The Every-day Book and Table Book, v. 1 (of 3): or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the AlmanacHone, William
History
The Every-day Book and Table Book, v. 1 (of 3): or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac
Hone, William
Days; Great Britain -- Social life and customs
No man is privileged to impugn the knowledge of existences which others
have derived from their experience; but he who sees, without assenting
to realities, audaciously rejects positive proof to himself, where
presumptive testimony would be satisfactory to most: he daringly
falsifies what he knows to be indubitably true, and secret convictions
belie the shameless hardihood of pretended incredulity. These, it is
presumed, would be the sentiments of the great author of Rasselas, upon
the expression of disbelief in him who had witnessed spectral
appearances; and yet the writer of these pages, with a personal
knowledge upon the subject, declines to admit that knowledge as good
evidence. He would say untruly were he to affirm, that when he saw the
corpse-like form, and for some time afterwards, he had no misgivings as
to the safety of his friend. It was not until a lapse of six months that
the vessel was reported to have touched at a certain port in good
condition, and this was followed by a letter from the individual
himself, wherein he affirmed his good health; he subsequently wrote,
that he and his family were at the place of their destination. This
spectral appearance therefore at Ludgate-hill, between eight and nine
o’clock of the morning on the 30th of January, was no indication of his
death, nor would it have been had he died about that time, although the
coincidence of the apparition and his decease would have been
remarkable. The case at Carlow only differs from the case at
Ludgate-hill by the decease of the lady having been coeval with her
spectral appearance to the gentleman who was depressed by her illness.
The face which the writer saw looking at him from a closet in the dead
of night was no likeness of any one he knew, and he saw each spectre
when his faculties had been forced beyond their healthful bearing. Under
these circumstances, his eyesight was not to be trusted, and he refuses
to admit it, although the spectres were so extraordinary, and appeared
under such circumstances that probably they will never be forgotten.
* * * * *
Coupled with the incidents just related, the death of the king of Naples
in January 1825, which was first announced in the “_News_” Sunday paper
on the 16th of the month, recalls the recollection of a singular
circumstance in the bay of Naples. The fact and the facts preceding it
are related by Dr. Southey in his “Life of Nelson.” Having spoken of
Nelson’s attachment to lady Hamilton, and his weariness of the world,
Dr. Southey proceeds thus:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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