been a true one, for his lordship was in the agonies of death; and unable, from terror, to render any assistance-if, indeed, any could have been of service-he hurried at once to the parlour. At his summons, Lord Fortescue, Mrs. Flood, and the two Miss Amphletts, immediately flew to the chamber of the dying man; but they were too late, or, at best, came only in time to witness the painful parting of soul and body. Subsequent inquiries proved that his lordship had died from the bursting of the cyst or bag already men

tioned.

The marvels of the story might well be supposed to end here. We have Lord Lyttleton stating, over and over again, not to one, but to many credible witnesses, a dream he has had the night before, and at the end of three days, by evidence equally indisputable, we find this dream fulfilled to the very letter. These facts may, indeed, be variously, and even reasonably accounted for, but they cannot be denied upon any of the grounds usually employed as tests of credibility. The parties who have recorded them are all above suspicion, even if they had a motive for deceit, which, however, they had not-nor was there anything in what they saw or heard that could be set down to illusion. The narration of the dream, and its subsequent fulfilment, were plain matters of fact, which either had or had not occurred; in this respect, they could neither have deceived themselves, nor have been deceived by any one else. Then, as to Lord Lyttleton, he could scarcely have fancied a dream; and to what purpose should he have feigned one? It has, indeed, been said that, for some unknown cause, he poisoned himself; but this charge has never been substantiatedbesides that, if we allowed a thing so improbable under all the circumstances, it would still have been beyond

his power to have foretold the exact hour when it would end him, unless he had taken some very active drug at the predicted moment. This certainly he might have done during the absence of his valet, brief as it was; but the supposition seems totally inconsistent with the part he had been playing for the three days previous; the bravest man never yet trifled with death so hardily.

The most surprising part of the story, because the most difficult of explanation, yet remains to be related. On the second day, Miles Peter Andrews, one of the most intimate of his lordship's friends, left the dinner party at an early hour, being called away upon business to Dartford, where he was the owner of certain powdermills. He had all along professed himself one of the most determined sceptics as to the dream being anything more than an ordinary vision, and therefore soon ceased to think of it. On the third night, however, when he had been in bed about half an hour, and still remained, as he imagined, wide awake, his curtains were suddenly pulled aside, and Lord Lyttleton appeared before him, in his robe-de-chambre and nightcap. Mr. Andrews looked at his visitor for some time in silent wonder, and then began to reproach him for so odd a freak, in coming down to Dartford Mills without any previous notice, as he hardly knew where, on the sudden, to find him the requisite accommodation; "Nevertheless," added the disturbed host, "I will get up, and see what can be done for you." With this view, he turned to the other side to ring the bell, but on looking round again, he could see no signs of his strange visitor. Soon afterwards, the bell was answered by his servant, and upon his asking what had become of Lord Lyttleton, the man, who was evidently much surprised at the question, replied, that he had seen nothing of

Psha, you fool!" ex

him since they left Pitt Place. claimed Mr. Andrews," he was here this moment at my bedside." The servant, more astonished than ever, declared that he did not well understand how this could be, since he must have seen him enter; whereupon Mr. Andrews rose, and having dressed himself, proceeded to search the house and grounds, but no Lord Lyttleton was anywhere to be found. Still he could not help believing that his friend, who at all times was much given to practical jests, had played him this trick for his previously expressed scepticism in the matter of the dream. But he was soon brought to view the whole affair in a very different light, and even to question the correctness of his own disbelief, when, about four o'clock of the same day, an express arrived from a friend, with the news of his lordship's death, and the whole manner of it, as related by the valet to those who were in the house at the time, although not actually present at the parting scene.

The reader is now in possession of every fact that is known to exist in relation to this singular event, and though there have been many discrepancies to reconcile in the minor details, yet all the main points of the story, by whomsoever narrated, are substantially the same.

THE END.

Savill & Edwards, Printers, 4, Chandos-street, Covent-garden.

MR. COLBURN'S

LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A NEW AND REVISED EDITION, WITH NUMEROUS PASSAGES NOW RESTORED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT, AND MANY

ADDITIONAL NOTES, OF THE

DIARY AND

CORRESPONDENCE

OF

SAMUEL PEPYS, F.R.S.

SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY IN THE REIGNS OF CHARLES II. AND JAMES II.

EDITED BY LORD BRAYBROOKE.

To be completed in six vols., post 8vo, with Portraits, &c., price 10s. 6d. each. The first three volumes are now ready.

The authority of PEPYS, as an historian and illustrator of a considerable portion of the seventeenth century, has been so fully acknowledged by every scholar and critic, that it is now scarcely necessary even to remind the reader of the advantages he possessed for producing the most complete and trustworthy record of events, and the most agreeable picture of society and manners, to be found in the literature of any nation. A New Edition of this work, comprising the restored passages so much desired, with such additional annotations as have been called for by the vast advances in antiquarian and historical knowledge during the last twenty years, will doubtless be regarded as one of the most important, as well as most agreeable additions that could be made to the library of the general reader.

* * *

"Pepys' Diary is now to appear in its integral state. This, the third edition of the best book of its kind in the English language, is therefore the only true edition of the book. The new matter is extremely curious, and, judging from the first volume, occasionally far more characteristic and entertaining than the old. The new matter in the second volume fully supports the expectations awakened by the first. Pepys is marvellously entertaining. The writer is seen in a clearer light and the reader is taken into his inmost soul. Pepys' Diary is the ablest picture of the age in which the writer lived, and a work of standard importance in English literature.”— ATHENEUM.

66 'Pepys' Diary makes us comprehend the great historical events of the age, and the people who bore a part in them, and gives us more clear glimpses into the true English life of the times than all the other memorials of them that have come down to our own."-EDINburgh Review.

"There is much in Pepys' Diary that throws a distinct and vivid light over the picture of England and its government during the period succeeding the Restoration. If, quitting the broad path of history, we look for minute information concerning ancient manners and customs, the progress of arts and sciences, and the various branches of antiquity, we have never seen a mine so rich as these volumes. The variety of Pepys' tastes and pursuits led him into almost every department of life. He was a man of business, a man of information, a man of whim, and, to a certain degree, a man of pleasure. He was a statesman, a bel-esprit, a virtuoso, and a connoisseur. His curiosity made him an unwearied, as well as an universal, learner, and whatever he saw found its way into his tables."-QUARTERLY REVIEW.