anded his parole of honour not to go beyond the
wall of Hull without liberty. "He brought me the message himself,--I
told him I was ready to do so, provided he removed his guards from
me, for FIDES ET FIDUCIA SUNT RELATIVA; and, if he took my word for my
fidelity, he was obliged to trust it, otherwise, it was needless for him
to seek it, either to give trust to my word, which I would not break, or
his own guards, who I supposed would not deceive him. In this manner I
dealt with him, because I knew him to be a scholar."--TURNER'S MEMOIRS,
p. 80. The English officer allowed the strength of the reasoning; but
that concise reasoner, Cromwell, soon put an end to the dilemma: "Sir
James Turner must give his parole, or be laid in irons."
Note II.--WRAITHS.
A species of apparition, similar to what the Germans call a
Double-Ganger, was believed in by the Celtic tribes, and is still
considered as an emblem of misfortune or death. Mr. Kirke (See Note to
ROB ROY,), the minister of Aberfoil, who will no doubt be able to tell
us more of the matter should he ever come back from Fairy-land, gives us
the following:--
"Some men of that exalted sight, either by art or nature, have told me
they have seen at these meetings a double man, or the shape of some man
in two places, that is, a superterranean and a subterranean
inhabitant perfectly resembling one another in all points, whom he,
notwithstanding, could easily distinguish one fro another by some secret
tokens and operations, and so go speak to the man his neighbour and
familiar, passing by the apparition or resemblance of him. They avouch
that every element and different state of being have animals resembling
those of another element, as there be fishes at sea resembling Monks of
late order in all their hoods and dresses, so as the Roman invention
of good and bad daemons and guardian angels particularly assigned, is
called by them ane ignorant mistake, springing only from this originall.
They call this reflex man a Co-Walker, every way like the man, as a
twin-brother and companion haunting him as his shadow, as is that seen
and known among men resembling the originall, both before and after the
originall is dead, and was also often seen of old to enter a hous, by
which the people knew that the person of that liknes was to visit them
within a few days. This copy, echo, or living picture, goes at last to
his own herd. It accompanied that person so long and frequently for ends
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