and became acquainted with Nan, he ́w as ill, and she often entertained him with a fong; he then was in her tenth year, and probably he was the first who difcovered the fweetnefs and powers of her voice, which foon after rendered her a favourite in all the public-houfes in the neighbourhood, at one or other of which the attended every evening, and raifed very liberal contributions from the company by finging.

:

"Tho' fufpicions have been ftrong, it has never been brought into actual proof, that Nan furrendered the chafrity of her perfon to any of that numerous corps of military admirers who daily laid fiege to her, while fhe refided in the vicinity of the Tower; yet certain it is, that he had fcarcely entered her fourteenth year, when the parted with her innocence and indeed it is not matter of wonder, that a young girl of high vivacity, whofe juvenile mind had been corrupt, even from early infancy, fhould be easily perfuaded to fubmit her perfon to the lafcivious pleafures of pollution. The ill treatment which the conftantly experienced from her parents, may alfo be confidered another caufe that tended to this event. They conftantly called her to a ftrict account of her earnings, and when these were inadequate to their expectations, they as conftantly punished her with unmerited and inhuman feve rity.

"A linen-draper who refided in the Minories, had long confidered the charms of Nan with a fenfual appetite. He frequently faw her at the different public-houfes in the neighbourhood to which he reforted, and often rewarded ker with a liberality that raised the fenfations of gratitude in her mind. Nan having ftaid from home one evening rather later than ordinary, and not having been fuccefsful in her avocation, was received on her return, as had often been the cafe, with abuse, curfes, and blows, in refentment for which the left the habitation of her parents, fully determined to accept the first asylum that offered. The retailer of linens had just reached his door as Nan came up to it. He at first mistook her for one of thofe little nocturnal itinerants, who ftroll the streets and prostitute their

perfons to obtain a wretched fubfiftence, and he being of that class of men, whofe enjoyments are merely animal, followed the little adventurefs for the purpofe of picking her up. Great, indeed, was the furprise, and infinite the joy of this nightly prowler, when Nan returned his first addrefs of "a fine evening, my dear," by throwing out a few bars of a tune which the fung with peculiar excellence, and which always had been his favourite. Every note ftruck upon his heart, which trembled in unifon, and communicated its thrills through the whole nervous fyltein.*

It was now rather late, the air was eager, nipping and damp. He had luckily the key of his street door in his pocket, and the object of his defires being refolved not to return home, and having no certain place where the could feek for a lodging, was easily perfuaded to enter the houfe, where the found a clean and comfortable bedchamber, a clear and glowing fire, and plenty of found exhilarating old red port. In short, Nan remained in the draper's house a full week, enjoying the pleasures of love and wine.

"Her parents, who had benefited fo much by her talents, now difcovered her value, and forely repented of that favage and cruel treatment which had forced her from their houfe. Every brothel within a mile of the Tower was fearched in vain for the little truant: the ftrictet enquiry was made from the officers in the garrison, but without effeft; when one morning Mifs unexpectedly made her appearance, dreffed in a tile of gentility which the owed to the generofity of her lover,

"The lofs of that bright and illuftrious jewel, chastity, gave no material uneafinels to Mr. or Mrs. Catley; the brought home a gem of infinitely greater value, her fine voice, which had so often produced them meat, drink, and cloaths: their anger therefore, on account of her elopement, as well as their regret for her lofs, was inftantly removed by her appearance; they received her like the Prodigal returned, and the lived for fome time with them in a tolerably comfortable way, paying occafional vifits to her lover in the Mi 322

nories ;

Nan difliking the authority which her mufic-mafter had over her perfon, and having acquired irresistible influence over the mind of her lover, perSuaded him to pay Bates the penalty of two hundred pounds, to which her father was liable by his bond, and alfo two hundred pounds more, in confideration of her profeffional earning during the feafon; after which the agreed (with the confent of Bates) to bind herfelf apprentice to Sir Francis, for the refidue of the term, in the common form, and with the ufual covenants of fuch indentures, and alfo a special covenant not to leave Sir Francis's houfe, Sir Francis covenanting to inftruct her, or caufe her to be inftructed in the art of mufic.

"Mr. Fraine, a man of reputation in his profeffion, was attorney to this tranfaction, and having made Mifs Catley's father a party to the indenture, brought it to him to execute, he being then in the service of Mr. Berkley, an eminent quaker in Cheapfide, with whom he had lived as coachinan for fome time.

"Catley being cautious, kept the inftrument, and advised with his mafter on the propriety of figning it. The honest quaker being fhocked at the iniquity of the proceeding, applied to his lawyer, who advised the father to detain the inftrument entirely, to commence a criminal profecution against the parties, and Mr. Berkley agreeing to fupply him with the means, accordingly, on the 13th of May 1763, his counfel moved the court of King's Bench for a rule to fhew caufe why an information fhould not iffue against Sir Francis Blake Delaval, Bates the mufic-mafter, and Fraine the attorney.

The offence alledged in this application was a confpiracy to debauch the daughter of the profecutor, under the Forms of law; and the motion was accompanied by another, which was for a habeas corpus, directed to Sir Francis Delaval, to bring in the body of Ann Catley.

"On the enfuing day Nan was brought into court by Sir Francis, and was then difcharged out of his cuftody, without any order to restrain her from jeturning to any place the pleafed.

"Old Catley, thinking that the difcharge of his daughter from the custo dy of Sir Francis, was virtually the committing of her to the custody of himself, attempted to feize her in court; but this being complained of, would not be permitted, and he was feverely reprimanded for the contempt by the chief juftice. The girl was then asked if the chofe to return with her father; upon which, with a spirit the most audacious, and an unblushing countenance, fhe declared her attachment to Sir Francis, and her aversion to return with her father.

"Catley, though of a fprightly dif pofition, and apparently of a volatile fpirit, yet never loft fight of her own intereft. Sir Francis had poffeffion of her perfon, but was never matter of her heart; and there is no doubt but that even while the refided with him, and appeared in public as his mistress, the privately granted favours to others for pecuniary confiderations. Her paffions were ftrong, but she was totally deftitute of fentiment and delicacy, and always gratified her appetite with a view to her intereft as well as to her tafte; being attached to the whole sex without harbouring a particular fondness to any individual, the meafured love by profit, and enjoyed fenfual indulgence without the lealt relish for mental fatisfaction.

"Macklin was the person who first discovered her talents for the stage; and the cultivated them under his tuition with affiduity and fuccefs; for notwithstanding the pleased most when least natural and most outre, yet there was great capability in her mind; the could affume chatte acting, and executed many characters of difficulty with critical juftice.

"Time, poffeffion, and infidelity, having at la cooled the paffion of Sir Francis, he effected an emancipation from the fafcinating chains of his miftrefs, who, by the advice of her venerable instructor, the father of the stage, made a trip to Ireland.

Our Review of these Memoirs will be concluded in the next Number.

REMARK

pories; but after this event, the never reforted to the public-houses, tho' the frequently sported her perfon in the Tower. "From this time till the attained her fixteenth year, her intrigues were various, but of a nature too low and indifcriminate to afford entertainment, or indeed to admit a particular defcription; for, like the Irith barrifter, Nan not only practifed crown but halfcrown_bulinefs, taking every fee that was offered.

"We come now to a very particular event in this lady's life, her connection with Sir Francis Blake Delaval, which made a confiderable noife in the world, and produced a legal decifion, as re. markable as ever was entered on the records of the court of King's Bench," Before Mifs Ambrofs proceeds to relate the connexion between Sir Francis Blake Delaval and her friend, the gives a copious detail of a scene of reachery practifed on Lady Elizabeth Pawlet, by that gentleman, in conjunction with the comedian Foote, for whom this lady had unfortunately conceived a penchant but as the was only attractive as a wife, having a large fortune, and Foote being unluckily married, he concerted a fcheme with Sir Francis to impofe on her credulity by the help of a conjuror, who was artfully to defcribe that gentleman as her allotted husband. For thefe fervices, Foote as pandor, ftipulated for sool, per annum, to be paid by Sir Francis out of the lady's fortune, when he had obtained legal poffeffion. The plot, in which the lady's maid was alfo concerned, had the intended effect; and Sir Francis enjoyed the pleasure of receiving a fortune at the hands of a wife, whom he most heartily defpifed. Under fuch circumftances altogether, with a difpofition for gallantry, it could be no wonder to find Lady Elizabeth hortly neglected for the embraces of a Courtezan, whofe connexion with Sir Francis was fo notorious, that the lady, having been previously acquainted with the arts practifed to entrap her into matrimony, fued for a divorce, on the ground of adultery; but failing in her evidence, Sir Francis inftituted a charge ef recrimination, and by feveral wit, nefies, established his allegations, although it was generally believed, that

...

the whole of the affertions were fabri cated for the purpofe of keeping poi fetion of her fortune.

Having detailed the heads of this tranfaction, we must now return, with our fair author, from the digreffion.

"The fame of Nan's voice having gone abroad, one Bates, a mufic matter, and chorus finger at one of the The atres took her as an apprentice for leven years, the being then in her fixteenth year, for the purpofe of teaching her mufic, the father being bound in a penalty of two hundred pounds in cafe the thould misbehave, by running away, when qualified to be prof table to the maiter. Her conduct, while with Bates, was extremely irregular, the followed her own inclinations in every respect, formed repeated connec tions, and turned his advice and instructions into ridicule. For three years the perfevered in this kind of be haviour, and was nineteen years of age when Sir Francis Blaké Delaval be came acquainted with her. He ha feen her at Marybone Gardens, where the fung, and had alfo met her repeatedly at the house of Mr. M—k— the comedian, who was then inftructing her for the ftage, with the confent of her master.

"An intimacy and criminal cor refpondence was foon the confequence of this acquaintance; and Nan having, as has been already stated, committed on other occafions repeated irregularities, Bates, her mafter, threatened to turn her out of doors, and to fue ber father for the penalty on breaking the articles.

"Thefe threats being reported to Sir Francis, he immediately took a lodg ing for her and her mother, who was privy to the intrigue, and who had abandoned the labour of the wathingtub, to live more comfortably on the earnings of her daughter's proftitution, The lodging was furnished by the knight in a Itile of elegance, and the matter agreed to allow her five and twenty pounds a year in lieu of board, referving to himself the whole of her earnings, as a finger at Mary bone Gardens and Covent Garden Theatre, where, through the intereft of Mr. Mk-n, he was to be introduced at an actrefs in the operatical line.

"Nag

Nan difliking the authority which her mufic-mafter had over her perfon, and having acquired irresistible influence over the mind of her lover, perfuaded him to pay Bates the penalty of two hundred pounds, to which her father was liable by his bond, and alfo two hundred pounds more, in confideration of her profeffional earning during the feafon; after which the agreed (with the confent of Bates) to bind herself apprentice to Sir Francis, for the refidue of the term, in the common form, and with the ufual covenants of fuch indentures, and alfo a fpecial covenant not to leave Sir Francis's house, Sir Francis covenanting to inftruct her, or caufe her to be inftructed in the art of mufic.

"Mr. Fraine, a man of reputation in his profeffion, was attorney to this tranfaction, and having made Mifs Catley's father a party to the indenture, brought it to him to execute, he being then in the service of Mr. Berkley, an eminent quaker in Cheapfide, with whom he had lived as coachinan for some time.

"Catley being cautious, kept the inftrument, and advised with his mafter on the propriety of figning it. The honeft quaker being thocked at the iniquity of the proceeding, applied to his lawyer, who advised the father to detain the inftrument entirely, to commence a criminal profecution against the parties, and Mr. Berkley agreeing to fupply him with the means, accordingly, on the 13th of May 1763, his counter moved the court of King's Bench for a rule to fhew caufe why an information fhould not iffue againf Sir Francis Blake Delaval, Bates the mufic-mafter, and Fraine the attorney.

The offence alledged in this application was a confpiracy to debauch the daughter of the profecutor, under the forms of law; and the motion was accompanied by another, which was for a habeas corpus, directed to Sir Francis Delaval, to bring in the body of Ann Catley.

"On the enfuing day Nan was brought into court by Sir Francis, and was then difcharged out of his cuftody, without any order to retrain her from feturning to any place the pleafed.

"Old Catley, thinking that the difcharge of his daughter from the custo dy of Sir Francis, was virtually the committing of her to the cuftody of himself, attempted to feize her in court; but this being complained of, would not be permitted, and he was feverely reprimanded for the contempt by the chief juftice. The girl was then asked if the chofe to return with her father; upon which, with a fpirit the most audacious, and an unblushing countenance, fhe declared her attachment to Sir Francis, and her averfion to return with her father.

"Catley, though of a sprightly dif pofition, and apparently of a volatile fpirit, yet never loft fight of her own intereft. Sir Francis had poffeffion of her perfon, but was never matter of her heart; and there is no doubt but that even while the refided with him, and appeared in public as his mistress, she privately granted favours to others for pecuniary confiderations. Her paffions were ftrong, but the was totally destitute of fentiment and delicacy, and always gratified her appetite with a view to her intereft as well as to her tafte; being attached to the whole fex with out harbouring a particular fondnets to any individual, the meafured love by profit, and enjoyed fenfual indulgence without the lealt relish for mental fatisfaction.

"Macklin was the perfon who first discovered her talents for the stage; and the cultivated them under his tuition with affiduity and fuccefs; for notwithstanding the pleased most when leaft natural and most outre, yet there was great capability in her mind; the could affume chafte acting, and executed many characters of difficulty with critical juftice.

"Time, poffeffion, and infidelity, having at la cooled the paffion of Sir Francis, he effected an emancipation from the fafcinating chains of his miftrefs, who, by the advice of her vene rable instructor, the father of the stage, made a trip to Ireland.

Our Review of thefe Memoirs will be concluded in the next Number.

REMARK