Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1852 Excerpt: ... This appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine: --"Saturday, 10 July, 1762. Came on before Judge Mansfield, in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, a trial by a special jury, against Wm. Parsons and Elizabeth his wife, Mary Frazier, a clergyman and a reputable tradesman, for a conspiracy in the Cocklane Ghost affair, to injure the character of Mr. "Wm. Kent--when they were all found guilty I The trial lasted twelve hours." Mr. and Mrs. Parsons, Mary Frazer (who had been a sort of ghost's dragoman), the Eev. Mr. Moore, curate of St. Sepulchre, Mr. James, a tradesman--Mr. Moore and Mr. James paid Mr. Kempe 300--Parsons was set in the stocks, and, with his wife and Mary Frazer, afterward imprisoned. "A worthy clergyman, whose faith was stronger than his reason, and who had warmly interested himself in behalf of the reality of the spirit, was so overwhelmed with grief and chagrin, that he did not long survive the detection of the imposture." He might have died of old age, for aught we know--but he is as good for a warning as any one. Sic transit gloria mundi l AND THE GHOST OF COCK-LANE. So in on tiCtotimooq. Let Us consider it for a few moments in the concrete, rather than the abstract, by means of illustrations, rather than by philosophizing. 1. As to Facts.--Should one whose word is as good as his bond, say that he saw an occurrence which is in the teeth of a universal Law, are we bound to believe him? We are not! Should he say, "I saw a man take a cannon-ball to a steeple's top, drop it, when lo, instead of falling to the ground, it rose into the sky and vanished"--should we believe him? We might have full faith in his integrity, but we should say, "Not your evidence, nor that of a thousand other men, can establish such a fact: nothing can do it but proof..."
