“Of this he has himself given us a notable example in the 42nd page of his Tract, called an Echo from Heaven, which, because it contains an uncommon fetch of wit, I shall describe. There are two confessions,” says he, “subscribed by my hand in the city of London, which if not now, will in after ages be considered. The one was made at the Spittle, and subscribed with the right hand, in the aforesaid vestry, before Sir Walter Earl; and that is a confession made by the inner man, or new man; the other confession is a confession of the flesh, called the outward man or old man; and the confession made before Green (the Recorder), and subscribed with the left hand, as the difference in the writing, being compared, will make it appear. I know the bench, and the people thought I recanted, but alas! they were deceived.”
“Well, but this very man has in the 77th and 78th pages of this Echo printed for the author in 12mo. and sold at his house in Long Alley in Black Friars, 1653, second edition with additions, a prophecy which astonishes all who carefully consider it. It is in these words, A vision that I had presently after the king’s death.—I thought that I was in a great hall like the king’s hall, or the castle in Winchester, and there was none there but a judge that sat upon the bench and myself; and as I turned to a window in the north-westward, and looking into the palm of my hand, there appeared to me a face, head and shoulders like the Lord Fairfax’s, and presently it vanished. Again, there arose the Lord Cromwell, and he vanished likewise; then arose a young face and he had a crown upon his head, and he vanished also; and another young face arose with a crown upon his head, and he vanished also; and another——young face arose with a crown upon his head, and vanished in like manner; and as I turned the palm of my hand back again to me and looked, there did appear no more in it. Then I turned to the judge and said to him, there arose in my hand seven; and five of them had crowns; but when I turned my hand, the blood turned to its veins, and these appeared no more: so I awoke. The interpretation of this vision is, that after the Lord Cromwell, there shall be kings again in England, which thing is signified unto us by those that arose after him, who were all crowned, but the generations to come may look for a change of the blood, and of the name in the royal seat, after five kings once passed, 2 Kings x. 30. (The words referred to in this text are these) And the Lord said unto Jehu, because thou hast done well, &c. thy children of the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.”[12]
Sauvages mentions, that a woman, subject to epilepsy, saw, during the paroxysm, dreadful spectres, and that real objects appeared magnified to an extraordinary degree: a fly seemed as large as a fowl, and a fowl appeared equal in size to an ox. In coloured objects, green predominated with her; a curious fact, which I have seen verified in other convulsive diseases. A very intelligent boy, who was under my care for convulsions of the voluntary muscles, when he looked at some large caricatures, glaringly coloured with red and yellow, insisted on it that they were covered with green, till his paroxysm abated, during which his intellects had not been at all affected.
Among other instances of Suffusio, Sauvages also mentions an aged physician of Narbonne, who, during several days, saw every object crooked.
I shall select, as a remarkable instance of spectral impressions, a story published by Richard Bovet, in his Pandæmonium, or the Devil’s Cloyster, printed in 1684. The first appearances were probably seen in a dream. The noises, on the second night, were perhaps recollected impressions.[13]
“About the year 1667, being with some persons of honour in the house of a nobleman in the west country, which had formerly been a nunnery: I must confess I had often heard the servants, and others that inhabited or lodged there, speak much of the noises, stirs, and apparitions that frequently disturbed the house, but had at that time no apprehensions of it; for the house being full of stranger’s, the nobleman’s steward, Mr. C. lay with me in a fine wainscoat-room, called my ladies’ chamber; we went to our lodging pretty early, and having a good fire in the room, we spent some time in reading, in which he much delighted: then having got into bed, and put out the candles, we observed the room to be very light, by the brightness of the moon, so that a wager was laid between us, that it was possible to read written hand by that light upon the bed where we lay; accordingly I drew out of my pocket a manuscript, which he read distinctly in the place where he lay: we had scarce made an end of discoursing about that affair, when I saw (my face being towards the door which was locked) entering into the room, five appearances of very fine and lovely women, they were of excellent stature, and their dresses seemed very fine, but covered all but their faces, with their light veils, whose skirts trailed largely on the floor. They entered in a file one after the other, and in that posture walked round the room, till the foremost came, and stood by that side of the bed where I lay (with my left hand over the side of the bed; for my head rested on that arm, and I determined not to alter the posture in which I was) she struck me upon that hand with a blow that felt very soft, but I did never remember whether it were cold or hot: I demanded in the name of the blessed Trinity, what business they had there, but received no answer; then I spoke to Mr. C. Sir, do you see what fair guests we have come to visit us? before which they all disappeared: I found him in some kind of agony, and was forced to grasp him on the breast with my right hand (which was next him underneath the bed-clothes) before I could obtain speech of him; then he told me that he had seen the fair guests I spoke of, and had heard me speak to them; but withal said, that he was not able to speak sooner unto me, being extremely affrighted at the sight of a dreadful monster, which assuming a shape, betwixt that of a lion and a bear, attempted to come upon the bed’s foot. I told him, I thanked God nothing so frightful had presented itself to me; but I hoped (through his assistance) not to dread the ambages of hell. It was a long time before I could compose him to sleep, and though he had had many disturbances in his own room, and understood of others in the house, yet he acknowledged he had never been so terrified, during many years abode there. The next day at dinner he shewed to divers persons of principal quality, the mark that had been occasioned on his breast by the gripe I was forced to give him, to get him to speak, and related all the passages very exactly; after which he protested never to lie more in that room; upon which I set up a resolution to lodge in it again, not knowing but something of the reason of those troubles might by that means be imparted to me. The next night, therefore, I ordered a Bible, and another book to be laid in the room, and resolved to spend my time by the fire in reading and contemplation, till I found myself inclined to sleep: and accordingly having taken leave of the family at the usual hour, I addressed myself to what I had proposed, not going into bed till past one in the morning: a little after I was got into bed, I heard somewhat walk about the room, like a woman in a tabby gown trailing about the room; it made a mighty rushelling noise, but I could see nothing, though it was near as light as the night before: it passed by the foot of the bed and a little opened the curtains, and thence went to a closet door on that side, through which it found admittance, although it was close locked: there it seemed to groan, and draw a great chair with its foot, in which it seemed to sit, and turn over the leaves of a large folio; which you know make a loud clattering noise; so it continued in that posture, sometimes groaning, sometimes dragging the chair, and clattering the book till it was near day; afterwards I lodged several times in this room, but never met with any molestation.”
“This I can attest to be a true account of what passed in that room the two described nights; and though Mr. C. be lately dead, who was a very ingenious man, and affirmed the first part unto many, with whom he was conversant; it remains that I appeal to the knowledge of those who have been inhabitants or lodgers in the said house, for what remains, to justify the credibility of the rest.”
CHAP. IV.
Medical distinctions of spectral impressions. Sepulchral remedies: Preparations of the human skull—Mumia—Apparition of Ficinus to Michael Mercato.—Warning voice to Quarræus.—Visions of Dr. Pordage. Latent lunacy—Exemplified in the character of Hamlet.