ceed immediately to acquaint you with the motive and end of addreffing this epistle to you, which is equally interesting to us both. You are to know then, that my present fituation in life is fuch, that I fhould prefer annihilation to a continuance in it. Defperate difeafes require desperate remedies; and you are the man I have pitched upon, either to make me or unmake yourself. As I never had the honour to live among the great, the tenor of my proposals will not be very courtly; but let that be an argument to enforce a belief of what I am now going to write. It has employed my invention for fome time to find out a method of destroying another without expofing my own life: that I have accomplished, and defy the law. Now for the application of it. I am defperate, and must be provided for. You have it in your power; it is my business to make it your inclination to ferve me, which you must determine to comply with, by procuring me a genteel fupport for my life, or your own will be at a period before this feffion of parliament is over. I have more motives than one for fingling you out upon this occafion, and I give you this fair warning, because the means I fhall make use of are too fatal to be eluded by the power of phyfic. If you think this of any confequence you will not fail to meet the author on Sunday next, at ten in the morning, or on Monday (if the weather should be rainy on Sunday) near the first tree beyond the style in Hyde-Park, in the foot walk to Kenfington. Secrefy and compliance may preferve you from a double danger of this fort, as there is a certain part of the world where your death has more than been wished for u on other motives. I know the world too well to trust this fecret in any breaft but my own. A few days determine me your friend or enemy." FELTON." "You will apprehend I mean you should be alone; and depend RELATIVE TO THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. 351 depend upon it, that a discovery of any artifice in this affair will be fatal to you. My fafety is infured by my filence, for confeffion only can condemn me." The Duke, in compliance with this strange remonftrance, appeared at the time and place appointed, on horseback and alone, with piftols before him, and the ftar of his order displayed, that he might be the more eafily known. He had likewise taken the precaution of engaging a friend to attend in the park, at fuch a distance, however, as scarce to be obfervable. He continued fome time on the spot without seeing any perfon he could fufpect of having wrote the letter, and then rode away; but chancing to turn his head when he reached Hyde-Park corner, he perceived a man standing at the bridge, and looking at the water, within twenty yards of the tree which was defcribed in the letter. He forthwith rode back at a gentle pace, and paffing by the perfon expected to be addreffed, but as no advance of this kind was made, he, in re-paffing, bowed to the stranger, and asked if he had not fomething to communicate. The Man replying, "No, I don't know you;" the Duke told him his name, adding, "Now you know me, I imagine you have fomething to fay to me." But he ftill anfwered in the negative, and the Duke rode home. In a day or two after this tranfaction, another letter was brought to him, couched in the following terms: My Lord, "You receive this as an acknowledgment of your punctuality as to the time and place of meeting on Sunday laff, though it was owing to you it answered no purpose. The pageantry of being armed, and the enfign of your order were useless and too confpicuous. You needed no attendant, the place was not calculated for mifchief, nor was any intended. If you walk in the Weft aile of Weftminfter Abbey, towards eleven o'clock on Sunday next, your faacity fagacity will point out the person whom you will address, by afking his company to take a turn or two with you. You will not fail, on enquiry, to be acquainted with the name and place of abode. According to which direction you will please to send two or three hundred pound bank-notes the next day by the penny-poft. Exert not your curiofity too early it is in your power to make me grateful on certain terms. I have friends who are faithful, but they do not bark before they bite. I am, &c.-F." The Duke, determining, if poffible, to unveil this myftery, repaired to the abbey at the time prescribed; and, after having walked up and down for five or fix minutes, faw the very fame person whom he had spoke to in Hyde-Park enter the Abbey, with another man of creditable appearance. This laft, after the had viewed fome of the monuments, went into the choir, and the other turning back advanced towards the Duke, who accofting him, asked him if he had any thing to fay to him, or any commands for him? He replied, "No, my Lord, I have not."-" Sure you have," faid the Duke; but he perfifted in his denial. Then the Duke leaving him, took feveral turns in the aisle, while the ftranger walked on the other fide. But nothing further paffed between them, and although the Duke had provided feveral perfons in disguise to apprehend the delinquent, he forbore giving the fignal, that notwithstanding appearances, he might run no rifque of injuring an innocent person. Not long after this fecond difappointment he received a third letter to the following effec&t: "My Lord, "I am fully convinced you had a companion on Sunday, I interpret it as owing to the weakness of human nature; but fuch proceeding is far from being ingenuous, and may produce RELATIVE TO THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. 355 produce bad effects, whilft it is impoffible to answer the end proposed. You will fee me again foon, as it were by accident; and may easily find where I go to; in confequence of which, by being fent to, I fhall wait on your Grace, but expect to be quite alone, and to converfe in whispers; you will likewife give your honour, upon meeting, that no part of the converfation fhall transpire. Thefe and the former terms complied with enfure your fafety; my revenge, in cafe of non-compliance, (or any scheme to expofe me) will be flower, but not less fure; and strong suspicion the utmost that can poffibly enfue upon it, while the chances would be ten-fold against you. You will poffibly be in doubt after the meeting, but it is quite neceffary the outside should be a mask for the in. The family of the Bloods is not extinct, though they are not in my scheme." The expreffion, " you will see me again foon, as it were by accident," plainly pointed at the perfon to whom he had spoke in the Park, and in the Abbey; nevertheless, he saw him not again, nor did he hear any thing further of the affair for two months, at the expiration of which, the poft brought him the following letter: "May it please your Grace, "I have reafon to believe, that the fon of one Barnard, a furveyor, in Abingdon-buildings, Westminster, is acquainted with fome fecrets that nearly concern your safety: his father is now out of town, which will give you an opportunity of questioning him more privately; it would be ufelefs to your Grace, as well as dangerous to me, to appear more publicly in this affair, Your fincere friend, ANONYMOUS. "He frequently goes to Storey's-Gate Coffee-houfe.” VOL. I. No. 8. Z z In In about a week after this intimation was received, the Duke fent a perfon to the coffee-house to enquire for Mr. Barnard, and tell him he would be glad to speak with him. The meffage was delivered, and Barnard declared he would wait upon his Grace next Thurfday, at half an hour after ten in the morning. He was punctual to his appointment, and no fooner appeared than the Duke recognized him to be the perfon to whom he had fpoke in the Park and the Abbey. Having conducted him into an apartment, and fhut the door, he asked, as before, if he had any thing to communicate? and was anfwered as formerly, in the nega tive. Then the Duke repeated every circumftance of this ftrange tranfaction; to which Barnard liftened with atte tion and surprise, yet without exhibiting any marks of confcious guilt or confufion. The Duke, obferving that it was matter of aftonishment to fee letters of fuch import written with the correctness of a scholar, the other replied, that a man might be very poor and very learned at the fame time. When he saw the fourth letter, in which his name was mentioned, with the circumftance of his father's ab fence, he faid, "It is very odd, my father was then ou of town." An expreffion the more remarkable, as the let ter was without date, and he could not as an innocent man, be fuppofed to know at what time it was written The Duke having made him acquainted with the partic lars, told him, that if he was innocent he ought to ufe h endeavours to detect the writer of the letters, efpecially of the laft, in which he was exprefsly named. To this admonition he returned no other anfwer but a fmile, and ther withdrew. He was afterwards taken into cuftody, and triet at the Old Bailey, for fending a threatening letter, contrary to the ftatute; but no evidence could be found to prove the letters were of his hand-writing; nor did any prefuraption appear against him, except his being in Hyde-Park, and in Weftininfter Abbey, at the time and place appoint |