XXXVIII.—An Apparition seen in a dwelling-house, in Mary King’s Close, in Edinburgh.
Sir, within these few years, there was one T. C. by profession an agent about the session-house; who about flitting time, was removing his furniture from a lower part of the city to an higher. One in the aforesaid close, seeing his maid on the Saturday carrying some light furniture to such a house, asked her, if she was to dwell in that house? “Yes,” said she; “for I am hired for this half-year.” Her friend told her, “If you live there, I assure you, you will have more company than yourselves.” And after twice or thrice more going up and down, getting several informations anent the business, she was persuaded to tell her mistress, she would not tarry a servant in that house, it being haunted with a spirit or ghost, and gave her the ground of her intelligence.
The mistress informed her husband, desiring him to forbear that house, lest she should be affrighted even with apprehensions; but he, out of a natural courage, and fortitude of mind, smiled at the relation, and resolved to tarry, lodging there that very same night.——To-morrow being the Sabbath-day, they went both to church in the forenoon; but in the afternoon, he being indisposed, fitted himself for a sleep; his wife took the Bible; and at the head of the table near the bed, resolved to spend the time in reading of the Holy Scripture, appointing the servant to go to church, which she did, but came no more to the family.—As the mistress was reading to herself, she chanced to cast her eyes to a little chamber-door just over against her, where she spied the head and face of an old man, grey headed, with a grey beard, looking straight upon her, the distance being very short; at which sight, she endeavouring to awaken her husband, fell in a swoon and fainted, and lay in that posture till she heard some of her neighbours open their doors after sermon was ended; then she told her husband what was done, and what she had seen, the apparition being evanished; he pleaded it was some fancy, or delusion of her senses, and bade her be of good courage.—After supper, both being alone, the goodwife’s fear still continuing, she built on a large fire, and went to bed. After a little time, the goodman cast his eyes towards the chimney, and spied that same old man’s head in the former place. He told his wife, who was like to fall into her former passion. He rising, lighteth a candle, sets it on the table, and went to his bed again, encouraging themselves in the Lord; and recommended themselves to God’s care and protection. After an hour and more was spent thus; they clearly perceived a young child, with a coat upon it, hanging near to the old man’s head. At which sight, the goodman, Tom, flew out of his bed, and his wife after him. He taking her in his arms, kneeled down before the bed, and with fervent devotion, they entreated the Lord to be freed from that temptation. He lighted a second candle, the first being spent, and knocked upon his neighbours; but getting no answer, they both returned to their bed, where they both kneeled down and prayed; an excessive fear and sweat being upon them.—By and by a naked arm appears in the air, from the elbow downward, and the hand stretched out, as when one man is about to salute another. He then skipped out of his bed, and kneeling down, begged help from heaven. The arm had now come within its own length to him, as it were to shake hands with him. Whereupon, he immediately goes to bed again, and at the opening of the curtain, it offered another salutation to him. The man and the wife embracing one another through fear, and still eyeing the naked arm, they prayed the more earnestly. But the cubit offering to touch him, he was in such a consternation and amazement, that he was as one distracted; but taking some courage from God, he boldly spake to it after this manner: “In the name of the living God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, tell me why thou troublest my family? To my knowledge, I never wronged any man, by killing or cheating; but hath lived honestly in the world. If thou hast received any wrong, if I can right thee, I will do my utmost for thee; but trouble me no more.” Notwithstanding of this, the arm and hand, came nearer than before, still after a courteous manner, with an offer of acquaintance. They fell to prayer again, both of them being drowned with sweat; and in the mean time, they saw a little dog come out of that little room afore-named; which, after a little time looking about towards the bed and the naked arm, composed itself upon a chair, as it were with its nose in its tail to sleep. This somewhat increased their fear. But quickly after, a cat comes leaping out from the same room, and in the midst of the hall, began to play some little tricks. Then was the hall full of small little creatures dancing prettily; unto which none of them could give a name, as having never in nature seen the like.
It is not possible to narrate the height of passion and fear these two were under, having all the apparitions at once in their eye, which continued a long time. The honest couple went to their knees again within the bed; there being no standing in the floor of the room. In the time of prayer, their ears were started with a deep, dreadful, and loud groan, as of a strong man dying; at which, all the apparitions and visions at once evanished; and, as the honest couple thought, they retired to the little room from whence they came, and the house was quiet.—After this, they both went hand in hand to the little room where the drink stood, and refreshed themselves therewith. After they had taken a second draught, the husband said, “My dear, God hath made me this night to bear that which would have frighted to death the stoutest of them all.” The day approaching, they dressed themselves, and made no secret of it. But looking back upon what happened, they wondered, that none of them had wit to open the door, and to flee from the house, which had been easier done than to light the first candle. But they behoved to undergo this trial, having no power to escape it. And by this means, the goodman had the courage to dwell in the house after till he died; yet would never want some good fellows or others with him, concluding the worst was over; as indeed it was.—A few weeks after, he, on a Sabbath day, went with his wife to Corstorphine, a village two miles from Edinburgh, to hear sermon. In the evening, he took some refreshment there at a public inn; and stepping to the door to ease nature, he was instantly surprized with a vehement shivering and trembling in all his joints. Coming from the end of the aforesaid village, with a purpose to come home, he was accompanied with some crows flying above him, almost keeping pace with him, till he came to Portsburgh, a part of the suburbs of the city, where they left him, and returned to their own lodging. “These crows, my dear (says he) do prognosticate, that I must die shortly.” He fell sick of a pain in his head, with an excessive aking. But before I go further on this narration, I must make a visit to the country.—A gentleman near Tranent, or in it, a town about seven miles from Edinburgh, whose agent this man was, in managing his law-affairs, and keeped his papers for that effect, had a singular kindness for Thomas, as he had for him. This gentleman being in bed one morning with his wife, his nurse and a child lying in a truckle-bed near them, the nurse was affrighted with something like a cloud moving up and down the room; but not shaped as such. She called to her master and his wife, and awakened them. He seeing the cloud figured like a man, nimbly skipped over the bed, and drew his sword; and going to bed again, laid it by his side, and recommended the family to God. For a time it continued in the forementioned dark form; but, anon, they all saw perfectly the body of a man walking up and down. The gentleman behaved himself more like a Christian than a combatant. At last, this apparition looked him fully and perfectly in the face, and stood by him with a ghostly and pale countenance; at which the gentleman with great courage, said to the spectre, “What art thou? Art thou my dear friend Thomas Coltheart?” (For so was the agent called.) “Art thou dead, my friend? Tell me if thou hast any commission to me from Almighty God, tell it me, and it shall be welcome.” The ghost held up its hand three times, waving and shaking it towards him, and immediately disappeared. This was done about the very hour (as was guessed) of the agent’s death.
The Sunday after his death, among many accompanying his corpse to the common burial place, some of the town ministers were there, and by chance a friend of his thanked one of them for his attendance; and said, “Sir, it was a pity that some of you saw him not before he died.” The minister asked him, “If any remarkable thing was the cause of his sickness” So much was told, as gave the minister ground to make a visit to his widow; who made him very welcome with tears in her eyes. After she had composed herself, he prayed. Prayer being ended, she began the before related story, and told it from the beginning. But when she came to the dog’s part, she telling him, that he was just now sitting upon the chair where the dog lay sleeping, the minister rises up, and taking the mistress by the hand, “Come, (said he) I have seen his chair; in the name of Almighty God, I will see his chamber too;” and so went in to see the little room from which the apparition came, and to which they returned; in which room she gave the minister an account of what followed the dog. In the mean time a gentleman came in, whom she knew by his voice, and running to him with great fervour, they embraced one another affectionately with tears. To make an end, this stranger was the gentleman to whom the ghost of the deceased husband appeared about Tranent, the very hour when he was expiring at Edinburgh. He told likewise, that that morning the ghost appeared to him, he was resolved to attend the Duke of Lauderdale from Lithingtown to Edinburgh; but this apparition discomposing his wife, he could not. But With his first conveniency (he told her) he had come in to see her, and get an account of his being touched with what he saw at his house.
These things coming to the Duke of Lauderdale’s ears, as remarkable stories, he called for that minister, and had the same account of the particulars, before many of the nobility, narrated to him.
XXXIX.—An Apparition of a deceased Wife to her Husband, at Edinburgh.
Sir, that which I narrated to you the other day, I have now sent it under my hand, as a thing very certain and sure. I knew a servant-maid, that served a gentlewoman in the old Provost’s Close, as they call it, who was married to a butcher called John Ritchie, about twelve years ago. She lived about five years with him, and had four children to him, and then died. Within a few days after her burial, he went in suit of a young woman, courting her for marriage. He had a comrade of the same trade, to whom he revealed his intention, and desired him to meet him at such a house, near to the court of guard, down some close or other, that he might see his new mistress. The appointment was keeped. The two lovers sat down together on a bed-side, and the comrade sat opposite to them, there being a table between them, and a window or shot at the head of the room, that gave them light; the close or wynd was narrow to which they had a sight. And while they two are dallying together in the bed, the other smiling at them; behold, while this man is casting his eye about the room, he perceived distinctly the body and face of the dead wife, in her clothes, looking towards them from an opposite window; at which this man, his comrade, rose up affrighted, saying to the other, “John, what’s that?” Whereupon all stood up looking, and saw perfectly the buried woman lifting up her hands (as appeared) to take the dead-dress from her head, but could not reach it. The man threw the woman out of his arms, with a purpose to be gone quickly; but his comrade vowed he would not stir till he got something to comfort his heart: they got a little brandy, and then went away; not without wondering and fear. Upon this, the man took sickness for three or four days; and his comrade coming to give him a visit, counselled him to delay, or wholly to desist from that purpose of marriage; but affection would not suffer him to forbear; and, though not fully recovered of his frenzy, he made a new address to his mistress; but, while he is putting on his shoes, his dead wife appears again in her ordinary habit; and crossing the room in his sight, says, “John, will you not come to me?” and with that evanished. Up on this, he took sickness again, and called for his comrade, and told him of this second apparition, who most freely entreated him to desist, or at least to delay. His sickness increasing, he died. About which time, he spoke of a third visit his wife gave him, blaming him as if he had too soon forgotten her, but did not tell it distinctly; and therefore his comrade could not be positive in it. He was buried within a month of his wife’s decease.—One of the ministers of Edinburgh, who had been acquaint in the house where she served, hearing some whisper of the apparition, sent a servant secretly to call for the man’s comrade, who gave him a just and true narration of all that I have written; adding, that having seen the vision first, some told him he would quickly die, but he is yet living in the town, a flesher; the minister having married him to two wives since. The deceased wife’s name was Helen Brown. I intended to have published another relation anent the devil’s coming in the night-time, and knocking three several times at such a man’s door; but I was desired to forbear.