Digital primer

He says the greatest warrants
that ever he had to believe any, is the present appearing of the
Devil in Wiltshire, much of late talked of, who beats a drum up
and down. There are books of it, and, they say, very true; but
my Lord observes, that though he do answer to any tune that you
will play to him upon another drum, yet one time he tried to play
and could not; which makes him suspect the whole; and I think it
is a good argument. [Joseph Glanville published a Relation of
the famed disturbance at the house of Mr. Mompesson, at Tedworth,
Wilts, occasioned by the beating of an invisible drum every night
for a year. This story, which was believed at the time,
furnished the plot for Addison's play of "The Drummer, or the
Haunted House," In the "Mercurius Publicus," April 16-23, 1663
there is a curious examination on this subject, by which it
appears that one William Drury, of Uscut, Wilts, was the
invisible drummer.]
16th. Dined with Sir W. Batten; who tells me that the House have
voted the supply, intended for the King, shall be by subsidy.


Pages:
473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497