-
Articles/Ads
Article TO THE EDITOR OF THE SCIENTIFIC MAGAZINE. ← Page 4 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Scientific Magazine.
about by it even into their honours beds , who called Giles and his com-, panions to their relief , otherwise the house had been burnt to the ground ; about an hour after , the candles went out as usual , the crack as of many cannon was heard , and many pailfuls of green stinking water were thrown upon their honours beds ; great stones were also thrown in as before , the bed curtains and bedsteads torn and broken ,
the windows shattered , and the whole neighbourhood alarmed with the most dreadful noises ; nay , the very rabbit-stealers that were abroad that nig ht in the warre " n , were so terrified , that they fled for fear , and left their ferrets behind them . One of their honours this nig ht ' 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 w ith it seven devils worse than itself . ' One of the servants now lighted a large candle , and set it in the door-way , between the two chambers , to " see what passed , and as he watched it , he p lainly saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into tlie middle of the roomand afterwards making three scrapes over the snuff ; scrapedit
, ^ out . Upon this the same person was so bold as to draw a sword , but he had scarce got it out when he felt another invisible hand had hold of it too , and pulled with him for it , and at length prevailing , struck him so violently on the head with the pummel , 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 neig hbours on this , as " has been said , being all alarmed , flocked to the house in great numbers , and all joined in prayer and psalm-singing , during which the noise still continued in the other rooms , and the discharge of cannons was heard as from without , though no visible agent was seen to discharge them . But what was the most
alarming of all , and put an end to their proceedings effectuaity , happened the next day as they were ail at dinner , when , a paper in which they had signed a mutual agreement to reset ve a part of the premises out of the general survey , and afterwards to share it equally amongst them , ( which paper they had hid fur the present , under the earth in a pot in one corner of the room , and in which an orange-tree grew )
was consumed in a wonderful manner , by the earth ' s takingfire with which the pot was filled , and burning violently with a blue fume , and an intolerable stencil , so that they were all driven out of the house , to which they could never be again prevailed upon to return . ' This wonderful contrivance was all the invention of the memorable Joseph Collins , of Oxford , otherwise called Funny Joe , who having bknow
hired himself for secretary , under the name of Giles Sharp , y - ing the private traps belonging to the house , and the help pf pulvisfidmiiisiis , and other chemical preparations , and letting his fellow servants into the scheme , carried on the deceit , without discovery , to the very last , insomuch that Dr . Plot , in his natural history , relates the whole for fact , and concludes in this grave manner : 'That though tricks have
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Scientific Magazine.
about by it even into their honours beds , who called Giles and his com-, panions to their relief , otherwise the house had been burnt to the ground ; about an hour after , the candles went out as usual , the crack as of many cannon was heard , and many pailfuls of green stinking water were thrown upon their honours beds ; great stones were also thrown in as before , the bed curtains and bedsteads torn and broken ,
the windows shattered , and the whole neighbourhood alarmed with the most dreadful noises ; nay , the very rabbit-stealers that were abroad that nig ht in the warre " n , were so terrified , that they fled for fear , and left their ferrets behind them . One of their honours this nig ht ' 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 w ith it seven devils worse than itself . ' One of the servants now lighted a large candle , and set it in the door-way , between the two chambers , to " see what passed , and as he watched it , he p lainly saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into tlie middle of the roomand afterwards making three scrapes over the snuff ; scrapedit
, ^ out . Upon this the same person was so bold as to draw a sword , but he had scarce got it out when he felt another invisible hand had hold of it too , and pulled with him for it , and at length prevailing , struck him so violently on the head with the pummel , 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 neig hbours on this , as " has been said , being all alarmed , flocked to the house in great numbers , and all joined in prayer and psalm-singing , during which the noise still continued in the other rooms , and the discharge of cannons was heard as from without , though no visible agent was seen to discharge them . But what was the most
alarming of all , and put an end to their proceedings effectuaity , happened the next day as they were ail at dinner , when , a paper in which they had signed a mutual agreement to reset ve a part of the premises out of the general survey , and afterwards to share it equally amongst them , ( which paper they had hid fur the present , under the earth in a pot in one corner of the room , and in which an orange-tree grew )
was consumed in a wonderful manner , by the earth ' s takingfire with which the pot was filled , and burning violently with a blue fume , and an intolerable stencil , so that they were all driven out of the house , to which they could never be again prevailed upon to return . ' This wonderful contrivance was all the invention of the memorable Joseph Collins , of Oxford , otherwise called Funny Joe , who having bknow
hired himself for secretary , under the name of Giles Sharp , y - ing the private traps belonging to the house , and the help pf pulvisfidmiiisiis , and other chemical preparations , and letting his fellow servants into the scheme , carried on the deceit , without discovery , to the very last , insomuch that Dr . Plot , in his natural history , relates the whole for fact , and concludes in this grave manner : 'That though tricks have