A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF STATE-TRIALS AND PROCEEDINGS UPON HIGH-TREASON, AND OTHER CRIMES AND MISDEMEANOURS;THE FOURTH EDITION; COMMENCING FROM THE REIGN OF KING RICHARD II. AND ENDING WITH THE SIXTEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF KING GEORGE III . WITH TWO ALPHABETICAL TABLES TO THE WHOLE. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, A NEW PREFACE, BY FRANCIS HARGRAVE, ESQUIRE (TEN VOLUMES IN EIGHT BINDINGS); (With Two Alphabetical Tables to the Whole)

London, England: Printed by T. Wright, Essex-Street, Strand; and Sold by G. Kearsly, No. 46, near Serjeant's-Inn, Fleet-Street, 1779. Fourth Edition. Leather-bound. Good. NOTE: VERY HEAVY. Large folios. Full calf. Seven raised bands. Contrasting black and red spine labels, in gilt, with gilt library number, stamped in gilt, to spine's bottom. Considerable rubbing to extremities, and on several volumes, boards are detached, but present.

Contains transcripts of sundry trials for high treason, murder and attempted murder, assault and battery, perjury, inciting a riot, outlawry, false arrest, and, (only a!) misdemeanor -- the debauching of (Lady Henrietta Berkeley) by Ford Lord Grey; the debauched Lady Henrietta was the sister of Grey's wife, who claimed to love Grey, and ran away with Grey; the trial of Captain William Kidd and associates for Murder and Piracy; An Account of the proceedings against Samuel Johnson, who was tryed at the Kings-Bench-Bar, Westminster, for high misdemeanour, and found guilty of writing and publishing two seditious and scandalous libels against the government on Monday, the 21th of June, 1686. Robert Baillie of Jerviswood was from Lanarkshire, where his father, George, had acquired the estates of Jerviswood and Mellerstain. In 1676 he rescued his brother-in-law, James Kirkton, a presbyterian minister in the Church of Scotland, from house arrest and was imprisoned briefly for his pains. In 1683, after his plans to emigrate to South Carolina had come to nothing he went to London, where he became involved with the duke of Monmouth's faction. The duke was the natural son of Charles II and believed himself entitled to the throne. After the discovery of the Rye House plot against the king's life, Robert Baillie was arrested and sent to Scotland. He was put on trial for treason, found guilty on unconvincing evidence and sentenced to be hanged. Sentence was carried out the same day.

"...And ajudged the said Mr. Robert Baillie of Jerviswood to be taken to the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, this twenty fourth Day of December instant, betwixt Two and Four a Clock in the Afternoon, and there to be hanged on a Gibbet till he be dead; and his Head to be cut off, and his Body to be Quartered in four, and his Head to be affixed on the Tolbooth of Lanerk, a third on the Tolbooth of Air, and a fourth on the Tolbooth of Glasgow; and ordains his Name, Fame, Memory, and Honours to be extinct; his Blood to be tainted, and his Arms to be riven forth, and delete out of the Book of Arms; so that his Posterity may never have Place, nor be able hereafter to Bruik, or joyse any Honours, Offices, Titles or Dignities, within this Realm in time coming; and to have forfaulted, amitted and tint, all and sundry his Lands, Heritages, Tacks, Steadings, Rooms, Possessions, Goods and Gear whatsoever, pertaining to him, to our Sovereign Lord's Use, to remain perpetually with His Highness in Property, which was pronounced for Doom...He was executed accordingly the same Day; and at the place of Execution persisted in denying his Knowledge ofany design against the King's Life, or the Duke's, or of any Plot against the Government; He owned, he thought it lawful for Subjects, being under such Pressurers, to try how they might be relieved from them, and his design went no farther; but he refused to enter into particulars. Afterwards, in pursuance of the Sentence, His Majesty's Heralds, and Pursevants, with their Coats displayed (after sound of Trumpets) did publickly, in face of theCourt, confirm to the Custom in the sentences of Treason, in his Majesty's Name and Authority, cancel, tear and destroy the said Mr. Robert Baillie his Arms, threw them in his Face, trampled them under foot; and ordained his Arms to be expunged our of the Books of Heraldry, his Posterity to be ignoble, and never to enjoy Honour and Dignity in time coming...Mr. Robert Baillie late of Jerviswood Traytor."

Trial and Execution of Sir Raleigh (Volume I, pp. 205-223) reads, in part: "The executioner kneeled down and asked him forgiveness; the which laying his hand upon his shoulder, he forgave him. Then being asked which way he would lay himself on the block, he made answer and said, 'so the heart be streight, it is no matter which way the head lieth: So laying his head on the block, his face being towards the East, the headsman throwing down his own cloak, because he would not spoil the prisoner's gown, he giving the headsman a sign when he should strike, by lifting up his hands, the executioner struck off his head at two blows, his body never shrinking nor moving. His head was shewed on each side of the scaffold, and then put into a red leather bag, and his wrought velvet gown thrown over it, which was afterwards conveyed away in a mourning coach of his lady's..."