Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/427

 1922 TWELVE MEDIEVAL GHOST-STORIES 419 mulieris demergentes in came spiritus profunde, quasi caro eiusdem spiritus esset putrida et non solida sed fantastica. 1 VI. De quodam canonico de Newburg post mortem capto quern fo. 143 a [blank] comprehendit. Contigit quod ipse cum magistro aratorum pariter loquebatur et in agro gradiebatur. Et subito predictus magister fugit valde perterritus [fugit] et alter luctabatur cum quodam spiritu qui dilacerauit turpiter vestes suas. Sed tandem optinuit victoriam et coniurauit eum. Qui coniuratus confitebatur se fuisse talem canonicum de Newburg et excom- municatum pro quibusdam cocliaribus argenti que in quodam loco abscon- dit. Supplicauit ergo viuenti quod adiret ad locum predictum et aceiperet ilia, reportando Priori suo et peteret absolucionem. Qui fecit ita et inuenit dicta choclearia argenti in loco memorato Qui absolutus in pace deinceps requieuit. Prefatus tamen vir egrotauit et elanguit per multos dies, et affirmauit quod apparuit sibi in habitu canonicorum. 2 VII. De quodam spiritu alibi coniurato qui fatebatur se grauiter puniri eo quod erat mercenarius cuiusdam patris familias et furabatur garbas illius quas dabat bobus suis vt apparerent corpulenti ; et aliud quod plus se grauat, quod non profuude sed superficietenus arabat terram suam, volens quod boues eius forent pingues, et affirmauit quod erant quindecim spiritus in loco vno grauiter puniti pro delictis suis que faciebant. Sup- plicauit igitur quod suggereret domino suo pro indulgencia et absolucione quatinus posset optinere remedium oportunum. VIII. Item de alio spiritu sequente Willelmum de Bradeforth et vociferante how how how. ter. per tres vices. Contigit quod quarta nocte circa mediam noctem remeauit ad nouum locum de villa de Ampilford, et dum rediret per viam audiuit vocem terribilem clamantem longe post se quasi in monte, et paulo post iterum clamauit similiter sed proprius. et tercia vice vociferabatur per viam compendii vltra se. 3 et demum vidit pallidum equum, et canis eius latrauit paululum, sed valde timens abscon- dit se inter tibias eiusdem Willelmi. Quo facto Willelmus prohibuit eundem spiritum in nomine domini et in virtute sanguinis Ihesu Christi quod discederet et non impediret viam eius. quo audito recessit ad instar cuiusdam canvas 4 reuoluentis quatuor angulis et volutabat. Ex quo col- ligitur quod fuit spiritus desiderans magnaliter coniurari et efficaciter adiuuari. 5 1 This is most curious. Why did the woman catch the ghost and bring it indoors ? 2 A daylight ghost, as it seems. The seer and the head ploughman are walking together in the field. Suddenly the ploughman has a panic and runs off, and the other finds himself struggling .with a ghost. Probably the prior had excommunicated the stealer of the spoons ' whoever he might be ' without knowing who he was, as in the case of the Jackdaw of Rheims. 3 ' per viam compendii vltra se ', at the cross-road ahead of him. 4 Du Cange gives the forms ' canava ', ' canavis ', and ' canvoys '. 5 For three nights William of Bradford had heard the cries. On the fourth night he met the ghost. And I suspect he must have been imprudent enough to answer the cries, for there are many tales, Danish and other, of persons who answer the shrieking ghost with impertinent words, and the next moment they hear it close to their ear. JJote the touch of the frightened dog. E62