the Gate. Amongst the lower Rank, and working People, the idlest, and
such as are most fond of making Holidays, with Prentices and Journeymen
to the meanest Trades, are the most honourable Part of these floating
Multitudes. All the rest are worse. The Days being known before-hand,
they are a Summons to all Thieves and Pickpockets, of both Sexes, to
meet. Great Mobs are a Safeguard to one another, which makes these Days
Jubilees, on which old Offenders, and all who dare not shew their Heads
on any other, venture out of their Holes; and they resemble Free Marts,
where there is an Amnesty for all Outlaws. All the Way, from _Newgate_
to _Tyburn_, is one continued Fair, for Whores and Rogues of the meaner
Sort. Here the most abandon'd Rakehells may light on Women as shameless:
Here Trollops, all in Rags, may pick up Sweethearts of the same
Politeness: And there are none so lewd, so vile, or so indigent, of
either Sex, but at the Time and Place aforesaid, they may find a
Paramour. Where the Croud is the least, which, among the Itinerants, is
no where very thin, the Mob is the rudest; and here, jostling one
another, and kicking Dirt about, are the most innocent Pastimes. Now you
see a Man, without Provocation, push his Companion in the Kennel; and
two Minutes after, the Sufferer trip up the other's Heels, and the
first Aggressor lies rolling in the more solid Mire: And he is the
prettiest Fellow among them, who is the least shock'd at Nastiness, and
the most boisterous in his Sports. No modern Rabble can long subsist
without their darling Cordial, the grand Preservative of Sloth,
_Jeneva_, that infallible Antidote against Care and frugal Reflexion;
which, being repeated removes all Pain of sober Thought, and in a little
Time cures the tormenting Sense of the most pressing Necessities. The
Traders, who vent it among the Mob on these Occasions, are commonly the
worst of both Sexes, but most of them weather-beaten Fellows, that have
mis-spent their Youth. Here stands an old Sloven, in a Wig actually
putrify'd, squeez'd up in a Corner, and recommends a Dram of it to the
Goers-by: There another in Rags, with several Bottles in a Basket, stirs
about with it, where the Throng is the thinnest, and tears his Throat
with crying his Commodity; and further off, you may see the Head of a
third, who has ventur'd in the Middle of the Current, and minds his
Business, as he is fluctuating in the irregular Stream: Whilst higher
up, an old decrepit Woman sits dreaming with it on a Bulk; and over
against her, in a Soldier's Coat, her termagant Daughter sells the
Sots-Comfort with great Dispatch. The intelligible Sounds, that are
heard among them, are Oaths and vile Expressions, with Wishes of
Damnation at every other Word, pronounced promiscuously against
themselves, or those they speak to, without the least Alteration in the
Meaning.
As these undisciplined Armies have no particular Enemies to encounter,
but Cleanliness and good Manners, so nothing is more entertaining to
them, than the dead Carcasses of Dogs and Cats, or, for want of them,
Rags, and all Trompery that is capable of imbibing Dirt. These, well
trampled in Filth, and, if possible, of the worst sort, are, by the
Ringleaders, flung as high and as far as a strong Arm can carry them,
and commonly directed where the Throng is the thickest: Whilst these
ill-boding Meteors are shooting thro' the Air, the Joy and Satisfaction
of the Beholders is visible in every Countenance and Gesture; and more
audibly express'd by the great Shouts that accompany them in their
Course; and, as the Projectiles come nearer the Earth, are turn'd into
loud Laughter, which is more or less violent in Proportion to the
Mischief promis'd by the Fall. And to see a good Suit of Cloaths spoiled
by this Piece of Gallantry, is the tip-top of their Diversion, which
they seldom go home without enjoying: For tho' no People in their Senses
would venture among them on Foot, in any tolerable Dress, yet there are
young Rakes of Fortune, who care not what they lavish, or destroy: Of
these the maddest sort will often, after a Night's Debauch, mix with
Crowds, and thrust themselves in the midst of the most abominable
Rabble, where they seldom fail of meeting with such Adventures.
Tho' before setting out, the Prisoners took care to swallow what they
could, to be drunk, and stifle their Fear; yet the Courage that strong
Liquors can give, wears off, and the Way they have to go being
considerable, they are in Danger of recovering, and, without repeating
the Dose, Sobriety would often overtake them: For this Reason they must
drink as they go; and the Cart stops for that Purpose three or four, and
sometimes half a dozen Times, or more, before they come to their
Journey's End. These Halts always encrease the Numbers about the
Criminals; and more prodigiously, when they are very notorious Rogues.
The whole March, with every Incident of it, seems to be contrived on
Purpose, to take off and divert the Thoughts of the Condemned from the
only Thing that should employ them. Thousands are pressing to mind the
Looks of them. Their _quondam_ Companions, more eager than others, break
through all Obstacles to take Leave: And here you may see young
Villains, that are proud of being so, (if they knew any of the
Malefactors,) tear the Cloaths off their Backs, by squeezing and
creeping thro' the Legs of Men and Horses, to shake Hands with him; and
not to lose, before so much Company, the Reputation there is in having
had such a valuable Acquaintance. It is incredible what a Scene of
Confusion all this often makes, which yet grows worse near the Gallows;
and the violent Efforts of the most sturdy and resolute of the Mob on
one Side, and the potent Endeavours of rugged Goalers, and others, to
beat them off, on the other; the terrible Blows that are struck, the
Heads that are broke, the Pieces of swingeing Sticks, and Blood, that
fly about, the Men that are knock'd down and trampled upon, are beyond
Imagination, whilst the Dissonance of Voices, and the Variety of
Outcries, for different Reasons, that are heard there, together with the
Sound of more distant Noises, make such a Discord not to be parallel'd.
If we consider, besides all this, the mean Equipages of the Sheriffs
Officers, and the scrubby Horses that compose the Cavalcade, the
Irregularity of the March, and the Want of Order among all the
Attendants, we shall be forced to confess, that these Processions are
very void of that decent Solemnity that would be required to make them
awful. At the very Place of Execution, the most remarkable Scene is a
vast Multitude on Foot, intermixed with many Horsemen and
Hackney-Coaches, all very dirty, or else cover'd with Dust, that are
either abusing one another, or else staring at the Prisoners, among whom
there is commonly very little Devotion; and in that, which is practis'd
and dispatch'd there, of Course, there is as little good Sense as there
is Melody. It is possible that a Man of extraordinary Holiness, by
anticipating the Joys of Heaven, might embrace a violent Death in such
Raptures, as would dispose him to the singing of Psalms: But to require
this Exercise, or expect it promiscuously of every Wretch that comes to
be hang'd, is as wild and extravagant as the Performance of it is
commonly frightful and impertinent: Besides this, there is always at
that Place, such a mixture of Oddnesses and Hurry, that from what
passes, the best dispos'd Spectator seldom can pick out any thing that
is edifying or moving.
Here I must observe, that the Possibility of Pardons and Reprieves, that
often come very late, and which, with or without Grounds, most Criminals
continue to hope for, 'till they are hang'd, is another great Clog, that
keeps attach'd to the World those that are less abandon'd, and more
relenting than the Generality of them; and who, without that Hindrance,
would, in all Probability, prepare themselves for certain Death, which
overtakes many whilst they are still doubting of it. The Ordinary and
Executioner, having performed their different Duties, with small
Ceremony, and equal Concern, seem to be tired, and glad it is over.
The Tragedy being ended, the next Entertainment is a Squabble between
the Surgeons and the Mob, about the dead Bodies of the Malefactors that
are not to be hanged in Chains. They have suffer'd the Law, (cries the
Rabble,) and shall have no other Barbarities put upon them: We know what
you are, and will not leave them before we see them buried. If the
others are numerous, and resolute enough to persist in their Enterprize,
a Fray ensues: From whence I shall take an Opportunity of saying
something upon the Occasion of it. I have no Design that savours of
Cruelty, or even Indecency, towards a human Body; but shall endeavour to
demonstrate, that the superstitious Reverence of the Vulgar for a
Corpse, even of a Malefactor, and the strong Aversion they have against
dissecting them, are prejudicial to the Publick; For as Health and sound
Limbs are the most desirable of all Temporal Blessings, so we ought to
encourage the Improvement of Physick and Surgery, wherever it is in our
Power. The Knowledge of Anatomy is inseparable from the Studies of
either; and it is almost impossible for a Man to understand the Inside
of our Bodies, without having seen several of them skilfully dissected.
Kings and Princes are open'd, and have their Hearts and Bowels taken
out, and embalm'd. It is not then Ignominious, much less offensive to
the dead Body, which may be interred with as much Decency, after
Dissection, as if it never had been touch'd. But suppose that many of
our common Thieves were not to be buried at all, and some of them made
Skeletons; and that several Parts of others, variously prepared, should
be preserved for the Instruction of Students? What if it was a Disgrace
to the surviving Relations of those, who had Lectures read upon their
Bodies, and were made use of for Anatomical Preparations? The Dishonour
would seldom reach beyond the Scum of the People; and to be dissected,
can never be a greater Scandal than being hanged. The University of
_Leyden_ in _Holland_ have a Power given them by the Legislature to
demand, for this Purpose, the Bodies of ordinary Rogues executed within
that Province; but, with us, it is the general Complaint of all
Professors of Anatomy, that they can get none to dissect: Where then
shall we find a readier Supply; and what Degree of People are fitter for
it than those I have named? When Persons of no Possessions of their own,
that have slipp'd no Opportunity of wronging whomever they could, die
without Restitution, indebted to the Publick, ought not the injur'd
Publick to have a Title to, and the Disposal of, what the others have
left? And is any Thing more reasonable, than that they should enjoy that
Right, especially when they only make use of it for commendable
Purposes? What is done for the common Good, every Member of the Society
may, at one time or other, receive an Advantage from; and therefore
quarrelsome People, that love fighting, act very preposterously and
inconsistent with their Interest, when they venture to have their Bones
broke, for endeavouring to deprive Surgeons of the Means to understand
the Structure of them.
CHAP. IV.
_Of the wrong Judgments that are pass'd on the dying Behaviour of
Malefactors._
Having finish'd the Picture I proposed to draw of modern Executions, and
the Crowds that usually attend them, I shall make some Remarks on the
Judgments that are commonly passed on the dying Behaviour of our
ordinary Felons. In a rich and potent Kingdom, where worldly Glory is
not in Contempt, and to think meanly of our selves seldom taught by
Example, whatever it may be by Precept, nothing is counted more
provoking, or less to be born with Patience, than to be called a Coward.
The vilest Rogues, and most despicable Villains, may own a thousand
Crimes, and often brag of the most abominable Actions; but there is
scarce one, who will confess that he has no Courage. Our general Esteem
for Valour, which is demonstrable from what I have said, as it is of
great Use to a warlike Nation, is very commendable; and Fortitude ought
ever to keep its Place amongst the Cardinal Virtues: But the Notions
which the Vulgar have of Courage, as well as Honour and Shame, are full
of dangerous Errors. Compliments, as well as Reproaches, when ill
applied, are often the Causes of great Mischief; and I am persuaded,
that the Perverseness of Opinion now reigning amongst us, both in
applauding and discommending the Conduct of Criminals in their last
Hours, is an accessary Evil, that very much contributes to what is the
Subject of our grand Complaint, the Frequency of Executions. To explain
my self on this Matter in the clearest Manner I am able, I beg leave to
begin with it from the Bottom.
In all living Creatures, that fall under our Senses, we perceive an
Instinct of Self-Preservation; and the more sensible they are, the
greater Aversion they discover to the Dissolution of their Being. Man,
the most perfect of them, sets an inestimable Value on Life, and knows
no Fear equal to the Horror he has against Death. This is to be
understood only of Man, in the State of Nature, before he has made
Reflections on himself, and what he sees of the Creation; but when,
after that his Reason demonstrates to him that there must have been a
first Cause; that the World is govern'd by an intelligent Being; that
himself, a Compound of Soul and Body, is indebted to that Being for all
he enjoys, and that there is a strong Probability of a Life after this:
When, moreover, he considers himself as incorporated in a Community of
vast Numbers, that all together make one Body politick, the Welfare of
which he finds universally esteemed, as a Concern superior to all
others: When, I say, he finds and reflects on all this, he plainly sees,
that the Fear of Death, must, on many Accounts, be prejudicial to the
publick Good and common Security, in which he has a Share. It is a
Virtue then to conquer it; and if we inspect into the early OEconomy of
all Nations, we shall find, that the most powerful Motives made use of
to induce Man to lessen this Fear, and moderate the Fondness which
Nature has given us of Life, had their Origin from Religion, or a
publick Spirit; that is, in other Words, from a Representation of his
Duty either to God or his Country. Thus holy Martyrs have suffer'd with
Fortitude for their Faith, and, in Confidence of eternal Happiness,
hasten'd to Death with Alacrity, and even rejoiced in the Midst of
Flames. And thus there have been valiant Men, in all Ages, that have
exposed themselves to the greatest Hazards, in Defence of their Laws and
Liberties, and, animated by a zealous Love for their Country, sacrific'd
their Lives to the publick Welfare. As Men of this Sort have every
where deservedly gained the general Applause, and the Virtue they are
possess'd of has been honoured by the Name of Courage; so, on the
contrary, the Fearful and Pusillanimous, that ever prefer their own
Safety to all other Considerations, and are therefore never to be relied
upon, are as justly despis'd, and the ignominious Word, by which we
reproach the Vice that enslaves them, is Cowardice.
From what has been said it is evident, that the original Reason why
Courage is generally esteemed, is, because it is taken for granted, that
both the Principle we act from, and the End we labour for in conquering
our Fears, are praise-worthy, and have a visible Tendency, either to the
Good of others, or our own spiritual Felicity. Nothing, therefore, is
more unjust, than that we should continue our Esteem for Valour when it
degenerates, and both the Motive Men set out with, and the Scope they
aim at, are palpably destructive. Anger, Pride, Envy, and several other
Passions, are capable of subduing Fear. But, as these Principles are
evil in themselves, so it is impossible that the End to be obtain'd by
them should be commendable. What perverse and miserable Judges are we
then, that applaud a Person's Intrepidity in fighting a Duel, when in
the Act itself, we see him willfully violate the Laws of God and Man?
But should human Honour here break in upon me, and my Reasoning, how
right soever, be overpower'd by the irresistable Clamour of the
fashionable World, what can be said for the senseless Intimidity of a
vulgar Rogue, who not only professes an utter Disregard to Honour and
Conscience, but has likewise, at his first Setting out, as a Preliminary
to his Business, disclaim'd all Pretences to common Honesty? Why should
we delight in the Intrepidity, tho' it was real, of a Villain in his
Impiety? Why should Christians be pleased to see a great Sinner give up
his Ghost impenitent; or imagine that he dies bravely, because he bids
Defiance to Heaven, and boldly plunges himself into an Abyss of eternal
Misery? Yet nothing is more common amongst us: And the further a Man is
removed from Repentance, nay, the more void he seems to be of all
Religion, and the less Concern he discovers for Futurity, the more he is
admired by our sprightly People: Whereas, he who shews but the least
Sorrow for his Sins, or, by his Tears, or Dismality of Gestures, lets us
know that he is under Apprehensions of the divine Wrath, is a weak silly
Creature, not worth looking at: And he only, in the Opinion of many,
dies like a Man, who, in reality, goes off most like a Brute. But some
of my Readers, perhaps, will have nothing to do with Christianity.
Suppose, then, we lay by that Consideration; I grant, that to subdue
the Terrors of Death is a manifest Token of Intrepidity, and promise to
pay Homage to true Courage wheresoever I can meet with it; only let us
not be imposed upon, but try the Valour of this undaunted Hero, whether
it be genuine. No Man can conquer the Fear of Death, but by something
superior to it: What is the Power that supports him in the Conflict, and
what Principle does he act from? It is not his Innocence, for his Guilt
is publick, and his Crimes are proved upon him. It is not Zeal for
Religion, nor the Love of his Country: He pretends to neither. Yet it
must be some mighty Principle of vast Force and Efficacy; for if he acts
consistently, he despises not only Death, but the Wrath of Omnipotence,
and a Punishment just at Hand, that shall be everlasting. Will you say
that he firmly believes that there is no God, nor Life after this, and
that Man is wholly mortal? Suppose it; that's no Support against Death
itself: But look narrowly into him, and you will alter your Opinion,
even as to that. The Enthusiasm of Atheists has other Symptoms;
deplorable as it is, the Appearance of it is more sedate, and they make
some Pretences to Reasoning: But what Probability is there, that a poor
Rascal, who was brought up in Ignorance, and perhaps cannot read, one
who never troubled his Head with thinking, much less with thinking on
abstruse Matters, and Metaphysicks, should so far lose himself in the
Mazes of Philosophy, as to become a speculative Atheist.
Since, then, we can find no Principle from which it is possible a common
Villain should derive his Undauntedness, it is evident that what we see
is spurious, and the Bravery we admire only counterfeited, and false at
Bottom. The Terror of Death inwardly excruciates him; But his Fear of
shewing this, of being called a Coward, and laugh'd at by his
Companions, has some Command over his outward Appearance; therefore,
(not to be found out,) sometimes he swears or scoffs at Religion; at
others he mixes forc'd Laughter with the vilest Language, and trys all
the Strength of Brutality to keep down a struggling Conscience, and
appear more atheistical and obdurate than, to his Sorrow, he feels
himself to be. But his Impudence would soon fail him, and his
inexhaustible Stock be but a weak Match for the Agonies he suffers, if
he took not Refuge in strong Liquors. These are his only Support, and
Drunkenness the Cause of his Intrepidity. Should I be told, that in many
of them no Signs are seen either of Fear or Ebriety, it would be of no
Force against my Assertion: As great Fear sinks, so hard Drinking raises
the Spirits: They are two Enemies, that, when equally match'd, may, by
mutual Conflict, easily disarm and hinder the Operations or each other.
Let a curious Observer mind the continual Changes of the Prisoner's
unsettled Behaviour, the wild Manner of his Actions, and, above all, the
greedy Haste, with which he throws down every Thing potable and
intoxicating, and he will soon perceive that our Sham-Hero drinks
neither with Comfort, nor for Pleasure, and seems to expect no other
Benefit from it, than that it may take away his Senses, and hinder him
from thinking. Are not they fine Judges, who are imposed upon by such
pusillanimous Wretches, that are so far from having conquer'd the Fear
of Death, that they go out of the World without having ever dared one
Moment soberly to think of it; and of whom it can only be said, that
they died hard and unmov'd, because they were senseless, and with the
Courage of a Stone suffer'd themselves, without Thought, to drop into
Eternity?
The Mischief that these Patterns of Impenitence, together with the
Applause that is given them, must produce in a vast and opulent City,
will appear from the following Consideration. It is necessary to the
publick Peace and Security, that Burglary, Robbing in the Streets, or on
the Highway, and all those Crimes where Violence is mix'd with
Injustice, should be capitally punish'd: But considering on the one
hand, how much more prone Men are to Ease and Pleasure, than they are to
Industry and Labour; and, on the other, the Generality of human Wants,
and the unequal Distributions of Fortune to supply them, it must be
acknowledg'd, that where Men are without Shame and Education, and
consequently not affected with the Ties either of Honour or Religion,
Poverty itself is a strong Temptation to Thieving, when Opportunities
offer. The greatest Charity, therefore, and Compassion we can shew to
our Fellow-Creatures, is an extraordinary Severity, and never-ceasing
Watchfulness in a Government against the first Approaches of Dishonesty.
It is with this View that the Provision of the Legislature, that such
Offenders should be punish'd with Death, is to be vindicated; tho' the
Punishment is greater than the Laws, framed by God himself for the
_Jewish_ Commonwealth, inflicted; or what natural Justice, proportioning
the Punishment to the Crime, seems to require: For it is not the Death
of those poor Souls that is chiefly aim'd at in Executions, but the
Terror we would have it strike in others of the same loose Principles:
And, for the same Reason, these Executions are little better than
Barbarity, and sporting away the Lives of the indigent Vulgar, if those
valuable Sacrifices we are obliged to make to the publick Safety, are
render'd insignificant. If no Remedy can be found for these Evils, it
would be better that Malefactors should be put to Death in private; for
our publick Executions are become Decoys, that draw in the Necessitous,
and, in effect, as cruel as frequent Pardons; instead of giving Warning,
they are examplary the wrong Way, and encourage where they should deter.
The small Concern, and seeming Indolence of the Condemn'd, harden the
Profligates that behold them, and confirm to them, by ocular
Demonstration, what they encourage one another with in viler Language,
(low, as it is, permit me to mention it,) _That there is nothing in
being hang'd, but awry Neck, and a wet pair of Breeches._
CHAP. V.
_Of Regulations concerning_ FELONS _in Prison, and the good Effects
to be expected from them._
What has been said in the foregoing Chapters, in relation to common
_Felons_, has pointed at the evil Customs, Mismanagements, and perverse
Opinions, that prevail amongst us. I shall now conclude what I proposed
to publish on this Subject with offering some Proposals towards a better
Usage of them in Prison; and the good Effect such Alterations, in all
Probability, would produce. All which, without Arrogance or Presumption,
I submit to better Judgment.