Produced by Jason Isbell, Ben Beasley and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net Transcribers Note: Obvious typesetter errors from the original corrected in this etext. If they are not obvious errors, they are left as in the original. Throughout this text you will see words or phrases with _ (underscore) on either side, such as _this_. These were in italics in the original, but as ascii does not allow for formatting italics, they have been changed in this version. --------------------------------- English Library _VOL. XII_ JACK SHEPPARD A Romance BY W. Harrison Ainsworth Internationale Bibliothek G M B H Berlin 1922 "Upon my word, friend," said I, "you have almost made me long to try what a robber I should make." "There is a great art in it, if you did," quoth he. "Ah! but," said I, "there's a great deal in being hanged." _Life and Actions of Guzman d'Alfarache._ Printed In Germany CONTENTS. EPOCH THE FIRST, 1703. JONATHAN WILD. CHAPTER I. The Widow and her Child 1 II. The Old Mint 13 III. The Master of the Mint 28 IV. The Roof and the Window 34 V. The Denunciation 42 VI. The Storm 51 VII. Old London Bridge 63 EPOCH THE SECOND, 1715. THAMES DARRELL. CHAPTER I. The Idle Apprentice 75 II. Thames Darrell 88 III. The Jacobite 95 IV. Mr. Kneebone and his Friends 99 V. Hawk and Buzzard 103 VI. The first Step towards the Ladder 119 VII. Brother and Sister 131 VIII. Miching Mallecho 135 IX. Consequences of the Theft 147 X. Mother and Son 154 XI. The Mohocks 160 XII. Saint Giles's Round-house 167 XIII. The Magdalene 177 XIV. The Flash Ken 191 XV. The Robbery in Willesden Church 198 XVI. Jonathan Wild's House in the Old 201 Bailey XVII. The Night-Cellar 211 XVIII. How Jack Sheppard broke out of 218 the Cage at Willesden XIX. Good and Evil 224 EPOCH THE THIRD, 1724. THE PRISON-BREAKER.