his wickedness and doth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive, alive O!" These last words the doctor proclaimed aloud, in the true tone of the fish-woman, to the great surprise of the congregation; but the good doctor was so studious and absent, that he knew not what he had done. Yours, &c.

LETTER IV.

"Who gather round, and wonder at the tale
Of horrid apparition, tall and ghastly,

That walks at dead of night, or takes his stand,
O'er some new-open'd grave; and (strange to tell!)
Evanishes at crowing of the cock." BLAIR'S Grave.

DEAR FRIEND,

I must not forget an odd adventure that happened when I was about twelve years of age, as it tends to show in part my dauntless disposition, which discovered itself on many occasions in the very early part of my life.

I had one day walked with my father to Holywell lake, a village two miles from Wellington, where meeting with some good ale, he could not find in his heart to part from it until late at night. When we were returning home by the way of Rockwell Green, (commonly called Rogue Green, from a gang of robbers and house-breakers who formerly lived there,) having just past the bridge, we were met by several men and women, who appeared to be very much frightened, being in great agitation. They informed us that they were returning back to Rogue Green, in order to sleep there that night, having been prevented from going home to Wellington by a dreadful apparition, which they had all seen in the hollow way,

about a quarter of a mile distant; adding, that a person having been murdered there formerly, the ghost had walked ever since; that they had never before paid much attention to the well-known report; but now they were obliged to credit it, having had occular demonstration.

"Aided by fancy, terror lifts his head,

And leaves the dreary mansions of the dead;
In shapes more various mocks at human care,
Than e'er the fabled Proteus us'd to wear;
Now, in the lonely way each trav'ller's dread,
He stalks a giant shape without a head;
Now in the haunted house, his dread domain,
The curtain draws, and shakes the clinking chain;
Hence fabled ghosts arise, and spectres dire,
Theme of each ev'ning tale by winter's fire."

PRALL'S SUPERSTITION.

My father had drank too large a quantity of ale to be much afraid of anything, and I (who could not let slip such an opportunity of shewing my courage) seconded matters for the poor terrified people to return with us; and as I offered to lead the van, they were prevailed on to make the attempt once more; but said, that it was rather presumptuous, and hoped that no dreadful consequence would ensue, as all the company, they trusted, were honest hearted, and intended no harm to any person: they moreover added, that "God certainly was above the devil." I then advanced, and kept before the company about fifty yards,

Whistling aloud to bear my courage up." But when we had walked about a quarter of a mile, I saw at some distance before us in the hedge, the dreadful apparition that had so terrified our company. Here it is! (said I). "Lord have mercy upon us !" replied some of the company, making a full stop; and would have gone back, but shame prevented them. I still kept my distance before, and called out

to them to follow me, assuring them that I was determined to see what it was. They then fell one behind another, and advanced in single files. As I proceeded I too was seized with a timid apprehension, but durst not own it; still keeping on before, although I perceived my hair heave my hat from my head, and my teeth to chatter in my mouth. In fact, I was greatly agitated at what I saw; the object much resembled the human figure as to shape, but the size was prodigious. However, I had promised to see what it was, and for that purpose I obstinately ventured on about thirty yards from the place where I first had sight of it. I then perceived that it was only a very short tree, whose limbs had been newly cut off, the doing of which had made it much resemble a giant. I then called to the company, and informed them, with a hearty laugh, that they had been frightened at the stump of a tree.

This story caused excellent diversion for a long time afterwards in Wellington, and I was mentioned as a hero.

The pleasure and satisfaction I received from the discovery, and the honour I acquired for the courage I possessed in making it, has, I believe, had much influence on me ever since; as I cannot recollect that in any one instance I have ever observed the least fear of apparitions, spirits, &c. since.

"What education did at first receive,
Our ripen'd age confirms us to believe."

POMFRET.

Not that I have always steadily disbelieved what has been related of such appearances, a few accounts of which seem so well authenticated, as at least to make me doubt whether there might not exist in the scale of beings some of a more aerial substance than mankind, who may possess both the inclination and the power of assuming our shape, and may perhaps take as much delight in teazing the human species, as too

many of our species do in teazing and even tormenting those of the brute creation.

"Some astral forms I must invoke by pray'r;
Fram'd all of purest atoms of the air:
In airy chariots they together ride,

And sip the dew, as thro' the clouds they glide;
Vain spirits, you, that shunning heav'n's high noon,
Swarm here beneath the concave of the moon,
Hence to the task assign'd you here below!
Upon the ocean make loud tempests blow :
Into the wombs of hollow clouds repair,
And crash out thunder from the bladder'd air;
From pointed sun-beams take the mist they drew;
And scatter them again in pearly dew;

And of the bigger drops they drain below,
Some mould in hail, and others sift in snow."

DRYDEN.

While I am on this subject, I cannot resist the temptation of relating a truly ridiculous affair that happened about this time at Taunton.

In the workhouse belonging to the parish of St James, there lived a young woman who was an idiot. This poor creature had a great aversion to sleeping in a bed, and at bed-time would often run away to a field in the neighbourhood called the Priory, where she slept in the cow-sheds.

In order to break her of this bad custom, two men agreed to try if they could not frighten her out of it. And one night, when they knew that she was there, they took a white sheet with them, and coming to the place, one of the men concealed himself to see the event, while the other wrapped himself up in the sheet, and walked backwards and forwards close before the cow-shed in which she was laid. It was sometime before Molly paid any attention to the apparition; but at last up she got. "Aha! (said she) a white devil!" and by her manner of expressing herself she thought it was very strange to see a white devil. And soon after she exclaimed, "A black

devil too! a black devil too!" With that the man who had the sheet on, looked over his shoulder, and saw (or imagined he saw) a person all over black behind him; the sight of which made him take to his heels. Molly then clapped her hands as fast as she could, crying out at the same time, "Run, black devil, and catch white devil! Run, black devil, and catch white devil!" and was highly diverted. But this proved a serious adventure to the white devil, as he expired within a few minutes after he had reached his own house; and from that time poor Molly was left alone to sleep in peace.

About ten years after the above affair, at Wivelscombe, nine miles from Taunton, a gentleman farmer's house was alarmed every night between twelve and one o'clock. The chamber doors were thrown open, the bed-clothes pulled off the beds, and the kitchen furniture thrown with violence about the kitchen, to the great terror of the family, insomuch that the servants gave their master and mistress warning to leave their places, and some of them actually quitted their service. This dreadful affair had lasted about six weeks, when a young gentleman who was there on a visit, being in bed one night, at the usual hour he heard his chamber door thrown open, and a very odd noise about his room. He was at first frightened, but the noise continuing a long time, he became calm, and lay still, revolving in his mind what he had best do. When on a sudden he heard the spirit creep under his bed, which was immediately lifted up, &c. This convinced him that there was some substance in the spirit; on which he leaped out of bed, secured the door, and with his oaken staff belaboured the ghost under the bed as hard as he could, until he heard a female voice imploring mercy. On that he opened his chamber door, and called aloud for a light. The family all got up as fast as possible, and came to his room. He then informed them that he had got the spirit under the