Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed Proofreading volunteers at https://www.pgdp.net for Project Gutenberg. [Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings and other inconsistencies. Text that has been changed to correct an obvious error is noted at the end of this ebook.] THE LIFE OF Mr. RICHARD SAVAGE. Who was Condemn'd with Mr. _James Gregory_, the last Sessions at the _Old Baily_, for the Murder of Mr. _James Sinclair_, at _Robinson's_ Coffee-house at _Charing-Cross_. With some very remarkable Circumstances, relating to the _Birth_ and _Education_, of that Gentleman, which were never yet made publick. --------_Quis talia fando, Temperet à Lachrymis?_ _LONDON_: Printed for, and Sold by _J. Roberts_, at the _Oxford-Arms_ in _Warwick-Lane_; and by the Booksellers of _London_ and _Westminster_. 1727. (Price Six Pence.) THE LIFE OF Mr. RICHARD SAVAGE. Perhaps no History in the World, either ancient or modern, can produce an Instance of any one Man's Life fill'd with so many calamitous Circumstances, as _That_ of the unhappy young Gentleman, who is the melancholy Subject of the following Sheets; his Misfortunes may be said to be begun, if not strictly before he had a Being, yet, before his Birth; for when his Mother, the late Countess of _M----d_, was big with Child of him, she publickly declared, That the Infant then in her Womb, did not in the least appertain to her Husband, but to another noble Earl, upon which a Trial was commenced in the House of Lords, and my Lord _M----d_, obtained a Divorce, his Lady had her Fortune, which was very considerable, paid back to her again, with full Liberty of marrying whom she pleased, which Liberty she made use of in a very short Time, and my Lord _M----d_ meeting her new Husband, Colonel _B----t_, in the Court of _Request_ soon after, wish'd him Joy upon it, and said, he hoped my Lady _M----d_ would make the Colonel a better Wife than she had done to him. It is very probable that this Divorce gave the Lady a great deal of Satisfaction: But her Son, being thus bastardized, could not be born, as otherwise he would have been, a Lord by Courtesy, and Heir to the Title of an _English_ Earl, with one of the finest Estates in the Kingdom, which was afterwards, for want of Male-Issue, the Occasion of engaging two eminent Peers[1] in a Duel, in which they had the Misfortune to kill each other. Happy we may say it had been, as well for these Noblemen, as Mr. _Savage_ himself, if he had either not been illegitimately begotten, or if that Illegitimacy had been prudently concealed: The being cut off from the certain Inheritance of that great Wealth and Honour, which, nothing, but his Mother's resentful Confession, could have hindered him of, would have given any other