Smith, Alexander, Captain [pseud.],
The Third Volume of the Compleat History of the Lives, Robberies, Piracies, and Murders committed by the most notorious Rogues, &c. (London: S. Briscoe/ T. Warner/ A. Dodd, 1720).

THE| THIRD VOLUME| OF THE| Compleat History| OF THE| LIVES, ROBBERIES, PIRACIES, and| MURDERS committed| BY THE| Most Notorious ROGUES, &c.| From the Time of Edward the Confessor.| With the Famous Sermon Preach'd by BER-|NARD SYMPSON a MONK, to a Gang of| Highway-men in a Wood near Maidenhead-Thicket.| Printed from the Original M.S. out of the BOD-|LEIAN LIBRARY in OXFORD.| Together with| The Continuation of the wicked Lives of HIGH-|WAY-MEN, MURDERERS, FOOT-PADS, HOUSE-|BREAKERS, SHOPLIFTS, WATER-PADS, KID-|LAYS, HOOK-POLE-LAYS,| MOLLY-LAYS, and the surprizing Adventures of several| famous PIRATES, down to the present TIME. With| the Thieves GRAMMAR whereby the Art of Thiev-|ing, is fully detected. A Key to the Art of Thieving;| newly discovered, whereby several secret Mysteries are| unlocked, for the good of the Publick.| Never before Printed.| [rule]| Written by Capt. ALEX. SMITH.| [rule]| [rule]| Adorn'd with Cuts.| [rule]| LONDON: Printed for Sam. Briscoe, and sold at the Bell-Savage| on Ludgate Hill; T. Warner in Pater-Noster Row, and A.| Dodd without Temple-Bar. 1720.

Description

[with engravings] frontispiece [Monk in forrest preaching to highway-men and gamesters]/ p.[i] black and red titlepage/ p.[iii-vii] preface signed: Alexander Smith/ p.[viii-xiv] "Table" alphabetical: names and deeds/ p.[1]-333/ [p.335:] new titlepage: "Thieves Grammar"/ p.336 [recte 337] - 362 [recte 364] "Thieves Grammar", "Thieves Key", "Thieves Exercise"/ 12°.

Shelf-marks

{L: 615.a.19}.

Bibliographical Reference

ESTC: t141340.

History of Publication

Cf. Captain Alexander Smith [pseud.], The History of the Most Noted Highway-Men (London: J. Morphew/ A. Dodd, 1714).

Self-classification

Titel: "History" singular, even though we get numerous lifes.

Remarks

New - and possibly a reaction on the Crusoe-craze - are histories of pirates. At times the narration makes room to an enumeration of who appeared before court. Die "Thieves Grammar" offers - following the grammatical categories "Gender", "Case" etc. the aspects of crime. The "Keys" are twelve modes of crime, die "Exercises" introduce several forms of pickpocketing in the appropriate terminology.

o.s.