And hence, no doubt, additional horrors would often haunt their folitude, and a deeper gloom overshadow the imagination even of the hardieft native. A fufficient evidence can hardly be found for the reality of the fecond fight, or at least of what is commonly understood by that term. A treatife on the fubject was published in the year 1762, in which many tales were told of perfons whom the author believed to have been favoured, or haunted, with thefe illuminations: but most of the tales were trifling and ridiculous: and the whole work betrayed, on the part of the compiler, fuch extreme credulity, as could not fail to prejudice many readers a gainst his fyftem. ally expofed to fatal accidents. back. Add but a lively dream to this flumber, and (which is the frequent effect of disease) take away the confcioufnefs of having been afleep, and a fuperftitious man may easily miftake his dream for a waking vifion; which, however, is foon forgotten, when no fubfequent occurrence recalls it to his memory; but which, if it fhall be thought to resemble any future event, exalts the poor dreamer into a Highland prophet. This conceit makes him more reclufe and more melancholy than ever; and fo feeds his disease and multiplies his visions: which, if they are not diffipated by bufinefs or fociety, may continue to haunt him as long as he lives; and which in their progrefs through the neighbourhood, receive fome new tinctures of the marvellous from every mouth that promotes their circulation. As to the prophetical nature of this fecond fight, it cannot be admitted at all. That the Deity fhould work a miracle in order to give intimation of the frivolous things that thefe tales are made up of, the arrival of a ftranger, the nailing of a coffin, or the colour of a fuit of clothes; and that thefe intimations fhould be given for no end, and to thofe perfons only who are idle and folitary, who fpeak Gaelic, or who live among mountains and deferts, is like nothing in nature, or providence, that we are acquainted with: and must therefore, unlefs it were confirmed by fatisfactory proof, (which is not the cafe) be rejected as abfurd and incredible. That any of thefe vifionaries are apt to be fwayed in their declarations by finifter views, we will not fay; but this may be faid with confidence, that none but ignorant people pretend to be gifted in this way. And in them, it may be nothing more, perhaps, than fhort fits of fudden fleep or drowfinefs, attended with lively dreams, and arifing from fome bodily diforder, the effect of idlenefs, low fpirits, or a gloomy imagination. For it is admitted, even by the moft credulous Highlanders, that as know ledge and induftry are propagated in their country, the fecond fight difappears in proportion: and nobody ever laid claim to the faculty who was much employed in the intercourfe of focial life. Nor is it at all extraordinary, that one fhould have the appearance of being awake, and fhould even think one's felf fo, during thefe fits of dofing: that they should come on fuddenly, and while one is engaged in fome bufinefs. The fame thing happens to perfons much fatigued, or long kept awake, who frequently fall afleep for a moment, or for a long space, while they are ftanding, or waiking, or riding on horfe Thefe vifions, fuch as they are, may reafonably enough be afcribed to a diftempered fancy. And that in them, as well as in our ordinary dreams, certain appearances fhould, on fome rare occafions, resemble certain events, is to be expected from the laws of chance; and feems to have in it nothing more marvellous, or fupernatural, than that the parrot, who deals out his fcurrilities at ran D 2 dom, dom, should sometimes happen to falute the paffenger by his right appel. lation. To the confidence of these objections, Dr Johnfon replies, that by prefuming to determine what is fit, and what is beneficial, they prefuppofe more knowledge of the univerfal fyftem than man has attained; and therefore depend upon principles too complicated and extenfive for our comprehenfion; and that there can be no fecurity in the confequence, when the premises are not understood; that the fecond fight is only wonderful because it is rare; for, confidered in itself, it involves no more difficulty than dreams, or perhaps than the re gular exercife of the cogitative faculty. That a general opinion of communicative impulfes, or vifionary reprefentations, has prevailed in all ages and all nations; that particular in ftances have been given with fuch evidence, as neither Bacon nor Boyle has been able to refift; that fudden impreffions, which the event has ve rified, have been felt by more than own or publish them; that the fe cond fight of the Hebrides, implies only the local frequency of a power, which is now no where totally unknown; and that where we are unable to decide by antecedent reason, we must be content to yield to the force of teflimony. By pretenfion to fecond fight, no profit was ever fought or gained. It is an involuntary af fection, in which neither hope nor fear are known to have any part. Those who profess to fel it do not boaft of it as a privilege, nor are confidered by others as advantageoufly diftinguifhed. They have no temptation to feign, and their hearers have no motive to encourage the impof ture. ANECDOTES OF THE ABBE SIEYES AND THE CARDINAL DE ROHAN. From Bertrand de Moleville's Annals of the French Revolution. IT T only depended on the poffeffion of an abbey of 12,000 livres (five hundred pounds fterling) a year, and a little more attention from the archbishop of Sens, to have made the abbe Sieyes one of the most zealous fupporters of the old government. I affert this fact on the teftimony of feveral perfons worthy of the highest credit, without any fear of its being contradicted by the abbe Sieyes himfelf; and I cite him from among a thousand inftances, that the world may juftly appreciate the zeal, patriotifm, and principles of thofe revolutionary demoniacs, who all, mad men and idiots excepted, had no other object in declaiming and writing fo violently against the government and the minifters, than to make them purchafe at a higher price their filence or their pen. The abbe Sieyes, a man for systems, a subtle arguer, and ob fcurely profound metaphyfician, push- "There expenfive expenfive living, and good cheer, and of courfe money." How much muft he have? Do you think an annuity of 6000 livres upon an abbey would be enough?"-"No; his price is higher than that"-" Say, twelve, then ""That will do; but instead of giving him an annuity, give him an abbey of that value. He is of low extraction, and full of vanity; he would be highly flattered with an abbey, and you will be fure of being better ferved for it." "Let it be fo then. Will you undertake the negociation?""No, I cannot; but the abbe de Cezarges, who is known to be entirely devoted to you, is in our Provincial aflembly, and nobody is fitter to execute the commiffion." Well, then, I will put it into his hands." The archbishop of Sens in confequence fent the abbe Cezarges private inftructions, together with a letter which he was to fhow, as occafion required to the abbe Sieyes, and in which the minifter fpoke highly of the talents and great knowledge of the abbe, faying, that he had mentioned him to the king, and that his majefty, thought of calling him into the adminiftration, of preferring him to an abbey of 12,000 livres income, &c. thofe people: they are all either madmen or fools "-" The archbishop of Sens." The archbishop of Sens is the greatest madman among them.": "You will at leaft allow that he is not a fool, and I will convince you that he is not mad. You are much in the wrong to fpeak of him as you do: the proof of his not being mad is, that he thinks highly of you."-" Of me! He does not even know my name.". "You are miftaken: he has heard a great deal of you; and does not doubt that you could, if you would, be of very great fervice to the adminiftration; he has even propofed you to the king, and to give you an abbey."-An abbey!" With thefe credentials the abbe Cezarges went, and paid a friendly vifit to the abbe Sieyes. "How is it, my dear abbe," faid he to him, "that with all the talents you poffefs, you have not the wit to turn them to account in improving your fituation? The fide of oppofition in our affemblies will only ferve to create you powerful enemies, and to fhut the door of favour again you; whereas, if, inttead of perpetually op. pofing and embarraffing the government, you were to be of fervice to it, you would certainly be well reward ed."" Of fervice to the government! Do not mention it to me; there is nothing to be done with "Yes, an abbey! an abbey too with a revenue of 12,000 livres; this deferves attention.". "No doubt it would, if what you fay were true." "I can'thow you all I have faid to you, written by the hand of the.minifter himfelf; and I fhould not have mentioned it to you, had I not been exprefsly commiffioned by him to do it.'-Oh! that alters the cafe.'• Well! what anfwer fhall I give ?. I cannot pretend to fay that a good abbey would not give me a very great pleasure.' That's right; and you may depend upon having one; but may the miniftry alfo depend upon your fervices? Of courfe: and if they will liften to me they will be guilty of fewer follies.'' Then I may write to the archbishop of Sens, that you accept the abbey, and fo forth." Yes, certainly; but when is this to take place ? Immediately after the clofing of our provincial affembly. You mult go to Verfailles, where you will fee the archbishop; converfe with him upon the fubject, and in the next arrangement of the lift you will be appointed.' From that moment, the abbe Sieyes entirely changed his tone in the af fembly, to the great aftonishment of those who were unacquainted with his fecret. They continued fitting for for about fix weeks longer. Hardly were they broke up, when the abbé Sieyes repaired to Verfailles, and prefented himself at the hotel of the archbishop of Sens. During two hours he waited in vain in the antichamber, for the moment when he hould be introduced into the minifter's clofet. At length, finding that he was not fent for, the defired a fertant to go and announce him again; bnt by that he gained nothing, for all the anfwer brought back by the fervant was, that his lordship was very bufy, and could not fee any body. The abbé, convinced that he had been made game of, went away cxafperated at the cardinal, and fadly vexed at having yielded fo eafily to corruption, efpecially as he had ex perienced all the fhame without reaping any of the profits of it. He haf tened to the abbé de Cezarges, relat ed his adventures, and reproached Irim very bitterly for having made himself the inftrument of fo abominable a piece of treachery. The abbé de Cezarges did all he could to appeafe his anger, and to perfuade him that the archbishop's mind could not he changed; he promised him to go and fee the minilter in the courfe of the day, and afcertain his intentions. It was not till he heard of the abbé Sieyes' great rage, that the archbifhop remembered the promises he had defired to be made to him more than fix weeks before, or even his name, which he had almoft forgotten.. Let him know (faid he to the abbé Cezarges) that I was ignorant of his being at Verfailles, and that my fervant having mifunderstood, or not retaining his name, had pronounced it in fuch a bungling rauner, that it Irad been impoffible for me to guefs it was he who was announced. Let him come again to fee me, and I will make my peace with him.' This converfation, with the particulars of which the abbé Sieyes was next day informed, appealing his wrath, and reviving his hopes a little, he agreed to pay a fecond vifit to the archbishop of Sens. Unfortunately, he went the day on which the minifter gave a public audience, and when of course every body who wished to fee or fpeak to him, went, without being announced, into the ball as foon as the doors of it were opened. The archbishop having never feen this abbé, and being as little apprized of his fecond vifit as he had been of his firft, paid him no attention, and perhaps took him for one of those busy bodies, who are often feen at the levees of minilters, though they have nothing to fay to them, and who attend chiefly to fay that they had been there. The abbé Sieyes being totally ignorant of the ceremony of minif terial audiences, waited and waited in vain for the archbishop's coming up to hiin. The minifter concluded his levee according to cuftom, as foon as thofe who went to fpeak to him ́ had faid all they had to fay, and retired to his clofet, leaving the abbé Sieyes in the hall, confounded, tranfported with rage, and more convinced than ever that he had been made a dupe. He went off, curfing the archbishop of Sens, and fwearing to be revenged for fo atrocious a perfi. dy. The abbé Cezarges tried without effect to bring him to reafon, and to justify the minifter; but he repeatedly answered, Say no more of that man to me! He is a villain ! He fhall know-he fhall know whom he has to deal with.' He accordingly fome time after publifhed his firit pamphlet, entitled Moyens d'Execution, in which he inferted the most virulent declamation that had ever been made against the archbishop of Sens. Orleans, whom I mentioned to have been the person who advised the archbishop of Sens to gain the abbé Sieyes. The Cardinal de Rohan, his Arreft, and the celebrated Affair of the Necklace. The cardinal de Rohan being, as high almoner of France, at the head of the adminiflration of the hofpital of Quinze Vingts *, had made fuch advantageous reforms and improve ments in that establishment, that he had confiderably increafed the number of the perfons admitted, who were the blind, thofe being the objects of the charity, which was founded by St. Louis. The king, who always took great interelt in whatever could contribute to the good of humanity in general, and to the relief of the poor in particular, faw with great fatisfaction the happy effects of the changes wrought by the high almoner; and being defirous of fecur-. ing their ftability, by appointing to the fuperintendance perfons of fome refpectability and knowledge, his majefty for that purpofe added a counfellor of ftate, and three maiters of requests to the council of adminiftration of the Quinze-Vingts; among the members of which, previous to this addition, there were two clerkscounsellors, of the parliament of Paris. A little while after, a wretched intrigue, the details of which would lead me too far, caufed fuch a difagreement among the directors, that the two counsellors from the parliament dropped their attendance at the council, and gave in their refignation by a public deed; in which they declared, that they could not with hon our keep their places in the adminiftration. They added fome articles in fupport of their declaration re fpecting feveral pretended violation This business redounded complete ly So called from the original number of the charitable obje s received into the hofpital, which was 300-before the revolution it had increated to above 800. |