Pietas in patriam the life of His Excellency Sir William Phips, Knt. late Captain…

But of all the Preternatural Things which befell these People, there were none more unaccountable than those, wherein the praestigious Daemons would ever now and then cover the most Corporeal Things in the World, with a Fascinating Mist of Invisibility. As now; A Person was cruelly assaulted by a Spectre, that, she said, run at her with a Spindle, though no Body else in the Room could see either the Spectre or the Spindle: At last in her Agonies, giving a snatch at the Spectre, she pulled the Spindle away; ⟨p. 70⟩and it was no sooner got into her Hand, but the other Folks then present, beheld that it was indeed a real, proper, Iron Spindle; which when they locked up very safe, it was nevertheless by the Daemons taken away to do farther Mischief.

But of all the Praeternatural Things which befel these People, there were none more unaccountable than those, wherein the praestigious Daemons would ever now and then cover the most Corporeal Things in the World, with a Fascinating Mist of Invisibility. As now; A Person was cruelly assaulted by a Spectre, that, she said, run at her with a Spindle, though no Body else in the Room could see either the Spectre or the Spindle: At last in her Agonies, giving a snatch at the Spectre, she pulled the Spindle away; ⟨p. 70⟩and it was no sooner got into her Hand, but the other Folks then present, beheld that it was indeed a real, proper, Iron Spindle; which when they locked up very safe, it was nevertheless by the Daemons taken away to do farther Mischief.

Again; A Person was haunted by a most abusive Spectre, which came to her, she said, with a Sheet about her, though seen to none but her self. After she had undergone a deal of Tease, from the Annoyance of the Spectre, she gave a violent snatch at the Sheet that was upon it; where-from she tore a Corner, which in her Hand, immediately was beheld by all that were present; a palpable Corner of a Sheet: And her Father, which was now holding of her, catched, that he might keep, what his Daughter had so strangely seized; but the Spectre had like to have wrung his Hand off, by endeavouring to wrest it from him: However he still held it; and several times this odd Accident was renewed in the Family. There wanted not the Oaths of good credible People, to these particulars.