Pleasing and entertaining history of the famous Moll Flanders

T H E

PLEASING AND ENTERTAINING

HISTORY

OF

THE FAMOUS

MOLL FLANDERS:

Who was born in Newgate and during & life of continued varieties, for three score years, was twelve years a Whore, five times a Wife, (once to her own Brother) twelve years a Thief, was eighteen times in Bridewell, forty times in other Prisons, fifteen times Whipt at the Cart’s tail, four times Burned in the hand, once Condemned to Death, eight years transported beyond Seas; and, at last, grew rich, lived honestly, and died a Penitent.

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EDINBURGH:

Printed for the Booksetlors in Town and Country.

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(Price One Penny.)

THE

HISTORY

OF

MOLL FLANDERS.

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MY Father was hanged for felony, and my mother transported for the same crime, after she was delivered of me in Newgate. I was soon after taken away by some gypsies, who left me at Colchester in Essex, where the magistrates put me to a nurse, with whom I lived 13 years, when I was fancied by a rich gentlewoman, for my nice needle work. I lived happily here some time, till at length my lady's eldest son fell in love with me; he promised to marry me when he came of age, and prevailed on me in the mean time to surrender my virginity. Scarcely a year had elapsed before his younger brother also fell in love with me, and declared openly his desire to marry me, and as my first lover had now grown indifferent, I resolved, with his consent, and although I was with child, to marry his brother. The wedding was held privately; and having contrived to get my new husband very drunk before he came to bed, I easily persuaded him I was a virgin. In two years after he died leaving two children, who were taken care of by his parents. In a few months I married a Draper, who was soon obliged to fly to France for debt; on which I took a lodging in the Mint, pretending to be a widow, and assumed the name of Mrs Flanders. It was my good fortune to marry a gentleman whose estates was in Virginia, and with whom I took a voyage thither, and was kindly received by my husband’s mother; but I found out that our family was of Newgate extraction, she shewing me where she was burned in the hand. Here I lived about three years, and had one child, a boy; but I grew tired of the place, and wished to return to England. I told my husband's mother, who was anxious to know why I was leaving them, that I was convinced she was my own mother, who was delivered of me in Newgate, and that my husband was my brother. I was forced to disclose the matter to him, which so grieved him that he fell into a deep melancholy. I embarked for England, after residing three years in Virginia, landed in Wales, and in nine weeks I arrived in London. Some time after I was courted by a gentleman who had a wife disordered in her head. I lived six years with him, and he was very liberal to me, till at length he fell sick; and on his recovery slighted me, through remorse of conscience. He gave me about £250, promised to take care of a boy I had by him, and I gave him a general release, which put an end to this affair. It was not long before I got acquainted with a clerk belonging to the bank, whose wife had made him a cuckold, and I had like to have become his bride, he promising on that account to procure a divorce; but while this was doing, I went down into Lancashire, and being imagined to be a fortune of £15,000, I quickly got married to an Irish gentleman, by a Catholic Clergyman; but he finding that I had no such effects as I represented, nor he any estate more than what be had spent on his equipage in courting me, he discharged me from the marriage, and lent me as much money as would bear my charge up to London. At London I lodged at an old midwife’s, being now big with child, where, as I had given directions, a letter was sent to me out of Lancashire, which had been directed there from the clerk of the bank, who told me he had obtained a decree against his wife, and was at my service. I returned an immediate answer, under a cover. that I would be in town the latter and of the year; and having disclosed the matter to the midwife, and being delivered of a fine boy, which, with much difficulty, I allowed her to dispose of, I sent a letter to my clerk to meet me at Brickhill, where, in a few days we were, married. I lived happily with him for five years, and had tw'o children, but being about that time swindled out of all his property, he took it so to heart, that he died of grief.

Soon after this, being reduced to very great extremity, I was tempted to steal a small bundle out of an apothecary’s shop in Leadenhall street, in which I found some money and other valuable articles. I next inveigled a child to a little distance from home, took a gold necklace from it, and then put the child in the right road again. Another time, I took out of a shop at Stephney two rings a diamond and a plain one; and afterwards stole a silver tankard from an ale house, which I sold to good advantage. I had now become acquainted with a regular gang of thieves, and committed many depredations along with them; but at length two of them were apprehended, condemned and one of them hanged—the other was transported. I had the good fortune to escape, and my name soon became famous among the thieves—none was so great as Moll Flanders. Soon after this affair, I stole a bundle of plate from a lady’s house that took fire, and in the confusion got clear off. Being an excellent pick pocket as well as a strumpet, I took from a cull after I had made him drunk, his gold watch and pocket book, and left him in a sound sleep. One time, as I was going along the street through Covent Garden, there was a cry of stop thief, and I was seized and haughtily insulted by a silk mercer and his servants, but the real thief being taken a few minutes after, I got L150 damages off the mercer. No person could he more dexterous than I at stealing gold watches from the ladies, either at park, playhouse, or church; at gaming, too, I was very expert; I one time cleared 73 guineas in a night. At Ipswich I robbed a Dutchman of a portmanteau, by pretending to be his wife in an inn, and got a large quantity of gold and silver. I one time went into a milliner’s shop in Cheapside, and pretended that I wanted to buy half a dozen of Holland shifts. She showed me some, but I said they were too short, on which she put on one of them over her dress, to convince me it was long enough, when pretending to pull it down, I pinned it with two or three stout pins to her petticoats, and then taking up the rest of the shifts, with a parcel of lace, I ran out of the shop. The unfortunate milliner ran out to the street after me; crying stop thief, and pulling the shift up to throw it off, she fairly lifted up her petticoats, and exposed all she had to the people in the street, who crowded round her, taking her for a mad woman, and so I got away; the poor milliner lost about L50, and was bantered to her dying day.

Soon after this, happening to steal sorne silk from a mercer's shop, I was apprehended, committed to Newgate, tried, and received sentence of death. This sentence was afterwards remitted, and I was ordered to be transported. I was put on board a vessel along with several other convicts, and who should happen to make one of the company but my Lancashire husband, who bad taken to the highway after we had separated; and thus brought himself into my own situation. I contrived to get all my property, which was considerable; conveyed on board, and having purchased materials for the work of planting, we sailed from the Downs on the 15th of April, and arrived safely at Virginia, where I found my own son, and my brother his father, whom I had made my husband twenty years ago; but my mother had been dead some time, having left a considerable plantation to me and my heirs. I and my Lancashire husband moved with all our effects into Maryland, as I could not bear the sight of my child and my brother, who lived at Virginia. We bought 50 acres of ground, built a decent house thereon, and got two servants, an English woman and a negro man. I resolved to go back to Virginia and discover myself to my brother. When I landed, I wrote him a letter, informing him of all particular affairs, which letter came into his son’s hand, who immediately visited me, attended by two servant on horseback.—He kissed me, saying, "Dear mother, are you alive?" and then fell a-weeping. He told, me that his father was deranged, and that the plantation my mother had left me was in his poseession; for the produce of it my son paid me L.100, and engaged to be my trustee. I presented him with a gold watch, took my leave, and set sail, for my own plantation, having previously told: my son that I intended to marry a gentleman who came with me from England. I purchased at Virginia three saddle horses, some hogs, two cows, and many other articles, and brought them with me in the vessel. I arrived safely, and my husband was quite overjoyed at my good fortune: lifting up his hands, he cried, "I married a wife in Lancashire for a fortune, and I think she has at last proved a good fortune." We now resolved to reform our lives, and spend the remainder of our days in repentance for our crimes, by doing all the good in our power to those who stood in need of assistance.

Thus far has Moll Flanders related her own history, in letters to her friends; accounts from Virginia, several years afterwards, announced her death, and informed that she departed this life a true penitent, after bequeathing much money for charitable purposes.

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A friend of Dean Swift one day sent him a turbot as a present, by a servant, who had frequently been on a similar errand, but who had never yet received the most trifling mark of tile Dean’s generosity. Having gained admission, he opened the door of the study, and abruptly putting down the fish, cried very rudely, "Master has sent you a turbot." "Heyday! young man," said the Dean rising from his easy chair, "Is that the way you deliver your message? Let me teach you better manners: sit down in my chair, we will stage situations, and I will shew you how to be have in future." The boy sat down, and the Dean went to the door, then came up to the table with a respectful pace, and making a low bow, said, "Sir, my master presents his kind compliments, hopes you are well, and requests your acceptance of a small present." "Does he," replied the boy, return my best thanks to him, and there’s half a crown for yourself." The Dean thus surprised into an act of generosity, laughed heartily, and gave the boy a crown for his wit.