Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Fiction; Historical fiction
“October 30. Something walked into the chamber, treading like a bear;
it walked many times about, then threw the warming-pan violently upon
the floor, and so bruised it, that it was spoiled. Vast quantities of
glass were now thrown about the room, and vast numbers of great stones
and horses’ bones were thrown in; these were all found in the morning,
and the floors, beds, and walls were all much damaged by the violence
they were thrown in.
“November 1. Candles were placed in all parts of the room, and a great
fire made. At midnight, the candles all yet burning, a noise like the
burst of a cannon was heard in the room, and the burning billets were
tossed all over the room and about the beds; and had not their honours
called in Giles and his fellows, the house had assuredly been burnt. An
hour after the candles went out, as usual, the clack of many cannon was
heard, and many pailfuls of green stinking water were thrown on their
honours in bed; great stones were also thrown in as before, the
bed-curtains and bedsteads torn and broken: the windows were now all
really broken, and the whole neighbourhood alarmed with the noises;
nay, the very rabbit-stealers that were abroad that night in the
warren, were so frightened at the dismal thundering, that they fled for
fear and left their ferrets behind them.
“One of their honours this night spoke, and in the name of God asked
what it was, and why it disturbed them so? No answer was given to this;
but the noise ceased for a while, when the spirit came again, and as
they all agreed, brought with it seven devils worse than itself. One of
the servants now lighted a large candle, and set it in the doorway
between the two chambers, to see what passed; and as he[1] watched it,
he plainly saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into the
middle of the room, and afterwards, making three scrapes over the snuff
of the candle, to scrape it out. Upon this, the same person was so bold
as to draw a sword; but he had scarce got it out, when he perceived
another invisible hand had hold of it too, and pulled with him for it,
and at last prevailing, struck him so violently on the head with the
pommel, that he fell down for dead with the blow. At this instant was
heard another burst like the discharge of the broadside of a ship of
war, and at about a minute or two’s distance each, no less than
nineteen more such: these shook the house so violently that they
expected every moment it would fall upon their heads. The neighbours on
this were all alarmed, and, running to the house, they all joined in
prayer and psalm-singing, during which the noise continued in the other
rooms, and the discharge of cannon without, though nobody was there.”
[1] Probably this part was also played by Sharp, who was the regular
ghost-seer of the party.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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