accuracy to the idle hope of affrighting the imagination,
and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. He begs
leave, then, to take this opportunity of asserting his
perfect innocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and
to assure his reader that he never PANDERED TO HIS BAD
TASTE, nor went one inch out of his way to introduce witch,
fairy, devil, ghost, or any other of the grim fraternity of
the redoubted Raw-head-and-bloody-bones. His province,
touching these tales, has been attended with no difficulty
and little responsibility; indeed, he is accountable for
nothing more than an alteration in the names of persons
mentioned therein, when such a step seemed necessary, and
for an occasional note, whenever he conceived it possible,
innocently, to edge in a word. These tales have been WRITTEN
DOWN, as the heading of each announces, by the Rev. Francis
Purcell, P.P., of Drumcoolagh; and in all the instances,
which are many, in which the present writer has had an
opportunity of comparing the manuscript of his departed
friend with the actual traditions which are current amongst
the families whose fortunes they pretend to illustrate, he
has uniformly found that whatever of supernatural occurred
in the story, so far from having been exaggerated by him,
had been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be
attempted, accounted for.

I mention this circumstance, because it was one upon which a thousand
wild and fantastical reports were founded, though one would have thought
that the truth scarcely required to be improved upon; and again, because
it produced a strong and lasting effect upon my spirits, and indeed, I
am inclined to think, upon my character.

I was, for several years after this occurrence, long after the violence
of my grief subsided, so wretchedly low-spirited and nervous, that
I could scarcely be said to live; and during this time, habits of
indecision, arising out of a listless acquiescence in the will of
others, a fear of encountering even the slightest opposition, and a
disposition to shrink from what are commonly called amusements, grew
upon me so strongly, that I have scarcely even yet altogether overcome
them.

We saw nothing more of Mr. Carew. He returned to England as soon as the
melancholy rites attendant upon the event which I have just mentioned
were performed; and