adhered to assist the king's enemies.
Lord Mansfield made a very candid and judicious recapitulation of the various points upon which the evidence turned, remarking, at the same time, that though clemency was one of the most god-like at tributes of humanity, it was necessary the gentle men of the jury should consider the heinousness of the crime, and the credibility of the witnesses, and then let their consciences give the verdict.
Dr. Hensey had hitherto supported himself with courage ; but, during the absence of the jury, which was about three-quarters of an hour, he trembled ex cessively, and repeatedly changed colour, while large
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 27
drops of perspiration ran down his face ; and the agitation of his mind was so great that he burst into tears. On the return of the jury, he had scarcely strength to hold up his hand at the bar. A verdict of Guilty being pronounced, a rule of court was made for his being brought up to receive sentence on the Wednesday following.
While Lord Mansfield was pronouncing sentence, on the appointed day, the convict shed tears, turned pale, and trembled exceedingly ; and, after sentence, he begged a fortnight to make proper preparation for his death ; but the court generously granted him a month.
the revolution in 1688 to the end of the reign of George II. Collected
from the most authentic accounts extant. By James Caulfield.
Caulfield, James, 1764-1826. London, T. H. Whitely, 1819-20.
http://hdl. handle. net/2027/hvd. hx15cv
Public Domain, Google-digitized
http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd-google
We have determined this work to be in the public domain, meaning that it is not subject to copyright. Users are free to copy, use, and redistribute the work in part or in whole. It is possible that current copyright holders, heirs or the estate of the authors of individual portions of the work, such as illustrations or photographs, assert copyrights over these portions. Depending on the nature of subsequent use that is made, additional rights may need to be obtained independently of anything we can address. The digital images and OCR of this work were produced by Google, Inc. (indicated by a watermark on each page in the PageTurner). Google requests that the images and OCR not be re-hosted, redistributed or used commercially. The images are provided for educational, scholarly, non-commercial purposes.
PORTRAITS, MEMOIRS, AND
REMARKABLE PERSONS, ntOM THE
REVOLUTION in 1688 TO THE
END OF THE REIGN OF GEORGE II.
COLLECTED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS EXTANT.
JAMES
CAULFIELD. IN FOUR VOLUMES.
VOL. IV.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED BYT. H. WHITELEY,3, PATERNOSTER-ROW.
■1■ 1820.
i
If
>3
JLIZte.
HfXVARO COUEC. F. LIFJF. mIV BE'. mtST OF
DR. WILLIAM L. RICHARDSON fuJIIUAK* ^, IJJj
W. Lewis, Prioter, Finch-Une, Coruhlll.
CONTENTS.
REIGN OF GEORGE II. CONTINUED.
Henley, John, Orator -
Hensey, Florence, a Convict
Kitchener, William, Beadle of St. Andrew's, Holborn Lovat, Simon Frazer, Lord, beheaded for High-Treason
Page - 1
- 11 - 29 - 31
-
Lowry, Captain James, a Convict Macdonald, Ranald, a Scotch Rebel Malcolm, Sarah, a Convict - Malden, Daniel, a Convict - Mapp, Mrs. Sarah, a Female Bone-setter Macdaniel, Stephen, Thief-taker Macleane, James, Highwayman M'Pherson, Samuel, a Deserter
-
- - 87 - - 97 Miller, Maximilian Christopher, a German Giant - 109
. . . . Rogers, Henry, a Convict - - - 148
Mills, Anne, a Female Sailor
Page, William, a Convict -
Parsons, William, a Convict
Patten, Margaret, died in St. Margaret's Workhouse, aged 143 143
. . .
Short, Robert, cured of the Stone - - 158
Pixley, John, a Smuggler
146 Shakeshaft, Thomas, who obtained the Flitch of Bacon at
. . . Smith, Layton, an Eccentric Debtor — - 168
Dunmow
. 151
Simons, Henry, a Polish Jew
180
-
- -126
-
-
-
-
- 41
-
. . . - -113
-
- 60 - 55 - 67
--
- 78
70
m
IT CONTENTS. . . -.
Page 176 Swan, John, and Elizabeth Jeffries, executed for Murder - 191
200
Snell, Hannah, a Female Soldier
Taylor, John, Oculist . Taylor, George, Pugilist
207
- • - 209
- 214
- - 218 223
Turpin, Richard, the celebrated Highwayman - - 226 - 248
Topham, Thomas, the Strong Man - Tour, Jean de la, a Pirate -
Townley and Fletcher, Rebels Turner, James, an Aged Beggar
-
Wood, Samuel, a Miller - -
Will, Little, Waiter at the Turk's-head Coffee-house
Warman, Catherine, an Alms-woman of St. Martins' Parish 2att
. . . . . .
-
Walker, William, who lived during eight Reigns
Ward, Joshua, a Quack-Doctor - - 262
- 265
- 256
MEMOIRS 01
REMARKABLE PERSONS. Orator f#ente£*
[GEORGE II. John HenLey, better known by the appellation
of Orator Henley, was born at Milton Mowbray, Leicestershire, August 3d, 1692. His father, the Reverend Simon Henley, and his grandfather by his mother's side, were both vicars of that parish. His grandfather, by his father's side, John Henley, M. A. was likewise a clergyman, rector of Salmonby and Thetford, in Lincolnshire, was educated
among the dissenters, and conformed at the restoration.
The orator was bred up first in the free-school of Milton, under Mr. Daffy, a diligent and expert grammarian. From this school he was removed to that of Okeham, in Rutland, under Mr. Wright,
2 MEMOIRS OF [seorgb n.
eminent for his knowledge of the Latin, Greek,
and Hebrew languages. About 1709, he entered
St. John's-college, Cambridge, where, on his ex amination by Dr. Gower, then master, Dr. Lambert, Dr. Edmundson, and others, he was, according to
his own account, particularly approved. While an under-graduate at St. John's, he wrote a letter to the Spectator, dated from that College, February 3, 1712, signed Peter de Quir, abounding with quaint- ness and local wit. He began here to be very uneasy, and was more inclined to dispute than to assent to any points of doctrine ; and already fancied himself able to reform the whole system of academical edu cation.
After he had commenced his degree of Bachelor of Arts, he was first desired by the trustees of the school in Milton to assist in, and then to take the direction of, that school ; which he increased, and raised from a declining to a flourishing condition.
He established here, he informs us, a practice of improving elocution, by the public speaking of pas sages in the classics, morning and afternoon, as well as orations, &c. Here he was invited, by a letter from the Rev. Mr. Newcome, to be a candidate for a fellow ship in St. John's; but, as he had long been absent,
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 3
and therefore lessened his personal interest, he de clined appearing for it. Here likewise he began his " Universal Grammar," and finished ten languages, with dissertations prefixed, as the most ready in troduction to any tongue whatever. In the be ginning of this interval he wrote a poem on " Esther," which was approved by the town, and well received, as indeed it amply deserved. It is preceded by a learned preface, in which he discovers an intimate knowledge of Oriental studies, and some learned ety mologies from the Persic, Hebrew, and Greek, con cerning the name and person of Ahasuerus, whom he makes to be Xerxes. On the occasion of his "Grammars," Dr. Hutchinson wrote him a com
plimentary letter. He was ordained a deacon by Dr. Wake, then Bishop of Lincoln ; and, after having taken his degree of M. A. , was admitted to priest's orders by Dr. Gibson, his successor in that see. He did not long consent to rest in the country, but, impatient to obtain wealth and fame in London,
resigned his offices of master and curate, and entered upon a new career.
george ii. ]
In town he produced several
Translations of Pliny's Epistles; several works of
publications ; as,
4 MEMOIRS OF
[<
Abbe Vertot; of Montfaucon's Italian Travels, in folio, and many other books. His principal patron was the Earl of Macclesfield, who gave him a bene fice in the country, the value of which, to a resident, would have been about eighty pounds a-year; he had likewise a lecture in the city ; and, according to his own account, preached more charity-sermons about town, was more numerously followed, and raised more for the poor children, than any other preacher, however dignified or distinguished. This popularity, with Henley's enterprising spirit, and introducing regular action into the pulpit, were " The true causes," he says, " why some obstructed his rising in town, from envy, jealousy, and a disrelish of those who are not qualified to be complete spaniels. For there was no objection to his being tossed into a country benefice by the way of the sea, as far as Galilee of the Gentiles, like a pendulum swinging one way as far as the other. " Not being able to obtain preferment in London, and not choosing to return into the country, he struck out the plan of his Lectures, or Orations, which he puffed with an astonishing vulgarity of arrogance, as may be seen in the following specimen : —
"That he should have the assurance to frame a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 5
plan, which no mortal ever thought of; that he should singly execute what would sprain a dozen of modern doctors of the tribe of Issachar ; that he should have success against all opposition ; challenge his adversaries to fair disputations, without any offering to dispute with him ; write, read, and study twelve hours a-day, and yet appear as untouched by the yoke, as if he never wore it ; compose three disser tations each week, on all subjects, however uncom mon, treated in all lights and manners, by himself, without assistance, as some would detract from him ; teach in one year what schools and universities teach in five ; offer to learn—to speak, and —to read ; not to be terrified by cabals, or menaces, or insults, or the grave nonsense of one, or the frothy satire of another; but he should still proceed and mature this bold scheme, and put the church, and all that, in danger. "
In this style Henley lectured on Sundays upon theological matters, and on Wednesdays upon all other sciences. He declaimed some years against
the greatest persons ; and, occasionally, says Warbur- ton, did Pope that honour. The poet retorted upon him in the well-known lines : —
VOL. iv. c
george ii. ]
6
MEMOIRS OF [grorge ii.
" But where each science lifts its modern type, History her pot, Divinity his pipe ;
While proud Philosophy repines to show,
Dishonest sight ! his breeches rent below ;
Imbrown•d with native bronze, lo Henley stands," &c.
Orator Henley endeavoured, on all popular occa sions, to render himself particular, and caught at even the most trifling incidents to excite the public atten tion. Dr. Cobden, one of George the Second's chap
lains, having, in 1748, preached a sermon at St. James's from these words : " Take away the wicked from be fore the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness it gave so much displeasure, that the doctor was struck out of the list of chaplains ; and the next Saturday, the following parody of his text appeared as a motto to Henley's advertisement
" Away with the wicked before the king, And away with the wicked behind him ; His throne it will bless
With righteousness
And we shall know where to find him. "
Hogarth has more than once indulged the vein of his humour at Henley's expense. In a print entitled the Oratory, Henley is represented on a scaffold, a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 7
monkey (over which is written amen) by his side ; a box of pills and the Hyp-doctor lying beside him ; over his head, "The Oratory. " — Inveniam viam aut
faciam, (the motto on the medals which the orator dispersed as tickets to his subscribers. ) Over the door, " Ingredere ut proficias —The inscription over the outer door of St. Paul's school. A parson receiving the money for admission ; under him, " The Treasury ;" a butcher stands as porter. On the left hand, Modesty in a cloud ; Folly in a coach ; and a gibbet prepared for Merit. People laughing ; — one marked the scout introducing a puritan divine ;
and a boy easing nature. Several grotesque figures, one of them (marked tee hee) in a violent fit of laughter; underneath the following inscription: —
An extempore Epigram, made at the Oratory: —
" O, Orator ! with brazen face and lungs,
" Whose jargon's form'd often unlearned tongues,
" Why stand'st thou there a whole long hour haranguing, " When half the time fits better men for hanging 1"
Henley was too good a subject to part with easily, and we find him a second time brought into notice, in the act of christening a child, represented in a print, with the following verses under it:—
c2
george ii. ]
8
MEMOIRS OF [GEORGE i! .
" Behold Vilaria, lately brought to bed,
Her cheeks now strangers to their rosy red, Languid her eyes, yet lovely she appears!
And oh ! what fondness her lord's visage wears ! The pamper'd priest, in whose extended arms The female infant lies, with budding charms, Seeming to ask the name ere he baptize,
Casts at the handsome gossips his wanton eyes. While gay Sir Fopling, an accomplished ass,
Is courting his own dear image in the glass: The midwife busied, too, with mighty care, Adjusts the cap, shews innocency fair.
Behind her stands the clerk, on whose grave face Sleek Abigal cannot forbear to gaze :
But master, without thought, poor harmless child, Has on the floor the holy-water spill'd,
Thrown down the hat; the lap-dog gnaws the rose; And at the fire the nurse is warming clothes.
One guest inquires the parson's name ; — says Friendly, Why, don't you know, Sir? —'tis Hyp-doctor Henley. "
Mr. Nichols, in his biographical anecdotes of Hogarth, has clearly ascertained that the clergyman in the Modern Midnight Conversation was intended to represent Orator Henley ; and to degrade him still more, he is introduced drinking gin with a prostitute and female robber, in the last plate of his Harlot's Pro gress, while attending, in his clerical character, the ceremony of the funeral.
Orator Henley struck medals, which he dispersed as tickets to his subscribers, representing a star rising
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 9
to the meridian, with this motto, " ad summa ;" for each of these the price was one shilling. His audience was generally composed of the lowest ranks ; and it is well known, that he once collected a vast number of shoe-makers, by announcing that he could teach them a speedy mode of operating in their business, which proved only to be the making of shoes, by cutting off the tops of ready-made boots. His motto on this occasion was, " Omne majus continet in se minus. "
He was author of a weekly paper of unintelligible nonsense, called " The Hyp-Doctor," for which secret service he had 100/. a-year given him, and which was intended to counteract the effect of the u Craftsman," a proof how little his patron, Sir Robert Walpole, knew of literary assistance. Henley used, every Saturday, to print an advertisement in " The Daily Advertiser," containing an account of the sub jects on which he intended to discourse on the ensu ing evening, at his Oratory near Lincoln's-inn-fields.
The advertisement had a sort of motto before which
was generally sneer at some public transaction of
the preceding week. Henley died Oct. 14, 17. 56.
A late reviewer of the life of this extraordinary man says, " He was scholar of great acquirements, and of no mean genius hardy and inventive eloquent
george n. ]
a ;
;
a
it,
[0 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
and witty ; and might have been an ornament to literature, which he made ridiculous ; and the pride
of the pulpit, which he so egregiously disgraced ; but having blunted and worn out that interior feeling, which is the instinct of the good man, and the wis dom of the wise, there was no balance in his passions, and the decorum of life was sacrificed to its selfish ness. He condescended to live on the follies of the people, and his sordid nature had changed him till he crept licking the dust with the serpent. " In his ac count of himself he assumes the credit of considerable learning, and a strong zeal for knowledge; which, at
one time, certainly was the case, but his talents became
miserably perverted ; both his style and his thoughts were low ; vanity and censoriousness are the most
conspicuous qualities he exhibited ; and his manners became gross and ferocious, and entirely corresponded with his writings.
FL. ORKXCE
I1ENSET;m. D
ceorge ik] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 11
tflotmtt
Florence Hensey was born in the county of Kildare, in Ireland. When very young he came to England, and soon after went over to Holland ; and was educated in the university of Leyden. His na tural parts were rather phlegmatic than sprightly ; and he made greater advances in physic, and the laborious sciences, than in polite literature. He afterwards travelled in Switzerland, and continued some time at Berne, from whence he went to Italy. On leaving Italy he sailed from Genoa to Lisbon, and journeyed through Spain in his way to France. By these tra
vels he gained a competent knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; and his residence for some years at Paris enabled him to speak and write the French tongue with great fluency.
During his time abroad, he supported himself in quality of a physician, and came over to England in hopes of settling here in that character ; but either he had not interest, or merit, to recommend him, for we
cannot learn that he had any patients of consequence,
fg*n£e$.
12 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
though some of his prescriptions were the means of his detection. Having continued a literary corres pondence, since he left the university, with a fellow- student who resided at Paris and had lately got into the secretary of state's office for foreign affairs, he wrote to him a more than usual complimentary letter, informing him, in general terms, " he should be glad
of an opportunity of doing him any service that lay in his power, and executing any commission he might have in London," which general invitation his correspondent shrewdly construed into a desire of
a criminal correspondence ; but as he did not think proper to hazard any communications
until such time as he should be convinced of the doctor's real intentions, he wrote word back, " that he was infinitely obliged to him for the service he offered, and that if he understood him rightly, their correspon dence might be rendered more advantageous to both, by changing their topics from literary to political. " The doctor replied, " he was glad to find so dis cerning a man in his fellow-student, and if he could obtain for him a recompense suitable to the trouble, he would endeavour to make his intelligence of the
utmost importance. " By the next post he received an answer, containing instructions, directions, and an
commencing
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 13
appointment of 500 livres (about 25/. sterling) a quar ter. The instructions were, to send lists of all our men-of-war, in and out of commission : their condi tion, situation, the number of men on-board each ; when they sailed, under what commanders, from what ports, and their destinations: accounts of the actual number of our troops, what regiments were
complete, and which were recruiting ; where they were quartered or garrisoned ; the earliest accounts of any enterprises against France ; plans of fortified places in England, America, &c. The directions were of those persons to whom he was to send under cover; some at Cologne, some at the Hague, and some at Bern, in Switzerland ; and they were to for ward his letters from those respective places to Paris. Though the doctor was far from being satisfied with this stipend, he nevertheless thought proper to accept
george ii. ]
in hopes by his merit to obtain
With this view he endeavoured to insinuate himself into the good graces of some of the clerks in our offices, in hopes by their means to gain intelligence of what was transacting concerning naval and military affairs. But not finding in them any such treacherous
disposition
as animated him, he, after some fruitless
efforts, gave over the attempt, fearing their zeal might
VOL. IV. D
'
greater salary.
it,
a
14
MEMOIRS OF [georceii.
induce them to make a discovery of any hints he might give of his design ; so that we do not find he had any connection with the clerks in our offices, as
some persons have supposed.
But we find, that being frustrated in this project, he
used to frequent all the political coffee-houses about
hours in silence at Toms'sin Devereux-court; the largeness of his peruke, and the sanction of doctor, rendering him unsuspected
among the medical gentlemen that resorted there. He often pushed himself into the back-room at Old Slaughter's; and picked as much prejudice, and ill- natured remarks, upon the situation and conduct of our affairs as replenished a sheet for next post. He plied at the Mount, under pretence of reading the Hague Gazette, though he had got it by heart before
at the Exchange. He was a constant customer at the St. James's or the Smyrna on a council-day ; and never failed being at the Cocoa-tree after the house was up. By these means he got acquainted with many particulars, that remained perfect secrets to us a long while. It is confidently asserted, that it was resolved in council, so late as the 24th of July, to attack Rochefort, and that his letter of the 29th of the same month particularly mentioned this resolution;.
John's-college, Cambridge, where, on his ex amination by Dr. Gower, then master, Dr. Lambert, Dr. Edmundson, and others, he was, according to
his own account, particularly approved. While an under-graduate at St. John's, he wrote a letter to the Spectator, dated from that College, February 3, 1712, signed Peter de Quir, abounding with quaint- ness and local wit. He began here to be very uneasy, and was more inclined to dispute than to assent to any points of doctrine ; and already fancied himself able to reform the whole system of academical edu cation.
After he had commenced his degree of Bachelor of Arts, he was first desired by the trustees of the school in Milton to assist in, and then to take the direction of, that school ; which he increased, and raised from a declining to a flourishing condition.
He established here, he informs us, a practice of improving elocution, by the public speaking of pas sages in the classics, morning and afternoon, as well as orations, &c. Here he was invited, by a letter from the Rev. Mr. Newcome, to be a candidate for a fellow ship in St. John's; but, as he had long been absent,
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 3
and therefore lessened his personal interest, he de clined appearing for it. Here likewise he began his " Universal Grammar," and finished ten languages, with dissertations prefixed, as the most ready in troduction to any tongue whatever. In the be ginning of this interval he wrote a poem on " Esther," which was approved by the town, and well received, as indeed it amply deserved. It is preceded by a learned preface, in which he discovers an intimate knowledge of Oriental studies, and some learned ety mologies from the Persic, Hebrew, and Greek, con cerning the name and person of Ahasuerus, whom he makes to be Xerxes. On the occasion of his "Grammars," Dr. Hutchinson wrote him a com
plimentary letter. He was ordained a deacon by Dr. Wake, then Bishop of Lincoln ; and, after having taken his degree of M. A. , was admitted to priest's orders by Dr. Gibson, his successor in that see. He did not long consent to rest in the country, but, impatient to obtain wealth and fame in London,
resigned his offices of master and curate, and entered upon a new career.
george ii. ]
In town he produced several
Translations of Pliny's Epistles; several works of
publications ; as,
4 MEMOIRS OF
[<
Abbe Vertot; of Montfaucon's Italian Travels, in folio, and many other books. His principal patron was the Earl of Macclesfield, who gave him a bene fice in the country, the value of which, to a resident, would have been about eighty pounds a-year; he had likewise a lecture in the city ; and, according to his own account, preached more charity-sermons about town, was more numerously followed, and raised more for the poor children, than any other preacher, however dignified or distinguished. This popularity, with Henley's enterprising spirit, and introducing regular action into the pulpit, were " The true causes," he says, " why some obstructed his rising in town, from envy, jealousy, and a disrelish of those who are not qualified to be complete spaniels. For there was no objection to his being tossed into a country benefice by the way of the sea, as far as Galilee of the Gentiles, like a pendulum swinging one way as far as the other. " Not being able to obtain preferment in London, and not choosing to return into the country, he struck out the plan of his Lectures, or Orations, which he puffed with an astonishing vulgarity of arrogance, as may be seen in the following specimen : —
"That he should have the assurance to frame a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 5
plan, which no mortal ever thought of; that he should singly execute what would sprain a dozen of modern doctors of the tribe of Issachar ; that he should have success against all opposition ; challenge his adversaries to fair disputations, without any offering to dispute with him ; write, read, and study twelve hours a-day, and yet appear as untouched by the yoke, as if he never wore it ; compose three disser tations each week, on all subjects, however uncom mon, treated in all lights and manners, by himself, without assistance, as some would detract from him ; teach in one year what schools and universities teach in five ; offer to learn—to speak, and —to read ; not to be terrified by cabals, or menaces, or insults, or the grave nonsense of one, or the frothy satire of another; but he should still proceed and mature this bold scheme, and put the church, and all that, in danger. "
In this style Henley lectured on Sundays upon theological matters, and on Wednesdays upon all other sciences. He declaimed some years against
the greatest persons ; and, occasionally, says Warbur- ton, did Pope that honour. The poet retorted upon him in the well-known lines : —
VOL. iv. c
george ii. ]
6
MEMOIRS OF [grorge ii.
" But where each science lifts its modern type, History her pot, Divinity his pipe ;
While proud Philosophy repines to show,
Dishonest sight ! his breeches rent below ;
Imbrown•d with native bronze, lo Henley stands," &c.
Orator Henley endeavoured, on all popular occa sions, to render himself particular, and caught at even the most trifling incidents to excite the public atten tion. Dr. Cobden, one of George the Second's chap
lains, having, in 1748, preached a sermon at St. James's from these words : " Take away the wicked from be fore the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness it gave so much displeasure, that the doctor was struck out of the list of chaplains ; and the next Saturday, the following parody of his text appeared as a motto to Henley's advertisement
" Away with the wicked before the king, And away with the wicked behind him ; His throne it will bless
With righteousness
And we shall know where to find him. "
Hogarth has more than once indulged the vein of his humour at Henley's expense. In a print entitled the Oratory, Henley is represented on a scaffold, a
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 7
monkey (over which is written amen) by his side ; a box of pills and the Hyp-doctor lying beside him ; over his head, "The Oratory. " — Inveniam viam aut
faciam, (the motto on the medals which the orator dispersed as tickets to his subscribers. ) Over the door, " Ingredere ut proficias —The inscription over the outer door of St. Paul's school. A parson receiving the money for admission ; under him, " The Treasury ;" a butcher stands as porter. On the left hand, Modesty in a cloud ; Folly in a coach ; and a gibbet prepared for Merit. People laughing ; — one marked the scout introducing a puritan divine ;
and a boy easing nature. Several grotesque figures, one of them (marked tee hee) in a violent fit of laughter; underneath the following inscription: —
An extempore Epigram, made at the Oratory: —
" O, Orator ! with brazen face and lungs,
" Whose jargon's form'd often unlearned tongues,
" Why stand'st thou there a whole long hour haranguing, " When half the time fits better men for hanging 1"
Henley was too good a subject to part with easily, and we find him a second time brought into notice, in the act of christening a child, represented in a print, with the following verses under it:—
c2
george ii. ]
8
MEMOIRS OF [GEORGE i! .
" Behold Vilaria, lately brought to bed,
Her cheeks now strangers to their rosy red, Languid her eyes, yet lovely she appears!
And oh ! what fondness her lord's visage wears ! The pamper'd priest, in whose extended arms The female infant lies, with budding charms, Seeming to ask the name ere he baptize,
Casts at the handsome gossips his wanton eyes. While gay Sir Fopling, an accomplished ass,
Is courting his own dear image in the glass: The midwife busied, too, with mighty care, Adjusts the cap, shews innocency fair.
Behind her stands the clerk, on whose grave face Sleek Abigal cannot forbear to gaze :
But master, without thought, poor harmless child, Has on the floor the holy-water spill'd,
Thrown down the hat; the lap-dog gnaws the rose; And at the fire the nurse is warming clothes.
One guest inquires the parson's name ; — says Friendly, Why, don't you know, Sir? —'tis Hyp-doctor Henley. "
Mr. Nichols, in his biographical anecdotes of Hogarth, has clearly ascertained that the clergyman in the Modern Midnight Conversation was intended to represent Orator Henley ; and to degrade him still more, he is introduced drinking gin with a prostitute and female robber, in the last plate of his Harlot's Pro gress, while attending, in his clerical character, the ceremony of the funeral.
Orator Henley struck medals, which he dispersed as tickets to his subscribers, representing a star rising
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 9
to the meridian, with this motto, " ad summa ;" for each of these the price was one shilling. His audience was generally composed of the lowest ranks ; and it is well known, that he once collected a vast number of shoe-makers, by announcing that he could teach them a speedy mode of operating in their business, which proved only to be the making of shoes, by cutting off the tops of ready-made boots. His motto on this occasion was, " Omne majus continet in se minus. "
He was author of a weekly paper of unintelligible nonsense, called " The Hyp-Doctor," for which secret service he had 100/. a-year given him, and which was intended to counteract the effect of the u Craftsman," a proof how little his patron, Sir Robert Walpole, knew of literary assistance. Henley used, every Saturday, to print an advertisement in " The Daily Advertiser," containing an account of the sub jects on which he intended to discourse on the ensu ing evening, at his Oratory near Lincoln's-inn-fields.
The advertisement had a sort of motto before which
was generally sneer at some public transaction of
the preceding week. Henley died Oct. 14, 17. 56.
A late reviewer of the life of this extraordinary man says, " He was scholar of great acquirements, and of no mean genius hardy and inventive eloquent
george n. ]
a ;
;
a
it,
[0 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
and witty ; and might have been an ornament to literature, which he made ridiculous ; and the pride
of the pulpit, which he so egregiously disgraced ; but having blunted and worn out that interior feeling, which is the instinct of the good man, and the wis dom of the wise, there was no balance in his passions, and the decorum of life was sacrificed to its selfish ness. He condescended to live on the follies of the people, and his sordid nature had changed him till he crept licking the dust with the serpent. " In his ac count of himself he assumes the credit of considerable learning, and a strong zeal for knowledge; which, at
one time, certainly was the case, but his talents became
miserably perverted ; both his style and his thoughts were low ; vanity and censoriousness are the most
conspicuous qualities he exhibited ; and his manners became gross and ferocious, and entirely corresponded with his writings.
FL. ORKXCE
I1ENSET;m. D
ceorge ik] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 11
tflotmtt
Florence Hensey was born in the county of Kildare, in Ireland. When very young he came to England, and soon after went over to Holland ; and was educated in the university of Leyden. His na tural parts were rather phlegmatic than sprightly ; and he made greater advances in physic, and the laborious sciences, than in polite literature. He afterwards travelled in Switzerland, and continued some time at Berne, from whence he went to Italy. On leaving Italy he sailed from Genoa to Lisbon, and journeyed through Spain in his way to France. By these tra
vels he gained a competent knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; and his residence for some years at Paris enabled him to speak and write the French tongue with great fluency.
During his time abroad, he supported himself in quality of a physician, and came over to England in hopes of settling here in that character ; but either he had not interest, or merit, to recommend him, for we
cannot learn that he had any patients of consequence,
fg*n£e$.
12 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
though some of his prescriptions were the means of his detection. Having continued a literary corres pondence, since he left the university, with a fellow- student who resided at Paris and had lately got into the secretary of state's office for foreign affairs, he wrote to him a more than usual complimentary letter, informing him, in general terms, " he should be glad
of an opportunity of doing him any service that lay in his power, and executing any commission he might have in London," which general invitation his correspondent shrewdly construed into a desire of
a criminal correspondence ; but as he did not think proper to hazard any communications
until such time as he should be convinced of the doctor's real intentions, he wrote word back, " that he was infinitely obliged to him for the service he offered, and that if he understood him rightly, their correspon dence might be rendered more advantageous to both, by changing their topics from literary to political. " The doctor replied, " he was glad to find so dis cerning a man in his fellow-student, and if he could obtain for him a recompense suitable to the trouble, he would endeavour to make his intelligence of the
utmost importance. " By the next post he received an answer, containing instructions, directions, and an
commencing
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 13
appointment of 500 livres (about 25/. sterling) a quar ter. The instructions were, to send lists of all our men-of-war, in and out of commission : their condi tion, situation, the number of men on-board each ; when they sailed, under what commanders, from what ports, and their destinations: accounts of the actual number of our troops, what regiments were
complete, and which were recruiting ; where they were quartered or garrisoned ; the earliest accounts of any enterprises against France ; plans of fortified places in England, America, &c. The directions were of those persons to whom he was to send under cover; some at Cologne, some at the Hague, and some at Bern, in Switzerland ; and they were to for ward his letters from those respective places to Paris. Though the doctor was far from being satisfied with this stipend, he nevertheless thought proper to accept
george ii. ]
in hopes by his merit to obtain
With this view he endeavoured to insinuate himself into the good graces of some of the clerks in our offices, in hopes by their means to gain intelligence of what was transacting concerning naval and military affairs. But not finding in them any such treacherous
disposition
as animated him, he, after some fruitless
efforts, gave over the attempt, fearing their zeal might
VOL. IV. D
'
greater salary.
it,
a
14
MEMOIRS OF [georceii.
induce them to make a discovery of any hints he might give of his design ; so that we do not find he had any connection with the clerks in our offices, as
some persons have supposed.
But we find, that being frustrated in this project, he
used to frequent all the political coffee-houses about
hours in silence at Toms'sin Devereux-court; the largeness of his peruke, and the sanction of doctor, rendering him unsuspected
among the medical gentlemen that resorted there. He often pushed himself into the back-room at Old Slaughter's; and picked as much prejudice, and ill- natured remarks, upon the situation and conduct of our affairs as replenished a sheet for next post. He plied at the Mount, under pretence of reading the Hague Gazette, though he had got it by heart before
at the Exchange. He was a constant customer at the St. James's or the Smyrna on a council-day ; and never failed being at the Cocoa-tree after the house was up. By these means he got acquainted with many particulars, that remained perfect secrets to us a long while. It is confidently asserted, that it was resolved in council, so late as the 24th of July, to attack Rochefort, and that his letter of the 29th of the same month particularly mentioned this resolution;.
town. He commonly passed
george n. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 15
and that General Mordaunt and Admiral Hawke
were at that time unacquainted with the intent. He
never entered into any political
controversies ; but
when there was an absolute
opinion, he always decided in favor of England ; so that, though a papist, he was never suspected by those he conversed with ; nor was he supposed guilty of any illegal practices in the house where he lodged, having appointed a coffee-house near St. Clement's church for the receipt of his letters, under a fictitious name.
He had continued his correspondence from the be ginning of the year 1756, without any material inter ruption, writing upon the margin of a newspaper such news and observations as were not there con tained ; in this manner the examiners of the post- office were deceived, and let these letters pass, imagin ing there was nothing more contained than the news paper. At length his employers complained of the insignificancy of his intelligence, and the necessity there was of extending his plan, otherwise they would discontinue his appointment; and actually threatened to deduct a guinea for every letter that did not con tain some advice of importance. This letter, which was transmitted from Paris by the Hague, contained
D2
necessity of giving his
16 MEMOIRS OF [george u.
nothing seemingly but a few wide lines, written upon
the most trifling, complimentary subject; and was therefore re-sealed and conveyed to him by means of the fictitious direction. An answer to this came from him, which was sent by Holland, to Paris^ This letter of the Doctor's, which then appeared upon examination to be nothing but an answer to the com
pliments, contained (as since has been found, by the copies he kept by him) a representation of the small income, which was not sufficient to make him neglect his practice, and such company as proper intelligence was to be obtained from. These wide-wrote letters had their desired effect, by passing unnoticed for some time at the post-office ; at length the secretary sus pecting there must be something more contained than these corresponding trifles, held one to the fire, when many lines, written with lemon-juice, between the black ones plainly appeared. This letter, which was dated from Twickenham, after giving a very exact account of the state of our finances, the condition of our fleet and army, their disposition, how many ships guarded, and how many soldiers lined the coasts of England, concluded with asserting that the only means
of preventing the success of the expedition (to Roch- fort) would be to make a powerful diversion upon the
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 17
coast of England, with a considerable force ; that by thus attacking us in our very vitals, we might be en
gaged at home, and be prevented from sending a num ber of troops abroad sufficient to give them any real
The discovery of this letter unravelled the whole mystery of all the former ; henceforth all letters directed as before were stopt, and those that
came from abroad were intercepted. The real person to whom they were directed was soon discovered, and his haunts were as soon known. Being a papist, he never failed going to one of the ambassador's chapels on a Sunday ; and as the Spanish minister's in Soho- square was that which he most usually frequented, a secretary-of-state's warrant being issued for his ap prehension, he was way-laid coming from thence by two of his Majesty's messengers on Sunday, the 2 1st of August, 17-57; and after being dodged to two houses in Dean-street, and from thence to the Montpellier coffee-house, facing Greek-street, where he dined, he was seized in St. Martin's-lane, and conducted to the house of one of the messengers in Jermyn-street.
As soon as he was secured, his lodgings, at Mr. Blount's, Arundel-street, in the Strand, were searched, where they found in his bureau twenty-nine rough draughts of letters ; also his correspondence from his
annoyance.
18 MEMOIRS OF [george n.
employers ; all written with lemon-juice between the
black lines. In those he had received from abroad
were complaints of the insignificance of his intelli gence, and how they were better served by a person who lived (or had lived) at Colchester: that there was no need of acquainting them with what the Duke was doing in Germany, they being much earlier and better informed than he could instruct them. They likewise contained instructions, how to write with greater safety and dispatch, by means of directing all the important letters to his brother, who served in the double capacity of chaplain, and under-secretary to the Spanish minister at the Hague. These instructions he closely followed,
as appeared by the rough draughts of his letters, which lately contained more important intelligence, as well with respect to the disposition of our fleets and armies, as to the secrets of the cabinet, which is sur prising how he could obtain ; nor can it be otherwise accounted for than by his frequenting such coffee
houses where it is supposed subjects of this nature were usually most spoken of. It appears he gave intelligence of Admiral Holbourne's destination to America, a few days after the admiral's instructions were signed ; and was particularly minute with respect to the number of ships and troops on-board, with the
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. iy
day of their departure, &c. This improvement in his intelligence is to be attributed to the increase which his salary now received ; for instead of five hundred livres a quarter, he was promised that sum every month ; and was also given to understand, that if there were any hopes of procuring intelligence of great consequence, not to spare expense, as he might assure himself of all possible encouragement. But this rich endowment was of short duration ; for he received merely one month's salary before he was taken into custody, when his poverty was so great that all his cash, both in his pocket and his bureau, did not amount to a guinea.
During his confinement at the messenger's he was particularly reserved, very seldom entering into any conversation, and never mentioning any thing relative to his own affairs. This precaution was of very little use, as he afterwards found ; but he all along imagined that proceedings against him would not be carried to any great extreme, and that he could, by the intercession of friends, procure a mitigation of his punishment ; but, alas ! his friends were like most others, merely temporary ; his coffee-house ac quaintance all disowned him ; and those persons who had been connected with him were, through
20 MEMOIRS OF [george ii.
necessity, obliged to be evidences; otherwise they would have been guilty of misprision of high-trea
son, and liable to have suffered
facts were too glaring to suffer him to escape with impunity ; and it was high time to make an exam ple of some, to deter others from the same practices. On his examinations before the secretary-of-state, he made the most trifling excuses : pretending his ignorance of the consequences of his conduct, though, at the same time, he was conscious of the enormity of his offence, by actually inviting and
counselling the French to make an invasion on
England. He was committed to Newgate on Wed-
nesdays the 9th of March, by the Right Honorable the Earl of Holdernesse, one of his majesty's prin
treason, in adhering to, and
enemies. If his finances were low at the time of
his being taken into custody,
greater ebb at the time of his commitment, after near seven months confinement at the messenger's, during which time he had more than exhausted the small remains of his stock for superfluities; in fine, he found himself under the necessity of pawning his
sword for a guinea, to pay garnish, and was much
accordingly. The
cipal secretaries-of-state, being charged with
high- assisting, the king's
they were at a still
george ii. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 21
in arrears for the room in the press-yard, which he was to pay five shillings a week for. His confine ment in Newgate all along resembled that at the messenger's ; and he scarce spoke to any but his
confessor, who frequently visited him.
He was indicted at Easter-term, in the 31st of
George II. , the solicitor of the treasury being pro secutor for the crown ; and the indictment was found at Westminster, by the grand inquest for the county of Middlesex. The same being returned to Banco
Regis, he was brought from Newgate that term to the bar of the court, and arraigned for high- treason, in adhering to the king's enemies, and carry ing on, by letters, a treasonable correspondence with one La Roche, and P. de France, as appeared
by the answers he received from these French corres
pondents ; to which he pleaded not guilty. A copy of the indictment being delivered to him, the
court ordered him to prepare for his trial, on Monday, the 12th of June following.
He was, in consequence, on the 12th of June conducted from Newgate in a hackney-coach, the irons which he wore being taken off; and, between nine and ten o'clock that morning, brought into the
court of King's-bench by Mr. Richard Akerman, VOL. IV. E
22 MEMOIRS OF [george n.
head-keeper of Newgate, in whose custody he was ; when, after the usual forms for silence, &c. the jury being called, the prisoner was arraigned on the indictment. He stood charged by the name of Florence Hensey, doctor of physic, late of the parish of St. Clement Danes, in the county of Middlesex, with being a " traitor to his country, and not obeying the duty of his allegiance to our Sovereign Lord George the Second, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, &c. In the months of May and June,
1757, and at divers other times, as well before as after, in the parish aforesaid, and county aforesaid, with force and arms, feloniously, traitorously, and of his malice aforethought, did write certain letters to the agents and subjects of Lewis, the French king, with whom we are now at open war, giving an ac count of the strength of our fleets and armies that
were then preparing in Great Britain ; and inviting the said Lewis, the French king, his subjects and vassals, to invade these realms, and to make a most bloody slaughter on his majesty's subjects. "
To this indictment he pleaded Not guilty, object ing to eleven of the jury before they came to be sworn; and, having finished his challenges, a special
was summoned, composed of twelve gentle
jury
george ii. ]
men of great property in the county of Middlesex. The counsel for the crown opened the indictment,
by setting forth that " the prisoner at the bar, though a subject of this realm, and living under the protection of its laws, had for a considerable time past held a treasonable correspondence with the enemies of our gracious Sovereign Lord the King, and stood accused of other high crimes and misdemeanors. They fur ther set forth, that the prisoner had solicited for a pension from the French ministers, in order, as far as lay in his power, to betray the secrets of our Sovereign Lord the King; and give such intelligence to his said enemies of the destination of his majesty's fleets, and number of ships they were composed of, and by whom commanded ; as also of the number of troops in Great Britain, and the English colonies
abroad, whereby any design to annoy the enemies of these kingdoms might be frustrated, his majesty's territories invaded, and even his sacred life endan gered ; as it is reasonable to conclude, from his known valor and love for his subjects, he would head his own troops in so perilous and critical a situation. That, as to the crime for which he stood indicted, it was
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 23
as much more fatal in its consequences e2
than an act
24 MEMOIRS OF [aEORCE u
of open rebellion, as the power of a whole nation was superior to that of a single person. "
The counsel then proceeded to shew, that notice having been received by the government of such treasonable correspondence, messengers were sent to
the prisoner, who found in his bureau copies of twenty-nine letters of intelligence, which he sent to France; some being of the most dangerous tendency, not only giving advice of our fleets and armies, their destination, but also advising a descent on this island, in order effectually to prevent our successes abroad.
The witnesses were then examined : —
The servant-maid at Mr. Blount's, and another witness, (his washerwoman,) proved that he lodged in a room up one-pair of stairs at Mr. Blount's, and that the bureau, in which the letters were found by the messengers, was in the prisoner's said room.
The prisoner's counsel remarked, in regard to this evidence, " That as the house was a common lodging- house, and at that time full, those papers and letters might have been put in by some other person, Mrs. Blount, the landlady, having a key to the same. " But this objection was soon set aside, by its being proved
apprehend
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 25
that the key Mrs. Blount, the landlady, had in her
possession, could not open the upper part of the bureau where these papers were ; but only the drawers of the under part of the bureau, where the doctor's linen was.
The identity of the hand-writing was the principal point to be proved, which was done by several cre dible witnesses ; namely, Mr. Mendez, on whom he had various bills of exchange ; Dr. Wilbraham, of Westminster, and several apothecaries, who had received prescriptions from the doctor, for patients under his care, which they had kept on their files.
A point of law was argued by the prisoner's coun sel, concerning a flaw in the indictment; as they asserted all the letters read in court were written in London, and intercepted at the general post-office, in Lombard-street ; and that, therefore, the indict ment could not be laid in Middlesex; but it ap peared one of these letters was dated at Twickenham, and the court in consequence over-ruled this opposi
tion. Various points of law being now started by the counsel for the prisoner, to oppose the proof of the overt-act of high-treason, they endeavoured to in sinuate, that holding a correspondence with the king's enemies was not in itself high-treason ; and that
geobge ii. ]
MEMOIRS OF
[GEORGE II.
if it were, as he had not actually corresponded with them but in Holland, Germany, and Switzerland, which were not parts of the dominions of the French king, hecould not be found guilty of the crime for which he was indicted. But the sophistry of these argu ments was easily combated by the counsel for the crown, who made it plainly appear, that these letters were not written to those persons to whom the out side superscription was addressed, but directed to
them to be forwarded to Paris ; that the correspon dence itself did not only render him guilty of treason, but also the nature of the correspondence, by which he adhered to assist the king's enemies.
Lord Mansfield made a very candid and judicious recapitulation of the various points upon which the evidence turned, remarking, at the same time, that though clemency was one of the most god-like at tributes of humanity, it was necessary the gentle men of the jury should consider the heinousness of the crime, and the credibility of the witnesses, and then let their consciences give the verdict.
Dr. Hensey had hitherto supported himself with courage ; but, during the absence of the jury, which was about three-quarters of an hour, he trembled ex cessively, and repeatedly changed colour, while large
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 27
drops of perspiration ran down his face ; and the agitation of his mind was so great that he burst into tears. On the return of the jury, he had scarcely strength to hold up his hand at the bar. A verdict of Guilty being pronounced, a rule of court was made for his being brought up to receive sentence on the Wednesday following.
While Lord Mansfield was pronouncing sentence, on the appointed day, the convict shed tears, turned pale, and trembled exceedingly ; and, after sentence, he begged a fortnight to make proper preparation for his death ; but the court generously granted him a month.
