"of the tenant and his man, who is a smith by "trade, and the farmer's men, as far as they "are concerned. Mr. Brereton, the Rector, "would have him fay nothing of the ftory, for "that he can get no tenant, though he has "offered the houfe for ten pounds a year lefs. "Mr. P. the former incumbent, whom the "apparition reprefented, was a man of a very "ill report, fuppofed to have got children of "his maid, and to have murthered them; but "I advised the Curate to fay nothing himself of "this laft part of P. but leave that to the "parishioners, who knew him, Those who "knew this P. fay he had exactly fuch a ས gown, and that he used to whistle.

"Your's,

"J. CASWELL.

I defire you not to fuffer any copy of this to be taken, left fome Mercury news-teller fhould print it, till the Curate has fent up the teftimony of others and felf.

H. H. Dec. 15, 1695.

NARRATIVE.

"At Warblington, near Havant in Hampfhire, within fix miles of Portsmouth, in the "parfonage houfe dwelt Thomas Perce the tenant, with his wife and a child, a man-fer

"vant Thomas

and a maid-fervant.

"About the beginning of Auguft, Anno 1695, "on a Monday, about nine or ten at night, all "being gone to bed, except the maid with the "child, the maid being in the kitchen, and "having raked up the fire, took a candle in "one hand, and the child in the other arm, "and turning about faw one in a black gown "walking through the room, and thence out of "the door into the orchard: Upon this the "maid, hafting up ftairs, having recovered but "two steps, cried out; on which the mafter "and mistress ran down, found the candle in "her hand, the grafping the child about its "neck with the other arm: She told them the "reafon of her crying out; fhe would not that "night tarry in the house, but removed to "another belonging to one Henry Salter, far"mer; where he cried out all the night from "the terror she was in, and fhe could not be perfuaded to go any more to the house upon "any terms.

"On the morrow, (i. e. Tuesday) the "tenant's wife came to me, lodging then at "Havant, to defire my advice, and have con"fult with fome friends about it; I told her I "thought it was a flam, and that they had, a "mind to abufe Mr. Brereton the Rector,

"whose

"whose house it was; fhe defired me to come

up; I told her I would come up and fit up or

lie there, as fhe pleased; for then as to all "ftories of ghofts and apparitions I was an infidel: I went thither and fate up the Tuesday "night with the tenant and his man-fervant: About twelve or one o'clock I fearched all "the rooms in the houfe to see if any body "were hid there to impofe upon me: At laft "we came into a lumber- room, there I smiling "told the tenant that was with me, that I "would call for the apparition, if there was any, "and oblige him to come: The tenant then "feemed to be afraid, but I told him I would "defend him from harm! and then I repeated "Barbara, celarent Darii, &c. jeftingly; on "this the tenant's countenance changed, fo that "he was ready to drop down with fear: Then "I told him I perceived he was afraid, and I "would prevent its coming, and repeated Ba"ralipton, &c. then he recovered his fpirits

"

pretty well and we left the room and went "down into the kitchen, where we were before, "and fate up there the remaining part of the night and had no manner of disturbance.

r

Thursday night the tenant and I lay toge"ther in one room and the man in another

room, and he faw fomething walk along in a

"black

"black gown and place itself against a window, "and there ftood for fome time, and then "walked off. Friday morning the man re"lating this, I asked him why he did not call ર me, and I told him I thought that was a trick cc or flam; he told me the reason why he did "not call me was, that he was not able to "speak or move. Friday night we lay as before, and Saturday night, and had no disturb"ance either of the nights.

"Sunday night I lay by myself in one room (not that where the man faw the apparition) "and the tenant and his man in one bed in "another room; and betwixt twelve and two "the man heard something walk in their room "at the bed's foot, and whistling very well; at "laft it came to the bed's fide, drew the cur"tain and looked on them; after fome time it "moved off; then the man called to me, defir"ed me to come, for that there was fome

thing in the room went about whistling: "I asked him whether he had any light or "could strike one, he told me no; then I leapt "out of bed, and, not staying to put on my "clothes, went out of my room and along a "gallery to the door, which I found locked or "bolted; I defired him to unlock the door, "for that I could not get in; then he got out VOL. III.

H

"cf

"of bed and opened the door, which was near, "and went immediately to bed again; I went "in three or four fteps, and, it being a moon"fhine night, I faw the apparition move from "the bed fide, and clap up against the wall that "divided their room and mine: I went and "ftood directly against it within my arm's "length of it, and afked it in the name of God "what it was, that made it come disturbing "of us; I stood fome time expecting an answer, "and receiving none, and thinking it might be "fome fellow hid in the room to fright me, I

put out my arm to feel it, and my hand feemingly "went through the body of it, and felt no manner

of fubftance, till it came to the wall; then I

"drew back my hand, and fill it was in the "fame place: Till now I had not the least fear, " and even now had very little; then I adjured "it to tell me what it was: When I had faid "those words, it, keeping its back against the "wall, moved gently along towards the door: "I followed it, and it, going out at the door, "turned its back toward me: It went a little "along the gallery; I followed it a little into "the gallery, and it difappeared, where there

was no corner for it to turn, and before it came to the end of the gallery, where was "the ftairs. Then I found myself very cold " from