"and disturbed, though nothing visible "to others moved him; so, as I have "been sitting by the fire with others, "I have seen several spirits, and pointed "to the place where they were, telling "the company they were there. And "one spirit, whom I heard calling to me, as he stood behind me, on a "sudden clapped his finger to my side, "which I sensibly perceived, and started "at it, and as I saw one spirit come in "at the door, which I did not like, I suddenly laid hold of a pair of tongs, "and struck at him with all my force, I whereupon he vanished. 66 “*** I must declare, that I would "not for the whole world undergo what "I have undergone, upon spirits coming twice to me; their first coming 66 66 66 was most dreadful to me, the thing being then altogether new, and consequently more surprizing, though at "the first coming they did not appear 66 "to me, but only called to me at my chamber windows, rung bells, sung "to me, and played on music, &c. but "the last coming also carried terror enough; for when they came, being only five in number, the two women "before mentioned, and three men, (though afterwards there came hun 66 dreds) they told me they would kill me, if I told any person in the house "of their being there, which put me in 66 some consternation, and I made a "servant sit up with me four nights in my chamber before a fire, it being in the Christmas Holidays, telling no 66 person of their being there. One of "these spirits in women's dress, lay "down upon the bed by me every night; and told me if I slept, the 66 66 66 66 spirits would kill me, which kept me waking for three nights. In the mean time, a near relation of mine went (though unknown to me) to a phy"sician of my acquaintance, desiring 66 66 "him to prescribe me somewhat for sleeping, which he did, and a sleeping "potion was brought me, but I set it 'by, being very desirous and inclined "to sleep without it. The fourth night "I could hardly forbear sleeping, but "the spirit, lying on the bed by me, told "me again, I should be killed if I slept; whereupon rose, and sate by the fire-side, and in a while returned to 66 66 66 my bed; and so I did a third time, "but was still threatened as before: 66 whereupon I grew impatient, and "asked the spirits what they would "have? Told them I had done the part of a christian, in humbling myself "to God, and feared them not, and "rose from my bed, took a cane, and "knocked at the ceiling of my cham“ber, a near relation of mine lying then "over me, who presently rose and came "down to me, about two o'clock in the 66 morning, to whom I said, you have "seen me disturbed these four days past, " and that I have not slept; the occasion "of it was, that five spirits, which are "now in the room with me, have "threatened to kill me if I told any person of their being here, or if I 66 66 66 slept, but I am not able to forbear sleeping longer, and acquaint you "with it, and now stand in defiance of “them; and thus I exerted myself about "them; and notwithstanding their con"tinued threats, I slept very well the "next night, and continued so to do, though they continued with me above "three months, day and night.”* 66 He The celebrated visions of Tasso appear to have been of the same nature. fancied that he beheld a celestial being, with whom he held converse, in the presence of spectators, who perceived no apparition, and who heard no voice but that of the poet. Would that we could * Beaumont's Treatise, p. 91, 4. have exchanged the narratives of Beaumont's reveries, for those of Tasso! To this class of morbid perceptions, belong also the visions of Christopher Kotter, and Drabicius, which made a considerable noise in the seventeenth century. They were published by Comenius, aided by very ghostly engravings, under the title of Lux é Tenebris.' I must refer to Bayle, for many curious observations respecting the tendency of these prophetic rhapsodies: my business is only with the faculty of spectral representation. For this reason, I shall not notice Drabicius. As a man of superior information, he might be suspected of politic views, in his pretended visions: but there can be no doubt that Kotter was sincere in his enthusiasm, and was as much a Seer as any second-sighted prophet of the Hebrides. |