I was put to board with a worthy clergyman, by my father, at thirty pounds a year, in order to inure me to what was good, and improve me in learning; but my delight was riding of horses at livery-stables, ran away from school; the wicked disobedient child, soon finds out evil courses. The first injury I plunged myself into, was robbing my parents of a suit of cloaths, and pawning them to go to Sadler’s-wells. Now every fraud that my fertile brain could device, I put in practice in my father’s name, and got various sums of money, which answered my present purpose very well; however, my father had me catch’d, carried home, and kept me naked in a room several days, till I found an opportunity to get my sister’s cloaths, and with them on, I escaped from the house. I have been often brought home from Covent-Garden playhouse, by the orange women, to whom my father gave two shillings each time for their trouble. I was at length taken up by my father, and put into Covent-Garden round-house; but through the hole the prisoners received their victuals at, I escaped, though it was so small, no one could have conceived it possible. I learned more wickedness here in one night, than in all my preceding excursions, and verily believe, it tended greatly to fix me in the determinate resolution of aspiring at every act of wickedness, my unfortunate life has since been so fruitful of; making it my daily study to defraud every one who came in my way, and rob every one I could conquer. One day I and two other boys, went into a grocer’s shop in Drury-lane, for some sugar-candy, the grocer told me, he sold not small quantities, on which asking him, if he was above his business, and perceiving a watch hang up in the parlour, I rolled a halfpenny as by accident into the parlour before me, I got the poor grocer’s watch; in coming out, he asked me, how I dared to go there? he was answered by my throwing some powder sugar in his eyes, which was lying on the counter, and got off without any molestation. Soon after this, coming from Westminster with my two companions, there was a man had a stand by the Horse-guards, to sell all sorts of handkerchiefs, muslin, lawn, stockings, and other things in the pedlery way; I made bold to take him on one side, to talk about what I was to buy of him, which he was told was to a considerable amount; whilst I was thus amusing him, my two comrades made off with the pedlar’s whole stock, to the amount of fourteen pounds, and upwards: I however resolved to leave my companions, being determined, for the future, not to keep company with any, but act entirely on my own bottom.