These Verses, as I said before, were published in the Plain Dealer, to whom Mr. Savage afterwards wrote a Letter himself, that was printed in that Paper, in which he says: I am, Sir, that unfortunate Richard Savage, the peculiar Circumstances of whose uncommon Treatment from a Mother (whose fine Qualities make it impossible to me not to forgive her, even, while I am miserable, by her Means only) induced you some Months since, in your 28th Paper, to publish a few ineffectual Lines, which I had written, on her surprising Usage of me: To which your Humanity was pleas'd to add certain Reflections, in my Favour, which I remember, with due Gratitude; and am encouraged, by that Instance of your Goodness, to make the present Application.

When you shall have perus'd my extraordinary Case, and those convincing Original Letters, which I have entrusted with the Gentleman, who brings you this, I shall need say no more, to satisfy you, what Right I have to complain, in a more publick Manner, than I have, yet allowed myself to resolve on.—The Papers, in the Order you will see them, are prepared for a Hand, too Just, and too Powerful, to leave me the least Distrust of being, shortly, less oppressed than I have been; but I judged myself obliged to lay them under your Eye, that you might be sensible, you said less, of my Wrongs, and my Sufferings, than the unhappy Truth could have justified.

He afterwards, in the same Letter, mentions his Subscription, and begs those, who think him, or his Design worth their Notice or Encouragement, to send their Names, and the Number of Books they subscribe for, to Button's Coffee-house. Accordingly when his List of Subscribers was printed before his Book, the following Names were distinguished from the rest, and which I mention here, to do them Honour, as having sent their Subscriptions without any other Sollicitation; prompted only by the Influence of Compassion, and the Greatness and Generosity of their own Tempers.

Her Grace the Dutchess of Cleveland.
The Right Honourable the Lady Viscountess Cheyney.
The Right Honourable the Lady Viscountess Castlemain.
Mrs. Mary Floyer.
The Right Honourable the Earl of Gainsborough.
The Right Honourable the Lady Gower.
The Right Honourable the Lady Lechmere.
The Right Honourable the Lord Milsington.
Mrs. Sofuel Noel.
His Grace the Duke of Rutland, for Ten Books.
Her Grace the Dutchess Dowager of Rutland.
Her Grace the Dutchess of Rutland.
The Right Honourable the Countess of Strafford.
Mr. John Savage.
The Right Honourable the Countess Dowager of Warwick.

The Dedication of this Book, was to the Right Honourable the Lady Mary Wortley Montague; wherein he says thus, "Nature seems to have form'd my Mind as inconsistently, as Fortune has my Condition: She has given me a Heart that is as proud as my Father's; to a Rank in Life, almost as low as the Humanity of my Mother!"

He had also wrote a long Preface to it, giving some Account of his Mother's unparallel'd ill Treatment of him; but was prevail'd on through the Imposition of some very considerable Persons to cancel it; and about that Time he had a Pension of 50 Pounds a Year settled upon him. I will not venture to say whether this Allowance came directly from her, or, if so, upon what Motives she was induced to grant it him; but chuse to leave the Reader to guess at it. This was the first Time that he may properly be said to have enjoyed any Certainty in Life, and this, alass! of how short a Duration is it like to be, from the unhappy Affair that has brought him under the heaviest Sentence of the Law! A Sentence, which, of all Men living, he was thought, by his whole Acquaintance, the most unlikely to have incurr'd his good Nature and Meekness of Temper, having before this fatal Accident, been remarkable, among all who convers'd with him, if I may be allow'd the Expression, even to a Fault.

The last Piece which he exhibited to the World, was, a Poem Sacred to the Memory of our late most gracious Sovereign, address'd to the Right Honourable Mr. Doddington, one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, which Subject, tho' it employ'd several other poetic Genius's; he is allow'd, by some approv'd Judges in that way of Writing, to have manag'd with a Delicacy, superior to any of his Competitors. But to come to the dismal Cause of his present Condition; having for some Time had a Lodging at Richmond in Surrey, for the Benefit of the Air, and the Conveniencies of his Studies; he came to Town on Monday the 20th Day of November last, in order to pay off another he had in Queen-street, Westminster, thinking the Expence too great to keep them both; and falling into Company with Mr. Merchant and Mr. Gregory, they all went together to a Coffee-house near his old Lodgings, where they drank till pretty late in the Evening; Mr. Savage would willingly have got a Bed at the Coffee-house for that Night, but there not being a Conveniency for himself, and Company both, they went away from thence with a Resolution to waste Time as well as they could till Morning, when they purposed to go together to Richmond. In their Walks, seeing a Light in Robinson's Coffee-house, they thought that a Place proper to entertain them, tho' Mr. Savage protested he was entirely ignorant of the Character of the House, and had never been there in his Life before. Let it suffice in this Place to say, that the direful Consequence of their going in there, was from an Insult offer'd by Mr. Merchant to the Company who were drinking there, a mortal Wound given to Mr. Sinclair, of which he languish'd till the next Day, and then died, and the Condemnation of Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory for the said Fact. They were secur'd for that Night, and in the Morning carried before Nathaniel Blackerby, Esq; and two other of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace, and by them committed to the Gate-house; but Mr. Sinclair dying, they were from thence removed to Newgate, between Twelve and One o' Clock on Tuesday Night.

The Coroner's Inquest having sat upon the Body, did not finish their Enquiry at their first Meeting, but adjourn'd till the Tuesday following, and then brought in their Verdict Manslaughter.

Let the Reader now behold a Man of his unspotted Character, and inoffensive Behaviour, till this fatal Action, involv'd all on a sudden in all the wretched Circumstances and Sufferings of the most inhuman Criminals and abandon'd of Profligates, and admire at the decent Fortitude and Serenity of Mind, with which, according to the Report of all who saw him, he supported so shocking and unexpected a Misfortune, as well before as at the Time of his Trial, which was on Thursday the 7th of this Instant December, at the Old Baily; where after eight Hours being taken up in hearing the Evidence on both Sides, he and Mr. Gregory were found Guilty of the Murther, and Merchant of Manslaughter only.

The whole Trial having already been made publick, it will be needless to give any Repetition of it here, any farther than this, that upon the Testimonies of Nuttal, a Friend of the Deceas'd, and another Person, who was drinking with him and Mr. Sinclair; together, with those of the Women of the House, it appear'd the Affront was given by Merchant's kicking down the Table that belong'd to the Deceased and his Company, and that in Justification of that Rudeness, Mr. Savage and Mr. Gregory drew their Swords, and Mr. Sinclair receiv'd his Death Wound from Mr. Savage.