The history of the life and adventures of Mr. Duncan Campbell : $b a gentleman, who, tho' deaf and dumb, writes down any stranger's name at first sight, with their future contingencies of fortune
General
The history of the life and adventures of Mr. Duncan Campbell : $b a gentleman, who, tho' deaf and dumb, writes down any stranger's name at first sight, with their future contingencies of fortune
Campbell, Duncan, 1680?-1730; Deaf people -- Great Britain -- Biography; Occultism -- Early works to 1900; Prophets -- Great Britain -- Biography
the late Prince George of Denmark, is a spirit usually seen all over
that country.
If the reader recollects, he will remember likewise, that in the little
discourse which I mentioned to have been held between me and this Duncan
Campbell, when a boy, concerning his little genius, I there say, the boy
signified to me that he smelt venison, and was sure that some one would
come to his mother's house shortly after; accordingly I came thither
that morning from the death of a deer, and ordered a part of it to be
brought after me to her house. Now Mr. Martin's twelfth observation
about the second-sight, in this chapter, clears it plainly up that this
knowledge in the boy proceeded from the gift of second-sight. Not to
give the reader too often the trouble of looking back in order to judge
of the truth of what I say, I will here repeat that observation, which
is as follows: Things are also foretold by smelling sometimes: for
example, fish or flesh is frequently smelt in the fire, when, at the
same time, neither of the two are in the house, or, in any probability,
like to be had in it for some weeks or months. This smell several
persons have, who are, endued with the second-sight, and it is always
accomplished soon after.
But I will here omit any farther remarks by way of accounting how he
compassed his predictions when a boy, either by the intervention of his
genius, or the gift of a second-sight; and examine how nearly those
things, which I have related to have been done by him in his more
advanced years, when he took up the profession of a predictor, in
London, correspond with the accounts given us in this chapter about a
second-sight, and how near a resemblance the things done by him bear to
those things that are so well attested to have been performed by others,
through the efficacious power of this wonderful faculty.
First, then, if we have a mind to make a tolerable guess which way Mr.
Campbell came acquainted that the death of the beautiful young lady,
Miss W--lw--d was so near at hand, and that, though she was so
universally admired she would die unmarried, the accounts given of other
second-sighted persons in the like cases, will put us in the most
probable way of guessing right. This is explained by the seventh
observation in this chapter, where it is said from Mr. Martin, that when
a shroud is perceived about one, it is a sure prognostic of death; the
time is judged according to the height of it, about the person; for if
it be not seen above the middle, death is not to be expected for the
space of a year or longer, but as it comes nearer to the head it is
expected sooner; if to the very head, it is concluded to be at hand
within a few days, if not hours. Of this we have an example, of which
Mr. Martin was an eye-witness, concerning the death of his own
acquaintance; but he did not in the least regard it, till the death of
the person, about the time foretold, confirmed to him the certainty of
the prediction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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