The young man being of a suspitious nature, easily believed me; and then I particularly advised him, that the first thing he ought to do, was to get the Register of his age altered; for if his father should now dye, and he not truly being twenty years of age, could not expect to have the possession of any part of the Estate, unless he were one and twenty. Wherefore to the house of the Parish Register we went, and for the spending of one shilling, and five shillings in Money, we had the Register book delivered to us, where I being well skilled in counterfeiting and imitating of hands; soon alter’d the Register, putting his age out in one place, and writing it in another place two years before; so that the young man was now made half a year above full age. Then did we call the Register, who gave us a Certificate out of the book of the young mans age, and this we carried with us as authentick, and to be produced on all occasions. I having done thus much for the young Man, he could not deny me anything I desired or requested: so that the old sick Gentleman being still weaker, and having his Money in a Trunk by his beds-side, I perswaded the younger Brother (who had the key) to take some out and lend to me; which he did: and that the old Man might not see the action; I and my wife would stand by the beds-side before him, so that by degrees I got 100 _l._ from thence; and when the old man dyed, though he left a considerable Estate, yet was there not a penny of ready Money. The elder brother knowing that he had foul-play shewed him, began to be angry, but to no purpose, for he was forced to comply, the younger brother having possession of that Trunck, and the keys of all others where all the Writings were. The old man being buried (and much excess and prodigality shewed in the expences and costs thereof, which was done principally at my invitement, that I might gain repute by inviting as many friends as I pleased, and also drain my two young men of their moneys) the two brothers began to discourse the matter, the elder brother demanding possession of the Estate, and a divident to be made according to the Will of their Father; and, said he, Brother, your share must either be in my hands, or else in the Chamber of _London_ till you come of age: How, said I, till he come of age? Sure, you mistake your self, he is of sufficient age already; and thereupon produced the Certificate, which though it was very punctual, yet the elder brother (who was neer ten years older then his brother) and several others who were present, knew to be false: and this was the first breach between them, which had like to have grown to a high flame: for the elder Brother applying himself to the Register, upon search of the Book, found the fallacy: and indeed the Register acknowledged the fact; for which he, and the younger Brother, and my self had like to have kissed _Newgate_, by order of the Lord Mayor, who being acquainted