A DREADFUL WARNING FOR Drunkards, OR THE EXECUTION AND CONFESSION OF Fabian Price, a SOLDIER, who wa● Executed at Tyburn, on Wednesday the Tenth of th●● instant July; for Murdering another Soldier in th● Parish of Chiswick, in his Drink.  
As also of James Smith, who was Executed on Thursda● the Eleventh, at Hounslow-Heath, for Running away from his Colours.  
With the manner of their Behaviour in Prison, and a● the places of Execution.  
With Allowance.  
London: Printed for D. M. 1673.   

A Dreadful Warning EOR DRUNKARDS.  
AT the late Sessions holden for the City of London and County of Middlesex, there were Five Persons received Sentence of Death, three Men and two Women. Of the Men one was for Murder; another for a Rape, or beastly abuse offered to a Child under ten years of Age; and the third being a Soldier, for running away from his Colours. The two Women were condemned for several Robberies, which they had long practised; but by the Mercy of our ever Gracious Sovereign, three of the five obtained the favour of a Reprieve.  
The most remarkable or notorious of those that suffered, was Fabian Price, a Soldier, and one who for a considerable time had been of that employment, having been in the late Expedition against the Rebels in Virginia; where, as some say, he in Drunken Quarrelsome Humours committed some Crimes that were like to have rendered him obnoxious to Capital Punishment from the hands of Justice. But whether that be true or not, 'tis certain he himself could not deny but he now suffered justly, for taking away the Life of another, who endeavoured to assist and help him, as far as he was capable. That lying in a field, in the way to Branford, he was civilly, awakened by these three Soldiers, who being wholly strangers, had no other inducement, but as he was their Fellow-soldier, to take him along with them. That he swore bitterly at them, and when they first came up with him, his Musket being cocked, they asked him whether it were Charged; he replied with an Oath, Yes, and that with Bullet as well as Powder: and that after all this he cocked again privately, and on a sudden discharged it upon them, shooting one of them into the Belly; whereof, without ever speaking a word, he instantly died. All these Circumstances, I say, were evidently proved by three Witnesses at his Trial; and all that he had to plead for himself was, that he was in Drink when he he did it.  
'Tis true, the operation of Drink does frequently cause people to do what they never thought on when sober; but if in that Condition they commit any Crime, their Drunkennness is so far from excusing them, that 'tis in all cases an high aggravation; for a Drunkard is voluntarius Demon, a voluntary Devil; a Beast and a Mad man of his own making; and can it be an Apology for a Maus villainy, that he first put out the light of his understanding, that he might commit it resolutely; shall one Sin patronise another, or shall the defacing God Image in ourselves by Drunkenness, justifying us for destroying it in others by Murder; Alas! No, this poor wretch found it otherwise, and justly suffered when he was sober, for the Blood he had shed when he was drunk.  
The other Soldier who was Executed the day following at Hounslow, for running away from his Colours being Condemned upon the Statute, had very little to say for himself, but we hope it will be a warning to all others for committing the like offences.  
Their Behaviour in Newgate was very penitent, especially the Soldier for the Murder, who expressed his sorrow for his Sins, with abundance of Tears, and all other signs of a hearty and sincere Contrition. The Sunday before they suffered, two Sermons were preached to them, upon 2 Cor. Ca 4. v. 2 If our Gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost; From whence the Minister took pains to show them; the danger those persons were in to whom the saving Mysteries of the Gospel were hid or unknown; who were Strangers to the Covenant of Grace, and had no Interest in the Lord Jesus, That such Souls were in a lost undone and desperate state, the horror's whereof he aggravated in several circumstances; and then came to give them directions, how to receive and secure their Souls from such peril and destruction, a destruction, (as he well observed) not of its natural Existence, but of its Moral Excellence, when 'tis depraved, degenerated, banished from God, defiled with Sin: and given up to ●●e by Devils eternally tormented; in handling this part, he first cautioned them from Seducers, that would be apt to offer them Heaven and Happiness upon other terms than ever God intended, and ready to abuse them with pre●ended Absolutions and pardons, which in the day of the Lord would be of no value; in the next place he pressed them earnestly to consider the greatness of the loss, when their Souls were lost, to consider what it was for ever to be shut out of the Joys of Heaven, and endure an Eternity of Torments; that they now had but a few moments, left them, for not only their year and days, but hours were numbered, and upon these Moment's, their Everlasting Bliss or woe depended, he therefore did beseech them seriously to reflect upon their Condition, to be throughly sensible of bewail and abhor their natural state of enmity against God and Goodness, to Repent speedily and hearty for all their multiplied and repeated Transgressions, to see the loathsome deformity of Sin in itself, and the necessity of a Saviour, without whom they must infallably perish to all Eternity; to fly to the Lord Christ for help and for Salvation, and to accept him upon his own terms, admitting him for their King to rule them, as well as their Jesus to save them, for they must be sanctified, or else they would never be justified; to this purpose he desired them to remove all lets and hindrances, and seriously set to the work, to cast off all thoughts of the World, which they were so soon to part with, and fix them on Eternity, whither they were hastening, to improve every minute of that small time they had left, in making their peace with God, and not deceive themselves, by mistaking sorrow for the punishment, to be Repeutance for sin, or every check of Conscience, for the pangs of the New Birth; Alasa! there must be a total and thorough change of the whole man; an abhorrency of all sin planted in their wills, and a love to God above all objects whatsoever in their Souls; he told them there was not only an infinite value, but an infinite virtue too in the blood of Christ, and that they must feel the effects and influences thereof, upon their hearts in this world, if ever they Expected the benefit of it, in the next, etc. concluding his discourse with divers other necessary directions and pathetical Exhortations.  
When the Person for Murder was carried forth to suffer, he declared himself freely willing to Die, as having justly deserved it; and would often aggravate his own Wickedness and God's Mercy, in that he suddenly had destroyed an Innocent person, that offered Kindness to him, without giving him any space for preparation, or so much time as to say, Lord have mercy upon him; whereas he himself now was indulged several days to prepare for his Death. At the place of Execution, with abundance of Tears, he besought all people to take warning, and avoid that odious and most dangerous Sin of Drunkenness, which renders those Men, or rather beasts that practise it, fit and ready for all kind of mischief. How many Whoredoms, Adulteries, Rapes, and Murders have been hereby occasioned! For Drunkenness is not only a Sin of the first rate in itself, but a common Seminary, or Seedplot of all other Sins.  
There is a Relation of a well-educated and disposed Youngman, how he was once tempted to three Sins, Murder, Whoredom and Drunkenness, of which he might take his choice; who chose the last, as being in his apprehension the least heinous. But behold! When the Wine had inflamed him, having no longer any sense of Pity, or the obligations of Nature, he slew his own Father, and committed Incest with his Sister.  
Let the sad Example of this poor wretches deplorable and untimely end, that now justly suffered for a horrid Murder, committed when he had made himself insensible of what he did by Drunkenness, prevail with all to watch over themselves, and avoid such Excess. For how knowest thou, O Reader! but if thou proceedest in that Swinish Sin, though masked under the flattering Title of Complaisance to Company and Good-fellowship, God may give thee up, when thou thyself hast wilfully drowned that reason which he gave thee for a guide, how knowest thou I say, but he may give thee up to commit as great a sin as this poor Man now suffered for, and so come to be made an Example thyself, that wouldst take no warning by the example of others.  
FINIS.