A book of the west. Volume 2, Cornwall : $b being an introduction to Devon and CornwallBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
A book of the west. Volume 2, Cornwall : $b being an introduction to Devon and Cornwall
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County)
“Two things I observed in this day’s appearance, viz.: 1.
that a spaniel dog which followed ye company unregarded,
did bark and run away as ye Spectrum passed by, whence ’tis
easy to conclude yt it was not our fear or fancy wch made
ye apparition. 2. that ye motion of ye Spectrum was not
gradatim, or by steps and moveing ye feet, but a kind of
glideing as children upon ye ice, or a boat down a swift
river, which punctually answers ye descriptions ye antients
gave of ye motion of their Lemures.
“But to prceed: this ocular evidence clearly convinced, but
withall sharply affrighted ye old gent and his wife who
knew ys D. D. in her Lifetime,--were at her buryal, and
now plainly saw her features in this prsent apparition.
I encouraged them as wel as I could, but after this they
went no more. However I was resolved to prceed and use such
Lawfull means as God hath discovered and Learned men have
successfully practiced in these unvulgar cases.
“The next morning being Thursday I went out very early by
myself and walked for abt an hour’s space in meditation
and prayer in ye field next adjoyning to ye Quartils. Soon
after five I stept over ye stile into ye disturbed field,
and had not gone above 30 or 40 paces before ye Ghost
appeared at ye further stile. I spake to it with a Loud
voice in some such sentences as ye way of these dealings
directed me, whereupon it approached, but slowly. When I
came near it, it mov’d not. I spake again and it answered
in a voice neither very audible nor intelligable. I was not
in ye Least terrifyed, and therefore persisted untill it
spake again, and gave me satisfaction.
“But ye work could not be finished at this time; wherefore
ye same evening, an hour after sun-set, it met me again
near ye same place, and after a few words of each side it
quietly vanished, and neither doth appear since, nor ever
will more to any man’s disturbance.
“N.B. The discourse in ye morning Lasted abt a quarter of
an hour.
“These things are true. I know them to be so with as much
certainty as eyes and ears can give me; and until I can
be perswaded that my senses do deceve me abt their proper
objects (and by that perswasion deprive myself of ye
strongest inducement to beleive ye Christian Religion) I
must and will assert that these things in this paper are
true.”
I omit the reflections made on this by the writer, who signs:
“September 4th, 1665, John Ruddle.”
Every person and every place can be and has been identified by Mr.
Robins, to whose article I refer the reader, should he care to go over
the ground.[7]
NOTE.--Books on Launceston:--
ROBINS (A. F.), _Launceston, Past and Present_. Launceston, 1884.
PETER (R.), _The Histories of Launceston and Dunheved_. Plymouth, 1885.
CHAPTER VII.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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