breaks mer paid dearly for his exhibition; he had, like a person ignorant of a complicated piece of machinery, given impetus to a power which he has not the knowledge to controul, and which in the end, proves fatal to him who puts it in motion. K now assumed a gaiety which was very foreign to his feelings; his thoughts, in spite of his endeavours, were perpetually recurring to the events of the evening; but in proportion as he forced conversation, the Captain evidently declined it, becoming more and more thoughtful and abstracted every moment.. After supper, K- challenged his friend to take a glass of wine, hoping it would rouse him from those reflections which seemed to press so heavy on his mind. But the wine and the Professor's discourse were alike disregarded: nothing could dispel the settled melancholy, which seemed to deprive him of the power of speech. I must observe, that immediately after supper, the Captain had ordered all his servants to bed. It drew towards midnight, and he remained still absorbed in thought, but apparently not wishing to retire to bed. Kwas silently smoking his pipe, when, on a sudden, a heavy step is heard in the passage; it approaches the room in which they are sitting,-a knock is heard: the Captain raises his head and looks mournfully at K. The knock is repeated-both are silent: a third knock is heard, and Kthe silence by asking his friend why he does not order the person in. Ere the Captain could reply, the room door was flung wildly open, when behold! the same dreadful appearance which K had already witnessed stood in the door-way. Its awful benignity of countenance was now changed into the most appalling and terrific frown. A large dog which was in the room crept whining and trembling behind the Captain's chair. For a few moments the figure remained stationary, and then motioned the Captain to follow it; he rushed towards the door, the figure receded before him, and K- - determined to accompany his friend, followed with the dog. They proceeded unobstructed into the court-yard; the doors and gates seemed to open spontaneously before them. From the court-yard they passed into the open fields; K-with the dog was about 20 or 30 paces behind the Captain. At length they reached the spot near to the entrance of the grove, where the circle was traced; the figure stood still, when on a sudden a bright column of flame shot up, a loud shriek was heard, a heavy body seemed to fall from a considerable height, and in a moment after, all was silence and darkness. Kcalled loudly on the Captain, but received no answer. Alarmed for the safety of his friend, he fled back to the house, and quickly assembled the family. They proceeded to the spot, and found the apparently lifeless body of the Captain stretched on the ground. The Professor ascertained, on examination, that the heart still beat faintly; he was instantly conveyed home, and all proper means were resorted to to restore animation, he revived a little, and seemed sensible of their intentions; but remained speechless till his death, which took place in three days after. Down one side, from head to foot, the flesh was livid and black, as if from a fall or severe bruise. The affair was hushed up in the immediate neighbourhood, and his sudden death was attributed to apoplexy. OMENS. In the days when the belief in omens flourished in England, the following were deemed lucky. If, on setting out on a journey a sow and pigs were met, the journey would be successful: to meet two magpies, portended marriage; three, a successful journey; four, unexpected good news; and five, that the person would soon be in the company of the great. If in dressing, a person put his stockings on wrong side out, it was a sign of good luck; but the luck would be changed, if the stockings were turned the right way. Nothing could ensure success to a person going on important business more effectually, than throwing an old shoe after him when he left the house. If a younger sister were married before the elder ones, the latter should dance at her wedding without shoes, otherwise they will never get husbands. To find a horse-shoe is deemed lucky, and it is still more so, if it be preserved and nailed upon the door, as it thus prevents witchcraft. In England, and more particularly in Wales, according to Pennant, it is a good omen if the sun shine on a married couple, or if it rains when a corpse is burying. According to the old distich, Happy is the bride that the sun shines on, The unlucky omens in England are, to see one magpie, and then more; to kill a magpie is a terrible misfortune. It is also unlucky to kill a swallow, or more properly the housemartin. If, on a journey, a sow crosses the road, the person, if he cannot pass it, must ride round about, otherwise bad luck will attend his journey. If a lover presents a knife or any thing sharp to his mistress, it portends that their loves will be cut asunder, unless he takes a pin, or some other trifling article, in exchange. To find a knife or a razor, portends disappointment; a piece of coal starting from the fire, of a hollow form, portends death. To spill the salt, or lay the knife and fork across each other at table, is very ominous; if there be in company thirteen, some misfortune will befal one of them. The noise of the small insect called a death-watch, foretels death; and the screech-owl at midnight, some great misfor 8 tune. If the cheek burns, or the ear tingles, it is a sign that some person is talking of one; and the coming of strangers is foretold by what is called "a thief in the candle." Friday is an unlucky day to be married, and yellow is an ominous colour for an unmarried woman to wear; in plucking a 66 merrythought," the person who gets the largest share will be married before the other. In the Highlands of Scotland, omens are very numerous; it is unlucky to stumble at the threshold, or to be obliged to return for any thing forgot. To step over a gun, or a fishing-rod, spoils sport. If, when the servant is making a bed, she happens to sneeze, the sleep of the person who is to lie in it will be disturbed, unless a little of the straw, (with which most beds in the Highlands were, till very lately, filled,) is taken out, and thrown into the fire. If a black.cloud on New-Year's eve is seen, it portends some dreadful calamity, either to the country, or to the person over whose estate or house it appears. The day of the week on which the third of May falls, is deemed unlucky throughout the year. Friday is considered as unlucky for many things, especially for digging peat, or taking an account of the sheep or cattle on the farm. Under the persuasion, that whatever is done during the waxing of the moon, grows; and whatever is done during her waning, decreases and withers; they cut the turf which they intend for fences, and which of course they wish to grow, when the moon is on the increase; but the turf which they intend for fuel, they cut when she is on the wane, as they wish it to dry speedily. If a house takes fire during the increase of the moon, it denotes prosperity; if during her wane, poverty. In the Island of Mull, the first day of every quarter is deemed fortunate; and Tuesday is the most lucky day for sowing their corn. lucky omens in the Highlands are not many, and in general they are the same as those in other countries; one, however, seems peculiar to them-it is deemed lucky to meet a horse. In the Orkneys, Friday, which in most other places is reckoned an unfortunate day for this purpose, is generally chosen for marriage; next to it, Tuesday is fixed upon; and the time when the moon is waxing is the most fortunate. When an Orkney fisherman is setting off from the shore, he takes special care to turn his boat in the direction of the sun's motion; if he neglected this, he would not expect good luck. In the Low The lands of Scotland good or bad fortune throughout the year is thought to depend greatly upon the person who is first seen on New-Year's morning, or the "first foot," as it is called; if the "first foot" be that of a friend, and fortunate person, the subsequent year will be fortunate. Under this idea, as soon as ever twelve o'clock at night announces the commencement of the New-Year, it is customary, even in Edinburgh, to secure a lucky "first foot" of one's friends, even though it should be necessary to enter their chamber when they are fast asleep. HISTORY OF A REMARKABLE APPARITION. Our readers may attach what credit they please to the following history; but of this they may be assured, that, at the time, it excited a great sensation, and was generally believed; and that if any deception was practised, it was, at least, contrived with such subtlety as to escape detection if not suspicion. The little town of Salon, in Provence, which boasts of being the native place of Nostradamus, was in April, 1697, the first scene of the present history. An apparition, which many people took to be no other than the ghost of Nostradamus, appeared to a private individual of that town, and threw him into not a little perplexity. It charged him, in the first place, on pain of death, to observe the most inviolable silence respecting what it was going to communicate, and then commanded him, in its name, to demand a letter of recommendation of the intendant of the province, which should enable him, on his arrival at Versailles, to obtain a private audience of the king."What you are to say to the king," continued the ghost, "you are not to know till the day before your arrival at court, when I will appear to you again and give you the necessary instructions; but forget not that your life depends on the secrecy which I enjoin you to observe respecting what has passed between us, with every body except the intendant." With these words the spectre vanished, and left the poor man half dead with fear. Scarcely had he come to himself, when his wife entered, observed his uneasiness, and inquired the cause. The threats of the ghost, however, had made far too powerful an impression for her to obtain from him a satisfactory answer. The evasions of the man excited the wife's curiosity still more, and the poor fellow, that he might have peace, was at length, weak enough to reveal the whole matter, and the next moment paid for his indiscretion with his life. The woman was exceedingly affrighted at this unexpected catastrophe, but persuaded herself that what had happened to her husband was merely the effect of an imagination confused by a dream, or some other accident, and thought fit, both for her own sake, as well as out of regard for the memory of her deceased husband, to communicate the secret to none but a few relatives and friends. It so happened, however, that the same visitor appeared to another inhabitant of the town, who had also the imprudence to disclose the circumstance to his brother, and was in like manner punished with a sudden death. These two extraordinary incidents now became the subject of general conversation, not only at Salon, but throughout the whole country for more than sixty miles round. In a few days, the same spectre appeared to a blacksmith, living at the distance of only two houses from the persons who had died so suddenly. Rendered wiser by the misfortune of his neighbours, he delayed not a moment to repair to the intendant. It was not without difficulty that he obtained the private audience directed by the ghost, and was treated as a man deranged in his intellects. "I can easily conceive," replied the smith, who was a sensible man, and known for such at Salon," that the part I am acting must appear highly ludicrous in your Excellency's eyes; but if you will please to order your deputy to make inquiries concerning the sudden death of two inhabitants of Salon, who had received from the ghost the same commission as I have, I flatter myself that your Excellency will send for me before the expiration of a week." An investigation having been made into the circumstances attending the death of the two persons mentioned by Francois Michel, the smith, having been made, he was actually sent for by the intendant, who now listened to his story with much greater attention than before, and after furnishing him with dispatches to M. de Baobesieux, minister and secretary of state for Provence, he supplied him with money to defray his expenses, and wished him a prosperous journey. The intendant was apprehensive, lest so young a minister as M. de Baobesieux should accuse him of too great credulity, and give the court a subject of laughter at his expense; he, therefore, accompanied the dipatches not only with the documents of the exam nation instituted by his deputy at Salon, but also annexed the certificate of the lieutenant of justice at the same place, attested and subscribed by all the officers. Michel arrived at Versailles, and was not a little perplexed what to say to the minister, because the ghost had not yet appeared to him again agreeably to its promise. The very same night, however, the spectre threw open the curtains of his bed, desired him to be of good cheer, and told him word for word the message he was to deliver to the minister, and what he was to say to the king, and to him alone. "You will have," it |