In his younger days, he used, at the death of any of his children, to have a deal box made to put them in; and with out undergoing the solemn requisites of a regular funeral, he would take them upon his shoulder to the place appropriated for their reception; where, once interred, he seemingly coincided with the old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind,” and appeared as unconcerned as if nothing had happened.
A short time before his death, which he evidently hastened by the daily use of nearly a quart of spirits, he gave strict charge that his coffin should not have a nail in it; which was actually the case, the lid being fastened with hinges made of cords; there was no plate on the coffin, but barely the initials “E. N.” cut out of the lid. His shroud was made of a pound of wool; the coffin was covered with a sheet instead of a pall, and was carried by six men, to each of whom he left half-a-crown: and, at his particular desire, not one who followed him to the grave wore mourning; but, on the contrary, each of the mourners seemed to try whose dress should be the most striking, even the undertaker being habited in a blue coat and scarlet waistcoat. He died without a will, and his fortune was equally divided between his wife and family. His death took place in 1802.
A Sketch of the Memoirs of the celebrated Swindler, Charles Price.
Even-handed justice returns the ingredients
Of our poison’d chalice to our own lips.
Shakspeare.
In the following sketch we shall detail a series of singular facts, scarcely ever before equalled in the annals of depravity. By bringing forward such particulars, we may learn the progress of iniquity, teach the rising generation to guard against its first approaches, and warn our readers against those depredations which are daily infesting society. Such examples of wickedness are indeed humiliating to our nature, but they hold forth instructive lessons; in this point of view, they are well deserving of our contemplation.
Charles Price was born about the year 1730, in London: his father lived in Monmouth-street, and carried on the trade of a salesman in old clothes; here he died in the year 1750, of a broken heart, occasioned, it is said, by the bad conduct of his children.
In early life, Charles manifested those traits of duplicity for which he was afterwards so greatly distinguished. One instance shall be mentioned: he ripped off some gold lace from a suit of old clothes in his father’s shop, and putting on his elder brother’s coat, went to sell it to a Jew. The Jew, most unfortunately, came and offered it to the father for sale;—he instantly knew it, and insisted on the Jew declaring whence he received it. The boys passing by, he pointed to the elder one, on account of his coat, as the person of whom he bought it; and he was directly seized, and severely flogged: his protestations of innocence were in vain—the father was inflexible; whilst Charles, with an abominable relish for hypocrisy, secretly rejoiced in the castigation.
His father, tired of the tricks and knaveries of his son Charles, put him an apprentice to a hosier in St. James’s-street. Here he continued but for a short time. He robbed his father of an elegant suit of clothes, in which he dressed himself, went to his master in this disguise, purchased about ten pounds’ worth of silk stockings, left his address, “Benjamin Bolingbroke, Esq. Hanover-square,” and ordered them to be sent to him in an hour’s time, when he would pay the person who brought them. His master did not know him; and, to complete the cheat, our hero, coming back in half an hour in his usual dress, was ordered to take the goods home, which he actually pretended to do; and thus were both master and father robbed. He was, however, afterwards found out, and discarded: henceforward, therefore, we are to regard him in society, where he, for a series of years, practised the most outrageous arts of duplicity.
Soon after this period he set off for Holland, under the assumed name of Johnson. Forging a recommendation to a Dutch merchant, he became his clerk,—debauched his master’s daughter,—was offered her in marriage, robbed his employer, and returned to England. He conducted this business with the most consummate villany.
He now contrived to become clerk in his Majesty’s small-beer brewhouse, near Gosport. At this place he behaved himself with so much propriety, that he was on the point of forming a matrimonial connection with his master’s daughter every thing, however, was soon laid aside by an accidental discovery: the Jew to whom he had formerly sold the gold lace happened to live at Portsmouth, by whom his character was soon disclosed, and spread abroad. Thus were his hopes put to flight, and he was again thrown upon the wide world.