the resolution of venturing upon the task) and the throngest part of the season got over, when, at the early hour of the 14th January formerly mentioned, I set about, commencing these retrospections, which I continued for the greater part of the year, but was at last obliged to discontinue, under circumstances so peculiarly distressing, as those mentioned in my vi. chapter, and which, I will again, soon have occasion to notice.

It had been long a favourite object with me, from whatever cause it proceeded, to begin something of the kind, at the time I should pass THE BOUNDARY LINE OF THREESCORE ; but as my reasons for so doing, as well as for "taking TIME by the forelock," at that early hour of a winter morning,—are pretty distinctly given in my next annual retrospect, which I committed to paper on the 13th of the ensuing month of February, I shall conclude this chapter, with a few extracts from it, and thus close, what I can only call, after all, a short analysis of THE FOURTH BOOK OF MY LIFE!

After commencing my retrospect of the above date, with one of the mottos, that I had adopted for my retrospections: "'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours,

And ask them what report they bore to heaven."

I go on to say:-"So thought the poet-so, it appears, thought the patriarch Isaac, when he made choice of the eventide, to go out into the fields to meditate,—and so, I have just given the most indisputable evidence, do I think,—by adopting the above lines as a motto, and commencing my retrospections on a larger scale, on the first morning of my Evening of Life.'-'Tis greatly wise,' indeed, 'to talk with our past hours,' and what more suitable season, than the even-tide of the day, and the still more sober and solemn twilight, which intervenes betwixt life and death,— THE evening of life,'-for this purpose!”

"I have therefore chosen, the latter interesting period, for my retrospections, and have commenced my operations, at the moment of passing the boundary line-which separates my autumn from winter ;-my vigorous, and declining manhood, from the growing infirmities, and chilling blasts of age and decrepitude;—in order that, by the blessing of God on my

humble efforts, I may be as far advanced as possible, before the shades of life descend, and the night of death cometh, wherein no man can see to work."

"This," I observed further, "fully accounts for my taking TIME by the forelock, and beginning, these retrospections, under the appellation of the evening of life,' at such an early hour on the 14th of January,-on which day I attained the age of threescore;—which may well be supposed to have included THE MORNING-the FORENOON-and the AFTERNOON ; as well as, the SPRING-the SUMMER-and the AUTUMN;-leaving all that remain to come, under the designation of—THE

EVENING,-or,-THE WINTER-OF LIFE.

CHAPTER XLIV.-1831 (CONTINUED.)

Lay aside my task till a more convenient season -Very sufficient reasons for doing so. Arrival at the period, when but one down sitting was necessary to enable me conveniently to leave it off.-Extraordinary event, which took place in that short interval.-Remarkable dream.-Its timeous occurrence to be noticed, or to be useful-How I treated it at the time, as appears by an extract from my original M.S.-The night on which the dream took place, also fully identified by that extract-The subject of that most remarkable vision described.-It follows me in my waking moments.-Is fully realized.-"Night visions" in this instance, had in reality befriended me. A possible question that may be probably asked. The facts must speak for themselves.-Nothing inconsistent in it, with the usual operations of the Deity.-Nor, any thing very extraordinary in certain suppositions. The vision of General Junot, previous to the Battle of Lonato. The spectre of Brutus before the Battle of Philippi.-Dream of Socrates, previous to the introduction to him of his future disciple, Plato.-The power of the Almighty unbounded and unconfined in the manner of its working, no less in providential, than in creative occurrences.-Strange effects of delirium in a fever, as experienced by the author.—I feel sore, very sore, at the peculiarly calamitous situation, to which I find myself so suddenly reduced. -This soon becomes too apparent by its direful consequences.-The most predominant cause of my sufferings.-No wish to desert my post on such a distressing occasion. Mournful reflections at my time of life. All my resignation, philosophy and fortitude, found insufficient for a season, to support me under it. My best apology-Take the advice of my visionary monitor, when no other alternative would do.-Call a meeting-One great source of consolation. -Affecting specimen of the kind manner in which my circular was received.

THESE retrospections, as I observed before, I continued at convenient intervals, and as I could find leisure from the

date of their commencement in January, until the 15th of the month of December following. On the evening of the 14th, I had brought my structure to that situation, in which, to use an architectural phrase, it might be covered in, and left with safety, for the winter; or, to use another way of expressing myself, I had completed my work so far, as to have brought the rough sketch or outline of it, down to the time I had commenced my task,—and which, consequently embraced, in the imperfect state, in which, however, it yet was-the whole period of my existence from the 14th January, 1771, to the 14th January of that year, 1831.

All that now remained before I laid my work for a season aside, was, to put on the cap or crowning stone, which I intended to do, and actually did, in the form of another, or concluding chapter on the 15th, when, as I also have formerly observed, in order to devote my attention more exclusively to the concerns of business, at the approaching throng season of the I actually laid year, task aside, or, as I expressed myself in writing to a friend, "hung my harp upon the willows,”—with the intention, of resuming it again, at a more convenient season.

my

Matters, it will be observed, had been brought almost to that desirable state, in which I wished to have them, (when this interruption which I had for sometime been contemplating, was to take place,)-by the evening of the 14th. The 15th I meant, when I retired to bed that night, to devote to another down sitting, for the purpose of writing the concluding chapter;—but in that short time,—that interval of a single night, a very extraordinary, as it afterwards turned out to be,event took place,—and which will be found to be, no doubt, the most extraordinary circumstance, take it altogether, that has been recorded in my narrative.

In short, I dreamed a dream," not less remarkable and memorable for its subject, than it was for the precise time it happened; for, had that dream been a night sooner, as not coming conveniently into the subject of my writing on the 14th, and nothing happening on that day, to bring it to my recollection, it might have altogether escaped my notice. If, it had been a day later, and then, it had been too late to

have been noticed in the concluding chapter of my Retrospections, and consequently, could not have stood on record, as the best evidence of my veracity, in the relation of, what now appears to me, an event of a most extraordinary nature.

For whatever obloquy or sneering, I may expose myself to, by so doing, I cannot forbear remarking, that, so sure as Joseph was warned by a dream, upon a very pressing and urgent occasion, to flee into Egypt, so sure was I warned,and prepared, and the better fitted, for the shock I was doomed to receive within the short period of two or three days from the time that it happened,—by that, now to me, ever memorable dream,-a dream never to be forgottennever to be erased from my memory, however lightly I might have thought of, or treated it at the time-and that, I so thought of, and so treated it at the time, may be learned from the manner in which I introduced it, along with another subject, of also, rather mystical import, into the manuscript, (which is still preserved, to testify for itself, if necessary)— of my concluding chapter.

In that chapter, after enumerating a number of motives for contentment, gratitude and resignation, arising out of a consideration of my more recent experiences,-I go on to say, "what may be yet reserved for me, in the womb of futurity, I know not, and cannot pretend to guess.-I have even had many ups and downs, and hopes and fears, during the short lapse of time, since I began these retrospections-the sealed packet, is yet unopened;―and I have had, a fearful dream, last night."

In regard to what I said farther in relation to the sealed packet, (as belonging to that class which I have so repeatedly hinted at, under the designation of "the veiled subjects,”) I shall here say nothing;-but, in respect to the dream, I could not help remarking, "Although there can be no doubt, that, if it is so the will of the Almighty, night visions may befriend us, I put little or no reliance upon it one way or other. My hopes and expectations are fixed upon a too sure foundation, to be easily shaken either by the ravings of a distempered fancy, or the night ravings of an uneasy mind." Does this breathe any thing of being under the influ

ence of a superstitious terror, for the consequences of dreams? -And yet, let me record the subject of that night's vision, as to the time of which, there could be no mistake,-for the above extract is taken from the very text of my manuscript, written on the 15th,-a day, let it be observed, before Mr 's circular was issued,-and then, leave my readers to draw what inference they choose, from the event; or attempt to explain away the singularity of the circumstance, in the best manner they can.

I say then, and say it positively, and without the smallest danger of contradiction,-that, in the night which intervened betwixt the 14th and 15th December, 1831,-I DREAMED A DREAM, and that, the reminiscences attendant upon the recollection of that dream, which are too strongly now impressed upon it ever to be erased from my memory, are to the following purport:-I dreamed, that I was standing in my shop, when some person told me, that my old friend Mr

was

sitting in the Mail Coach, which was then in the act of changing horses, on its way to the South, at the usual place opposite to Mr Cossar's Inn, or, rather, on this occasion, I think it was a little further down the street, and so nearly opposite to my own shop door.

As I had previously been thinking of, ordering down from that gentleman, a supply of the particular article in which he dealt, in order to be the better prepared for the approaching season of demand, I stepped out to the coach, in which, I found my friend sitting alone, in an apparently disconsolate, or at least, very thoughtful mood.

Upon making known to him the purport of my stepping out, when I had heard that he was in the coach, he listened to me, for some time, apparently with a good deal of attention, although, still seeming in part, wrapt up in his reverie, when all on a sudden, he broke silence by assuring me, in his usual hasty manner, when any way agitated, that, he could no longer be of service to me, even in the way of business, and concluding with these memorable words, which he pronounced most emphatically, with the repetition, exactly as I have recorded it," You must call a meetingcall a meeting."