,,glimpses ,,of ,,the ,,supernatural4 ,the ,other ,world2 ,,or1 ,,glimpses ,,of ,,the ,,supernatural4 ,,being ,,facts1 ,,records1 ,,and ,,traditions ,,relating ,,to ,,dreams1 ,,omens1 ,,miraculous ,,occurrences1 ,,apparitions1 ,,wraiths1 ,,warnings1 ,,second-,,sight1 ,,witchcraft1 ,,necromancy1 ,,etc4 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,frederick ,,george ,,lee1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,vicar of ,all ,saints'1 ,lambeth4 ,,in ,,two ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,henry ,s4 ,,king ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 #ahge4 7,all rights reserved47 ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,honourable ,,augusta1 ,,countess ,,of ,,stradbroke1 ,,of ,,henham ,,hall1 ,,in ,,the ,,county ,,of ,,suffolk1 ,,these ,,volumes ,,are1 ,,by ,,her ,,ladyship',s ,,kind ,,permission1 ,,very ,,respectfully ,dedicated4 8,it is often asked--,do you believe in ,prophecies and ,miracles8 ,yes and no1 one may answer2 that depends4 ,in general1 yes2 doubtless we believe in them1 and are not of the number of those who #8pique themselves1' as ,fnelon said1 #8on rejecting as fables1 without examination1 all the wonders that ,god works4' ,but if you come to the particular1 and say--,do you believe in such a revelation1 such an apparition1 such a cure8--here it is that it behoves us not to forget the rules of ,christian prudence1 nor the warnings of ,holy ,writ1 nor the teaching of ,theologians and ,saints1 nor1 finally1 the decrees of ,councils1 and the motives of those decrees4 ,has the proper ,authority spoken8 ,if it has spoken1 let us bow with all the respect due to grave and mature ecclesiastical judgments1 even where they are not clothed with infallible authority2 if it has not spoken1 let us not be of those who reject everything in a partizan spirit1 and want to impose this unbelief upon everybody2 nor of those who admit everything lightly1 and want alike to impose their belief2 let us be careful in discussing a particular fact1 not to reject the very principle of the ,supernatural1 but neither let us shut our eyes to the evidence of testimony2 let us be prudent1 even to the most careful scrutiny--the subject-matter requires it1 the ,scriptures recommend it--but let us not be sceptics2 let us be sincere1 but not fanatical3 that is the true mean4 ,and let us not forget that most often the safest way in these matters is not to hurry one's judgment1 not to decide sharply and affirm absolutely--in a word1 not to anticipate1 in one sense or the other1 the judgment of those whose place and mission it is to examine herein2 but to await1 in the simplicity of faith and of ,christian wisdom1 a decision which marks out a wise rule1 although not always with absolute certainty40--,dupanloup1 ,bishop of ,orleans1 8,on ,contemporary ,prophecies40 ,,preface4 ,these volumes have been compiled from the standing-point of a hearty and reverent believer in ,historical ,christianity4 ,no one can be more fully aware of their imperfections and incompleteness than the ,editor2 for the subjects under consideration occupy such a broad field1 that their treatment at greater length would have largely increased the bulk of the volumes1 and indefinitely postponed their publication4 ,the facts and records set forth 7and throughout1 the ,editor has dealt with facts1 rather than with theories7 have been gathered from time to time during the past twenty years1 as well from ordinary historical narrations as from the personal information of several friends and acquaintances interested in the subject-matter of the book4 ,the materials thus brought together from so many quarters have been carefully sifted1 and those only made use of as would best assist in the arranged method of the volume1 and suffice for its suitable illustration4 ,the ,editor regrets that1 in the publication of so many recent examples of the ,supernatural 7about fifty71 set forth for the first time in the following pages1 the names of the persons to whom those examples occurred1 and in some cases those likewise who supplied him with them1 are withheld4 ,the truth is1 there is such a sensitive dislike of publicity and of rude criticism consequent upon publicity1 that very many persons shrink from the ordeal4 ,however1 it may be sufficient to state that the ,editor holds himself personally responsible for all those here recorded1 which are not either details of received ,history1 or formally authenticated by the names and addresses of those who have supplied him with them4 ,many examples of the ,supernatural in modern times and in the present day are here published for the first time1 in an authoritative and complete form4 ,by the kind courtesy of ,lord ,lyttelton1 the family records of a remarkable apparition1 which is said to have been seen by his noble ancestor1 were placed at the ,editor's disposal1 and1 by his ,lordship's permission1 are in the following pages now first set forth in detail and at length4 ,the ,editor is also indebted to the following1 either for obliging replies to his inquiries1 or for information which has been embodied in the succeeding pages3--,the late ,lady ,brougham1 the late ,rev4 ,w4 ,hastings-,kelke1 of ,drayton ,beauchamp2 ,a4 ,l4 ,m4 ,p4 de ,lisle1 ,esq41 of ,garendon ,park2 the ,very ,rev4 ,a4 ,weld1 ,s4,j42 the ,right ,rev4 ,monsignor ,patterson1 ,d4,d41 of ,s4 ,edmund's ,college1 ,ware2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,jefferson1 ,m4,a41 of ,north ,stainley ,vicarage1 near ,ripon2 the ,very ,rev4 ,e4 ,j4 ,purbrick1 ,s4,j41 of ,stonyhurst ,college2 the ,rev4 ,john ,richardson1 ,b4,a41 of ,warwick2 ,henry ,cope ,caulfeild1 ,esq41 ,m4,a41 of ,clone ,house1 ,s4 ,leonard's2 the ,rev4 ,theodore ,j4 ,morris2 ,mrs4 ,george ,lee2 the ,rev4 ,h4 ,n4 ,oxenham1 ,m4,a42 ,miss ,s4 ,f4 ,caulfeild2 ,dominick ,browne1 ,esq4 7,dytchley72 ,captain ,lowrie1 of ,york2 ,mr4 ,c4 ,j4 ,sneath1 of ,birmingham2 and many others4 ,if there be anything set forth in this volume1 in ignorance or misconception1 contradictory to the general teaching of the ,universal ,church1 the ,editor puts on record here his regret for having penned it1 and his desire altogether to withdraw such error4 ,f4 ,g4 ,l4 ,all ,saints' ,vicarage1 ,york ,road1 ,lambeth4 ,,contents ,,of ,,vol4 ,i4 ,page ,,chapter ,i4 ,,introductory4--,materialism of the present age #a ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,miraculous in ,church ,history #ba ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,spiritual ,powers and ,properties of the ,church4-- ,sacraments4--,sacramentals4--,exorcism #ea ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,witchcraft and ,necromancy #adi ,,chapter ,v4 ,dreams1 ,omens1 ,warnings1 ,presentiments1 and ,second ,sight #bjg ,,materialism ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,age4 8,in some sense of the ,supernatural1 in some faith in the ,unseen1 in some feeling that man is not of this ,world1 in some grasp on the ,eternal ,god1 and on an eternal supernatural and supersensuous life1 lies the basis of all pity and mercy1 all help1 and comfort1 and patience1 and sympathy among men4 ,set these aside1 commit us only to the ,natural1 to what our eyes see and our hands handle1 and1 while we may organize ,society scientifically1 and live according to #8the laws of ,nature1' and be very philosophical and very liberal1 we are standing on the ground on which every savage tribe stands1 or indeed on which every pack of wolves gallops40 ,,glimpses ,,of ,,the ,,supernatural4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,introductory4--,,materialism ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,age4 ,to any sincere and hearty believer in ,historical ,christianity the advance of ,materialism and the consequent denial of the ,supernatural must be the cause both of alarm and sadness4 ,the few lead1 the many follow2 and it is frequently the case that conclusions contrarient to the idea of the ,supernatural are arrived at1 after a course of reasoning1 which conclusions appear to many wholly unjustified1 either by the premisses adopted1 or from the argument that has ensued4 ,it has been stated1 in a serial of some ability1#a that the final issue of the present conflict between so that things are necessarily different to what they would have been if he had not thus acted1 and no disturbance nor dislocation of the system around him ensues as a consequence of such action1 surely ,he ,who contrived the system in question can subsequently interpose both in the natural and spiritual order of the world4 ,for to deny this possibility is obviously to place ,god on a lower level than man2 in other words1 to make the ,creator of all things weaker and less free than ,his own creatures4 ,now1 to go a step further1 all human efforts to find out ,god have been the result of the combination of ideas gleaned from human experience4 ,these ideas have often enough been grotesque1 fanciful1 and distorted--a judgment which will be admitted to be accurate by all ,christian people2 whether the gross conceptions of ,pagan mythology or the nebulous speculations of modern 8thinkers0 are brought under consideration4 ,that man1 the created1 cannot understand ,god the ,creator--that the thing made cannot compass the ,maker--is not only perfectly certain1 but necessary4 ,the being of ,god cannot be grasped by a finite intellect2 nor can such an intellect conceive the mode of an existence absolutely and utterly removed from created conditions4 ,such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent3 we cannot attain unto it4#b ,but though it may be1 and is1 utterly impossible to conceive ,almighty ,god1 it is anything but impossible to conceive the fact and reality of ,his being4 ,for1 as is well known1 the general thought and conscience of mankind have believed in a ,god1 semper et ubique1 everywhere and at all times4 ,thus a thing may exist1 and its existence may be perfectly patent to the understanding2 and furthermore its existence may be worthy of implicit belief2 while1 at the same time1 the thing itself may be found to transcend and overpass the limited powers of man's intellect4 ,take1 for example1 the ideas conveyed by the terms 8eternal0#c and 8infinite40 ,who can comprehend them8 ,who can explain them8 ,ordinary popular conceptions make them mere indefinite extensions of duration and space2 yet these conceptions need not and do not appear absurd1 but1 on the contrary1 enable ideas1 at once definite1 distinct1 and recognizable1 to be conveyed from man to man4 ,thus1 by a simple process of thought1 we may see for ourselves the place and propriety of a ,revelation1 and appreciate the truth of the ,supernatural4 ,here1 in the province of a ,revelation1 not man's conception of ,god1 but ,god ,himself is set forth4 ,not so unlike ourselves is ,he that we find ,him1 with will1 actions1 and purposes1 unintelligible2 but1 using analogies gathered and systematized by experience1 we learn1 at the same time1 that our ,creator is beyond the range both of thought and language--never to be fully known1 until1 with divinely-illuminated faculties in a higher state1 we see ,him face to face4 ,and when we have attained to this point in our course of thought1 the first leading fact of ,god's revelation meets us4 ,here it is3 8,there is but one living and true ,god1 everlasting1 without body1 parts1 or passions2 of infinite power1 wisdom1 and goodness2 the ,maker and ,preserver of all things1 both visible and invisible4 ,and in unity of this ,godhead there be three ,persons1 of one substance1 power1 and eternity3 the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost40#d ,now in this revelation1 given in its fullness by the ,eternal ,word1 and bequeathed to the ,christian ,church1 to be preserved and handed down for future generations1 all is ,supernatural4 ,that body of doctrine which ,christians believe1 divinely guarded by the ,church1 was announced beforehand1 centuries ere it was actually delivered1 by a wisdom above nature--the divine light of prophecy4 ,when it was set forth by the ,eternal ,word1 its truth was attested in the face of a hostile people by a power above nature1 whose word ,creation obeyed1 as in regularity1 so in marked and palpable change4 ,this body of doctrine or gospel put forth a supernatural power in the strange rapidity and manifest success with which it subdued hearts to itself4 ,ancient ,rome owned the ,crucified as a ,monarch conquering and to conquer4 ,his ,revelation1 of the truth of which there shall be witnesses unto the end1 is above nature1 in that it alone provides adequate remedies for the manifold infirmities of the human race4 ,the life it produces here is supernatural1 as are also the means by which that life is created1 and the efficient gifts by which it is being constantly renewed4 ,supernatural1 too1 is the work of the ,holy ,ghost1 wrought out by human agents and human instrumentality2 changing1 sanctifying1 illuminating2 shadowing forth by its action the reunion of earth with heaven1 of man with ,god1 only to be completed and made perfect in the life to come4 ,now the purport of this volume is to show by examples of supernatural intervention--examples many of which have been gathered from quite recent periods--that ,almighty ,god1 from time to time1 in various ways and by different human instruments1 still condescendingly reveals to man glimpses of the world unseen1 and shows the existence of that life beyond the grave1 in which the sceptic and materialist of the present restless age would have us disbelieve1 and which they themselves scornfully reject4 ,from the sure and solid standing-point of ,historical ,christianity1 believing ,holy ,scripture to be the ,word of ,god1 and the ,christian ,church to be the divinely-formed corporation for instructing1 guiding1 and illuminating mankind1 remarkable examples of the ,supernatural1 miracles1 spectral appearances of departed spirits1 providential warnings by dreams and otherwise1 the intervention and ministry of good angels1 the assaults of bad1 the certain power and efficacy of the gifts of ,holy ,church1 the sanctity of consecrated places1 and the persevering malignity of the devil and his legions1 are gathered together1 and set forth in the pages to follow4 ,for it may reasonably be believed that1 as ,almighty ,god has graciously vouchsafed to intervene in the affairs of mankind in ages long past1 so there has never been a period in which such merciful intervention has not from time to time taken place4 ,granted that in the days of ,moses and ,aaron1 and of ,elijah and ,elisha1 man owned miraculous powers1 and wrought wonders by the gift of ,god2 granted that in dreams and visions the will of the ,most ,high was sometimes made known to favoured individuals of the ,jewish ,dispensation2 remembering the miracles of our ,lord's apostles and disciples1 and bearing in mind the divine and supernatural powers which were first entrusted to1 and have been ever since exercised by1 the ,catholic ,church1 it is at once unreasonable and unphilosophical to deny the existence in the world of the supernatural and miraculous4 ,as will be abundantly set forth1 their presence and energy are in perfect accord and harmony with the universal experience of mankind4 ,sceptics may contemn and object1 materialists may scoff2 but numerous facts as well as a very general sentiment are against their conclusions and convictions4 ,floating straws show the direction and force of a current4 ,as an example of the lengths to which an adoption of the materialistic principle will lead some persons1 who regard themselves as 8philosophers10 and as a specimen of the dangers which threaten us1 it may be well to refer briefly to the proposal which has recently been formally and publicly made1 viz41 that in certain cases of hopeless disease or imbecile old age1 physicians should be legally authorized to put an end to such patients by poison4 ,thus1 when the head of a family becomes old or borders on childishness1 the son1 by going through the proposed legal formality1 may stand by and witness the poisoning of his father1 and so enter on the possession of his property4 ,when a mother becomes old1 the daughter may assist in a similar manner at her mother's death4 ,a crippled child1 a weak-minded relation1 an infirm member of the family1 according to the 8philosophers10 should have a poisonous drug efficiently administered2 that so the weak1 crippled1 or imbecile might be murdered and put out of the way4 ,thus these philosopher-fanatics assure us that 8the natural law of the preservation of the fittest10 propounded by them1 will come into active and unchecked operation4 ,having warned us that the penalty we endure for ignoring this 8law0 is a population largely composed of weak1 unhealthy1 poor and suffering people1 they now earnestly recommend a 8scientific method10 by which the lame1 the blind1 the weak1 and the imbecile should be cleared off from the stage of life4#e 8,natural selection10 would1 unchecked and never opposed1 have preserved alive only the best and noblest types2 and as1 they tell us in their infallible wisdom1 this principle or law has developed us so far from the mollusk to the man1 it might by this time1 had it been carefully and faithfully applied1 have developed us1 if not into angels1 at least into nineteenth-century savages of great muscular power4 ,this is the odious message to mankind which naturalistic ,materialism announces4 ,and if we confine ourselves to what is sometimes called 8science0--that is1 exclusive knowledge of things material--such a conclusion as that arrived at1 and such degrading principles as those propounded for acceptance and practice1 may not be altogether unreasonable4#f ,in this kind of 8science0 there is little else but coldness1 cruelty1 and savagery4 ,only the strong have a right to live4 ,the weak were born to have their life trampled out1 and1 according to this newly-revived theory1 the sooner it is done the better4 ,the murder of the lame1 the halt1 and the blind1 therefore1 becomes thoroughly scientific1 and follows as a matter of course4 ,its practice is based upon laws which the materialists have been for some time proclaiming to be 8supreme40 ,if there be no supernatural basis of life1 if the supernatural have no real existence1 if man be of the earth earthy1 if he be only an outgrowth of the dumb forces of matter 7the first article of the creed of these 8philosophers071 if he be governed solely and altogether1 absolutely and completely by an inexorable material law 7the highest and the only law1 as they would have us believe71 then1 of course1 their conclusion inevitably follows--that it is both merciful and wise to put a man out of his misery when he becomes a burden both to himself and his friends4 ,there is no place in the lofty and elevating system of ,naturalism for a being who cannot take care of himself4 ,again3 while ,scepticism is rampant1 and some are endeavouring to bring back the ,pagan notions of ancient nations1 to galvanize into new life the corrupt imbecilities of the past1 men of science are making assertions and assumptions of the boldest1 if not of the wildest nature4 ,one such recently maintained the following proposition3--8,taking our earth1 we know that millions of years have passed since she began to be peopled40 ,now1 the maintainer of this assertion notoriously holds some peculiar theories about the means by which the solar system 7and consequently other systems7 was made1 or rather grew4 ,these theories1 in some of their details1 are or may be founded upon certain more or less well-ascertained facts4 ,but when he uses the term 8know10 we are bold to point out that such an assertion rests on mere assumption4#g ,we need facts1--facts which could stand the careful investigation of persons skilled in taking and measuring evidence2 and secondly1 we require to be reasonably convinced that no other possible explanation of a difficulty be forthcoming1 except that on which his assumption is founded and his inevitable conclusion 7as he regards it7 deduced4 ,but how often with scientific people the phrase 8,we know0 stands for 8,this is our theory10 or rather 8,this is our present theory20 for scientific theories change very frequently2 and points which have been most dogmatically laid down at one period have been with equal dogmatism condemned and repudiated at another1 by those who apparently strain every nerve and exercise every gift bestowed upon them1 to deny and cast out the ,supernatural from amongst mankind4 ,from the introduction to a volume of great interest 78,the ,maxims and ,examples of the ,saints071 the following extract is taken1 both because of its inherent truth1 and also because the ,christian instinct in defence of the ,supernatural is so prominently and forcibly expressed in every line4 ,mr4 de ,lisle's words stand thus3-- 8,in these days of shallowness and scepticism1 men pride themselves on calling everything into question1 as if they proved their claim to wisdom according to the measure of their unbelief4 ,but those who dive a little deeper into things will not be so ready to admit the claims of modern insolent writers4 ,they will find that our ancestors had heads as sound1 judgments as cool and unprejudiced1 at least1 as any of these moderns2 and the more they examine1 the more reasons will they find for attaching weight to their testimony4 ,in my intercourse abroad with divers holy priests and religious monks1 ,i have seen and heard enough to convince me that many things take place in this world of a supernatural order4 ,nor do ,i believe there ever has been a period in the history of the ,church1 when our ,lord has not borne testimony to her divine truth1 and to the admirable sanctity of many of her children1 by evident and glorious miracles4 ,this is the faith of the ,church2 and who shall gainsay the teaching of that society that carries with it the experience of eighteen centuries1 the immutable promises of ,god1 the attestations of innumerable martyrs1 and the consent of nations8 ,to him who believes the words of the holy ,gospel1 #8,the works that ,i do shall they do also1 and greater than these1' c4 7speak not now to the unbeliever71 the conclusion will be clear1 and humble faith will bow with submission4 ,keeping this promise in view1 the ,christian will not find it difficult to believe even the most wonderful histories in the lives of the ,saints2 at all events1 his spirit will not be that which loves to question everything1 still less that which treats the testimony of devout writers with levity or scorn4 ,to the humble observer of the ways of ,divine ,providence1 enough occurs every day to prepare him for any manifestation of the ,power of ,god3 not to say that there is not a state in ,christendom in which1 even in our own times1 many wonderful miracles have not taken place4 ,witness the glorious appearance of a vast cross of fire in the heavens at ,mign1 near ,poictiers in ,france1 in the year #ahbf1 in the month of ,december1 an event which was attested on oath before the bishop of the diocese by several thousand eye-witnesses4#h ,josephus relates the prodigies that appeared in the heavens before the downfall of ,jerusalem3 and who shall say that this sublime apparition in ,france did not portend the approaching calamities that have since fallen upon that kingdom and upon ,europe8 ,in the years #ahcj and #ahca1 blood miraculously flowed from the arms of ,s4 ,nicholas1 at ,tolentino in ,italy1 and the circumstance was solemnly attested by the bishop1 the clergy1 and the magistrates of that city4 ,history records similar prodigies to have taken place at ,tolentino whenever any calamities were about to befall ,christendom4 ,s4 ,nicholas has been dead above #ejj years4 ,i myself had the consolation to visit his shrine2 and ,i heard from several individuals1 with tears in their eyes1 the affecting recital of the miracle4 ,who does not call to mind the wonderful manifestations of ,god's power at ,rome and at ,ancona during the period of the ,french ,revolution1 in the year #agib8 ,innumerable images of our ,blessed ,redeemer1 and of his ,virgin ,mother1 were seen to move their eyes1 and some even to weep4 ,nor were these events seen only by a few1 they were beheld and attested by thousands4#i ,the miracles that ,god has performed by means of the holy ,prince ,hohenlohe are known to all1 and some of them have been wrought even in ,england4 ,these are facts so notorious1 that no one can call them in question2 nor is it in the power of profane ridicule to throw doubt over their authenticity4 ,at the same time1 it will always be true that the ,catholic ,church does not oblige her children to believe any miracles but those recorded in the sacred ,scriptures2 she leaves it to the discretion of each individual to ground his conviction on the evidence which has come before him2 though it would not be an act of piety1 or worthy of praise for anyone to speak lightly of such miracles as have been honoured by the approbation of the ,holy ,see40 99 99 99 99 99 ,as a mark of rapid theological decline1 it may here be put on record1 that a recent writer1 the author of 8,supernatural ,religion3 an ,inquiry into the ,reality of ,divine ,revelation0 7,longman3 #ahgd71 sets forth his 8views0 7not his 8opinion10 least of all his faith1 but his 8views07 as follows3-- 8,the importance which has been attached to theology by the ,christian ,church1 almost from its foundation1 has been subversive of ,christian morality4 ,in surrendering its miraculous element and its claims to supernatural origin1 therefore1 the religion of ,jesus does not lose its virtue1 or the qualities which have made it a blessing to humanity4 ,it sacrifices none of that elevated character which has distinguished and raised it above all human systems3 it merely relinquishes a claim which it has shared with all antecedent religions1 and severs its connection with ignorant superstition4 ,it is too divine in its morality to require the aid of miraculous attributes4 ,no supernatural halo can heighten its spiritual beauty1 and no mysticism deepen its holiness4 ,in its perfect simplicity it is sublime1 and in its profound wisdom it is eternal4 8,we gain infinitely more than we lose in abandoning belief in the reality of ,divine revelation4 ,whilst we retain pure and unimpaired the treasure of ,christian morality1 we relinquish nothing but the debasing elements added to it by human superstition4 ,we are no longer bound to believe a theology which outrages reason and moral sense4 ,we are freed from base anthropomorphic views of ,god and ,his government of the universe2 and from ,jewish theology we rise to higher conceptions of an infinitely wise and beneficent ,being1 hidden from our finite minds1 it is true1 in the impenetrable glory of ,divinity1 but whose laws of wondrous comprehensiveness and perfection we ever perceive in operation around us4 ,we are no longer disturbed by visions of fitful interference with the order of ,nature1 but we recognize that the ,being who regulates the universe is without variableness or shadow of turning4 ,it is singular how little there is in the supposed revelation of alleged information1 however incredible1 regarding that which is beyond the limits of human thought2 but that little is of a character which reason declares to be the #8wildest delusion4' ,let no man1 whose belief in the reality of ,divine ,revelation may be destroyed by such inquiry1 complain that he has lost a precious possession1 and that nothing is left but a blank4 ,the revelation not being a reality1 that which he has lost was but an illusion1 and that which is left is the truth40 ,in another volume recently written by ,mr4 ,congreve1 the ,positivist1 the author maintains in the plainest possible language1 what is the immediate and practical object of the small sect to which he has allied himself3--8,the professed servants of ,humanity must lead in the struggle to eliminate ,god2 and that this is the essential element in the whole existing perplexity is forcing itself upon all40 ,again1 man's duty is said to be 8openly and avowedly to take service in one or the other of the opposing camps2 to bring face to face the two beliefs2 the belief in the ,past1 the belief in ,god1 and the belief in the ,future1 the belief in ,humanity2 and to choose deliberately between them40 ,furthermore1 he avers3 8,we contemplate the ,trinity of our religion1 ,humanity1 the ,world1 and ,space40 ,a ,christian critic has made the following terse comments on ,mr4 ,congreve's book3-- 8,the chief feeling which possesses us in reading these ,essays is one of sorrow for the writer4 ,it is really sad that a man of education should lend himself to such a delusion4 ,the #8,religion' itself is ridiculous2 indeed it has not so much as a theory4 ,not even on paper can its doctrines be stated1 for the simple reason that it has no doctrines whatever4 ,but it is always melancholy to watch a naturally good intellect under the sway of a fantastic idea1 or to see an educated gentleman writing #ejj pages on the #8,worship' of what does not exist4 ,the sensation of the reader1 as he turns page after page1 is expressed in such an inquiry as this3 ,since the writer himself believes in nothing whatever1 how can he invite my conversion80 ,,the ,,miraculous ,,in ,,church ,,history4 8,and ,he said unto them1 ,go ye into all the ,world1 and preach the ,gospel to every creature4 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved2 but he that believeth not shall be damned4 8,and these signs shall follow them that believe3 ,in ,my ,name shall they cast out devils2 they shall speak with new tongues2 they shall take up serpents2 and if they drink any deadly thing1 it shall not hurt them2 they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover40--,s4 ,mark xvi4 #ae-ah4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,miraculous ,,in ,,church ,,history4 ,the important subject of the ,miraculous in ,church ,history sufficiently well known to students of it1 involves the existence of a religious principle of universal application4 ,this will be apparent1 in due course1 from the following preliminary considerations3--8,a miracle10 writes ,hume1 8is a violation of the laws of ,nature2 and1 as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws1 the proof against a miracle is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined40#aj ,further on1 he declares 8that a miracle supported by any human testimony is more properly a subject of derision than of argument40#aa ,on these statements1 definite and precise as they appear1 and yet not sufficiently definite1 it may be remarked in the first place that no human experience is unalterable3 it may to a certain person or certain persons have been hitherto unaltered4 ,but this is all4 ,are there then no facts beyond our experience--no natural positions or states with which we are unacquainted8 ,when a man writes of 8unalterable experience10 he obviously means so much of that experience1 as either mediately or immediately has come to his knowledge2 in other words his own past experience4#ab ,and this ,hume declares sufficient to enable him to determine what are the unvarying laws of ,nature1 and1 by consequence1 what are miracles4 ,but surely here is something akin to arrogance4 ,for what modest person would venture to maintain his own experience to be altogether and absolutely firm and unalterable8 ,who would declare of a witness1 who testified1 for example1 what was contrary to that experience1 that such a man was worthy only of disbelief and derision8 ,and yet many1 in the present day1 adopt and put into practice this unstable and imperfect theory of ,hume4 ,what has been set forth above in opposition to that theory is still more pointedly expressed in the following remarkable passage3 8,the natural philosopher when he imagines a physical impossibility which is not an inconceiveability1 merely states that his phenomenon is against all that has been hitherto known of the course of ,nature4 ,before he can compass an impossibility1 he has a huge postulate to ask of his reader or hearer1 a postulate which ,nature never taught3 it is that the ,future is always to agree with the ,past4 ,how do you know that this sequence of phenomena always will be8 ,answer1 ,because it must be4 ,but how do you know that it must be8 ,answer1 ,because it always has been4 ,but then1 even granting that it always has been1 how do you know that what always has been always will be8 ,answer1 ,i see my mind compelled to that conclusion4 ,and how do you know that the leanings of your mind are always towards truth8 ,because ,i am infallible1 the answer ought to be2 but this answer is never given40#ac ,of course no ,christian will deny the following elementary propositions here briefly stated1 before the general subject is further discussed4 ,first that man consists of body and soul1 the nobler and more important part being the soul1 which is spiritual1 immortal1 and eternal4 ,god1 the ,creator of all things1 is a ,spirit2 and1 in this particular1 man is made in the image of ,god4 ,destined to dwell on the earth for a while1 during an appointed period of probation1 man passes by death1 which is a temporary separation of soul and body1 to the life beyond the grave4 ,man's duty here1 therefore1 ought to fit and prepare him for a future state1 and teach him better the value of his soul and the reality of the ,supernatural4 ,now the ,almighty1 in calling man into being here1 and making him 8lord of the whole earth10 giving him1 in fact1 dominion over the beasts of the field1 the fowls of the air1 and the fishes of the sea1 has established in connection with him a two-fold order1 the natural1 which relates to the visible world1 and the ,supernatural or miraculous1 which concerns the spiritual and invisible4 ,the natural order comprises the law of nature1 by which the ,world created by ,god is governed1 and concerns man in his dealings with nature4 ,but the ,supernatural concerns him in his relations with ,god and the world of spirits4 ,both orders are alike from ,god1 and each has its appointed sphere4 ,the ,author of both is the controller of each4 ,and1 as if to indicate to man from time to time that ,god has something to say in ,his own creation1 and will not be totally excluded from it by man's forgetfulness1 the ,supernatural is wisely and mercifully interwoven with the natural1 to remind man1 by the ,glimpses occasionally vouchsafed of the former1 that1 though the ,world has been made for his use and advantage1 many things in it speak eloquently of a continued existence in the future1 though now the same ,world's fashion most surely passeth away4 ,how prone man becomes1 by constantly contemplating the natural1 to thrust the ,supernatural aside1 is the experience of many4 ,and this being so1 how merciful is ,god to remind us of the next world1 not only by the ordinary modes and channels appointed for so doing1 by change1 by revelation1 by death2 but occasionally by suddenly1 strangely1 and abruptly breaking in upon the usual order of events1 and the ordinary course of nature1 to let us see with our natural eyes1 and hear with our ears1 that ,he is4 ,thus the ,supernatural indicates the tracing of the ,finger of ,god4 ,freely1 and for a lofty purpose1 to set forth ,his glory1 power1 and mercy1 ,he created the laws of nature2 freely1 and for a like lofty purpose1 ,he sometimes suspends them4 ,such intervention on ,his part1 such a suspension1 is a miracle1 which may be defined as 8a record and evidence of the ,supernatural manifesting itself in the midst of the natural order20 or1 as ,s4 ,thomas ,aquinas so clearly and ably defined it of old1 8,a miracle is an act performed by ,god out of the ordinary course of nature40 ,in accepting this1 we do but maintain that ,god alone is the ,author and ,controller of all laws1 whether natural or supernatural4 ,historical ,christianity calls upon us to believe1 firstly1 the great principle that miracles are possible2 and1 secondly1 that those recorded in ,holy ,scripture1 ranging from the time of ,moses to that of ,s4 ,john the ,divine1 are true4 ,other miracles or miraculous interventions rest upon the value1 purport1 and character of the evidence and testimony forthcoming for their authenticity4 ,they are all equally possible1 because all are acts of the ,almighty2 but they are not all equally credible1 because the evidence of their authenticity may be of a less precise1 definite1 and well-authenticated character4 ,to assert1 as some do1 that a miraculous intervention implies change or contradiction in ,god1 is inaccurate2 for in ,his works surely ,he may exercise that liberty which is one of ,his perfections4 ,were man's range of vision wider than it is1 the working of a miracle might be found to be1 after all1 only the realization and carrying out of ,god's original design and primary purpose4 ,again1 from the point of view of another objection1 to maintain that we cannot know what a miracle is1 or whether any miracle has been ever wrought1 without being acquainted with all the laws of nature1 is likewise inaccurate2 for we know enough1 both of the natural and supernatural1 to be perfectly certain that it is out of the ordinary course of nature for a dead man to come to life again4 ,while1 then1 such a miracle teaches us to acknowledge the power of ,god1 it may1 at the same time1 serve to let the ,materialist realize his own possible ignorance of the laws of nature4 ,for after all there may be some hidden law1 as yet unknown1 which may contradict a known law1 and so modify it--a probability which is at least deserving of the consideration of those who altogether deny the ,supernatural4 ,as regards miracles1 let the well-known argument of the great ,s4 ,augustine of ,hippo be considered3 8,christianity10 he writes1 8was either founded by miracles1 or it was not4 ,if it was1 then miracles exist4 ,if it was not1 then this is the greatest of all miracles1 viz4 that a religion so radically contrarient to all human prejudices1 and so much resisted by all human influence1 should1 without the aid of miracles1 have made its place and assured its progress in the world40 ,if1 again1 the only evidence that a person will admit is that of his own personal experience1 that he must himself witness a miracle2 that1 like ,s4 ,thomas1 he will maintain1 8,except ,i shall see 444 ,i will not believe10 has he not power of mind enough to appreciate the fact that he is in every way unreasonable1 by demanding for himself that which he altogether refuses to admit in others8 ,but1 in truth1 the miracles of our ,blessed ,lord1 and more particularly the miracle of ,his ,resurrection1 were so striking and convincing1 being testified to1 both as regards their act and consequences1 by so many1 that they produced both conviction and triumph4 ,not universally1 but with a sufficient number of persons to ensure the steady increase of the infant ,church--though the very miracles which wrought such a vast moral and religious change1 were rejected by the unbelievers of the day4 ,in the ,church of the primitive1 as well as in later1 ages1 the ,supernatural was being constantly manifested4 ,the apostles proved the divinity of their mission by the power of their works4 ,the miracles recorded in the 8,acts of the ,apostles0 were followed by others equally marvellous and remarkable in succeeding periods--a feature that might have been most reasonably looked for in the history of ,christianity1 for the very life and spirit of the ,church are supernatural4#ad ,persecuted in every age1 she has risen again4 ,after being cast down1 driven from this place in one century1 she has made still greater progress elsewhere in another4 ,for the first three hundred years of her existence1 and in the very heart of the world's civilization1 ,rome1 every patriarchal primate of that ,holy ,see died a witness to the truths of ,christianity4 ,the ordinary supernatural powers of our ,lord's first followers were duly inherited by those formally set apart to fill their place and office4 ,men freely testified to what they had seen and heard4 ,as occasion seemed to need it1 the divine power was duly manifested in outward1 notable1 and noted acts1--to the truth and reality of which even ,profane ,history has abundantly witnessed4 ,while in the records of the ,christian ,church there is an almost constant tradition of miraculous facts4 ,the tale of every century is rife with them4 ,they were to have been anticipated1 because ,he had spoken ,whose ,word shall never fail1 and ,his promise seems to have been always remembered3 8,verily1 verily ,i say unto you1 ,he that believeth on ,me1 the works that ,i do he shall do also2 and greater works than these shall he do2 because ,i go unto ,my ,father40#ae ,consequently it is found that many of the later miracles1 those termed 8ecclesiastical10 in distinction to scriptural1 are even more remarkable than those wrought by our ,blessed ,lord ,himself--a fact which1 instead of deserving ridicule and contempt1 merits1 from persons of a ,christian habit of mind1 patient consideration1 and a careful1 if not a ready1 acceptance4 ,for in such the faithful will only perceive a perfect realization of their ,master's divine pledge4 ,to take a notable example of the miraculous occurring towards the close of the second century 7,a4,d4 #agd71 testified to1 as far as the fact of the miracle is concerned1 by at least four independent ,pagan writers1 ,dionysius ,cassius1 ,julius ,capitolinus1 lius ,lampridius1 and ,claudian4 ,eusebius1 in his 8,ecclesiastical ,history10#af puts on record the following account of a most remarkable event3#ag--8;,it is said that when ,marcus ,aurelius ,csar was forming his troops in order of battle against the ,germans and ,sarmatians1 he was reduced to extremities by a failure of water4 ,meanwhile the soldiers in the so-called #8,melitene legion1' which for its faith remains to this day1 knelt down upon the ground1 as we are accustomed to do1 in prayer1 and betook themselves to supplication4 ,and whereas this sight was strange to the enemy1 another still more strange happened immediately--thunderbolts which caused the enemy's flight and overthrow2 and upon the army to which the men were attached1 who had called upon ,god1 a rain1 which restored it entirely when it was all but perishing by thirst40 ,this fact had been previously put on record by ,claudius ,apollinaris1#ah ,bishop of ,hierapolis1 in his 8,apology for ,christianity10 addressed about the year #agf to the ,emperor ,marcus4 ,tertullian1 about fifteen years later1 affirms the truth of the same fact when addressing the ,proconsul of ,africa4 ,each of these writers gives point to the narrative1 the first by recording that henceforth the term 8,thundering ,legion0 was applied to that in which the ,christian soldiers had prayed3 the second by his statement that the ,emperor had1 in consequence1 promulgated an edict in favour of the ,christians4 ,it is clear from ,eusebius1 likewise1 that the ,pagans acknowledged the miracle1 as they could not fail to do1 wrought as it was in the presence of so many2 but1 of course1 they denied that it was to be attributed to the prayers of the ,christians4 ,julius ,capitolinus attributed it to the prayers of the ,emperor2#ai ,dionysius ,cassius to the operations of ,arnuphis1 an ,egyptian magician4#bj ,a record of the unquestioned fact1 however1 is sculptured on the ,antonine column at ,rome2#ba a medal1 struck the very year of the occurrence1 likewise commemorates the event4 ,here1 then1 we find on record an occurrence which ordinary people will call a miracle2 here we obtain a distinct example of the ,supernatural4 ,in answer to the prayers of certain ,roman soldiers1 sons and servants of the ,crucified1 palpable benefits are vouchsafed1 and marvellous deliverances effected4 ,the foe is destroyed1 and they are rescued4 ,and this fact is testified to by ,pagans worthy of credit as well as by ,christians1 and is put on record in the modes already set forth4 ,another example1 the appearance of a luminous ,cross to ,constantine 7,a4,d4 #cab71 must here be given1 because of its inherent importance2 because the testimony to its having occurred before so many is very general2 and because the moral and religious changes consequent upon it1 results that both immediately and eventually followed1 have been at once great and notorious3-- ,the conversion of the ,roman empire1 in the person of its head1 was the most remarkable event in the early pages of ,christian history4 8,constantine's submission of his power to the ,church10 writes ,dr4 ,newman1 8has been a pattern for all ,christian monarchs since1 and the commencement of our state establishment to this day2 and1 on the other hand1 the fortunes of the ,roman ,empire are in prophecy apparently connected with her in a very intimate manner1 which we are not yet able fully to comprehend4 ,if any event might be said to call for a miracle it was this2 whether to signalize it1 or to bring it about4 ,thus it was that the fate of ,babylon was written on the wall of the banqueting-hall2 also portents in the sky preceded the final destruction of ,jerusalem1 and are predicted in ,scripture as forerunners of the last great day4 ,moreover our ,lord's prophecy of #8the ,sign of the ,son of ,man in ,heaven' was anciently understood of the ,cross4 ,and further1 the sign of the ,cross was at the time1 and had been from the beginning1 a received symbol and instrument of ,christian devotion1 and cannot be ascribed to a then rising superstition4 ,tertullian speaks of it as an ordinary rite for sanctifying all the ordinary events of the day2 it was used in exorcisms2 and1 what is still more to the point1 it is regarded by ,s4 ,justin1 ,tertullian1 and ,minucius as impressed with a providential meaning upon natural forms and human works1 as well as introduced by divine authority into the types of the ,old ,testament40#bb ,the supernatural manner in which the ,emperor's conversion was accomplished may be thus recorded4 ,marching from the border of the ,rhine1 through ,gaul and part of ,italy by ,verona to ,rome1 against the tyrant ,maxentius1 who had declared war against him1 and was already near ,rome with a largely superior force1 ,constantine solemnly and earnestly invoked the ,one ,true ,god1 the ,god of the ,christians1 for assistance and victory4 ,at that period he was not a ,christian himself1 though he had no doubt accurately enough measured the true character of ,roman paganism4 ,a short time after midday1 upon his march1 there appeared in the heavens#bc a large luminous ,cross in sight of himself and the whole of his army1 with the inscription surrounding it1 8,in this conquer40 ,on the following night it is recorded that our ,blessed ,lord appeared to him in a dream1 or1 as some say1 a vision1 and commanded him to have a representation of the sign made1 and to use it henceforth as his chief standard in battle4 ,the ,emperor1 rising early the next morning1 announced this vision and message to his confidential friends1 and at once gave orders for the making of the imperial standard4#bd ,this being done1 fifty men of the stoutest and most religious of his guards were chosen to carry it4 ,and1 surrounded by these1 it was borne immediately before the ,emperor himself4 ,the ,christian soldiers were full of faith and hope4 ,they saw the ,finger of ,god1 and looked for victory4 ,on the other hand the army of ,maxentius1 consisting of three divisions of veteran soldiers1 esteemed the most efficient in the empire1 engaged ,constantine in the ,quintian fields near the bridge ,milvius4 ,the attack was fast and furious4 ,but the aggressors were at all points met with vigour and bravery1 and soon succumbed and were in retreat4 ,constantine1 with far fewer numbers than those opposed to him1 was completely victorious2 the legions of ,maxentius were scattered or slain1 and on the same day1 with the sacred ,labarum 7as the imperial standard in question was termed7 borne before him1 he entered ,rome in triumph4 ,his conversion to ,christianity soon followed upon his victory4 ,in his triumph he dropped the old customs of his ,pagan predecessors4 ,he neither mounted the ,capitol1 nor offered sacrifices to the deities of ,rome1 but by suitable inscriptions recorded his belief in the power of ,christ's saving ,cross4 ,in his palace at ,constantinople1 as well as in the chief square of that city1 the sacred sign was at once set up2 and medals were struck1 with representations of the symbol in question upon them1 to commemorate both the victory and his own religious change4 ,this occurred about ,a4,d4 #cab4 ,here then we find the record of a distinctively supernatural intervention4 ,no known physical cause could have formed a sentence of ,greek or ,latin in the air4 ,nor could a whole army have mistaken a ,cross1 with its corresponding and appropriate inscription1 for a halo of light1 or a mere natural phenomenon4 ,moreover3 three years after the event1 ,constantine erected his triumphal arch at ,rome1 with an inscription1 which still remains1 testifying that he had gained the victory 8instinctu divinitatis1 mentis magnitudine40 ,lactantius1 likewise1 in his treatise 8,de mortibus ,persecutorum0 7if it be his book1 though some attribute it to ,ccilius71 asserts the main facts of the case as regards the dream1 describing the 8heavenly sign of ,god20 and this in a treatise certainly written within two years of its occurrence4 ,seven years later1 ,nazarius1 a ,pagan orator1 in a panegyric on the ,emperor1 also puts upon record his solemn conviction that celestial aid was miraculously rendered to ,constantine in his defeat of ,maxentius4 ,thus far those who were not ,christians testify to the fact under consideration4 ,on the other hand1 ,eusebius1 who received the account from ,constantine himself 7who is known to have confirmed it with an oath71 gives that record of the occurrence which has been already set forth--and he was notoriously an historian who had small leaning towards over-belief4 ,while the reasonable conclusion1 therefore1 is that so many independent writers and records of the fact could not have been made to conspire in disseminating a falsehood2 the action of the ,emperor which followed the event was in perfect harmony with that which might have been looked for under the circumstances narrated--the supernatural appearance of a luminous ,cross1 heralding a change1 even the triumph of the ,religion of ,christ over the effete systems of a decaying and decayed idolatry4 ,the principle which was manifested in these cases is1 through the study of history1 likewise seen to have existed and energized in every part of the ,church4 ,everywhere1 from time to time1 the proximity of the unseen world and the existence of the ,supernatural were made manifest3 while1 here and there1 examples of special miraculous interventions evidently stood forth to show that neither the ,arm of the ,most ,high was shortened nor the faith of the followers of our ,blessed ,lord stunted in its growth4 ,in fact miracles of the most remarkable character have been performed from the age of the apostles to the present time3 while ,glimpses of the ,supernatural have been granted to many as partially unfolding the mysteries of the ,unseen ,world to those who longed and prayed for the same2 by which glimpses or visions their faith has been deepened and their conviction of the truths of ,christianity most surely strengthened4 ,just as our ,blessed ,saviour1 following ,moses1 constantly appealed to the prodigies ,he wrought in attestation of ,his divine mission and in support of ,his doctrine2 so was it with ,his followers who came after ,him4 ,for to them ,he had promised as much4 ,so far therefore from confining the power of working miracles to ,his own person and time1 ,he expressly pledged himself and promised that ,his servants and ambassadors should receive power to work still greater works4#be ,just as under the laws of ,nature and the written law given by ,moses1 the ,almighty was pleased to illustrate the society of ,his chosen servants with frequent miracles1 so we are led to expect that the ,one ,family of ,god should be for ever distinguished by occasional miracles wrought in and through her1 as a standing proof of her divine origin and as a guide to the wanderers beyond the confines of her fold4 ,and thus it comes to pass that the ,fathers and ,teachers of the ,church1 amongst other proofs of her favour1 have constantly appealed to the miracles by which she is illustrated as a proof of her heavenly mission1 and as marking her off1 at the same time1 from the various hereticks and schismaticks who1 going out from her1 were not of her4 ,for example ,s4 ,irenus1 a disciple of ,s4 ,polycarp1 himself a disciple of ,s4 ,john the ,evangelist1 reproaches the ,hereticks against whom he writes in his well-known treatise1#bf that they could neither give sight to the blind1 hearing to the deaf1 cast out devils1 nor raise the dead to life again1 as he maintains was frequently done in the ,church4 ,tertullian1 a contemporary of his1 writing of the hereticks1 asks1 8,i wish to see the miracles which they have worked40 ,s4 ,pacian1 in the fourth century1 opposing ,novatus1 and considering his claims1 scornfully inquires1 8,has he the gift of tongues1 or of prophecy8 ,has he restored to life the dead80 ,s4 ,augustine of ,hippo1 in numerous passages of his works1 refers to the miracles wrought by and through and in the ,church as most important if not conclusive evidence of her heavenly character and veracity4 ,again3 ,in the middle of the fourth century occurred that most wonderful miracle1 when the ,emperor ,julian deliberately attempted to rebuild the ,temple at ,jerusalem1 with the express intention of disproving the prophet ,daniel's#bg utterance concerning it4 ,then tempests1 whirlwinds1 earthquakes1 and fiery eruptions convulsed the scene of the undertaking1 maiming and alarming the persistent workmen1 throwing down buildings in the neighbourhood1 as ,rufinus testifies1 and rendering the carrying on of the work a sheer physical impossibility4 ,a luminous ,cross surrounded by a circle1 indicating that to the ,crucified was given all power in heaven and earth1 and showing that the ,word of ,god could never fail1 nor be brought to nought by the vain determinations of men1 appeared in the sky1--a portent witnessed by thousands1 and testified to both by ,pagan and ,arian1 as well as by ,christian writers4#bh ,furthermore1 in the following century1 another miracle took place at ,typassus or ,typasa in ,africa1 where a large congregation of ,christians1 being assembled in divine worship1 in opposition to the decree of the ,arian tyrant ,hunneric1 they were collected in the ,forum1 in the presence of the whole province1 their right hands were chopped off1 and their tongues cut out to the roots by his command2 yet1 nevertheless they continued to speak as plainly and perfectly as they had done before the barbarous mutilation in question4 ,this is vouched for by ,victor1 ,bishop of ,vite1 in the following words3--8,the king in wrath sent a certain count with directions to hold a meeting in the ,forum1 of the whole province1 and there to cut out their tongues by the root1 and to cut off their right hands4 ,when this was done1 they so spoke and speak1 by the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 as they used to speak before4 ,if1 however1 anyone will be incredulous1 let him now go to ,constantinople1 and there he will find one of them1 ,reparatus a subdeacon1 speaking like an educated man without any impediment whatsoever4 ,on which account he is regarded with exceeding great veneration in the court of the ,emperor ,zeno1 and specially by the ,empress40#bi ,now1 this miracle is remarkable for various reasons4 ,the witnesses to its authenticity are varied1 both as to their persons and the details of their testimony1 which testimony is both consistent and at one on all important and material points4 ,moreover1 the evidence on behalf of the miracle is very complete3 the number of persons upon whom it was wrought was more than considerable2 thus1 at the same time1 increasing the occasion of valid testimony in its favour1 and preventing the interposition of what some persons term 8chance40 ,furthermore1 the miracle is entire2 for1 as ,dr4 ,newman remarks1 8it carried its whole case with it to every beholder30 it is also permanent1 that is1 it continued to indicate its effects before thousands1 whose inquiries1 public investigations1 and conclusions must have exercised considerable weight with those who were prepared to accept it4#cj ,in this brief survey of the miraculous1 it is impossible even to touch on the more remarkable evidences of the ,supernatural as set forth in the ,history of the ,christian ,church4 ,numerous miracles are recorded by ,s4 ,basil1 ,s4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgus1 ,s4 ,athanasius1 ,s4 ,jerome1 ,s4 ,chrysostom1 ,s4 ,ambrose1 and ,s4 ,augustine1 as well as by other illustrious ,fathers and ,church ,historians who adorned the fourth1 fifth1 and sixth centuries of the ,christian era4 ,one1 however1 related by both the last-named1 by ,s4 ,ambrose and ,s4 ,augustine1 deserves notice1 because both those holy bishops were eye-witnesses of it4 ,a cloth in which the relics of ,,ss4 ,gervasius and ,protasius had been wrapped was applied to the eyes of a blind man1 who thereupon received his sight4#ca ,s4 ,augustine likewise gives an account of numerous miracles wrought in his own diocese of ,hippo1--some through the instrumentality of the sacred remains of ,s4 ,stephen1 others in answer to earnest prayer3 while three of the miracles so recorded by him are the raising of three dead bodies to life4 ,the miracles recorded to have been wrought by ,s4 ,basil1 ,s4 ,athanasius1 ,s4 ,jerome1 ,s4 ,john ,chrysostom1 ,s4 ,ambrose1 and ,s4 ,augustine 7and1 in this particular1 he who runs may read7 testify clearly and sufficiently to the ,divine power which existed in the ,church ,universal in the times of those holy saints1 and the rich fruits of which were both seen and tested by the faithful4 ,one of the most remarkable was the verification of the ,wood of the ,cross1 after its discovery by ,s4 ,helena1 ,a4,d4 #cbf1 through the convincing miracle wrought upon a dead man1 who1 on being touched by it1 was immediately restored to life4 ,and so soon as the ,religion of ,christ was brought to ,britain by our great ,apostle and ,archbishop ,s4 ,augustine1 8greater works than these0 followed1 as a matter of course1 when the banner of the cross was unfurled upon the coasts of ,kent4 ,that this was so1 that many miracles were wrought1 we learn from a ,letter written by ,s4 ,gregory the ,great to ,s4 ,augustine1 embodied in the well-known 8,history0 of the ,venerable ,bede1 and preserved amongst ,s4 ,gregory's 8,works10 in which the ,archbishop is duly and lovingly cautioned against becoming too much elated with vain glory1 because of these marked manifestations of ,divine power and favour2 and is reminded that ,god ,almighty had1 no doubt1 bestowed the gift of working them1 not on the ,archbishop's own account1 or for his own merit1 but for the conversion of the ,english nation4#cb ,so1 through every succeeding age1 were ,glimpses afforded of the ,supernatural4 ,for example1 ,s4 ,bernard1 perhaps the most illustrious saint of the twelfth century1 in the 8,life of ,s4 ,malachi of ,armagh10 records the miraculous cure of the withered hand of a youth1 by the dead hand of his holy friend ,s4 ,malachi4 ,but nothing can exceed the splendour and publicity of the miracles of ,s4 ,bernard himself1--to the reality of which the faithful of ,france and ,switzerland1 as well as those of ,germany and ,italy1 bore abundant testimony4 ,princes and prelates1 kings and priests were witnesses of his supernatural power2 for1 like his ,lord and ,master1 he wrought instantaneous cures on the lame1 the halt1 and the blind1 in the presence of multitudes1 and to the great spread and triumph of the ,faith4 ,of those worked at ,cologne1 ,philip1 ,archdeacon of ,lige1 who was formally commissioned to inquire and report upon them by ,lampeon1 ,archbishop of ,rheims1 declared as follows3 that 8they were not performed in a corner1 but the whole city was witness to them4 ,if anyone10 he adds1 8doubts or is curious1 he may easily satisfy himself on the spot1 more especially as some of the miracles were wrought upon persons of no inconsiderable rank and reputation40#cc ,moreover1 ,s4 ,bernard himself distinctly refers to them in one of his most celebrated treatises1 8,de ,consideratione10 addressed to ,pope ,eugenius ,,iii41 and maintains that the evidence of ,god's special graces and exceptional blessings thus resting upon him1 enabled him to feel sufficient confidence of the ,divine aid and benediction to enter upon the grave and laborious task of preaching the ,second ,crusade4 ,and if we proceed onward to the sixteenth century1 where in some places1 and especially amongst the northern nations of ,europe1 ,faith began to wax cold1 and ,charity was not1 we find1 from ,history1 that the miracles of ,francis ,xavier1 the saintly apostle of ,india1 may almost vie with those of the great ,s4 ,bernard1 for they were as numerous and as inherently remarkable2 while the testimony as to their truth1 reality1 and influence#cd was generally acknowledged by the faithful1 as well as by ,protestants4 ,in truth1 wherever the ,catholic religion has been taught and accepted1 wherever the ,name of ,jesus has been loved and venerated1 wherever faith in the ,unseen has been active and daring1 there the ,finger of ,god has sometimes been manifested4 ,and this1 of course1 was to have been expected4 ,our ,blessed ,saviour's glorious and unfailing promise1 that ,his disciples1 with whom ,he pledged ,himself to remain unto the end of the world1 should do even 8greater works0 than ,he ,himself had wrought1 was thus1 from time to time1 as man's faith merited ,god ,almighty's intervention1 literally and strictly fulfilled4 ,,spiritual ,,powers ,,and ,,properties ,,of ,,the ,,church4 8,when a man holds up to my conscious eye the page of futurity2 or when1 at the mandate of a mortal1 ,i clearly perceive ,nature to listen and to suspend her laws1 ,i rationally conclude that such a man is indeed employed by ,god4 ,these miraculous and prophetical tests1 produced by the ancient seer to the ,israelites1 appealed to by ,christ in ,his own sacred cause1 and made over by ,him to ,his ministers for ever in the work of conversion1 have been a means to guide the enquiring soul to that ,authority divinely-commissioned to teach the ,world4 ,this power to deliver the dictates of the ,holy ,spirit1 this society of continued apostles1 or in other words1 the ,holy ,catholic ,church in every age1 has proved by the evidence of actual miracles her possession of this gift presented to her by her ,divine ,founder40 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,spiritual ,,powers ,,and ,,properties ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,it is allowed on all hands by ,catholic ,christians that liberty has been sometimes permitted to the devil or his angels to enter into the bodies of men 7just as of old ,satan was allowed to try the patriarch ,job71 and to obtain such an absolute command over their powers and faculties as to incapacitate them1 more or less1 for any of the common duties of life4 ,on this point1 those who accept the ,written ,word of ,god as a portion1 and a very important portion1 of ,his ,divine ,revelation to mankind1 through ,christ1 can have no doubt4 ,in the ,new ,testament1 numerous instances of possession by evil spirits are recorded4 ,the case of the daughter of the woman of ,canaan1 who cried out to our ,blessed ,saviour1 8,have mercy upon me1 ,o ,lord1 ,thou ,son of ,david1 my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil10#ce and obtained from ,him the gracious and merciful reply1 8,be it unto thee even as thou wilt10 is familiar to all4 ,so likewise is that of the man with an unclean spirit1 recorded in the first chapter of the ,gospel according to ,s4 ,mark4 ,here the spirit acknowledging that ,christ was the 8,holy ,one of ,god10 received the rebuke of ,jesus ,christ4 8,and when the unclean spirit had torn0 the man suffering1 8and cried with a loud voice1 he came out of him4 ,and they were all amazed1 insomuch that they questioned among themselves1 saying1 ,what thing is this8 ,what new doctrine is this8 for with authority commandeth ,he even the unclean spirits1 and they do obey ,him40 ,again we read1 8,unclean spirits1 when they saw ,him1 fell down before ,him1 and cried saying1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god40#cf ,and when ,his apostles were called and formally ordained1 it is written that they were 8to have power to heal sicknesses1 and to cast out devils10 power which in due course both the ,gospels and the recorded ,history of the ,church assure us was duly exercised4 ,another miraculous intervention1 by which our ,blessed ,saviour manifested ,his divine power over evil spirits1 and freed suffering men from their frightful influence1 is here given from ,s4 ,mark's ,gospel at length3 8,when ,he was come out of the ship1 immediately there met ,him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit1 who had his dwelling among the tombs2 and no man could bind him1 no not with chains3 because that he had often been bound with fetters and chains1 and the chains had been plucked asunder by him1 and the fetters broken in pieces3 neither could any man tame him4 ,and always1 day and night1 he was in the mountains and in the tombs1 crying and cutting himself with stones4 ,and when he saw ,jesus afar off1 he ran and worshipped ,him1 and cried with a loud voice1 and said1 ,what have ,i to do with ,thee1 ,jesus1 ,thou ,son of the ,most ,high ,god8 ,i adjure ,thee by ,god that ,thou torment me not4 ,for ,he said unto him1 ,come out of the man1 thou unclean spirit4 ,and ,he asked him1 ,what is thy name8 ,and he answered1 saying1 ,my name is ,legion1 for we are many4 ,and he besought ,him much that ,he would not send him away out of the country4 ,now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding4 ,and all the devils besought ,him1 saying1 ,send us into the swine1 that we may enter unto them4 ,and forthwith ,jesus gave them leave4 ,and the unclean spirits went out1 and entered into the swine2 and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea 7they were about two thousand71 and were choked in the sea4 ,and they that fed the swine fled1 and told it in the city and in the country4 ,and they went out to see what it was that was done4 ,and they came to ,jesus1 and see him that was possessed of the devil1 and had the legion1 sitting and clothed and in his right mind40#cg ,with these solemn and awful facts before us1 it is impossible to doubt either of the power or influence of the devil and his angels4 ,that such power had been known amongst the ancient nations1 and that certain persons had entered into compacts or alliances with evil spirits1 seems to be generally admitted4 ,and although the fact of the ,incarnation had sorely crippled the influence of the enemy of souls1 it is clear from the last promise given by our ,lord to ,his apostles1 8,in ,my ,name they shall cast out devils10 that such authority and action would still be needed4 ,for possessions were not to cease1 as a reference to the ,acts of the ,apostles shows3 where it is recorded that the very authority bestowed by our ,blessed ,saviour was actually and efficiently exercised2 and there is no reasonable evidence to show that such divinely-bestowed powers have ever ceased4 ,all through the ,history of the ,church1 here and there1 from time to time1 as man needed and as ,god willed1 such direct supernatural powers as those referred to1 appear to have been put into operation4 ,for the ,church can bless and the ,church can curse4 ,the ,church can bind and can loose4 ,she can commend to the protection of ,god ,almighty and ,his holy angels1 and she can deliver over to ,satan4 ,she can bestow light and peace on her true and faithful children1 and send out the disobedient and impenitent beyond the consecrated confines of her spiritual powers and graces4 ,as effects of ,christ's most gracious promise1 such ordinary and extraordinary works were wrought2 for the glory of ,his great ,name1 and as a testimony of the truth of the ,church ,universal4 ,for generations1 up to the very earliest age of ,christianity1 there have been officers of the ,church duly set apart and ordained for the particular work of exorcism4 ,amongst the minor orders of ,western ,christendom the exorcist has always found a place2 and although1 in later years1 this special work1 when undertaken1 has been more frequently done by persons in the higher or sacred orders1 yet the very office itself1 and its title1 as well as the existing forms for casting out evil spirits1 abundantly attest the ,church's divine and spiritual powers4 ,in countries which are specially and eminently ,christian1 where churches1 sanctuaries1 and religious houses are numerous2 where1 by the road-side and on the hill-top1 stand the signs and symbols of the ,faith of ,christendom2 where the ,sacrament of ,baptism is shed upon so many2 where post-baptismal sin is remitted by those who have authority and jurisdiction to bind and loose in the ,name of their ,master2 and where the ,blessed ,sacrament of the ,altar1 ,god manifest in the ,flesh1 reposing in the tabernacle1 or borne in triumph through aisle and street and garden1 hallows and feeds the faithful--there the power and influence of the ,evil ,one is circumscribed and weakened4 ,sacred oil for unction1 and holy water and the life-giving power of the ,cross1 and the relics of the beatified as well as of the favoured and crowned servants of the ,crucified1 make the devils flee away1 and efficiently curb their power4 ,hence it is found that in countries where the ,catholic ,faith has been halved or rejected1 ,superstition has taken the place of the first theological virtue1 ,faith2 and the ,prince of the ,powers of the air comes back again with his evil and malignant spirits to vex mankind anew1#ch and mar and stay the final triumph of ,him to ,whom all power is given in heaven and in earth4 ,a remarkable case of the ,supernatural will here be put on record1 which occurred in the diocese of ,exeter during the seventeenth century4 ,preliminary inquiries and comments concerning the various incidents would be obviously out of place2 for the well-authenticated story itself is unfolded with a simplicity and yet with a power which efficiently serve to stamp it as true4 8,about #aeb years since10 writes ,mr4 ,fortescue ,hitchins1 in his 8,history of ,cornwall10 8a ghost is said to have made its appearance in this parish#ci 7,little ,petherick#dj71 in a field about half a mile from ,botaden or ,botathen 7in that county74 ,in the narrative which is given of this occurrence1 it is said to have been seen by a son of ,mr4 ,bligh1 aged about sixteen1 by his father and mother1 and by the ,rev4 ,john ,ruddle1 master of the grammar school of ,launceston1 and one of the prebendaries of ,exeter1 and vicar of ,alternon4 ,the relation given by ,mr4 ,ruddle is in substance as follows3-- 8,young ,mr4 ,bligh1 a lad of bright parts and of no common attainments1 became on a sudden pensive1 dejected1 and melancholy4 ,his friends observing the change1 without being able to discover the cause1 attributed his behaviour to laziness--an aversion to school--or to some other motive which they suspected he was ashamed to discover4 ,he was1 however1 induced after some time to inform his brother that in a field through which he passed to and from school he was invariably met by the apparition of a woman whom he personally knew while living1 and who had been dead about eight years4 ,ridicule1 threats1 and persuasions were alike used in vain by the family to induce him to dismiss these absurd ideas4 ,mr4 ,ruddle was however sent for1 to whom the lad ingenuously communicated the time1 manner1 and frequency of this appearance4 ,it was in a field called #8,higher ,bloomfield4' ,the apparition1 he said1 appeared dressed in female attire1 met him two or three times while he passed through the field1 glided hastily by him1 but never spoke4 ,he had thus been occasionally met about two months before he took any particular notice of it3 at length the appearance became more frequent1 meeting him both morning and evening1 but always in the same field1 yet invariably moving out of the path when it came close by him4 ,he often spoke1 but could never get any reply4 ,to avoid this unwelcome visitor he forsook the field1 and went to school and returned from it through a lane1 in which place between the quarry-park and nursery it always met him4 8,unable to disbelieve the evidence of his senses1 or to obtain credit with any of his family1 he prevailed upon ,mr4 ,ruddle to accompany him to the place4 #8,i arose1' says this clergyman1 #8the next morning1 and went with him4 ,the field to which he led me ,i guessed to be about twenty acres1 in an open country1 and about three furlongs from any house4 ,we went into the field1 and had not gone a third part before the spectrum1 in the shape of a woman1 with all the circumstances that he had described the day before1 so far as the suddenness of its appearance and transition would permit me to discover1 passed by4 8#8,i was a little impressed at it1 and1 though ,i had taken up a firm resolution to speak to it1 ,i had not the power1 nor durst ,i look back2 yet ,i took care not to show any fear to my pupil and guide2 and therefore1 telling him that ,i was satisfied in the truth of his statement1 we walked to the end of the field1 and returned3 nor did the ghost meet us that time but once4 8#8,on the #bgth ,july1 ,i went to the haunted field by myself1 and walked the breadth of it without any encounter4 ,i then returned1 and took the other walk1 and then the spectre appeared to me1 when about the same place in which ,i saw it when the young gentleman was with me4 ,it appeared to move swifter than before1 and seemed to me about ten feet from me on my right hand1 insomuch that ,i had not time to speak to it as ,i had determined with myself beforehand4 ,the evening of this day the parents1 the son1 and myself being in the chamber where ,i lay1 ,i proposed to them our going to the place next morning2 we accordingly met at the stile we had appointed2 thence we all four walked into the field together4 ,we had not gone more than half the field before the ghost made its appearance4 ,it then came over the stile just before us1 and moved with such rapidity1 that by the time it had gone six or seven steps1 it passed by4 ,i immediately turned my head and ran after it1 with the young man by my side4 ,we saw it pass over the stile at which we entered1 and no farther4 ,i stepped upon the hedge at one place1 and the young man at another1 but we could discern nothing2 whereas ,i do aver that the swiftest horse in ,england could not have conveyed himself out of sight in that short space of time4 ,two things ,i observed in this day's appearance2 first a spaniel dog1 which had followed the company unregarded1 barked and ran away as the spectrum passed by3 whence it is easy to conclude that it was not our fear and fancy which made the apparition2 secondly the motion of the spectrum was not gradatim or by steps1 or moving of the feet1 but by a kind of gliding1 as children upon ice1 or as a boat down a river1 which practically answers the description the ancients give of the motion of these lemures4 ,this ocular evidence clearly convinced1 but withal strangely affrighted1 the old gentleman and his wife4 ,they all knew this woman1 ,dorothy ,durant1 in her lifetime2 were at her burial3 and now plainly saw her features in this apparition4 8#8,the next morning being ,thursday1 ,i went very early by myself1 and walked for about one hour's space in meditation and prayer1 in the field next adjoining4 ,soon after five ,i stepped over the stile into the haunted field1 and had not gone above thirty or forty paces before the ghost appeared at the further stile4 ,i spoke to it in some short sentences1 with a loud voice1 whereupon it approached me but slowly1 and1 when ,i came near1 it moved not4 ,i spoke again1 and it answered in a voice neither audible nor very intelligible4 ,i was not in the least terrified1 and thereupon persisted until it spoke again1 and gave me satisfaction2 but the work could not be finished at this time4 ,whereupon the same evening1 an hour after sunset1 it met me again near the same place1 and after a few words on each side it quietly vanished1 and neither doth appear now1 nor hath appeared since1 nor ever will move to any man's disturbance4 ,the discourse in the morning lasted about a quarter of an hour4 8#8,these things are true1 and ,i know them to be so1 with as much certainty as eyes and ears can give me2 and until ,i can be persuaded that my senses all deceive me about their proper objects1 and by that persuasion deprive myself of the strongest inducement to believe in ,christian ,religion1 ,i must and will assert that the things contained in this paper are true4 ,as for the manner of my proceeding1 ,i have no reason to be ashamed of it4 ,i can justify it to men of good principles1 discretion1 and recondite learning1 though in this case ,i chose to content myself in the assurance of the thing1 rather than be at the unprofitable trouble to persuade others to believe it1 for ,i know full well with what difficulty relations of so uncommon a nature and practice obtain belief4'0 ,so much as regards the record of the appearance found in the volume already referred to4 ,the following extract from ,mr4 ,ruddle's ,,ms4 ,diary1 was taken by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,hawker1 ,m4,a41 vicar of ,morwenstow1 the accomplished and well-known ,christian poet1 and appears in his interesting 8,footprints of ,former ,men in ,far ,cornwall0 7,london1 #ahgj71 and still further amplifies and illustrates this story1 the practical and eventual issue of which is now to be recorded3-- 8,january #g1 #affe4 ,at my own house ,i find by my books what is expedient to be done2 and then ,apage ,sathanas6 8,january #i1 #affe4 ,this day ,i took leave of my wife and family1 under pretext of engagements elsewhere1 and made my secret journey to our diocesan city1 wherein the good and venerable bishop then abode4#da 8,january #aj4 #8,deo gratias1' in safe arrival at ,exeter3 craved and obtained immediate audience of his lordship2 pleading it was for counsel and admonition on a weighty and pressing cause4 ,called to the presence2 made obeisance2 and then1 by command1 stated my case1 the ,botathen perplexity--which ,i moved with strong and earnest instances and solemn asseverations of that which ,i had myself seen and heard4 ,demanded by his lordship1 what was the succour that ,i had come to entreat at his hands8 ,replied1 license for my exorcism1 that so ,i might1 ministerially1 allay this spiritual visitant1 and thus render to the living and the dead release from this surprise4 8#8,but1' said our bishop1 #8on what authority do you allege that ,i am entrusted with faculty so to do8 ,our ,church1 as is well known1 hath abjured certain branches of her ancient power1 on grounds of perversion and abuse4' 8#8,nay1 my ,lord1' ,i humbly answered1 #8under favour1 the seventy-second of the ,canons#db ratified and enjoined on us1 the clergy1 ,anno ,domini #afjd1 doth expressly provide that ,no minister1 unless he hath the license of his diocesan bishop1 shall essay to exorcise a spirit1 evil or good4 ,therefore it was1' ,i did here mildly allege1 #8that ,i did not presume to enter on such a work without lawful privilege under your lordship's hand and seal4' 8,hereupon did our wise and learned bishop1 sitting in his chair1 condescend upon the theme at some length1 with many gracious interpretations from ancient writers and from ,holy ,scripture1 and did humbly rejoin and reply2 till the upshot was that he did call in his secretary and command him to draw the aforesaid faculty forthwith and without further delay1 assigning him a form1 insomuch that the matter was incontinently done1 and after ,i had disbursed into the secretary's hands certain moneys1 for signitary purposes1 as the manner of such officers hath always been1 the ,bishop did himself affix his signature under the sigillum of his see1 and deliver the document into my hands4 8,when ,i knelt down to receive his benediction1 he softly said1 #8,let it be secret1 ,mr4 ,rudall1--weak brethren6 weak brethren6'0 ,some details from the same ,diary as to the exact manner in which the ghost was laid give an additional interest to the narrative4 8,january #abth1 #affe4 ,rode into the gateway of ,botathen1 armed at all points1 but not with ,saul's armour1 and ready4 ,there is danger from the demons1 but so there is in the surrounding air every day4 ,at early morning then and alone1 for so the usage ordains1 ,i betook me towards the field4 ,it was void1 and ,i had thereby due time to prepare4 ,first ,i paced and measured out my circle on the grass4 ,then did ,i mark my pentacle in the very midst1 and at the intersection of the five angles ,i did set up and fix my crutch of raun rowan4 ,lastly ,i took my station south1 at the true line of the meridian1 and stood facing due north4 ,i waited and watched for a long time4 ,at last there was a kind of trouble in the air1 a soft and rippling sound1 and all at once the shape appeared1 and came on towards me gradually4 ,i opened my parchment scroll1 and read aloud the command4 ,she paused and seemed to waver and doubt2 stood still3 and then ,i rehearsed the sentence again1 sounding out every syllable like a chant4 ,she drew near my ring1 but halted at first outside1 on the brink4 ,i sounded again1 and now at the third time ,i gave the signal in ,syriac--the speech which is used1 they say1 where such ones dwell and converse in thoughts that glide4 8,she was at last obedient and swam into the midst of the circle3 and there stood still suddenly4 ,i saw1 moreover1 that she drew back her pointing hand4 ,all this while ,i do confess that my knees shook under me1 and the drops of sweat ran down my flesh like rain4 ,but now1 although face to face with the spirit1 my heart grew calm and my mind composed1 to know that the pentacle would govern her1 and the ring must bind until ,i gave the word4 ,then ,i called to mind the rule laid down of old that no angel or fiend1 no spirit1 good or evil1 will ever speak until they be spoken to4 ,n4,b4--,this is the great law of prayer4 ,god ,himself will not yield reply until man hath made vocal entreaty once and again4 ,so ,i went on to demand1 as the books advise2 and the phantom made answer willingly4 ,questioned1 wherefore not at rest8 ,unquiet because of a certain sin4 ,asked what and by whom8 ,revealed it2 but it is sub sigillo1 and therefore nefas dictu2 more anon4 ,inquired1 what sign she could give me that she was a true spirit and not a false fiend8 ,stated that before next ,yule-tide a fearful pestilence would lay waste the land2#dc and myriads of souls would be loosened from their flesh1 until1 as she piteously said1 #8,our valleys will be full4' ,asked again1 why she so terrified the lad8 ,replied1 #8,it is the law2 we must seek a youth or a maiden of clean life1 and under age1 to receive messages and admonitions4' ,we conversed with many more words2 but it is not lawful for me to set them down4 ,pen and ink would degrade and defile the thoughts she uttered1 and which my mind received that day4 ,i broke the ring and she passed1 but to return once more next day4 ,at evensong a long discourse with that ancient transgressor1 ,mr4 ,b----4 ,great horror and remorse2 entire atonement and penance2 whatsoever ,i enjoin2 full acknowledgment before pardon4 8,january #ac1 #affe4 ,at sunrise ,i was again in the field4 ,she came in at once1 and1 as it seemed1 with freedom4 ,inquired if she knew my thoughts1 and what ,i was going to relate8 ,answered1 #8,nay1 we only know what we perceive and hear3 we cannot see the heart4' ,then ,i rehearsed the penitent words of the man she had come up to denounce1 and the satisfaction he would perform4 ,then said she1 #8,peace in our midst4' ,i went through the proper forms of dismissal1 and fulfilled all1 as it was set down and written in my memoranda2 and then with certain fixed rites1 ,i did dismiss that troubled ghost1 until she peacefully withdrew1 gliding towards the west4 ,neither did she ever afterwards appear2 but was allayed1 until she shall come in her second flesh1 to the ,valley of ,armageddon on the ,last ,day40 ,another example1 giving with singular power and effect a very striking ,glimpse of the ,supernatural1 from the experiences of a venerated and exemplary ,roman ,catholic clergyman1 the late ,rev4 ,edward ,peach1 of ,s4 ,chad's1 ,birmingham1 is here given at length4 ,the events narrated occurred in the year #ahae1 and ,mr4 ,peach deliberately affirmed of the following account that it 8may be relied on in every particular as being strictly true40 8,i10 he continues1 in a formal record of the successful exorcism1 8was the minister of ,god employed on the occasion2 and truth is more to me than all the boastings of pride and vain glory40 ,the authentic record stands as follows3-- 8,some time after ,easter1 in the year #ahae1 ,i was informed that a young married woman of the name of ,white1 in the parish of ,king's ,norton1 ,worcestershire1 a ,protestant1 was afflicted with an extraordinary kind of illness1 and that her relations1 who occupied a small farm1 were convinced that her illness arose solely from the malice of a rejected admirer1 who1 they said1 had employed the assistance of a reputed wizard at ,dudley to do her a mischief4 ,these were their terms4 ,i paid but little attention to this story4 ,afterwards ,i was informed by a sister who frequents our markets1 and supplies with butter a respectable family of my congregation1 ,mr4 ,powell1 ,suffolk ,street1 that the young woman was married in the beginning of the preceding ,lent2 that her former admirer repeatedly declared that1 if she did marry any other1 she should never have another happy day2 that the day after her marriage she was seized with an extraordinary kind of mental complaint2 that she became suddenly delirious2 that she raved1 and declared that a multitude of infernal spirits surrounded her2 that they threatened to carry her away2 that she must go with them4 ,the poor sister informed my friend1 with tears streaming down her cheeks1 that she continued in that state1 day and night1 for nearly two months1 and that the whole family were almost exhausted with the fatigue of constantly attending her1 for1 she said1 they could not leave her alone1 lest she should put her threats of destroying herself into execution4 8,at the end of about two months1 according to the relation of the same sister1 the poor creature was so spent that her medical attendant 7who1 during the whole time of his attendance1 declared that her illness arose more from a mental than corporeal cause17 declared that1 in all probability1 she could not survive four-and-twenty hours4 ,the clergyman of the parish was called in to assist her in her last moments2 but he found her in a state not to be benefited by his assistance1 and he departed4 8,amongst the neighbours who came to make a tender of their good offices for the relief of the afflicted family was a ,catholic woman4 ,her offers were accepted1 and she was frequently with her4 ,finding her reduced almost to a state of inanition1 and hearing her speak of these infernal spirits every time she opened her lips1 the thought came into her mind of applying to her some holy water4 ,she accordingly procured some1 dipped her finger into it1 and made the sign of the cross upon her forehead4 ,instantly the poor sufferer started1 and1 in a faint voice1 exclaimed1 #8,you have scalded me4' ,however1 she leaned upon the bosom of her attendant1 and1 what she had not done for a considerable time before1 she fell into a gentle sleep4 ,on awaking1 she continued to hold the same language as before4 ,the ,catholic put a little holy water into her mouth4 ,but the very instant it entered her mouth she seemed to be in a state of suffocation4 ,she and the others who were with her were alarmed1 and expected that every instant would be her last4 ,in a short time1 however1 she swallowed it1 and after many convulsive struggles she regained her breath1 and exclaimed with violence1 #8,you have scalded my throat1 you have scalded my throat4' ,in a few minutes she fell again into a comfortable sleep1 and continued so for some hours4 ,the next morning she appeared refreshed1 and spoke reasonably for a short time4 ,being informed of what had been applied to her1 she seemed to wish for more4 ,the swallowing was attended with the same sensation of scalding1 and the same convulsive struggles as before2 but it seemed to give her ease4 ,from that time the danger of death seemed to decrease by degrees4 ,she enjoyed lucid intervals from time to time2 and invariably after the application of holy water1 although attended with the same sensations as before1 she fell into a slumber4 8,one remarkable circumstance deserves notice4 ,in one of her paroxysms1 she insisted on getting up1 and going out of doors4 ,she said that there was a large snake in front of the house1 that she would go and kill it1 and then one of her enemies would be removed4 ,nothing would satisfy her1 till this same sister1 who gave the account1 assured her that she would go down and kill it4 ,she went down1 and1 to her great astonishment1 found a large snake1 and succeeded in destroying it4 8,this in substance is the account which the sister gave of ,mrs4 ,white's extraordinary illness4 ,at the same time it was asked whether ,i could be of any assistance to her1 or whether it was probable that ,i could be prevailed on to go and see her8 ,my friend who related to me the whole of the above account1 asked me to go4 ,i replied that ,i knew nothing of them1 nor they of me2 but that if she would walk over1 and examine into the state of the poor woman1 ,i would go1 if there appeared to her to be any probability of my being of service4 ,she went1 and1 on her return1 she informed me that all she had heard seemed to be true1 and assured me that all the family were desirous of seeing me1 and particularly the young woman herself4 8,however1 ,i still delayed1 till at length1 on ,tuesday in ,rogation ,week1 ,may #bnd1 #ahae1 a special messenger came over to inform me that ,mrs4 ,white was in a worse state than ever1 and to request me to go and see her without delay4 8,i obeyed the call1 and ,i may say with truth that it was the most awful visit ,i ever made during the whole course of my ministry4 ,the distance was about six miles4 ,no sooner had ,i cleared the skirts of the town than ,i heard the distant thunder before me4 ,before ,i had proceeded two miles1 the storm was nearly over my head2 and ,i may say the remainder of my walk1 and during the time ,i was with her1 there was hardly cessation of one minute between the claps of thunder4 ,i do not say that in this there was anything supernatural1 but1 knowing the business ,i was upon1 it was truly awful4 8,when ,i arrived at the house1 ,i was informed that she was in a dreadful state1 and that the strength of two persons was necessary to keep her in bed4 ,i went up-stairs1 and on entering into the room1 before she saw me1 the curtains being drawn on the side where ,i entered1 she turned to the other side of the bed1 and struggled so violently to get away that it was with difficulty that her husband and two women overpowered her4 ,in a few minutes1 before she had lifted up her eyes to see me 7for she had turned her face downwards7 she stretched out her hand to me1 in a convulsive manner1 and fell speechless and spent upon her back4 8,after a time she opened her eyes1 and in a faint whisper1 answered a question that was put to her1 and said she knew who ,i was4 ,she revived by degrees1 and in a short time could speak in an audible voice4 ,her friends having requested me to try if ,i could discover what it was that weighed most upon her mind1 for they said they had tried to no purpose1 ,i requested them to withdraw4 ,being alone1 she related to me1 as far as she could recollect1 the circumstances of her illness1 and ,i found that they corresponded exactly with the accounts given by her sister4 ,i questioned her as to the cause1 but ,i could not discover that it was owing to anything weighing heavy on her mind4 ,she was positive1 she said1 that it was the young man who had done her a mischief4 8,i then proceeded to explain to her some of the articles of the ,catholic ,faith4 ,she listened with every attention2 and when ,i assured her that she must believe the ,holy ,catholic ,church before she could obtain relief1 she1 without hesitation1 declared that she did believe1 and that she believed from the moment she knew what holy water was1 and experienced its effects4 ,from the time it was first applied1 she said that the devils seemed to keep at a greater distance from her1 and that the number seemed to be diminished4 8,such were the ideas on her mind at the time4 ,she was convinced1 she said1 that it was not the effect of imagination--that she was not delirious--that she knew everything that was said to her1 and that she could recollect everything that had passed4 ,i asked her to tell me where the holy water was4 ,her voice immediately faltered2 and with every endeavour1 ,i perceived that she could not point out with her finger1 nor tell me by words where it was4 ,she was like an infant attempting to point out an object4 8,i looked about and found it4 ,i dipped my finger into it1 and made the sign of the cross on her forehead4 ,she started as soon as ,i touched her1 and was a little convulsed4 ,i asked her what was the matter4 ,for a few moments she could not articulate2 but as soon as she could speak1 she said that it scalded her4 8,after a little more conversation1 ,i desired her to join with me in repeating the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,she consented1 and without difficulty repeated the first words4 ,but when we came to the petitions1 her voice faltered2 she was labouring for breath1 and appeared to be almost suffocated3 her countenance and limbs were convulsed4 ,the greatest stammerer could not find greater difficulty in pronouncing words than she did in pronouncing every word of the petitions4 ,at one time ,i was inclined to desist1 thinking that it was impossible for her to finish it2 but we laboured on1 and at length came to the end4 8,after a short pause1 she again began to converse with a free voice1 without the least faltering4 ,i explained to her the nature of exorcisms1 and proposed to read them over her4 ,she consented1 and said that she would endeavour to offer up her prayers to ,god during the time in the best manner she could4 ,as soon as ,i began the exorcisms1 she fell into a state of convulsive agitation1 not indeed endeavouring to get away2 but every limb1 every joint seemed to be agitated and convulsed1 even her countenance was distorted1--it required constant attention to keep her covered4 8,now it was that ,i felt in a particular manner the awful situation in which ,i was4 ,all alone with a person in a distressed condition1--the lightning flashing1 the thunder rolling1 and ,i with an imperative voice commanding the evil spirit to reply to my interrogatories1 and to go forth from her4 ,i acknowledge that my flesh began to creep and my hair to stand on end4 ,however1 ,i proceeded on till ,i came to the conclusion1 and nothing happened except the violent agitation of the poor sufferer1 which continued uninterrupted during the whole time4 8,after ,i had finished1 she became calm1 and in a few minutes began to converse with me with the same ease as before4 ,among other things1 ,i asked her whether she had felt any particular sensations during the time that ,i was coming to see her8 ,she said that during the whole afternoon she had felt the most determined resolution to destroy herself2 that she employed every means to induce her friends to leave the room1 or to make her escape from them2 and that if she had succeeded1 she would have laid violent hands on herself the moment she was at liberty4 ,i explained to her the nature of baptism1 the necessity of receiving it1 and the effects produced by it4 8,during the course of our conversation1 discovering that there were strong reasons to doubt whether she had been baptized at all1 or whether the essential rites had been observed in her baptism1 ,i conceived that it would be advisable to re-baptize her conditionally4 ,i proposed it1 and she readily consented4 ,i gave her what instructions were necessary1 and repeated several acts of contrition4 ,finding her in dispositions the most satisfactory1 ,i made use of the holy water1 and baptized her1 subject to the condition1 if she was not baptized4 ,during the time she trembled like a leaf1 and the features of her countenance were distorted1 like those of a person in acute pain4 ,upon my putting the question to her1 she replied as she did before1 that it gave her as much pain as if boiling water had been poured over her4 8,immediately after the ceremony was concluded1 she began to speak to me with all the cheerfulness of a person in perfect health and spirits4 ,we conversed together for a few minutes1 and ,i took my leave1 promising to see her again the next day4 ,her sister went to her1 and her first request was that she might have a cup of tea and something to eat2 and before ,i left the house1 she eat and drank as she had done before her affliction4 ,i went to see her the next day1 and found her down-stairs in perfect health2 at least1 no effects of her illness were perceptible1 except a weakness of body4 ,from that time to this1 she has enjoyed good health1 and not the least symptom of her former complaint has been felt4 ,it is more than a twelvemonth since40 ,a second example of successful exorcism1 now to be narrated1 is from the pen of an eminent and well-known clergyman#dd of the ,church of ,england1 whose literary labours in the early part of the ,oxford movement1 were recognized and rewarded by high authority in the ,english ,church4 ,only a slight verbal alteration here and there to make the narrative of itself quite intelligible1 has been made by the ,editor4 8,the subject is almost too sacred for pen2 and ,i only put it on record to show the goodness of ,god1 and to indicate that ,his powers are not withdrawn1 nor ,his ,arm shortened4 ,it is some years1 however1 since the event to be related happened2 and the subject of it has long gone to his last account4 ,i must scrupulously refrain from any indication of place and person2 though1 in these latter days of rude and coarse unbelief1 when such interpositions of the ,almighty's mercy are laughed to scorn1 some may find comfort and edification from its recital4 8,the son of a farmer1 who had just come of age1 having heard a sermon of mine1 which ,i had preached some five years previously1 came a distance of more than thirty miles to seek at my hands ghostly counsel4 ,from his childhood he had been led to indulge in breaches of the seventh commandment1 and these after a while were certainly of a heinous character4 ,he believed himself 7when ,i saw him7 to be possessed by an unclean spirit4 ,wherever he went1 he asserted that he saw a hideous black figure1 darkly draped1 with a form like a man1 but with the face of a beast1 sitting opposite to1 huddled up1 and staring at him4 ,it would appear for weeks together1 at home1 abroad1 in his sleeping-room1 in the field1 in the market4 ,sometimes he would throw himself on to the floor in an agony of distraction1 and pray ,god that it might be removed4 ,for a short term he would cease to see it4 ,but in due course it reappeared4 ,and at last 7an event which had never happened hitherto17 it would likewise haunt him in dreams4 ,on one occasion he declared that it seemed to elongate itself into a long serpent-like figure1 and1 as he asserted1 tried to creep down his throat4 ,but wherever he went he almost always saw it4 ,thinking it might be the result of bodily ailment he consulted a physician2 but with no effect4 8,i am free to say that ,i was not long in coming to a conclusion1 that it was a case of possession2 though ,i did not arrive at that conclusion until ,i had taken counsel from one of the most pious and holy clergymen ,i ever knew1#de and had commended the subject to ,god ,almighty in very earnest prayer4 8,the result was that ,i unfolded to the subject of this apparition my intention1 with ,god's help1 and his own sanction1 to cast out the spirit1 according to the old rule and custom of ,holy ,church4 ,prior to this he made a full and frank confession of his whole life1 and resolved by ,god's help to amend4 ,having made an appointment1 a fortnight hence1 with him1 and being resolved to consecrate my proposed act1 by special deeds of fasting1 self-denial1 and prayer1 ,i was alarmed to hear1 by letter1 of his most serious illness a few days later4 ,his relations asserted that he was suffering from epilepsy1 and that the fits were rapid and most severe4 8,the following day1 taking with me a book containing an authorized form of exorcism1 ,i went to see the sick man4 ,his sufferings seemed to be excruciating3 his fits shocking to witness4 ,at a half-lucid interval he saw me2 and1 starting from his bed1 tried to throw himself out of the window4 ,when he was calmer1 ,i knelt down and prayed for him with his relations2 making several times an act of ,faith4 8,then signing him with the cross on forehead1 mouth1 and breast1 ,i began the authorized form4 ,during this1 his fits returned2 and his violence and ravings were terrible to witness4 ,throughout ,i felt sustained in my action by a ,higher ,power1 and completed my task in the ,name of the ,adorable and ,ever-,blessed ,trinity4 ,here he sank into a deep sleep2 and this sleep proved to be the beginning of a complete change for the better4 ,the fits ceased1 the body was no longer tortured with writhings2 and1 as ,i heard from him afterwards1 the hideous vision or apparition vanished1 and was never seen again4 ,a few years afterwards he died1 as ,i believe in grace2 and1 as ,i commended his soul to ,god1 so ,i committed his body to the dust2 and have always looked upon this remarkable event as a token1 to myself most unworthy1 of the ,almighty's power and ,presence amongst us1 as well as of ,his exceeding great mercy and goodness to this poor sufferer40 ,another remarkable instance of the active and energizing powers of the ,church of ,god1 unimpaired and uncrippled1 may be gathered from the record which follows of the sudden and effectual cure of ,franoise-,genevive-,philippe1 which took place in the church of the ,carmelites of ,pontoise on the #afth of ,july1 #aghd1 upon the ,festival of ,our ,lady of ,mount ,carmel4 ,the record below is a literal translation of the formal act and deed of the person cured3-- 8,i1 the undersigned ,franoise-,genevive-,philippe1 called in religion #8,sister ,josephine-,mary of the ,incarnation1' aged thirty years1 declare that my health being disordered at ,pontoise1 where ,i resided with the ,ursuline ,dames for eleven years1 ,i was advised to make a change of air2 ,i consequently withdrew to the ,dames of the ,congregation of ,trouvelle-les-,vernon1 where ,i entered on the #afth of ,february1 #aghb4 ,my health continued bad in consequence of the frequent attacks of hmorrhage to which ,i became subject4 8,on the #bith of ,december following ,i was seized with a violent headache1 beginning with a swoon1 which lasted more than two hours1 and with a frightful hmorrhage4 ,suitable remedies were instantly administered to me by skilful physicians1 but in vain2 and after this ,i was attacked with convulsions1 and the entire suspension of all motion in my body4 8,different consultations were held at ,paris2 ,,mm4 ,fum and ,petit sent me prescriptions which produced no effect4 ,this sickness continued until the #acth of ,may1 #aghc1 when ,i was removed into the town of my uncle's4 ,all these facts have been attested by the physicians and surgeons of ,vernon1 by the testimony of ,m4 ,atadie1 physician to his ,serene ,highness the ,duke of ,penthievre1 and of ,m4 le ,noble1 physician1 who had employed magnetism1 but without effect4 ,these certificates1 duly legalized by ,m4 le ,lieutenant-,gnral of the same town1 attest that my disorder was deemed so violent and incurable to the period when ,i decided upon returning to ,pontoise1 hoping to recover my health by the means which it might please ,god to employ4 ,i arrived there on the #eth of ,august1 #aghc2 from that time my condition was precisely the same1 namely habitual convulsions4 ,i was deprived of the use of my limbs1 particularly of my right arm1 in which the convulsions were so violent that it was found necessary to fix and tie it with a bandage4 ,the left was not much better1 for on merely touching it1 or on a change of weather1 it experienced similar convulsions4 ,added to this ,i was attacked violently with gout1 which ,i felt all over my body1 but especially in my head and the extremities of my fingers4 ,i was subject to pains in my breast and stomach1 so severe as to occasion me to spit blood and to vomit up even the most liquid of my food4 ,sleep1 of which ,i had in general but little till this period1 now became1 as it were1 a stranger to me4 ,my voice was for a month or six weeks almost extinct1 and there was not a part of my body which was not in a state of suffering2 the least noise became almost insupportable4 8,it is moreover to be remarked1 that ,i never discovered1 although always valetudinary1 what could be capable of occasioning such a malady4 ,this is a testimony ,i offer to truth4 ,the persons who could not be ignorant of what concerned their patient have made the same depositions4#df 8,such was my condition when they were proceeding at ,pontoise1 by order of the ,holy ,see1 in the process of the beatification of the servant of ,god1 ,marie de l',incarnation1 whose name in the world was ,madame ,acarie1 foundress of the ,carmelites in ,france1 who1 having edified the ,world by the virtues which characterize great souls1 and consecrated at ,carmel three of her daughters1 herself embraced this holy state under the humble quality of converse-sister in the ,convent of ,carmelites at ,amiens1 and died at that of ,pontoise in the odour of sanctity on the #ahth of ,april1 #afah1 aged fifty-two years4 8,the fame of this process revived my faith4 ,i made a ,novena to her1 in which the ,carmelites1 as well as many other pious persons1 united4 ,i not only1 during this ,novena1 took no medicines1 but ,i told my physician3 #8,perhaps1 sir1 you will smile at me when ,i tell you that ,i am performing a ,novena to the venerable ,sister ,marie de l',incarnation1 and that ,i hope to-morrow to be taken to her tomb6' #8,i commend your piety1' said he1 #8to make a ,novena to that blessed person1 but ,i do not equally commend the step which you propose to take2 ,i fear that none but bad consequences will result from it4' ,i replied1 as ,i had done to many other of my friends1 #8that ,i had the firmest confidence of a cure4' 8,i persevered constantly in this moral and physical disposition until the moment when ,i was carried in a sedan chair into the church of the ,carmelites4 ,i was brought there at five o'clock in the morning4 ,i heard mass1 and communicated without quitting my chair4 ,towards the moment of elevation ,i felt severe pains throughout my whole frame1 and seemed to myself to be in such a state of weakness that ,i then thought if ,i were to be communicated it would have been for the last time4 ,a cold sweat spread itself at that time over my whole body4 ,the priest who gave me the ,holy ,sacrament noticed that ,i was so weak that ,i could not hold the cloth upon my knees4 ,he was so much afraid from the paleness of my countenance and the alteration he perceived in me1 that in fear of some accident he put the sacred ciborium almost close to my lips4 8,finding me in this painful state1 which announced rather a speedy dissolution than a cure1 ,i formed acts of submission to the ,will of ,god4 ,i begged ,him to accept the sacrifice of my life2 ,i also thrice made the prayer of the blind man1 #8,son of ,david1 have mercy on me2' the while interiorly1 having lost my power of articulation4 ,i remained in that state till the end of the mass1 and finding my strength recovering ,i called my nurse1 and begged her to go and see if the chapel in which the precious remains of the ,venerable ,sister ,marie de l',incarnation were deposited was open1 having the design to be carried there4 ,but ,o bounty and mercy of the ,lord6 at the very moment the people were preparing ,i quitted the chair myself2 my nurse came hastily upon me to stop me1 imagining that this movement was a last effort of nature4 ,i corrected her1 saying that ,i thanked her1 but that thanks be to ,god6 ,i had no need of her help1 and instantly after1 on the steps of the altar1 returned thanks after communion2 for ,i did not as yet perceive the change that was made in me4 ,i was not sensible of it till after having made my thanksgiving1 which was near a quarter of an hour after4 ,i then raised myself from the ground filled with joy and consolation1 finding ,i had recovered the use of my limbs2 my breast and stomach at ease and devoid of pain1 enjoying tranquillity altogether wonderful4 ,i first ascended the seven steps of the altar2 and then went to the grate of the choir and thanked the community for the prayers that they had the goodness to offer up for me2 requesting them to add still further their thanks to mine4 ,i then turned towards the ,blessed ,sacrament1 where ,i remained on my knees on the ground without any support during the period of three masses1 which were said in succession4 ,i afterwards heard high mass1 and assisted at the entire ,office of the ,day1 without the noise of chaunting1 of the instruments1 nor the great concourse of people1 occasioning me the slightest inconvenience4 ,although ,i had to answer in the course of the day to more than four thousand persons attracted by the novelty of the circumstance to the church of the ,carmelites1 on the afternoon of the same day ,i went on foot to visit the ,ursuline ,dames4 8,done at ,compigne on the #abth of ,feb4 #agib4 7,signed7 8,franoise-,genevive-,philippe1 8,called in religion #8,sr4 ,josephine of the ,incarnation1' ,religious ,carmelite of the ,monastery of the ,city of ,compigne1 in which ,i had the happiness to enter on the #bjth of ,december1 #aghf1 and to pronounce my holy and inviolable engagements on the #bbnd of ,july1 #aghh40 ,another point bearing very directly on the subject of this chapter here suggests itself for some brief consideration3-- ,deeds of benediction have been so universally recognized in history1 that it may be credibly maintained that the custom originated in the earliest ages of the ,world's existence1 either by a direct revelation from ,heaven or by the most elementary religious instinct of the immediate descendants of our first parents4 ,the heads of tribes1 after the ,flood1 blessed their children and followers4 ,and1 when the ,patriarchal dispensation drew towards its close1 the power of blessing was exercised by the leaders and chiefs of ,god's chosen people4 ,proof of all this is on record in the ,sacred ,writings4 ,he1 therefore1 who runs may read4 ,and we may gather from the same source that a form of blessing was attached to the priest's office2#dg and that such blessing was efficient4 ,all this is of course taken for granted under the ,christian dispensation2 and it is evident that the various forms of sacerdotal benediction are true means of bestowing the ,divine blessing and grace3 and this1 because of the salient principle that the ,fall of man from original righteousness1 having effected a loss of union with ,god ,almighty1 salvation is the renewal of that union by and through ,jesus ,christ and ,his ,church4 ,now1 a ,blessing1 in the ,name of ,god1 is bestowed by a superior upon an inferior4#dh ,thus a bishop gives his benediction to a priest1 deacon1 or layman2 a priest to a layman2 a father or head of a family to a son or an inferior member of that same family2 a patriarch or chieftain to his tribe1 or to any member of it4 ,the blessing of ,god is a great and mighty gift of grace1 and has always been intimately conjoined with the offering of sacrifice1 and so particularly and specifically with the offering of the ,christian sacrifice1 as also with and by a benediction1 some of the most solemn services of ,holy ,church have been brought to an end4 ,of course1 if there be a power to bless1 there is1 as has already been pointed out1 likewise a power to curse4 ,neither blessing nor curse may be absolute in their effect1 and all acts and deeds are done under ,god1 or with the permission of the ,almighty4 ,of the results respectively of blessings or curses we know but little4 ,but the glimpses which ,history1 ,revealed ,religion1 and ,experience alike afford of those results are full of interest1 and are subjects for contemplation and study4 ,here1 as in the consideration of similar details1 concerning the ,supernatural1 the ,church ,universal should be our guide4 ,where she leads we should go3 where she directs we should follow4 ,as bearing on this subject1 it may be suitably pointed out that ,mr4 ,robert ,southey in his 8,common-,place ,book0 puts on record a very remarkable story of 8citation0 by a man unjustly and cruelly murdered3-- 8,the ,philipsons of ,colgarth coveted a field like ,ahab1 and had the possessor hung for an offence which he had not committed4 ,the night before his execution the old man 7for he was very old7 read the #ajith ,psalm as his solemn and dying commination1 verses #b1 #c1 #h1 #i1 #aj1 #ab1 #ac1 #ad1 #ae1 and #af40 ,the verses contain a prayer for vengeance upon 8the wicked and deceitful1 who have spoken with a lying tongue10 and whose days are to be few1 and their children to be fatherless1 their descendants continually vagabonds and beggars1 and their posterity to be cut off4 8,the curse10 ,southey adds1 8was fully accomplished2 the family were cut off1 and the only daughter who remained sold laces and bobbins about the country40 ,two remarkable and1 as may be well believed1 supernatural events occurred 7which may be fittingly recorded here7 with regard to the cruel and shameful death of ,edmund ,arrowsmith1 a ,roman ,catholic priest of the county of ,lancaster1 in the year #afbh4 ,he was born at ,haddock in the parish of ,winwick1 five miles from ,warrington and seven from ,wigan4 ,his father was ,robert ,arrowsmith1 a yeoman1 and his mother ,margaret ,gerard1 of the ancient and noble family of that name4 ,his immediate ancestors had suffered much for their religion4 ,edmund1 their son1 having been received into the ,college at ,douay in #afje1 was eventually ordained priest at ,arras on ,december #ith1 #afab4 ,a year afterwards he was sent to ,england to minister to his fellow religionists4 ,one of his flock being exasperated against him because he refused to marry him to his first cousin and had rebuked him for evil-living1 informed against him to the vigilant authorities2 and ,arrowsmith1 being apprehended1 was sent to ,lancaster ,castle1 8for not having taken the oaths1 and upon vehement suspicion that he was a priest and a jesuit40 ,the judge on circuit was ,sir ,henry ,yelverton4 8,are you a priest1 sir80 asked the judge1 when the accused person was brought before him4 ,arrowsmith1 signing himself with the cross1 replied1 8,my lord1 ,i would to ,god ,i were worthy40 ,on the judge repeating the question ,arrowsmith replied coolly1 8,i would ,i were40 ,when the accused1 in reply to a minister on the bench1 suggested a disputation regarding religion1 and claimed to defend his ,faith1 the judge silenced him at once1 and declared that he would not allow him to make any defence at all4 8,i am ready1 my lord1 bear in mind10 replied ,arrowsmith1 8not only to defend it in words1 but in deeds1 and to seal it with my blood40 ,the judge then told him1 in an insulting and savage manner1 that he should die1 and see his bowels burnt before his very face4 8,and you too must die1 my lord1 and that within a year40#di ,two indictments were framed against him3 one for being a priest and a jesuit1 and the other for disparaging ,protestantism2 on these he was found guilty of high treason1 and ordered to die according to the law4 ,to the gaoler of the prison1 the sheriff brought express commands from the judge to load him with the heaviest irons in the ,castle1 and to lodge him in a small cell where he could not lie down4 ,this occurred on the #bfth of ,august1 #afbh1 and he suffered death on the #bhth of the same month4 ,he was dragged on a hurdle from the ,castle to the place of execution1 having received absolution from a fellow prisoner1 ,mr4 ,southworth1 in the ,castle yard4 ,he was bound on the hurdle1 and for greater ignominy with his head to the horse's tail4 ,the gallows and boiling caldron were set up about a quarter of a mile distant from the ,castle4 ,the devotion and piety of this holy and zealous man were as remarkable as his constancy and fortitude1--graces which edified those who witnessed his sad end4 ,he offered himself up as a sacrifice thrice3 once upon his knees at the foot of the ladder1 again on the ladder1 which he kissed1 and a third time just before the halter was fastened round his neck2 and then prayed fervently1 8,o ,sweet ,jesus1 ,i freely offer ,thee my death1 in satisfaction for my sins40 ,then he was cast off1 suffered to hang until he was dead--an act of mercy1 by no means ordinary or common--cut down1 disembowelled1 and quartered2 his head being placed on a pole amongst the pinnacles of the ,castle4 ,it is recorded that the judge being vexed and annoyed with the clever and luminous answers which ,arrowsmith made when under examination1 in the hearing of so many1 appeared to take a special pleasure in viewing the execution from his lodgings1 through a perspective glass2 that he had the curiosity to examine the four quarters of his body1 which1 by his command1 being brought to his apartment1 he made an unnatural and shocking comparison between them and a haunch or two of venison with which he had that day been presented2 and that he deliberately kicked the right hand of the body in contempt4 ,on leaving the town he ordered the martyr's head to be placed on a pole six yards higher than the pinnacles of the ,castle4 ,the judge1 sitting at supper at an inn on ,january #bc1 #afbi1 upon return from circuit1 felt a heavy blow1 as if someone had struck him on the back of the head2 upon which he fell into a violent rage with1 and severely rated1 the servant who was waiting upon him2 who protested that he had not struck him1 nor did he see anyone strike him4 ,a little while afterwards1 the judge felt another blow like the first2 and1 as some records say1 a third just as the meal was being ended4 ,the blows he himself evidently thought to have come from the hand of divine justice1 for he exclaimed in fear and trepidation3 8,that dog ,arrowsmith hath killed me40#ej ,in great terror he was carried to bed1 and dying the next morning1 the prophecy of the holy priest regarding his death was exactly fulfilled4 ,as regards the ,hand of the sufferer1 it was procured and treasured up by his relatives the ,gerards3 and the following remarkable occurrence is connected with it4 ,in the year #ahac a young man named ,joseph ,lamb1 then residing at ,eccles1 near ,trafford ,hall1 about four miles from ,manchester1 fell from a rick of considerable height to the ground1 and received a violent injury in the back4 ,he was so injured that he could neither stand nor walk and suffered very considerable pain2 but after many attempts had been made by physicians to give him relief and effect a cure1 his case at a later stage was unanimously pronounced to be incurable4 ,in religion he was a ,roman ,catholic1 having been converted to that ancient faith from being an ,anabaptist--a sect to which his father still belonged4 ,local circumstances had led to his investigating the martyrdom of the venerable priest1 ,edmund ,arrowsmith1 who1 as already recounted1 gave up his life in the cause of ,god at ,lancaster1 on the #bhth of ,august1 #afbh4 ,of this holy man a ,hand had been long and carefully preserved at ,sir ,william ,gerard's1 of ,garswood1 near ,wigan1 where it was and is deservedly venerated and held in respect by all ,roman ,catholics4 ,the sufferer ,lamb1 finding that the skill and power of man could do nothing for him1 conceived a firm conviction that it would please the ,almighty to restore him to health by the instrumentality of this relic1 and he consequently most earnestly and systematically prayed to ,god that it might be so4 ,his parents consequently1 in response to his urgent entreaties1 on ,october #bnd1 #ahad1 had him conveyed in a covered cart from his own house near ,trafford ,hall to ,garswood1 a distance of fourteen miles4#ea ,in a state of considerable suffering1 and quite unable to assist himself1 he was lifted out of the cart and carried into the ,roman ,catholic chapel1 where he was placed before the altar4 ,then the 8,holy ,hand10 as it is termed1 was brought forth2 the sacred sign of the cross was solemnly made over the affected part of the poor suffering man's back2 when1 in an instant1 he felt freedom from pain and found his former health and strength perfectly restored4 ,he immediately rose1 stood up for some time in prayer1 and then walked1 without any assistance whatsoever1 to his relatives and friends who were gathered at the chief entrance of the chapel4 ,he returned home quite recovered and perfectly well1 and so remained1 up to the #aith of ,september1 #ahaf4eb ,the result of this miraculous intervention was that several of his kinsmen and acquaintances became converts to the religion which he had elected to follow2 and these1 together with many ,roman ,catholics who became acquainted with ,almighty ,god's merciful visitation of him1 joined in a solemn act of thanksgiving1 by assembling to sing the ,te ,deum in the chapel of ,garswood4#ec ,thus1 then1 we see the prophecy of a ,christian priest1 who was unjustly and illegally condemned and cruelly murdered1 exactly and most strikingly fulfilled2 and a wonderful sign bestowed from ,god to man of ,eternal ,truth1 in the supernatural cure wrought some two centuries and more afterwards upon this ,lancashire farm-labourer4 ,here something may be properly put on record1 regarding cases in which visible marks and tokens of the ,passion of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ have been supernaturally and miraculously impressed upon ,god's saints and servants1 in order to set forth before the eyes of man1 as a matter of sight and not as a matter of faith1 the truth of the ,revelation of ,almighty ,god1 through ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,the first recorded instance of stigmatization is that of ,s4 ,francis of ,assisi1 in the thirteenth century4 ,from the life of this distinguished saint1 written by ,s4 ,bonaventure 7chapters xii4 and xv471 we gather the following particulars of these remarkable phenomena4 ,it was the custom of the saint1 from time to time1 to retire into the solitudes of ,mount ,alverna1 in the ,apennines1 in order the more easily to give himself up to prayer and meditation4 8,while fasting there for forty days1 being in prayer1 on the ,feast of the ,exaltation of the ,holy ,cross1 and feeling within his soul an intense desire to be crucified with his ,lord1 he beheld1 descending from heaven towards him1 a seraph1 having six wings as it were of fire4#ed ,when the celestial messenger came near to him1 there appeared between the wings the form of ,one crucified1 with the hands and feet stretched out upon the cross4 ,two wings rose above the head1 two were spread forth in flight1 while the others veiled the whole body40 ,francis felt a great joy at the apparition1 and yet1 at the same time1 a deep sorrow at beholding ,him ,whom his soul loved1 so cruelly fastened to the ,cross1 the thought of which pierced his heart as with a sword of grief4 ,it was presently revealed to him that he was to imitate the ,passion of our ,lord4 8,the vision disappearing1 his soul was filled with heavenly light1 while a marvellous sign was left imprinted on his limbs4 ,on his hand and feet were the marks of the nails1 as he had beheld in the seraphic vision1 and on his right side was a wound1 as if made by a lance's thrust4 ,his hands and feet appeared transfixed with the nails1 their heads being seen in the upper part of the feet1 and the points on the reverse sides4 ,the heads of these nails were round and black1 and the points somewhat long and bent1 as if turned back2 so that between them and the skin there was the space of a finger4 ,they could be moved with ease2 for on the one side they were embedded in the flesh1 whilst on the other they were clear of it3 yet it was not possible to draw them out1 as we are assured by ,s4 ,clare1 who1 after the saint's death1 essayed to do so1 but could not succeed4 ,the wound in the side was deep1 and of the width of three fingers4 ,it was red1 and the saint's habit was often stained by the blood which flowed from it40 ,these stigmata were seen during his life by the reigning ,pope ,alexander with many of his cardinals2 and after his death1 by more than fifty brethren together1 by ,s4 ,clare and many of her sisters1 and an innumerable crowd of seculars1 who came from all parts of the country to be witnesses of these wonders4 ,at the close of the seventeenth century1 another case of stigmatization occurred to ,veronica ,juliana1 a nun2 and her examination by the bishop of her diocese1 aided by several physicians1 was of so strict and severe a character1 that deception on her part would have been quite impossible4 ,in the early part of the same century1 ,joanna di ,jesu ,maria1 a ,spanish nun1 was subjected to even a more rigorous examination1 before a court composed of the ,commissary of the ,inquisition1 the ,suffragan ,bishop1 several of the secular and regular clergy of the district1 of many learned men1 and two distinguished physicians4 ,in this case1 the subject of the phenomena bore not only the wounds on her hands1 feet1 and side1 from which blood and water frequently flowed1 but also around her head1 as from the crown of thorns1 a deep wound1 which1 in the opinion of the doctors1 penetrated to the skull4 ,they1 furthermore1 declared by oath that the wounds were not natural1 and could not possibly be the effect of fraud4 ,the most celebrated subjects of stigmata in our own days are ,maria ,mrl1 the ,ecstatica of ,caldamo1 in the ,tyrol1 and ,maria ,domenica ,lazzari1 a peasant girl of ,capriana1 whose cases were brought before the ,english public by that late distinguished nobleman ,john1 ,earl of ,shrewsbury1 ,a4 ,l4 ,m4 ,p4 ,de ,lisle1 ,esq41#ee the ,rev4 ,t4 ,w4 ,allies1 and others4 ,the following account of ,maria ,mrl is abridged from that of ,grres1 in his work on the ,supernatural1 entitled 8,christliche ,mystik10 which1 perhaps1 is the most complete and detailed description published4 ,after giving a brief sketch of her life1 which tells us that she was a girl of great piety1 also that at the age of eighteen she became a confirmed invalid1 and after receiving ,holy ,communion she always remained in an ecstasy for several hours1 we read1 that 8in the autumn of #ahcc1 her ,confessor1 ,father ,capistran1 had by chance noticed that the parts of her hands where the wounds afterwards appeared had begun to form in hollows1 as though impressed by some external substance1 the parts1 at the same time1 becoming the seat of considerable pain1 accompanied by frequent cramps40 ,soon afterwards1 the wounds appeared on the hands1 feet1 and side4 ,on ,thursdays and ,fridays these places often ran with clear blood1 and were covered on other days with a scar of dried blood1 without showing any signs of inflammation4 8,in #ahcd1 on the occasion of a solemn procession1 a new phase of her ecstasy developed itself1 and one day surprised her in the presence of several witnesses1 when she was transfigured with an angelic beauty1 radiant and glorious as a heavenly spirit1 her arms extended to their extreme width in the form of a cross1 and her feet barely seeming to touch the bed on which she reposed4 ,all around could then plainly perceive the mysterious stigmata1 and the matter could no longer remain a secret40 ,of ,maria ,domenica ,lazzari1 who was born ,march #afth1 #ahae1 and whose case is no less remarkable than the above1 ,mr4 ,allies1 then a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 wrote the following account1 twenty-five years ago3--8,in ,august1 #ahcc1 she had an illness1 not in the first instance of an extraordinary nature2 but it took the form of an intermittent fever1 confining her completely to her bed1 and finally contracting the nerves of her hands and feet so as to cripple them4 ,on the #ajth of ,january1 #ahcd1 she received on her hands1 feet1 and left side1 the marks of our ,lord's ,five ,wounds4444 ,three weeks afterwards1 her family found her in the morning covering her face in a state of great delight1--a sort of trance4 ,on removing the handkerchief1 letters were found on it marked in blood1 and ,domenica's brow had a complete impression of the crown of thorns1 in a line of small punctures about a quarter of an inch apart1 from which the blood was flowing freshly4 ,they asked her who had torn her so4 ,she replied1 #8,a very fair lady had come in the night and adorned her4'444 ,from the time that she first received the stigmata1 in ,january1 #ahcd1 to the present time 7account published in #ahdg71 the wounds have bled every ,friday1 with a loss of from one to two ounces of blood1 beginning early in the morning1 and on ,friday only4 ,the above information 7,mr4 ,allies declares7 we received from ,signor ,yoris1 a surgeon of ,cavalese1 the chief village of the district in which ,capriana lies40 ,two additional and quite recent examples of stigmatization1 most perfectly and satisfactorily authenticated1 demand to have the facts which are known and admitted here set forth4 ,the first is as follows3-- ,on the #cjth ,january1 #ahej1 was born at ,bois d',haine1 a village in the province of ,hainaut1 in ,belgium1 ,anne ,louise ,lateau1 the daughter of ,gregory and ,adle ,lateau4 ,the family1 though of humble condition1 were at the time in tolerably comfortable circumstances4 ,the father was employed as a workman in a neighbouring metal factory1 and the cottage in which they dwelt1 together with the land on which it stood1 was their own property4 ,but a sad change soon took place4 ,on the #cjth ,april1 #ahej1 ,gregory ,lateau died of small-pox1 leaving the mother and three children 7the infant ,louise and two little girls of two and three years of age7 unprovided for4 ,to add to their distress1 the widow ,lateau was seriously ill1 and the infant had caught the small-pox4 ,abandoned by all1 they were in danger of perishing of starvation had they not been relieved by the timely aid of a charitable neighbour4 ,it was a long time1 however1 before the mother's health was sufficiently restored to enable her to better their condition by her own exertions4 ,when eight years old1 ,louise was sent to take charge of an old woman confined to her bed1 and almost as poor as themselves4 ,she afterwards received five months' schooling1 which is all the education she has ever had4 ,at eleven years old1 having made her first communion1 she went as a servant to her aunt1 with whom she remained until her death1 which occurred two years later4 ,her next situation was with a lady at ,brussels1 but she was obliged to leave through illness4 ,on her recovery1 she was again employed in a farm at ,manage1 where she remained till called home by her mother1 with whom she has since lived1 working as a dressmaker4 ,with regard to her moral character1 one of its most important features is charity4 ,during the ravages of the cholera in ,belgium1 in #ahff1 she gave examples of the most heroic devotedness--nursing the sick when their own relations had fled in dismay1 laying out the dead1 and1 in some instances1 even conveying them to the cemetery4 ,for the rest1 she is of a cheerful disposition1 simple and straightforward in her manner1 possessed of good sense1 without smartness or enthusiasm4 ,owing to the small amount of instruction she has received1 her education is limited1 but has been much improved by her own exertions4 ,she speaks ,french with tolerable fluency1 but is unable to write correctly or read with ease4 ,the mother of ,louise is fifty-eight years of age1 of a frank and outspoken character1 upright and religious4 ,though poor1 she refuses to receive any pecuniary assistance1 and manifests great reluctance to the introduction of the numerous visitors attracted to her cottage from all parts of the world by the wonderful accounts respecting her daughter4 ,we now come to the consideration of those phenomena which for nearly six years have been exciting such universal interest4 ,on ,friday1 the #bdth ,april1 #ahfh1 manifestations of an extraordinary character commenced with a flow of blood from the chest4 ,the young girl1 with her accustomed reserve1 made no mention of the fact2 but as on successive ,fridays the bleeding extended to the feet and hands1 concealment became no longer possible4 ,the phenomenon1 as it now appears1 is thus described by ,dr4 ,lefebvre3-- 8,if in the course of the week1 from ,saturday to ,thursday morning1 an inspection is made of the parts from which blood flows on the ,friday1 this is what is seen3--,on the back of each hand there is a rather oval surface1 nearly one inch in length4 ,it is rather more pink in colour1 and it is smoother than the neighbouring skin1 and does not show a trace of oozing of any kind4 ,on the palm of each hand there is also an oval surface of a light pink colour1 corresponding precisely to the stigmatized surface of the back4 ,on the upper aspect of each foot1 the impress has the shape of a long square with rounded angles1 the square being a little more than an inch long4 ,to conclude1 there are on the soles of the feet1 as on the palms of the hands1 small surfaces of pinkish white colour4 8444 ,the first symptoms indicative of the approaching efflux of blood occur on the ,thursday1 generally about noon4 ,on each of the pink surfaces already described on the hands and feet1 a vesicle is seen to commence1 and to rise little by little4 ,when completely developed1 it is a rounded hemispherical prominence on the surface of the skin2 its base is the same size as the pink surface on which it rests--that is1 nearly an inch long1 by a little more than half an inch broad4 ,this vesicle is formed by the epidermis detached from the dermis1 and elevated as a half sphere by serous liquid within40 ,we again quote some of the medical details3-- 8,the phenomenon occurs thus3--,the vesicle bursts1 and the contained serosity escapes4 ,this occurs in different ways--sometimes by a rent lengthways1 sometimes by a crucial or a triangular division4 ,in the last case1 the rupture of the vesicle suggests the puncture of a leech2 but this is a mere resemblance1 to prove which it is enough to ascertain the entire absence on the hands and feet of those three-cornered white and indelible scars which always follow leech-bites4 ,but a still more decisive observation is that this triangular rent only divides the epidermis2 in fact1 if this be removed by rubbing with a cloth1 the little wound is no longer seen1 and the true skin is found to be quite intact4 ,directly after the rupture of the vesicle and the escape of the fluid1 blood begins to ooze from the bare derma4 8,the flow of blood always detaches the piece of scarf-skin that makes the vesicle1 so that the bleeding surface of the true skin is quite bare2 sometimes1 however--and especially on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet1 where the epidermis is very tough--the blood collects1 and forms a clot in the partly-torn vesicle40#ef ,the general appearance of the wound in the side on ,friday is as follows3--,the blood issues from three small points of a triangular form at the distance of half an inch from each other4 ,a vesicle has also been observed similar to those upon the hands and feet4 ,on its bursting1 the blood flowed through the derma or thick skin over a round surface of the diameter of about half an inch4 ,the bleeding on the forehead commenced on ,friday1 the #beth ,september1 #ahfh1 and1 at the present time1#eg takes place every week1 and has extended round the whole of the head4 ,the bleeding circlet on the forehead forms a band of two fingers' breadth in width1 and the blood oozes from twelve or fifteen points4 ,there is no appearance of vesicle1 nor is the skin discoloured4 ,the second extraordinary account of a young girl1 who is now marked with the stigmata1 is furnished by the ,rev4 ,f4 ,prendergast1 of ,san ,francisco3#eh-- 8,miss ,collins was born in ,england2 both her parents are ,roman ,catholics4 ,about two years and a half ago she was a pupil at the ,convent of ,notre ,dame4 ,on her return to this city she left her father's home1 and with a friend1 ,miss ,armer1 commenced the practice of charitable acts--visiting the sick1 clothing the destitute1 and instructing little children4 ,many of the charitable persons of the city co-operate with ,miss ,collins1 ,miss ,armer1 and an elderly lady who keeps house for them1 in their good works4 ,the archbishop approved of this semi-religious order1 and has paid the house rent of these ladies since they began this practice4 ,miss ,collins has always been in delicate health1 and has frequently received the last sacraments of the ,church1 given to those in a dying condition4 ,she has had periodical attacks of heart disease1 and intense pulmonary congestion4 ,soon after ,miss ,collins and ,miss ,armer entered upon their charitable and self-denying duties1 the former was prostrated by a return of her complaint4 ,she recovered but slowly and imperfectly1 and on ,january #bnd1 at the children's festival in the basement of ,s4 ,mary's ,cathedral1 she was seized with a most violent attack4 ,she was taken to her residence2 and two or three days afterwards was again seized with congestion of the lungs1 followed by congestion of the brain4 ,the attending physician1 herself1 and all her friends were convinced that there was no hope of her recovery4 ,she took leave of those who stood by her bedside1 and made her final preparations for death4 ,on ,wednesday1 ,january #hth1 she was all day in convulsions4444 ,towards six o'clock she grew better1 but on the night of the third day became speechless1 and was compelled to write her wants and wishes in pencil4 8,at twelve o'clock that night1 ,miss ,armer and the nurse1 who watched by her bedside1 believed her to be dying1 if not dead4 ,they recited the prayers for the departing soul1 and held the blessed candle by her hand1 according to the custom of the ,church4 ,presently ,miss ,collins closed her eyes and drew a long breath4 ,they then believed her to be dead2 but to their utter amazement and bewilderment she revived1 and made signs that she wished to write4 ,they gave her the pencil and paper1 and she wrote as follows3 #8,put three drops of the water from the font of ,our ,lady of ,la ,salette in my mouth1 and say three ,hail ,maries with me before the crucifix4' ,they complied with the instructions1 and perceived that she joined mentally in the recital of the prayers4 ,as soon as ended1 she reached out her hands for the crucifix1 and kissed1 with an expression of great devotion1 the ,five ,wounds of our ,blessed ,saviour4 ,she then intimated that she wished to have a little water4 ,they gave her some1 and she immediately rose up and declared1 with a beaming and heavenly countenance1 that she was cured2 and she called on her companions1 ,miss ,armer and the nurse1 to join her in saying the rosary for the sick4 ,she wished to recite the principal parts of the devotion herself1 but yielding to the request of ,miss ,armer1 only made the responses in a clear and loud voice4 ,she then requested her companions to retire1 but seeing they had some objections1 told them she would set the example4 ,she laid down quietly1 and slept without motion or sign till morning1 when she ate heartily1 and seemed quite restored to health4 ,since then she has never for a moment suffered from any of those diseases to which she had been before a victim1 and which had more than once brought her to death's door4 8,on being questioned about her recovery1 she stated to her confessor1 her companions1 and others of her friends1 that immediately previous to her recovery the ,blessed ,virgin spoke to her in a voice clear and musical1 but as if it were coming from afar1 directing her what to do in order to obtain her health1 approving her manner of life1 and giving her some counsels for her own guidance4 ,her recovery was regarded by all conversant with the facts as being a miraculous one2 and1 contrasting her subsequent excellent health with her former miserable condition1 there seems to be no reason to doubt but that she was saved by the merciful interposition of the ,supreme ,power of ,god4 8,after some weeks she experienced1 without any assignable natural cause1 an intense pain in her temples1 which caused her indescribable anguish4 ,these sufferings suddenly passed away1 but in the course of some days returned with equal violence4 ,so far there were no perceptible marks on any portion of her body1 but during her sufferings on the ,feast of the ,five ,wounds of our ,lord she felt an acute pain in her head1 her side1 in both hands1 and in both feet4 ,on the ,friday before ,good ,friday1 the ,feast of the ,seven ,sorrows of the ,blessed ,virgin1 she experienced pains in the same parts1 and on that day the stigmata1 or marks of our ,saviour's ,wounds1 became clearly visible on the backs of her hands1 and blood oozed from her left side1 near the heart4 8,several persons witnessed the stigmata on this occasion1 but were loth to reveal the fact1 preferring to await further developments4 ,that night the pains passed away1 and her usual health returned4 ,on ,holy ,thursday the same sufferings were experienced1 commencing in the afternoon and becoming very intense during ,thursday night4 ,on ,friday the stigmata appeared on the surfaces of both hands and on the upper surface of both feet4 ,blood also oozed from her side4 ,during the day her sufferings were indescribable1 and were witnessed by a large number of people4#ei ,the stigmata and suffering continued unabated until twelve o'clock on ,friday night1 when she suddenly experienced some relief1 and was able1 for the first time in twenty-four hours1 to take a little water4 ,on the next day she attended divine service in church1 and has since been in the enjoyment of excellent health4 ,the marks of the stigmata remain on her hands and side4 ,she has never1 at any time during her sufferings1 been unconscious1 except when they were so intense as to cause momentary delirium4 ,she prayed continually1 and her countenance1 ordinarily indicating extreme agony1 occasionally relaxed into a sweet and heavenly smile4 ,at times her hands were extended in the form of a crucifix1 and became so rigid in that position that it was impossible to move them40#fj ,as serving still further to illustrate the subject of this chapter1 it should be known that ,dr4 ,john ,milner1 ,f4,s4,a41 ,vicar ,apostolic of the ,midland ,district of ,england 7a prelate eminent both for his high character and great literary ability71 records a supernatural cure1 the subject of which was personally known to himself4 8,on ,march #ae1 #ahji1 ,mary ,wood1 living at ,taunton ,lodge1 near ,taunton1 in ,somersetshire1 in attempting to open a sash-window1 pushed her left hand through a pane of glass1 which caused a very large and deep transverse wound in the inside of the left arm1 and divided the muscles and nearly the whole of the tendons that lead to the hand2 from which accident she not only suffered at times the most acute pain1 but was1 from the period the bishop saw her ,march #ae1 #ahji1 until some time in ,july1 totally deprived of the use of her hand and arm40#fa ,what passed between the latter end of ,july1 when1 as the surgeon states1 8he left his patient with no hope of her recovery or of restoring her10 until the #fth of ,august1 on the night of which she was miraculously cured1 can be gathered from a ,letter to ,bishop ,milner1 dated ,november #aith1 #ahji1 by her amanuensis ,miss ,maria ,hornyold1 of the ancient family of that name3 8,the surgeon gave little or no hopes of the girl ever again having the use of her hand2 which1 together with the arm1 seemed withered and somewhat contracted2 only saying that in some years ,nature might give her some little use of it1 which was considered by her superior as a mere delusive comfort4 ,despairing of further human assistance toward her cure1 she determined1 with the approbation of her said superiors1 to have recourse to ,god1 through the intercession of ,s4 ,winifred by a ,novena4#fb ,accordingly on the #fth of ,august she put a piece of moss from the ,saint's ,well on her arm1 continuing recollected and praying1 c41 when1 to her great surprise1 the next morning she found that she could dress herself1 put her arm behind her1 and to her head1 having regained the free use and full strength of it4 ,in short1 she was perfectly cured40 ,so much for this portion of ,miss ,hornyold's narrative4 ,now1 reverting to ,bishop ,milner1 his testimony to the fact of the cure having been effected is here set forth3 8,in this state ,i myself saw her a few years afterwards1 when ,i examined her hand2 and in the same state she still continues1 at the above-named place1 with many other highly credible vouchers1 who are ready respectively to attest these particulars40 ,the conclusion of ,miss ,hornyold's ,letter is as follows3 8,on the #afth of the month the surgeon was sent for1 and being asked his opinion concerning ,mary ,wood's arm1 he gave no hope of a perfect cure1 and little of her ever having even the least use of it2 when she1 being introduced to him and showing him the arm1 which he thoroughly examined and tried1 he was so affected at the sight and the recital of the manner of the cure1 as to shed tears1 and exclaim1 #8,it is a special interposition of ,divine ,providence4'0 ,the case of ,winifred ,white1 a young woman of ,wolverhampton1 suddenly and miraculously cured1 is not less important and interesting3--8,the disease from which she was suffering10 writes ,bishop ,milner1 8was one of the most alarming of a topical nature of any that is known1 namely a curvature of the spine1 as the physician and surgeon ascertained1 who treated it accordingly1 by making two great issues1 one on each side of the spine1 of which the marks are still imprinted on the patient's back4 ,secondly1 that besides the most acute pains throughout the whole nervous system1 and particularly in the brain1 this disease of the spine produced a hemiplegia1 or palsy of one side of the patient1 so that when she could feebly crawl1 with the help of a crutch under her right arm1 she was forced to drag her left leg and arm after her1 just as if they constituted no part of her body4 ,thirdly1 that her disorder was of long continuance1 namely1 of three years' standing1 though not in the same degree till the latter part of that time1 and that it was publicly known to all her neighbours and a great many others4 ,fourthly1 that having performed the acts of devotion which she felt herself called upon to undertake1 and having bathed in the fountain at ,holywell in ,flintshire1 she1 in one instant of time1 on the #bhth of ,june1 #ahje1 found herself freed from all pains and disabilities1 so as to be able to walk1 run1 and jump like any other young person1 and to carry a greater weight with the left arm than with the right4 ,fifthly1 that she has continued in this state these thirteen years1 down to the present time2 and that all the above-mentioned circumstances have been ascertained by me in the regular examination of the several witnesses of them1 in the places of their respective residences1 namely in ,staffordshire1 ,lancashire1 and ,wales1 they being persons of different counties1 no less than of different religions and situation of life40#fc ,the result of a solemn ,curse1 made in the ,name of ,almighty ,god1 by one who had been greatly and grievously wronged1 is recorded and not unsuitably here1 it is hoped1 in the following remarkable narrative--one fresh evidence of the existence of the ,supernatural amongst us1 had we only eyes to see and ears to hear4 ,the younger son of a ,nova ,scotia baronet1 under promise of marriage1 betrayed the only surviving daughter of a ,northumbrian yeoman of ancient and respectable family1 nearly allied to a peer1 so created in ,william the ,fourth's reign4 ,she was a person of rare beauty and of considerable accomplishments1 having received an education of a very superior character in ,edinburgh4 ,after her betrayal she was deserted by her lover1 who fled abroad4 ,the night before he left1 however1 at her earnest request1 he met her in company with a friend with the avowed intention of promising marriage in the future1 when his family 7as he declared7 might be less averse to it4 ,after-events show that this was merely an empty promise1 and that he had no intention of fulfilling it4 ,a long discussion took place between the girl and her betrayer1 in the presence of the female friend in question1 a first cousin of her father4 ,high words1 strong phrases1 and sharp upbraidings were uttered on both sides2 until at last the young man in cruel and harsh language1 turning upon her fiercely1 declared that he would never marry her at all1 and held himself1 as he maintained1 perfectly free to wed whom he should choose4 8,you will be my certain death10 she exclaimed1 8but death will be more welcome than life40 8,die and be ----10 he replied4 ,at this the girl1 with a wail of agony1 swooned away4 ,on her recovery she seemed to gather up her strength to pronounce a ,curse upon him and his4 ,it was spoken in the ,name of the ,one ,living and ,true ,god4 ,she uttered it with deliberation1 yet with wildness and bitterness1 maintaining that she was his wife1 and would haunt him to the day of his death2 declaring at the same time to her relation present1 8,and you shall be the witness40 ,he left the place of meeting without any reconciliation or kind word1 and1 it was believed1 went abroad4 ,in less than five months1 in giving birth to her child1 she died1 away from her home1 and was buried with it 7for the child1 soon after its baptism1 died likewise7 in a village churchyard near ,ambleside4 ,neither stone nor memorial marks the grave4 ,her father1 a widower1 wounded to the quick by the loss of his only daughter1 pined away and soon followed her to his last resting-place4 ,five years had passed and the female cousin of the old yeoman1 being possessed of a competency1 had gone to live in ,london1 when1 on a certain morning in the spring of the year #ahdb1 she was passing by a church in the west end1 where1 from the number of carriages waiting1 she saw that a marriage was being solemnized4 ,she felt mysteriously and instinctively drawn to look in4 ,on doing so1 and pressing forwards towards the altar1 she beheld to her astonishment1 the very man1 somewhat altered and weather-worn1 who had caused so much misery to her relations1 being married 7as on inquiring she discovered7 to the daughter of a rich city merchant4 ,this affected her deeply1 bringing back the saddest memories of the past4 ,but1 as the bridal party were passing out of the church1 and she pushed forward to look1 and be quite sure that she had made no mistake1 both herself and the bridegroom at one moment saw an apparition of her relation1 the poor girl whom he had ruined1 dressed in white1 with flowing hair and a wild look1 holding up in both hands her little infant4 ,both seemed perfectly natural in appearance and to be of ordinary flesh and blood4 ,there was no mistaking her certain identity4 ,this occurred in the full sunshine of noon and under a heavy ,palladian ,porch in the presence of a crowd4 ,the bridegroom turned deathly pale in a moment1 trembled violently1 and then1 staggering1 fell forward down the steps4 ,this occasioned a vast stir and sensation amongst the crowd4 ,it seemed incomprehensible4 ,the bridegroom1 said the church officials in answer to inquiries1 was in a fit4 ,he was carried down the steps and taken in the bridal carriage to his father-in-law's house4 ,but it was reported that he never spoke again2 and this fact is mentioned in a contemporary newspaper-account of the event4 ,anyhow his marriage and death appeared in the same number of one of the daily papers4 ,and although the family of the city merchant knew nothing of the apparition1 what is thus set forth was put on record by the lady in question1 who knew the mysterious circumstances in all their details2 which record is reasonably believed by her to afford at once a signal example of retributive justice and a marked piece of evidence of the ,supernatural4 ,names1 for obvious reasons1 are not mentioned here4 ,the truth of this narrative1 however1 was affirmed on oath by the lady in question1 before two justices of the peace1 at ,windsor1 on ,october #c1 #ahdh1 one of whom was a beneficed clergyman in the diocese of ,oxford1 well known to the ,editor of this volume1--to whom this record was given1 in the year #aheg 7when he was assistant-minister of ,berkeley ,chapel71 by a lady of rank who worshipped there4 ,here1 accounts of two cases of miraculous cure through and by the ,blessed ,sacrament will be suitably and fittingly introduced4 ,the first is from the pen of a well-known mission-preacher of the ,church of ,england1 and occurred in the diocese of ,london3 the second1 equally remarkable1 took place in the diocese of ,metz4 ,the introductory remarks1 so full of truth and piety1 which immediately precede the first narrative1 have an equal bearing on that which follows4 ,both are instances of ,god's extraordinary mercy and goodness to the children of men4 8,the ,blessed ,sacrament of the ,body and ,blood of the ,lord works its effects not only on the soul of man1 but also on his body4 ,we need not be surprized at this1 for if the body is affected by the soul1 so that a person depressed in mind often falls sick in body2 and1 on the contrary1 if good spirits are of great use in preserving bodily health--as indeed we frequently see1--if this be the case1 may we not expect that the ,sacrament1 which only reaches the soul through the body1 will have some influence on that body through which they are transmitted4 ,the ,blessed ,sacrament1 then1 when worthily received1 affects the body in three ways4 ,first1 it tends to moderate what is called #8concupiscence1' that is those natural appetites and desires of the body which dwell in the flesh and tempt to sin4 ,and this we learn from the words of the prayer of ,humble ,access in the ,communion ,service--that our sinful bodies may be made clean by ,his ,body4 8,secondly1 the ,blessed ,sacrament gives to our bodies glory in the ,day of the ,resurrection4 8,our ,lord says1 #8,he that eateth ,my ,flesh and drinketh ,my ,blood hath ,eternal ,life1 and ,i will raise him up at the last day4' ,not that all men will not rise from the dead at that day1 but that the wicked will rise with hideous bodies1 and the righteous only with bodies like unto our ,lord's own ,body2 whilst the glory also of those who are saved will differ one from another4 ,and so ,s4 ,paul writes1 #8,one star differeth from another star in glory4' 8,thirdly1 the ,blessed ,sacrament sometimes works the cure of sick persons who receive it with faith4 ,of course this is not often the case1 for if miracles were common they would cease to be miracles4 ,moreover1 there is but little faith now-a-days1 and even when our ,lord walked in the flesh there were some places in which ,he did not do many mighty works because of their unbelief4 ,also ,he worked bodily cures the rather during ,his earthly ministry2 because when ,he gives these more excellent gifts it is less necessary for ,him to show this power by miracles of healing4 ,it pleases ,him however1 sometimes even now1 to cure bodily sickness by his bodily touch1 and a case of this sort we will now relate3-- 8,i4 ,two or three years ago there lived in one of our great cities a poor woman of devotion and faith4 ,she attended a church where the ,holy ,eucharist was frequently celebrated1 and the true faith believingly taught4 ,she received the faith gladly1 and lived up to it1 communicating regularly and with devotion4 ,it befell her1 however1 to be taken with sickness1 which brought on lockjaw1 so that she could not eat1 and only small portions of nourishment could be given her through an opening in her teeth4 ,she was in this state several days1 looking forward to certain death4 8,at last1 thinking more of the suffering which her loss would bring upon her family than upon any fear of death in her own heart1 she said to her husband1 #8,surely1 the ,lord ,jesus is very merciful and would restore me to health if we were to ask ,him4 ,for how dreadful would it be for the poor children to be left without a mother6 ,i have heard of a woman who was cured of a sickness by our ,lord when the doctors gave her up4 ,why should we not ask ,him to cure me8' ,thus she spoke1 and her husband agreed with her1 that they would ask this of the ,lord4 8,the priest of the church which they attended was visiting the poor woman1 and next time he came she told him of what she had thought1 and asked whether it would be wrong to pray for this object4 ,seeing the faith of the poor people1 he could not say anything against it1 only exhorting them to be ready to accept the ,will of the ,lord whatever it might be4 #8,it is not wrong1' said he1 #8to pray to the ,lord for restoration to health1 so long as we add1 8,not my will but ,thine be done40' 8,accordingly he arranged that they should have a special ,celebration of the ,blessed ,sacrament with that intention--to ask of our ,lord the cure of the poor mother4 ,the time was fixed4 ,the woman was to be present herself1 and to communicate1 and the priest promised to ask some other devout people to attend and unite in prayer for the same object4 8,at the hour appointed the priest was at the altar1 a little body of devout persons was gathered in the church1 and the poor woman was brought there1 suffering1 but still with good hope4 ,the service proceeded2 the prayer of ,consecration was said2 the ,lamb of ,god was upon the altar1 and the priest pleaded the one true and perfect and all-sufficient ,sacrifice on behalf of the poor sufferer1 and prayed for her recovery1 as did also herself and her friends4 ,having communicated himself1 the priest brought the ,holy ,sacrament to the woman1 giving her only a small particle1 such as she could receive between her teeth1 and then the chalice of the ,lord's ,blood4 ,the faithful now communicated2 the remainder of the service was said1 the ,priest gave the ,peace and ,blessing1 and the last ,amen was said4 ,then the woman fell down in a sort of swoon2 but it only lasted a short time1 for presently she got up1 opened her mouth1 and said1 #8,i am quite well4' ,yes6 ,the ,lord had heard her4 ,we were astonished with joy1 and joined in hearty thanksgiving to ,god for the miracle which he had wrought4 ,the woman walked home1 to the great delight of her family1 and was able to return to her ordinary work4 8,a fortnight after the event1 the writer of this narrative#fd saw the woman1 and heard from her own lips1 as well as from the ,priest1 the account of the miracle1 which he has related as nearly as he can remember it4 8,we are not to be anxious for miracles1 nor to crave after signs2 but when it pleases ,god to work such as this1 it seems to be right for ,his glory1 and for the dignity of the ,most ,holy ,sacrament1 that ,his mercy should be made known2 and is it not joy to every faithful heart1 that the ,lord should manifest ,his power over all ,his works1 and show to men ,his tender compassion of the sick and suffering80 ,,ii4 ,the second case is thus related4 ,it bears a remarkable similarity to that just set forth3-- 8,anne de ,clry1 the subject of the extraordinary cure about to be recorded1 was at school in the ,convent of the ,sacred ,heart1 at ,metz1 in the year #ahee4 ,she was then thirteen years of age1 and her health and spirits good4 ,previously she had lived two years in ,africa1 where her father still resides1#fe and occupies the post of ,notary-,general to the ,imperial ,court at ,algiers4 ,madame de ,clry's health having suffered from the climate1 she returned to ,metz with her two daughters1 the youngest of whom--,anne--was very uneasy about her mother's health1 and prayed fervently for her recovery1 offering herself to suffer the pains of sickness in her stead4 ,anne's illness1 which was of a very distressing nature1 commenced in the ,holy ,week of #ahef1 and continued steadily to increase1 in spite of the prescriptions of the first physicians at ,metz1 ,aix in ,savoy1 and ,paris4 ,remedies of every possible kind--some of them of a terribly severe character--were tried1 but without the smallest result1 except to increase the sufferings of the poor patient4 ,the ,paris physician1 at length 7in the year #aheg71 pronounced her case to be incurable4 ,he says3 #8,mdlle4 ,anne is labouring under the disease known by the name of 8muscular and atrophical paralysis40 ,i very much apprehend that no remedies can touch the disease4' ,the sufferings of the poor girl were continuous and severe4 ,her limbs were deprived of power and strength2 they shrank and contracted1 and the muscles under each knee produced a sort of knot which no power on earth could untie4 ,she would be1 as far as man could foresee1 a cripple as long as she lived4 ,anne de ,clry was1 however1 resigned to the ,will of ,god1 and supported her heavy trial by a deep piety and constant prayer4 ,at times her faith suggested the possibility of a miraculous cure2 but she scarcely hoped or wished for such a wonderful favour4 ,she had a particular devotion to the ,blessed ,sacrament2 and every week the priest brought her the ,holy ,communion1 which was her greatest support and consolation4 ,she employed her time1 when able1 though in the recumbent position1 and unable to lift her head1 in embroidering altar-cloths1 and making artificial flowers for the adornment of the sanctuary4 ,it was while thus preparing for the devotion known as #8the ,forty ,hours' ,adoration' in the parochial church of ,s4 ,martin at ,metz1 in the year #ahfe1 that the thought sometimes crossed her mind that she might be cured by the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,but she was slow to encourage an idea which might be an illusion1 and deprive her of her resignation and peace of mind4 ,the devotion above mentioned was to take place on the #abth1 #acth1 and #adth of ,june4 ,on the first two days it was impossible to carry her to the church 7whither she had not been taken for a long while71 her pains were so severe2 but on the third day1 with the greatest difficulty1 and at the cost of much suffering1 after having received ,communion1 she was carried to the church by her maid ,clmentine1 who sat on a bench and held her on her knees4 ,madame de ,clry and ,mdlle4 de ,coetlosquet knelt close beside her2 but neither ,anne nor her friends were expecting the extraordinary event about to follow4 8,after a few moments' rest ,anne became absorbed in devotion1 and prayed as she often did at the moment of ,communion3 #8,lord1 if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst cure me4' ,at the same instant she felt so violent a pain in her whole body1 that it was all she could do not to scream out4 ,she prayed for strength to bear it1 and resigned herself to ,god's will4 ,then1 she says1 she felt filled with faith and hope1 and became conscious that she was cured4 ,anne threw herself immediately upon her knees and said to her companions1 #8,pray1 pray2 ,i am cured6' ,madame de ,clry overcome with emotion1 in a state of bewilderment1 led her daughter out of the church1 scarcely believing the evidence of her senses when she saw her standing alone and able to walk4 ,she ascertained that the knots under her daughter's knees had entirely disappeared2 and then ,anne returned to the church1 where she remained kneeling in praise and thanksgiving before the ,blessed ,sacrament for three-quarters of an hour1 without feeling the least fatigue4 8,her cure was complete2 all the ailments that had afflicted her disappeared1 leaving behind no trace of illness4 ,eleven days after her cure1 ,anne walked through the streets of ,metz in a procession of the ,blessed ,sacrament1 which lasted an hour and a quarter1 to the astonishment and admiration of all who had known her former sad condition4 ,her physician1 when he saw her rise and walk to meet him1 said1 #8,mademoiselle1 what men could not effect1 ,god has done4'0#ff ,the ,editor has been furnished with many similar accounts2 some coming before him on slender testimony3 others on testimony which it is impossible either to weaken or to reject4 ,in some cases strange and supernatural events which have occurred of late years--beautiful glimpses of the unseen world--are treasured up by those who were the direct subjects of them1 though considerable difficulty is experienced in obtaining such satisfactory attestations of their authentication1 7owing to the fact that persons naturally shrink from publicity17 as would warrant their appearance in this volume4 ,before this chapter is closed1 however1 it may be well to add the following1 from the pen of an ,english clergyman well known to the ,editor1 which possess some inherent interest3 8,this passed under my own eyes a few weeks back4 ,a little child1 three years old1 daughter of highly-respectable but poor parents1 was accidentally burnt to death--fell upon the grate1 and lingered only some two hours1 it might have been supposed in frightful tortures4 ,her mother1 who blamed herself for leaving the child even for a moment1 seemed in imminent danger of losing her reason1 and was in a state of terrible despair4 ,the little one raised herself to say1 #8,mother1 don't cry6 ,i'm going to die2' and then pointing1 added1 #8,don't you see that ,good ,man who stands there and waits for me8' ,this from a child of three years old4 8,let those who choose1 elect to believe that this was an optical delusion3 those who honestly believe that the angels of little children do behold ,his ,father's face1 and doubt not that angels minister to the heirs of salvation1 will probably arrive at a different conclusion40#fg ,here is another remarkable case of the ,supernatural1 provided by the same clergyman3-- 8,a lady of my acquaintance1 a woman of great intellectual powers1 with a keenly satirical and inquiring mind1 chastened1 however1 by ,christian faith and love--a most devout communicant--was the voucher of these facts4 8,retiring to rest some years ago1 late at night1 she happened1 on her way to her room1 to look out of a window which opened on a court behind the house4 ,to her surprise 7she was not in the least a superstitious person1 nor had her mind been travelling in a ghostly direction71 she saw standing beneath the window1 in the full rays of the moonlight1 the figure of a child in white clothing1 the arms crossed in prayer1 the face inclining forward1 with a kind of white cowl or head-covering1 from the body of which child rays seemed to pass4 ,she was not terrified1 but amazed2 and after gazing fixedly some little while1 during which the figure did not move1 she went to her room1 and sent the nurse down to fetch something1 where she would be likely to see the figure1 without saying anything about it to her4 ,the nurse returned speedily1 white with fear1 saying1 #8,ma'am1 did you see that wonderful thing all shining8' ,the lady inquired what she meant4 ,the servant's impressions were identical with her own4 ,neither of them went to look again2 but the lady thought within herself1 that this might be a warning sent from ,god to prepare her for the death of an elder child1 a daughter1 whose figure and bearing1 she thought1 resembled that of the child enshrouded in white linen in the yard2 and she consequently entertained a dread that that daughter might be taken from her4 ,this did not prove the case2 but as another younger child--the very darling of the mother's heart1 and an infant at the time of this singular apparition--grew older1 the idea was borne in strongly upon the lady's mind1 that that younger child would be taken from her about the time when it attained the apparent age and stature of the mysterious visitant1 who seemed to be a little girl of about five years old4 ,this1 doubtless1 might be a fancy only3 she had not seen the face1 only the figure2 and when this dear little one--a peculiarly sweet and engaging child--actually sickened1 and at last1 after a long illness1 died1 at about this age1 the mother did not dare take to herself the consolation it seemed likely to afford her1 as a foreshadowing of her child's beatified rest4 ,on the contrary1 the mother's heart was distracted with doubts and fears4444 ,there had been no direct communion with ,god1 as far as man could judge1 near the last2 rather a certain fretfulness1 a turning from ,god to man1 a clinging to the mother as her all4 ,the ,christian's heart was almost paralysed by the vast and unspeakable terror which took possession of her soul4 ,was her dear one indeed saved8444 ,although she thought all day long of this child1--,i knew her at the time1 and she seemed consumed by grief1 fast breaking1 though never was ,god's house opened without her finding her way thither1--she had never once dreamt of her1 or seen her in her dreams1 much to her own surprise1 and despite the constant craving of her aching heart4 ,but at last1 one night she dreamt1 and thus3 that she had risen from her bed1 and was standing in her chamber2 that the door softly opened1 and her little one came and sat upon the threshold1 sweetly smiling4 #8,what1 my own darling6 7she thought she said17 are you come back again to me8' #8,yes1 my mamma1' replied the child4 #8,and are you happy1 dearest8' #8,yes1 quite happy2 but not for anything ,i have done1--only for the merit of my ,lord4' ,the mother advanced and embraced her child1 and thus embracing she awoke4 ,and now wonderfully was it borne in upon her that the midnight apparition of so many years ago and the child of her dream were one4 ,her dream was so real1 that she could not but receive it as a divine intimation1 a direct answer to her prayers4 ,she now felt and believed that her dear one was in ,paradise4 ,for some weeks1 despite her longings to renew the vision1 she saw her child no more4 ,then she did so once again1 in a dream4 ,she was crossing a radiant garden1 where she knew not2 in its centre was a stately hall or cupola1 and on the marble steps which led to it stood her sweet one1 looking pure and blessed4 ,the mother bounded towards her1 when she espied1 within the hall1 at the further end of a corridor or long passage1 the form of another child of hers still living6 ,this sight terrified her2 she shrieked out1 and shrieking she awoke4 ,that child lives still1 and may it long be preserved to the mother's prayers6 ,but meanwhile1 it is not a little remarkable1 that during nearly three years which have elapsed1 despite every effort on the mother's part1 she has never once dreamt of her darling6 ,this is what contributes1 with the vision of the radiant child at first1 to impart a supernatural character to the whole transaction1 and take these visitations out of the category of ordinary dreams4 ,on my own mind there is not the smallest doubt that here was a two-fold supernatural intervention2 firstly1 vision1--seen1 remember1 by two witnesses2 then by a most strangely corroborative dream40 ,another example1 shadowing forth the possible value and power of prayer1--8the effectual1 fervent prayer of a righteous man10--though briefly told1 is not without its own special interest in these days of ,irreligion and ,unbelief4 8,an ,english gentleman ,i knew well was residing in ,france2 his only son was a barrister in the ,middle ,temple ,chambers in ,london4 ,this son suffered from disease of the heart1 not known to be immediately dangerous2 he was a professed unbeliever--a scoffer1 even2 and had1 alas6 spoken lightly of ,revelation the day before his death4 ,a sudden1 violent attack prostrated him2 and1 after a few hours of suffering1 he departed4 ,that night1 the father1 who was not aware of any immediate danger to his child1 dreamt that the spirit of his deceased wife appeared to him1 and addressed him1 saying1 #8,rise and pray6 ,william is dying1 and there are none to pray for him6'--or words to that effect4 ,this dream was repeated1 ,i believe1 thrice4 ,the father did rise1 and remained in earnest intercessory prayer 7he was a devout ,christian man17 for the greater part of the night4 ,this is a well-authenticated fact1 the certainty of which may be relied on40 ,this chapter is brought to its close by a most impressive account of sweet and heavenly music which was heard near the dying bed of one1 whose patience and devotion during sickness were as remarkable as her earthly life had been pure and holy4 ,it is from the pen of one who for many years was a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 but is now a ,cistercian monk of the ,monastery of ,mount ,s4 ,bernard1 on the ,charnwood ,hills1 in ,leicestershire1 and who is known in religion as ,father ,augustine4 8,on the last day she ,mary1 daughter of ,a4 ,p4 de ,lisle1 of ,garendon ,park1 ,esq41 longed much for a cup of cold water1 but it was not thought good for her2 and so1 when reminded of our ,saviour's thirst on the ,cross1 she offered up her own thirst in union with ,his1 and said she would ask for it no more4#fh ,her faculties1 however1 continued entire and clear to the end1 and by her particular request indulgenced prayers#fi were recited to her that she might frequently repeat them4 ,thus her life ebbed softly away2 the last words on her lips being a prayer to her #8,sweet ,saviour to have mercy upon her4' ,and are not such things as these natural grounds for having a sure hope that she died in the favour of ,god8 ,it is true that we have even supernatural grounds in the fact that on the night before her decease 7whilst she was receiving with devout mind the last anointing of ,holy ,church to prepare her for her end7 there was heard distinctly and by several persons the sound of a celestial chant1 proceeding from her chamber1 hymned by no earthly voices4 ,does not this look as if the blessed spirits themselves had been assisting to prepare her that she might soon become one of their company80 8,four men10 continues the author of the ,sermon from which the above is taken1 in a note to it1 8none of them ,roman ,catholics1 heard the chanting three several times4 ,they all agreed in their conviction as to whence it came1 that it was from the chamber of the dying child4 ,the third time it was so loud that they could distinguish1 as it were1 the several voices that blended in this celestial harmony1 some of which sung the treble notes1 while others took the deeper parts4 ,the character of the music was indescribably beautiful2 and one of the men1 who had been in the habit of attending the ,catholic service in ,s4 ,mary's chapel1 at ,grce-,dieu1 declared that the style of it was exactly like that of the solemn ,plain ,chant used in that chapel which he was accustomed to hear there4 ,they described the chanting as having no air in it that they could carry away1 but the effect was solemn and beautiful beyond expression4 ,they supposed1 at the moment1 that it was some service1 according to the ,catholic rites1 which was being sung in the sick chamber by the priest and his attendants4 ,when they heard it1 therefore1 they were not surprised at the sound1 except that its beauty exceeded that of any religious service they had ever heard2 and it was not until the following morning1 at the breakfast hour1 when relating what they had heard to their fellow-servants1 and being then informed that there had been no service chanted in the sick room1 that the conviction flashed upon them1 as upon all to whom these facts have been since related1 that the chanting proceeded from heavenly spirits and departed saints1 who had come hither on an errand of mercy1 to hedge round the dying bed of the departing child40--,note1 p4 #ac4 ,the ,editor prefers to leave these varied records of the spiritual powers and properties of the ,church1 these different examples of the presence of the ,supernatural1 to the consideration of the reader2 himself declining either to lay down principles1 frame arguments1 or draw deductions from facts already set forth4 ,,appendix ,,to ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,form ,,of ,,exorcising ,,the ,,possessed4 ,,translated ,,from ,,the 8,,roman ,,ritual40 ,the ,priest1 having confessed1 or at least hating sin in his heart1 and having said ,mass1 if it possibly and conveniently can be done1 and humbly implored the ,divine help1 vested in surplice and violet stole1 the end of which he shall place round the neck of the one possessed1 and having the possessed person before him1 and bound if there be danger of violence1 shall sign himself1 the person1 and those standing by1 with the sign of the ,cross1 and sprinkle them with holy water1 and kneeling down1 the others making the responses1 shall say the ,litany as far as the prayers4 ,at the end the ,antiphon4 ,remember not1 ,lord1 our offences1 nor the offences of our forefathers1 neither take ,thou vengeance of our sins4 ,our ,father4 ,secretly4 ,and lead us not into temptation4 ,but deliver us from evil4 ,psalm liv4 ,deus1 in ,nomine4 ,the whole shall be said with ,glory be to the ,father4 ,save ,thy servant1 ,o my ,god1 that putteth his trust in ,thee4 ,be unto him1 ,o ,lord1 a strong tower1 ,from the face of his enemy4 ,let the enemy have no advantage of him1 ,nor the son of wickedness approach to hurt him4 ,send him help1 ,o ,lord1 from the sanctuary1 ,and strengthen him out of ,sion4 ,lord1 hear my prayer1 ,and let my cry come unto ,thee4 ,the ,lord be with you1 ,and with thy spirit4 ,let us pray4 ,o ,god1 ,whose property is ever to have mercy and to forgive3 receive our supplications and prayers1 that of ,thy mercy and loving-kindness ,thou wilt set free this ,thy servant 7or handmaid7 who is fast bound by the chain of his sins4 ,o holy ,lord1 ,father ,almighty1 ,eternal ,god1 the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 ,who hast assigned that tyrant and apostate to the fires of hell2 and hast sent ,thine ,only ,begotten ,son into the world1 that ,he might bruise him as he roars after his prey3 make haste1 tarry not1 to deliver this man1 created in ,thine ,own image and likeness1 from ruin1 and from the noon-day devil 7dmonio meridiano2 in our version1 8the sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day074 ,send ,thy fear1 ,o ,lord1 upon the wild beast1 which devoureth ,thy vine4 ,grant ,thy servants boldness to fight bravely against that wicked dragon1 lest he despise them that put their trust in ,thee1 and say1 as once he spake in ,pharaoh3 ,i know not the ,lord1 neither will ,i let ,israel go4 ,let ,thy right hand in power compel him to depart from ,thy servant ,n4 7or ,thy handmaid ,n47 1 that he dare no longer to hold him captive1 whom ,thou hast vouchsafed to make in ,thine image1 and hast redeemed in ,thy ,son2 ,who liveth and reigneth with ,thee in the ,unity of the ,holy ,spirit1 ever ,one ,god1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,then he shall command the spirit in this manner4 ,i command thee1 whosoever thou art1 thou unclean spirit1 and all thy companions possessing this servant of ,god1 that by the ,mysteries of the ,incarnation1 ,passion1 ,resurrection and ,ascension of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by the sending of the ,holy ,ghost1 and by the ,coming of the same our ,lord to judgment1 thou tell me thy name1 the day1 and the hour of thy going out1 by some sign3 and1 that to me1 a minister of ,god1 although unworthy1 thou be wholly obedient in all things3 nor hurt this creature of ,god1 or those that stand by1 or their goods in any way4 ,then shall these ,gospels1 or one or the other1 be read over the possessed4 ,the ,lesson of the ,holy ,gospel according to ,s4 ,john i4 #a4 ,as he says these words he shall sign himself and the possessed on the forehead1 mouth1 and breast4 ,in the beginning was the ,word 444 full of grace and truth4 ,the ,lesson of the ,holy ,gospel according to ,s4 ,mark xvi4 #ae4 ,at that time3 ,jesus spake unto ,his disciples3 ,go ye into all the world 444 shall lay hands on the sick1 and they shall recover4 ,the ,lesson of the ,holy ,gospel according to ,s4 ,luke x4 #ag4 ,at that time3 ,the seventy returned again with joy 444 because your names are written in heaven4 ,the ,lesson of the ,holy ,gospel according to ,s4 ,luke xi4 #ad4 ,at that time3 ,jesus was casting out a devil1 and it was dumb 444 wherein he trusted1 and divideth his spoils4 ,lord1 hear my prayer1 ,and let my cry come unto ,thee4 ,the ,lord be with you1 ,and with thy ,spirit4 ,let us pray4 ,almighty ,lord1 ,word of ,god the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ1 ,god and ,lord of every creature3 ,who didst give to ,thy ,holy ,apostles power to tread upon serpents and scorpions3 ,who amongst other of ,thy wonderful commands didst vouchsafe to say--,put the devils to flight3 by ,whose power ,satan fell from heaven like lightning3 with supplication ,i beseech ,thy ,holy ,name in fear and trembling1 that to me ,thy most unworthy servant1 granting me pardon of all my faults1 ,thou wilt vouchsafe to give constancy of faith and power1 that shielded by the might of ,thy holy arm1 in trust and safety ,i may approach to attack this cruel devil1 through ,thee1 ,o ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord our ,god1 ,who shalt come to judge the quick and the dead1 and the world by fire4 ,amen4 ,then defending himself and the possessed with the sign of the ,cross1 putting part of his stole round the neck1 and his right hand upon the head of the possessed1 firmly and with great faith he shall say what follows4 ,behold the ,cross of the ,lord1 flee ye of the contrary part4 ,the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah1 the ,root of ,david1 hath prevailed4 ,lord1 hear my prayer1 ,and let my cry come unto ,thee4 ,the ,lord be with you1 ,and with thy spirit4 ,let us pray4 ,o ,god1 and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,i call upon ,thy ,holy ,name1 and humbly implore ,thy mercy1 that ,thou wouldest vouchsafe to grant me help against this1 and every unclean spirit1 that vexes this ,thy creature4 ,through the same ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,,the ,,exorcism4 ,i exorcise thee1 most foul spirit1 every coming in of the enemy1 every apparition1 every legion2 in the ,name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be rooted out1 and be put to flight from this creature of ,god 4 ,he commands thee1 ,who has bid thee be cast down from the highest heaven into the lower parts of the earth4 ,he commands thee1 ,who has commanded the sea1 the winds1 and the storms4 ,hear therefore1 and fear1 ,satan1 thou injurer of the faith1 thou enemy of the human race1 thou procurer of death1 thou destroyer of life1 kindler of vices1 seducer of men1 betrayer of the nations1 inciter of envy1 origin of avarice1 cause of discord1 stirrer-up of troubles3 why standest thou1 and resistest1 when thou knowest that ,christ the ,lord destroyest thy ways8 ,fear ,him1 ,who was sacrificed in ,isaac1 ,who was sold in ,joseph1 was slain in the ,lamb1 was crucified in man1 thence was the triumpher over hell4 ,the following signs of the ,cross shall be made upon the forehead of the possessed4 ,depart therefore in the ,name of the ,father 1 and of the ,son 1 and of the ,holy ,ghost3 give place to the ,holy ,ghost1 by this sign of the holy ,cross of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord3 ,who with the ,father1 and the same ,holy ,ghost1 liveth and reigneth ever one ,god1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,lord1 hear my prayer4 ,and let my cry come unto ,thee4 ,the ,lord be with you4 ,and with thy spirit4 ,let us pray4 ,o ,god1 the ,creator and ,protector of the human race1 ,who hast formed man in ,thine own ,image3 look upon this ,thy servant ,n4 7or this ,thy handmaid ,n471 who is grievously vexed with the wiles of an unclean spirit1 whom the old adversary1 the ancient enemy of the earth1 encompasses with a horrible dread1 and blinds the senses of his human understanding with stupor1 confounds him with terror1 and harasses him with trembling and fear4 ,drive away1 ,o ,lord1 the power of the devil1 take away his deceitful snares3 let the impious tempter fly far hence3 let ,thy servant be defended by the sign 7on his forehead7 of ,thy ,name1 and be safe both in body1 and soul4 7,the three following crosses shall be made on the breast of the demoniac47 ,do ,thou guard his inmost soul1 ,thou rule his inward parts1 ,thou strengthen his heart4 ,let the attempts of the opposing power in his soul vanish away4 ,grant1 ,o ,lord1 grace to this invocation of ,thy most ,holy ,name1 that he who up to this present was causing terror1 may flee away affrighted1 and depart conquered2 and that this ,thy servant1 strengthened in heart1 and sincere in mind1 may render ,thee his due service4 ,through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 ,,the ,,exorcism4 ,i adjure thee1 thou old serpent1 by the ,judge of the quick and the dead1 by thy ,maker1 and the ,maker of the world3 by ,him1 ,who hath power to put thee into hell1 that thou depart in haste from this servant of ,god ,n41 who returns to the bosom of the ,church1 with thy fear and with the torment of thy terror4 ,i adjure ,thee again 7on his forehead71 not in my infirmity1 but by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 that thou go out of this servant of ,god ,n41 whom the ,almighty ,god hath made in ,his ,own ,image4 ,yield1 therefore1 not to me1 but to the minister of ,christ4 ,for ,his power presses upon thee ,who subdued thee beneath ,his ,cross4 ,tremble at ,his arm1 which1 after the groanings of hell were subdued1 led forth the souls into light4 ,let the body 7on his breast7 of man be a terror to thee1 let the image of ,god 7on his forehead7 be an alarm to thee4 ,resist not1 nor delay to depart from this person1 for it has pleased ,christ to dwell in man4 ,and think not that ,i am to be despised1 since thou knowest that ,i too am so great a sinner4 ,god commands thee4 ,the majesty of ,christ commands thee4 ,god the ,father commands thee4 ,god the ,son commands thee4 ,god the ,holy ,ghost commands thee4 ,the ,sacrament of the ,cross commands thee4 ,the faith of the holy ,apostles ,peter and ,paul1 and of all the other ,saints 1 commands thee4 ,the blood of the ,martyrs commands thee4 ,the stedfastness 7continentia7 of the ,confessors commands thee4 ,the devout intercession of all the ,saints commands thee4 ,the virtue of the ,mysteries of the ,christian ,faith commands thee4 ,go out1 therefore1 thou transgressor4 ,go out1 thou seducer1 full of all deceit and wile1 thou enemy of virtue1 thou persecutor of innocence4 ,give place1 thou most dire one3 give place1 thou most impious one3 give place to ,christ in ,whom thou hast found nothing of thy works3 ,who hath overcome thee1 ,who hath destroyed thy kingdom1 ,who hath led thee captive and bound thee1 and hath spoiled thy goods3 ,who hath cast thee into outer darkness1 where for thee and thy servants everlasting destruction is prepared4 ,but why1 ,o fierce one1 dost thou withstand8 why1 rashly bold1 dost thou refuse8 thou art the accused of ,almighty ,god1 whose laws thou hast broken4 ,thou art the accused of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 whom thou hast dared to tempt1 and presumed to crucify4 ,thou art the accused of the human race1 to whom by thy persuasion thou hast given to drink thy poison4 ,therefore1 ,i adjure thee1 most wicked dragon1 in the ,name of the immaculate ,lamb1 ,who treads upon the lion and adder1 ,who tramples under foot the young lion and the dragon1 that thou depart from this man 7let the sign be made upon his forehead71 that thou depart from the ,church of ,god 7let the sign he made over those who are standing by73 tremble1 and flee away at the calling upon the ,name of that ,lord1 of ,whom hell is afraid2 to ,whom the ,virtues1 the ,powers1 and the ,dominions of the heavens are subject2 ,whom ,cherubim and ,seraphim with unwearied voices praise1 saying3 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god of ,sabaoth4 ,the ,word made ,flesh commands thee4 ,he ,who was born of the ,virgin commands thee4 ,jesus of ,nazareth commands thee2 ,who1 although thou didst despise ,his disciples1 bade thee go bruised and overthrown out of the man3 and in his presence1 having separated thee from him1 thou didst not presume to enter into the herd of swine4 ,therefore1 thus now adjured in ,his ,name 1 depart from the man1 whom ,he has formed4 ,it is hard for thee to wish to resist 4 ,it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks 4 ,because the more slowly goest thou out1 does the greater punishment increase against thee1 for thou despisest not men1 but ,him1 ,who is ,lord both of the quick and the dead1 ,who shall come to judge the quick and the dead1 and the ,world by fire4 ,amen4 ,lord1 hear my prayer4 ,and let my cry come unto thee4 ,the ,lord be with you4 ,and with thy spirit4 ,let us pray4 ,o ,god of heaven1 ,god of earth1 ,god of the ,angels1 ,god of the ,archangels1 ,god of the ,prophets1 ,god of the ,apostles1 ,god of the ,martyrs1 ,god of the ,virgins1 ,god1 ,who hast the power to give life after death1 rest after labour2 because there is none other ,god beside ,thee1 nor could be true1 but ,thou1 the ,creator of heaven and earth1 ,who art the true ,king1 and of ,whose kingdom there shall be no end3 humbly ,i beseech ,thy glorious majesty1 that ,thou wouldest vouchsafe to deliver this ,thy servant from unclean spirits1 through ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,,the ,,exorcism4 ,i therefore adjure thee1 thou most foul spirit1 every appearance1 every inroad of ,satan1 in the ,name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 ,who1 after ,his baptism in ,jordan1 was led into the wilderness1 and overcame thee in thine own stronghold3 that thou cease to assault him whom ,he hath formed from the dust of the earth for ,his own honour and glory3 and that thou in miserable man tremble not at human weakness1 but at the image of ,almighty ,god4 ,yield1 therefore1 to ,god ,who by ,his servant ,moses drowned thee and thy malice in ,pharaoh and his army in the depths of the sea4 ,yield to ,god 1 ,who put thee to flight when driven out of ,king ,saul with spiritual song1 by his most faithful servant ,david4 ,yield thyself to ,god 1 ,who condemned thee in the traitor ,judas ,iscariot4 ,for ,he touches thee with ,divine stripes1 when in ,his sight1 trembling and crying out with thy legions1 thou saidst3 ,what have ,i to do with ,thee1 ,jesus1 ,son of the ,most ,high ,god8 ,art ,thou come hither to torment us before the time8 ,he presses upon thee with perpetual flames1 ,who shall say to the wicked at the end of time--,depart from ,me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4 ,for thee1 ,o impious one1 and for thy angels1 is the worm that dieth not2 for thee and thy angels is the fire unquenchable prepared3 for thou art the chief of accursed murder1 thou the author of incest1 thou the head of sacrileges1 thou the master of the worst actions1 thou the teacher of heretics1 thou the instigator of all uncleanness4 ,therefore go out 1 thou wicked one1 go out 1 thou infamous one1 go out with all thy deceits2 for ,god hath willed that man shall be ,his temple4 ,but why dost thou delay longer here8 ,give honour to ,god the ,father ,almighty1 before ,whom every knee is bent4 ,give place to ,jesus ,christ the ,lord1 ,who shed for man ,his most precious ,blood4 ,give place to the ,holy ,ghost1 ,who by ,his blessed apostle ,peter struck thee to the ground in ,simon ,magus2 ,who condemned thy deceit in ,ananias and ,sapphira2 ,who smote thee in ,herod1 because he gave not ,god the glory2 ,who by ,his apostle ,paul smote thee in ,elymas the sorcerer with a mist and darkness1 and by the same apostle by his word of command bade thee come out of the damsel possessed with the spirit of divination4 ,now therefore depart 1 depart1 thou seducer4 ,the wilderness is thy abode4 ,the serpent is the place of thy habitation3 be humbled1 and be overthrown4 ,there is no time now for delay4 ,for behold the ,lord the ,ruler approaches closely upon thee1 and ,his fire shall glow before ,him1 and shall go before ,him2 and shall burn up ,his enemies on every side4 ,if thou hast deceived man1 ,god thou canst not scoff3 ,one expels thee1 from ,whose ,sight nothing is hidden4 ,he casts thee out1 to ,whose power all things are subject4 ,he shuts thee out1 ,who hast prepared for thee and for thine angels everlasting hell2 out of ,whose mouth the sharp sword shall go out1 when ,he shall come to judge the quick and the dead1 and the ,world by fire4 ,amen4 ,all the aforesaid things being said and done1 so far as there shall be need1 they shall be repeated1 until the possessed person be entirely set free4 ,the following which are noted down will be of great assistance1 said devoutly over the possessed1 and also frequently to repeat the ,our ,father1 ,hail ,mary1 and ,creed4 ,the ,canticle4 ,magnificat4 ,the ,canticle4 ,benedictus4 ,the ,creed of ,s4 ,athanasius4 ,quicunque vult4 ,psalm xci4 ,qui habitat4 ,psalm lxviii4 ,exurgat ,deus4 ,psalm lxx4 ,deus in adjutorium4 ,psalm liv4 ,in ,nomine ,tuo4 ,psalm cxviii4 ,confitemini ,domino4 ,psalm xxxv4 ,judica1 ,domine4 ,psalm xxxi4 ,in ,te1 ,domine1 speravi4 ,psalm xxii4 ,deus1 ,deus meus4 ,psalm iii4 ,domini1 quid multiplicati8 ,psalm xi4 ,in ,domino confido4 ,psalm xiii4 ,usque quo1 ,domine8 ,each ,psalm shall be said with ,glory be to the ,father1 c4 ,prayer after being set free4 ,we pray ,thee1 ,o ,almighty ,god1 that the spirit of wickedness may have no more power over this ,thy servant ,n4 7or ,thy handmaid ,n471 but that he may flee away1 and never come back again3 at ,thy bidding1 ,o ,lord1 let there come into him 7or her7 the goodness and peace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by ,whom we have been redeemed1 and let us fear no evil1 for the ,lord is with us1 ,who liveth and reigneth with ,thee1 in the ,unity of the ,holy ,ghost1 ever one ,god1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,,witchcraft ,,and ,,necromancy4 8,to deny the possibility1 nay actual existence of ,witchcraft and ,sorcery1 is at once flatly to contradict the revealed ,word of ,god1 in various passages both of the ,old and ,new ,testament2 and the thing itself is a truth to which every ,nation in the ,world hath in its turn borne testimony1 either by examples seemingly well attested1 or by prohibitory laws1 which at least suppose the possibility of commerce with evil spirits40--,blackstone's 8,commentaries10 book iv4 chap4 iv4 p4 #fa4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,witchcraft ,,and ,,necromancy4 ,witchcraft is the system of those persons who1 through the direct agency of wicked spirits1 perform certain acts and deeds beyond the natural and ordinary powers of mankind4#gj ,on the other hand1 ,necromancy1 according to the definition of ,cotgrave1 is 8divination by conference with dead bodies raised40 ,in its modern and wider acceptation1 the latter is a formal summoning of the spirits of the dead out of the hidden place of their abode--8the desert where they glide10--in order to consult with them as to the present or future by unlawful means1 and to secure their active assistance in supernatural things and practices which are forbidden4 ,the invocation and consultation of evil spirits specially summoned to earth by certain recognized incantations1 would be acts of ,witchcraft and ,necromancy4 ,of these cases1 abundant examples occur both in sacred#ga and profane history4#gb ,to the wizard or witch were freely given by the ,devil or his angels divers powers at once supernatural and uncommon1 by which1 when sought for1 both riches and sensual pleasures could for a while be secured1 even to surfeiting4 ,occasionally the gift of predicting certain future events was bestowed2 in other cases1 the power of working evil and mischief upon the lives1 limbs1 and fortunes of neighbours or chosen subjects4 ,this power1 as was commonly believed1 was bestowed by an express and definite compact1 as some declare1 formally made in writing by the ,devil or his agents1 and sealed with the wizard's or witch's own blood4 ,by the unvarying terms of the bond1 as an essential preliminary1 the ,sacrament of ,holy ,baptism was expressly renounced by the person accepting the ,devil's terms and conditions4 ,satan was formally worshipped1 prayed to1 and acknowledged as ,ruler and ,lord2 and then1 after a certain number of years1 as a necessary consequence1 the soul of the wizard or witch1 without any chance of redemption1 was irrevocably lost1 and became absolutely the everlasting property of the ,evil ,one4 ,the existence of this detail of the ,supernatural1 sometimes dimly and obscurely set forth1 at others with undoubted and remarkable clearness1 owns in its favour the almost universal consent of the human race#gc in all ages4 ,even the incredulity of the modern persons1 who term themselves 8philosophers0 and 8thinkers10 cannot be reasonably alleged in contravention of so broad and general a fact2 for these 8philosophers0 themselves admit as much when1 in their great wisdom1 they proceed to characterize the opposite disposition--the readiness to accept such facts--as 8vulgar0 and 8popular40 ,it is impossible to point to any period when the belief in ,witchcraft and ,necromancy was perfectly obliterated1 or to any nation which altogether repudiated it4#gd ,if one particular phase was removed1 discredited1 or discountenanced1 some other form1 substantially and inherently similar1 eventually took its place4 ,holy ,scripture#ge is full of references to ,witchcraft and ,necromancy4 ,the dark rites and deeds involved in their practice are distinctly and unequivocally condemned4 ,if such had not actively existed1 why should their condemnation have been pronounced in the ,sacred ,books8 ,supernatural acts are there recorded1 which are expressly said to have been performed by and through the system and power of ,witchcraft1 which is plainly declared to be a sin of a very dark dye4 ,the practice1 consequently1 is directly and plainly forbidden1 as being contrary to the ,mind and ,will of ,god2 and laws were enacted and put on record by which those who1 in the face of warnings1 continued to practise such forbidden arts1 were to be punished by death4 ,it is equally clear from certain of the ,epistles of the ,apostles of our ,blessed ,lord1 that the fact of ,witchcraft and ,necromancy being commonly practised by ,pagan nations was not only perfectly well known#gf to the guides and rulers of the ,christian ,church1 but was again formally forbidden by those who were left to teach in the ,name and on behalf of their ,lord and ,master4 ,nothing1 in fact1 can be more certain than that the ,apostles condemned and prohibited the consultation of1 or intercourse with1 either the spirits of the departed or evil angels4 ,here a few remarks defining and setting forth the principle on which such unlawful arts were authoritatively prohibited1 may reasonably follow4 ,by the very act of his profession the ,christian allows the co-existence in the ,world of two distinct and separable orders1--the ,natural1 which governs the physical and moral laws of the world1 and the ,supernatural1 which1 according to ,god's ,revelation1 gradually unfolded and duly developed1 governs the moral laws of man4 ,the object of man's faith is mystery1 certain in itself1 but above human intelligence4 ,he yields the homage of his will not only to a ,god ,who is the ,great ,creator and ,preserver of the world and of all that therein is1 but renders it to a ,god ,who is the ,repairer and ,restorer of the human race by the ,incarnation of the ,eternal ,word1 and the ,sanctifier of souls4 ,this supernatural order1 then1 was not only known and established in the earth by other supernatural facts1 but the visible testimony of ,nature to the invisible order superior to and above ,nature1 was from time to time1 and when necessary1 abundantly made manifest4 ,the ,supernatural1 then1 exists in the ,world to lead men to ,god4 ,everything1 therefore1 that rises up in opposition to the ,supernatural and mars the true idea of it1 of necessity turns man away from ,god4 ,the ,world1 the ,flesh1 and the ,devil1 each and all 7as ,christian experience by temptation testifies17 effect this most successfully4 ,the ,world1 which has been defined as 8the rebellion of the reason against ,god10 scorns to accept miracles and mysteries1 and boldly denies the existence both of angels and fallen spirits--scoffing at and repudiating the idea of ,witchcraft or ,necromancy1 which it craftily characterizes as 8the foolish and ignorant superstitions of a dark age40 ,furthermore1 the ,world admits of no truth superior to the human intellect1 of no law which restricts what is called 8human liberty0 or the 8rights of man20 and absolutely refuses to acknowledge in the domain of facts anything which oversteps those fixed rules which it alone chooses to recognize in the government of ,nature4 ,the ,flesh tends to degrade man to the level of the beasts1 with whom he has in common notable tendencies and powerful passions4 ,to the carnal man1 who is at enmity with ,god1 the very term 8,supernatural0 is a word void both of meaning and efficacy4 ,his motto is1 8,let us eat and drink1 for to-morrow we die30 his conviction1 as far as he may be said to have any1 is that his own soul is nothing more than 8a force which has its origin in matter itself10 and which1 by consequence1 shares its destruction2 while his ,god is simply either 8a stream of tendency1 by which all things tend to fulfil the law of their being10 or 8a substance immanent in the universe40#gg ,thirdly1 the ,devil1 through hatred both of ,god and man1 strives in every way to substitute himself for ,god in this ,world4 ,he is the ,prince of the ,powers of the air4 ,he is stronger and more knowing than man4 ,his intellect is clearer and finer4 ,moreover1 his kingdom is powerful2 his spiritual auxiliaries are numerous2 his allies on earth1 of all kinds1 in the flesh1 are multitudinous4 ,the deeds which he delights that men should do are perfectly well known4#gh ,by counterfeiting genuine prodigies and true revelations1 therefore1 he draws men into the deadly meshes of a degrading and damnable superstition1 by means of a delusive and lying supernaturalism4 ,and the mischief resulting from such an active and successful policy is by no means on the wane1 if they are not surely on the increase1 in these dangerous latter days4 ,true that in ,england the laws against ,witchcraft are abolished1#gi but history1 fairly consulted and faithfully read1 tells us that not a century has elapsed since the commencement of the ,christian era without its demoniacal apparitions and certain examples of ,necromancy and ,witchcraft4 ,while this is so1 of course no intention is entertained by the ,editor of denying the common belief of the ,universal ,church1 that by and through the ,incarnation and ,sacrifice of the ,ever-,blessed ,son of ,god the powers and influence of the ,enemy of souls have been materially and efficiently crippled4#hj ,having thus digressed for an obvious purpose1 it is now needful to return to the particular subject of this section1 upon which some light will1 in due course1 be found to have been thrown1 by the above brief expositions of principles2 in the consideration and by the aid of which the strange facts and singular records which follow will appear in their proper place1 when the important subject of the ,supernatural1 as brought out1 incident upon incident1 by historical records and authentic accounts1 is under consideration4 ,that ,witchcraft and ,necromancy were publicly recognized as facts by the ,fathers of the ,christian ,church is indisputable2 while the existence of an order of ministers known as 8exorcists10 acting from time to time1 as occasion required or necessity demanded1 in casting out evil spirits1 is a sufficient proof of the watchful care and beneficent action of the ,universal ,church1 at once authoritative1 indefectible1 and divine4#ha ,in #adhd1 ,pope ,innocent ,,viii4 issued a ,bull against ,witchcraft1 upon the promulgation of which1 treatises were drawn up for the guidance of local bishops1 chancellors1 and other ecclesiastical officials1 in the necessary labour of bringing hardened offenders to justice4 ,this ,bull was renewed in the latter part of the fifteenth century1 by ,pope ,alexander ,,vi41 so that the subject of ,witchcraft gained unusual attention about that period4 ,as a matter of fact1 it is computed that in the year #aeae1 no less than five hundred witches were burnt in ,geneva alone1 and the same was the case in other parts of ,christendom1--a proof at once of the craft and power of ,satan1 and of the demoralization of those who had deliberately elected to become his servants and slaves4 ,the earliest statute against ,witchcraft enacted in ,england1 was passed in the reign of ,king ,henry ,,vi42 and additional laws of great stringency and severity1 sorely needed1 were enacted under the ,tudors1 by ,henry ,,viii41 ,queen ,elizabeth1 and ,james ,i4 ,in the year #afjd1 the great ,act of ,parliament against ,witchcraft1 drawn up by ,coke and ,bacon1 was passed2 and it is asserted that no less than twelve bishops attended the ,committee of the ,house of ,lords when the ,bill was under discussion4 ,sir ,matthew ,hale and ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 men of high legal and literary rank and mark1 each gave evidence at the trials which speedily followed4 ,in this particular1 as in some others1 ,england followed ,geneva4 ,between the years #aefe and #agjj1 eleven wizards or sorcerers were burnt at the stake in the ,carrefour du ,bordage1 in ,guernsey1 the square devoted by the city authorities of that island to this kind of punishment4 ,the last case of death for ,witchcraft there took place in #agdg4 ,it may here be put on record that at the period of the ,reformation1 and during the succeeding century1 the power of casting out devils was claimed exclusively by those who remained in visible communion with the ,see of ,rome1 and many ,roman ,catholic writers of those periods maintained that no such power belonged either to any teacher of heresy or to schismatics4#hb ,but many of the ,puritans1 knowing that the act of exorcism1 like baptism1 was not essentially a sacerdotal act 7for if baptism may be validly confirmed by a deacon1 it may1 with equal validity1 be bestowed by a layman71 maintained the power to be inherent in any ,christian man 7with right disposition and following recognized and authorized rules7 of casting out evil spirits2 and1 in consequence1 declined altogether to repudiate the clear and plain records and statements of ,holy ,scripture concerning ,witchcraft and ,necromancy4 ,they therefore made several attempts to secure the official authorization of a form for exorcism1 framed after the old and customary rite1 to be printed in the 8,book of ,common ,prayer40 ,this1 however1 was never done4 ,but in #afjd the subject was duly considered1 and determined upon in the seventy-second ,canon1 which1 as has been already pointed out1 properly and stringently forbad to the clergy the practice of exorcism without a special license or faculty from the ,bishop of the diocese4 ,as to the facts of ,witchcraft and ,necromancy1 it is quite impossible to deny their existence4 ,records of the plainest character1 legal evidence and literary testimony of undisputed authority1#hc may be discovered1 which very luminously set forth what was believed on the subject2 and this not alone by the ignorant1 but by the learned and well-informed4 ,the only difficulty is to make a suitable selection from that evidence which so abundantly exists2 being careful that such selection shall not set forth merely one aspect of the subject1 but several1 and leaving each account to tell its own story4 ,this it is now proposed briefly to attempt4 ,for example1 in the year #aeii1 a girl named ,martha ,brossier1 of ,romorantin1 in ,berry1 was reputed to be possessed1 and excited a considerable sensation in ,paris4 ,at the suggestion of the then ,bishop of ,paris1 the ,king ordered a ,committee composed of the most eminent physicians1 to examine and report on her case4 ,the physicians appointed were ,marescot1 ,ellain1 ,haulin1 ,riolan1 and ,duet2 and their ,report1 which is exceedingly curious1 will be found translated into ,english by ,abraham ,hartwell1 and published towards the close of the sixteenth century4#hd ,the dedication to his ,majesty proceeds thus3-- 8,sire1 by the commandment of ,your ,majestie1 we have set down briefely and truly that which wee have found in our visiting of ,martha ,brossier4444 ,we present the same unto ,your ,majestie without any art1 without any painted show1 without any flourish1 but with a naked ,simplicitie1 the faithful companion of ,truth1 which you have desired from us in this matter and which you have always loved and curiously sought40 ,the ,report then continues3 8,we the undersigned ,doctors ,regents in the facultie of physicke in the ,universitie of ,paris1 touching the matter of ,martha ,brossier1 a maide of the age of two-and-twenty yeres or thereabouts1 born at ,romorantin in ,berry1 who was brought unto us in the chappel of my ,lord of ,saint ,genefue ,genevive1 and who we saw sometimes in constitution1 countenance and speech as a person sounde of bodie and minde1 444 do say in our consciences1 and certify that which followeth3 that all which is before set down 7referring to the character of her fits7 must be referred to one of these three causes--sicknesse1 counterfeiting1 or diabolicall possession4 ,for the opinion that it proceedeth from sicknesse1 we are clerely excluded from that1 for the agitations and motions we observed therein doe retain nothing of the nature of sickness1 nay not of those diseases whereunto of the first sight they might have resembled2 it being neither an epilepsie or falling sickness1 which always supposes the loss of sense and judgment1 nor the passion which we call hysterica1 444 nor any of the foure motions proceeding from diseases1 that is to say1 shivering1 trembling1 panting1 and convulsion1 or indeede if there doe appeare any convulsion2 and that a man will so call the turning up of her eyes1 the gnashing of her teeth1 the writhing of her chaps 7which are almost ordinarie with this maide while she is in her fittes72 the confidence which the priest hath when he openeth her mouth1 and holdeth it open with his finger within it1 testifying sufficiently that they doe not proceede from1 nor are caused by1 any disease1 considering that in diseases he that hath a convulsion is not master of that part or member wherein it is1 having neither any power of election or command over it1 and particularly which is in the convulsion of the jawes1 which is most violent of all the rest1 the finger of the priest should bee no more respected nor spared than the finger of any other man4 ,moreover1 diseases1 and the motions also of diseases 7especially those that are violent71 leave the body feeble1 the visage pale1 and the breath panting4 ,this maide1 at the end of her fittes1 was found to be as little moved and changed in pulse1 colour1 countenance1 and breath1 as ever she was before2 yea1 which is the more to be noted1 as little at the end of her exorcisme as at the beginning1 at evening as in the morning1 at the last day as at the first4 ,touching the point of counterfeiting1 the insensibilitie of her bodie during her extasies and furies1 tried by the deepe prickings of long pinnes1 which were thrust into divers parts of her hands1 and afterwards plucked out againe1 without any show that ever she made of feeling the same1 either in the putting in of them1 or the taking out of them1 a griefe which1 without majicke and without speech1 could not1 in our opinion1 be indured1 without any countenance or show thereof1 neither by the constancie of the most courageous1 nor by the stoutnesse of the most wicked1 nor by the stronge conceit of the most criminall malefactores1 took from us almost the suspicion of it1 but much more persuaded us from that opinion1 the thin and slender foam that in her mad fits we saw issue out of her mouth1 which she had no means to be abel to counterfeit4 ,and yet more than all this1 the very consideration before mentioned of the little or no change at all that was seene in her person after all these most sharpe and very long pangs1 7a thing which nobody in the world did ever trie in their most moderate exercises17 we are driven1 even till this houre1 by all the lawes of discourse and knowledge1 yea1 and almost forced to beleeve that this maide is a demoniacke1 and the ,devill dwelling in her is the ,author of these effects4 ,if wee had seen that which my ,lord of ,st4 ,genefue and many others doe report1--that this maide was lifted up into the ayre more than four foote above five or six strong persons that held her1--it would have been an argument to us of an extraordinarie power1 over and beyond the common nature and condition of man4 ,but not being presente at that wonder1 we doe give a testamonie of our knowledge1 which is as much or rather more admirable than that force and power was1 viz41 that being demanded1 and in her exercising commanded1 my ,lord of ,paris furnishing the priest with questions and interrogatories1 this maide divers and sundrie times1 by many persons of qualitie and worthie of credit1 was seene and heard to obey and answere to purpose1 not only in the ,latin tongue1 7wherein it had not been impertinent peradventure to have suspected some collusion17 but also in ,greeke and in ,english1 and that upon the sudden4 ,she did1 we say once againe1 understande the ,greeke and ,english languages1 wherein we beleeve1 as it is very likely that she was never studied1 so that there was no collusion used with her1 neither could she invent or imagine the interpretations thereof4 ,it resteth1 therefore1 even in the judgment of ,aristotle in the like case1 that they were inspired unto her40 ,the ,report then concludes with this solemn declaration3 8,by reason whereof1 and considering also1 under correction1 that ,saint ,luke1 who was both a physician and an evangelist1 describing the persons out of whose bodies our ,lord and his apostles did drive the devils left unto us1 none other or any greater signes than those which wee think wee have seene in this case1 wee are the more induced and almost confirmed to beleeve and to conclude as before1 taking ,god for a ,witness of our consciences in the matter4 ,made at ,paris1 this #crd ,april1 #aeii40 ,on this ,report1 as may be gathered from the tractate referred to1 it is evident and notorious that the physicians ,marescot1 ,ellain1 ,haulin1 ,riolan1 and ,duet1 were all men of scientific attainments and unimpeachable moral integrity2 the same facts were also witnessed and formally attested by the ,bishop of ,paris1 the ,abbot of ,genevive1 and other competent observers4 ,another case1 that of a girl named ,anne ,millner1 or ,mylner1 of ,chester1 about the year #aefd1 deserves consideration4 ,the record here given is taken from a pamphlet of considerable interest4#he ,some curious facts connected with it are attested by ,sir ,william ,calverley1 ,sir ,william ,sneyd1 ,lady ,calverley1 and other persons of distinction who then lived at ,chester4 ,the description of the paroxysm is extremely graphic3--8,we went10 says the ,report1 which is signed by the above-named persons1 8at about two of the clocke in the afternoone of the same #afth day of ,february and there found the mayden in her traunce1 after her accustomed manner lying in a bed within the haule1 her eyes half shut1 half open1 looking as she had been agast1 never moving either eye or eyelid1 her teeth something open1 with her tongue doubling betweene1 her face somewhat red1 her head as heavy as leade to lift at2 there she laid1 still as a stone1 and feeling her pulse it beat in as good measure as if she had been in perfect health40 ,the ,report then describes her becoming violently convulsed3 8,she lifted herself up in her bed1 bending backwards in such order that almost her head and fete met1 falling down on the one side1 then on the other40 ,a person of the name of ,lane1 who was reputed to possess great power over demoniacs1 was then called in1 who first1 as the ,report expresses it1 8willed0 that she should speak1 and then 8willed0 that she should rise and dress herself1 all which she did1 to the astonishment of the bystanders2 and a ,certificate to that effect was signed by all present on ,march #h1 #aefd4 ,in ,lancashire seven persons belonging to one family were reputed to be under the direct influence of evil spirits1 or in a certain state of bewitchment1 exhibiting signs of demoniacal possession4 ,the pamphlet1 the title of which is given below1#hf puts on record what in this case is reported to have occurred3 8,these possessed persons had every one something peculiar to herselfe which none of the rest did shew1 and that so rare and straunge that all the people were obliged to confesse it was the worke of an evil spirit within them2 so had they many things in common1 and were handled for the most part in their fittes alike4444 ,they had all every one very straunge visions1 they heard hideous and fearful voices of spirits sundrie times and did make marveilous answers back againe 444 they were in their fits ordinarilie holden in that captivity and bondage1 that for an houre1 two1 or three1 and longer time they should neither see1 heare1 nor taste1 nor feel nothing but the divells1 they employing them wholly for themselves1 vexing and tormenting them so extreameley as that for the present they could feel no other paine or torture that could bee offered2 no1 though you should plucke an ear from the heade or an arm from the bodie4 ,they had also a marveilous sore heaving as if their hearts would burst1 so that with violent straining some of them vomitted bloude many times4 ,they were all of them verry fierce1 offering violence both to themselves and others1 whereine they shewed verie greate and extraordinarie strength4 ,they were out of their right mind1 without the use of their senses1 expecially voyd of feiling3 as much sense in a stock as one of them1 or as possible1 in a manner1 to quicken a dead man as to alter or chaunge them in their traunces in anything they either saide or did4 ,they in their fittes had divers parts and members of their bodies so striffe and stretched out as were inflexible or very hard to be bended4 ,they shewed very great and extraordinarie knowledge1 as may appeare by the straunge things saide and done by them1 according to that which we have already set down in the particulars4 ,they ever after their fittes were as well as might be1 and felt very little or no paine at all1 although they had been never so sore tormented immediately before40 ,the strange and singular violence of the convulsions in those who were under the influence of ,witchcraft1 is brought out in almost all the records of such cases1 notably in those which occurred during the ,great ,rebellion1#hg and specially in the case of ,anne ,styles1 who was executed at ,salisbury in #afec4 ,the narrative states that she was so strong in her fits that six men or more could not hold her1 but while suffering under most grievous hurrying and tortures of the body1 the witch being only brought into the room1 she fell asleep and slept for three hours1 so fast that when they would have awakened her they could not4#hh ,the insensibility of the body in this state1 we are informed by ,increase ,mather1 led to a cruel test for demoniacal possession4 ,there was a notorious ,witchfinder1 he observes1 8in ,scotland1 who undertook by a pin to make an infallible discovery of suspected persons1 whether they were witches or not4 ,if1 when the pin was run an inch or two into the body of the accused party no blood appeared nor any sense of pain1 he declared them to be witches1 by means of which no less than three hundred persons were condemned for witchcraft in that country40#hi ,in a small but curious tractate entitled 8,daimonomagia10 the effects of ,witchcraft are maintained to be a disease4 ,the definition of it stands thus3--8,a disease of witchcraft is a sickness that arises from strange and preternatural causes1 and from diabolical power in the use of strange and ridiculous ceremonies by witches or necromancers1 afflicting with strange and unaccustomed symptoms1 and commonly preternaturally violent1 very seldom1 or not at all1 curable by natural remedies40 ,then follow the diagnostical signs1 amongst which are insensibility1 convulsions1 together with a preternatural knowledge both of living and dead languages1 and after these the causes of witchcraft4 ,biernannus and ,wierius1 two authorities on the subject1 find that aspect and contact do not necessarily bewitch2 but witches sometimes try to bewitch another of the same family4 ,lastly1 as regards the cure1 directions are provided by which the wizard1 witch1 or necromancer is to be compelled to use certain dark ceremonies for the cure of the bewitched4 ,in the year #afeh1 a woman named ,jane ,brookes was tried1 condemned1 and executed at ,chard in ,somersetshire4 ,the indictment against her was that she had bewitched ,richard the son of ,henry ,jones1 of ,shepton ,mallet in that county4 ,numberless persons of all ranks and classes1 including both clergymen and physicians1 witnessed his sufferings and paroxysms2 while the direct influence of the woman indicted was fully apparent and abundantly proved4 8,the boy10 as the ,rev4 ,joseph ,glanville1#ij one of the chaplains of ,king ,charles ,,ii4 writes1 8fell into his fitts at the sight of ,jane ,brookes and lay in a man's arms like a dead person2 the woman was then willed to lay on her hand1 which she did1 and he thereupon started and sprung out in a very unusual manner4 ,one of the justices1 to prevent all possibilities of legerdemain1 caused ,gibson and the rest to stand off from the boy1 and then that justice himself held him4 ,the youth being blindfolded1 the justice called as if ,brookes should touch him1 but winked to others to do it1 which two or three successively did1 but the boy appeared not concerned4 ,the justice then called on the father to take him1 but had privately before desired one ,mr4 ,geoffrey ,strode to bring ,jane ,brookes to touch him at such a time as he should call for his father1 which was done1 and the boy immediately sprang out after a very odd and violent fashion4 ,he was afterwards touched by several persons and moved not1 but ,jane ,brookes being again caused to put her hand upon him he started and sprung up twice as before4 ,all this while he remained in his fit and some time after1 and being then laid on a bed in the same room1 the people present could not for a long time bow either of his arms or legs40 ,it appears tolerably evident that the boy1 when under the influence of his fits1 owned a faculty not unlike that of clairvoyance4 ,as regards ,jane ,brookes and her sister1 he seems to have had the capacity to describe them accurately wherever they might have been4 ,as the ,report declares1 8,he would tell the clothes and habits they were in at the time1 exactly as the constable and others have found them on repairing to them1 although ,brookes' house was a good distance from ,jones'3 this they often tried1 and always found the boy right in his description40#ia ,from the same volume1 the main facts of which seem to be admitted by competent authority1 a woman named ,elizabeth ,style of ,bayford was indicted for bewitching a girl named ,elizabeth ,hill1 thirteen years of age4 ,in this case the formal deposition of three credible witnesses attests that 8during her fits1 her strength was encreased beyond the proportion of nature1 and the force of divers men4 ,furthermore1 in one fit she foretold when she would have the next1 which happened accordingly40 ,the case of the 8,surey ,demoniac10 as he was termed1 which was set forth at length in a publication issued in ,london towards the close of the seventeenth century1#ib is certainly worthy of being noticed here4 ,in the year #afig a youth of nineteen years of age1 named ,richard ,dugdale1 excited great attention2 it being generally believed that he was possessed by an evil spirit1 as the direct consequence of ,witchcraft4 ,his paroxysms were witnessed by numerous clergymen1 physicians1 and persons of respectability and rank2 and caused an amount of interest and excitement which can scarcely be realized4#ic ,his fits commenced with violent convulsions2 his sight or eyeballs turned upward and backwards2 he afterwards answered questions2 predicted during one fit the period of accession and duration of another fit2 spoke in foreign languages1 of which at other times he was ignorant1 and described events passing at a distance with singular and recognized accuracy4 ,here again the word of narration is quoted at length3--8,at the end of one fit the demoniac told what hour of the night or day his next fit would begin1 very precisely and punctually1 as was constantly observed1 though there was no equal or set distance of time between his fits2 betwixt which there would be1 sometimes a few hours1 sometimes many1 sometimes one day1 sometimes many days40 8,he would have told you10 one of the deponents asserts on oath1 8when his fits would begin1 when they were two or three in one day1 or three or four days asunder1 wherein he never was1 that the deponent knoweth of1 disappointed40 ,on one occasion1 when the minister was addressing him1 he exclaimed1 8,at ten o'clock my next fit comes on40 8,though he was never learned in the ,english tongue1 and his natural and acquired abilities were very ordinary1 yet1 when the fit seized him1 he often spake ,latin1 ,greek1 and other languages very well4444 ,he often told of things in his fits done at a distance1 whilst those things were a-doing1--as1 for instance1 a woman being afraid to go to the barn1 though she was come within a bow's length of it1 was immediately sent for by the demoniac1 who said1 #8,unless that weak-faithed jade come1 my fits will last longer4' ,some said1 #8,let us send for ,mr4 ,g----4' ,the demoniac answered1 #8,he is now upon the hay-cart1' which was found to be true4444 ,on another occasion he told what great distress there was in ,ireland1 and that ,england must #8pay the piper4' ,again1 one going by him to a church meeting1 was told by the demoniac in his fit1 #8,thou needest not go to the said meeting1 for ,i can tell thee the sermon that will be preached there1' upon which he told him the text and much of the sermon that was that day preached40 ,lastly1 it is certified by two of the deponents that 8the demoniac could not certainly judge what the nature of his distemper was2 because when he was out of his fits1 he could not tell how it was with him when he was in his fits40 ,from another publication#id we gather that1 in the case of ,florence ,newton1 an ,irishwoman1 who was charged with bewitching ,mary ,longdon1 when the sufferer and the accused were both in court1 and the evidence against the person charged was being concluded1 the prisoner at the bar simply looked at the woman reputed to be under her influence1 and made certain motions of her hands towards her1 upon which we are told that 8the maid fell into most violent fits1 so that all the people that could lay hands on her could scarcely hold her40 ,quaint as these records are1 peculiar in their literary style1 singularly simple and homely in their subject-matter as to details1 and tinged1 it may be1 not infrequently with the exaggerated superstitions of the times1 it is impossible that so many persons of all ranks and classes--the highest as well as the lowest--eye-witnesses of facts1 could have been so utterly mistaken as to the ,supernatural character of ,witchcraft1 or so deluded as to its true nature and import4 ,some writers have hastily and erroneously asserted that at the close of the seventeenth century the arraigning and trying of witches came to an end4 ,but this is not so4#ie ,in #agab1 ,judge ,parker 7who succeeded ,chief ,justice ,holt17 put a check upon the so-called 8trial by water10 by his charge at the ,essex ,summer ,assizes of that year4 ,three years later1 however1 in #agae1 ,elizabeth ,treslar was hung and then burnt for ,witchcraft on ,northampton ,heath4 ,the following account 7extracted verbatim et literatim7 is taken from a rare and curious tract#if published early in the eighteenth century1 containing an account of the trial1 examination1 and condemnation of two witches named ,shaw and ,phillips in the year #agje4 ,one or two sentences of the old narrative are two coarse for quotation2 but substantially the contemporary account is reprinted1 following its old typographical form3-- 8,on ,wednesday the #gth of this ,instant ,march #agje1 being the second day of the ,assizes held at ,northampton3 ,one ,ellinor ,shaw and ,mary ,phillips#ig 7two notorious ,witches71 were brought into court and there ,arraign'd at the ,bar upon several ,indictments of ,witchcraft2 particularly for ,bewitching and ,tormenting in a ,diabolical manner1 the ,wife of ,robert ,wise of ,benefield in the said ,county1 till she ,dyed2 as also for ,killing by ,witchcraft and wicked ,facination one ,elizabeth ,gorham of ,glapthorn1 a ,child of about four years of ,age1 in the said ,county of ,northampton2 as also for ,bewitching to death one ,charles ,ireland of ,southwick in the said ,county2 to which ,indictment the two said ,prisoners pleaded not ,guilty and there upon put themselves upon their ,tryals as followeth3-- 8,the first ,evidence against them was one ,widdow ,peak1 who deposed that she with two other ,women1 undertook to ,watch the same ,prisoners after they had been ,apprehended2 and that about ,midnight there appeared in the ,room a little white ,thing about the ,bigness of a ,cat1 which sat upon ,mary ,phillips' ,lap1 at which time she heard her1 the said ,mary ,phillips1 say1 then pointing to ,ellinor ,shaw1 that she was the ,witch that ,killed ,mrs4 ,wise by ,roasting her ,effiges in ,wax1 sticking it full of ,pinns1 and till it was all wasted1 and all this she affirm'd was done the same ,night ,mrs4 ,wise ,dyed in a sad and languishing ,condition4 ,mrs4 ,evans deposed that when ,mrs4 ,wise first was taken ,ill1 that she saw ,ellinor ,shaw look out at the ,window 7it being opposite to her ,house71 at ,which time she heard her say1 #8,i have done her ,business now ,i am sure2 this ,night ,ill send the old ,devil a ,new ,year's ,gift' 7next day being ,new year's ,day71 and well knowing this ,ellinor ,shaw to be a reputed ,witch1 was so much concern'd at her ,words that she went then to see how ,mrs4 ,wise did1 ,where she found her ,tormented with such ,pains1 as exceeding those of a ,woman in ,travel1 which ,encreased to such a terrible ,degree that she ,expired about #ab of the clock to the great amasement of all her ,neighbours4 8,another ,evidence made ,oath that ,ellinor ,shaw and ,mary ,phillips being one day at her house they told her she was a ,fool to live so ,miserable as she did1 and therefore if she was willing1 they would send some thing that ,night that would ,relieve her1 and being an ignorant ,woman she consented2 and accordingly the same ,night two little black ,things1 almost like ,moles came into her bed 444 repeating the same for two or three ,nights after1 till she was almost frightened out of her ,sences sic insomuch that she was forced to send for ,mr4 ,danks the ,minister1 to ,pray by her several nights before the said ,imps would leave her3 ,she also added that she heard the said ,prisoners say that they would be ,revenged on ,mrs4 ,wise because she would not give them some ,buttermilk4 8,mrs4 ,todd of ,southwick deposed that ,charles ,ireland being a ,boy of about #ab years of ,age1 was taken with ,strange ,fitts about ,christmas last1 continuing so by ,intervals till twelf ,day last1 at which time he ,barked like a ,dogg1 and when he was ,recovered and come to himself1 he would ,distinctly describe ,ellinor ,shaw and ,mary ,phillips1 affirming them two to be the ,authors of his ,misfortunes1 though he never saw them in his ,life2 so that ,mrs4 ,ireland1 the ,boy's mother1 was advised to ,cork up some 444 in a stone ,bottle filled full of ,pins and ,needles1 and to ,bury it under the ,fire ,hearth2 which being done accordingly1 the two said ,witches could not be quiet till they came to the same ,house and desired to have the said ,bottle taken up1 which was not granted1 till they had confessed the ,matter1 and promised never to do so again2 but for all this the ,next night but one1 the said ,boy was so violently ,handled1 that he ,dyed in two ,hours time2 and this ,woman's ,testimoney was confirm'd by five or six other ,evidences at the same time4 8,the said ,witches were ,try'd a third time for ,bewitching to ,death ,elizabeth ,gorham of ,glapthorne on the #ajth of ,february last1 as also for killing several ,horses1 ,hogs1 and ,sheep1 being the ,goods of ,matthew ,gorham1 ,father of the said ,child aforesaid4 ,the ,evidence against them to prove all this1 was ,william ,boss and ,john ,southwel2 who deposed that being ,constables of the said ,town1 they were ,charged with the said ,prisoners in their ,custody1 who threatning them with ,death if they did not ,confess1 and promising them to let them go if they would ,confess2 after some little ,whineing and ,hanging about one another's ,necks they both made this ,confession3-- 8#8,that living in one house together they contracted with the ,devil about a ,year ago to sell their ,souls to him1 upon condition he would enable them to do what ,mischief they desired against whom they pleased1 either in ,body1 ,goods1 or ,children2 upon which the same ,night they had each of them three ,imps sent them as they were going to ,bed1 and at the same instant the ,devil appeared to them in the shape of a tall black ,man1 and told them that these ,imps would always be at their ,service1 either to kill ,man1 ,woman1 ,child1 ,hog1 ,cow1 ,ship1 i4e4 ,sheep or any other ,creature1 when they pleased to command them1 provided 444 which being agree'd to1 the ,devil came to ,bed to them ,both4444 ,and that the next morning they sent four of their ,imps to kill two ,horses of one ,john ,webb of the said ,town of ,glapthorne1 because he openly said they were ,witches2 and accordingly the ,horses were found dead in a ,pond the same day2 and two ,days after this1 they ,kill'd four great ,hoggs after the same manner1 belonging to ,matthew ,gorham1 because he said they both look'd like ,witches1 and not thinking this ,revenge sufficient1 the next day after1 they sent two ,imps a piece to destroy his ,child1 being a little ,girle of about four years of ,age1 which was done accordingly in #bd ,hours' time1 notwithstanding all the ,skill and ,endeavour of able ,doctors to preserve it4 ,they further confessed that if the said ,imps were not constantly imploy'd to do ,mischief they had not their ,healths1 but when they were imploy'd they were very ,healthful and ,well4 ,they further added1 that the said ,imps did often tell them in the ,night-time in a hollow whispering low voice1 which they plainly understood1 that they should never feel ,hell ,tormts1 and they had ,kill'd a ,horse and two ,cows of one ,widow ,broughton because she deny'd them some ,pea-cods last year1 for which they had also struck her ,daughter with ,lameness1 which would never be cured as long as either of them ,liv'd1 and accordingly she had continued so ever since4' 8,the above said ,evidence further deposed that having thus extorted the said ,confession from the prisoners1 they persuaded them to set their ,hands to it1 which was done accordingly1 tho' with very much difficulty1 upon which the said ,confession was produced in ,court1 and the ,witness's to it ,examin'd1 who all deposed upon ,oath that the said ,confession was made in their ,hearing1 and that they saw the said reputed ,witches set their ,marks to it in the presence of ten ,witnesses4 8,upon which the said ,prisoners were desired by the ,court to declare wheather they own'd the said ,confession and the ,marks thereunto ,affixed or not1 to which they both answered in the ,negative2 and thereupon made such a ,howling and lamentable ,noise as never was heard before to the amusement of the ,whole ,court1 and ,deny'd every particular that was laid to their ,charge3 but the ,court having heard the matter of ,fact so positively asserted against them by several ,evidences1 and above all by their own ,confessions1 that after having given a ,larned sic ,charge to the ,jury relating to every particular ,circumstance1 they brought them in both ,guilty of wilful ,murther and ,witchcraft1 and accordingly the next day the ,court was pleased to pronounce sentence of ,death upon them1 that is to say1 ,to be ,hang'd till they are almost ,dead1 and then surrounded with ,faggots ,pitch and other ,combustable matter1 which being set on fire their ,bodies are to be consumed to ,ashes40 ,in the month of ,march1 #agaa-ab1 another woman1 ,jane ,wenham by name#ih 7formally charged with bewitching ,anne ,thorne1 ,anne ,street1 and others71 was tried at the ,assizes at ,hertford1 and received sentence of death4 ,the case was heard before ,sir ,henry ,chauncey4 ,before the grand jury the depositions of sixteen witnesses were taken2 one of whom deposed that ,jane ,wenham confessed to him that she had practised ,witchcraft during sixteen years4 ,on one occasion when the girl whom she had afflicted was in one of her paroxysms1 we are informed that a very ingenious gentleman and able physician happened to be present1 his curiosity bringing him a little out of his way to inquire into the truth of the story of this witch1 which he had heard several ways told1 as things of this nature generally are4 ,when he saw her in a fit1 which was one of the least she ever had1 he tried whether he could bring her out of it without prayers4 ,he took a great feather1 which burning he held under the maid's nose1 and though the stink was so great that we were not able to bear it in the room1 yet the maid received the strong steam into her nose without being the least affected by it and without perceiving it1 as far as we could perceive4 ,the physician then felt her pulse and assured them that 8it was no natural disease under which the maid laboured1 that it must be counterfeit or preternatural2 but10 observes the author of this account1 8that she should counterfeit even death itself one minute and restore herself to health the very next1 and that she should put herself to all this trouble for no manner of pleasure or profit1 is so very inconceivable and so wholly unaccountable1 that ,i must needs say ,i shall never have faith enough to believe such a heap of absurdities40 7p4 #cc47 ,the undoubted insensibility of the girl was tested in a very practical but remarkably barbarous manner4 ,one of the members of the ,family of ,chauncey 8ran a pin into her arm six or seven times1 and finding she never winced for it1 but held her arm as still as if nothing had been done to it1 and seeing no blood come1 he ran it in a great many times more2 still no blood came2 but she stood talking and never minded it4 ,then1 again1 he ran it in several times more4 ,at last he left it in her arm that all the company might see it1 run up to the head40 7p4 #ai47 ,the record of these cases also contains the following3-- 8,there are also some things in which the fits of ,mary ,longdon and ,anne ,thorn agree1 particularly the great strength of the afflicted when in a fit1 so great that three or four men could hardly hold 'em down1 but there is one very remarkable difference1 which ,i doubt not my readers have already taken notice of1 viz4 that this ,mary ,longdon was always worse of her fits whenever ,florence ,newton came in the room2 whereas ,anne ,thorn constantly recovered from hers at the touch of the witch4 ,and yet ,i think these different appearances may be accounted for in different ways4 ,it is not reasonable to suppose that either of those alterations in the afflicted came to pass by the consent or procurement of the witches themselves1 who could not but perceive that they served as strong circumstances against them1 but this was done by the overruling providence of ,almighty ,god to convict these miserable creatures2 and either of these ways might do as well as the other1 since it is equally surprising to see one in perfect health fall into such terrible fits at the sight of any one person1 as to see another recover out of such fits by the bare touch of the suspected witch1 both of them tending only to the discovery of the criminal40 7pp4 #ag1 #ah47 ,as to certain of the characteristics and evidences of ,witchcraft1 ,increase ,mather in his 8,cases of ,conscience0 writes as follows4 ,what he sets forth1 and what is now to be quoted1 serves to show not only the kind of evidence as to facts which was then forthcoming1 but also to afford information as to the current sentiment of his own period3 8,as for that which concerns the bewitched persons being recovered out of their agonies by the touch of the suspected party1 it is various and fallible2 sometimes the afflicted person is made sick instead of being made whole by the touch of the accused2 sometimes the power of imagination is such as that the touch of a person innocent and not accused shall have the same effect4 ,bodin relates that a witch who was tried at ,nantes was commanded by the judges to touch a bewitched person1 a thing often practised by the judges of ,germany in the ,imperial ,chamber4 ,the witch was extremely unwilling1 but being compelled by the judges1 she cried out1 ,i am undone1 and as soon as ever she touched the afflicted person the witch fell down dead4 ,i think10 continues ,mather1 8that there is weight in ,dr4 ,cottar's argument1 viz4 that the power of healing the sick and possessed was a special grace and favour of ,god for the confirmation of the truth of the ,gospel2 but that such a gift should be annexed to the touch of wicked witches1 as an infallible sign of their guilt is not easy to be believed4 ,it is a thing well known1 that if a person possessed by an evil spirit is 7as oft it happens7 never so outrageous whilst a good man is praying with and for the afflicted1 let him lay his hand on them and the evil spirit is quiet40 ,the cases already referred to took place in ,england4 ,a brief reference may be here made to two examples which caused considerable sensation in ,scotland1--a country where the belief in ,witchcraft was in times past almost universal2 and where1 even still1 the clear statements of ,holy ,scripture on the subject are neither explained away1 scoffed at1 nor disbelieved3-- ,in the year #afif a commission was appointed in ,scotland by the ,lords of his ,majesty's ,privy ,council1 to inquire into the case of ,christian ,shaw1 daughter of ,john ,shaw of ,bargarran1 and the accused persons confronted before ,lord ,blantyre1 the rest of the commissioners1 several others gentlemen of note and ministers1 the accused and in particular ,catherine ,campbell were examined in the presence of the commissioners4 8,when they the accused severally touched the afflicted girl1 says the ,report1 she was seized with grevious fits and cast into intolerable agonies2 others then present did also touch her1 but no such effects followed1 and it is remarkable that when ,catherine ,campbell touched the girle she was immediately seized with more grevious fittes and cast into more intolerable torments than upon the touch of other accused persons1 whereat ,campbell herself being daunted and confounded1 though she had formerly declined to bless her1 uttered these words1 #8,the ,lord of heaven and earth bless thee and save thee both body and soul4'0#ii ,during these trials we are informed that the 8prisoners were called in1 one by one1 and placed about seven or eight feet from the justices and accusers2 then1 stood between the justices and them1 the prisoners were ordered to stand right before the justices1 with an officer appointed to hold each hand1 lest they should herewith afflict them1 and the prisoners' eyes must be constantly on the justices1 for if they looked on the afflicted they would either fall into fitts or cry out they were much hurt by them40 8,on the trial of ,bridget ,bishops10 it is further added that1 8the indictment being drawn up according to form1 it was testified at the examination of the prisoner before the magistrates that the bewitched were extremely tortured4 ,if she did but cast her eye on them they were presently cast down1 and this in such a manner that there could be no collusion in the business4 ,but upon the touch of her hand upon them when they lay in their swoones they would immediately revive1 and not upon the touch of anyone else4 ,moreover1 upon the special actions of her body1 as the shaking of her head or the turning up of her eyes1 they presently fell into the same postures1 and many of the like accidents fell out while she was at the bar40#ajj ,most curious are the various details of the trials thus far referred to4 ,and certain of them may be regarded as trivial1 if not absurd and ridiculous4 ,nevertheless it should be our careful aim to distinguish between those facts which were formally1 regularly1 and clearly established by positive evidence1 and the personal fancies1 superstitions1 notions and wild ideas which may possibly accompany the reports of them4 ,of course exaggerations may have been made1 and impositions not unfrequently practised2 but in the forcible words of ,joseph ,glanville1 we should remember that 8frequency of deceit and fallacy will warrant a greater care and caution in examining1 and a greater scrupulosity and shyness of assent to1 things wherein fraud hath been practised1 or may in the least degree be suspected2 but to conclude that1 because an old woman's fancy hath abused her1 or some knavish fellow hath put tricks on the ignorant and timorous1 therefore whole assizes have been deceived in judgment upon matters of fact1 and that numbers of persons have been forsworn in things wherein perjury could not advantage them1 ,i say such inferences are as void of charity as of good manners4444 ,in things of fact the people are as much to be believed as the most subtle philosophers and speculators1 since their sense is the judge1 but in matters of notion and theory they are not at all to be heeded1 because ,reason is to be the judge of these1 and this they know not how to use40#aja ,it must be frankly admitted that these records of trials--of which there are such numerous examples in print--often contain principles and details of a most disagreeable and offensive nature4 ,they have been quoted at some length1 however1 in order to point out exactly what for many years was currently believed with regard to ,witchcraft2 and whatever fanciful additions were made1 or whatever superstitious garnishings were added to such accounts1 by the ignorant or half-informed1 there can be little doubt that1 after all reasonable deductions had been made1 there was a considerable substratum of truth underlying each of them1 which ought not to be ignored1 and which cannot1 on any satisfactory theory1 be reasonably explained away4 ,in certain cases the subject of ,witchcraft had a somewhat wide and vague meaning4 ,it not unfrequently covered the practices of all the so-called 8occult sciences10 just as in the 8,book of ,daniel10 8the magicians1 the astrologers1#ajb the ,chaldeans1 and the soothsayers10 classed together1 were together consulted2 so it seems to have been in ancient times in places1 and amongst people who practised ,witchcraft and ,necromancy4 ,invocations of the dead2 the use of charms2 watching the flight of birds2 8reading the stars20 interpreting dreams1 and foretelling future events by the aid of evil spirits1 were all practices which1 in a somewhat vague but popular phraseology1 came under the class of sins of the nature of those directly condemned in ,holy ,scripture4 ,one or two further remarks may be added upon the general subject4 ,from the amount of evidence which exists1 it is impossible to deny that such a power as ,witchcraft has been frequently exercised1 and consequently may be put into practice again4 ,it is idle to assert that it is a mere moral epidemic1 at least for those who take up a ,christian standing-point1 and do not deny both the ,inspiration of ,holy ,scripture and the ,indefectibility and ,infallibility of the ,church ,universal1 as well as1 and in addition to1 well-authenticated historical facts4 ,the practice of ,witchcraft has1 of course1 been more ordinary in countries which are not ,catholic2#ajc for example in ,scotland1 ,sweden1 ,germany1 and ,north ,america2 though1 of necessity it prevailed very largely with many in ,england from the period of the ,reformation until the beginning of the eighteenth century1 as has been already sufficiently shown4 ,thus1 many who refused to hear1 and abide by1 the message and guidance of ,holy ,church2 who rejected the miracles and mercies of the ,almighty1 were sometimes too ready to accept as true1 and participate in the weird works of necromancers1 and sometimes to be duped by the ,prince of darkness1 through the active instrumentality of his human agents4#ajd ,without1 at this point of our general argument1 trenching unduly on a detail of the subject in its most recent developments1 which is carefully considered at some length in later chapters1 it may be well to give a single example perfectly accurate and most satisfactorily authenticated4 ,here it is3--,the friend of a distinguished ,scotch peer wished for certain important and valuable information1 which in any ordinary1 usual1 and common modes he was1 it appears1 altogether unable to obtain4 ,he therefore thought it right and proper to consult a 8spiritual medium10 and so held a consultation1 made an inquiry1 and obtained a response4 ,the following is the authenticated record of this action3-- 8,a friend of mine was very anxious to find the ,will of his grandmother1 who had been dead forty years1 but could not even find the certificate of her death4 ,i went with him to the ,marshall's#aje and we had a sance2 we sat at a table1 and soon the raps came2 my friend then asked his questions mentally2 he went over the alphabet himself1 or sometimes ,i did so1 not knowing the question4 ,we were told that the ,will had been drawn by a man named ,william ,walter1 who lived in ,whitechapel2 the name of the street and the number of the house were given4 ,we went to ,whitechapel1 found the man1 and subsequently1 through his aid obtained a copy of the draft2 he was quite unknown to us1 and had not always lived in that locality1 for he had once seen better days4 ,the medium could not possibly have known anything about the matter1 and even if she had1 her knowledge would have been of no avail1 as all the questions were mental ones40#ajf ,the specific features of this account are so obvious and well defined1 and the account itself is so remarkably clear in all its various parts1 that nothing more needs to be added1 than the simple remark1 that if the old and false principles of ,witchcraft and ,necromancy are not here again present and energizing 7only appropriately and properly draped in a nineteenth-century garment1 and carefully adapted to the tastes of refined and educated people71 it would be well to find some other principle by which this1 and thousands of other similar cases may be rationally and openly explained and accounted for1 and this from the standing-point of a firm belief in ,historical ,christianity4 ,from the point of view from which this book is written1 it may be reasonably maintained that recent 8spiritual manifestations10 as they are termed1 are very possibly only another mode by which in an age of superior civilization the ,prince of the ,power of the air1 adapting his delusions to the less coarse tastes and sentiments of his anxious clients and inquiring followers1 produces 8lying wonders10 false miracles1 and delusive appearances2 or unlawfully reveals secrets1 affords information in the present1 and gives1 or pretends to give1 revelations as to the future4 ,many persons in the present day are ready enough 7as well they may be17 to become eloquent on the trivial absurdities and vulgar 7too often dark and obscene7 contrivances of the ,witchcraft of the seventeenth century4 ,be it so4 ,but perhaps1 after all1 the system as then worked was both skilfully1 intellectually1 and well enough adapted for the purposes and aims which its author had in hand4 ,if the coarse-minded and uneducated of those days so readily became its agents and workers1 coarseness and ignorance were reasonably and suitably1 and perhaps of necessity1 used in its operations4 ,now1 however1 the persistent ,enemy of mankind1 8the ,old ,serpent10#ajg appears to have adopted quite another course of tactics1 less coarse it may be1 and less revolting 7in some particulars7 to the sentimental and shallow1 but equally efficacious for his diabolical purposes and eventual success4 ,where ,witchcraft was formerly practised by ten persons1 its new and more attractive phase1 it is to be feared1 is now accepted by thousands4 ,all this1 and more1 may be gathered later on1 when the subject of 8,modern ,spiritualism0 is duly considered4 ,,dreams1 ,,omens1 ,,warnings1 ,,presentiments1 ,,and ,,second ,,sight4 8,and how will those modern wits1 of which our age is so full1 account for this1 who allow no ,god or ,providence1 no invisible world1 no angelic kind and waking spirits1 who1 by a secret correspondence with our embodied spirits1 give merciful hints to us of approaching mischief and impending dangers2 and that timely1 so as to put the means into our hands to avoid and escape them80--,history and ,reality of ,apparitions1 by ,andrew ,moreton1 ,esq41 p4 #bah4 ,london3 #agce4 8,the ,soul's dark cottage1 batter'd and decay'd1 ,lets in new light through chinks which ,time hath made40 ,edmund ,waller4 8,all who read this1 ,i exhort in the ,name of the ,most ,sacred ,majesty of our ,most ,blessed ,king1 ,jesus ,christ1 to be extremely suspicious of all such extraordinary appearances1 presentiments1 trances and predictions2 to examine well and minutely everything2 not to look upon those books1 which even pious souls in such a state have written1 unconditionally as a divine revelation2 and not to believe their predictions1 but to be persuaded1 that though some things may be fulfilled1 others may not40--,j4 ,h4 ,jung-,stilling1 ,on ,forebodings4 ,london3 #ahcd4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,dreams1 ,,omens1 ,,warnings1 ,,presentiments1 ,,and ,,second ,,sight4 ,the subjects here set forth for consideration 7by which no slight progress will be made in exhibiting such facts as serve to unfold and make manifest more plainly the purpose of this treatise71 are very wide in their scope4 ,a large volume might with no great difficulty be compiled upon each separate subject2 for the examples of remarkable dreams and supernatural omens which are already on record1 are exceedingly numerous1#ajh while the warnings and presentiments of danger and death1 which are still often vouchsafed1 have been so notably providential in their purport1 that many of the mercifully-bestowed ,glimpses of the ,supernatural1 brought before the ,editor's notice1 can only be attributed generally to the goodness of ,almighty ,god1 and particularly either to the intercession of ,his ,saints1 the effectual fervent prayers of those still in the flesh1 or the direct intervention of ,his ,holy ,angels1 the guardians and guides of ,christians4 ,some dreams1 especially those of an ordinary character1 appear to consist of the mere revival of old memories and associations regarding persons and events which have long passed out of the mind1 and seem to have been forgotten4 ,it is often quite impossible to trace the manner in which1 or the method by which1 dreams arise2 and certainly many of the facts connected with them do not appear referable to any coherent principle with which it may truly be said that man is perfectly acquainted4 ,they are mysterious2 they are strange2 they are supernatural4 ,at the same time it is impossible not to remember how frequently the sacred and divine writings record examples of dreams1 by which the ,will of ,god was directly made known of old to some of ,his favoured servants4 ,the case of ,king ,abimelech1 warned against taking ,abraham's wife 7whom he had untruly called his sister71 is an early instance in point4#aji ,so1 too1 are the warnings and directions given by ,almighty ,god to ,jacob and ,laban4 ,the dreams of ,joseph likewise illustrate the principle which may be readily discovered and comprehended by the help of ,scripture1 viz4 that some dreams1 whatever others may be1 are certainly from ,god1 and ought not to be disregarded4 ,for the ,almighty expressly pledged ,himself to make known ,his ,will to ,his prophets both by dreams and in visions4#aaj ,and it was by the former that ,he appeared to ,solomon1 graciously and mercifully offering him a response to any request he might make4 8,ask what ,i shall give thee40 ,the dreams and visions of ,daniel1 the ,hebrew ,prophet1 likewise of ,s4 ,joseph of ,nazareth1 both with regard to the ,blessed ,virgin and the malice of ,herod2 the warning dreams of the ,three ,eastern ,kings2 that of ,pilate's wife1 and others equally remarkable1 are familiar to us all4 ,so that1 whatever theories may be excogitated by some1 it is impossible for ,christians to hold any novel and fantastic ideas1 which would sweep away those links which in dreams and visions may still bind together the natural with the supernatural1 and by which1 from time to time1 in the present day1 warnings and necessary lessons may sometimes be mercifully vouchsafed and imparted4 ,a considerable difficulty has been experienced by the ,editor1 not only in testing recent examples which have been brought before him1 but in inducing those who supplied him with them1 to allow the use and support of their names4#aaa ,in the cases to be given1 he has spared no reasonable trouble in their investigation2 and1 where they are not matters of history 7received and recognized by those who are satisfied with an application of the ordinary laws of evidence71 the reader may rely on the fact that they have not been embodied in this volume without the most anxious inquiry and careful sifting of their truth and accuracy4 ,thus much as to his purport and intent4 ,now let the examples of remarkable dreams be put on record2 after a brief reference has been made to the belief and expressions of opinion of certain early ,christian writers1 obviously formulated upon the basis of scriptural assertions and sacred examples of old4 ,when the body sleeps1 as ,tertullian remarks1#aab it takes its own peculiar refreshment1 but that refreshment not being adapted to the soul1 which does not rest1 she during the inactivity of the bodily members employs her own4 ,then in his treatise 8,on the ,soul10#aac he proceeds to distinguish between the hallucination of dreaming and insanity4 ,dreaming is agreeable to the course and order of ,nature1 he maintains2 but he rejects the doctrine of ,epicurus1 in which dreams are disparaged as idle and fortuitous4 ,he further expresses his conviction that future honours1 dignities1 medical remedies1 thefts and treasure have been revealed by dreams--testimonies to which are both numerous and strong4 ,many dreams1 specially those which are vain1 frivolous1 impure1 and turbulent1 may be attributed to demons4 ,others1 again1 proceed from ,god or holy angels1 as one portion of prophecy4 ,lactantius1 in a short passage of his well-known 8,tract10#aad expresses his conviction of divine agency in dreams4 ,he maintains that the undoubted testimony of ,history presents mankind with several most remarkable verifications of dreams2 and he repeats what ,tertullian had already maintained1 viz4 that part of the economy of prophecy depends upon them4 ,he holds that ,virgil's evidence may be admitted1 that dreams are neither always true nor always false4 ,again1 ,s4 ,cyprian states that he was divinely instructed in a dream to mix a little water with the wine for the ,holy ,eucharist4#aae ,on the general subject1 ,s4 ,basil warns those who may be ready to attribute too great importance to dreams1 to rest contented with the written revelation of ,almighty ,god in ,holy ,scripture4#aaf ,s4 ,bernard1 the last of the ,fathers1 treats of dreams at great length in his remarkable sermon 8,on ,sleep10 which is full of sage advice of the same nature as that set forth by ,s4 ,basil2 and so does ,s4 ,thomas ,aquinas1 who discusses the subject with singular breadth1 fulness1 and system1 arriving at the conclusion that it is unreasonable to deny anything--the truth of which is affirmed by general experience2 and he adds that general experience affirms that dreams very frequently give indications of coming events2 and therefore1 concludes that it is lawful to interpret and endeavour to comprehend them4#aag ,but at this point1 he goes on to maintain that only those dreams which are suggested by angels may be investigated and interpreted1 those suggested by demons and evil spirits being left alone4 ,but unfortunately he provides no criterion by which the one class may be safely and truly distinguished from the other2 nor is it easy to supply the deficiency4 ,from another point of view1 a thoughtful modern writer#aah has remarked that 8dreams are uniformly the resuscitation or re-embodiment of thoughts which have formerly1 in some shape or other1 occupied the mind4 ,they are old ideas revived1 either in an entire state1 or heterogeneously mingled together4 ,i doubt if it be possible10 he continues1 8for a person to have in a dream1 any idea whose elements did not1 in some form1 strike him at a previous period4 ,if these break loose from their connecting chain1 and become jumbled together incoherently1 as is often the case1 they give rise to absurd combinations2 but the elements still subsist1 and only manifest themselves in a new and unconnected shape40 ,this1 and such as this1 may be quite true2 but yet whatever theories the scientific may propound which seem to oppose the facts of man's experience1 will not in the long run command that adhesion which for awhile they may possibly obtain4 ,and now for examples3 ,the ,dream of the so-called 8,swaffham ,tinker0#aai is singular1 and may well be here reproduced1 because it represents an example of the practical results of dreaming1 which is quite worthy of consideration3-- 8,this ,tinker1 a hard-working1 industrious man1 one night dreamed that if he took a journey to ,london1 and placed himself at a certain spot on ,london ,bridge1 he should meet one who would tell him something of great importance to his future prospects4 ,the ,tinker1 on whom the dream made a deep impression1 related it fully to his wife in the morning2 who1 however1 half-laughed at him and half-scolded him for his folly in heeding such idle fancies4 ,next night he is said to have re-dreamed the dream2 and again on the third night1 when the impression was so powerful on his mind that he determined1 in spite of the remonstrances of his wife and the ridicule of his neighbours1 to go to ,london and see the upshot of it4 ,accordingly he set off for the metropolis on foot1 reached it late on the third day 7the distance was ninety miles71 and1 after the refreshment of a night's rest1 took his station next day on a part of the ,bridge answering to the description in his dream4 ,there he stood all day1 and all the next1 and all the third1 without any communication as to the purpose of his journey2 so that towards night1 on the third day1 he began to lose patience and confidence in his dream1 inwardly cursed his folly in disregarding his wife's counsel1 and resolved next day to make the best of his way home4 ,he still kept his station1 however1 till late in the evening1 when1 just as he was about to depart1 a stranger who had noticed him standing stedfastly and with anxious look on the same spot for some days1 accosted him1 and asked him what he waited there for4 ,after a little hesitation1 the ,tinker told his errand1 though without acquainting him with the name of the place whence he came4 ,the stranger enjoyed a smile at the rustic's simplicity1 and advised him to go home and for the future to pay no attention to dreams4 #8,i myself1' said he1 #8if ,i were disposed to put faith in such things1 might now go a hundred miles into the country upon a similar errand4 ,i dreamed three nights this week that if ,i went to a place called ,swaffham in ,norfolk1 and dug under an apple-tree in a certain garden on the north side of the town ,i should find a box of money2 but ,i have something else to do than run after such idle fancies6 ,no1 no1 my friend2 go home1 and work well at your calling1 and you will find there the riches you are seeking here4' ,the astonished ,tinker did not doubt that this was the communication he had been sent to ,london to receive1 but he merely thanked the stranger for his advice1 and went away avowing his intention to follow it4 ,next day he set out for home1 and on his arrival there said little to his wife touching his journey2 but next morning he rose betimes and began to dig on the spot he supposed to be pointed out by the stranger4 ,when he had got a few feet down1 the spade struck upon something hard1 which turned out to be an iron chest4 ,this he quickly carried to his house1 and when he had with difficulty wrenched open the lid1 found it1 to his great joy1 to be full of money4 ,after securing his treasure1 he observed on the lid of the box an inscription1 which1 unlearned as he was1 he could not decipher4 ,but by a stratagem he got the description read without any suspicion on the part of his neighbours by some of the ,grammar ,school lads1 and found it to be-- #8,where this stood ,is another twice as good4' ,and in truth on digging again the lucky ,tinker disinterred1 below the place where the first chest had lain1 a second twice as large1 also full of gold and silver coin4 ,it is stated that1 become thus a wealthy man1 the ,tinker showed his thankfulness to ,providence by building a new chancel to the church1 the old one being out of repair4 ,and whatever fiction the marvellous taste of those ages may have mixed up with the tale1 certain it is that there is shown to this day a monument in ,swaffham ,church1 having an effigy in marble1 said to be that of the ,tinker with his ,dog at his side and his tools and implements of trade lying about him40 ,among the various histories of singular dreams and corresponding events1 the following1 which occurred in the early part of the eighteenth century1 seems to merit being here placed on record4 ,its authenticity will appear from the relation2 and it may surely be maintained that a more extraordinary concurrence of fortuitous and accidental circumstances can scarcely be produced or paralleled3-- 8,one ,adam ,rogers1 a creditable and decent man of good sense and repute1 who kept an inn at ,portlaw1 a small hamlet nine or ten miles from ,waterford1 in ,ireland1 dreamed one night that he saw two men at a particular green spot on the adjoining mountain2 one of them a small1 sickly-looking man1 the other remarkably strong and large4 ,he then saw the latter man murder the other1 upon which he awoke in great agitation4 8,the circumstances of the dream were so distinct and forcible that he continued much affected by them4 ,he related them to his wife1 and also to several neighbours next morning4 8,in some time he went out coursing with greyhounds1 accompanied amongst others by one ,mr4 ,browne1 the ,roman ,catholic priest of the parish4 ,he soon stopped at the above-mentioned particular green spot on the mountain1 and calling ,mr4 ,browne1 pointed it out to him1 and told him what had happened there4 ,during the remainder of the day he thought little more about it4 8,next morning he was extremely startled at seeing two strangers enter his house at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon4 ,he immediately went into an inner room1 and desired his wife to take particular notice1 for they were precisely the two men he had seen in his dream4 8,after the strangers had taken some refreshment1 and were about to depart in order to prosecute their journey1 ,rogers earnestly entreated the little man at once to quit his fellow-traveller4 ,he assured him that if he would remain with him that day he would accompany him to ,carrick the next morning--that being the town to which the travellers were proceeding4 ,he was unwilling and ashamed to tell the cause of his being so solicitous to separate him from his companion4 ,but as he observed that ,hickey 7which was the name of the little man7 seemed to be quiet and gentle in his deportment1 and had money about him1 and that the other had a ferocious1 bad countenance1 the dream still recurred to him4 ,he dreaded that something fatal would happen1 and wished at all events to keep them asunder4 8,however1 the humane precautions of ,rogers proved ineffectual1 for ,caulfield 7such was the other's name7 prevailed upon ,hickey to continue with him on their way to ,carrick1 declaring that as they had long travelled together1 they should not part1 but remain together until he should see ,hickey safely arrived at the habitation of his friends4 ,the wife of ,rogers was much dissatisfied when she heard they were gone1 and blamed her husband exceedingly for not being absolutely peremptory in detaining ,hickey4 8,about an hour after they left ,portlaw1 in a lonely part of the mountain1 just near the place observed by ,rogers in his dream1 ,caulfield took the opportunity of murdering his companion4 ,it appeared afterwards from his own account of the horrid transaction1 that as they were getting over a ditch he struck ,hickey on the back part of the head with a stone1 and when he fell down into the trench in consequence of the blow1 ,caulfield gave him several stabs with a knife1 and cut his throat so deeply that the head was observed to be almost severed from his body4 ,he then rifled ,hickey's pockets of all the money in them1 took part of his clothes and everything else of value about him1 and afterwards proceeded on his way to ,carrick4 ,he had not been long gone when the body1 still warm1 was discovered by some labourers who were returning to their work from dinner4 8,the report of the murder soon reached ,portlaw4 ,rogers and his wife went to the place and instantly knew the body of him whom they had in vain endeavoured to dissuade from going on with his treacherous companion4 ,they at once spoke out their suspicions that the murder was perpetrated by the fellow-traveller of the deceased4 ,an immediate search was made1 and ,caulfield was apprehended at ,waterford the second day after4 8,he was brought to trial at the ensuing assizes and convicted of the fact4 ,it appeared amongst other circumstances that when he went to ,carrick he hired a horse and a boy to conduct him--not by the usual road1 but by that which runs on the north side of the river ,suir--to ,waterford1 intending to take his passage in the first ship from thence to ,newfoundland4 ,the boy took notice of some blood on his shirt1 and ,caulfield gave him a half-crown to promise not to speak of it4 8,rogers proved not only that ,hickey was last seen in company with ,caulfield1 but that a pair of new shoes which ,hickey wore had been found on the feet of ,caulfield when he was apprehended2 and that a pair of old shoes which he had on at ,rogers's house were upon ,hickey's feet when the body was found4 ,he described with great exactness every article of their clothes4 ,caulfield on the cross-examination1 shrewdly asked him from the dock whether it was not very extraordinary that he1 who kept a public-house1 should take such particular notice of the dress of a stranger accidentally calling there8 ,rogers in his answer said he had a very particular reason1 but he was ashamed to mention it4 ,the court and the prisoner insisted on his declaring it4 ,he gave a circumstantial narrative of his dream1 called upon ,mr4 ,browne1 the priest1 then in court1 to corroborate his testimony1 and said that his wife had severely reproached him for permitting ,hickey to leave their house1 when he knew that in the short footway to ,carrick they must necessarily pass by the green spot in the mountain which had appeared in his dream4 8,a number of witnesses came forward1 and the proofs were so strong that the jury without hesitation found the prisoner guilty4 8,it was remarked as a singularity that he happened to be tried and sentenced by his namesake1 ,sir ,george ,caulfeild1 at that time ,lord ,chief ,justice of the ,king's ,bench1 which office he resigned in the summer of the year #agfj4 8,after sentence ,caulfield confessed the fact4 ,it came that ,hickey had been in the ,west ,indies two and twenty years1 but falling into a bad state of health1 he was returning to his native country 7,ireland7 bringing with him some money his industry had acquired4 ,the vessel on board which he took his passage was1 by stress of weather1 driven into ,minehead4 ,he there met with ,frederick ,caulfield1 an ,irish sailor1 who was poor and much distressed for clothes and common necessaries4 ,hickey compassionating his poverty1 and finding he was his countryman1 relieved his wants1 and an intimacy commenced between them4 ,they agreed to go to ,ireland together2 and it was remarked on their passage that ,caulfield spoke contemptuously1 and often said it was a pity that such a puny fellow as ,hickey should have money1 and he himself without a shilling4 ,they landed at ,waterford1 at which place they stayed some days1 ,caulfield being all the time supported by ,hickey1 who bought some clothes for him4 ,the assizes being held in the town during that time1 it was afterwards recollected that they were both at the ,court-house1 and attended the whole of a trial of a shoemaker who was convicted of the murder of his wife4 ,but this made no impression on the hardened mind of ,caulfield1 for the very next day he perpetrated the same crime on the road between ,waterford and ,carrick-on-,suir1 near which town ,hickey's relations lived4 8,he walked to the gallows with firm step and undaunted countenance4 ,he spoke to the multitude who surrounded him1 and in the course of his address mentioned that he had been bred at a charter-school1 from which he was taken as an apprenticed servant by ,william ,izod1 ,esq41 of the county of ,kilkenny4 ,from this position he ran away on being corrected for some faults1 and had been absent from ,ireland six years4 ,he confessed also that he had several times intended to murder ,hickey on the road from ,waterford to ,portlaw1 which1 though in general not a road much frequented1 yet people at that time continually coming in sight1 prevented him4 8,being frustrated in all his schemes1 the sudden and total disappointment threw him probably into an indifference for life4 ,some tempers are so stubborn and rugged that nothing can affect them1 but immediate sensation4 ,if to this be united the darkest ignorance1 death to such characters will hardly seem terrible1 because they can form no conception of what it is1 and still less of the consequences that may follow40 ,the record of the following dream is certainly curious and interesting1 and is perfectly well authenticated1 coming as it does from the pen of the gentleman's son more immediately concerned1 who testified as to its literal fulfilment3-- 8,in the year #agfh my father1 ,matthew ,talbot1 ,esq41 of ,castle ,talbot1 in the county of ,wexford1 was much surprised at the recurrence of a dream three several times during the same night1 which caused him to repeat the whole circumstance to his lady the following morning4 ,he dreamed that he had arisen as usual and descended to his library1 the morning being hazy4 ,he then seated himself at his secrtaire to write2 when1 happening to look up a long avenue of trees opposite the window1 he perceived a man in a blue jacket mounted on a white horse coming towards the house4 ,my father arose and opened the window4 ,the man advancing1 presented him with a roll of papers1 and told him they were invoices of a vessel which had been wrecked and had drifted in during the night on his son-in-law's1 ,lord ,mountmorris's1 estate close by1 and signed #8,bell and ,stephenson4' ,my father's attention was only called to the dream from its frequent recurrence3 but1 when he found himself seated at his desk on the misty morning1 and beheld the identical person whom he had seen in his dream in the blue coat riding on the grey horse1 he felt surprised1 and opening the window waited the man's approach4 ,he immediately rode up1 and drawing from his pocket a packet of papers1 gave them to my father1 stating they were invoices belonging to an ,american vessel which had been wrecked1 and drifted in upon his lordship's estate2 that there was no person on board to lay claim to the wreck1 but that the invoices were signed #8,stephenson and ,bell4' ,i assure you that the above is most faithfully given by me as it actually occurred2 but it is not more extraordinary than other examples of the prophetic powers of the mind or soul in sleep which ,i have frequently heard related40#abj ,another remarkable dream1 exceedingly well authenticated by an aunt of the ,editor of this volume1 is now set forth in detail and at some length3-- 8,on the night of the #aath of ,may1 #ahab1 ,mr4 ,williams1 of ,scorrier ,house1 near ,redruth1 in ,cornwall1 awoke his wife1 and exceedingly agitated1 told her that he had dreamed that he was in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons1 and saw a man shoot with a pistol a gentleman who had just entered the lobby1 who was said to be the ,chancellor1 to which ,mrs4 ,williams naturally replied that it was only a dream1 and recommended him to be composed1 and go to sleep as soon as he could4 8,he did so1 but shortly after again woke her2 and said that he had the second time had the same dream2 whereupon she observed that he had been so much agitated with his former dream that she supposed it had dwelt on his mind1 and begged of him to try to compose himself and go to sleep1 which he did4 ,a third time the same vision was repeated1 on which1 notwithstanding her entreaties that he would be quiet1 and endeavour to forget it1 he arose1 being then between one and two o'clock1 and dressed himself4 8,at breakfast the dreams were the sole subject of conversation1 and in the forenoon ,mr4 ,williams went to ,falmouth1 where he related the particulars of them to all his acquaintance that he met4 8,on the following day1 ,mr4 ,tucker1 of ,trematon ,castle1 accompanied by his wife1 a daughter of ,mr4 ,williams1 went to ,scorrier ,house about dusk4 ,immediately after the first salutation1 on their entering the parlour1 where were ,mr41 ,mrs41 and ,miss ,williams1 ,mr4 ,williams began to relate to ,mr4 ,tucker the circumstances of his dream2 and ,mrs4 ,williams observed to her daughter1 ,mrs4 ,tucker1 laughingly1 that her father could not even suffer ,mr4 ,tucker to be seated before he told him of his nocturnal visitation2 on the statement of which ,mr4 ,tucker observed that it would do very well for a dream to have the ,chancellor in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons1 but that he would not be found there in reality2 and ,mr4 ,tucker then asked what sort of man he appeared to be1 when ,mr4 ,williams minutely described him2 to which ,mr4 ,tucker replied3 #8,your description is not at all that of the ,chancellor1 but is certainly very exactly that of ,mr4 ,perceval1 the ,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 and although he has been to me the greatest enemy ,i ever met with through life1 for a supposed cause which had no foundation in truth 7or words to that effect71 ,i should be exceedingly sorry1 indeed1 to hear of his being assassinated1 or of any injury of the kind happening to him4' 8,mr4 ,tucker then inquired of ,mr4 ,williams if he had ever seen ,mr4 ,perceval1 and was told that he never had seen him1 nor had ever even written to him1 either on public or private business2 in short1 that he never had had anything to do with him1 nor had he ever been in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons in his life4 8,at this moment1 whilst ,mr4 ,williams and ,mr4 ,tucker were still standing1 they heard a horse gallop to the door of the ,house1 and immediately after1 ,mr4 ,michael ,williams of ,trevince 7son of ,mr4 ,williams of ,scorrier71 entered the room and said that he had galloped out from ,truro 7from which ,scorrier ,house is distant seven miles71 having seen a gentleman there1 who had come by that evening's mail from ,london1 who said that he was in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons1 on the evening of the #aath1 when a man called ,bellingham had shot ,mr4 ,perceval1 and that1 as it might occasion some great ministerial changes1 and might affect ,mr4 ,tucker's political friends1 he had come out as fast as he could to make him acquainted with it1 having heard at ,truro that he had passed through that place in the afternoon on his way to ,scorrier4 8,after the astonishment which this intelligence had created had a little subsided1 ,mr4 ,williams described most particularly the appearance and dress of the man whom he had seen in his dream fire the pistol1 as he had before done of ,mr4 ,perceval4 8,about six weeks after1 ,mr4 ,williams1 having business in town1 went accompanied by a friend to the ,house of ,commons1 where 7as has been already observed7 he had never before been4 ,immediately that he came to the steps at the entrance of the lobby1 he said3 #8,this place is as distinctly within my recollection in my dream1 as any room in my house1' and he made the same observation when he entered the lobby4 8,he then pointed out the exact spot where ,bellingham stood when he fired1 and where ,mr4 ,perceval had reached when he was struck by the ball1 and where and how he fell4 ,the dress1 both of ,mr4 ,perceval and ,bellingham1 agreed with the descriptions given by ,mr4 ,williams1 even to the most minute particular40#aba ,the number of records in which it is believed that dreams have been the means by which murder has been discovered are so considerable2 and some are so well authenticated1 that it is impossible1 as it certainly would be presumptuous1 to endeavour to set them aside4 ,the murder of ,maria ,marten of ,polstead in ,suffolk1 by ,william ,corder1 a farmer1 in ,may of the year #ahbg1 is a remarkable example3-- ,this unfortunate woman was induced to leave her home1 and having accompanied the man who1 under the promise of marriage1 had betrayed her1 to a certain barn1 was there cruelly murdered and buried under the floor4 ,for nearly twelve months the murder was undiscovered2 for ,corder1 who remained away1 but still communicated with her parents1 maintained that she had married him2 that circumstances prevented his bringing her back to his father's home3 but that in due course they would both come1 though it was implied that they were both on the ,continent4 ,the mother of the murdered woman1 however1 about ten months after her daughter's death1 dreamed that her daughter had been murdered1 and buried under the floor of the barn4 ,so strong and deep an impression did this make both on her relations and the people of the village1 that the girl's father and others on ,april #ai1 #ahbh1 took up the floor of the barn1 where they discovered the body of the murdered woman in a sack2 and not so much decayed but that obvious marks of violence were perceptible4 ,the body was successfully identified by the want of two teeth--one on the left side of the upper jaw1 and the other on the right side of the lower4 ,in the meantime ,corder had married1 and had gone to live in ,essex1 where he was apprehended1 tried1 and condemned on the strongest circumstantial evidence4 ,he made a full confession of the murder when in prison1 under sentence of death1 and was executed in ,august1 #ahbh4 ,the following sets forth how an impressive1 vivid1 and twice-repeated dream induced a sailor to go to the place dreamed of1 and rescue three suffering fellow-creatures from a horrible death4 ,it was related to a ,cornish friend1 as a matter of fact1 by a native of the island of ,alderney1 and is quite worthy of being here recorded3-- 8,some few years before the erection of those well-known lighthouses called the ,caskets1 near that island1 an islander dreamed that a ship had been wrecked near those rocks1 and that some part of the crew had saved themselves upon them4 ,this dream he related on the quay2 but the sailors 7although the most superstitious people in the world7 treated it as an idle fancy4 ,yet the next night produced the same dream1 and the man would no longer be laughed out of it2 so he prevailed upon a companion the next morning to take a boat and go with him to the rock1 where they found three poor wretches half-starved with cold and hunger1 and brought them on shore4 ,this circumstance1 and the supposed loss of the #8,victory' on this rock1 the islanders give as a reason for erecting three lighthouses there40 ,still more remarkable perhaps is the following1 which1 telling its own story1 and abundantly illustrating the reality of the ,supernatural1 needs no comment3-- 8,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,perring1 ,vicar of a parish which is now a component part of ,london1 though1 about forty-five years ago it had the appearance of a village at the outskirts1 had to encounter the sad affliction of losing his eldest ,son at an age when parents are encouraged to believe their children are to become their survivors2 the youth dying in his seventeenth year4 ,he was buried in the vaults of the church4 8,two nights subsequently to that interment1 the father dreamed#abb that he saw his ,son habited in a shroud spotted with blood1 the expression of his countenance being that of a person enduring some paroxysm of acute pain3 #8,father1 father6 come and defend me6' were the words he distinctly heard1 as he gazed on this awe-inspiring apparition2 #8they will not let me rest quiet in my coffin4' 8,the venerable man awoke with terror and trembling2 but after a brief interval of painful reflection concluded himself to be labouring under the influence of his sad day-thoughts1 and the depression of past sufferings2 and with these rational assurances commended himself to the ,all-,merciful1 and slumbered again and slept4 8,he saw his ,son again beseeching him to protect his remains from outrage1 #8,for1' said the apparently surviving dead one1 #8they are mangling my body at this moment4' ,the unhappy ,father rose at once1 being now unable to banish the fearful image from his mind1 and determined when day should dawn to satisfy himself of the delusiveness or verity of the revelation conveyed through this seeming voice from the grave4 8,at an early hour1 accordingly1 he repaired to the ,clerk's house1 where the keys of the church and of the vaults were kept4 ,the ,clerk after considerable delay1 came down-stairs1 saying it was very unfortunate he should want them just on that very day1 as his son over the way had taken them to the smith's for repair1--one of the largest of the bunch of keys having been broken off short in the main door of the vault1 so as to render it impracticable for anybody to enter till the lock had been picked and taken off4 8,impelled by the worst misgivings1 the ,vicar loudly insisted on the ,clerk's accompanying him to the blacksmith's--not for a key but for a crowbar1 it being his resolute determination to enter the vault and see his ,son's coffin without a moment's delay4 8,the recollections of the dream were now becoming more and more vivid1 and the scrutiny about to be made assumed a solemnity mingled with awe1 which the agitation of the father rendered terrible to the agents in this forcible interruption into the resting-place of the dead4 ,but the hinges were speedily wrenched asunder--the bar and bolts were beaten in and bent beneath the heavy hammer of the smith1--and at length with tottering and outstretched hands1 the maddened parent stumbled and fell3 his son's coffin had been lifted from the recess at the vault's side and deposited on the brick floor2 the lid1 released from every screw1 lay loose at top1 and the body1 enveloped in its shroud1 on which were several dark spots below the chin1 lay exposed to view2 the head had been raised1 the broad riband had been removed from under the jaw1 which now hung down with the most ghastly horror of expression1 as if to tell with more terrific certainty the truth of the preceding night's vision4 ,every tooth in the head had been drawn4 8,the young man had when living a beautiful set of sound teeth4 ,the ,clerk's ,son1 who was a barber1 cupper1 and dentist1 had possessed himself of the keys1 and eventually of the teeth1 for the purpose of profitable employment of so excellent a set in his line of business4 ,the feelings of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,perring can be easily conceived4 ,the event affected his mind through the remaining term of his existence2 but what became of the delinquent whose sacrilegious hand had thus rifled the tomb was never afterwards correctly ascertained4 ,he decamped the same day1 and was supposed to have enlisted as a soldier4 ,the ,clerk was ignominiously displaced1 and did not long survive the transaction4 ,some years afterwards1 his house was pulled down to afford room for extensive improvements and new buildings in the village4 8,as regards the occurrence itself1 few persons were apprised of it2 as the ,vicar--shunning public talk and excitement on the subject of any member of his family--exerted himself in concealing the circumstances as much as possible4 ,the above facts1 however1 may be strictly relied on as accurate40 ,a somewhat similar dream is recorded in the following statement1 copied from the public prints1 the fact of which has been authenticated by a correspondent in ,scotland1 who furnished the ,editor with it4 ,the paragraph1 now to be quoted1 appeared some years ago in the 8,scotsman0 newspaper1 and was quoted in the 8,times0 of ,tuesday1 ,april #be1 #ahfe3-- 8,the legal proceedings which lately took place in the ,sheriff ,court of ,clackmannanshire1 with regard to the violation of a grave in the churchyard at ,alloa1 and the unwarrantable exhumation of the body of ,james ,quin1 had their origin1 it is stated1 in a remarkable dream of the mother of the deceased4 ,young ,quin died in ,september1 #ahfc1 and was buried in a lair in the churchyard1 which was purchased by his father from ,william ,donaldson1 the ,kirk ,treasurer1 it being agreed that the price was to be paid by instalments4 ,about six months afterwards1 ,robert ,blair1 the sexton or grave-digger1 took upon himself 7without the authority1 it would appear1 of ,donaldson7 to sell the same lair to another person1 and to inter therein a relative of the new purchaser1 without1 however1 at the time exhuming the body of ,quin1 the former tenant4 ,some considerable time after this the mother of ,quin being desirous of erecting a head-stone on the grave of her son1 made some inquiries with that view1 in the course of which she heard something of another person having been buried in his grave1 this having1 as she stated1 been #8cast up' by ,blair's nephew to a younger son of hers on their way from ,sunday-school4 ,but the grave-digger denied the truth of this story1 and managed to pacify her4 ,feeling1 however1 that he had got into a scrape by the lair having been resold1 he1 some weeks after ,mrs4 ,quin had interrogated him on the subject1 dug up the body of her son during the night of ,thursday1 the #bcrd of ,march last1 and reinterred it in the other ground4 ,now1 on that very ,thursday night1 as sworn to by ,mrs4 ,quin1 at the trial1 she had this remarkable dream3-- 8,she dreamt that her boy stood in his nightgown1 at her bedside1 and said to her1 #8,oh1 mother1 put me back to my own bed4' ,she then awoke her husband1 and forgetting in her half-dreaming state that her son was dead1 said to him1 #8,jemmie is out of his bed2 put him back into it2' after which she fell asleep1 and again had the same dream4 8,a third time1 during the same night1 she dreamt that her son was standing beside her bed2 but on this occasion remembering that he was dead1 the figure of the grave-digger was mixed up with that of the boy1 and he appeared to be shoving his spade into the body4 ,awakening in great trepidation1 and feeling certain that her boy had been taken out of his grave1 she went to the grave-digger and vehemently accused him of having dug up the body1 which1 after prevarication1 he at last admitted4 ,hence arose the action of damages against ,donaldson1 the ,kirk ,treasurer1 and ,blair1 the grave-digger1 which being restricted to twelve pounds was brought in the ,small ,debt ,court4 ,the ,sheriff1 after a long proof1 assoilzied ,donaldson1 and found ,blair liable in damages1 which1 the parties not having settled the same extrajudicially1 have since been assessed at five pounds40 ,another dream1 equally remarkable1 by which a warning was given1 and in a measure attended to by the dreamer1 now follows2 although not so weirdly tragic as that relating to the ,perring ,family1 yet it efficiently serves to shadow forth the proximity of the spiritual world2 and1 it may be1 in this example1 the direct intervention of a guardian-angel3-- 8,some years ago a clergyman named ,w---- was visiting an old college friend1 ,canon ,hutchinson of ,blurton ,vicarage1 near ,trentham1 and being a good pedestrian1 proposed to accomplish his journey home again from ,trentham to ,birmingham1 which place he desired to reach by ten o'clock one morning1 on foot4 ,in order to do this he intended to leave ,blurton at four o'clock a4m4 on a certain day2 and so retired to rest the previous evening at an unusually early hour4 ,during the night he had a vivid and remarkable dream1 which deeply impressed him4 ,he dreamt that whilst he was on his walking journey between ,tamworth and ,sutton1 upon a very lonely road enclosed by tall hedges1 he heard a rough voice cry out1 #8,ah1 ,jack1 are you there8' and looking round saw two exceedingly ill-looking men jumping down from an elevated part of the bank under the hedge1 and alighting close to him on the path below4 ,their countenances and suspicious bearing seemed to bespeak their evil intentions4 ,presently one of them all of a sudden presented a pistol at him4 ,the clergyman imagined that he had only a moment or two in which to commend his soul to ,god1 which he did with earnestness1 when the pistol was fired and his life thus taken away4 ,here the dream ended and he awoke4 ,it left an uneasy impression on his mind1 but being naturally of an undaunted spirit1 and a firm believer in the protection of ,almighty ,god1 he did not hesitate to leave his friend's house at the early period determined on4 ,after walking for about an hour and a half1 and when a few miles from ,sutton ,coldfield1 where all of a sudden1 as regards locality1 he realized the minutest details of the dream1 two men coming through the hedge suddenly overtook him4 ,one addressed the other in the words already set forth4 ,they were in every particular1 even to features1 dress1 and demeanour1 identical with those whom he had seen in the dream4 ,they accompanied him1 keeping close to his side1 and watched him with very mysterious looks4 ,he was deeply startled and alarmed1 but lifted up his heart to ,god for guidance1 direction1 and protection4 ,soon they all reached a broad and dreary common1 upon the extreme distant edge of which stood a small inn1 whither he resolved to go for refreshment in the hope of shaking off his companions4 ,here for awhile they separated2 but1 on entering the house and asking to be supplied with tea1 he found that the two men had followed him1 and were asking for refreshments likewise4 ,after waiting for some time1 he determined on leaving the inn by a path at its back entrance1 which1 from knowing something of the locality1 he believed would take him by a nearer way to ,sutton ,coldfield4 ,this turned out to be the case2 for by his action he successfully avoided the two tramps1 who were afterwards taken up and imprisoned for some marked offence against the laws of the land40#abc ,a warning of a very similar character may now be narrated1 in which the curious point seems to be that it was given so many years before it was needed1 though its efficiency was fully made manifest when the actual danger threatened3-- 8,the ,housekeeper of a county family in ,oxfordshire dreamt one night that she had been left alone in the house upon a ,sunday evening1 and that hearing a knock at the door of the chief entrance1 she went to it1 and there found an ill-looking tramp armed with a bludgeon1 who insisted on forcing himself into the house4 ,she thought that she struggled for some time to prevent him so doing1 but quite ineffectually2 and that being struck down by him and rendered insensible1 he thereupon gained ingress to the mansion4 ,on this she awoke4 8,she at once mentioned her dream to some of her fellow-servants1 and also1 a few days later1 to the ,master of the ,house4 ,the latter1 smiling1 pooh-poohed it2 but remarked that #8all the greater care should be taken by the servants to see that the fastenings were secure4' 8,as nothing happened for a considerable period1 the circumstance of the dream was soon forgotten2 and1 as she herself asserts1 had altogether passed away from her mind4 ,however1 many years afterwards1 this same ,housekeeper was left with two other servants to take charge of an isolated mansion at ,kensington 7subsequently the town residence of the family71 when1 on a certain ,sunday evening1 her fellow-servants having gone out and left her alone1 she was suddenly startled by a loud knock at the front door4 8,all of a sudden the remembrance of her former dream returned to her with singular vividness and remarkable force1 and she felt her lonely isolation greatly4 ,accordingly1 having at once lighted a lamp on the hall table--during which act the loud knock was repeated with vigour--she took the precaution to go up to a landing on the stair1 throw up the window1 and there1 to her intense terror1 she saw in the flesh the very man whom years previously she had seen in her dream1 armed with a bludgeon and demanding an entrance4 ,with great presence of mind she went down to the chief entrance1 made that and other doors and windows more secure1 and then rang the various bells of the house violently1 and placed lights in the upper rooms4 ,it was concluded that by these acts the intruder was scared away4 ,it turned out afterwards that the lodge-keeper1 having left two children to guard the entrance1 they had been terrified into admitting the tramp into the garden2 and that the latter had fastened them into the lodge1 where they were found in a considerable state of alarm by the two servants on their return home40#abd ,another example of a warning attended to1 which had been given in a dream1 and acted upon immediately afterwards1 comes to the ,editor on conclusive evidence of its undoubted truth and authenticity3 ,a ,scotch lady1 a relation of the late ,j4 ,r4 ,hope ,scott1 ,esq41 of ,abbotsford1 dreamt that her nephew1 a promising young student of the ,university of ,edinburgh1 had been drowned with two companions with whom he had made an engagement to take an excursion by boat on the ,frith of ,forth4 ,so much impressed was she by this dream1 that she rose two hours earlier than usual in the morning1 and sent off her man-servant at once to prevail upon her nephew to give up his engagement4 ,on being pressed he did so4 ,his companions 7who had also been warned not to go17 went without him1 and alone1 that is1 without an experienced sailor4 ,the boat was capsized and they were both drowned4 ,in the case which is now to follow1 the warning given1 not having been acted upon at once1 came too late4 ,it was narrated to the ,editor1 viv voce1 in #ahff1 by the late ,dr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,neale3-- 8,in the autumn of the year #ahde1 one of the maid-servants of the then rector of ,shepperton1 a village on the ,thames1 near ,chertsey1 dreamed that her brother1 a respectable and steady youth belonging to that place1 was drowned4 ,the dream was singularly vivid4 ,in it she further imagined that she actually went to search for her brother's body1 and that1 after seeking for some time1 she found it at a certain part of the river1 which she knew well1 near the brink1 and in a particular position4 ,this dream took place on a ,saturday night4 ,when she awoke on the ,sunday morning1 she at once acquainted her fellow-servant 7who saw how deep an impression the dream had evidently made71 and remarked that she ought at once to obtain her master's leave to go home on the morrow1 and warn her brother1 who was unable to swim1 not to go out on to the river4 ,the leave was given1 and her home was soon reached1 but alas6 the warning had come too late4 ,her brother had gone rowing on the ,sunday evening1 the boat was accidentally upset1 and he was drowned4 ,the body was not recovered for some time2 nor was it found near the spot where the accident had happened4 ,but it was found by the poor youth's sister1 lower down the river1 and exactly in the same place and position as had been so forcibly and clearly prefigured in her impressive dream40 ,the following example of a dream which occurred about twenty years ago1 by which the fact of a murder was made known1 being likewise well authenticated and of considerable interest1 is now set forth3-- 8,on ,saturday1 the #cjth of ,july1 #ahec1 the dead body of a young woman was discovered in a field at ,littleport1 in the isle of ,ely4 ,the body has not yet been identified1 and there can be little doubt that the young woman was murdered4 ,at the adjourned inquest1 held on the #bith ,august before ,mr4 ,william ,marshall1 one of the coroners for the ,isle1 the following extraordinary evidence was given3-- 8,james ,jessop1 an elderly1 respectable-looking labourer1 with a face of the most perfect stolidity1 and who possessed a most curiously-shaped skull1 broad and flat on the top1 and projecting greatly on each side over the ears1 deposed--#8,i live about a furlong and a half from where the body was found4 ,i have seen the body of the deceased4 ,i have never seen her before her death4 ,on the night of ,friday1 the #bith of ,july1 ,i dreamt three successive times that ,i heard the cry of murder issuing from near the bottom of a close called ,little ,ditchment ,close 7the place where the body was found74 ,the first time ,i dreamt ,i heard the cry it awoke me4 ,i fell asleep again and dreamt the same thing4 ,i then awoke again and told my wife ,i could not rest1 but ,i dreamt it again after that4 ,i got up between four and five o'clock1 but ,i did not go down to the close1 the wheat and barley in which has been since cut4 8#8,i dreamt once about twenty years ago that ,i saw a woman hanging in a barn1 and on passing the next morning the barn which had appeared to me in my dream1 ,i entered and did find a woman there hanging1 and cut her down in time to save her life4 ,i never told my wife that ,i heard cries of 8murder10 but ,i have mentioned it to several persons since4 ,i saw the body on the ,saturday it was found4 ,i did not mention my dream to any one till a day or two after that4 ,i saw the field distinctly in my dream and the trees therein1 but ,i saw no person in it4 ,on the night of the murder the wind lay from that spot to my house4' 8,rhoda ,jessop1 wife of the last witness1 stated that her husband related his dreams to her on the evening of the day that the body was found40#abe ,another case1 deeply interesting1 and certainly more dramatic in the nature and importance of the very practical results which followed from the action taken upon it1 than even that already recorded of the ,perring family 7for it greatly benefited the living71 is now narrated4 ,the interesting account1 which1 with the greatest simplicity1 and in the actual words of the persons advantaged1 records the plain facts1 tells its own story with considerable power4 ,frivolous and pointless as are so many dreams1 without intelligible purpose or sequence of action1 this is one which it may be reasonably held can only be explained by a firm belief in a superintending ,providence1 in other words in ,almighty ,god1 ,who1 as an old writer asserts1 8sometimes warneth and instructeth in dreams10 and ,who mercifully uses the ministry both of angels and men for carrying out ,his ,divine purpose3-- 8,a ,gloucestershire gentleman in good circumstances1 who for many years had lived a retired life1 quite apart from his relations1 some of whom in a previous year had been cast in a lawsuit with him for the recovery of certain properties1 suddenly died1 and1 as was supposed1 died intestate4 8,he had long intended1 at the advice of the ,rector of the village in which he dwelt1 and with whom alone he was on terms of intimacy1 to make certain provisions by will on behalf of the relations in question1 who had lost much by his successful lawsuit4 ,however1 this 7as was believed by his family lawyer1 residing in an adjacent country town1 who proceeded to settle his affairs7 had not been done2 and the whole of his property consequently seemed likely to go to his heir-at-law1 a man of property1 almost unknown to him4 8,five months after his death1 however1 the ,rector of the parish in which he had lived1 had what he termed #8a waking dream1' in which he imagined that the deceased gentleman came to him in sorrow1 and solemnly conjured him to obtain possession of a ,will1 which had been duly made by him in ,london a few months before his decease1 and which was in the custody of a firm of attorneys there1 which ,will was so drawn as that the relations in question should greatly benefit by the just and righteous disposition therein of his property4 ,imagining the dream to be only a dream and nothing more1 he took no notice of it1 and regarded it as the mere result of his own imagination4 8,in about a fortnight1 however1 the identical dream occurred again--with the simple difference that the deceased gentleman bore an expression of deeper grief1 and appeared to urge him1 in still stronger terms1 to obtain the ,will4 ,the ,rector was much impressed by this2 but on careful reflection upon the following day1 appeared indisposed1 on such testimony1 to interfere with arrangements which were then being made for the settlement of the deceased person's affairs1 on the supposition that he had left no ,will4 ,and consequently he did nothing4 8,a third time1 however1 about eight days afterwards1 he had the same dream1 with certain additional details of import and moment4 ,the deceased person1 as the ,rector imagined1 appearing once again1 urged him most vehemently and solemnly to do as he wished1 and to go and obtain the ,will4 ,a conversation took place as it were in the dream1 and the clergyman set forth many cogent arguments why he should not be called upon to undertake a work1 which might not only be misunderstood1 but might render him liable to misrepresentations1 if not to trouble and annoyance4 8,however1 at last he consented1 and1 in his dream1 accompanied the deceased person to a certain lawyer's office at a certain number1 on a certain floor in ,staple ,inn1 on the south side of ,holborn1 where the drawer in a writing-table was opened1 and he saw the packet containing the ,will sealed in three places1 with the deceased person's armorial bearings4 ,the whole room was before him vividly4 ,it was panelled in oak1 picked out with white and pale green1 and over the mantel-piece hung an engraving of ,lord ,eldon4 8,the ,rector awoke1 and resolved without delay to do as he was enjoined4 ,before proceeding1 he mentioned the circumstance of the thrice-repeated dream to a clerical friend1 who volunteered to accompany him to ,london on his important errand4 8,they went together4 ,neither had ever been to ,staple ,inn before2 nor did they know its exact whereabouts4 ,on inquiry1 however1 it was soon found4 ,and so was the room and office1 with the furniture and print of ,lord ,eldon1 which had been seen beforehand by the ,rector in the dream1 to his intense awe and wonderment4 ,even the peculiar handles of the writing-table1 which were of brass and old-fashioned1 were those which had been clearly apparent4 ,the identical drawer was opened1 and the ,will1 secured in an envelope of stout paper and sealed with three impressions1 was found1 just as it had been seen in the dream4 ,the lawyer1 who at once gave every facility for inquiry1 was a junior partner in the firm which had drawn it up1 and had only recently come to ,london1 from a cathedral city1 where the firm in question had a branch office1 on the death of the chief partner4 ,the ,will was found to be good and valid1 and was in due course proved4 ,under it the relations1 who had so suffered by the loss of their law-suit as to have been almost reduced to penury1 obtained their due4 ,the whole of these facts are vouched for by a friend of the ,editor of this book40#abf ,the following example of presentiment of death is also well authenticated4 ,it occurred on board one of the ships of the ,royal ,navy at ,portsmouth in the year #ahej4 ,from the ,,ms4 account1 furnished by one thoroughly able to give an exact record1 the following is taken3-- 8,the officers being one day at the ,mess-table1 a young ,lieutenant ,r----suddenly laid down his knife and fork1 pushed away his plate1 and turned extremely pale4 ,he then rose from the table1 covering his face with his hands1 and retired from the room4 ,the ,president of the mess1 supposing him to be ill1 sent one of the young men to inquire what was the matter4 ,at first ,mr4 ,r---- was unwilling to speak2 but1 on being pressed1 he confessed that he had been seized by a sudden and irresistible impression that a brother he had in ,india was dead4 #8,he died1' said he1 #8on the #abth of ,august at six o'clock1 ,i am perfectly sure of it4' ,no argument could overthrow this conviction1 which1 in due course of post1 was verified to the letter4 ,the young man had died at ,cawnpore at the precise period mentioned40 ,under the heading of 8,singular ,prognostication10 8,the ,times0 of ,april the #agth1 #ahfe1 copies from the 8,cornish ,telegraph0 the narrative of a then recent dream of a young clergyman of the county of ,cornwall1 which was almost immediately followed by the accidental death of the dreamer3-- 8,on ,wednesday last1 the ,rev4 ,stephen ,barclay ,drury1 an unmarried clergyman of twenty-six1 who has for about twelve months acted as the curate of ,phillack and ,gwithian1 had a conversation with the brother of the ,rector of those parishes1#abg ,mr4 ,charles ,hockin1 and related a dream1 which he described as a very singular one1 and as having made a deep impression on him4 8,his words were3 #8,i dreamt ,i was to be buried1 and ,i followed my coffin into the church1 and thence to the tomb4 ,i took no part in the service1 and when we came to the tomb1 ,i looked into it1 and saw it was very nice4 ,i then asked the undertaker who was to be buried1 and he answered1 8,you40 ,i then said1 8,i am not to be buried1 ,i am not dead40 ,the undertaker then said1 8,i must be paid for the coffin10 upon which ,i awoke4' 8,on ,sunday morning and afternoon ,mr4 ,drury officiated at ,gwithian1 and after the second service remained with the children to practise singing4 8,returning to his lodgings in ,gwithian at half-past four1 he waited a little1 took with him ,thomas ,kempis' #8,de ,imitatione ,christi1' and set out for a walk1 accompanied by a ,newfoundland dog4 ,he asked for a bit of cord1 as he might give the dog a dip1 and started in his usually cheerful and happy mood4 ,in an hour and a half the dog returned with the cord around his neck4 8,mr4 ,drury was never again seen alive4 ,his absence throughout the night occasioned no surprise1 as he sometimes went to1 and slept at ,copperhouse1 two miles off4 8,on ,monday morning a ,gwinear miner1 in quest of seaweed at low water1 near the rocky shore of ,godrevy1 saw ,mr4 ,drury's body in a pool seventy or eighty yards from the sea4 8,an inquest1 under the county coroner1 ,mr4 ,john ,roscoria1 was held on ,tuesday at ,gwithian1 when these circumstances were elicited1 and a verdict was returned of #8,found ,drowned4' 8,from the facts1 however1 that ,mr4 ,drury had never shown the least signs of depression1 that he started with the expressed intention of giving the dog a dip1 and that he was very near-sighted1 the general inference is that the unfortunate gentleman slipped on the rocks1 was stunned1 fell into the water1 and so casually and singularly fulfilled his strange dream of a few days previously40 ,a somewhat similar prognostication was had in the case of ,captain ,speer1 which may properly be put on record1 for1 as in the case already narrated1 it turned out to be a true warning of impending death3 ,captain ,speer1 an officer of the #crd ,surrey ,militia1 and a magistrate for the county of ,surrey1#abh lately met his death under remarkable circumstances4 ,the 8,quebec ,mercury0 says3--8,captain ,w4 ,d4 ,speer passed the last winter among us4 ,during part of it1 he had some fine sport on the north shore of the ,s4 ,lawrence1 in company with ,captain ,knox and ,lieutenant ,duthie1 of the #ajth ,royal ,artillery4 ,this spring he made a tour through the ,states and ,west ,indies1 with ,major ,leslie1 ,r4,a41 returning only for a few days1 to set out again on what has1 alas6 proved to be his last expedition4#abi ,strange to say1 he stated to several gentlemen1 just before setting out1 that he had had a dream in which he distinctly saw a coffin with the name of #8,w4 ,d4 ,speer1 died ,june #agth1 #ahfg1' on it2 and in writing to a lady three weeks previously1#acj he said in a joke that one reason for addressing her was his own approaching end4 ,the date of his death is not known1#aca but it must have been on the day he named1 or very near it4 ,it appears that he was going to his cabin on board the ,mississippi steamer1 which was at anchor1 and somewhere in the neighbourhood of the ,indian disturbances2 when in the middle of the night he was shot dead by a sentry1 who omitted to challenge him40 ,on this remarkable incident a ,letter was written1 from which the following extract may fittingly be put on record here3 8,it seems the account of the dream was true1 as ,major ,terry told ,mr4 ,kempson1 that he had heard the letter read in which he ,captain ,speer related the circumstance4 ,singular1 was it not8 ,i trust it may have taken some little effect on his mind1 but ,i fear he was not one to attach any importance to such a warning4 ,however1 ,i do hope he did1 for it is so awful to think of anyone in pure health and spirits being ushered into ,eternity without one moment's preparation40 ,from a ,letter1 dated ,august #ajth1 #ahfg1 signed 8,anne ,m4 ,kempson1 ,richmond ,hill1 ,surrey1 ,s4,w40 ,another example of a warning given in a dream 7but neglected7 may now be put on record3 ,a few years ago a serious accident occurred in the village of ,bulmer1 in ,yorkshire1 to a pic-nic party going to ,castle ,howard4 ,the party made the journey in an omnibus1 and it seems that the wife of one of the men hesitated to join the others1 and tried to persuade her husband not to go1 because she asserted that she had dreamt a week before that they were in an omnibus1 and were upset on going through a village and greatly injured1 the fright awakening her4 ,the man and his wife however did go2 but on reaching ,bulmer1 the woman became greatly excited4 ,not only1 she remarked1 was the omnibus that which she had seen in her dream1 but the village was the one in which the accident she dreamt of appeared to happen4 ,the words were scarcely uttered when the omnibus was upset and a scene of great confusion resulted4 ,those on the outside were thrown to the ground with great violence2 one man was rendered insensible by the omnibus falling upon him1 and several sustained rather serious injuries4 ,the woman to whom the accident was revealed beforehand1 was herself badly hurt2 but her husband's was the worst case1 he sustaining a dislocation of an ankle4 ,medical aid was quickly procured1 the sufferers were relieved1 and afterwards conveyed to their homes4 ,every incident of the accident seems to have been pictured in the premonitory dream4 ,a remarkable presentiment by means of a dream is related in the second section of the first volume of the 8,museum of ,wonders10 and is to the following effect4 ,though not new1 it is so exceptionally curious as to be quite worthy of reproduction here3-- 8,a short time before the ,princess ,natgotsky1 of ,warsaw1 travelled to ,paris1 she had the following dream3--,she dreamed that she found herself in an unknown apartment1 when a man who was likewise unknown to her1 came to her with a cup1 and presented it to her to drink out of4 ,she replied that she was not thirsty1 and thanked him for his offer4 ,the unknown individual repeated his request1 and added that she ought not to refuse it any longer1 for it would be the last she would ever drink in her life4 ,at this she was greatly terrified and awoke4 8,in ,october1 #agbj1 the ,princess arrived at ,paris1 in good health and spirits2 and occupied a furnished hotel1 where soon after her arrival she was seized with a violent fever4 ,she immediately sent for the ,king's celebrated physician1 the father of ,helvetius4 ,the physician came1 and the ,princess showed striking marks of astonishment4 ,she was asked the reason of it1 and gave for answer that the physician perfectly resembled the man whom she had seen at ,warsaw in a dream2 but added she1 #8,i shall not die this time1 for this is not the same apartment which ,i saw on that occasion in my dream4' 8,the ,princess was soon after completely restored1 and appeared to have altogether forgotten her dream1 when a new incident reminded her of it in a most forcible manner4 ,she was dissatisfied with her lodgings at the hotel1 and therefore requested that a dwelling might be prepared for her in a convent at ,paris1 which was accordingly done4 ,the ,princess removed to the convent1 but scarcely had she entered the apartment destined for her1 than she began to exclaim aloud3 #8,it is all over with me2 ,i shall not come out of this room again alive1 for it is the same that ,i saw at ,warsaw in my dream6' ,she died in reality not long afterward in the same room1 in the beginning of the year #agba1 of an ulcer in the throat1 occasioned by the drawing of a tooth40 8,this dream10 observes ,jung ,stilling1 from whose work the account of it is transcribed1 8proceeded from a good angel1 who wished to attract the attention of the ,princess to her approaching end40 ,a dignitary of the ,church of ,england1 of rank and reputation1 courteously furnishes the ,editor with the following remarkable ,dream1 which occurred to himself1--alas6 so completely fulfilled4 ,another account of the same1 almost identical in terms1 was sent to him from another quarter4 ,but he prefers putting on record the former3#acb-- 8,my brother had left ,london for the country to preach and speak on behalf of a certain ,church ,society1 to which he was officially attached4 ,he was in his usual health1 and ,i was therefore in no special anxiety about him4 ,one night my wife woke me1 finding that ,i was sobbing in my sleep1 and asked me what it was4 ,i said1 #8,i have been to a strange place in my dream4 ,it was a small village1 and ,i went up to the door of an inn1 if so it might be called1 though it really was a decent public-house4 ,a stout woman came to the door4 ,i said to her1 #8,is my brother here8' ,she said1 #8,no1 sir1 he is gone4' #8,is his wife here8' ,i went on to enquire4 #8,no1 sir1 but his widow is4' ,then the distressing thought rushed upon me that my brother was dead3 and ,i awoke sobbing4 8,a few days after1 ,i was summoned suddenly into the country4 ,my brother returning from ,huntingdon had been attacked with angina pectoris2 and the pain was so intense that they left him at ,caxton 7a small village in the diocese of ,ely71 to which place on the following day he summoned his wife3 and the next day1 while they were seated together1 she heard a sigh and he was gone4 8,when ,i reached ,caxton1 it was the very same village to which ,i had gone in my dream4 ,i went to the same house1 was met and let in by the same woman2 and found my brother dead1 and his widow there40 ,one of the most striking and well-authenticated cases of a ,warning given in a ,dream and acted upon1 by which a grave temporal danger was actually averted1 remains to be put on record now4 ,the case is related with great simplicity by one who has carefully investigated the circumstances of both the dreams2 and nothing is required on the ,editor's part1 either to enlarge on any detail of it or to point its moral3-- 8,knowing as ,i do intimately10 writes the correspondent in question1 8the ,widow of an ,irish clergyman who was warned by a dream of the railway accident which took place a few years ago at ,abergele1 in ,north ,wales1 ,i give you gladly the following particulars3-- 8,about a fortnight before the accident occurred1 my friend1 the lady in question1 had a dream in which her husband1 who had been dead for three years1 appeared to her1 as she thought4 ,this occurred on the night which followed the day on which she had settled and arranged with some friends to make a journey by railway4 ,she dreamed that her husband was still living1 and that she and he were walking on the sea-shore of ,north ,wales1 close to which the railway to ,holyhead passes1 when they came to a tunnel1#acc from which1 all of a sudden1 volumes of the blackest smoke were pouring out1 and which became so dense that the sky was quite overcast4 ,alarmed at this1 they hastily went forward together towards its mouth1 when it seemed to be all on fire2 the crackling and roar of which was quite unusual4 ,in a moment or two the sounds of frantic cries of men and women wildly shrieking seemed to come from out of the mouth of the tunnel2 and then1 as if to add to the horror of what had already appeared1 another train1 full of people and at express speed1 came up and dashed through smoke and flame into the tunnel itself4 ,upon this the lady awoke1 and so deep an impression had the dream made 7for it unhinged her for some days71 that she resolved to postpone her journey1 which she did4 ,had she gone at the time appointed and arranged1 she and her friends would have travelled by the very train--the passengers of which were burnt by the explosion of petroleum4 8,the most curious part of this interesting record has yet to be told4 ,on the same night upon which this lady had this dream-warning1 her own daughter1 a child of nine years of age1 who was staying with some relations nearly sixty miles from home1 had likewise a dream1 in which she thought she saw two trains meeting each other on one line of railway1 in one of which her mother was seated1 and in the other one of her mother's friends 7who was to have travelled with her74 ,the trains seemed to be going at a great rate1 and when the collision actually took place1 the child at once awoke4 ,on the following morning she recounted her dream to her relations3 but at the time they took no notice of it1 though it formed the subject of a general conversation regarding dreams4 ,it was only when 7as was afterwards discovered7 her mother had possibly escaped the frightful disaster of a railway accident1 and probably a very painful death1 that the fact of her child having had the dream on the night of her own warning and mentioned it1 was specially remarked and noted down40 ,a prognostication1 or rather a personal ,presentiment of impending death1 and that death the result of an accident1 will fittingly be recorded here3-- ,at the village of ,bloxwich1 in the diocese of ,lichfield1 a miner resided1 well known to the person who communicated the following occurrence to the ,editor of this volume3--8,one morning in #ahgb1 on his way to the pit's mouth1 the miner had a strong presentiment that he should be killed at his work4 ,he returned home1 communicated his impressions to his wife 7who expostulated with him for being so fanciful and superstitious71 and then insisted on seeing all his children4 ,they were assembled4 ,he took down his ,prayer ,book and ,bible1 read a chapter from the latter1 and afterwards said some of his accustomed prayers4 ,then affectionately greeting wife and children1 he went to his work1 with the same strange but vivid presentiment of approaching death upon him2 as his wife so clearly testifies4 ,he had not been at work many minutes when he was suddenly crushed to death by the fall of a rock40 ,these facts are duly authenticated by persons who obtained the account from the man's widow on the day of his burial1 and have supplied them directly to the ,editor4 ,the following cases1 equally remarkable1 are taken from the 8,standard0 newspaper3-- 8,sir1--,i beg to acquaint you of a very singular event which occurred here yesterday4 ,on ,saturday night a villager named ,andrew ,scott dreamed of being along the coast on ,s4 ,cyrus' ,sands1 and finding a man among the rocks under ,whitson ,houses4 ,on ,sabbath morning after breakfast he cleaned himself1 and told his wife he would go and see if there was anything in his dream1 taking another man with him to whom he made known his errand2 and on arriving at the spot where he expected to find the man1 sure enough there was the drowned man1 washing amongst the rocks1 just as seen in his dream4 ,he was taken ashore1 reported to the ,s4 ,cyrus' authorities1 and to-day he is to be interred4 ,he is supposed to be one of the men belonging to the #8,providence1' wrecked on ,dec4 #ai4 ,i have the honour to be1 sir1 your most obedient servant1 8,daniel ,hamilton4 8,johnshaven1 ,kincardineshire1 ,jan4 #bj40 8,at an inquest held on ,monday afternoon at ,james ,bridge1 near ,wolverhampton1 on the body of a collier named ,samuel ,tinley1 who had been killed in a pit there by a fall of rock strata1 it transpired that during the previous night he awoke1 saying he had a ton of rock on his head1 though he had no headache4 ,he was convinced it boded ill1 and was reluctant to go to work4 ,upon being urged to go by his wife1 he went to his child and saying1 #8,let me have my last kiss1' went to the pit and was killed4 ,it was further shown that a cousin of his1 who is a close friend1 was returning home from working a night-shift1 when he said he saw the deceased standing before him in the road4 ,instead of going home to bed he went to the deceased's house1 to which place the news of the death had just been brought1 but altogether unknown to the cousin4#acd ,at the inquest a yet more remarkable case1 that had come before the same coroner in the same locality1 was mentioned40 ,so much as to examples and records of extraordinary ,dreams1 ,warnings by ,visions1 and ,presentiments4 ,the subject of ,omens may now be briefly touched upon4 ,an 8omen0 has been defined to be 8a token or sign of good or ill20 8a boding or foreboding20 8a prognostic40 ,some of the following are of such a character as that they are very suitably considered both in connection with events already described and with those yet to be narrated4 ,it has been forcibly and appropriately remarked1 though not perhaps in any marked or specific ,christian spirit1 that ,omens constitute the poetry of history4 ,they cause the series of events which they are supposed to declare to flow into epical unity1 and the political catastrophe seems to be produced1 not by prudence or by folly1 but by the superintending destiny4 ,the case of the ,tichborne ,prophecy1 in connection with the well-known ancient ,dole of that family1 is so curious 7having been in part recently fulfilled71 that it may not only be set forth in detail1 but may reasonably find a place at this particular part of this book4 ,for the following version the ,editor is indebted to a near connection of the family3-- 8,the ,tichbornes date their possession of the present patrimony1 the manor of ,tichborne1 so far back as two hundred years before the ,conquest4 ,when the ,lady ,mabella1#ace worn out with age and infirmity1 was lying on her deathbed1 she besought her loving husband1 ,sir ,roger ,tichborne1 as her last request1 that he would grant her the means of leaving behind her a charitable bequest1 in a ,dole of ,bread to be distributed to all who should apply for it annually on the ,feast of ,annunciation of the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary4 ,sir ,roger1 her husband1 readily acceded to her request by promising the produce of as much land as she could go over in the vicinity of the ,park while a certain brand or billet was burning1 supposing that1 from her long infirmity 7for she had been bedridden some years71 she would be able to go round a small portion only of his property4 ,the venerable dame1 however1 ordered her attendants to convey her to the corner of the ,park1 where1 being deposited on the ground1 she seemed to regain a renovation of strength2 and to the surprise of her anxious and admiring lord1 who began to wonder where this pilgrimage might end1 she crawled round several rich and goodly acres4 8,the field which was the scene of ,lady ,mabella's extraordinary feat retains the name of #8,the ,crawls' to this day4 ,it is situated near the entrance to the ,park1 and contains an area of twenty-three acres4 8,her task being completed1 she was re-conveyed to her chamber2 and1 summoning her family to her bedside1 predicted its prosperity while the annual ,dole existed1 and left her solemn ,curse1 uttered in ,god's most ,holy ,name1 on any of her descendants who should be so mean or covetous as to discontinue or divert it1 prophesying that when such should happen the old house should fall1 and the family name would become extinct from the failure of heirs male2 and that this would be foretold by a generation of seven sons being followed immediately after by a generation of seven daughters and no son4 8,the custom thus founded in the reign of ,henry ,,ii4 continued to be observed for centuries2 and our ,lady's ,day1 the #beth of ,march1 became the annual festive-day of the family4 ,it was not until the middle of the last century that the custom was abused2 when1 under the pretence of attending the ,tichborne ,dole1 vagabonds1 gipsies1 and idlers of every description1 assembled from all quarters1 pilfering throughout the neighbourhood2 and1 at last1 the gentry and magistrates complaining1 it was discontinued in #agif4 ,singularly enough1 the baronet of that day1 ,sir ,henry ,tichborne1#acf had seven sons1 and1 when he was succeeded by the eldest1 there appeared a generation of seven daughters1 while the apparent fulfilment of the prophecy was completed by the change of the name of the late baronet to ,doughty1 under the will of his kinswoman4 7,this allusion is to ,sir ,edward ,doughty1 ninth baronet1 who inherited the #8,doughty' estate1 then ,mr4 ,edward ,tichborne470 ,here is the record of a weird and obvious ,omen3-- 8,the ,duke of ,somerset1 the great sacrilegious nobleman of ,henry ,,viii4's reign1 who worked such mischief and perpetrated such robberies on ,god's poor1 is said to have been more than once warned of his coming death upon the scaffold1 by the appearance of a ,bloody ,hand stretched out from the panelled wall of the corridor of his mansion2 and it is also reported that the ,hand was visible to his duchess as well as to himself40 ,and here is the narrative of a remarkable ,dream1 as well as of a singular coincidence3-- 8,sir ,thomas ,white1 ,alderman of ,london1 was a very rich man1 charitable and public-spirited4 ,he dreamed that he had founded a college at a place where three elms grew out of one root4 ,he went to ,oxford probably with that intention2 and discovering some such tree near ,gloucester ,hall1 he began to repair the building of that community1 with a design to endow it4 ,but walking afterwards by the convent where the ,bernardines formerly lived1 he plainly saw an elm tree with three large bodies rising out of the same root2 he forthwith purchased the ground1 and endowed his college there1 as it is at this day2 except the additions which ,archbishop ,laud made near the outside of the building1 in the garden belonging to the ,president4 ,the tree is still to be seen4 ,he made this discovery about the year #aeeg40 ,the numerous tokens of the death of ,henry ,,iv4 of ,france1 who reigned from #aehi until #afaj1 are finely tragical4 ,mary of ,medicis1 in her well-known dream1 saw the brilliant gems of her crown change into pearls--the recognized symbols of tears and mourning4 ,an owl is said to have hooted until sunrise at the window of the chamber to which the ,king and ,queen retired at ,s4 ,denis on the night preceding her coronation4 ,during the ceremony1 it was observed with dread1 that the dark portals leading to the royal sepulchre beneath the choir1 were gaping and expanded4 ,the flame of the sacred taper held by ,her ,majesty was suddenly extinguished1 and it is said that her crown twice nearly fell to the ground4 ,an anecdote1 which was current during the reign of ,king ,charles ,i41 and has the support both of ,archbishop ,laud and ,lord ,clarendon1 is said to have thrown a sad gloom over the spirits of the royal friends1 already saddened by the fearful pestilence which inaugurated his reign4 ,at the coronation it was found that there was not in the whole of ,london1 nor indeed in the whole of ,england1 sufficient purple velvet with which to make the customary royal robes and the corresponding furniture of the chair of state and throne4 ,what was to be done8 ,rigid custom1 coming down no doubt for long generations1 possibly from the time of ,s4 ,edward1 required that old traditions should be scrupulously observed and carefully followed4 ,what was needed could not in all probability be had nearer than ,genoa4 ,to obtain it would have caused a delay of several months3 and it was agreed that the solemn anointing and coronation could not be properly postponed4 ,so it was resolved to robe ,his ,majesty in white velvet1 from which he was known afterwards as 8the ,white ,king40 ,but this was the colour in which victims were arrayed4 ,so many persons maintained that the ,council which had sanctioned such an innovation had unwittingly1 perhaps1 but efficiently established an agency of evil2 and many more after the ,king's martyrdom recalled the ominous change4 ,another ,warning1 or supposed ,warning1 of approaching evil vouchsafed to the ,king was equally striking and peculiar4 ,it happened a short time before the disastrous ,battle of ,newbury1 and is thus recorded3-- ,the ,king being at ,oxford1 went one day to see the ,public ,library1 where he was shown amongst other books1 a ,virgil1 nobly printed and exquisitely bound4 ,the ,lord ,falkland1 to divert the ,king1 would have his ,majesty make a trial of his fortune by the ,sortes ,virgilian1 which everybody knows was not an unusual kind of augury some ages past4 ,whereupon the ,king opening the book1 the period which happened to come up was part of ,dido's imprecation against neas1 which ,mr4 ,dryden translated thus3-- 8,yet let a race untamed1 and haughty foes1 ,his peaceful entrance with dire arms oppose2 ,oppress'd with numbers in th' unequal field1 ,his men discouraged and himself expelled1 ,let him for succour sue from place to place1 ,torn from his subjects and his son's embrace2 ,first let him see his friends in battle slain1 ,and then untimely fate lament in vain2 ,and when at length the cruel war shall cease1 ,on hard conditions may he buy his peace2 ,nor let him then enjoy supreme command1 ,but fall untimely by some hostile hand1 ,and lie unburied on the barren sand40 8neid10 ,book iv4 #hh4 ,it is said that ,king ,charles seemed concerned at this accident1 and that ,lord ,falkland observing it1 would likewise try his fortune in the same manner1 hoping he might fall upon some passage that could have no relation to his case1 and thereby divert the ,king's thoughts from any impression the other might have upon him4 ,but the place that ,falkland stumbled upon was yet more suited to his destiny than the other had been to the ,king's2 being the following expressions of ,evander upon the untimely death of his son ,pallas1 as they are translated by the same hand3-- 8,o ,pallas6 thou hast fail'd thy plighted word1 ,to fight with caution1 not to tempt the sword2 ,i warn'd thee but in vain2 for well ,i knew ,what perils youthful ardour would pursue1 ,that boiling blood would carry thee too far1 ,young as thou wert in dangers--raw in war6 ,o cursed essay in arms--disastrous doom1 ,prelude of bloody fields and fights to come40 8neid10 ,book xi4 #bcj4 ,again1 as regards the ,king's bust1 the following record was current and commonly discussed3-- 8,vandyke1 having painted the ,king's head1 in three different attitudes1 a profile1 a three-quarters1 and a full face1 the picture was sent to ,rome for ,bernini1 the celebrated sculptor1 to make a bust from it4 ,this artist1 being exceedingly dilatory over his work1 and having had complaints made to him on the subject1 said that there was something so unusually sad and melancholy in the royal features1 that if any stress might be laid on physiognomy1 he was sure that the person whom the picture represented was destined for a violent end4 ,when the bust arrived in ,england1 the ,king being anxious to see it1 it was taken immediately to ,chelsea and placed on a table in the garden1 whither the ,king1 attended by many1 went to inspect it4 ,while so doing a hawk1 with a wounded and bleeding partridge in its talons1 flew over the ,king's head1 and some of the blood fell upon the marble neck of the bust1 where it remained without being wiped off4 ,the omen is said to have been marked by many40 ,on the day of the ,king's burial1 when the coffin was borne to ,s4 ,george's ,chapel1 ,windsor1 by tried and trusted subjects and servants1 it was carried through a severe snow-storm1 and the purple pall was covered with the whitest snow1 thus adding a fresh reason for the title by which ,his ,majesty had been known4 ,there were also some remarkable ,warnings in the life of the great ,archbishop ,laud1 some of which were noted down in his 8,diary40 ,for example1 he was elected ,head of ,s4 ,john's ,college1 ,oxford1 on the ,feast of the ,beheading of ,s4 ,john the ,baptist2 and of course1 when he as ,head of that college perished by a similar death1 this more than remarkable coincidence was noticed and remembered4 ,another likewise is certainly curious4 ,not long before his martyrdom1 on entering his study one day1 he is said to have found his own portrait1 by ,vandyke1 at full length on the floor1 the cord which fastened it to the wall having snapped4 ,the sight of this warning1 as it was regarded1 is said not only to have deeply impressed that great man1 whose obvious belief in the ,supernatural was considerable2 but also to have brought back to his memory the fact of a great disaster which occurred to one of his barges1 on the very day of his translation to the ,see of ,canterbury1 which boat sank with his coaches and horses into the ,thames4 ,there was an ,omen attached to the ancient ,ferrers family1 of ,chartley ,park in ,staffordshire4 ,the large possessions of this family were forfeited by the attainder of ,earl ,ferrers1 after his defeat at ,burton ,bridge1 where he led the rebellious barons against ,henry ,,iii4 ,the ,chartley estate having been settled in dower was alone reserved and handed down4 ,in the ,park is said to be preserved an indigenous ,staffordshire cow1 small in stature1 of sand-white colour1 with black ears1 muzzle1 and tips at the hoofs4 ,in the year of the ,battle of ,burton ,bridge a black calf was born2 the downfall of the house of ,ferrers happening at the same period gave rise to the tradition1 which to this day is said to be commonly current through observation of past events1 viz41 that the birth of a parti-coloured calf from the wild herd in ,chartley ,park is a sure omen of death within the same year to a member of ,lord ,ferrers' family4 ,by a noticeable coincidence a calf of this description has been born whenever a death has happened of late years in this noble family4#acg ,the decease of the late ,earl and ,countess1 of his son ,lord ,tamworth1 and of his daughter1 ,mrs4 ,william ,joliffe1 as well as the deaths of the son and heir of the present nobleman1 and his daughter1 ,lady ,frances ,shirley1 has each been preceded by the birth of an ominous calf4 ,in the spring of the year #ahce an animal perfectly black was calved by one of this weird tribe2 and it was soon followed by the death of the amiable ,countess4 ,the ,omen connected with the ancient gentle family of ,oxenham1 co4 ,devon1#ach may now be suitably referred to4 ,the following1 describing it1 is copied from a rare and ancient pamphlet3#aci--8;,in the parish called ,sale ,monachorum1 in the county of ,devon1 there lives one ,james ,oxenham1 a gentleman of good worth and quality1 who had many children1 one whereof was called ,john ,oxenham1 a young man in the vigour1 beauty1 and flower of his age1 about #bb1 who was of stature comely and tall1 being in height of body sixe foote and a half1 a very proper person4444 ,this young gentleman fell sicke1 who being visited by many of the neighbours during the time of his sickness1 departed this transitory life on the #eth day of ,september #afce1 to whom1 two days before he yielded up his soul to ,god1 there appeared the likeness of a ,bird with a white breast hovering over him40 ,the pamphlet in question states that the ,white ,bird also appeared previously to the deaths of ,thomasine1 ,rebecca and ,thomasine the younger1#adj facts formally testified to1 on the oaths of divers eyewitnesses before the ,lord ,bishop of ,exeter 7,dr4 ,joseph ,hall74 ,in ,howell's 8,familiar ,letters10 a communication dated 8,july #c1 #afcb10 states that the writer saw1 at a stonecutter's shop in ,london1 a marble monument commemorating several examples of this curious omen2 and gives the following as the inscriptions3-- 8,here lies ,john ,oxenham1 a goodly young man1 in whose chamber as he was struggling with the pangs of death1 a ,bird with a ,white ,breast was seen fluttering about his bed1 and so vanished4 8,here lies also ,mary ,oxenham1 the sister of the said ,john1 who died the next day1 and the same apparition was seen in the room4 8,here lies hard by1 ,james ,oxenham1 the son of the said ,john1 who dyed a child in his cradle a little after1 and such a ,bird was seen fluttering about his head a little before he expir'd1 which vanish'd afterwards40 ,at the bottom of the stone there is3-- 8,here lies ,elizabeth ,oxenham1 the mother of the said ,john1 who died sixteen years since1 when such a bird with a white breast was seen about her bed before her death40#ada ,then come the following remarks3-- 8,to all these there be divers witnesses both squires and ladies1 whose names are engraven upon the stone4 ,this stone is to be sent to a town hard by ,exeter where this happen'd4 ,were you here1 ,i could raise a choice discours with you hereupon4 ,so hoping to see you the next tirm1 ,i rest1 etc40 ,from an old ,,ms4 letter of the eighteenth century1 written on the fly-leaf of a copy of ,howell's book already referred to1 it seems that the appearance of the omen was regarded as a fact at that period4 ,the ,letter dated 8,december #bith1 #agda10 contains the following statement3-- 8,i have received an answer from the country in relation to the strange ,bird which appeared to ,mr4 ,oxenham just before his death1 and the account which ,dr4 ,bertie gave to ,lord ,abingdon of it1 is certainly true4 ,it first was seen outside the window1 and soon afterwards by ,mrs4 ,oxenham in the room1 which she mentioned to ,mr4 ,oxenham1 and asked him if he knew what bird it was4 #8,yes1' says he1 #8it has been on my face and head1 and is recorded in history as always appearing to our family before their deaths2 but ,i shall cheat the ,bird4' ,nothing more was said about it1 nor was the ,bird taken notice of from that time3 but he died soon afterwards4 ,however odd this affair may seem1 it is certainly true2 for the account was given of it by ,mrs4 ,oxenham herself3 but she never mentions it to anyone unless particularly asked about it2 and as it was seen by several persons at the same time1 ,i cannot attribute it to imagination1 but must leave it as a phenomenon unaccounted for40 ,my friend1 the ,rev4 ,h4 ,n4 ,oxenham1 of this family1 writes to me ,a4,d4 ,october1 #ahgd1 as follows3 8,the tradition about the ,white ,bird has certainly existed for so long a time--,i believe for centuries--in our family1 that ,i have every reason to believe there are well-authenticated accounts of its appearance before the death of the head of the family2 and that certainly a white ,bird was seen at the window a few days before my late uncle's death 7who was the head of the family7 last ,christmas0 i4e4 in #ahgc4 ,here a singular account of the possession of a charm1 or amulet1 and of a ,curse connected with it1 may be fittingly set forth3-- 8,the family of ,graham of ,inchbrachie1 county ,perth1 are said to possess a small blue1 uncut stone1 set in an antique ring1 of which the following story is told4 ,some two centuries ago1 as the ,head of the ,family was passing by a hill near or at ,crieff1 he discovered a large crowd1 presided over by one of the ,campbells of ----1 preparing to execute a witch4 ,on approaching the crowd1 he found that the unhappy victim 7who had for some years lived in a rocky cave1 still known by her name71 was none other than his old nurse1 ,katherine ,nivens4 ,charged with witchcraft1 she had been condemned and was about to be executed4 ,graham1 addressing the mob1 urged them to prevent ,campbell from carrying out his purpose4 ,in acknowledgment of his generous help on her behalf1 the poor creature threw him a small blue stone like a bead1 which she had kept in her mouth1 and desired him to keep it for her sake2 adding that as long as it was preserved in his family good fortune should ever attend them2 while to the ,campbells of ---- 7whom she solemnly cursed71 she predicted that there never should be born an heir male1 and cited him to appear before ,god's judgment-bar1 where justice should be done4#adb ,the strange feature in the story is that 7as a correspondent avers7 both promise and prediction have turned out to be true4 ,the stone is said to be an uncut sapphire4 ,other ,scotch families possess similar amulets or charms3 amongst these the ,macdonald-,lockharts of ,lee in the county of ,lanark4 ,the sound of the ,beating of a ,drum is said to betoken death to a noble ,scotch family--one which has been a staunch1 good old loyalist clan for centuries1 and suffered sorely for having been 8leal and true0 to their ,royal ,house and their own consciences4 ,some years ago the then head of it was paying a visit in ,england1 when1 one day1 sitting outside in the garden with the lady of the house1 his lordship exclaimed suddenly1 8,listen6 here comes a band of music40 8,music60 she replied1 8oh1 impossible40 8,oh1 don't you hear it8 it is coming this way40 8,no1 ,i hear nothing40 8,listen60 he retorted2 8don't you hear the ,drum80 ,she assured him that there was nothing1 that it was a fancy1 and that no band of music could come near enough to the house to be heard1 on account of the unusual extent of the grounds and park4 ,on this the nobleman turned pale1 and becoming much agitated1 remarked that he felt sure it must be the sound of the family 8,drum10--an omen that always preceded death1 and feared that something had happened to one of his relations4 ,the next post brought him the sad and melancholy news of his wife's unlooked-for death1 through giving birth prematurely to a child4 ,the origin of this omen1 as far as the ,editor can discover1 appears to be unknown4 ,in another family of rank a female figure1 dressed in brown clothes1 appears as a warning of death4 ,to the members of an old knightly family in the ,west of ,england there always comes1 before the death of its chief1 the sound of a heavy carriage with many horses driven round the paved courtyard of the ,elizabethan mansion4 ,it is equally notorious that in a certain noble ,english family1 the form of a spectral head appears as a sign of death to any member of it1 and invariably so1 when the chief of it dies1--a fact which the ,editor has been assured of in writing 7,a4,d4 #ahgb7 from a member of a junior branch of the same4 ,to another family1 living in the ,east of ,england 7of the rank of gentle people71 appears an ,omen1 equally1 if not more disagreeable4 ,the appearance of a spectral ,black ,dog is also a portent of death4 ,about twenty years ago1 ,a4,d4 #ahec1 the then head of the family married1 and though he himself 7by no means superstitious7 could not reject the tradition of the unpleasant omen1 having heard so much about it on its previous appearance1 he said nothing to his wife4 ,some years afterwards1 in #ahfa1 their eldest child was taken ill4 ,the illness1 however1 7as the physician asserted17 was slight1 and not at all likely to prove dangerous2 so little1 in truth1 was this anticipated that there were several persons staying in the house at the time4 ,just before dinner was announced one evening1 the wife of the head of the family asked to be excused for a moment or two1 while she looked into the night nursery to see how the sick child was4 ,she went1 but returned almost immediately1 saying1 8,darling ---- is fast asleep2 but there's a large black dog lying under the bed2 go and drive it out40 ,the father1 at once calling to mind the omen1 was sorely terrified4 ,he went at once to the sick room4 ,neither under nor near the bed1 nor 7as was afterwards discovered7 on the premises1 was there1 or had there been1 any dog1 but the poor child's sleep was found to be the sleep of death4 ,to revert to ,omens in general4 ,there is a widely-spread and singular prejudice1 7which with many is deeply rooted17 that if thirteen people sit down to dinner one of them1 at least1 shall die within a year4#adc ,it seems to have originated from the fact of ,judas having been the thirteenth at the ,paschal ,feast1 when our ,lord instituted the ,holy ,sacrament4 ,again1 ,friday has from time immemorial been considered an unlucky day2#add because the ,crucifixion of our ,blessed ,saviour took place on that day--a day of fear and trembling1 of darkness and of earthquakes--a day of awe1 when even some of the ,pagan oracles were silent1 and indications of the decay and weakening of their powers were by their impotence made manifest4 ,plutarch in his book on the 8,cessation of ,oracles10 makes mention of the voice which1 near ,paxos1 the pilot of a vessel heard in the spring of the nineteenth year of the ,emperor ,tiberius1 crying out1 8,great ,pan is dead40 ,now we know that in the spring of that year1 and possibly on the afternoon of that very day1 our ,divine ,lord overcame death by dying1 conquered ,satan1 and opened the gates of everlasting life to mankind4 ,can we be surprised that after that victory on the first ,good ,friday1 the power of the ,evil ,one was largely and surely curbed8 ,second ,sight1 indications of the existence of which have already been given1 appears to be a power or property of seeing beforehand events which are still in the future1 and such sight claimed by several#ade is said to belong to many persons in ,scotland4 ,in a 8,description of the ,western ,isles10 a popular writer of the last century somewhat amplified the definition4 ,he maintained as follows3 8,the ,second ,sight is a singular faculty of seeing an otherwise invisible object1 without any previous means used by the person that sees it for that end2 the vision makes such a lively impression upon the seers1 that they neither see nor think of anything else1 except the vision1 as long as it continues2 and then they appear pensive or jovial1 according to the object which was represented to them40 ,he further points out generally that when persons gifted with ,second ,sight 8actually behold something unusual1 the eyelids of the person are erected1 and the eyes continue staring until the object vanish40 ,in the case of a certain person in the ,island of ,skye1 8when he sees a vision1 the inner part of his eyelids turns so far upwards1 that after the object disappears1 he must draw them down again with his fingers40 ,the same writer maintains that the property of ,second ,sight does not necessarily descend in a family1 as some persons hold and assert4 8,i know several parents10 he writes1 8who are endowed with it1 but their children not1 and vice versa2 neither is it acquired by any previous compact4 ,and1 after a strict inquiry1 ,i could never learn from any among them that this faculty was communicable any way whatsoever40 ,several volumes have been written on the subject1 and examples almost without number provided4 ,in ,john ,aubrey's 8,miscellanies0#adf is recorded a remarkable escape from death of ,dr4 ,william ,harvey1 the celebrated discoverer of the circulation of the blood through ,second ,sight3--8,when ,dr4 ,harvey1 one of the ,physicians' ,college in ,london1 being a young man 7in #afie71 went to travel towards ,padua1 he went to ,dover with several others1 and showed his pass as the rest to the ,governor there4 ,the ,governor told him that he must not go1 but he must keep him prisoner4 ,the ,doctor desired to know #8for what reason8 how he had transgressed8' #8,well1 it was his will to have it so4' ,the pacquet boat hoisted sail in the evening1 which was very clear1 and the doctor's companions in it4 ,there ensued a terrible storm1 and the pacquet boat and all the passengers were drowned4 ,the next day the sad news was brought to ,dover4 ,the ,doctor was unknown to the ,governor both by name and face2 but the night before the ,governor had a perfect vision of ,dr4 ,harvey in a dream1 who came to pass over to ,calais1 and that he had a warning to stop him4 ,this the ,governor told the ,doctor the next day4 ,the ,doctor was a pious1 good man1 and has several times directed this story to some of my acquaintance40 ,the following1 from a rare and curious volume of the last century1#adg containing nearly two hundred cases1 authenticated mainly by ministers of the ,scotch ,establishment1 is a good example3-- 8,alexander ,macdonald1 of ,kingsborough 7when living in the possession of ,aird1 in the remote end of ,trotternish71 dreamed that he saw a reverend old man come to him1 desiring him to get out of bed1 and get his servants together1 and make haste to save his fields of corn1 as his whole cattle1 and his tenants' cattle also1 had got out of the fold1 and were in the middle of a large field behind the house4 ,he awaked and told his wife1 with whom he consulted whether he would rise or not2 and she telling him it was but a dream1 and not worth noticing1 advised him to lie still1 which he obeyed2 but no sooner fell asleep1 than the former old man appeared to him1 and seemed angry1 by telling ,mr4 ,macdonald 7then of ,aird71 he the old man was very idle1 in acquainting him of the loss he would or had by this time sustained by his cattle1 and seemed not to heed what he said1 and so went off4 ,mr4 ,macdonald awaking the second time1 told his wife1 but she would not allow him1 and ridiculed him for noticing the folly of a confused dream2 so that1 after attempting to get up1 he was1 at his wife's persuasion1 prevailed upon to lie down again2 and falling asleep1 it being now near break of day1 the old gentleman appeared to him a third time1 with a frowning countenance1 and told him he might now lie still1 for that the cattle were now surfeited of his corn1 and were lying in it2 and that it was for his welfare that he came to acquaint him so often1 as he was his grand-uncle by his father2 and so went off4 ,he awaking in about an hour thereafter1 arose and went out1 and actually found his own and his tenants' cattle lying in his corn1 after being tired of eating thereof2 which corn1 when comprised1 the loss amounted to eight bolls of meal40 ,two quite recent cases of ,second ,sight are here given1 and are each somewhat remarkable4 ,both have been furnished to the ,editor by those who knew the cases1 and the accuracy of each has been vouched for by trusty and courteous correspondents4 ,the first has reference to the murder of a policeman at ,cardiff3--8,an inquest was formally opened on the body of ,william ,perry1 a constable of the ,cardiff police force1 who was fatally stabbed on ,tuesday by a butcher1 named ,jones4 ,the medical evidence went to show that the murderer was in a very excited state at the time1 but was neither insane nor suffering from delirium tremens4 ,the further hearing was adjourned4 ,the #8,western ,mail' says3--,the deceased man ,perry was a well-known and very efficient officer4 ,he joined the borough police force on the #eth of ,july1 #ahfe1 and from that time had always conducted himself in a praiseworthy manner1 having attained to the position of a first-class constable some time ago4 ,previous to #ahfe he was employed in the ,merthyr division of the county police4 ,he was #cf years of age4 ,the superstitious will probably feel interested in the following story1 which our reporter heard last night from the lips of the widow herself4 ,strange as it may seem1 it is no less strange than true2 and mournful as the circumstance is in itself1 those who believe in the efficacy of dreams as prognosticators of future events1 will perhaps derive some gratification from it4 ,on ,sunday night ,mrs4 ,perry 7who resides at ,melrose-cottage1 ,heath-street1 ,canton71 had a dream1 which but too faithfully predicted the sad tragedy of yesterday4 ,in the midst of her sleep she saw1 to use her own words1 a large crowd following her husband down the ,cowbridge-road1 in the direction of the ,westgate hotel1 where the murder was committed4 ,she saw1 in the horror of her dream1 a knife plunged into the breast of her husband1 and drawn out again1 blood-stained and grimy1 by some cruel but unknown hand4 ,she saw1 too1 the murdered form of her husband borne away1 and little thought1 when brooding over her awful dream1 that it was a #8dark presage1' and the precursor of what was soon to be a terrible reality4 ,the dream occasioned her great uneasiness1 but she mentioned it to no one until the dreadful tidings of her husband's death reached her yesterday morning1 when the circumstance forced itself vividly upon her recollection40 7,a4,d4 #ahgc47 ,the second example is equally remarkable3--8,a singular case of ,second ,sight is reported from the neighbourhood of ,marlborough4 ,a labourer named ,duck1 employed by ,mr4 ,dixon1 of ,mildenhall ,warren ,farm1 was in charge of a horse and water-cart on the farm1 when the animal took fright and knocked him down4 ,the wheel went over his chest1 and the injuries he received were such that his death occurred shortly afterwards4 ,however1 the singular part of the story remains to be told4 ,duck resided at ,ramsbury1 and immediately after the accident ,mr4 ,dixon despatched a woman to acquaint his wife of the fact4 ,on arriving at her home the messenger found her out gathering wood2 but shortly afterwards a girl who was her companion arrived1 and1 without being told of what had occurred1 volunteered the statement that ',ria 7,mrs4 ,duck7 was unable to do much that morning1 that she had been very much frightened1 having seen her husband in the wood4 ,shortly afterwards ,mrs4 ,duck returned1 without any wood1 and1 being informed by a neighbour that a woman from ,mildenhall ,woodlands wished to see her1 ejaculated immediately1 #8,my ,david's dead1 then4' ,inquiry has since been made by ,mr4 ,dixon of the woman1 and she positively asserts that she saw her husband in the wood1 and said1 #8,holloa1 ,david1 what wind blows you here1 then8' and that he made no reply4 ,mr4 ,dixon inquired what time this occurred1 and she replied about #aj o'clock1 the hour at which the fatal accident took place40 7,a4,d4 #ahgd47 ,before this chapter is closed1 the following account1 which created the deepest impression in the town and neighbourhood of ,devizes1 is embodied in terms which plainly enough set forth its point and purpose4 ,it is an awful example of ,god's summary judgment1 recorded by the local authorities both as a memorial of the ,supernatural and as a warning to all3-- 8,the ,mayor and ,corporation of ,devizes avail themselves of the stability of this building the ,market ,cross1 to transmit to future times the record of an awful event which occurred in the ,market ,place in the year #agec1 hoping that such record may serve as a salutary warning against the danger of impiously invoking ,divine vengeance1 or of calling on the ,holy ,name of ,god to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud3 8,on ,thursday1 the #beth of ,january1 #agec1 ,ruth ,pierce1 of ,potterne in this county1 agreed with three other women to buy a sack of wheat in the market1 each paying her due proportion towards the same4 ,one of these women1 in collecting the several quotas of money1 discovered a deficiency1 and demanded of ,ruth ,pierce the sum which was wanting to make good the amount4 ,ruth ,pierce protested that she had paid her share1 and said3 ,she wished she might drop down dead if she had not4 ,she rashly repeated the awful wish2 when1 to the consternation and terror of the surrounding multitude1 she instantly fell down and expired1 having the money concealed in her hand40 ,the narrative of this solemn event was by order of the authorities recorded on a tablet and hung up in the ,market house 7a row of sheds near the ,cross74 ,when the building was taken down1 ,mr4 ,halcombe1 who kept the ,bear ,inn1 in order that the remembrance might not be lost1 caused it to be inscribed on the pediment of a couple of pillars which stood opposite his inn1 supporting the sign of the ,bear4 ,the sign was removed in #ahja1 and a few years after ,lord ,sidmouth having presented to the town the ,new ,cross1 which forms the central ornament of the ,market ,place1 the ,mayor and ,corporation 8availed themselves10 to use their own language1 8of the stability of the new structure to transmit to future time a record of the awful death of ,ruth ,pierce in hope that it might serve as a salutary warning against the practice of invoking the ,sacred ,name to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud40 ,and now to conclude this portion of the subject4 ,each example already recorded has1 no doubt1 told its own story sufficiently well4 ,some cases may appear to certain minds to be as trivial as they certainly are1 to others1 marvellous and inexplicable2 other examples1 again1 cannot fail to leave a deep impression on the reader1 as well from the remarkable character of the presentiments and dreams themselves1 as from the reasonable testimony by which their truth is supported by persons of repute and credibility4 ,the ,editor has intentionally avoided the making of comments1 either prolix or the reverse1 preferring to present to the reader each recorded narrative1 as received or obtained by himself1 without dissertations1 theories1 or explanations4 ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,chiswick ,,press3--,,printed ,,by ,,whittingham ,,and ,,wilkins1 ,,tooks ,,court1 ,,chancery ,,lane4 ,,general ,,index4 ,a ,discerner of spirits1 i4 #ha ,abimelech's dream1 i4 #baj ,aerolites1 i4 #bd ,after-vision of a suicide1 ii4 #ge ,alexander ,macdonald's dream1 i4 #bhe ,amulet of the ,grahams1 i4 #bgg ---- of the ,macdonald ,lockharts1 i4 #bgh ,ann ,thorne bewitched1 i4 #aid ,apparition at ,ballarat1 ii4 #fa ---- at time of death1 ii4 #ei ---- in the ,jewel ,house1 ii4 #aje ---- near ,cardiff1 ii4 #aad ---- of a college friend1 ii4 #ga ---- of a crow1 ii4 #aca ---- of a dying father1 ii4 #eh ---- of a dying lady to her children1 ii4 #fd ---- of a father to his son1 ii4 #eh ---- of a friend1 ii4 #fj ---- of a sister1 ii4 #ei ---- of a son to his mother and another1 ii4 #gc ---- of an officer1 ii4 #aj ---- of ,dr4 ,ferrar's daughter1 ii4 #be ---- of ,philip ,weld1 ii4 #ea ---- of ,rev4 ,w4 ,naylor1 ii4 #g ---- of ,s4 ,stanislaus1 ii4 #ea ---- seven years after death1 ii4 #ga ---- to a gentleman1 ii4 #aai ---- to a lady and her child1 ii4 #aac ---- to a lady and her child1 ii4 #aag ---- to a sentry1 and his death thereupon1 ii4 #ajh ---- to ,lord ,brougham1 ii4 #fh ---- to ,lord ,chedworth1 ii4 #ce ---- to ,mr4 ,andrews1 ii4 #da ,apparitions at ,oxford1 ii4 #bji ,arrowsmith1 ,trial of ,rev4 ,e41 i4 #ia ,arrowsmith's ,hand preserved1 i4 #ie ,authentication of ,lamb's cure1 i4 #if ,barony of ,chedworth1 ii4 #cd ,belief in ,god universal1 i4 #e ,benediction1 ,the principle of1 i4 #ij ,beresford apparition1 ,the1 ii4 #aa ,bird1 ,the ,spectral1 ii4 #abh ,bisham ,abbey1 ,ghost at1 ii4 #ia ,bishop ,joseph ,hall on temporal punishment1 ii4 #hi ,bishop ,ken's hymn1 ii4 #hb ,blessing and cursing1 ,power of1 i4 #ij4 ,bosworth's testimony1 ,mr4 ,t41 ii4 #adf ,bridget ,bishop accused of witchcraft1 i4 #aih ,bull of ,pope ,innocent ,,viii4 against witchcraft1 i4 #afb ,captain ,william ,dyke1 ii4 #bb ,cardan1 ,jerome1 i4 #bhb ,case of ,annie ,milner1 i4 #afi ---- of ,martha ,brossier1 i4 #afe ,catharine ,campbell accused of witchcraft1 i4 #aig ,catholic claim to exclusive use of exorcism1 i4 #afc ,causation1 ,the law of1 i4 #c ,chamber1 ,john1 on 8,judiciall ,astrologie10 i4 #bjj ,charles ,i41 ,omens concerning1 i4 #bfg1 #bga ,charles ,ireland bewitched1 i4 #ahf ,chevalier's testimony concerning ,spiritualism1 ,mr41 ii4 #ahj 8,christ is coming0 quoted1 ii4 #acf4 ,christian ,shaw bewitched1 i4 #aig ,christian writers on the ,supernatural1 i4 #ca ,christianity1 ,morse on the decline of1 ii4 #acg ,citation1 ,remarkable case of1 i4 #ij ,club1 ,the ,hell-,fire1 ii4 #bjg ,colgarth1 ,the ,philipsons of1 i4 #ij ,collins's ,sermon1 ,rev4 ,h41 i4 #ace ,cometism1 ,the ,trinity of1 i4 #ai ,constantine victorious1 i4 #ch ,creslow1 ,haunted chamber at1 ii4 #ib ,criticism upon ,mr4 ,congreve1 i4 #bj ,crookes1 ,mr4 ,w41 on ,spiritualism1 ii4 #aei1 #afb1 #afd ,cross of ,constantine1 ,the1 i4 #ce ---- fire seen in ,france in #ahbf1 ,a1 i4 #af ,cure1 ,miraculous1 i4 #ie ---- ,miraculous1 by the ,blessed ,sacrament1 i4 #aba1 #abe ,daimonomagia1 i4 #agd ,dale-,owen1 ,mr41 quoted1 ii4 #ahc1 #ahe ,death of ,captain ,speer1 i4 #bec ---- of ,rev4 ,s4 ,b4 ,drury1 i4 #bea ,de ,lisle's1 ,miss1 death1 ,supernatural music at1 i4 #ace ,de ,lisle1 ,mr41 on the ,weld ghost story1 ii4 #ed ---- ,mr4 ,edwin1 on ,strauss1 i4 #b ,demons1 ,belief in1 ii4 #bab ,denial of the ,supernatural1 i4 #a ,details of the ,supernatural1 i4 #h ,discovery of a lost will1 i4 #bjd ,disease of witchcraft1 i4 #agd ,double apparition at time of death1 ii4 #ee ---- in the ,west ,indies1 ii4 #eh ,dr4 ,lamb1 the sorcerer1 i4 #bjb ,dr4 ,newman on ecclesiastical miracles1 i4 #cf ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson on the ,lyttelton story1 ii4 #de ,dr4 ,william ,harvey's escape from death1 i4 #bhd ,dream of a child1 ,warning given in the1 i4 #bfj ---- of a dignitary realized1 i4 #beg ---- of a housekeeper realized1 i4 #bdj ---- of a widow lady1 i4 #beh ---- of ,adam ,rogers1 i4 #bai ---- of ,andrew ,scott1 i4 #bfa ---- of ,mr4 ,matthew ,talbot1 i4 #bbe ---- of ,mr4 ,williams of ,scorrier1 i4 #bbf ---- of the ,princess ,natgotsky1 i4 #bee ---- of the ,swaffham tinker1 i4 #bae ---- ,prognostication of death in a1 i4 #bej ---- ,remarkable1 of a clergyman1 i4 #bdg ---- ,warning given in a1 i4 #bed ---- ,warning neglected1 i4 #bdd ,dreams and visions1 i4 #baa ,dreams1 ,nature of1 i4 #baj ---- of ,james ,jessop1 i4 #bdd1 #bde ---- recorded in ,scripture1 i4 #baa ---- reproduction of thoughts in1 i4 #bae ---- supernatural1 i4 #baj ,dunbar's testimony1 ,rev4 ,dr41 ii4 #bah ,dungeon at ,glamis ,castle1 ,the1 ii4 #aad ,early ,popes martyrs1 ,the1 i4 #ca ,eastern form of exorcism1 i4 #afb ,ecclesiastical miracles1 i4 #cb ,effect of the ,supernatural1 i4 #g ,elimination of ,god1 ,the1 i4 #ai ,elizabeth ,gorham bewitched1 i4 #ahg ---- ,style accused of witchcraft1 i4 #agg ---- ,tibbots bewitched1 i4 #agh ---- ,treslar hung for witchcraft1 i4 #aha ,ellinor ,shaw and ,mary ,philips1 i4 #ahb ,emperor ,julian thwarted1 ,the1 i4 #db ,english canon concerning exorcism1 i4 #afd ---- statutes against witchcraft1 i4 #afc 8,eternal10 ,the term1 i4 #e ,execution of ,frederick ,caulfield1 i4 #bbc ---- of ,lamb's servant1 i4 #bjc ,exhumation of ,james ,quin1 i4 #bcf ,exorcism1 ,power of1 i4 #eg1 #fi1 #hb ---- ,latin form of1 i4 #ach ---- ,oriental form of1 i4 #afb ,facts of witchcraft and necromancy1 i4 #afd ,faculty of ,jerome ,cardan1 i4 #bhc ,fall of aerolites1 i4 #be ,false reasoning1 i4 #bf ,ferrers family1 ,omen concerning1 i4 #bgb ,florence ,newton accused of witchcraft1 i4 #ahj ,friday an unlucky day1 i4 #bhb ,ghost of ,bisham ,abbey1 ii4 #ia ,god and ,his creatures1 i4 #d ---- ,the elimination of1 i4 #ai ,guesses of ,science1 ,the1 i4 #ad ,hand of ,arrowsmith preserved1 i4 #ie ,hanmer1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,l41 on an apparition1 ii4 #fj ,hannah ,green's testimony1 i4 #bdb ,haunted houses and localities1 ii4 #hb ---- chamber at ,creslow1 ii4 #ib ---- ,glamis ,castle1 ii4 #aad ---- house at ,barby1 ii4 #aji ---- house at ,berne1 ii4 #abf ---- house in ,cheshire1 ii4 #aaf ---- house in ,scotland1 ii4 #abc ---- place at ,york ,castle1 ii4 #if ---- places1 ii4 #hd ---- police cell1 ii4 #aba ---- road near ,cardiff1 ii4 #aad ---- room at ,glamis ,castle1 ii4 #aab ---- room in the ,tower1 ii4 #ajd ---- spot in ,yorkshire1 ii4 #ajj ,hell-,fire ,club1 ,the1 ii4 #bjg ,henry ,spicer's testimony1 ,mr41 ii4 #ge ---- ,,iv4 of ,france1 ,omen of death to1 i4 #bfg ,herder on ,witchcraft1 ii4 #baj ,heresies of the modern ,spiritualists1 ii4 #ahe1 #aia ,home1 ,mr4 ,daniel1 ii4 #aea1 #aec ,hospitals1 ,christian in their origin1 i4 #aj ,howell1 ,mr4 ,j41 on ,spiritualism1 ii4 #agf1 #agg ,howitt1 ,mr4 ,w41 on eternal punishment1 ii4 #ahf1 #ahh ,hume on miracles1 i4 #bc ,increase ,mather on the tests of demoniacal possession1 i4 #agc ---- ,mather's 8,cases of ,conscience10 i4 #aie ,inquiries regarding ,wynyard1 ii4 #cc ,jane ,brookes accused of witchcraft1 i4 #age ---- ,wenham accused of witchcraft1 i4 #aib ,johnson1 ,dr4 ,samuel1 on the ,lyttelton ghost1 ii4 #de ,kostka's1 ,s4 ,stanislaus1 apparition1 ii4 #ec ---- picture at ,stonyhurst1 ii4 #ec ,labarum1 ,the1 i4 #cg ,lactantius on dreams1 i4 #bac ,lady ,betty ,cobb1 ii4 #ae ,lancashire demoniacs1 ,the1 i4 #aga ,lane1 ,mr41 on ,modern ,necromancy1 ii4 #bae1 #bag ,laud1 ,omens concerning ,archbishop1 i4 #bga ,law of causation1 ,the1 i4 #c ,lecky1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,e41 on the ,oxford ,movement1 ii4 #bcb ,legion1 ,the ,thundering1 i4 #cd ,longdon1 ,mary1 bewitched1 i4 #aid ,lord ,falkland1 ,omen concerning1 i4 #bgj ,lord ,litchfield's note of a presentiment1 i4 #bha ---- testimony1 i4 #bha ,lord ,westcote's testimony1 ii4 #db ,lyttelton ,ghost story1 ii4 #cf1 #db1 #df ,macdonald's1 ,a41 case of second sight1 i4 #bhe ,macknish on dreams1 i4 #bae ,major ,george ,sydenham1 ii4 #bb ,marquis de ,marsay on ,spirits1 ii4 #hf ,mary of ,medicis1 ,omen of death to1 i4 #bfg ,media1 ,table of ,spiritual1 ii4 #adc ,mines1 ,haunted1 ii4 #hd ,ministry of ,angels1 ii4 #hb ,miracles at ,rome in #agib1 i4 #ag ---- ,bishop ,hall on1 ii4 #bcj ---- examination of at ,rome1 ii4 #bbg ---- of our ,lord1 i4 #cj ---- of ,prince ,hohenlohe1 i4 #ag ---- wrought by the ,blessed ,sacrament1 i4 #abc1 #abf ,miracle at ,garswood1 i4 #if ---- at ,metz1 i4 #abh ---- at ,typasa1 i4 #db ---- under ,marcus ,aurelius1 i4 #cc ,miraculous cure at ,pontoise1 i4 #hc ---- facts1 ,tradition of1 i4 #cb ---- of ,joseph ,lamb1 i4 #ie ---- of ,mary ,wood1 i4 #aad ---- of ,winifred ,white1 i4 #aaf ,mediumship1 ii4 #adc ---- ,clairlative1 ii4 #adf ---- ,clairvoyant1 ii4 #aej ---- ,developing1 ii4 #adh ---- ,duodynamic1 ii4 #adh ---- ,gesticulating1 ii4 #add ---- ,homo-motor1 ii4 #adg ---- ,impersonating1 ii4 #ade ---- ,impressional1 ii4 #aej ---- ,manipulating1 ii4 #ade ---- ,missionary1 ii4 #adi ---- ,motive1 ii4 #add ---- ,neurological1 ii4 #adf ---- ,pantomimic1 ii4 #ade ---- ,pictorial1 ii4 #adh ---- ,psychologic1 ii4 #adg ---- ,psychometric1 ii4 #adh ---- ,pulsatory1 ii4 #ade ---- ,speaking1 ii4 #aej ---- ,symbolic1 ii4 #adg ---- ,sympathetic1 ii4 #adf ---- ,therapeutic1 ii4 #adi ---- ,tipping1 ii4 #add ---- ,vibratory1 ii4 #add ,miss ,weld's testimony1 ii4 #ed ,modern scientific methods1 i4 #aj ,monsignor ,patterson's testimony1 ii4 #eb ,more's 8,antidote against ,atheism10 i4 #agc ,mr4 ,de ,lisle on ,miracles1 i4 #ae ,mr4 ,de ,lisle's testimony1 ii4 #ed ,mr4 ,edwin ,de ,lisle in reply to ,strauss1 i4 #d ,mr4 ,e4 ,lenthal ,swifte's testimony1 ii4 #ajd ,mr4 ,george ,fortescue's declaration1 ii4 #dc ,mr4 ,henry ,cope ,caulfeild's testimony1 ii4 #aae ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer answered1 i4 #aa ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,godwin's declaration1 ii4 #fh ,mr4 ,laxon's wife tormented1 i4 #ahi ,mr4 ,m4 ,p4 ,andrews' declaration1 ii4 #dc ,mr4 ,ralph ,davis on the ,northampton witches1 i4 #ahb ,mr4 ,rutherford's declaration1 i4 #bfc ,mr4 ,william ,talbot's testimony1 i4 #bbf ,mrs4 ,baillie-,hamilton's testimony1 ii4 #ff ,mrs4 ,george ,lee's testimony1 i4 #bcj ,mrs4 ,kempson's testimony1 i4 #bed ,murder discovered by a dream1 i4 #bba ---- of ,maria ,martin discovered1 i4 #bca ---- of the crippled and imbecile1 i4 #i ,naturalistic materialism1 i4 #aj ,nature of ,god1 i4 #f ---- dreams1 i4 #baj ,necromancy recognized by the fathers1 i4 #afa ---- in ,china1 ii4 #bbj ,northamptonshire witches1 ,the1 i4 #ahb ,notions1 reintroduction of ,pagan1 i4 #ac ,old traditions generally accepted1 ii4 #ij ,omen concerning ,archbishop ,laud1 i4 #bga ---- concerning ,king ,charles ,i41 i4 #bfh1 #bfi1 #bgj ---- concerning ,lord ,falkland1 i4 #bgj ,omens and prognostications1 i4 #bfc ---- ,the subject of1 i4 #bfc ,opinions of ,strauss1 i4 #c ,oracles1 ,the cessation of1 i4 #bhb ,ostrehan's1 ,captain1 testimony1 ii4 #bah ,oxenham omen1 ,the1 i4 #bgc ,pagan notions1 ,reintroduction of1 i4 #ac ,patterson's1 ,monsignor1 information1 ii4 #eb ,perrone1 ,father1 on ,spiritualism1 ii4 #ahd ,philipsons of ,colgarth1 ,the1 i4 #ij ,planchette1 ,use of1 ii4 #bbj1 #bbb ,plumer ,ward's1 ,mr41 account of the ,lyttelton ghost1 ii4 #df ,plutarch on the 8,cessation of ,oracles10 i4 #bhb ,popes martyrs1 ,the early1 i4 #ca ,portrait of ,s4 ,stanislaus1 ii4 #ec ,power and malice of ,satan1 ii4 #hc ---- of blessing and cursing1 i4 #ij ---- of exorcism claimed exclusively1 i4 #afc ,presentiment of ,lieutenant ,r----1 i4 #bej ---- of death1 i4 #bfb ---- to ,lady ,warre's chaplain1 i4 #bha ,principle of benediction1 ,the1 i4 #hh ,principles of the ,broad ,church party1 ii4 #acg ,prognostication of death in a dream1 i4 #bej ---- of death to ,captain ,speer1 i4 #beb ,prognostications and omens1 i4 #bfc ,propriety of a revelation1 i4 #e ,purbrick1 ,rev4 ,e4 ,j41 on the ,weld ghost story1 ii4 #ed ,purport of dreams1 i4 #bab ,rebuilding of the ,temple1 i4 #db 8,report on ,spiritualism0 quoted1 ii4 #aec ,rev4 ,dr4 ,cox's testimony1 ii4 #ed ,rev4 ,dr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,neale's testimony i4 #bdc ,rev4 ,edward ,price on the ,world of ,spirits1 ii4 #hb ,rev4 ,g4 ,r4 ,winter on the ,swaffham tinker1 i4 #bae ,rev4 ,h4 ,n4 ,oxenham's testimony1 i4 #bgg ,rev4 ,j4 ,richardson's testimony1 i4 #bec ,rev4 ,john ,wesley on evil spirits1 ii4 #he ,rev4 ,joseph ,jefferson's testimony1 ii4 #ajj ,rev4 ,mr4 ,perring's dream realized1 i4 #bcd ,rev4 ,t4 ,j4 ,morris's testimony1 i4 #bdj 8,rules for the ,spirit ,circle0 quoted1 ii4 #aea ,s4 ,augustine on miracles1 i4 #cj ,s4 ,bernard on dreams1 i4 #bad ,s4 ,cyprian on dreams1 i4 #bad ,s4 ,cyril on dreams1 i4 #bad ,s4 ,irenus on miracles1 i4 #da ,s4 ,john's ,college1 ,oxford1 ,founding of1 i4 #bfg ,s4 ,pacian on miracles1 i4 #da ,s4 ,thomas ,aquinas on dreams1 i4 #bad ,sacrilege discovered by a dream1 i4 #bcb 8,sadducismus ,triumphatus0 referred to1 i4 #aii ,satan1 power and malice of1 ii4 #hc ,science and faith1 ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,hawker on1 ii4 #bci ,science of the ,pagan oracles1 i4 #afa 8,scientific ,view of ,modern ,spiritualism0 quoted1 ii4 #adc ,scott1 ,dream of ,andrew1 i4 #bfa ,scripture on witchcraft and necromancy1 i4 #afd ,sance at the ,marshalls'1 i4 #bjc ---- record of1 from 8,spiritual ,magazine10 ii4 #afi ,second sight1 ,treatise on1 i4 #bhe ---- at ,cardiff1 i4 #bhf ---- at ,ramsbury1 i4 #bhh ---- ,jerome ,cardan's gift of1 i4 #bhc ,sexton1 ,dr4 ,g41 on spiritualism1 ii4 #bbe ,shakespeare's conception of the supernatural1 ii4 #hi ,singular prognostication1 i4 #bej ,sir ,christopher ,heydon on astrology1 i4 #bjj ,sir ,george ,caulfeild1 i4 #bbc ,sir ,henry ,chauncy trying witches1 i4 #aic ,sir ,henry ,yelverton and his death1 i4 #ie ,sir ,martin ,beresford1 ii4 #ac ,sir ,matthew ,hale's evidence as to witchcraft1 i4 #afc ,sir ,thomas ,brown's evidence against witchcraft1 i4 #afc ,slade's1 ,sir ,alfred1 testimony1 ii4 #bah ,somerset omen1 ,the1 i4 #bff ,sorcery of ,dr4 ,lamb1 i4 #bjb ,sortes ,virgilian1 ,the1 i4 #bfi1 #bgj ,sound of a drum1 ,the1 i4 #bgh ,southey on haunted localities1 ii4 #hd ,spectral dog1 ,the1 i4 #bhj ,spectre of ,lady ,hobby1 ,the1 ii4 #ia ,spedlin's ,tower haunted1 ii4 #ig ,spirits1 perturbed1 ii4 #hg ---- ,world of1 ii4 #hb ,spiritualism despised1 ii4 #aci ---- modern1 ii4 #ace1 #afi ---- ,mr4 ,w4 ,crookes on the phenomena of1 ii4 #aei ---- ,origin of1 ii4 #ada ,spiritualistic manifestations1 i4 #bje2 ii4 #aea1 #aec1 #aee1 #aeg1 #afj1 #afa1 #afc1 #afi1 #agc1 #age1 #agf1 #agg1 #agh1 #ahj ,statement of ,lord ,lyttelton's valet1 ii4 #de ,stigmatization1 i4 #ih1 #ajj1 #aja1 #ajb1 #aje1 #aji ,strauss1 ,opinions of1 i4 #b ,successful exorcism by an ,english clergyman1 i4 #hj ,sudden death of ,ruth ,pierce1 i4 #bhi ,supernatural banished1 ,the1 ii4 #adj ---- basis of life1 i4 #ab ---- its work1 i4 #b ---- noises at ,abbotsford1 ii4 #ii ---- religion1 i4 #ah ,surey demoniac1 ,the1 i4 #agg ,tertullian on dreams1 i4 #bac ,testimony to the fulfilment of a solemn ,curse1 i4 #aag ,the ,chester-le-,street apparition1 ii4 #c ,the ,christian system1 i4 #bf ,the ,lyttelton ghost story1 ii4 #ce ,the ,misses ,amphlett1 ii4 #ci ,the ,oxenham omen1 i4 #bgd ,the result of a solemn ,curse1 i4 #aag ,the sound of a drum1 i4 #bgh ,the spectral dog1 i4 #bhj ---- bird1 ii4 #abh ,the use of the ,sign of the ,cross1 ii4 #d ,the white bird of the ,oxenhams1 i4 #bgd ,theories concerning dreams1 i4 #baj ,thirteen to ,dinner1 i4 #bha ,thomas ,aquinas on miracles1 ,s41 i4 #bh ,three men rescued by a dream1 i4 #bca ,tichborne dole1 ,the1 i4 #bfd ---- ,curse and ,prophecy1 ,the1 i4 #bfe ---- ,mabella1 ,lady1 i4 #bfd ---- ,sir ,henry1 i4 #bfe ---- ,sir ,roger1 i4 #bfd ,tinley1 ,dream of ,samuel1 i4 #bfb ,tradition of miraculous powers1 i4 #cb ,treatise on second sight1 i4 #bhe ,trial of ,rev4 ,e4 ,arrowsmith1 i4 #ia ,trinity of ,comteism1 ,the1 i4 #ai ,twice-repeated dream of a sailor1 i4 #bca ,tyrone apparition1 ,the1 ii4 #aa ,unalterable experience1 i4 #bd ,use of the ,sign of the ,cross1 ii4 #d ,wallace1 ,mr4 ,a41 on spiritualism and science1 ii4 #aic ,wandering souls1 ii4 #hg ,ward's account of the ,lyttelton ghost1 ,mr41 ii4 #df ,warning given in a dream1 i4 #bch1 #bed ---- given to a lady by a dream1 i4 #bdb ---- to a lady1 i4 #beh ---- to a little child1 i4 #bfj ---- to two persons in dreams1 i4 #beh 8,weekly ,register10 ,the1 on ,mr4 ,wallace's theories1 ii4 #aig ,weld ghost story1 ,the1 ii4 #di ---- ,philip1 drowned1 ii4 #ej ---- ,very ,rev4 ,alfred1 ,s4 ,j41 on the ,weld ghost story1 ii4 #ed ,weld's1 ,philip1 apparition1 ii4 #ec ,westcote1 ,lord1 on the ,lyttelton ghost1 i4 #cc ,white's ,dream1 ,sir ,thomas1 i4 #bff ,witchcraft and necromancy1 i4 #aeb ---- and sorcery1 ,canon ,melville on1 i4 #aef ---- common in non-,catholic countries1 i4 #bja ---- condemned in ,scripture1 i4 #aeb1 #aee ---- ,definition of1 i4 #agd ---- ,examples of1 i4 #agf-bja ---- ,george ,more on1 i4 #aga ---- ,herder on1 ii4 #baj ---- ,jane ,wenham accused of1 i4 #aib ---- ,joseph ,glanville on1 i4 #age ---- recognized by the ,fathers1 i4 #afa ---- ,rev4 ,john ,wesley on1 i4 #afj ,witches1 ,the ,northamptonshire1 i4 #ahb 8,wonders of the ,invisible ,world10 i4 #aih ,world of spirits1 ,the1 ii4 #hb ,wynyard ghost story1 ,the1 ii4 #bf ,,footnotes3 #a 8,westminster ,review10 ,july1 #ahgb4 #b ,acts xvii4 #bg4 #c ,the idea of the eternal enters largely into the stock arguments of unbelief2 for it is through the asserted 8eternity of matter0 that the unbeliever shifts away the ideas of creation and a creator4 #d ,articles of ,religion1 ,no4 #a1 ,book of ,common ,prayer4 #e ,christianity1 as we know1 exhorted men and women to the care of the aged1 the suffering1 and the infirm4 ,our ,blessed ,saviour's promise1 regarding the gift of a cup of cold water and its reward1 was not forgotten4 ,christian love resisted and cast out ,pagan selfishness4 ,hospitals were built where the diseases of the poor might be cured2 where the sore distress of hopeless pain and slow wasting-away might be soothed2 and asylums were provided where the weak and imbecile might be tended4 ,now if the ,pagan theories of 8scientific people0 are applied1 the chief duty of physicians in the future will be to poison their patients4 ,such a conception would be ludicrous were it not so utterly revolting4 #f ,a writer in an influential organ of opinion connected with the ,american ,church puts forth the following vigorous protest3-- 8,it is quite as well that we should be accustomed to the logical consequences of some of our philosophies4 ,the tradition of ,christianity is so strong upon the most #8advanced' of our wise men that it holds them back from the carrying-out of their principles4 ,but here and there is one1 and we should all be thankful to him who is so intellectually constituted that he must carry #8a law' to its issue1 and by the issue let us see the nature of the law4 ,the hint of what may be is given in the revival of the advocacy of suicide for the wretched1 and the putting to death of the helpless4 ,naturalism carried out comes to that conclusion4 ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer had been patiently laying down principles which scores who think they think are accepting1 without the slightest idea1 on his part apparently or on theirs1 that they are simple savagery and pure ,paganism1 and that the man who dines off his aged mother has been acting on them1 though ,mr4 ,spencer's name had never been heard in his native speech4 8,in some sense of the supernatural1 in some faith in the unseen1 in some feeling that man is not of this world1 in some grasp on the ,eternal ,god1 and on an eternal1 supernatural1 and supersensuous life1 lies the basis of all pity and mercy1 all help and comfort and patience and sympathy among men4 ,set these aside1 commit us only to the natural1 to what our eyes see and our hands handle2 and while we may organize society scientifically1 and live according to #8the laws of nature1' and be very philosophical and very liberal1 we are standing on the ground on which every pack of wolves gallops4 8,one may safely say1 #8,if you will show me1 on any principle of naturalism1 or any rule of what you shallowly in these days call #8philosophy1' on any law of nature1 why ,i should not strangle my deaf and dumb child1 smother my paralytic father1 or drown my hopelessly insane wife1 then ,i will turn materialist also4' ,we are far from believing that these gentlemen know how they have been undermining the foundations of civilized and social life4 ,a lurid glare cast across these speculations1 like this ,english discussion of ,euthanasia1 may startle some whom ,mr4 ,tyndall's discussion of the scientific absurdity of prayer might not startle1 though both are locked in one1 and stand or fall together4 ,but however it be1 we are sure that man will find that society stands on supernatural ground1 that the ,family and the ,nation are divine1 and that #8,naturalism1' modified or disguised as it may be1 is only isolated savagery--#8every man for himself1 and the weakest to the wall4'0 #g ,a writer in the 8,church ,journal0 of ,new ,york puts the case well and fairly as follows3--8,the scientific people have taken up the lost weapons of bigoted theological polemics1 and assail with the rough sides of their tongues and pens any man who calls for further evidence1 or presumes to bring their assumptions to the test of examination4 ,but having no more reverence for the unsustained dicta of ,sir ,charles ,lyell1 ,mr4 ,proctor1 or ,professor ,tyndall1 than for the same sort of dicta from a ,middle ,age monk1 we shall go on calling for proof4 ,our credulity is incapable of saying #8we know' about a thing of which1 when we examine1 nobody #8knows' anything1 except that some scientific man asserts it in his book4 8,we are not #8enemies to science2' we only want science1 and not guesses4 ,and the thoroughly unscientific1 uncritical1 and credulous way in which men like ,mr4 ,proctor are declaring #8we know' about things of which they know nothing1 is one of the greatest obstacles with which science has to contend40 #h 8,la ,croix de ,mign venge de l'incrdulit du sicle40 ,published at ,paris1 in #ahbi4 #i 8,account of the ,miraculous ,events at ,rome in the years #agib and #agic40 ,published in ,london1 by ,keating and ,brown1 ,duke ,street1 ,grosvenor ,square4 #aj ,hume's 8,essays and ,treatises on ,various ,subjects10 second edition1 vol4 ii4 p4 #abb4 ,london1 #aghd4 #aa ,ibid4 vol4 ii4 p4 #acc4 #ab ,take for example the subject of meteoric stones4 ,marked changes with regard to a belief in these1 have existed in the past4 ,the scholar can testify that antiquity is undoubtedly in favour of their existence4 ,plutarch1 for example1 in his 8,life of ,lysander10 describes a celebrated aerolite which fell in ,thrace1 and ,history testifies unmistakably to similar events--more particularly to the preservation of such in ancient temples4 ,yet it was not until the year #ahjc1 when meteoric stones fell at ,l',aigle in ,normandy1 that the ,academy of ,sciences in ,paris appointed a committee to investigate the case1 and their report determined the question4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,g4 ,nevill1 ,f4,g4,s41 of ,gresham ,street1 ,city1 ,london1 comprises the above in the following testimony to facts which appeared in the 8,standard10 of ,feb4 #be1 #ahgc4 8,with reference to a paragraph headed #8,an ,exercise of ,credulity' in your paper of the #bdth instant1 allow me to offer a few observations1 as the circumstance narrated therein of the fall of an aerolite on board the ,seven ,stones light-vessel1 as narrated by the crew1 is of extreme interest4 ,the men in the light-vessel service are carefully selected by the elder brethren of the ,trinity ,house and trained to make observations on the weather and record them in books at the time1 which books are received as evidence in the ,admiralty ,court4 ,their account agrees in the main with the details given in other cases4 ,my father1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,nevill1 of ,godalming1 has a collection of specimens of #bbf distinct falls of such bodies4 ,these take place in all parts of the world4 ,i believe only one instance has before been recorded in ,england4 ,that occurred at ,wold ,cottage1 ,thwing1 ,yorkshire1 on ,dec4 #ac1 #agie4 ,one of the earliest recorded falls took place at ,guisheim1 in ,alsace1 during a battle1 ,nov4 #g1 #adib1 and was preserved in the neighbouring church4 ,a large shower of stones took place at ,l',aigle1 in north of ,france1 on ,april #bf1 #ahjc 7not very far from the ,seven ,stones74 ,these stones are of a grey ashy colour and invariably coated with black enamel2 other meteorites are composed of solid native iron1 and are sometimes of large size1 as the one at ,bitburg in ,rhenish ,prussia1 which weighed several tons40 #ac 8,athenum10 for ,march #ab1 #ahei1 p4 #cej4 #ad ,testimonies to the ,supernatural amongst ,christian writers are abundant4 ,the following may be instanced as a few concerning such events1 both in the second and third centuries3--,justin ,martyr1 ,ap4 ii4 cap4 vi42 ,dial4 cum ,tryph4 cap4 xxxix4 and lxxxii42 ,irenus1 ii4 #ca and v4 #f2 ,tertullian 8,apolog40 cap4 #bc1 #bg1 #cb1 #cg2 8,origen against ,celsus10 book i4 p4 #g and book vii4 pp4 #ccd-cce1 ,ed4 ,spencer2 ,dionysius of ,alexandria1 in 8,eccl4 ,hist40 of ,eusebius1 vi4 #dj2 ,minucius ,felix ,octav4 p4 #cfa1 ,ed4 ,paris1 #afje2 ,s4 ,cyprian1 8,de ,idol4 ,vanit40 p4 #ad4 #ae ,s4 ,john xiv4 #ab4 #af 8,hist4 ,eccles40 cap4 v4 ,chronicon4 p4 #hb4 #ag ,the following version by ,dio4 ,cassius1 translated from the 8,annals0 of ,baronius1 affords no slender testimony to the account by ,eusebius given in the text3--8,when the barbarians would not give them battle1 in hopes of their perishing by heat and thirst1 since they had so surrounded them that they had no possible means of getting water2 and when they were in the utmost distress from sickness1 wounds1 sun1 and thirst1 and could neither fight nor retreat1 but remained in order of battle and at their posts in this parched condition1 suddenly clouds gathered1 and a copious rainfall1 not without the mercy of ,god4 ,and when it first began to fall1 the ,romans1 raising their mouths towards heaven1 received it upon them2 next1 turning up their shields and helmets1 they drank largely out of them1 and gave to their horses4 ,and when the barbarians charged them1 they drank as they fought1 and numbers of them were wounded4444 ,and while they were thus incurring heavy loss from the assault of the enemy1 because most of them were engaged in drinking1 a violent hailstorm and much lightning were discharged upon the enemy4 ,and thus water and fire might be seen in the same place falling from heaven1 that some might drink refreshment and others be burnt to death40--,dion4 ,cass4 8,hist40 lxxi4 p4 #hje4 #ah ,the treatise of ,apollinaris1 it should be added1 is lost2 and there seems to be some ground for believing that a particular ,legion bore the name 8,thundering0 as far back as the days of ,augustus4 ,this latter assertion1 however1 even if proved1 cannot set aside the leading facts recorded in the text4 #ai 8,life of ,marcus ,antonius10 chap4 xxiv4 #bj 8,historia ,romana10 lxi4 #h4 #ba ,mosheim's 8,ecclesiastical ,history0 7,ed4 ,stubbs71 vol4 i4 pp4 #ii-aja4 ,london1 #ahfc4 #bb 8,two ,essays on ,scripture ,miracles and on ,ecclesiastical10 by ,j4 ,h4 ,newman1 pp4 #bgc-d1 ,second ,edition4 ,london1 #ahgj4 #bc ,socrates1 ,philostorgius1 ,gelasius1 and ,nicephorus declare that the ,cross was in the sky4 ,sozomen1 too1 on the authority of ,eusebius1 makes a similar statement4 ,so likewise does ,rufinus4 #bd ,this standard was known by the name of the 8,labarum0--a word the etymology of which is very uncertain4 ,it was a pole plated with gold1 upon which was laid horizontally a cross-bar1 so as to form the figure of a cross4 ,the top of the perpendicular shaft was adorned with a golden crown1 ornamented with precious stones4 ,in the middle of this crown was a monogram representing the name of ,christ by the two ,greek initial letters and 4 ,a purple veil of a square figure hung from the cross-bar1 which was likewise spangled with jewels4 ,gretser1 8,de ,cruce10 ,lib4 i4 cap4 iv4 #be ,s4 ,john v4 #bj4 #bf ,liber cont4 ,hr4 c4 xxxi4 #bg ,daniel ix4 #bj-bg4 #bh ,these miraculous interventions are testified to by ,s4 ,gregory ,nazianzen1 ,s4 ,chrysostom1 and ,s4 ,ambrose1 as well as by ,rufinus1 ,socrates1 ,sozomen1 and ,theodoret4 ,they are also recorded by ,philostorgius the ,arian1 and by ,ammianus the ,pagan4 ,bishop ,warburton published a volume entitled 8,julian0 in proof of their miraculous character1 and they are acknowledged as such by ,bishop ,halifax on p4 #bc of his 8,discourses40 #bi ,those who testify to the truth of this miracle are firstly a ,christian prelate1 ,victor ,vitenus1 8,hist4 ,pers40 sec4 ,vandal1 iii4 p4 #fac1 whose words are translated above2 the ,emperor ,justinian 7who declares that he had seen some of the sufferers1 8,codex ,justin40 ,lib4 ,i4 ,tit4 xxx4 ,ed4 #aeec72 the ,greek historian1 ,procopius of ,csarea1 who asserts that their tongues were cut off as low down as their throat1 and that he had conversed with them1 ,lib4 ,i4 8,de ,bell4 ,vand40 cap4 viij4 and x4 #a4 neas of ,gaza1 a ,platonic philosopher1 who1 having examined their mouths1 remarked that he was not so much surprised at their being able to talk1 as at their being able to live4 ,he saw them at ,constantinople4 ,mosheim1 amongst ,protestants1 and ,dodwell1 the nonjuror1 amongst ,english writers1 frankly admit the miracle4 ,the most lucid and exhaustive account1 however1 may be found in ,section ix4 of ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,newman's 8,essays on ,miracles10 pp4 #cfi-chg 7,second edition1 ,london1 #ahgj71 where the ancient evidence is set forth at length4 #cj ,on this subject a volume has recently been published1 entitled 8,the ,tongue not ,essential to ,speech3 with ,illustrations of the ,power of ,speech in the ,african ,confessors40 ,by the ,hon4 ,edward ,twistleton4 ,london3 #ahgc4 ,this book has been carefully and exhaustively criticized in 8,the ,month10 for ,september1 #ahgc4 ,it will be sufficient here to remark that the modern scientific objections to this miracle1 that1 because in a certain case1 by the skill of an operator1 a tongue was so removed with marked dexterity in recent times1 therefore the power of speech retained by the ,african ,confessors was an ordinary event1 are objections at once inconsequential and invalid4 #ca 8,de ,civitate ,dei10 ,lib4 xxii4 p4 #h4 #cb 8,epist4 ,sti4 ,greg420 8,hist4 ,bed40 ,lib4 i4 c4 xxxj4 #cc ,vide 8,sti4 ,bernardi ,vita10 in loco1 published by ,mabillon4 #cd ,they were examined on the spot1 by virtue of a ,commission from ,john ,,iii4 ,king of ,portugal1 and were generally acknowledged1 not only by ,europeans1 but also by native ,mahometans and ,pagans4 ,the important and conclusive testimony of three ,protestant writers--,hackluyt1 ,baldens1 and ,tavernier--is set forth in ,bouhours' 8,life of ,francis ,xavier10 which our own poet1 ,john ,dryden1 translated and published4 #ce ,s4 ,matthew xv4 #bb-bh4 #cf ,s4 ,mark iii4 #aa4 ,ibid4 iii4 #ae1 #bb-cj4 #cg ,s4 ,mark v4 #b-ae4 ,see also ,s4 ,luke viii4 #bf-dj4 ,instances of such power bestowed and exercised over unclean or deaf and dumb spirits may be found in the following3--,s4 ,mark vi4 #ac2 vii4 #be-cj2 ix4 #ag-bi4 ,s4 ,luke iv4 #cc-cg2 ix4 #ch-db2 xi4 #ad-bf4 ,acts v4 #ab1 #af2 xvi4 #af-ah2 xix4 #ac-bj2 xxviii4 #c-f4 #ch ,one of the most distinguished physicians in ,london recently assured the ,editor that1 in his judgment1 numerous peculiar and remarkable cases both of epilepsy and madness could only be duly and rationally accounted for by the ,christian theory of possession2 and he himself declared that if the ,church's spiritual powers on the one hand1 and the virtue of faith on the other1 were more commonly put into practice than they are1 many cures1 by ,god's blessing1 might be looked for4 #ci 8,the ,history of ,cornwall10 by ,fortescue ,hitchins1 ,esq41 in #b vols4 #dto4 ,helston1 #ahbd4 ,vol4 ii4 pp4 #edh-ea4 #dj ,the parish of ,little ,petherick is six miles north of ,s4 ,columb1 and three due south from ,padstow4 #da ,bishop ,seth ,ward1 ,d4,d4--,editor4 #db 8,no minister or ministers shall 444 without the license and direction 7mandatum7 of the ,bishop 444 attempt upon any pretence whatsoever either of possession or obsession1 by fasting or prayer1 to cast out any devil or devils1 under pain of the imputation of imposture or cosenage1 and deposition from the ministry40--,canons of #afjd1 ,no4 #gb4 #dc ,mr4 ,hawker quotes from the ,diary of ,mr4 ,ruddle for ,july #ajth1 #affe1 the following triumphant entry3--8,how sorely must the infidels and hereticks of this generation be dismayed when they know that this ,black ,death1 which is now swallowing its thousands in the streets of the great city ,london was foretold six months agone1 under the exorcisms of a country minister1 by a visible and suppliant ghost6 ,and what pleasures and improvements do such deny themselves who scorn and avoid all opportunity of intercourse with souls separate1 and the spirits1 glad and sorrowful1 which inhabit the unseen world40--pp4 #abc-d4 #dd ,in the act of exorcism1 of course it is not necessary that the exorcist be a clergyman1 in other words1 in holy orders4 ,an 8exorcist0 technically so called1 when formally ordained1 is only in 8minor0 and not in 8holy0 or 8sacred orders40 ,any ,christian layman1 with faith and a hearty desire and readiness to abide by the rules of the ,church1 can perform the act of exorcism1 if no duly-ordained exorcist can be had2 just as a layman 7in the absence of a priest71 can validly baptize4 ,by baptism the 8old man0 is cast out1 and the work of regeneration formally effected4 ,by exorcism1 some evil spirit or devil is expelled from a person possessed1 in the ,name of our ,adorable ,redeemer1 ,who triumphed over death and hell1 and ,who delegated ,divine powers to the ,church which ,he instituted4 8,it belongs to an exorcist10 writes a distinguished ,western divine1 8by exorcisms to deliver energumens and catechumens from the vexations of demons40--8,axioms concerning the ,sacraments10 ,no4 lxviii4 of ,augustinus ,hunnus4 ,on this point1 the same theologian1 sometime ,professor of ,theology at ,louvain1 writes thus3--8,in adults catechism1 whereby the doctrine of faith is delivered1 ought to precede baptism2 but exorcism1 whereby evil spirits are expelled1 and the senses opened to the perception of the mysteries of ,salvation1 ought to precede catechism4 ,both1 as well catechism as exorcism1 pertain to the office of a priest2 but in catechizing he uses the ministry of a reader3 in exorcism that of an exorcist40--8,axioms concerning the ,sacraments10 ,no4 xii4 #de ,this clergyman1 whose name the ,editor is not at liberty to mention1 is known to many to be 8a discerner of spirits40 ,he is now a dignitary of the ,english ,church in the colonies4 #df 8,the same has been attested to myself by ,m4 ,denison1 nephew to the celebrated ,morand1 whom ,i saw at that time at ,maubuisson-les-,pontoise4 ,he ran the same career as his uncle1 and was also distinguished for his merit4 ,f4 ,g4 ,p40 #dg ,deut4 x4 #h2 ,numb4 vi4 #bb-bf1 a form which the ,christian ,church has adopted and retained4 #dh ,heb4 vii4 #g4 #di ,another version of this conversation gives the report as follows3 8,and should ,i die unjustly and undeservedly1 my lord1 in that case1 you1 my lord1 shall soon die too1 and follow me2 yea within the compass of a year40--,,ms4 ,letter of ,very ,rev4 ,dr4 ,husenbeth4 #ej 8,that dead dog ,arrowsmith0 stands in another version of this portion of the narrative4--,editor4 #ea ,they went in company with ,thomas ,cutler and ,elizabeth ,dooley4 ,the above facts were formally authenticated by the parents of ,lamb1 as also by the ,rev4 ,thomas ,sadler1 of ,trafford1 near ,manchester2 and the ,rev4 ,j4 ,craythorne1 of ,garswood4 ,a friend who resides in ,lancashire informs the ,editor that this miracle is firmly believed by thousands 7,a4,d4 #ahgc74 #eb ,it was on this day that formal and sufficient testimonies were put into writing of the fact of the cure narrated above2 and duly signed by those who from their own personal knowledge could testify to the truth of the same4 #ec ,the event recorded above1 ,arrowsmith's sufferings and death1 and its details are taken from ,dod's 8,church ,history10 ,challoner's 8,memoirs of ,missionary ,priests10 vol4 ii4 pp4 #acj-adf2 a 8,relation of the ,death of ,e4 ,arrowsmith10 published ,a4,d4 #afcj2 a ,latin ,,ms4 of his life1 preserved at ,douay2 and special traditional information given to the ,editor by the late ,very ,rev4 ,dr4 ,husenbeth1 ,provost of ,northampton4 #ed ,this wonderful mystery is frequently represented in ,christian ,art1 both with beauty and effect4 #ee ,see a rare and remarkable pamphlet1 by ,mr4 ,de ,lisle1 with etchings by ,j4 ,r4 ,herbert1 ,r4,a41 now out of print1 containing an account of his visit to the subject of this miraculous occurrence4 ,london3 ,dolman1 #ahda4 #ef ,the following is the full title of the volume from which the above narrative and the extracts given are taken3--8,louise ,lateau of ,bois d',haine1 her ,life1 her ,ecstasies1 and her ,stigmata40 ,a medical study1 by ,dr4 ,f4 ,lefebvre4 ,translated from the ,french4 ,edited by ,rev4 ,j4 ,spencer ,northcote1 ,d4,d41 ,president of ,s4 ,mary's ,college1 ,oscott4 ,to which the following explanatory note may be added3--,the name of ,dr4 ,lefebvre is sufficient guarantee of the importance of any work coming from his pen4 ,during twenty years that he has filled the chair of ,general ,pathology and ,therapeutics in the ,university of ,louvain he has gained a world-wide reputation by his investigations in the wide and1 to a great extent1 unexplored field of medical research4 ,add to this moral qualities of the first order1 and ardent zeal in the cause of religion1 and we have a character which commands our admiration and esteem in the highest degree4 ,the book1 translated into ,english under the superintendence of ,dr4 ,northcote1 is a medical inquiry into the case of ,louise ,lateau1 the ,belgian stigmatizata4 ,the medical features of the case are all that ,dr4 ,lefebvre proposes to treat1 leaving1 of course1 to the proper ecclesiastical authorities the theological investigation4 ,an abridged account of this case has been published1 entitled 8,louise ,lateau1 the ,ecstatica of ,bois d',haine10 by ,dr4 ,lefebvre1 translated from the ,french by ,j4 ,s4 ,shepard4 ,london3 ,richardson and ,son4 #ahgb4 #eg ,this account was written in #ahgd4 #eh ,affidavits of the truth of the above narrative have been made by the physician and clergyman who witnessed the miraculous intervention1 as also by the person more immediately concerned--,miss ,collins4 #ei ,among the spectators were the following3 ,mr4 ,r4 ,tobin and family1 ,mr4 ,john ,sullivan and wife1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,d4 ,o',sullivan and wife1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,a4 ,donahue and wife1 ,mr4 ,george ,hooper and wife1 ,mrs4 ,emmet ,doyle1 ,mr4 ,d4 ,j4 ,oliver1 and many others4 ,dr4 ,polactri was standing by ,miss ,collins's bedside1 taking notes on the condition of the patient4 ,he confessed the case was beyond the reach of medical science4 ,her head moved from side to side with the intensity of her agony1 and her tongue was parched and swollen4 #fj ,mr4 ,d4 ,j4 ,oliver writes from ,san ,francisco1 in a private letter1 as follows3 8,i was awe-stricken whilst beholding the miracle4 ,i know both the young girls1 and the account is correct in every particular1 except that the stigmata was on both sides of the hands and feet1 and not on one side only4 ,i spent an hour with them last evening1 and saw them at communion at early mass this morning40 #fa ,the account up to this point is copied from a ,letter to ,miss ,f4 ,t4 ,bird1 dated ,september #c1 #ahji1 by ,mr4 ,woodford1 an eminent surgeon of ,taunton1 who attended ,mary ,wood upon her accident4 #fb ,certain stated prayers and devotional exercises continued throughout nine days4 #fc ,the authentic documents of the examination1 and of the whole process of the cure1 are contained at length in a work entitled 8,the ,miraculous ,cure of ,winifred ,white10 by the ,rev4 ,john ,milner1 ,d4,d41 published by ,grace of ,dublin1 and reprinted1 on several occasions and in different forms1 in ,england4 ,it may be added that ,winifred ,white departed this life on the #acth of ,january1 #ahbd1 nineteen years after her cure4 ,she died of consumption4 #fd ,a well-known clergyman of the ,church of ,england4 #fe ,the account from which the above was compiled was a formal and authentic statement of the ,cur de ,s4 ,martin1 at ,metz 7,a4,d4 #ahfe74 #ff ,the account given above is taken from a small tractate entitled 8,the ,miracle of ,metz1 wrought by the ,blessed ,sacrament1 ,june #ad1 #ahfe10 translated from the ,french1 by ,lady ,georgiana ,fullerton4 ,with the imprimaturs of ,his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,westminster and the ,bishop of ,metz4 ,london3 ,burns and ,co41 #ahfe4 #fg ,see a series of most interesting letters1 entitled 8,is ,god amongst us80 by a ,clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 published in the 8,union0 newspaper1 for #aheg1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #bfb1 #cbi-ccj4 ,london3 ,painter4 #fh 8,the ,measure of ,christian ,sorrow for the ,departed10 a ,sermon preached at the funeral of ,mary ,lisle ,phillipps de ,lisle1 by the ,rev4 ,henry ,collins1 ,m4,a4 ,loughborough3 ,j4 ,h4 ,gray1 #ahfj1 pp4 #aa-ac4 #fi 8,indulgenced prayers are prayers to the recital of which is attached by the ,church the grant of indulgences4 ,by indulgences ,catholics understand a remission of sin1 that is1 of all those temporal pains which ,god inflicts for sin committed by ,his servants after baptism2 and the ,church teaches that the power of remission was conferred by ,jesus ,christ when ,he said to the ,apostles1 #8,whatsoever ye shall loose on earth1 shall be loosed in ,heaven4'0 ,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ai4 #gj ,an anonymous seventeenth-century writer reasons as follows3--8,to know things aright and perfectly is to know the causes thereof4 ,a definition doth consist of those causes which give the whole essence1 and contain the perfect nature of the thing defined2 where that is therefore found out1 there appears the very clear light4 ,if it be perfect1 it is much the greater2 though if it be not fully perfect1 yet it giveth some good light4 ,for which respect1 though ,i dare not say ,i can give a perfect definition in this matter1 which is hard to do even in known things1 because the essential form is hard to be found1 yet ,i do give a definition which may at the least give notice and make known what manner of persons they be of whom ,i am to speak3--,a witch is one that worketh by the ,devil1 or by some devilish or curious art1 either hurting or healing1 revealing things secret1 or foretelling things to come1 which the ,devil hath devised to entangle and snare men's souls withal unto damnation4 ,the ,conjurer1 the ,enchanter1 the ,sorcerer1 the ,diviner1 and whatsoever other sort there is1 are indeed encompassed within this circle4 ,the ,devil doth 7no doubt7 after divers sorts and divers forms1 deal in these4 ,but no man is able to show an essential difference in each of them from the rest4 ,i hold it no wisdom or labour well spent to travel much therein4 ,one artificer hath devised them all40 #ga 8,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live40--,exodus xxii4 #ah4 8,neither shall ye use enchantment40--,levit4 xix4 #bf4 8,regard not them which have familiar spirits1 neither seek after wizards1 to be defiled by them40--,ibid4 ver4 #ca4 8,when thou art come into the land which the ,lord thy ,god giveth thee1 thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations4 ,there shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire1 or that useth divination1 or an observer of times1 or an enchanter1 or a witch1 or a charmer1 or a consulter with familiar spirits1 or a necromancer4 ,for all that do these things are an abomination unto the ,lord3 and because of these abominations the ,lord thy ,god doth drive them out from before thee40--,deut4 xviii4 #i-ab4 ,of ,manasseh is recorded1 that 8,he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of ,hinnom3 also he observed times1 and used enchantments1 and used witchcraft1 and dealt with a familiar spirit1 and with wizards40--#b ,chron4 xxxiii4 #f4 ,lastly1 ,s4 ,paul mentions 8witchcraft0 amongst such 8works of the flesh0 as 8adultery1 fornication1 heresies1 drunkenness1 and murders40--,galat4 v4 #ai-ba4 #gb ,many of the heathens cordially defended magic and ,necromancy4 ,for example1 ,asclepiades1 who lived in the time of ,pompey the ,great1 cured diseases by magic1 enjoining upon his patient1 in the case of the falling sickness1 to bind upon his arm a ,cross with a ,nail driven into it4 ,julianus1 the magician1 is reported to have driven the plague out of ,rome by magical power4 ,apuleius1 a disciple of ,plato1 wrote at length on magic4 ,to him may be added ,marcellus and ,alexander ,trallian4 ,pliny asserts in very plain language that ,necromancy was so prevalent in his day1 but was condemned by the wisest1 that it was classed with treason and poisoning4 ,and it is notorious that magic was long used as a convenient though inefficient weapon against ,christianity4--,vide1 likewise1 ,livy i4 #bj1 and ,strabo1 lib4 vi4 #gc 8,fuga ,satan4 ,exorcismus1 ex sacrarum ,litterarum fontibus1 pioq ,s4 ,ecclesi ,instituto exhaustus4 ,authore ,petro ,antonio ,stampa1 ,sacerdote ,clavenense4 ,cum privilegio4 ,venetiis4 ,m4,d4,c4,v4 ,apud ,sebastianum ,combis40 #gd 8,touching the antiquity of ,witchcraft1 we must needs confess that it hath been of very ancient time1 because the ,scriptures do testify so much1 for in the time of ,moses it was very rife in ,egypt4 ,neither was it then newly sprung up1 being common1 and grown into such ripeness among the nations1 that the ,lord1 reckoning by divers kinds1 saith that the ,gentiles did commit such abominations1 for which ,he would cast them out before the children of ,israel40--8,what a ,witch is1 and the ,antiquities of ,witchcraft10 ,a4,d4 #afab4 #ge ,see note to this effect on page #aeb4 #gf ,the following passage1 from a sermon by the late ,canon ,melville1 bears out the above statement3--8,it is unnecessary for us to inquire what those arts may have been in which the ,ephesians are said to have greatly excelled4 ,there seems no reason for doubting that1 as we have already stated1 they were of the nature of magic1 sorcery1 or witchcraft2 though we cannot profess accurately to define what such terms might import4 ,the ,ephesians1 as some in all ages have done1 probably laid claim to intercourse with invisible beings1 and professed to derive from that intercourse acquaintance with1 and power over1 future events4 ,and though the very name of witchcraft be now held in contempt1 and the supposition of communion with evil spirits scouted as a fable of what are called the dark ages1 we own that we have difficulty in believing that all which has passed by the names of magic and sorcery may be resolved into sleight of hand1 deception1 and trick4 ,the visible world and the invisible are in very close contact3 there is1 indeed1 a veil on our eyes1 preventing our gazing on spiritual beings and things1 but we doubt not that whatsoever passes upon earth is open to the view of higher and immaterial creatures4 ,and as we are sure that a man of piety and prayer enlists good angels on his side and engages them to perform towards him the ministrations of kindness1 we know not why there cannot be such a thing as a man whose wickedness has caused his being abandoned by the ,spirit of ,god1 and who1 in this his desertion1 has thrown open to evil angels the chambers of his soul1 and made himself so completely their instrument1 that they may use him in the uttering or working strange things1 which shall have all the air of prophecy or miracle40--8,sermons on certain of the less prominent facts and references in ,sacred ,story40 ,by ,henry ,melville1 ,d4,d4 ,in two volumes4 ,london3 ,rivingtons1 #ahgb4 ,vol4 i4 pp4 #eg1 #eh4 #gg ,the above definitions are taken from the literary productions of certain of the most recent 8philosophers0 and 8thinkers0 already referred to in the text4 #gh 8,the works of the flesh are manifest1 which are these3 adultery1 fornication1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1 hatred1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 seditions1 heresies1 envyings1 murders1 drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like40 ,galat4 v4 #ai-ba4 #gi ,this took place in ,england in the year #agcf1 in the teeth of the protests of many1 who felt that a modification of laws founded on an explicit principle of ,scripture would have been both wiser and safer than their total and absolute abolition4 ,amongst others1 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley wrote and preached to this effect4 ,quite recently a distinguished ,liberal statesman remarked that if the practices of the so-called 8,spiritualists0 still developed1 as for some time they had been developing1 some re-enactment of the laws against ,witchcraft might become necessary4 ,it certainly seems one-sided and unfair that ignorant women should be punished for 8fortune-telling10 and that the paid professional mediums should go scot free4 #hj ,the following bears out the remarks in the text3--8,the influence of ,christianity upon magic could not be small2 material changes would undoubtedly be brought about through its influence4444 ,at the epoch of ,christ's appearance1 faith in demons1 and particularly in evil spirits1 was not only general amongst the heathen1 but also among the ,jews to an incredible extent2 and unbounded powers1 even as great as those of the ,divinity1 were ascribed to them1 which not only were supposed to influence the mind1 but also ,nature and physical life40--,ennemoser's 8,history of ,magic40 ,translated by ,w4 ,howitt4 ,london1 #ahed4 ,vol4 i41 pp4 #cdj1 #cda4 ,one particular fact may be here put upon record1 as being1 to say the least1 more than remarkable3 ,to the ,roman ,emperor ,augustus1 who1 according to ,suidas and ,nicephorus1 sent to a renowned ,oracle to inquire what successor he should have1 it was answered1 8,the ,hebrew ,child1 ,whom all the gods obey1 drives me hence40 ,no other response was vouchsafed4 #ha ,the ,editor is indebted to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,littledale for the following note3--8,there is an authorized ,form of ,exorcism in the ,greek #8,euchologion4' ,it begins with the ,trisagion1 and ,psalms1 ,domine exaudi1 ,dominus regit me1 ,dominus illuminatio mea1 ,exurgat ,deus1 ,miserere1 ,domine ne in furore1 and ,domine exaudi precem4 ,then follows the ,consolatory ,canon1 with a long ,hymn addressed to our ,blessed ,lord1 the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary1 and ,all ,saints4 ,at the close of this the priest anoints the patient1 saying a brief prayer over him1 and so the office closes40 ,see also ,appendix to ,chapter iii4 pp4 #ach-adh4 #hb ,john ,selden1 in his 8,table ,talk10 in the article upon 8,devils10 somewhat scoffingly asserts that the ,roman ,catholics affirm that 8the ,protestants the ,devil hath already1 and the ,papists are so holy1 he dares not meddle with them40 #hc 8,the ,question of ,witchcraft debated40 ,by ,john ,wagstaffe4 ,london3 #affi4 ,second edition1 #afga4 #hd 8,a ,true ,discourse upon the ,matter of ,martha ,brossier1 of ,romorantin10 translated out of ,french into ,english1 by ,abraham ,hartwell4 ,london3 imprinted for ,john ,wolfe4 #aeii4 #he 8,the ,copy of a ,letter describing the ,wonderful ,worke of ,god in delyviring a maydene within the city of ,chester from a horrible kind of torment or sicknesse1 #af ,february anno #aefd40 ,imprinted at ,london for ,john ,judely1 dwelling in ,little ,britayne ,street beyond ,aldersgate1 #bc ,march #aefd4 #hf 8,a ,briefe and ,true ,discourse1 contayning the certayne possession and dispossession of seven persons in one familie1 in ,lancashire40 ,by ,george ,more1 ,minister and ,preacher of the ,word1 and now 7for bearing witness unto this1 and for justifying the rest17 a prisoner at the ,clinks1 where he hath continued almost for two yeares4 ,a4,d4 #afjj4 #hg ,it is asserted by several authorities that no less than three thousand persons were executed for ,witchcraft during that dark period of heretical pravity1 the ,great ,rebellion4 ,now1 as 8,rebellion10 according to the express assurance of the ,prophet ,samuel 7#a ,sam4 xv4 #bc7 8is as the sin of ,witchcraft10 no hearty believer in ,god's revelation can be at all surprised to find that both ,witchcraft and ,rebellion in an atmosphere of heresy flourished together1 under that odious tyrant and hypocritical fanatic1 ,oliver ,cromwell3 when the altar was thrown down and both ,king and ,archbishop were murdered4 #hh 8,an ,antidote against ,atheism3 or an ,appeal to the ,natural ,faculties of the ,mind of ,man40 ,by ,henry ,more1 ,fellow of ,christ's ,college1 ,cambridge4 #afee4 #hi 8,cases of ,conscience concerning ,evil ,spirits personating ,men40 ,by ,increase ,mather4 ,printed at ,boston1 and reprinted in ,london for ,john ,dutton at the ,raven in the ,poultry1 #afic4 #ij 8,sadducismus ,triumphatus3 a ,full and ,plain ,evidence concerning ,witches and ,apparitions40 ,by ,joseph ,glanville1 ,chaplain in ,ordinary to ,king ,charles ,,ii4 ,london3 #agbf4 #ia ,a careful deposition as to the above facts was made before the ,justices of the ,peace mentioned1 who added the following formal attestation3 8,the aforesaid passages i4e4 occurrences were some of them seen by us1 and some other remarkable ones1 not here set down1 were upon the examination of several witnesses taken on oath before us4 87,signed7 ,robert ,hunt4 ,john ,carey40 #ib 8,the ,surey ,demoniack2 or1 an ,account of ,satan's ,strange and ,dreadful ,actings in and about the ,body of ,richard ,dugdale of ,surey1 near ,whalley in ,lancashire40 ,london3 #afig4 #ic ,the following curious extract from a 8,coventry ,news-,letter10 dated ,nov4 #b1 #afgb1 certainly tells a wonderful story1 in some respects not unlike that recorded in the text4 ,it serves at all events to show what were the popular notions concerning occurrences which1 to say the least1 were very remarkable2 and it is reprinted here verbatim3-- 8,all our wonder here about is employ'd at the strange condition of a maid neare us1 one ,elizabeth ,tibbots of about #ah yeares of age liveing with her unkle one ,thomas ,crofts at a place cal'd ,hust 787 in ye parish of ,stonely 7,stoneleigh7 about two miles hence4 ,ye maid for about this #c weekes past has bene taken with strange fitts in which shee has vomitted up severall things incredible1 as first severall ,peble stones neare as big as eggs1 knives1 sissers1 peices of glass some of them two or #c ,inches square1 peices of ,iron1 an ,iron ,bullet of at least #h ,inches round1 and #b pound halfe weight1 a black drinking pot of neare halfe a pint1 peices of cloth wood1 a pockett pistoll1 a paire of ,pincers1 ,bottoms of yarne and severall other things many whereof are now at our majors1 and have bene evidently seene to come out at her mouth1 by many credible witnesses1 nor should ,i my selfe venture to give you this ,relation1 which seemes soe unlike truth1 had ,i not my selfe beene an eye wittness1 with my most cunning observation of soe much of it1 that ,i am confirmed in ye beleife of the whole1 all which is imputed to some diabollicall practices of one ,watson a strang kind of an ,emperick1 to whom shee was some tyme a ,patient1 who had it seemes soe wrought with her as that shee had promis'd him marriage1 to goe with him 7though shee knew not whither17 ,but afterwards refused it4 ,immediately upon which shee fell into these fitts1 yet has shee her respites1 dureing which shee appeares reasonable well1 ,i have heard her discourse very rationally of her selfe condition1 a full account whereof would be too long to give2 'tis said that for these #d or #e dayes past 7in which tyme ,i have not seene her7 somewhat appeares to her in ye shape of a dogg4 ,now1 whether shee be bewicht or whether shee be a witch1 or whether ye ,divell be in her1 7as well as some others of her sex17 ,i know not1 but that what ,i have told you seemed to ye most vigilant eye to be infallibly true is not doubted1 so that if it be not really soe1 ,i can onely say the ,divell's in't1 who you perhaps may fancy to be in him that gives you this seemingly incredible ,relation1 which be pleased to accept for better1 for worse from10 c4 #id 8,witchcraft further ,displayed40 ,london3 ,printed for ,e4 ,curl at the ,dial and ,bible4 #agad4 #ie ,in the 8,overseer's ,accounts0 for the parish of ,s4 ,giles1 ,northampton1 there is an item for the purchase of faggots for the purpose of burning a witch4 ,a4,d4 #agje4 #if 8,an ,account of the ,tryals1 ,examination1 and ,condemnation of ,ellinor ,shaw ,mary ,phillips 7,two ,notorious ,witches7 at ,northampton ,assizes on ,wednesday the #gth of ,march1 #agje1 for ,bewitching a ,woman ,two children1 ,tormenting them in a ,sad and ,lamentable ,manner till they ,dyed4 ,with an account of their strange ,confessions about their ,familiarity with the ,devil1 and ,how ,they ,made a wicked ,contract with him to be revenged on several ,persons1 by ,bewitching their ,cattel to ,death1 c4 ,and several other ,strange and ,amasing ,particulars40 ,london3 ,printed for ,f4 ,thorne1 near ,fleete-street4 #ig ,the following 8,letter0 from ,mr4 ,ralph ,davis1 of ,northampton1 addressed to ,mr4 ,william ,simons1 merchant in ,london1 is reprinted almost verbatim1 certain passages1 by reason of their extreme coarseness1 being alone suppressed4 ,it was published by ,thorne1 of ,fleet ,street1 in #agje1 and had a very large circulation4 ,it is entitled 8,the ,northamptonshire ,witches30-- 8,according to my word ,promise in my last ,i have sent you here ,inclosed a faithful ,account of the ,lives and ,conversations of the two notorious ,witches that were ,executed on the ,north side of our town on ,saturday the #agth instant1 and indeed considering the extraordinary ,methods these wicked women used to accomplish their ,diabolical ,art1 ,i think it may merit your ,reception1 and the more since ,i understand you have a friend near ,fleete ,street who being a ,printer may make use of it in order to oblige the ,publick2 which take as followeth2 viz3-- 8,to proceed in order1 ,i shall first begin with ,ellinor ,shaw 7as being the most notorious of the two7 who was ,born at ,cotterstock within a small ,mile of ,oundle in ,northamptonshire1 of very obscure ,parents1 who not willing1 or at least not able1 to give their ,daughter any manner of ,education1 she was left to shift for her self at the age of #ad years2 at which time she got acquainted with a ,partener in ,wickedness1 one ,mary ,phillips1 ,born at ,oundle aforesaid1 with whom she held a frindly ,correspondence for several years together1 and work'd very hard for a ,livelihood2 but when she arriv'd to the age of #ba she began to be a very lude lewd sort of a ,person 444 which wicked and loathsom ,actions were not only talked of in the ,town of ,cotterstock where she was ,born but at ,oundle1 ,glapthorne1 ,benefield1 ,southwick and several ,parts adjacent2 and that as well by ,children of four or five years of ,age as persons of riper years2 so that by degrees her ,name became so famous or rather infamous that she could hardly peep out of her ,door but the ,children would point at her in a ,scoffing manner 444 so that she ,swore she would be revenged on her enemies tho' she pawn'd her ,soul for the ,purchase2 and then ,mary ,phillips being her ,partner in ,knitting and ,bedfellow also1 who was as bad as herself in the ,vices aforesaid1 she communicated her ,thoughts to her1 relating to a ,contract with the ,devil1 in order to have the ,wills of those who ,slandered them4444 ,in fine as these two ,harlots agreed in their other ,wickedness so they were resolv'd to go ,hand in ,hand in this1 and consequently go to the ,devil together for ,company1 but out of a ,hellish kind of ,civility he saved them that ,trouble at present1 for 444 he immediately waited upon 'em to obtain his ,booty on ,saturday the #abth of ,february #agjd about #ab a ,clock at ,night according to their own ,confessions1 appearing in the shape of a black tall ,man1 at whose approach they were very much startled at first1 but taking ,ellinor ,shaw by the ,hand he spoke thus--,says he1 ,be not afraid1 of me for ,i am one of the ,creation as well as your selves1 having power given me to bestow it on whom ,i please1 and do assure you that if you will pawn your ,souls to me for only a ,year and two ,months ,i will for all that time assist you in whatever you desire4 ,upon which he produced a little piece of ,parchment on which by their ,consents having prick't their ,fingers' ends1 he wrote the ,infernal ,covenants in their own ,blood which they signed with their own ,hands and the same ,night4444 ,in the ,morning he told them they were now as substantial ,witches as any were in the world1 and that they had power by the assistance of the ,imps that he would send them to do what ,mischief they pleased4 8,i shall not trouble you with what is already mention'd in the ,tryals of these two persons because it is in print by your ,friend already but only instance what was omitted in that as not having room here to contain it altogether but as to their general confessions after their ,condemnations1 take as followeth3-- 8,the day before they were ,executed1 ,mr4 ,danks the ,minister visited them in ,prison1 in order if possible to bring them to a ,state of ,repentance1 but seeing all pious ,discourse prov'd ineffectual1 he desired them to tell him what mischeivous ,pranks they had ,play'd and what private ,conference they had with the ,devil from time to time1 since they had made that fatal ,bargain with him3 ,to which ,ellinor ,shaw with the ,consent of the other told him that the ,devil in the ,shape of a tall black ,man appear'd several times to them and at every visit would present them with new ,imps some of a ,red ,coulour others of a ,dun and the third of a black ,colour and that 444 by the ,assistance of these ,hellish ,animals they often ,kill'd ,men ,women and ,children to the great surprise of all the towns thereabouts2 she further adding that it was all the ,delight they had to be doing such wicked ,actions and they had ,kil'd by their ,inchantments and ,witchcraft in the space of nine ,months time #ae children eight ,men and six ,women tho' none was suspected of being ,bewitch'd but those two ,children1 said the ,woman1 that they ,dy'd for2 and that they had ,bewitch'd to ,death in the same ,space of ,time #dj ,hoggs of several poor ,people1 besides #ajj ,sheep1 #ah ,horses1 and #cj ,cows1 even to the utter ,ruin of several ,families3 ,as to their particular ,intreagues and waggish tricks ,i have not ,room to enumerate1 they are so many2 only some remarkable ,feats they did in ,prison which was thus1 viz3--one ,day ,mr4 ,laxon and his wife coming by the ,prison had the ,curiosity to look through the ,grates and seeing of ,ellinor ,shaw told her that now the ,devil had left her in the ,lurch1 as he had done the rest of his ,servants2 upon which the said ,ellinor was observ'd to ,mutter strangely to herself in an unknown ,language for about two ,minutes2 at the end of which ,mr4 ,laxon's ,wife's ,cloathes were all turn'd over her head ,smock and all in a most strange manner 444 notwithstanding all the ,endeavours her ,husband could use to keep her ,cloathes in order2 at which the said ,ellinor having ,laughed ,heartily and told her ,she had prov'd her ,lyer1 her ,cloathes began to come to their right order again4 ,the keeper of the ,prison having one ,day ,threatened them with ,irons1 they1 by their ,spells1 caused him to ,dance almost an ,hour ,naked in the ,yard to the ,amazement of the ,prison3 nay1 such ,pranks were ,play'd by them during their ,confinement that no one durst give them an ill ,word1 insomuch that their ,execution was the more hastened in the regard of their frequent ,disturbances and great ,mischief they did in several places of the ,town notwithstanding their ,imprisonment4 8,they were so hardened in their ,wickedness that they ,publickly boasted that their ,master 7meaning the ,devil7 would not suffer them to be ,executed3 but they found him a ,lyer2 for on ,saturday ,morning being the #agth instant they were carried to the ,gallows on the ,northside of the ,town whither numerous ,crowds of people went to see them ,die1 and being come to the place of ,execution the ,minister repeated his former pious endeavours to bring them to a sense of their ,sins but to as little purpose as before3 for instead of calling on ,god for ,mercy nothing was heard from them but ,d----g and ,cursing4 ,however a little before they were ty'd up2 at the request of the ,minister1 ,ellinor ,shaw confessed not only the ,crime for which she ,dyed1 but openly declared before them all how she first became a ,witch1 as did also ,mary ,phillips2 and being desired to say their ,prayers they both set up a very loud ,laughter1 calling for the ,devil to come and help them in such a ,blasphemous manner as is not fit to ,mention1 so that the ,sherif seeing their presumptious ,impenitence caused them to be ,executed with all the ,expedition possible2 even while they were ,cursing and raving2 and as they liv'd the ,devil's true ,factors so they resolutely ,dyed in his service1 to the ,terror of all ,people who were eye-,witnesses of their dreadful and amazing ,exits4 8,so that being ,hang'd till they were almost ,dead the ,fire was put to the ,straw1 ,faggots and other ,combustable matter till they were ,burnt to ,ashes4 ,thus ,liv'd and thus ,dyed two of the most notorious and presumptious ,witches that ever were known in this ,age4 8,to conclude3 ,i heartly wish that these wretched ,women's ,sad and ,lamentable ,fates may be a warning to all ,proud1 ,lustful and ,malicious ,persons whatsoever1 least they be brought ,step by ,step before they are aware unto the ,devil's ,slaughterhouse of ,confusion and ,misery to all ,eternity4 8,i am promised a ,copy of the ,sermon that was ,preached by ,mr4 ,danks at the ,church of ,all ,saint's the next day after the said ,witches were ,executed 7being ,sunday7 upon that very ,occasion1 which ,i hope to send you by the next ,post4 8,i am ,sir1 ,your humble ,servant1 ,ralph ,davis40 #ih 8,a ,full and ,impartiall account of the ,discovery of ,sorcery and ,witchcraft1 practised by ,jane ,wenham10 etc4 ,london3 #agab4 #ii 8,sadducismus ,debellatus3 or a ,true ,narrative of the ,sorceries and ,witchcraft exercised by the ,devil and his ,instruments upon ,mrs4 ,christian ,shaw in the county of ,renfrew1 in the ,west of ,scotland1 from ,august #afif to ,april #afig1 c40 ,collected from the ,records4 ,london3 ,newman and ,bell1 #afih4 #ajj 8,another ,brand ,plucked out of the ,burning3 or ,more ,wonders of the ,invisible ,world40 ,london3 #agjj4 #aja 8,saddvcismus ,triumphatus10 pp4 #bj-cg4 #ajb ,two remarkable works for and against what was termed 8,judiciall ,astrologie10 were published in the latter years of ,queen ,elizabeth's reign4 ,one1 attacking the system1 from the pen of ,john ,chamber1 ,prebendary of ,windsor and ,fellow of ,eton ,college 7,london3 ,john ,harrison1 ,paternoster ,row1 #dto41 ,lambeth ,library1 #gh ,f4 #bb72 the other defending it1 in reply to the above1 by ,sir ,christopher ,heydon1 ,knt41 printed at ,cambridge1 by ,john ,legat1 printer to the ,university in #afjc 7,lambeth ,library1 #gh ,f4 #ab74 ,the former is a treatise of very considerable vigour and power of reasoning3 the latter is somewhat laboured1 eminently pedantic1 overburdened with tedious and irrelevant quotations1 and altogether very inferior from a literary point of view4 #ajc ,in almost all ,heathen or ,pagan countries1 ,witchcraft1 ,necromancy and ,sorcery are recognized and established institutions4 #ajd ,there was a notorious sorcerer and reputed necromancer in ,king ,james the ,first's reign1 a certain ,dr4 ,lamb4 ,in ,baxter's 8,certainty of the ,world of ,spirits0 7,a4,d4 #afia71 he records a curious instance of ,lamb's miraculous performances4 ,this sorcerer1 meeting two of his acquaintances in the street1 they1 expressing a wish to witness some example of his spiritual skill1 were invited to his house4 ,there they were conducted to an inner room1 where to their intense surprise they saw a growing-tree spring up slowly in the middle of the room4 ,it may be here remarked that the ,oriental jugglers and sorcerers work a similar manifestation of their powers1 often witnessed and frequently described4--,editor4 ,in a moment1 as this record informs us1 there appeared three diminutive men1 who with little axes felled the tree2 and then the doctor dismissed his guests1 who had been duly impressed by his powers4 ,on that very night1 however1 a tremendous hurricane arose1 causing the house of one of the guests to rock from side to side1 with every probability that the house would fall1 and bury him and his wife in its ruins4 ,the wife in an agony of fear inquired1 8,were you not at ,dr4 ,lamb's to-day80 ,the husband admitted that it was true that he had been4 8,and did you not bring something away from his house80 ,the husband confessed that he had done so4 ,when the little men were felling the tree1 he had picked up some of the chips and put them into his pocket4 ,nothing1 therefore1 as his wife pointed out1 remained to be done but to produce these chips1 and get rid of them as fast as possible4 ,when this was done1 the tempest ceased1 and the rest of the night was perfectly calm4 ,it may be added that this sorcerer became so odious1 because of his necromancy and other infernal practices1 that in #afdj the populace rose upon him and tore him to pieces in the streets2 while1 thirteen years afterwards1 a woman who had been in his service was apprehended upon a charge of ,witchcraft1 was tried on what seems to have been very strong and conclusive evidence1 found guilty1 and in expiation of her crime was executed at ,tyburn4 ,the contemporary literature extant1 relating to this case of ,lamb and his servant1 would fill a large volume4--,editor4 #aje ,these persons are reported and reputed to be professional mediums1 and are said to be very largely patronized by people of all ranks and classes1 more especially the higher4 #ajf 8,report on ,spiritualism40 ,examination of the ,master of ,lindsay1 p4 #bae4 ,london3 ,longman1 #ahga4 #ajg ,genesis iii4 #a2 ,revelation xii4 #i2 ,ibid4 xx4 #b4 #ajh ,the ,editor1 while avoiding the reproduction of examples which are tolerably well known1 has generally aimed at setting forth cases which have not yet been put into print2 though in some records which follow1 a few have been selected which have already been published1 in order that one example1 at least1 of all the particular kinds of warning and dreams1 may be here presented to the reader4 #aji ,genesis xx4 #c2 ,ibid4 xxxi4 #aa1 and 7to ,laban7 ver4 #ca4 ,as to ,pharaoh's dream of a coming famine1 see ,genesis xli4 #aaj ,numbers xii4 #f2 #a ,kings iii4 #e-ae2 ,daniel vii4 to the end of the book4 ,s4 ,matthew1 #a-bj2 ,ibid4 ii4 #ab 7as to ,s4 ,joseph71 ver4 #ac4 and verses #ai and #bj2 ,ibid1 xxvii4 #ai4 #aaa ,two valued correspondents respectively write as follows3--8,one could relate many such family incidents as you suggest1 but everyone shrinks from allowing them to be verified by name4 ,i imagine that this reticence arises from the natural dread and dislike to having what is sacred to one's own faith and feelings submitted to the ridicule of sceptical and rationalistic minds40 ,another3--8,i send you the enclosed--a record of the supernatural appearance which is always seen immediately prior to the death of the head of our family4 ,but ,i do not wish it printed2 and absolutely forbid the mention either of place or person1 lest it should be identified1 which might cause annoyance to our friends40 #aab ,de ,anima1 c4 #de-dg4 #aac ,ibid4 #aad ,de ,opificio ,dei1 sc4 xviii4 #aae ,epist4 ,sti4 ,cypriani1 lxiii4 #aaf ,epist4 ,sti4 ,basilii1 cxx4 #aag ,opera ,thom4 ,aquin41 ,tom4 ii41 ,qust4 xcv41 ,art4 vi43 ,tom4 iii41 ,qust4 lxxx41 ,art4 vii4 #aah 8,the ,philosophy of ,sleep40 ,by ,macknish4 #aai ,the ,rev4 ,george ,r4 ,winter1 ,m4,a41 ,vicar of ,swaffham and ,rural ,dean1 thus most obligingly writes to the ,editor 7,a4,d4 #ahgd73--8,the story of the ,dream is popularly believed1 and there was a good foundation for it4 ,in the upper portion of the windows of the north aisle is some old painted glass1 which is supposed to represent the man and his family2 but the chief monument of his identity is a piece of old carving representing a pedlar with a pack on his back1 and also his dog1 forming part of the westernmost stalls of the choir4 ,this1 ,i believe1 was at one time in the north aisle1 which the man is supposed to have built40 ,the dream is related at length in ,blomfield's 8,history of ,norfolk40 #abj ,the above was written at ,alton ,towers1 ,cheadle1 on the #bcrd of ,october1 #ahdb1 and duly signed by ,mr4 ,william ,talbot1 a relation of ,john1 ,earl of ,shrewsbury4 #aba 8,the account here given of the ,dream which occurred in ,cornwall1 is1 as ,i personally testify1 true and accurate4 7,signed7 ,rachel ,l4 ,lee 7daughter of the late ,benjamin ,tucker1 of ,trematon ,castle1 ,esquire1 and daughter-in-law of the late ,rev4 ,t4 ,t4 ,lee1 ,vicar of ,thame71 ,kentons1 near ,henley-on-,thames1 ,may #adth1 #ahgc40 #abb ,a friend who provided the above example writes to the ,editor3--8,i knew the family1 and the circumstance of ,mr4 ,perring's singular dream2 and can certainly testify to its truth40 #abc ,from a ,letter dated ,nov4 #a1 #ahgb1 in the handwriting of the ,widow of the ,clergyman in question1 kindly communicated to the ,editor by the ,rev4 ,theodore ,j4 ,morris1 ,vicar of ,hampton in ,arden1 near ,birmingham4 #abd ,the following document was drawn up about thirteen years ago1 and given to the ,editor with the above account by an ,oxford friend3-- 8,this is to certify that in #ahdj ,i dreamt the ,dream about the strange man coming to the front door and forcing himself in2 and that seven years afterwards1 that is in #ahdg1 what ,i had seen in my dream occurred in ,london1 when1 having heard knocks at the door when ,i was alone in the house1 ,i saw the man outside the door whom ,i had seen in my dream seven years before4 8,hannah ,green4 8,wootton1 ,oxfordshire1 ,august #e1 #ahfa40 #abe 8,notes and ,queries10 ,sept4 #bd1 #ahec4 #abf 8,i have carefully read the account which you have so nicely written out from my own and my brother's ,letters2 and have also twice read the same to my mother and brother4 ,both join with me in testifying to its absolute truth and perfect accuracy4 ,our account was taken down from the lips of the ,rector of ---- himself4 ,we1 indeed1 have reason to believe in the ,supernatural40 #abg ,the ,rector of ,phillack and ,gwithian1 near ,hayle in ,cornwall1 is the ,rev4 ,frederick ,hockin1 ,m4,a4 and ,rural ,dean4 #abh ,he is described as 8,wilfred ,d4 ,speer1 ,esq41 of ,west ,end ,lodge1 ,thames ,ditton1 a magistrate for the ,county of ,surrey1 and a captain in the ,militia of that county40 #abi 8,statement of the ,circumstances attending the ,death of ,wilfred ,d4 ,speer1 ,esq41 with copies of ,testimony and ,correspondence40 ,london1 ,ontario3 ,john ,cameron1 ,dundas ,street1 ,west1 #hvo4 pp4 #ab1 #ahfg4 #acj 8,if my dream come true1 ,i am certainly approaching my latter end1 and have only a little time longer in this world40 ,attested copy of ,captain ,wilfred ,speer's ,letter1 given to the ,editor by the ,rev4 ,john ,richardson1 of ,warwick4 #aca ,he was shot dead on the night of the #agth of ,june1 #ahfg1 on board a steamboat on the ,missouri4 #acb ,the following ,letter has been received by the ,editor from the dignitary in question3--8,nov4 #f1 #ahgd4 ,rev4 and dear ,sir1 ,i only wish that my name should not be published4 ,the statement1 as written out by me1 is entirely at your service4444 ,to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,lee40 #acc ,it seems that as a matter of fact there is no tunnel near the scene of the accident1 but a long1 level line of railway1 very near the margin of the sea4 ,at least so a correspondent who knows the locality well has informed me4--,editor4 #acd 8,having made enquiries regarding the fact of ,tinley's remarkable dream1 which seemed to foreshadow his death by the well-known accident1 ,i can testify to the truth that he had such a dream1 and that he regarded it as a sign of coming death4 8,a4 ,rutherford1 ,wolverhampton4 8,july #ad1 #ahgd40 #ace ,sir ,roger ,tichborne1 ,knt4 of ,tichborne1 flourished in the reign of ,henry ,,ii4 ,he married ,mabella1 daughter and sole heiress of ,ralph de ,lamerston1 in the ,isle of ,wight4 #acf ,sir ,henry ,tichborne1 born in #agef1 married in #aggh ,elizabeth ,plowden1 and had seven sons1 viz4 #a4 ,henry1 #b4 ,benjamin1 #c4 ,edward1 #d4 ,james1 #e4 ,john1 #f4 ,george1 and #g4 ,roger4 ,his eldest son ,henry1 who married ,anne1 daughter of ,sir ,thomas ,burke1 had seven daughters1 viz4 #a4 ,eliza1 #b4 ,frances1 #c4 ,julia1 #d4 ,mary1 #e4 ,katherine1 #f4 ,lucy1 and #g4 ,emily4 #acg 8,staffordshire ,chronicle10 ,july1 #ahce4 #ach ,lysons in his 8,magna ,britannia10 vol4 vi4 describing the parish of ,south ,tawton1 about five miles from ,okehampton1 co4 ,devon1 says3--8,oxenham1 in this parish1 gave name to an ancient family who possessed it1 at least from the time of ,henry ,,iii4 to the death of ,william ,long ,oxenham1 ,esq41 in #ahad40 ,the mansion1 as the ,editor learns1 has long been occupied as a farm-house4 ,it may here be added that it is believed that ,drake's friend1 ,captain ,john ,oxenham1 who lost his life in an engagement with the ,spaniards in ,south ,america 7,a4,d4 #aege71 was a member of this family4 ,mr4 ,canon ,kingsley1 in 8,westward-,ho10 has introduced the omen of a ,bird with a white breast in connection with this gentleman4 #aci 8,a ,true relation of an ,apparition in the likeness of a ,bird with a ,white ,breast1 that appeared hovering over the deathbeds of some of the children of ,mr4 ,james ,oxenham1 of ,sale ,monachorum1 ,devon1 ,gent4 ,confirmed by ,sundry witnesses4 ,london1 printed by ,i4 ,o4 for ,richard ,clutterbuck1 and are to be sold at the figure of the ,gun in little ,britain1 near ,st4 ,botolph's church4 #afda40 ,british ,museum1 ,press-,mark ,e4 #bje-i4 ,a copy of this pamphlet is also to be found amongst ,gough's collection in the ,bodleian4 ,the ,british ,museum copy contains a curious and very effective engraving1 representing the actual appearance of the ,bird to a person dying in bed4 #adj ,it is also stated in this pamphlet that the clergyman of the parish had been appointed by the bishop of the diocese to inquire into the truth of these particulars1 and that a monument had been put up with his approbation with the names of the witnesses of each apparition of the ,bird4 ,the pamphlet states that those who had been sick and had recovered1 never saw the apparition4 ,it further came out in the evidence tendered1 that the same ,bird had appeared to ,grace1 the grandmother of ,john ,oxenham1 who died in #afah4 #ada ,lysons states that these monumental inscriptions do not now exist either in the church or churchyard of ,tawton or ,sale ,monachorum4 ,but1 considering the shameful destruction of monuments in late years by so-called 8,church ,restorers10 this is not to be wondered at4 #adb ,it has been shrewdly and perhaps not untruly observed1 that 8a genuine and solemn citation may tend to work its own fulfilment in certain minds1 who1 by allowing the thing to prey upon their spirits1 enfeeble the powers of life1 and perhaps at the critical date arouse some latent or dormant disease into deadly action40 #adc ,the following is from a ,,ms4 note of a member of the ,editor's family--,george ,henry ,lee1 ,lord ,litchfield1 who was ,chancellor of the ,university of ,oxford in the latter part of the last century4 ,lord ,rochester1 it should be added1 was allied to that family through his mother1 ,anne1 ,countess of ,rochester1 previously the widow of ,sir ,f4 ,h4 ,lee3-- 8,lord ,rochester told me of an odd presage that one had of his approaching death in the ,lady ,warre his mother-in-law's house4 ,the chaplain had dreamt that such a day he should die1 but being by all the family put out of the belief of it1 he had almost forgot it till the evening before at supper1 there being thirteen at table1 according to a fond conceit that one of these must soon die1 one of the young ladies pointed to him that he was to die4 ,he1 remembering his dream1 fell into some disorder2 and the ,lady ,warre reproving him for his superstition1 he said he was confident he was to die before morning2 but he being in perfect health1 it was not much minded4 ,it was ,saturday night1 and he was to preach the next day4 ,he went to his chamber1 sat up late1 7as appeared by the burning of his candle17 and he had been preparing his notes for his sermon1 but he was found dead in his bed next morning4 ,these things he said made him inclined to believe that the soul was a substance distinct from matter1 and this often returned into his thoughts40 #add ,the ,registrar-,general in his last ,report writes thus3--8,seamen will not sail1 women will not wed on a ,friday so willingly as on other days of the week4 ,it has been ascertained that out of #d1jeg marriages which took place during a certain period in the midland district of ,england1 not two per cent4 were celebrated on a ,friday1 while thirty-two per cent4 were entered as having taken place on a ,sunday40 #ade ,jerome ,cardan1 the strange sixteenth-century physician1 who dealt so extensively in horoscopes1 and is said to have sought the assistance of spirits1 professed to own and exercise some specific and supernatural gifts3--#a4 ,the power of throwing his spirit out of his body1 by which he could see things at a distance4 #b4 ,his faculty of ,second ,sight1 or of seeing whatever he pleased with his eyes1 8,oculis1 non vi mentis40 #c4 ,his dreams1 which1 as he maintained1 uniformly foretold to him what was about to occur1 and by which he truly predicted the day of his own death1 and #d4 his 8unerring astrological knowledge40 #adf 8,miscellanies1 collected by ,j4 ,aubrey1 ,esq40 ,london3 printed for ,edward ,castle1 #afif4 #adg 8,a ,treatise on the ,second ,sight1 ,dreams1 and ,apparitions10 by ,theophilus ,insulanus4 ,dedicated 8,to the ,honourable ,sir ,harry ,monro1 of ,foulis1 ,baronet40 ,pp4 #ajg-ajh4 ,edinburgh3 #agfc4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,the ,general ,index was not a part of the original text4 ,it has been copied from ,volume ,,ii of the series4 ,passages in italics are indicated by italics4