house endeavouring to escape; as the found feemed to proceed from that particular quarter. The dread of these fagacious ladies at last became such, as totally to prevent their going from ward to ward to do their duty, and determined my friend to attempt to lay this perturbed spirit; which however he apprehended would more fpeedily, as well as effectually, be performed by the affiftance of a good cudgel, than by exorcifms; he therefore, instead of confulting the Chaplain, gave orders the next night as foon as the ufual dreadful found was heard, to give him notice. This you may fuppofe they did not neglect doing, though at the fame time they were shocked at his temerity, and apprehenfive for the confequences. Impreffed with an idea of the alarm being occafioned by fome fervant or patient in the house, he immediately fallied forth, with a candle in one hand, and a good tough twig in the other, accompanied by two of the men fervants of the Hospital, accoutred in the fame manner, refolved that if detected, the party should meet with an ample reward. The deadhouse D 3 house was paffed; the noise continued ; though it evidently proceeded from a window at fome diftance in the area. When the cavalcade came near the fcene of action, the window fuddenly and violently broke, without any thing being feen. This my friend confeffed, for a moment occafioned his making a halt; but as nothing visible had efcaped through the area, it occurred to him fomething might have made an entrance that way; accordingly he proceeded to the internal part of the building, and on opening the door, the apparition immediately not only appeared, but difappeared, and that fo inftantaneously as not to afford time to apply the remedy intended. And what think you, was this dreadful fpirit? That you may exercise your ingenuity at gueffing; I will here conclude with, I am, Dear Friend, Yours. LETTER LETTER V. Were thy education ne'er fo mean, "Having thy limbs, a thousand fair courfes "Offer themselves to thy election." BEN JONSON'S Every Man in his Humour, "Laugh if you are wife.” MARTIAL. DEAR FRIEND, A CAT.An odd begin ning of a Letter, by the bye-but here highly important and proper, as tending to relieve you from the anxious thoughts which mind on (no doubt) must have filled your the subject of the concluding part of my former letter. I must give you a laughable instance or two more, which lately happened. Mr. Higley, the bookfeller famous for felling odd volumes, or broken fets of books, lived next door to a public-house in Ruffell-court, Drury-lane; this public-house was separated from his habitation only by a flight wainscot partition, through which Mr. Higley caused an hole to be cut, and a flider put over it, fo that when he wanted any beer, he always drew back the flider, and had it handed to him through this convenient aperture. The night after Mr. Higley's death, which happened a few months fince, the man who was left to take care of the corps, about twelve o'clock hearing the landlord and his family going up stairs to their beds, on a fudden drew back the flider and halloo'd through the hole, "Bring me a pint of beer." This order the landlord and his family heard, and were terribly alarmed, as they really thought it had proceeded from the ghost of their neighbour Higley; the poor maid let fall the warming-pan, which came tumbling down the ftairs; the landlady being within the reach of her husband's legs, caught faft hold of them, which in his fright he mistook for poor Higley. But the man bursting into a hearty laugh, restored the fpirits of our hoft and his family. About man. About the year 1781, fix or seven mechanics having been drinking near the whole of the day at a public house in the Borough, they at night were at a lofs how to procure more liquor, their money being all gone, when two of the company obferved, that an old wiredrawer in the room was dead drunk, they proposed to put him into a fack, and to carry him to Longbottom, the refurrectionThis motion met with the approbation of the whole, and the two that proposed it took him away to Longbottom's house, as a dead subject, and requested a guinea, faying that they would call for the remainder in the morning. Their requeft was complied with, and the old wiredrawer was left in the fack in a room amongst dead bodies. About midnight the old man awaked, and made a terrible noife, which much alarmed Mr. Longbottom and his wife, as they really fuppofed that one of their dead fubjects was come to life again, durft not approach the room, but remained for a long time under a dreadful apprehenfion of what might be the confequences. The old fellow after a long ftruggle 1 |