The Purcell Papers — Volume 1Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
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The Purcell Papers — Volume 1
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Fantasy fiction, English; Ireland -- Fiction
It is perhaps necessary to add that the superstition illustrated by the
following story, namely, that the corpse last buried is obliged,
during his juniority of interment, to supply his brother tenants of
the churchyard in which he lies, with fresh water to allay the burning
thirst of purgatory, is prevalent throughout the south of Ireland.
The writer can vouch for a case in which a respectable and wealthy
farmer, on the borders of Tipperary, in tenderness to the corns of his
departed helpmate, enclosed in her coffin two pair of brogues, a light
and a heavy, the one for dry, the other for sloppy weather; seeking thus
to mitigate the fatigues of her inevitable perambulations in procuring
water and administering it to the thirsty souls of purgatory. Fierce
and desperate conflicts have ensued in the case of two funeral parties
approaching the same churchyard together, each endeavouring to secure to
his own dead priority of sepulture, and a consequent immunity from the
tax levied upon the pedestrian powers of the last-comer. An instance not
long since occurred, in which one of two such parties, through fear of
losing to their deceased friend this inestimable advantage, made their
way to the churchyard by a short cut, and, in violation of one of their
strongest prejudices, actually threw the coffin over the wall, lest time
should be lost in making their entrance through the gate. Innumerable
instances of the same kind might be quoted, all tending to show
how strongly among the peasantry of the south this superstition is
entertained. However, I shall not detain the reader further by any
prefatory remarks, but shall proceed to lay before him the following:
Extract from the MS. Papers of the late Rev. Francis Purcell, of
Drumcoolagh.
I tell the following particulars, as nearly as I can recollect them, in
the words of the narrator. It may be necessary to observe that he
was what is termed a well-spoken man, having for a considerable time
instructed the ingenious youth of his native parish in such of the
liberal arts and sciences as he found it convenient to profess--a
circumstance which may account for the occurrence of several big words
in the course of this narrative, more distinguished for euphonious
effect than for correctness of application. I proceed then, without
further preface, to lay before you the wonderful adventures of Terry
Neil.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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