thirteen of us in company. This remark struck a panic terror into
several who were present, insomuch that one or two of the ladies
were going to leave the room; but a friend of mine taking notice
that one of our female companions was big with child, affirmed there
were fourteen in the room, and that, instead of portending one of
the company should die, it plainly foretold one of them should be
born. Had not my friend found this expedient to break the omen, I
question not but half the women in the company would have fallen
sick that very night.

An old maid that is troubled with the vapours produces infinite
disturbances of this kind among her friends and neighbours. I know
a maiden aunt of a great family, who is one of these antiquated
Sibyls, that forebodes and prophesies from one end of the year to
the other. She is always seeing apparitions and hearing death-
watches; and was the other day almost frighted out of her wits by
the great house-dog that howled in the stable, at a time when she
lay ill of the toothache. Such an extravagant cast of mind engages
multitudes of people not only in impertinent terrors, but in
supernumerary duties of life, and arises from that fear and
ignorance which are natural to the soul of man. The horror with
which we entertain the thoughts of death, or indeed of any future
evil, and the uncertainty of its approach, fill a melancholy mind
with innumerable apprehensions and suspicions, and consequently
dispose it to the observation of such groundless prodigies and
predictions. For as it is the chief concern of wise men to retrench
the evils of life by the reasonings of philosophy, it is the
employment of fools to multiply them by the sentiments of
superstition.