Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED

[Robin Hamilton]

Kudos to Garson for proving me wrong and vindicating the reputation of 
George Borrow.

We now have -- A Narrative of the Various Exploits, Robberies, and 
Adventures, of Henry Simms, written by himself, after Conviction -- printed 
in 1764, probably based on material provided by Simms himself, with a 
specific reference to "Flash Language".  This is taken up and quoted, both 
title and reference to the Flash Language, by Borrow in _Zincali_, probably 
directly from the _Select Trials_ of 1764, since the republication of the 
text in _The Terrific Register_ of 1825 fails to reproduce the title of 
Simms' work.

This still leaves a gap between 1747, when Simms is hanged, and 1764, but 
it's a short enough space of time to allow the text to derive directly from 
Simms.

Following on from Garson's discovery, I found that the text of A Narrative 
is also reproduced in _The Tyburn Chronicle_, Vol. III, pp. 179 ff, also 
printed in 1764, which may constitute an independent witness to the Simms 
Narrative text.

Now if someone can provide a bridge between 1747 and 1764 ...  There is 
this, from the end of John Taylor, then Ordinary of Newgate's Account of 
Simms:

        On Monday next (June 21) will be publish'd, Price Six-pence, The 
above mention'd LIFE of   Henry Simms, call'd Gentleman Harry.
        All Wrote with his own Hand.
        Printed for   Thomas Parker and   Charles Corbett.
        N. B. For the Satisfaction of the Curious, the Original Copy wrote 
by Gentleman Harry, consisting of near 30 Sheets, may be seen at the above 
C. Corbett's.

Perhaps The Narrative, as found in the _Select Trials_ that Garson 
identified, is based on this manuscript, before it was sanitised by John 
Taylor in the Life as published in 1747.

Robin Hamilton

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-----Original Message----- 
From: ADSGarson O'Toole
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2014 4:02 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED

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Subject:      Re: Gentleman Harry Simms, Flash, and the OED
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Here is an earlier citation in 1764.

Year: 1764  (MDCCLXIV)
Title: Select Trials for Murder, Robbery, Burglary, Rapes, Sodomy,
Coining, Forgery, Pyracy: And Other Offences and Misdemeanours, at the
Sessions-house in the Old-Bailey
Volume: 1 of 4
Section: Select Trial at the Sessions-House in the Old-Bailey, 1741
Sub-Section: Henry Simms for the Highway, Feb 1746
Printed for J. Wilkie in St. Paul's Church-yard
Start Page 151
Quote Page 156

http://bit.ly/1sUbzrH

http://books.google.com/books?id=odMrAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Flash+language%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
They soon recollected me, and were glad
to see me, so I went with them to a music Booth,
where they made me almost drunk with Gin, and
began to talk their Flash Language, which I did not

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