After the most extravagant and
unseemly conduct in France, he returned to England, and forged a
bond as from his pupil, Lord Chesterfield, for the sum of L4200,
and, upon the credit of it, obtained a large sum of money; but
detection instantly following, he was committed to prison, tried
and convicted at the Old Bailey, Feb. 24, and executed at
Tyburn, June 27 (after a delay of four months), exhibiting every
appearance of penitence. The great delay between the sentence
and execution was owing to a doubt for some time respecting the
admissibility of an evidence which had been made use of to
convict him.
Lord Chesterfield has been accused of a cold and relentless
disposition in having deserted his old tutor in his extremity.
But Mr Jesse says that he heard it related by a person who lived
at the period, that at a preliminary examination of the
unfortunate divine, Lord Chesterfield, on some pretence, placed
the forged document in Dodd's hands, with the kind intention that
he should take the opportunity of destroying it, but the latter
wanted either the courage or the presence of mind enough to avail
himself of the occasion. This, however, is scarcely an excuse,
for, certainly, it was not for Dr Dodd to destroy the fatal
document.
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