Apparitions; Dreams; Occultism -- Early works to 1900; Parapsychology -- Early works to 1900
“It was night before this gentleman reached Bowood but an unclouded moon
showed every object in unequivocal distinctness. Mr. Alsop had passed
through the lodge-gate, and was proceeding to the house, when, to his
astonishment, he saw Lord William coming towards him, in all the
buoyancy of childhood, restored apparently to health and vigour. ‘I am
delighted, my dear lord,’ he exclaimed, ‘to see you, but, for Heaven’s
sake, go immediately within doors,—it is death to you to be here at
this time of night.’ The child made no reply, but, turning round, was
quickly out of sight. Mr. Alsop, unspeakably surprised, hurried to the
house. Here all was distress and confusion, for _Lord William, had
expired a few minutes before he reached the portico_.
“This sad event being with all speed announced to the Marquis of
Lansdowne, in London, orders were soon received at Bowood, for the
interment of the corpse, and the arrangement of the funeral procession.
The former was directed to take place at High Wickham, in the vault
which contained the remains of _Lord William’s mother_; the latter was
appointed to halt at two specified places, during the two nights on
which it would be on the road. Mr. Jervis and Dr. Priestley attended the
body. On the first day of the melancholy journey, the latter gentleman,
who had hitherto said little on the subject of the appearance to Mr.
Alsop, suddenly addressed his companion with considerable emotion in
nearly these words: ‘There are some very singular circumstances
connected with this event, Mr. Jervis, and a most remarkable coincidence
between a dream of the late Lord William and our present mournful
engagement. A few weeks ago, as I was passing by his room door one
morning, he called me to his bedside,—‘Doctor,’ said he, ‘what is your
Christian name?’ ‘Surely,’ said I, ‘you know it is Joseph.’ ‘Well,
then,’ replied he, in a lively manner, ‘if you are a _Joseph_, you can
interpret a _dream_ for me, which I had last night. I dreamed, Doctor,
that I set out upon a long journey; that I stopped the first night at
_Hungerford_, whither I went without touching the ground; that I flew
from thence to _Salt Hill_, where I remained the next night; and arrived
at High Wickham on the third day, where my dear mamma, beautiful as an
angel, stretched out her arms and caught me within them.’ ‘Now,’
continued the Doctor, ‘these are precisely the places where the dear
child’s corpse will remain on this and the succeeding night, before we
reach his mother’s vault, which is finally to receive it.’”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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