Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Fiction; Historical fiction
_October_ 17. About the middle of the night, these new guests were
first awaked by a knocking at the presence-chamber door, which they
also conceived did open, and something to enter, which came through the
room, and also walkt about that room with a heavy step during half an
hour, then crept under the bed where Captain Hart and Captain Carelesse
lay, where it did seem (as it were) to bite and gnaw the mat and
bed-coards, as if it would tear and rend the feather beds; which having
done a while, then would heave a while, and rest; then heave them up
again in the bed more high than it did before, sometime on the one
side, sometime on the other, as if it had tried which Captain was
heaviest. Thus having heaved some half an hour, from thence it walkt
out and went under the servants’ bed, and did the like to them; hence
it walkt into a withdrawing room, and there did the same to all who
lodged there. Thus having welcomed them for more than two hours’ space,
it walkt out as it came in, and shut the outer door again, but with the
clap of some mightie force. These guests were in a sweat all this
while, but out of it falling into a sleep again, it became morning
first before they spake their minds; then would they have it to be a
dog, yet they described it more to the likeness of a great bear; so
fell to the examining under the beds, where, finding only the mats
scracht, but the bed-coards whole, and the quarter of beef which lay on
the floor untoucht, they entertained other thoughts.
_October_ 18. They were all awaked as the night before, and now
conceived that they heard all the great clefts of the King’s Oak
brought into the presence-chamber, and there thumpt down, and after
roul about the room; they could hear their chairs and stools tost from
one side of the room unto the other, and then (as it were) altogether
josled. Thus having done an hour together, it walkt into the
withdrawing-room, where lodged the two captains, the secretary, and two
servants; here stopt the thing a while, as if it did take breath, but
raised a hideous one, then walkt into the bed-chamber, where lay those
as before, and under the bed it went, where it did heave and heave
again, that now they in bed were put to catch hold upon bed-posts, and
sometimes one of the other, to prevent their being tumbled out upon the
ground; then coming out as from under the bed, and taking hold upon the
bed-posts, it would shake the whole bed, almost as if a cradle rocked.
Thus having done here for half an hour, it went into the
withdrawing-room, where first it came and stood at the bed’s feet, and
heaving up the bed’s feet, flopt them down again a while, until at last
it heaved the feet so high that those in bed thought to have been set
upon their heads; and having thus for two hours entertained them, went
out as in the night before, but with a great noise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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