for I never saw the King in my life.' — Nor I neither,' replies the other, 'and by G—d Tom! if you will go with me to him, I will write a letter immediately, and by the mess, I will not turn my back to any man in England, either for writing or spelling.'——Here, the other answering with an oath, that he would be as good as his word, and go with him. Jack called immediately for pen, ink, and paper, but as he was going to begin his polite epistle, a great blotch of ink dropped from his pen upon the top of his paper. Jack never called for any more, but wiping it with his finger along the sheet, he began and wrote as follow:
An please your Kingship,
THIS is to let you know, that my messmate Tom Splicewell is condemn'd to be hang'd; for you must know, he was foolish enuff to set out a privateering, without applying to the admiralty for leave; and the first prize he took, gave some intelligence of his course, so that he was chased by a whole squadron, and soon after taken and carried into port.
