CHEAP REPOSITORY. Sold by S. H A Z A R D, PRINTER to the CHEAP REPOSITORY for Reli- gious and Moral Trafts, at BATH ; Bv J. M A R S H A F, L, Printer to the CHEAP REPOSITORY, No. 17, Queen-ftrcct, Cheap fide, and No. 4, Aldermaiy Church-Yard ; and R. W H I T E, Piccadilly, LONDON; and by alt Bookfellers, Newfmen, and Hawkers, in Town and Country. (j^r Great allowance to Shopkeepers and Hawkers. Price id. | each, or 6s. 9c!. per ico.-— 50 for 3s. gd.— 2s. 3d. for 25. j" Entered at Statiomrs Hall'] Hiftory of Mary Wood, &c /TR. Heart well, the worthy clergyman of jLVJL a country parifh , was fitting in the porch of his little parfonage, when he faw a figure rather flying than running down a hill near bis houfe, the fwiftnefs of whofe motion made it hard to difcern what file was, much |efs could he guefs' who me was. She fled dire&Iy towards him. and flung herfelf at his feet almoft breathlefs, with difficulty flie pronounced the words, "O fir, favc me! for pity's fake hide me in your houfe — they will be here in a moment — hide mc this initant! — indeed I am innocent !" then without waiting for his anfwer fhe jumped up and ruflied by him into the houfe, the good man, ran after her, and catching her hand led her up flairs into'his bed-room, and put- ting her into a clofet within it, told her, no one mould come there to hurt her. Then hearing a noife he looked out of his window and faw feveral men and women running ah moft as fall as the young woman had before, and his maid Bridget (who had feen them f boner from her own window) running to meet them, and to afk what was the matter. He had forgotten to bid her be filent about the young woman, indeed he did not know that fhe had feen her; but the truth is, fhe was amufing herfelf in a very idle manner.. witE looking at the road out of her garret window^ and had feen with great furprife the the wild behaviour of the^poor girl, which raifcd her curiofity. This flie now hoped to fatisfy by flopping the poffe that was running by; inilead of anfwering her ques- tions, they afked if me had leen a girl about Seventeen, that was running from juflice pais that way. What in a linen gown and green petticoat, laid {lie ? without a bonnet, and her hair and her cap flying ? # the lame, the fame, they cried * which way did fhe go ?" " Why, what do you watit to do with her. favs Bridget: for I Ihouid be loth to betray the poor thing to any harm." u Why you would not conceal a thief, would you ?" faid they. " She is a thief and has robbed her mailer." " Nay if fhe be a thief, flic may rob my matter too, fays Bridget, for fhe is gone up flairs with him." Upon this they all turned to- wards the houSc, and were coming in when Mr, Heartwell met them. He heard the lad words, and #as not a little difturbed at the idea of having the girl found in his houfe, for as Ihc knelt at his feet bethought he knew her face, and had by degrees re- collected that, tho' much grown fince he faw her, me mull certainly be the daughter of Matthew Wood, an honed labourer, who had lived fome years in his parifh, and died there three or four years before. The long illnefs before his death had reduced his wife to fuch poverty, that 'fhe and her child would have perifhed had not the good A 2 Vicars Vicars charity helped out the fcantinefs of theparifh relief. Mr. Heartwell, alter hav- ing buried the poor man, tried to find a place for the girl and fome help for her mother, who being in years, and her health much injured by fatigue and grief, in nurf- ing and lofing her hufband, was quite una- ble to work. By applying to Lady Wor- thy, v hole feat was a few miles diftant, he had the good fortune to get her into one of the alms-houfes which that good lady had built and endowed; here fhe was comfort- ably iupported, and her daughter permitted to be with her 'till fhe could find a fervice. As by thefe means Goody Wood and her daughter were placed at a diftance from him, Mr. Heartwell had not fince feen them ; but was fatisfied that under Lady Worthy 's protection they would be taken care of. The people who were now ru filing into Mr. Heartwell's houfe, flopped on feeing him, and on his afking .what they wanted there, one of the moft decent looking men ftepped forward and pufhing the reft a little back, faid, " I ax pardon fir for our bould- nefs in coming into your Worfhip's houfe, but we have got a warrant here for a young perfon that we be tould ran in here." 64 A warrant" faid Mr. H , " Why what is the matter ? What has fhe done — Pleafe your Wbrfhip flue's a thief and has robbed her mailer's houfe. We have had fad doings at our village— Squire Banff's houfe - r 5 j houfc has been robbed too by his gardener and dairy maid, and they are both gone off. This poor girl. I uppole, learnt their wicked ways (for fhe would keep com- pany with them) and the fame night that they made off, 'tis thought fhe had let them into Farmer Boucher's houfe ; and in the momma- as fure as can be, he found his bureau broke open and his money gone.'* 66 But what proof is there that this girl was concerned in the robbery, or that fire let in the robbers ?" u Why, fir, me had been tel- ling a mort of lies about them, and that made them fufpeft her. So they fearched her box and as fure as can be, there they found fealed up in a paper, fix filver tea fpoons of the farmer's, with an E and a B upon them as his are marked with'. She pertefted they were none of his'n, but were given by a friend to keep for her, but alack a day ! there's no believing a word that comes out of her mouth ; fo nobody minded her ; and when we ax'd her who this friend was that gave them to her to keep, (lie was all as red as fire and would not fpeak. So the farmer left us to take care of her whilft he went to Juftice Gall ways for a warrant. We had £hut her up fafe as we thought in a chamber, whilft we eat a bit of dinner and drank a little of neighbour Boucher's ale, but when he came back and we went thither to take her, lo and behold flie was not to be found. The window Mai open. c 6 1 open, and as it was not very high from the ground, wc guefs fhe let herfclf down from it. We now fctoffin purfuit of her, all but the farmer who being pretty fat and puffy was not for running a race — So he gave us the warrant, and a boy telling us as how Hie took this wav, we ran\till we faw a woman running, about half a mile before us, but afterwards we loii light of her; and pleafe your Worfh-ip, your maid tells us as how me made into this very houfe." — "It is true,'' laid Mr. Heartwell, " that (lie is in my houfe, and if you will confent to let her remain here a day or two, I will be anfwer- able for her appearance w 7 hen called upon. In the meantime I will endeavour to find out the truth ; for it would be a fad thing to ruin fitch a young creature, by hurrying her to prifon before we were fure of her guilt. Farmer Boucher is an honeft humane man, he knows my chara&er, and I dare fay will oblige me by flopping all further proceed- ings a gain ft dVIary Wood, and leaving her in my care 'till I can talk to her and bring her to declare the truth." , " That's what flie is not much ufed to, I am afraid, fir," faid the man, " howfomdever, I will tell neighbour Boucher what your Worfhip fays, and you'll be pleafed to take care that fhe does not get out of the win- dow." " Boucher's wife is living, is fhe not? (faid Mr. Heartwell) what does fhe lay of the girl ?. She muli know more of her her character than her mailer can." " Yes., yes! (he be living and looking, and a good kind of body {he is, but at prefent fhe is from home and knows nothing of all this buttle; for flic went two days ago* to vifit her father at Stoke. She is expected home to night, and then your YV'orfhip may have the fpeech of her if 'you like." They then pulled off their hats and civilly turned back to their village. Mr. Heartwell imme- diately went up to his prifoner, whom he found funk on the ground in his clofet and half dead with terror ; for fhe had heard a good deal of what had pafled and feared every moment that Mr. Heartwell would give her up to be dragged to prifon. She knew flic had been detefted in fome falfe- hoods, that would make a^ainft her; and though fhe was not guilty of the robbery, fhe had enough to reproach herfelf with to take from her all the comfort and confidence of innocence ; fhe had therefore nothing ie Is than the terrors of hanging, or being fent to Botany Bay before her eyes. But we muft go back and tell by what deceit poor Mary was firft brought into trouble. When firft Lady Worthy took her up s fhe. got her a place at Mrs. Trueby's, a widow lady of great piety and worth, who lived in the neighBouring town, She had a boy about fix years old, her two maids were growing old in her fervice ; flic took this this girl to help them. The next day after me came, flie bid her own maid (hew her how to Iweep and dull the beft parlour. The maid, after (hewing her what fhe was to do, and giving her a great charge not to touch the pier glafs which fhe herfelf would clean, gave her a long broom and left her to her fweeping. The little boy who had not feen any thing fo young and lively in the houfe, took a great fancy to Mary, who was no Lefs fond of him, he (laid in the room to fee her fwe'ep it, and fhe to amufe him at the fame time gave him an account of the wonders fee had feen performed in the ftreet the day before, by a balance mafler, who poized a long pole on the palm of his hand and eyen upon his nofe, with other per- formances which, though not very wonder- ful in their kind, appeared fo to her, who had never feen any thing like it. To make little Edward comprehend what fhe meant by this balancing, fhe attempted to poize the long broom, letting the fmall end on the palm of her hand, but not fucceeding it fell on one fide and unfortunately (truck the pier glafs and broke it. Poor Mary cried out fhe was undone, and begged Ed- ward, if he had any pity, not to fay (lie did it. " Who then ?'\ faid he, ^ you will not fay it was I ? v *5 No indeed, faid fhe, I will not lay it upon any body ; only don't you contradict what I (hall fay." By this time Mrs. Trueby, who heard the fmafh of the glafs, had haftened down flairs and came into the room. " What glafs did I hear crack?' laid fMt — O Mary ! my pre- cious pier glafs, the bell piece of furniture in my houie, and a pre lent from a dear friend who is now no more, quite fpoilt I I valued it above ten times its price ! Is this your awkwardncfs, Mary ? Poor Mary flood pale and trembling; but anfwered, " No indeed, madam." " Who did it then" find fhe P raifing her voice, " A great bird, madam, (1 don't know whether it was a })igeon) flew in at the window. I tried to drive it out, and it dallied agaihff the glafs with its bill and cracked it as you lee." Little Edward who was allonifhcd at her in- vention and afTurance, looked amazed, fhrugged up his fhouldcrs and could fcarce help laughing; his mother obferved it, and fo did Mary, who giving him a wink, laid, "mailer Edward knows it is true, for he few it as well as I." — O fye, Mary,!! faid the boy — " that's too much — I would not have told of you, but when you fay I know it to be' true, voi^make me a liar as well as yourfelf; and mv mamma fays, if I tell lies God almiehtv will not love me." " Wricked girl,'' faid the lady, " would you teach my child to lie? pack up and be- gone out of mv houfe, and vou Edward I charge you tell me the truth," upon this the child related the facl, and added — pray mamma torsive her, it was in tpvins to di- B vert vert me that fhe came by the accident." 46 No, my dear," faid his mother, w I cannot forgive her, foolifh and carelefs as it was, and grieved as I am for my favourite gtafs, I could have forgiven her my lofs ; and though I fpoke haliily at firft, I fhould foon have confidered her awkwardnefs and paffed it over, but a girl that can fo readily invent a lie, and try to draw you into it, I cannot poffibly fufTcr to ftay a day in my houfe, if you learnt to tell lies it would break my heart. The good lady however, fearing the girl might get into mifchief, after much kind exhortation determined herfelf to car- ry her back to lady Worthy, affuring her that (he would not have parted with the girl on account of the accident, had it not been for the daring falfehood with which file attempted to excufe it. Lady Wor- thy equally mocked, fent for Goody Wood, and told her what had been her daughter's behaviour ; adding, that flic had put. it out of her power to ferve her, for fhe could never as^aiii venture to recom- mend her. The poor woman was quite overcome with grief, and did not dare to at- tempt to excufe Mary's faults, but took her home in an agony of forrow, where the girl had the mortification to fee that fhe had not only ruined herfelf, but made her mother completely milerablc. And indeed the poor woman became fo ill, that fhe began to fear that fhe fhould be the caufe of her death ; death ; this afrefted her very much, and for a time fhe was truly penitent, and refblved never again to fpeak falfely ; but fo ftrbng is cuftom, and fo weak was the principle on which flie acted, in her mind, that when fhc faw her mother recover, fhe foon re- turned to her little tricks and falfe excufes, It was no wonder fhe did not reform, for fiie had no fear of offending God. No- body took any notice of her, and the bur- den of maintaining her fell heavy on her mother and kept them both in extreme po- verty. At length a gentlewoman who knew the ftory, and was concerned that fo young a creature fhould be ruined, was prevailed upon, as fhe had no children, to fend for her. She afked the girl why fhe was difmiffed from Mrs. Trueby's, to which fhe replied 66 it was for breaking a pier glafs.' 5 u And was that the onlv reafon of her turn- ing you away fo fuidenly ?" the girl looked fallen, held down her head, and faid, " I believe fo." " Go, v faid the lady, " you will not do forme. I fee. you are not cured of your vile fault, and I will not take one whofe word I can never depend on." So home w r ent Mary with a heavy heart, and after trying to evade her mother's queltions, was at laft obliged to confefs what had paf- fed; this renewed all the grief of this poor parent, and Mary was again In difgrace, and again promifed to fpeak truth for the fnture 5 but never begged of God for fcii grace • grace. Mary grew tall and ftrong, and was a well-looking good humoured girl, lively, though kept down by poverty and dilgrace. At 6ft a farmer's wife, who lived about two miles from her mother's, took her as her fervant, and was for lome time well pleafed with her. In the fame village lived a gentleman whofe name was Banks, he was gone on a tour and left his gardener and dairy maid to take care of thehoufe; thefe fervants, who made very free with their mailer's property . in every way, ufed to call in Mary when fhe went by on an errand. The gardener gave her fruit, and the dairy maid treated her with cream and fometimes a fyllabub. Thefe calls required excufes from her for flaying on her errands. One day that they Taw her pairing by, they told her they were going in the evening to the fair, and afked her to go with them. She replied, fhe was Hire fhe could not get leave to go that evening for they were going to finifh their great wafh — 44 pooh ! pooh !" faid they, 44 you viujl go — 'tis the laft day of the fair, and there is a tall woman and a dwarf, and I know not what to be feen." Marys curiofi- ty was flrongly tempted, and {he faid fhe would try what fhe could do. So fhe went to her miftrefs and told her fhe had a meffage from her mother to let her know fhe was very ill, and begged fhe would, if poffible, get leave to come to her. Mrs. Boucher C 1 3 J Boucher (her miftrefsj was very good na tared, and laid (he was loth to keep her from her mother on fuch an occahon, but did not know how to {pare her, they were fo very buly. Mary faid, « if {he would be kind enough to let her m at five o'clock f]ie would work very hard 'till then, ' and to this her mi lire fs confented. Before that hour Mary ran up to her garret, dreft her- felf in a minute and flew to Mr. Banks's time enough to join her friends letting out for the fair. When they had been gone about an hour, . her mother, who unluckily had fome bufinefs that way, called to a£k her daughter how the did; the miilre: r r. who her/elf let her in, was amazed to fee her, and the poor woman was thu ,der~ ftruck when the heard that the girl had pre- tended fhe was ill and had fent for her — and greatly alarmed to think where fee could be gone. She went abom the village inquiring for her and at laft met a country- man fhe knew, who told her flie need not fear any harm, for he was jufi come from the fair, where he fijw her daughter with a man and woman at a boo:b c'hoofimz rib- Dons ; this did not com tort the mother, who went back to implore the clemency of Mrs. Boucher towards her imprudent child. Moved by her tears, and coirfiderimj the ■J o force of curiofity and vanity in a eirl of J J o feventeen, fhe at laft promiled not to turn ker [ M j her away if flie made proper iubmiffions 5 but to try her a little longer. As Mary was coming home in the even- fee ihe met one who told her what a learch her mother had been making for her, this tnrcw her into a terror that fpoilt all the pleafure fhe had enjoyed at. the fairv She came home half dead with fear and fatigue, and threw herfclf at the feet of her rniftrefs, eonfeffing her fault and making folemrr pro- miles never to repeat it; after fevere repri- mands, her miflrcfs at length forgave hen, on condition that ihe mould never again hold any acquaintance with that gardener ;\nd dairy maid, of whom flie told her fhe had heard a bad character: Mary wept and promifed every thing; and though ihe cream and the fruit were ilrong allurements, added to the civil things the gardener ufed to fay to her, yet for fome time fhe forbore her vifits at Mr. Banks's, but by degrees the acouaintar.ee was lecretlv renewed, which epft Marv a faifehood every time the was with i\v.. ie people, whofe company her miflrefs had fo pofitively forbidden. One day Mrs. Boucher went to pay a viiit ffl two or three days at her father's, a few miles off. The farmer could not. go with K r * for he was bufy felling his grain and ?< :uing his rent ready for his landlord; and h:id got the rnonev in the houfe on the fa- furaay which he meant to pay away on the Monday. On On Sunday after church he w ent out ; charging Mary to Hay at home and be cart ' fill of the houfe : her two friends from Ml Banks's, took the opportunity of her being alone to come and drink tea with her; thtf had got notice of the farmers having fold his grain, and as they intended to rob their matters houfe and 30 off with the fecal the next nio;ht, the gardener thought lie might; as well take the farmer's money with hnn,; he remembered i e had once bought fomc dung for his garden of him, and lav/ htm put the money in a bureau, in a little parlour. While Mary was .^ettinss; tea the garden- er pulhcd open the parlour door and iimi O here is a clever little cool room, let us remove the things in here. 'When thev had got into that room he law the bureau, conficlercd the lock, and then looking our at the window he took occafioru unobierv- ed by Mary, to examine the faftenin^s and how he could eafily get in at night. WlliljJ he was thus employed, one of the farmer's ploughboys palling by obfei \ ed this niaa looking out at his mailer's window ; he wondered at it, becaufe he knew the fa mer jfim not at home. Mary took care to difmifs her guefls be- fore her mailers return; and on his alkim; her if any one had been, there ihe replied vobody. The next morning when Rouch'.T came down into the little room, he faw his [ & 1 bureau broken open, and the cafii that had been in it taken away. The farmer inquired of all his people, and the ph Highboy mentioned his having fcen Mr. Banks s gardenef looking out df the window, and laid he had he rd that the two fcrvants were go#e off that morning, and had robbed Mr. Banks s ho life of plate and whatever they could cam off* This, compared with \\h,\t the ploughboy had ob- ferved, and with Mary s havftftg denied that any body had been there, fixed their fiu- picion on hej as having been concerned in the robbery. She was forced to confeCs that Mr. Banks's fcrvants were with her in the afternoon to tea, ' but ftror.gly denied knowing any thing of the robbery, how- ever -they opened her box, there they found fix new Giver tea fpoons mark'd with the hrit letters oi. Boucher's name, fealcd up in a paper. The farmer knew his wife had fix new ones from London not long before, and doubted not thele were the fiime. The drls gwiVt now apnear'd plain. ■ But to return to Mr. Heartwell, whom vc left entering the clofet in which Mary-- Was, as loon as her purluers were gone.Tho' he by no means knew all that we have re- lated of this -unhappy girl, he faw that ap- pearances were ft foils ajmifift her. Yet he was very unwilling to believe the worft, and immediately raited her villi kindneis from the ground. " Marv," faid he, "if you wiii [ *7 ] will now be perfectly findere with me I will befriend you as much asjuilicc will permit, i find the chief caufe of your being fo ftrofigly fufpecled is, that you have depart- ed from the truth, this is always attended with great danger as well as guilt; you have been enough inftrucied in religion to know that deceit is hateful to God, that he has denounced dreadful punifhment for liars- even 'the lake that burnetii with brimltone and fire,' that he has commanded every one to put away lying, and to fpeak the truth to his neighbour from his heart : that Iving lips are an abomination to the Lord, but truth is his delight. For my part, I pity your youth, and I wifli to fave andferve you,, but unlefs I can hope to cure you of this fault, I mud with a grieved heart give you up to your wretched fate, for it is impoffibie for me to do you any good." WhiHt he fpoke his eyes filled with tears, and poor Mary cried without ceafing\ She now tried to fpeak, buther fobs prevented her, at la.il Jhc faid, 6i I fee, I lee that I have undone myfelf, that even you who are fo good will never more believe me, but give me up to mifery and defpair ; I would now moft truly confefs to you every thing, but you will not, you cannot believe me! and I fhali juftly fuffer for what I have not done, becaufe I have made myfelf unwor- thy of belief. O fir, what can I do? Is there no place for repentance ? no good chriftiait c 18 J chnftian who will try me once again? Will you not at leaft hear me if von cannot be- licve rnc, whillt I tell yon of all my fins, and the fad difgraces they have broSght upon me?' "I will hear you," laid the good old man, " but if you now deceive me, or hide any thing from me, I will ne- ver more concern myfelf about you, but muft leave you to reap the bitter fruits of your bafenefs of heart." Mary now threw herfett at his feet — kiffccl his hands—and bathed them with her tears. P O fir," .fhe hud, " God knows I have no wifn to de- ceive or to hide any thing from you, if I do, I confent that vou fliall give me up for ever." She then told what we have before related. When fire came to the article of the tea fpoons, he defired her to explain whole they were, and how fhe came by I icm. She told him that on the funday evening when Mr. Banks's maid and gar- ckuier drank tea with her, the former on going awav took her afide, and oivino- her, a little parcel fealed up, begged of her to [Hit that in her box and keep it for her 'till the fent for it; the reafon of tins fire would tell her when 'they met again. She went away without giving Mary time to afk vmother queltion. She was confufed when silked about the fpoons, becaufe fhe thought file ihould betray her friend, and became [he was affiamed to confefs the intimacy /he bad kept up with hcr 5 ag-unfl her miftrefi's orders [ i 9 I orders and her own promifes. How die fpoons came to be markedvwith Boucher's letters, E B The could not imagine ; for the woman's name who gave them to her* was Sarali Filher. Mr. Heartwell kept Mary that night, and took pains to imprefs on lier a deep fenfe of her fin. Next day they had a vHitfrom farmer Boucher, who told them that ins wife on her return, examined her drawer, and found the fpoons fafe as ihe had left them.. They were marked with the fame letters as thole found in Mary's box; and as the far- mer had fcarce looked at them fince they came home, he did not oblerve that the others were not exactly like them. As this was the only pofitive proof alleged againft Mary, the farmer now promifed to give her no farther trouble ; thou oil he (till knew flie had entertained the robbers 'the day before, on this account he would by no means take her again into his houfe, but paid her the little wages due to her, and difmiffed her from his fervice. Mr. Heartwell, who was pleafed to find her account fo far true, tried to perfuade the Bouchers to let her ftay with them a little while at leaft, as a juftiii- cation of her character; but tie , were fo difguftcd with her having kept up the ac- quaintance with thefe bad people, in de- fiance of their orders and her own promif- es, that they could not think theinleives fafe with fuch a fervant in the houfe. And Mr. Heaitwell, j 20 I ( — _j Ker-.'lwefl, with all the ■ companion he felt jfei her, could not venture to prefs them nor ip anlwer for her future conduct. How- e ver he proimTed that if me kept her pre- nt refohitions, he would befriend her as- tihneh as he'tould. Re put fome proper fcooks into her hands and took her to her r-.-,ihcr, whom they found almo ft diftra&cd v the news winch had reached her, of her daughter havi ng been taken up for a rob- r-< )y; the poor woman every day grew "worl'e after this ihock, and fome weeks af- far her wretched daughter received her dy- feg forgive nefs, but could never forgive Ikriclf for the anguifh flic had caufed her mother, which (lie was perfuaded had haf sened her end. Poor Mary had another (brrow. In the village- where fhe had lived with fanner Voucher, was a creditable Baker, his foil Thomas was bred up to the bulincfs, and was a very hone ft-, fober, agreeable young ifeu. Me had often bellowed kind looks ^T)d kind words on Mary, but had not ven* Sealed to make her an offer, as he thought Iks father would never con lent to his mar- lyrng io poor a girl. She, on her fide, Rfced him well- enough to wiih he would ifoeak out. A little before the unfortunate al&ir at Bouchers, the old baker died, his fkm i ucceeded to his (hop and all his property, ,;Ha was well cfteemed. Whilrl poor Ma- r- ^ asnurfmg. her dvibs mother, this voting ijrm I 21 ] man had occafion to call at Mr. Bearfc well's, who overheard him in talk wkli'tssi maid Bridget about Mary, and lament the lad difgraccthat had befallen her, he added,