He had no sooner quitted his master, than he was called by the name of Mull'd Sack (though his real name was John Cottington); from his usually drinking sack mulled, morning, noon, and night; to support this extravagant way of living he took to picking pockets, and carried on this profession with great success; and among others he robbed was the Lady Fairfax, from whom he got a rich gold watch, set with diamonds, in the following manner: "This lady used to go to a lecture on a week-day, to Ludgate church, where one Mr. Jacomb preached, being much followed by the precisians. Mull'd Sack observing this, and that she constantly wore her watch hanging by a chain from her waist, against the next time she came there he dressed himself like an officer in the army; and having his comrades attending him like troopers, one of them takes off the pin of a coach-wheel that was going upwards through the gate, by which means it falling off, the passage was obstructed; so that the lady could not alight at the church-door, but was forced to leave her coach without; which Mull'd Sack taking advantage of, readily presented himself to her ladyship; and having the impudence to take her from her gentleman-usher, who attended her alighting, led her by the arm into the church; and by the way, with a pair of keen or sharp scissors for the purpose, cut the chain in two, and got the watch clear away; she not missing it till sermon was done, when she was going to see the time of the day. After many narrow escapes from being taken in the act of plundering, Mull'd Sack was at length detected in the act of picking the pocket of Oliver Cromwell, as he came out of the parliament-house, and had like to have been hanged for that fact; but the storm blowing over, he was so much out of conceit with picking pockets, that he took up another trade, which was robbing on the highway; and following this practice with one Tom Cheney, they were audacious enough to rob Colonel Hewson, at the head of his regiment, when marching into Hounslow; but being quickly pursued by some troopers which lay in that town, Cheney's horse failing him, he was taken, while Mull'd Sack got clear off. Cheney, desperately wounded, was brought prisoner to Newgate; and shortly after, when the sessions came on at the Old Bailey, he would have avoided his trial by pleading weakness, and the soreness of his wounds; but this had no effect on the court, for they caused him to be brought down in a chair; from whence, as soon as he had received sentence of death, which was about two o'clock in the afternoon, he was carried in a cart to Tyburn, and there executed. Mull'd Sack, having thus lost his companion, was resolved in future to rob on the highway by himself alone, though he kept company with the greatest highwaymen that ever were known in any age; and such was his genius, that by their conversation he became as expert a robber on the road as any man whatever; for whilst he followed that profession, he got as much money as all the thieves then in England. He always went habited like, and was reputed a merchant, for he constantly wore a watchmaker's and jeweller's shop in his pocket, and could at any time command 10007. Having notice by his spies that the general-receiver at Reading was to send 6000l. to London by an ammunition waggon and convoy, he prevented that way of carriage by conveying it up himself on horseback; breaking into the receiver's house in the night time, and carried off the booty, undiscovered. The loss being so great, strict inquiry was set on foot, when it was discovered Mull'd Sack was the principal in the robbery; whereupon he was watched, way-laid, apprehended, and sent down prisoner to Reading, and from thence, at the assizes, conveyed to Abingdon; where, not wanting money, he procured such a jury to be empannelled, that though Judge Jermyn did what he could to hang him, there being very good circumstantial proof, as that he was seen in the town the very night when the robbery was committed, yet he so baulked the evidence, and so affronted the judge, by bidding him come off the bench, and swear what he said, as judge, witness, and prosecutor too, for so perhaps he might murder him by presumption of evidence, as he termed it, that the jury brought him in guiltless. He had, however, not been long at liberty before he killed one John Bridges, to have the more free egress and regress with his wife, who had kept him company for above four years; but the deceased's friends resolving to prosecute the murderer to the uttermost, he fled beyond sea; and at Cologn he robbed King Charles II. then in his exile, of as much plate as was valued at 1500.; then flying into England again, he promised to give Oliver Cromwell some of his majesty's papers, which he had taken with his plate, and discover his correspondences here; but not making good his promise, he was sent to Newgate, and receiving sentence of death, was hanged in Smithfield-rounds, in April, 1659, agèd fifty-five years. JOHN SELMAN, who was executed near Charingcross, 1612, &c. done in wood; 4to. JOHN SELMAN; in Caulfield's "Remarkable Persons." This man was hanged for picking the pocket of Leonard Barry, servant to Lord Harrington, during divine service. The author of the narrative of Selman magnifies the crime, as he was dressed like a gentleman.* There is a print of EVE FLIGEN, of Cleveland (by which is meant the dutchy of Cleve, in Germany, and not Cleveland, in Yorkshire), who is said to have lived long upon the smell of flowers. It was sold in Pope's Head-alley, by George Humble (the first impression was sold by William Peak); and was, by Mr. West, taken for an English head; but I cannot find that she was ever out of her own country. Under the portrait are these lines : 'Twas I that pray'd I never might eat more, 'Cause my step-mother grutched me my food; Or on a dew that every morning stood, † It is well known, that Jonathan Wild used to equip his emissaries with genteel dresses, and send them to church, or any other place where he had reason to believe there would be a crowd. The greatest booty that they are supposed to have gained for him in one day, was at an installation at Windsor, where they handed and assisted the ladies in the throng, and robbed them of their watches and diamond girdlebuckles. Some of these fellows, especially such as wore red coats and laced hats, were soon observed to assume great airs, and fancy themselves as good gentlemen as Jonathan himself. Hence it was, that they were very shortly brought to the gallows. One would imagine, that this arch-thief had been informed of the practice of Eutrapelus: -Cuicunque nocere volebat Vestimenta dabat pretiosa.-Hor. EVA FLIEGEN, &c. six Latin verses. Balt. Flyssier pinx. et ex. Andr. Stock sc. Hage. EVA VLIEGEN; standing in a room; view of a garden from a window; account of her in French, Imprimé A. Zutphen, chez André Jansen, 1611; scarce. This story may keep company with Pliny's relation of the Astomi, a people in East India, who have no mouths, and are supported by the smell of roots, flowers, and wild apples;* and with that of the Chinese virgins, who are said to conceive by smelling to a rose. I have been blamed for leaving the description of Eve Fligen's print out of my book; and now I expect to be blamed for inserting it. ROBERT NIXON, Cheshire prophet. Harding sc. 1793. In Harding's "Biographical Mirrour." Robert, or William, Nixon is said to have been born at Bridgeend-house, in the parish of Over; that he was an illiterate ploughboy in the house of Thomas Cholmondley, of Vale-Royal, esq.; his capacity scarcely exceeding that of an idiot; and that he seldom spoke unless he uttered his prophecies, which were taken from his mouth by some of the by-standers. Many traditions relating to him are still current in the neighbourhood of Vale-Royal, where his story is implicitly believed. The account of his death is, that having been sent for by the king, he was accidently starved, as he himself foretold. This is said to have happened at Hamptoncourt, where he was ordered to be kept in the kitchen, where he grew so troublesome in licking and picking the meat, that the cooks locked him up in a hole. The king going on a sudden to London, Nixon was forgot and starved to death. Mr. John Oldmixon published his life and prophecies at large, 1714, from Lady Cowper's correct copy. Plin. "Nat. Hist." i. p. 401, edit. var. REMARKS ON DRESS, &c. Henry Vere, the gallant earl of Oxford, was the first nobleman that appeared at court, in the reign of James, with a hat and white feather; which was sometimes worn by the king himself.* The long love-lock seems to have been first in fashion among the beaux in this reign, who sometimes stuck flowers in their ears.† William, earl of Pembroke, a man far from an effeminate character, is represented with ear-rings.‡ Wrought night-caps were in use in the reigns of Elizabeth, James, and Charles I. Privy-counsellors and physicians wore them embroidered with gold and silk: those worn by the clergy were only black and white. Mrs. Kennon, the midwife, a collector of curiosities, had the night-cap of Oliver Cromwell, embroidered with black. James appears to have left the beard in much the same state as he found it on his accession to the throne. The cloak, a dress of great antiquity,§ was more worn in this, than in any of the preceding reigns. It continued to be in fashion after the restoration of Charles II. It it well known, that James I. used to hunt in a ruff and trowsers. Mr. Hawley, of Gray's Inn, coming to court one day, Maxwell, a Scotsman, led him out of the room by a black string, which he wore in his ear. The great tub-farthingale was much worn in this reign. Worsted stockings were first knit in this reign, and invented by "State Worthies," p. 810. + Burton on Melancholy, p. 535, sixth edit. From a circumstance of this kind the famous print by Masson is called Perle d'Harcourt. The wearing of ear-rings was supposed to be a preservation for the eyesight. Marshal Saxe wore them; it is a common practice in Italy and Spain.LORD HAILES. The cloak, which has for time immemorial been worn in Spain, was worn by the Romans; Lucullus had more cloaks in his wardrobe than he ever had dishes at his table. It is recorded that he had no less than five thousand.|| Hor. Lib. I. Epist. VI. |