James Lincoln, who died with him for the aforesaid cruel murder, was a fellow of a more docile and gentle temper than Wilkinson, owned abundance of the offences he had been guilty of, and had designed, as he himself owned, to have robbed the Duke of Newcastle of his gaiter ornaments, as he returned from the instalment.  Notwithstanding these confessions, he persisted, as well as Wilkinson, in utterly denying that he knew anything of the murder of the pensioner, and saying that he forgave William Lock who had sworn himself and them into it.  Wilkinson was at the time of his execution about thirty-five years old, and James Lincoln somewhat under.  They died at the same time with the afore-mentioned malefactor, Wilson, at Tyburn.

FOOTNOTES: 

   [20] This was near Clerkenwell Green.  It was a famous Bear
        Garden and the scene of various prize-fights to which public
        challenges were issued.  Cunningham quotes a curious one for the
        year 1722:—­“I, Elizabeth Wilkinson, of Clerkenwell, having had
        some words with Hannah Hyfield, and requiring satisfaction, do
        invite her to meet me on the stage and box with me for three
        guineas, each woman holding half-a-crown in each hand, and the
        first woman that drops her money to lose the battle” (this was
        to prevent scratching).  The acceptance ran, “I, Hannah Hyfield,
        of Newgate Market, hearing of the resoluteness of Elizabeth
        Wilkinson, will not fail, God willing, to give her more blows
        than words, desiring home blows and from her no favour.”

The Life of MATTHIAS BRINSDEN, a Murderer

Though all offences against the laws of God and the land are highly criminal in themselves, as well as fatal in their consequences, yet there is certainly some degree in guilt; and petty thieveries and crimes of a like nature seem to fall very short in comparison of the atrocious guilt of murder and the imbrueing one’s hands in blood, more especially when a crime of so deep a dye in itself is heightened by aggravating circumstances.

Matthias Brinsden, who is to be the subject of our present narration, was a man in tolerable circumstances at the time the misfortune happened to him for which he died.  He had several children by his wife whom he murdered, and with whom he had lived in great uneasiness for a long time.  The deceased Mrs. Brinsden was a woman of a great spirit, much addicted to company and not a little to drinking.  This had occasioned many quarrels between her and her husband on the score of those extravagancies she was guilty of, Mr. Brinsden thinking it hard that she should squander away his money when he had a large family, and scarce knew how to maintain it.