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The Gaming Table by Andrew Steinmetz, Volume II

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Atrocities, Duels, Suicides, And Execution Of Gamblers

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. If Lord Chesterfield had wished to suppress that vital
evidence he could have done so.

Dr Johnson exerted himself to the utmost to try and save poor
Dodd; but George III. was inexorable. Respecting this benevolent
attempt of the Doctor, Chalmers writes as follows:--

Dr Johnson appears indeed in this instance to have been more
swayed by popular judgment than he would perhaps have been
willing to allow. The cry was--"the honour of the clergy;" but
if the honour of the clergy was tarnished, it was by Dodd's
crime, and not his punishment; for his life had been so long a
disgrace to his cloth that he had deprived himself of the
sympathy which attaches to the first deviation from rectitude,
and few criminals could have had less claim to such a display of
popular feeling.'

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