The Chronicles Of Newgate Vol 1 2

Excerpt from The Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 1 of 2 Perhaps the refinement of torture, however, had been reached under the cowardly and superstitious Louis XI, whose iron cages were of such shape and size that the prisoners could languish in them for years unable either to stand upright or to stretch full length upon the floor. One feels the grim humour of fate that condemned the Bishop of Verdun, their inventor, to be the first to suffer in them. Life - long confinement under such conditions was the so-called clemency of rulers desiring to be thought merciful. Supported first by hope, then deadened by despair, men endured life in these prisons for years only to leave them bereft of health or reason. The famous names of those who languished in them is legion. Fouquet, the default ing minister of Louis XIV, whose magnificence had rivalled that of the king himself, was punished by such captivity for twenty years. The Man with the Iron Mask, whose identity, lost for three cen tuties, has been proved beyond a doubt after care ful comparison of all theories, pined his life away in one of them, accused, like Dreyfus, of having sold a secret of state. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"The Chronicles of Newgate" feature a detailed history of the well-known Newgate prison, which is in itself an epitome of the criminal history of England, from epoch to epoch, closely and minutely. Newgate, as the annexe of the Old Bailey, or great criminal law court of this city, has ever been closely connected with the administration of justice in the country. In its records are to be read the variations of the Statute Book. It is possible to trace at Newgate the gradual amelioration of the penal code, from the days of its pitiless ferocity, to the time when, thanks to the incessant protests of humanitarian and philanthropist, a milder system of punishment became the rule. Volume 1: Medieval Newgate Newgate in the Sixteenth Century Newgate in the Seventeenth Century (Down to the Great Fire) Newgate in the Seventeenth Century (After the Great Fire) In the Press-Yard Executions Escapes The Gaol Calendar The Gaol Fever The New Gaol Volume 2: Crimes and Criminals Newgate Down to 1818 Philanthropy in Newgate The Beginnings of Prison Reform The First Report of the Inspectors of Prisons Executions Newgate Notorieties Later Records Newgate Notorieties Newgate Reformed

"The Chronicles of Newgate" feature a detailed history of the well-known Newgate prison, which is in itself an epitome of the criminal history of England, from epoch to epoch, closely and minutely. Newgate, as the annexe of the Old Bailey, or great criminal law court of this city, has ever been closely connected with the administration of justice in the country. In its records are to be read the variations of the Statute Book. It is possible to trace at Newgate the gradual amelioration of the penal code, from the days of its pitiless ferocity, to the time when, thanks to the incessant protests of humanitarian and philanthropist, a milder system of punishment became the rule. Volume 1: Medieval Newgate Newgate in the Sixteenth Century Newgate in the Seventeenth Century (Down to the Great Fire) Newgate in the Seventeenth Century (After the Great Fire) In the Press-Yard Executions Escapes The Gaol Calendar The Gaol Fever The New Gaol Volume 2: Crimes and Criminals Newgate Down to 1818 Philanthropy in Newgate The Beginnings of Prison Reform The First Report of the Inspectors of Prisons Executions Newgate Notorieties Later Records Newgate Notorieties Newgate Reformed