him hands and feet. It is well known that the mother of the great
statesman Canning at one time of her life suffered under most mysterious
though harmless nightly visitations. Her circumstances were such that
she readily accepted the offer of a dwelling which stood unoccupied,
with the exception of the basement, in which a carpenter had his
workshop. At nightfall he and his workmen left the house, carefully
locking the door, but night after night, at twelve o'clock precisely,
work began once more in the abandoned part of the house, as far as the
ear could judge, and the noise made by planing and sawing, cutting and
carving increased, till the fearless old lady slipt down in her stocking
feet and opened the door. Instantly the noise was hushed, and she looked
into the dark deserted room. But as soon as she returned to her chamber
the work began anew, and continued for some time; nor was she the only
one who heard it, but others, the owner of the house included, heard
everything distinctly.
The following well-authenticated account of a posthumous appearance, is
not without its ludicrous element. A court-preacher in one of the
little Saxon Duchies, appeared once in bands and gowns before his
sovereign, bowing most humbly and reverently. The duke asked what he
desired, but received no answer except another deep reverence. A second
question meets with the same reply, whereupon the divine leaves the
room, descends the stairs and crosses the court-yard, while the prince,
much surprised at his strange conduct, stands at a window and watches
him till he reaches the gates. Then he sends a page after him to try and
ascertain what was the matter with the old gentleman, but the page comes
running back almost beside himself, and reports that the minister had
died a short while before. The prince refuses to believe his report, and
sends a high official, but the latter returns with the same report and
this additional information: The dying man had asked for writing
materials, in order to recommend his widow to his sovereign, but had
hardly commenced writing the letter when death surprised him. The
fragment was brought to the duke and convinced him that his faithful
servant, unable to reach him by letter, and yet nervously anxious to
approach him, had spiritually appeared to him in his most familiar
costume (Daumer, _Mystagog._ I. p. 224).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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