Page:Heavenly Bridegrooms.djvu/75

Rh following case, though probably founded on the falsehood of a clever woman (S. V. Fécondité), shows with what serious respect the phenomenon of the double was viewed some three hundred and fifty years ago.

In the "Dictionaire Infernal," there is a report of a trial before the Parliament of Grenoble, in which the question was, whether a certain infant could be declared legitimate which was born after the husband had been absent from his wife four years. The wife asserted that the baby was the offspring of a dream, in which she had a vivid idea that her wandering spouse had returned to love and duty. Midwives and physicians were consulted, and reported on the subject. As a result, the Parliament ordained that the infant should be adjudged legitimate, and its mother should be regarded as a true and honourable wife. The judgment bears date 13th of February, 1537. (Inmen's "Ancient Faiths and Modern," p. 285, footnote.)

The following incident was told to me by a gentleman who had heard it from the lips of one of the parties. For obvious reasons, I suppress localities:

"A gentleman who was intensely dark, of a Spanish type, was in love with a girl of the true blonde type. They never married but later on she married someone else and moved to another part of the country. One night this gentleman had a very vivid dream, in which he fancied himself to be her husband. So real seemed the experience that he could scarcely convince himself on waking, that he had not actually just come from her presence. Several years later, he happened to be in that part of the country, and bethought himself of hunting up his former ladylove. He found her husband to be a decided blonde, like herself. A little child, a decided brunette, ran up to him, exclaiming joyfully, "Papa, Papa!" "Well!" laughed the host, "I am glad that she has found someone to call "Papa", for she steadfastly refuses to recognize me as such." Whereupon the lady appropriately fainted. The visitor learned afterwards by making inquiries of her, that she had had a dream similar to his at the same time, and just nine months previous to the birth of the child."