ledge, and a view of all created substances, at least on this side heaven; a vast capacious understanding, an unbounded sight, a liberty of locomotion, passing from one region to another, from one planet to another; they are not congealed by cold, or calcined by heat; that they are able to exist in all climates, even from Saturn to Mercury; that they may go and come, appear and disappear here or where else they please; in a word, that they are free agents, as well in their motions as actings. Hence they are necessarily to be supposed to know all things needful to be known, relating to us, as well as to other things; that they can take cognizance of human affairs, and that not by grant or license or by second-hand information from hell, from the infernal spirit, or any other place, but by their own angelic and spirituous penetration; and that they have no dependence upon Satan, or any power or person concerned with him; that they act also as spirit on all occasions.

Though we see nothing of them, they see us; though we know nothing of them, they know and are conversant about us, are capable of being affected and moved in our behalf, and to concern themselves for our good on many accounts. Hence 'they often give us notices and warnings of evils attending us, though they cannot act so upon material objects, as to interfere with our affairs, overrule our fate, or direct us how to avoid the evils which they foresee, or to embrace the good which they see attending us; of which, and the reasons of it, I have spoken already.

As they can thus communicate things to our imagination, so we may suppose, that in prosecution of that beneficent concern which they have for us, they can and frequently do assume human shape, and come to us, talk to us, and converse intimately with us in apparition and by voice, nay, even in

dialogue, question and answer, as they see occa

sion.

This conversing in apparition, is what we call walking; and when any such thing is seen, we say a spirit walks, or haunts such a place; and though this is a mighty terrible thing in the vulgar appearance, and the people, when these things appear to them, are apt to say they see the Devil; yet it is very often a mistake, and a very wide mistake, as appears by the consequence.

I have heard of a man who travelled four years through most of the northern countries of Europe with the Devil; if all those spectres or apparitions are devils, which I must not grant; nor was this spectre so insincere as to conceal itself all the while from him, but discovered to him that he was but an apparition, without body, substance, or anything but shape.

If the account I have of this apparition be true, and I have had it by me many years, he did him good, and not hurt; he guided him through deserts and over mountains, over frozen lakes, and little seas covered with snow; he diverted him with discourses of various subjects, always issuing for his good, and for the increase of knowledge: he went with him over the sea from Ireland to the coast of Norway he procured winds for him, without buying them of witches and Laplanders: he did not raise storms for him, because being a traveller and upon a voyage, he had no occasion of them; but he foretold storms punctually and exactly, prevented the ship's putting out to sea when storms were approaching; found the ship's boat and anchors, when the first was driven away in the night, and the second weighed and run away with by the Norwegians in the dark, the ship having been obliged to slip and run up into harbour; I say, he found them, that is to say, directed the seamen where to find them, and to discover the thieves.

He did a thousand things for him, and for his accommodation in his travels; he was acquainted wherever he came, and procured his fellow-traveller entertainment and good usage; he knew the affairs of every country, and the very people too; he spoke every language, German, Norse or Norway, Polish, Prussian, Russian, Hungarian, Tartarian, and Turkish.

He passed rivers without bridges, though he would never let his fellow-traveller see him do that, or help him to do it; nor would he let him see him mount into the air upon any occasion whatever; but would set him in his way, give him very faithful directions how to find the places he was going to, and then strike off some other way, as if he had business at this or that place, and would not fail to meet him again punctually at the place he appointed.

Sometimes he would be seen at a distance a mile or more, to-day on his right, to-morrow on his left hand, and keeping even pace with him, come into the same village or town where he lodged, and take up as it were at another inn; but if he inquired for him in the morning he was always gone, and the people knew nothing of him, except that they just saw such a man the evening before, but that he did not stay.

When he had travelled thus with him from Ireland, as I said, to the coast of Norway, where they were driven in by storm; and after that by sea round the said coast of Norway to Gottenburgh, where they put in again by contrary winds, he persuaded the traveller not to go any further in that ship.

The traveller being bound with the vessel to Dantzic, and having a considerable quantity of goods on board, would by no means be prevailed with to quit the ship: his fellow-traveller told

him he had the second-sight, and that he was assured the ship should never come to Dantzic. However the traveller not giving so much credit to him as that required, and not knowing anything of him at that time, but that he was a strange, intelligent, foreseeing man (as he called him), would continue the voyage; whereupon the stranger left him, and the ship pursuing the voyage, was surprised with another dangerous storm; I say another, because they had had one before. In this tempest the ship was driven upon the coast of Rugen, an island on the German side of the Baltic, where with much difficulty they put into Stralsund, a seaport of Pomerania, and there the traveller went on shore.

Here walking pensively, and concerned about the event of his fortune, and fearing the ship would really be lost, as his first man had foretold him; I say, walking very anxious upon the quay at Stralsund, there meets him a man who he was utterly a stranger to, but who salutes him in English, calls him by his name, and asks him what he did there.

Surprised with such a salutation, and glad to see any man in such a strange remote country that he was like to be acquainted with, and much more that could call him by his name, he returned his compliment, and answered, that indeed he had not much business there, but that he came thither by a very unfortunate occasion.

I know you are, says the gentleman; you came in here last night in yon ship; pointing to the vessel which lay in the road between the city and the island of Rugen.

I did so, says the traveller, and I am like to have but ill luck with her.

I doubt so, says the stranger, and I suppose that made you look so much concerned.

I cannot deny, said he, but I might look troubled, I think I have cause, for I am here in a strange country, without acquaintance or interest, and know not yet what condition the ship is in, or my goods, which I doubt are damaged.

I am assured, says the gentleman, the ship will not be able to pursue her voyage, but perhaps your cargo may be safe. I understand the goods you have on board are herrings.

They are so, says the traveller; I have twelve last of herrings on board, and we have had a long voyage already.

I know you have, said the gentleman; but pull up your spirits, your fish is all safe, and you may get it on shore; and you shall either sell it here, or get ships here to reload it again for Dantzic; and seeing you are a stranger, adds he, I will get you some assistance.

All this while he had not asked him his name; but now he said to him, Will you not let me know, sir, who it is I am thus much obliged to?

First, returns he, let me see and get you some help, that you may go cheerfully about your business, and we'll talk of that afterwards; so he bade him walk a little there, and he would come to him again.

He had not walked long but he sees a messenger coming to him, to tell him that there was an English gentleman desired to speak with him at such a house, and that he was to guide him to the place.

Accordingly he follows the messenger, who brings him to a public house where were three gentlemen sitting in a room, and the man he had conversed with made a fourth, who called him in, and bade him sit down, which he did.

The three gentlemen saluted him very kindly, and one of them also in English, and told him they