"In short he went home; I somewhat puzled, he much animated. At
our return ye gentlewoman (whose inquisitiveness had mist us)
watched to speak with me, I gave her a convenience, and told
her that my opinion was her son's complaint was not to be
slighted, nor altogether discredited, yet that my judgment in
his case was not setled. I gave her caution moreover that ye
thing might not take wind Lest ye whole country should ring wth
what we yet had no assurance of. In this juncture of time I had
busines wch would admit no delay, wherefore I went for
Launceston that evening, but prmised to see him again next
week,--yet I was prevented by an occasion which pleaded a
sufficient excuse, for my wife was that week brought home from
a nighbours house very ill. However my mind was upon ye
adventure. I studyed ye case, and abt 3 weeks after went again
resolving by ye help of God to see ye utmost.
"The next Monday, being ye 27th day of July 1665, I went to ye
haunted field by myself and walked ye baedth of it without any
encounter. I returned and took ye other walk, and then ye
Spectrum appeared to me, much about ye same place I saw it
before when ye young gent was wth me. In my thoughts it moved
swifter than ye time before, and abt 30 feet distant from me on
my right hand in so much that I had not time to speak, as I
determined with myself beforehand.
"The evening of that day ye parents, ye son, and myself being
in ye chamber where I Lay, I propounded to them our going
altogether to ye place next morning, and after some
asseverration that there was no danger in it we all resolved
upon it.
"The morning being come Lest we shd alarm ye family of servts,
they went under pretence of seeing a field of wheat, and I took
my horse and fetched a compas another way, and so met at ye
stile we had appointed; thence we al four walked Leisurely into
ye Quartils, and had not passed above half ye field before ye
Ghost made appearance. It then came over ye stile just before
us, and moved with such swiftness that by ye time we had gone 6
or 7 steps it passed by; I 'mediately turned head and ran after
it wth ye young man by my side. We saw it passe over ye stile
at wch we entred, but no further. I stept upon ye hedg at one
place, he at another, but could discern nothing, whereas I dare
averr that ye swiftest horse in England could not have conveyed
himself out of sight in yt short space of time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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