I cannot conceive, says he, for I am utterly unac quainted with such things.

Have you heard nothing from your son? says the gentleman.

Not one word, says the father, no, not the least word these five years.

Have you wrote nothing to him says the gentleman, about this transaction?

Not a word, says he, for I know not where to direct a letter to him,

Sir, says the gentleman, I have heard much of apparitions, but I never saw any in my life, nor did I ever believe there was any thing of reality in them; and indeed I saw nothing now: but the passing of somebody, or spirit, or something, cross the room just now, is plain; I heard it distinctly. I believe there is some unseen thing in the room, as much as if I saw it.

Nay, says the other arbitrator, I felt the wind of it as it passed by me. Pray, adds he, turning to the husband, do you see nothing yourself?

No, upon my word, says he not the least appearance in the world.

I have been told, says the first arbitrator, and have read, that an apparition may be seen by some people, and be invisible to others, though all in the same room together.

However, the husband solemnly protested to them all, that he saw nothing.

Pray, Sir, says the first arbitrator. have you seen

any

any thing at any other time, or heard any voices or noises, or had any dreams about this matter?

Indeed, says he, I have several times dreamt my son was alive, and that I had spoken with him; and once that I asked him, why he was so undutiful, and slighted me so, as not to let me hear from him in so many years, seeing he knew that I had it in my power to disinherit him.

Well, Sir, and what answer did he give?

I never dreamed so far on as to have him answer; it always waked me.

And what do you think of it yourself, says the arbitrator, do you think he his dead?

No, indeed, says the father, I do believe in my con-science he is alive, as much as I believe I am alive myself, and I am going to do as wicked a thing of the kind as ever any man did..

Truly, says the second arbitrator, it begins to shockme; I don't know what to say to it; I dont care to meddle any more with it; I dont like driving men to act against their consciences.

With this the wife, who as I said before, having a little recovered her spirits, and especially encouraged because she saw nothing, started up; What's all this discourse to the purpose, says she, is it not already agreed upon? what do we come here for?

Nay, says the first arbitrator, I think we meet now not to enquire why it is done; but to execute things

according

according to agreement, and what are we frighted

at?

I am not frighted says the wife, not I, come says she to her husband haughtily, sign the deed, I'll cancel the old writings, if forty devils were in the room; and with that she takes up one of the deeds, and went to tear off the seal.

That moment the same casement flew open again, though it was fast in the inside, just as it was before; and the shadow of a body was seen, as standing in the garden without, and the head reaching up to the case. ment, the face looking into the room, and staring directly at the woman with a stern and an angry countenance: Hold, said the spectre, as if speaking to the woman, and immediately clap'd the casement to again, and vanished,

It is imposible to describe here the consternation this second apparition put the whole company into ; the wife who was so bold just before, that she would do it though forty devils were in the room, screamed out, fell into fits, and let the writing fall out of her hands: The two arbitrators were exceedingly terrified, but not so much as the rest; but one of them took up the award which they had signed, in which they awarded the husband to execute the deed, to dispose of the estate from the son.

I dare say, said he, be the spirit a good spirit or a bad one, it will not be against cancelling this; so he tre his name out of the award, so did the other by his

example,

example, and both of them got up from their seats, and said they would have no more to do in it.

But that which was most unexpected of all was, that the man himself was so frighted. that he fainted away; notwithstanding it was, as it might be said, in his favour.

This put an end to the whole affair at that time; and, as I understand by the sequel, it did so for ever.

The story has many particulars more in it, too long to trouble the reader with, but two particulars, which are to the purpose, I must not omit, viz.

That in about four or five months more after the second apparition, the man's son arrived from the EastIndies, whither he had gone four years before in a Portuguese ship from Lisbon. That upon being particularly enquired of about these things, and especially whether he had not knowledge of them, or any apparition to him, or other extraordinary intimation concerning what was machinating against him here at home; he constantly affirmed that he had not, only that he once dreamt his father had written him a very angry letter, threatening him, that if he did not come home, he would disinherit him, and cut him off with a single shilling. This he added, had a great impression upon him and gave him serious cause of thoughtfulness, and was one of the principal reasons of his desire to return to England by the first opportunity.

This story is taken from Moreton's History of Apparitions.

Murder discovered by a Dream,

In the year 1690 a man in Ireland dreamt that he

N

was riding out with a re'ation of his, who lived at Amesbury in Wiltshire on the downs near that town'; and that his relation was robbed and murdered by two men, whose persons and dress he perfectly remembered. His dream was so strong, that he wrote to his cousin at Amesbury, begging him not to ride late, and then related the dream he had had concerning him. The man received the letter, but laughed at the caution: and the next night on the very spot therein mentioned, he was both robbed and murdered. His wife extremely af flicted for his loss, shewed this letter to her friends; and, from the exact description of the murderers, they were taken up, separately confined, and by their equi vocal and contradictory answers, some of the murdered man's things being also found upon them, they were convicted, and hanged in chains on the spot where the murder was committed,