Part 3

It gives me Pain, when I hear Men talk of _this Side_ as their own, and of some other as his _Lordship_'s. He is of no Side or Party; nor has (so I have heard him often say, and so I am convinced) the least Concern which way the Truth shall be determined. His sole Endeavour has been to discover it; be it what, or where, or how it will: Nor can I hear, without Concern, you, of whose Understanding I would, for the Sake of the Public, wish to think favourably; expressing a Desire that the Government would appoint Persons, _capable_ and _indifferent_, such are your Terms, to enquire into the Matter. Who, Sir, are you, that are thus dictating unto the Government? Retire into yourself and know your Station! Who is more _capable_, or who more _indifferent_, than this generous Magistrate? Or has there been among the most violent and misguided of this Creature's Friends, any Man, for I will not suppose you could, but has there been any Man, who has dared to whisper to his own Heart a Thought that it were otherwise?

To this 'tis fit to add, that his Lordship, as _Supreme Magistrate_ of that Court in which the Cause was tried, is the proper Person for this Examination: and that he has already finished it. Why should it then be supposed necessary, or why proper, to take the Cognizance of an Affair of this Importance, out of his Hands who has a Right to examine into it: or what would be the Justice, or what the Gratitude, of appointing others to do that which he has done already; and for which he deserves, and for which he will receive, the universal Applause of Mankind!

What is the real Case, with respect to the Girl, Heaven and her own Conscience only; at least I hope they only, know. I have no Right to assert any Thing, nor do: and my Opinion cannot hurt her. There does appear to have been a Conspiracy, and a most foul and black one: It is possible, at least, there may have been such; this her Friends must allow; and she who has certainly accused, and persecuted to the utmost, an innocent Person, whether it hath been ignorantly or designedly, cannot expect she shall escape the Suspicion. That _Squires_ is Guiltless is beyond all doubt: That _Canning_ was not confined in the House of _Wells_ is as much beyond all Possibility of doubting. She appears to have proceeded wilfully: but there is a Possibility she may have done it ignorantly; and the World will be glad for her own Sake, that she could prove it a Mistake; horrible as it will appear even in that Consideration.

Thus stands the whole: And upon this Foundation rests the Innocence of the unhappy Convict. What greater Proof can Innocence require? What greater can it admit! Who is there among ourselves that might not, by the same Artifice, have been accused, and by the same Evidence convicted of the Crime? Or who is there, had he been so accused, that could have brought a fuller Proof of Innocence? I cannot question, but that the Impartial will be convinced: But would all were impartial.

I thought the Public were clear in it before; but what is there so swift as Misinformation? An Indisposition had shut me from the World a few Days, and at the End of that little Period, when I mixed among Men again, what a Change was there in their Opinions! I left them assured, and they had Right to be assured of it, of the Convict's Innocence: I find them full in the Belief that she is Guilty: but I do not wonder at this; nor can I blame the most resolute among them, when I hear the Foundations of the new Opinion. These Delusions, however, are not calculated for Duration: They serve the Purpose till they are exploded; and then who knows the Authors?

Men hear that all which has been told them, concerning the Convict's being in another Place at the Time of the alledged Robbery, has been since discovered to be false. I, who have told them all that related to the Attestation of her being so, do now assure them, that there has been no such Discovery. Nothing has happened to take one Grain from the Weight of any of those Evidences, on which I founded the Opinion; but many, very many Things, to countenance, support, and prove their Truth. Falsities innumerable have been, indeed, devised by the Interested, received by the Credulous, and propagated by the Malicious; but who is there to be found, that will himself attest any the least Circumstance that they pretend?

There are Men, are there not, Mr. _Fielding_? who cannot bear the Glory this will soon bring, and ought to bring, to the great Magistrate who has discovered the Conspiracy. And these will swallow greedily all that they hear against it; and they will propagate that which they don't believe. There are Men, who have been deceived: Who now know they have been deceived; but who are ashamed to own it. A foolish Shame: The seeing the Delusion proved upon them, and it will soon be proved, will be much greater. These will add to the Numbers that are busy in spreading every Breath of Falsehood: and I am sorry to add, there may be some who even on my Account will be as violent to blast the Credit of all that has been doing. Though not conscious that I deserve to have one Enemy in the World, I am not ignorant that I have several; and some of these are of that idle Kind who live in the meaner Coffeehouses, and spread Reports among the successive Companies. These are a Sort of Men, who have not, on any other Occasion, appeared considerable enough to me to justify the slightest Notice; but if their Violence and officious Malice can take any Thing from the Opinion, which the World had entertained of the Credibility of what I have published, designing to be known the Author of it, on this Occasion; I shall for once be sorry that even such Men were my Enemies.

To one or other of these Sets of Persons; all of them mean, wicked, or interested, have been owing the various Reports the World has heard within these few Days upon this Occasion: And not knowing from what Source they have sprung, Men have not known with what Contempt to treat them. The same short Answer serves for all I have heard; and I desire no other than to stand accountable to all who shall dispute that Answer.

I have been told, that the Lord Mayor had given up the Cause, finding all Perjury that had been brought before him: There is no Truth in any Part of this. The Lord Mayor never altered his Opinion; he is convinced by Proof of what he first guessed from Reason: And his Lordship will, as soon as that is proper, convince all the World.

I have been told the Vicar of _Abbotsbury_ is, or has been, in Town. There is no Truth in this. That he has contradicted what I have said concerning him: Neither is there in this: On the contrary, he has certified it all in a Letter to a noble Lord, a Letter which you Mr. _Fielding_ know of; and that noble Personage also countenances, by his Character of this Gentleman, all that his Conduct in the Matter had before spoken in his Favour.

It has been said that the Certificates and Affidavits in the Lord Mayor's Hands, sent up from _Abbotsbury_, and attested by this Gentleman, and by the Church-wardens and Overseers of the Parish are forged. There is no Truth in this Report, nor the least Shadow of Foundation for it: They are confirmed. 'Tis said the Letters from that Gentleman are forged: They also are authenticated. That the Church-wardens and Overseers mentioned in those Papers are, or have been, in Town, and contradict the whole: This also is wholly untrue; not one of them either has been here, or has contradicted, by Letter, or any other way, any Part of that Evidence: All stands on the full Credit that it did. It has been said, that an Exciseman, now in Town, whose Evidence is in itself sufficient, and is a new Testimony of Truth in all the other's, had undergone a previous Examination by a Gentleman, whom they even dare to name, before he was seen by the Lord Mayor: I have Authority from that Gentleman to declare, that this also is wholly false. And I, on _Monday_, heard the Man himself say, he never saw him, till in the Lord Mayor's Presence. It has been lastly said, that the Recantation of _Virtue Hall_ was not taken in a candid and fair Manner by the Lord Mayor himself. Where will Slander stop, when it dares rise to this! All I have seen of that was perfectly fair, and most particularly candid: And it was a happy Precaution the Lord Mayor used, never to speak with her alone.

These are the Stories I have heard; they are related boldly; and they are enough in Number. They are enough to plead in full Excuse for those which have been wavering in their Opinion; and they will be found enough to condemn their Authors, nay, and the busy Propagators of them too, to everlasting Ignominy.

No more can be declared at this Time than I have told; but I shall conclude this, as I have done the other Accounts which I have given of these Proceedings, with assuring those who pay me the Attention of reading it, that the Truth will appear, and that soon; under such Proof, as will do immortal Honour to the Magistrate who has discovered it; will condemn to Shame and Confusion all who have disingenuously opposed it; and will at once, astonish, and convince the World.

For you, Mr. _Fielding_! I have no Right to call your Behaviour as a Magistrate in Question; nor have I Abilities to judge of it: I have, therefore, no where alluded to it: But certainly your private Treatment of this Subject, both before and in your Pamphlet, merits the strongest Censure.

_FINIS._

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Transcriber's note:

Except for changes listed below, variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.

The following corrections have been made to the text:

Page 5: no Application [original has "App!ication"] whatsoever has been made to me

Page 6: No History can produce[original has "propuce"] a greater Instance

Page 15: he shall be handsomely rewarded for his Trouble."[quotation mark missing in original]

Page 21: but there has been a Motive,[original has a period]

Page 22: she went down to _Enfield_[original has "Endfield"]

Page 31: I will not suppose Mr.[period missing in original] _Fielding_ can be guilty

Page 40: They were subpœna'd[original has "subpæna'd"]

Page 46: beyond all Possibility[original has "Possibllity"] of doubting