MR William Ivy (the unhappy Subject of this following Discourse) was a Gentleman, de­scended from the Ancient Family of the Ivies in Wiltshire, his Grandfather Sir George Ivy, his Uncle Sir Thomas Ivy of Masbury in the County of Wilts; and his Father though a younger Brother, yet endowed with a Fortune plentiful enough to afford him liberal Edu­cation; But his own promptness and readiness to learn, and his industry to improve that Learning, made him so little chargeable to his Friends, that after having been but a while at School at Weymouth, he grew capable of himself, and attained to an Imployment for his own Maintenance, after which he became Clerk to Mr. Blake (one of the late Surveyor-Generals of his Majesty's Cu­stoms) with whom he remained till the death of the said Mr. Blake; alwayes behaving himself so, as to deserve the reputation of Diligent and Virtuous.

This had been encouragement enough to any indul­gent Parent to take a particular care of, and have a pe­culiar delight in a Child; and his Father made as fair a show of it as any man could do, and seem'd industriously [Page 4] to labour for his settlement, who had taken hitherto so good a care of himself; he therefore considering him now come to the 25th year of his age, determined to marry him, and in that his choice agreed with his Son's, pitching upon and encouraging him to the hopes of gaining Mrs. Elizabeth Rowland, late of the Three-Cups-Inn in Breadstreet, against either whose Person, Virtue, or Fortune no exceptions were to be made.

'Tis therefore no wonder if the young Gentleman had easily directed to her his whole thoughts and incli­nations; and 'tis natural to Youth, when once they love, to affect the pursuing their Amours with all the Vigour and Gallantry they can, and any cross that lights in their way easily discontents them, and their eagerness turns into a kind of Frenzy; and the brain, thus distracted, is ready to admit any impression to arrive at its end; and so Natures, that were before perfectly pure and good, become the easier vitiated, and are hurried on to strange and prodigious Violencies.

Thus this unfortunate young Gentleman, finding some Friends falling off from their promises made to him in relation to his Marriage with the fore-named Mris. Elizabeth Rowland, began to think himself obli­ged in Honour to find some ways to prosecute it, and the studying upon it drove him into Malancholly, and Malancholly increased his discontent, and then is the Devils time of working, who never omitts the playing upon such Engins.

In this height of discontent he comes to Sir Robert Longs (where he had long been acquainted) and, un­happily [Page 5] for him, finds all the Family out of Town, but only one Young-man called William Pew, and a Maid­servant.

This Young-Man and Maid having before received their instructions from a Gentlewoman, House-keeper to Sir Robert, and Countrywoman to Mr. Ivy, treated him with all manner of Civility and Respect, and they drank a bottle of Wine together, after which the young­man and Mr. Ivy spent some time in surveying the Fur­niture of the House, and viewing the Pictures, till hap­ning into a Room where some Guns lay, he took down one and shot at a Mark, and then putting the Gun in its place returned to his former divertisement of seeing the House, when coming into Sir Robert Long's Bed-Chamber he pull'd a Pistol out of his pocket and shot the young-man through the Back; who thereupon turning about, cryed out, Mr. Ivy, how could you have so much cruelty to serve me thus? upon which Mr. Ivy having a Cane in his hand struck him over the Head; on which he fell down and never spoke more.

But here may be observed with what cunning the Devil works, who could put into the invention of man the taking down a Gun and shuting at a Mark, that the noise of his Pistol might not afterwards be suspected.

The Youngman thus made sure of, he thought him­self not secure whilst the Maid who was gone to dress him some Eggs might possibly come too soon to call him, & therefore dragging the Youngman into the Cel­ler, and there covering him with what he could find, he makes haste to the Kitchin, with a full resolution to [Page 6] have murdered the Maid likewise, at which he made ma­ny proffers, but was still prevented by that good An­gel which protected her; so that in a little time came in another Maid, and then his evil Angel draws him off from that to Sir Robert Longs Money-Chest, whence he took seven hundred-pound baggs, two of which he never carried out of the house, the other five he carried into the Garden, four of which he laid within the house of office door, the other he carried away with him into London, and there changed it into Gold; the same night he came for two more which he likewise carried away with him, and the other two he buried under the stairs of the Water-gate, which could not be found. The next day he changed the rest of his money into Gold, and took a resolution to take his leave of England.

But though he had so resolved in his mind, yet it was not in his power to act it; and all the while he was in Southwark, whither he went with intent to take Post for the Sea-side, he felt the load of Blood and the vil­lany of his Crime giving him a check, and infusing into him (as himself expressed it) these kind of thoughts; If I do get beyond Sea, and there live some time more in sins, in the midst of them all I may be served my self, as I my self have served the young-man; and these considerations drew him again back to his Lodging, at one Mr. Nash a Strongwater-man's in Little-Eastcheap, where the Of­ficers of Justice found and seized him, and brought him to (as himself with all desirable penitence confesses) his just and deserved punishment. His free confession [Page 7] of the whole matter of Fact, and his admirable Contri­tion for it before the Bench, immediately pleading guil­ty, and yielding up himself with a reverent submission to that punishment he confessed he had so justly deserved, leaves no room for any more to be said concerning his Tryal.

But here it is to be noted, that he had behaved him­self alwayes with so much Civility and Regularity, that his Landlord thinking it impossible he should ever be guilty of so heinous a crime as that wherewith he was charged, was ready to offer himself to be his Bail.

From all which it may be observed, that neither Birth, Wit, Education, Industry, nor a habit of well living, can, without the especial Grace of God, free us from the snares of Satan; and therefore a much better use may be made of these fatal Accidents, then the common one of reviling and railing at the lapses of our Brethren, by a due consideration had of the necessity and Excel­lency of those two short Petitions of that Prayer taught us by our blessed Saviour, Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.