dispute, fortune was so impartial, that each of these antagonists protected and saved the other, nor could any one tell which of them deserved to have the preference." Cæsar de Bell. Gall. V. 43.

1759, Oct.

A. B.

འ

XXXIII. Remarkable Anecdote from Plot's History of Oxfordshire.

SOON after the murder of King Charles I. a commission was appointed to survey the King's house at Woodstock, with the manor, park, woods, and other demesnes to that manor belonging; and one Collins, under a feigned name, hired himself as secretary to the commissioners, who, upon the 13th of October 1649, met, and took up their residence in the king's own rooms. His majesty's bed-chamber they made their kitchen, the council-hall their pantry, and the presence-chamber was the place where they sat for the dispatch of business. His Majesty's dining-room they made their wood-yard, and stored it with the wood of the famous royal oak from the High Park, which, that nothing might be left with the name of king about it, they had dug up by the roots, and split and bundled up into fagots for their firing. Things being thus prepared, they sat on the 16th of the same month for the dispatch of business, and in the midst of their first debate, there entered a large black dog (as they thought) which made a dreadful howling, overturned two or three of their chairs, and then crept under a bed and vanished; this gave them the greater surprise as the doors were kept constantly locked, so that no real dog could get in or out. The next day their surprise was increased, when sitting at dinner in a lower room, they heard plainly the noise of persons walking over their heads, though they well-knew the doors were all locked, and there could be nobody there; presently after they heard also all the wood of the king's oak brought by parcels from the dining-room, and thrown with great violence into the presence chamber; as also all the chairs, stools, tables, and other furniture, forcibly hurled about the room; their own papers of the minutes of their transactions torn, and the ink-glass broken. When all this noise had some time ceased, Giles Sharp, their secretary, proposed to enter first into these rooms, and in presence of the commissioners, of whom he received the key, he opened the doors, and found the wood spread about the room, the chairs

tossed about and broken, the papers torn, the ink-glass broken (as has been said) but not the least track of any human creature, nor the least reason to suspect one, as the doors were all fast, and the keys in the custody of the commissioners. It was therefore unanimously agreed, that the power who did this mischief, must have entered the room at the key hole. The night following, Sharp, the secretary, with two of the commissioners' servants, as they were in bed in the same room, which room was contiguous to that where the commissioners lay, had their bed's feet lifted up so much higher than their heads, that they expected to have their necks broken, and then they were let fall at once with so much violence as shook the whole house, and more than ever terrified the commissioners. On the night of the 19th, as all were in bed in the same room for greater safety, and lights burning by them, the candles in an instant went out with a sulphureous smell, and that moment many trenchers of wood were hurried about the room, which next morning were found to be the same their honours had eaten on the day before, which were all removed from the pantry, though not a lock was found opened in the whole house. The next night they still fared worse, the candles went out as before, the curtains of their honours' beds were rattled to and fro with great violence, their honours received many cruel blows and bruises by eight great pewter dishes and a number of wooden trenchers being thrown on their beds, which being heaved off, were heard rolling about the room, though in the morning none of these were to be seen. This night likewise they were alarmed with the tumbling down of oaken billets about their beds, and other frightful noises, but all was clear in the morning, as if no such thing had happened. The next night the keeper of the king's house and his dog lay in the commissioners' room, and then they had no disturbance. But on the night of the 22d, though the dog lay in the room as before, yet the candles went out, a number of brick-bats fell from the chimney into the room, the dog howled piteously, their bed-clothes were all stripped off, and their terror increased. On the 24th they thought all the wood of the king's oak was violently thrown down by their bed-sides, they counted 64 billets that fell, and some hit and shook the beds in which they lay; but in the morning none were found there, nor had the door been opened where the billet-wood was kept. The next night the candles were put out, the curtains rattled, and a dreadful crack like thunder was heard, and one of the servants running to see if his master were not killed, found three dozen trenchers

laid smoothly under the quilt by him; but all this was nothing to what succeeded afterwards. The 29th, about midnight, the candles went out, something walked majestically through the room, and opened and shut the windows; great stones were thrown violently into the room, some of which fell on the beds, others on the floor; and about a quarter after one, a noise was heard as of forty cannon discharged together, and again repeated at about eight minutes distance. This alarmed and raised all the neighbourhood, who coming into their honour's room gathered up the great stones, fourscore in number, and laid them by in the corner of a field, where in Dr. Plot's time, who reports this story, they were to be seen. This noise, like the discharge of cannon, was heard through all the country for 16 miles round. During these noises, which were heard in both rooms together, the commissioners and their servants gave one another over for lost, and cried out for help; and Giles Sharp, snatching up a sword, had well nigh killed one of their honours, mistak ing him for the spirit, as he came in his shirt from his own room to their's. While they were together the noise was continued, and part of the tiling of the house was stript off, and all the windows of an upper room were taken away with it, On the 30th, at midnight, something walked into the chamber treading like a bear, it walked many times about, then threw the warming pan violently about the floor; at the same time a large quantity of broken glass, accompanied with great stones and horses bones came pouring into the room with uncommon force; these were all found in the morning to the astonishment and terror of the commissioners, who were yet determined to go on with their business. But on the first of November the most dreadful scene of all ensued s candles in every part of the room were lighted up, and a great fire made; at midnight, the candles all yet burning, a noise like the burst of a cannon was heard in the room, and the burning billets were tossed about by it even into their honour's beds, who called Giles and his companions 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 honour's 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 night in the warren were so terrified, that they fled for fear, and left their ferrets behind them. One of their honours this night

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 awile, when the spirit came again, and as they all agreed, brought with 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 plainly saw a hoof striking the candle and candlestick into the middle of the room, and afterwards making three scrapes over the snuff, scraped it out. Upon this the same person was so bold as to draw a sword, but he had scarcely 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 19 more such; these shook the house so violently, that they expected every moment it would fall upon their heads. The neighbours 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 effectually, happened the next day as they were all at dinner, when, a paper in which they had signed mutual agreement to reserve a part of the premises out of the general survey, and afterwards to share it equally amongst them, (which paper they had hid for 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 taking fire with which the pot was filled, and burning violently with a blue fume and an intolerable stench, 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 hired himself for secretary, under the name of Giles Sharp, by knowing the private traps belonging to the house, and the help of pulvis fulminans, and other chemical preparations, and letting his fellow servants into the scheme, carried on the deceit, without discovery to the very last, insomuch that the late Dr. Plot, in his Natural History relates the whole for fact, and concludes in this grave manner, "That though tricks have been often played

in affairs of this kind, many of the things above related are not reconcileable with juggling; such as, the loud noises beyond the power of man to make, without such instruments as were not there; the tearing and breaking the beds; the throwing about the fire; the hoof treading out the candle; and the striving for the sword, and the blow the man received from the pummel of it."

1762, Feb.

XXXIV. Harvey's Discovery of the Circulation of the Blood.

MR. URBAN,

Sunderland, June 26, 1702. I THOUGHT the glory of discovering the circulation of the blood had now been universally given to our immortal countryman Dr. Harvey, and that the malice of his opponents was entirely forgotten, and sunk into deserved oblivion. But it is with particular regret that I find so respectable and eminent an author as Dr. Astruc employed in raking together the objections of Vander Linden, Almeloveen, and others, which have been long since fully answered and exploded.

For the sake of such of your readers as may not be acquainted with the affair, I shall endeavour to give a fair statement of these objections, and vindicate the memory of that incomparable man from the depreciating spirit which some envious and malevolent foreigners have shewn against him.

In the year 1628, Dr. Harvey published his Exercitatio Anatomica de motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus. No sooner did it appear, than all the anatomists in Europe set themselves to oppose or defend the doctrine which he therein advanced; and this, by the bye, must surely be allowed one strong proof of its novelty. Some of his opponents entirely denied the truth of the discovery, because many passages in the ancients, of which, indeed, they might collect great numbers, flatly contradicted it. Others pretended to find absurdities and contradictions in it, and when they were beat from these weak holds, they had recourse to their last fort, and boldly charged him with stealing his noble discovery from those very ancients whose authority had just been alleged against him. Thus Vander Linden will give it to Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Erasistratus, Emesius, or, in short, to any body except the only man in the world who was able to make it.