they both came forth in triumph, and new cloaths on, that day, with the association in their hands; after they had prevailed with Blackhead to steal it in, and steal it out of my chimney. Thus, according to the fashion, I have given a true pourtraict of these precious evidences of a new plot. My next business will be to exemplify all this more largely, by authentick proofs: which, if I mistake not, I shall do so unquestionably, that none shall be able to disbelieve what I say against Young, but such as can believe what Young has said against me. But first I will dispatch Blackhead: touching whom, I will only give a copy of the record of the sessions at the Old Bailey, where he was condemned for forgery. London ss. Deliberat' Gaol' Dominor' Regis & Regin' de Newgate tent' pro Civitat' London, apud Justice-Hall in le Old Bayly, London, die Jovis (scil.) 15° die Januarii, Anno Regni Will' & Mar' nunc Regis & Regin' Angl' prim' &c. 'Felix Don Lewis, Thomas Patrick, Steph. Blackhead, Convict' 'pro fabricand' & publicand' falsum Script' Obligator' in Nomine cujusd' Thom' Faulkener pro summ' 601. ponantur & quilibet 'eor' ponatur supra Pillor' uno die in Cornhill prope Excamb' London ab hora undecima ante Merid' usq; ad hor' prim' post 'Merid' ejus diei: Et quilibet eor' habeant un' aur' ibid' absciss' & ' quod quilibet eor' habeat & sustineat imprisonament' in Gaol' de Newgate per spatium unius anni integri sine Bal' vel Manucaptur' 'juxta form' Statut' ejusd'. ' By this it appears, Blackhead and his two companions were convicted of cheating one Mr. Faulkener of sixty pounds, by a false bill or bond; and were condemned to stand in the pillory in Cornhill near the Exchange, for two hours; to lose each of them an ear; and to continue prisoners, for twelve months, without bail or mainprize in Newgate: where, no doubt, that intimacy between Blackhead and Young was contracted, which had been so fatal to me, had not God marvellously defeated their conspiracy against me. Having thus, for the present, rid my hands of Blackhead, I proceed next to Young. And, the first scene of his villainies, that have come to my knowledge, having been in Ireland, I will now give certain demonstration of the particulars, out of the original papers themselves: which seem to me to describe the caitiff so plainly, that I need only set them down in their order, without any comment of mine upon them. The principal crimes, I have already objected against him in Ireland, were his marrying a second wife, whilst his first was alive : his counterfeiting certificates for deacon's orders; his intirely forging of his priest's orders; and his feigning the knowledge of a dangerous plot, in that kingdom; wherein he would make out, that divers great persons were engaged. There are, also, several others of his rogueries, such as his having a bastard by a kitchen-wench, at Castle-Reah, whilst he was, a short time, curate there; his lewd life, and cheating divers people of money by counterfeit bills, at Tallogh, where he was also sometimes curate his running away with another man's horse, when he was forced to flee thence, for his other pranks, and the like. All these, and more such, will come in, as by the by; and it will be enough for me only to give my reader this notice, to mark them in the papers I am going to produce: the method of which shall be this: First, He shall have Robert Young's general character, in a letter from the present Lord Archbishop of Dublin; and another from the Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin : both written so long ago, as the year 1683: whilst he was only under suspicion at Lambeth; and before he had entered upon so many vile practices in England. In these letters, he is, even then, described to be as wicked a lyar, as the little Carmelite friar Moor, and to be as very a rogue as the Spanish wits have fancied their Gusman. Who the Carmelite friar was, I knew not; Gusman is sufficiently known. But, in the sequel, it will appear, that our rogue has far outdone the very Spanish romance of theirs. Secondly, He shall have the Lord Bishop of Raphoe Hopkins's letter to the Lord Bishop of Kilmore, when R. Young was apprehended in that diocese, under the name of Robert Hopkins; for which name also he shewed his forged letters of priest's orders, upon his examination by the said bishop, which shall also follow. Thirdly, Here are the copies of the original certificates confirming the truth of both his marriages. Fourthly, Here are divers letters of Robert Young's own hand, when he was imprisoned at Cavan, and in danger of his life for having two wives. 1. A letter to one Justice Waldrum, to offer him a bribe, if he would take bail for him. 2. Another letter to the Lord Bishop of Kilmore, confessing some of his knaveries, but solemnly denying his having married two wives, Next, here is a letter to Roger Yeabsly, brother to his first wife Ann Yeabsly, alias Apsly. Then another to George Yeabsly, her father; then two letters to herfelf. In all these he confesses his two marriages: however, proposes, to her and her brother, a way to save his life by forswearing themselves that they should get a certificate at Cork, signed by a publick notary, that Ann Yeabsly was really married to one Robert Young, and that Roger her brother was present at the marriage, and that then they should both come to Cavan, and, upon his trial, deny that he was the man; and, if they did him this service, he promised, with horrible imprecations upon himself, that he would only stay to receive Mary Hutt his second wife's portion, and then run away with Ann Yeabsly, his first wife, into England. Lastly, To compleat all, I will produce two of his letters to his second wife Mary Hutt; the one after he had fled out of the diocese of Kilmore; the other after he had got to Iniskillin out of Cavan gaol. The first is full of the like blasphemous curses and execrations upon himself, if ever he was married to any other woman but her; therefore inviting her to come and relieve him, with dreadful promises and vows of never forsaking her. In the second, to say nothing of his impudent reviling of the Lord Bishop of Kilmore, he desires her to steal away from her friends to him, and to bring the bond with her (a true one, without doubt) to bring also all the money she could get, and to be sure to pay no body; which was accordingly done, and so with her he fled, and took sanctuary in England." A Letter from Dr. Foley, containing part of a letter from the present Lord Archbishop of Dublin, concerning Robert Young; written in the Year 1683, to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR GRACE, LA Tunbridge, June 27, 1683. AST night I received a letter from my Lord Archbishop of 'If he be Robert Young whom I degraded, he is the veriest vil'lain alive: he has now, or had when I knew him, several wives living. A notorious cheat, has counterfeited several hands and seals, by which he has deceived men of money, and stolen into 'credit and holy orders. He has been in several gaols, as namely "Lifferd, where he was laid up by the Bishop of Raphoe, now Derry, 'who is going now for London; and, if you can procure him to see him, I am confident he remembers him well enough. He was long in Cavan gaol, and to be tried for his life; where I got, and 'have by me, very many of his papers, which would enable any man to write the Scotchman's life, which I think would transcend 'the Spanish rogue. For fear he should hang in his gown, by the ad'vice of the lord primate, I degraded him for the least of his villain'ies; because the canon was express, and he guilty, as was proved, ❝ of marrying without license. In brief, he is a notorious wicked man, ' and so well furnished with the necessary instruments of it, that I 'think friar Moor, the late convert, cannot exceed him in lying. 'He is a black swarthy man, of a suspicious countenance. He has 'several names. He assumed mine at some places; Hopkins' at • Raphoe; and was here lately by the name of Brown; but, hearing that I was here, I suppose, made off again. The last wife he 'married was one Simon Hutt's daughter, of Cavan. I send you 'the inclosed, which I pray reserve for me. It is a letter he wrote 'to his second wife, after he fled from me. Keep the letter for me; 'I send it, because I am mightily of opinion he is the man. Here ' is another letter to his former wife, Ann Yeabsly, at the same 'time; by which you will be satisfied that Robert Young is a very ingenious person, and a man of deep contrivance. Had he been ' in time and place, he would have made an excellent evidence; and, had that trade gone on, I had doubtless been in a plot ; for 'he declared he had a plot to discover, in which some noblemen ' and several bishops were concerned. I am confident I had been one; and the Bishop of Waterford (whose hand and seal he coun'terfeited to me, and the Bishop of Elphin) another; from whom 'he pretended orders, and the bishop disowned upon my letter to him. Thus far the Archbishop. Dublin, June 2, 1683. I send inclosed to your grace the two letters, which my lord sent me, and beg your grace will please to keep them by you, till I can wait on you for them; because he desires to have them again, I am bold to say, that your grace will hereafter be a little suspicious of clergymen who come out of Ireland, without better testimonials; and that it will be for the honour of our clergy and university, that wicked and ignorant men, who pretend to be of them, and are not, be animadverted on by your grace, with some severity. I beg your grace's blessing, and am, Your grace's, &c. SAM. FOLEY. 4 Letter from the Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, now Archbishop of Cashel, to Dr. Foley, concerning the same Robert Young; written in the Year 1683. SIR, A Dublin, June 2, CCORDING to your desire, I waited on my Lord Archbishop of Dublin, to inquire of his grace concerning one Young, whom he degraded for several notorious crimes; as having two wives, counterfeiting the Archbishop of Cashel's hand to the Bishop of Killaloo, for his being made deacon; which the bishop (not discovering the cheat) did; and then his counterfeiting the Bishop of Clogher's hand for the order of priesthood, which he never had: he went likewise under several names, and was in several gaols, particularly in that at Cavan for a great while. The man, my lord says, is about his grace's own stature, that is, somewhat tall; neither lean nor corpulent; of a pretty long, black, ill visage; his hair, if his own, is black, thin, pretty long, and hangs flag without any curls. He is a Scotchman, about twenty-seven or twentyeight years of age; and will lye as fast as the little Carmelite fryer Moor (to use his grace's own expression). And this is all I can say of him. I am, Yours, &c. NARCISSUS FERNS and LEIGHLIN. A Letter to the Lord Bishop of Kilmore, from Bishop Hopkins, then Lord Bishop of Raphoe; written in the Year 1680, concerning Robert Young's apprehension in his Diocese, under the name of R. Hopkins. MY LORD, Raphoe, Nov. 11, 80. YOUR lordship's to me came very seasonably, that is, one day before Mr. Young: and he came very confidently, expecting much kindness for name's-sake: for he thought it fit to assume mine; and, at his first accost, thrust into my hands letters dimissory, lewdly forged, as from the Bishop of Killaloo; with the seal to them vilely cut, and the date of octo die Octobris. This alone would have given me suspicion of an imposture; but, being forewarned by your lordship, I was certain I had the man, though he lurked under another name. The contents of the letters were the amplest form of commendations, which I keep by me, but shall remit when your lordship requires it. I put many cross interrogatories to him, till, at last, one lye so contradicted another, that the man was perfectly confounded, and began to speak truth. There were two other justices then with me: we took his examination, a copy of which I have sent here inclosed. When I pressed him upon the point of polygamy, he utterly denied it, as indeed it concerned him; as also that he ever was at Londonderry, much more that ever he was school-master there; and this some who were present believe to be truth. Besides, some affirm, that, to their knowledge, Sarah Mallon, who was afterwards married to one Young, was upon his decease, married to one Mr. Laughtin, a minister in the diocese of Londonderry, with whom she now lives. I know not whether he can be so well vindicated from others, for your lordship speaks of two or three more. However, bis misdemeanors and forgeries were so many, that we committed him to the county-gaol, where, I hope, he will not long continue. For, as at your lordship's desire I have secured him, so I must desire that your lordship would speedily take order to have him sent where the fullest evidence may be given against him. I am, Your lordship's, &c. EZECHIEL RAPHOE. The Examination and Confession of R. Young, before the Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and others, in the Year 1680. County Donegal. THE voluntary examination of R. Young, late of the parish of Kildallin, in the diocese of Kilmore, and county of Cavan, clerk, taken at Raphoe the 10th of November, 1680, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Ezechiel Lord Bishop of Raphoe, Richard Inett, clerk, and Matthew Cocken, Esq; justices of the peace of the said county of Donegal. Who being voluntarily examined, upon suspicion of being guilty |