reflection, and a belief in the superior nature of the soul, as we find it contributed to make the Earl of Rochester believe that the soul was a substance distinct from matter.

Lord Lyttelton, the son of the historian, whose ardent imagination might have kindled into terrors when he reflected on his vicious life, is said to have been scared by forebodings which probably occasioned his death; others conceive him to have put an end to his own existence, agreeably to a prediction which he had made.

Mr. Toole, the distinguished comedian, is related to have had a presentiment of his death, which was, probably, nothing but a gloomy fear resulting from ill health, and encreased on the prospect of his departure from, England. Such anticipations are but the suggestions of alarm, or the feelings of approaching dissolution. As all men die, and all think on the subject of death with the deepest interest, it is not extraordinary that some should dream

about it at critical periods, and foresee its approach.

Captain Richard. Hutten's ship, on the 6th of January 1701, struck on the Caskets near Alderney, and stoved to pieces; the master and six of the men were drowned, and nine men saved. The masts falling upon the rocks, some being on the shrouds fell with it and swung themselves on by part of the other rigging; not having secured any bread they subsisted fourteen days on the ship's dog which they eat raw, and on limpets and weeds that grew on the rocks. They had once sight of the Express, Advice boat, but were not perAbout the 18th or 19th

ceived by its crew. one Taskard's son, apprentice of a master of a ship at Lymington, dreamed that he was taking up several men about the Caskets, and told it to his father, but he took no notice of it; but on the 20th set sail in his bark from Guernsey bound for Southampton, and when he came in view of the Caskets, the boy remembering his dream, looked earnestly upon

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them, and told his father he saw men upon the Caskets, his father chid and contradicted him; but on the boy's persisting, discovered by his glass one man on the rock waving his cap, upon which he steered and came to anchor on the leeward of the rock, it being a great sea; he took them all into his boat, and brought them safe to Southampton *. The author is not aware upon what authority this is related.

It is related of Dr. Harvey, who was one of the college of physicians, that upon setting off on his travels to Padua, he shewed on his arrival at Dover his pass, but was detained by the governor without any reason being assigned. The packet sailed without him and was lost, and next day the news reached Dover. It is added that the doctor was unknown to the governor, but that the night before the arrival of Dr. Harvey the governor had a perfect vision of him, with warning to stop him as he

* Nocturnal Revels, p. 97.

informed the doctor. The authority upon which this account also is given is not known to the author.

A dissipated person is related to have been converted by the impression of a dream, in which he imagined that he was rescued from a pit in which he was about to sink when sporting with some companions who were revelling with him, and whom he supposed to represent the guilty pleasures which endangered his safety:

"For pleasure's but a kind of wanton stream
That carries men to hell as in a dream."

Some of the dreams which have been produced appear to come to us on authorities so respectable, and to have had a tendency so beneficial, that they present certainly some excuse for credulity on this subject. The author would be unwilling to invalidate any impression that might tend to keep alive a sense of God's moral government; he is himself fully convinced of the care and particular pro

vidence of God watching over individuals, and does not mean to deny the agency and superintendency of angels appointed over every man, an opinion which seems to derive some countenance from our Saviour's words, when he speaks of the angels of children who beheld the face of God in Heaven *. He is aware also that it may possibly be contended that the promise of Joel with respect to dreams and visions, was not expressly restricted to any particular period of the Gospel; but, 'notwithstanding, he cannot but adhere to the conviction that revelations no longer continue to be imparted by dreams, subscribing to a remark of the great Bacon, that they ought all to be despised, and ought to serve but for winter's talk by the fire-side: "though," continues this great writer, "when I say despised, I mean it as for belief, for otherwise the spreading and publishing them is in no sort to be despised, for they have done much mischief."

* Matt. xviii. 1.