"Mary, the wife of John Goffe of Rochester, being afflicted with along illness, removed to her father's house at West Mulling, aboutnine miles from her own. There she died on 4th June, this presentyear, 1691."The day before her departure (death) she grew very impatientlydesirous to see her two children, whom she had left at home to thecare of a nurse. She prayed her husband to 'hire a horse, for shemust go home and die with the children'. She was too ill to be moved,but 'a minister who lives in the town was with her at ten o'clock thatnight, to whom she expressed good hopes in the mercies of God and awillingness to die'. 'But' said she, 'it is my misery that I cannotsee my children.'"Between one and two o'clock in the morning, she fell into a trance.One, widow Turner, who watched with her that night, says that her eyeswere open and fixed and her jaw fallen. Mrs. Turner put her hand uponher mouth and nostrils, but could perceive no breath. She thought herto be in a fit; and doubted whether she were dead or alive."The next morning the dying woman told her mother that she had been athome with her children. . . . 'I was with them last night when I wasasleep.'"The nurse at Rochester, widow Alexander by name, affirms, and saysshe will take her oath on't before a Magistrate and receive thesacrament upon it, that a little before two o'clock that morning shesaw the likeness of the said Mary Goffe come out of the next chamber(where the elder child lay in a bed by itself) the door being leftopen, and stood by her bedside for about a quarter of an hour; theyounger child was there lying by her. Her eyes moved and her mouthwent, but she said nothing. The nurse, moreover, says that she wasperfectly awake; it was then daylight, being one of the longest daysin the year. She sat up in bed and looked steadfastly on theapparition. In that time she heard the bridge clock strike two, and awhile after said, 'In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, whatart thou?' Thereupon the apparition removed and went away; sheslipped on her clothes and followed, but what became on't she cannottell."Mrs. Alexander then walked out of doors till six, when she persuadedsome neighbours to let her in. She told her adventure; they failed topersuade her that she had dreamed it. On the same day the neighbour'swife, Mrs. Sweet, went to West Mulling, saw Mrs. Goffe before herdeath, and heard from Mrs. Goffe's mother the story of the daughter'sdream of her children, Mrs. Sweet not having mentioned the nurse'sstory of the apparition." That poor Mrs. Goffe walked to Rochesterand returned undetected, a distance of eighteen miles is difficult tobelieve.Goethe has an obiter dictum on the possibility of intercommunionwithout the aid of the ordinary senses, between the souls of lovers.Something of the kind is indicated in anecdotes of dreams dreamed incommon by husband and wife, but, in such cases, it may be urged thatthe same circumstance, or the same noise or other disturbing cause,may beget the same dream in both. A better instance is
