The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-11 00:00:00

FRIENDSHIP AFTER DEATH.

•The Ma;9l. h
tls de. Rambouillet, elder brother of the
Duchess de Mor:!-apzier, sand the Marquis of Precy,heir
of the House of NaZtouillet, both young men under 30,
were intimate..-friends anj went to• war together. As they,
were conversing 'day upol the other world, and mat-
ters of futurity which they did ;:tot believe, they promised
each other, that whoever died first should bring the news
to his friend. Three months after the Marquis de Ram-
bouillet went- to Flanders, where the war' was then carried
remained at
on, and Precy, detained by a severe fever,
Paris. Six weeki:after, Precy, about six o'clock in the
morning, heard theeurtains of his bed drawn, and turning
to see who it was, beheld the Marquis de Rambouillet in
regimentals. He left his bed with the intention to embrace
him, and express the joy lie felt at his safe return, but
Rambouillet drew back and 041 in a sorrowful tone,' all ca-
resses are now out of time. I ol.sly come to keep the word I
gave to my friend. I was killed dot long since, and I now
can tell you that all we doubt:A about the other
world is most true. Change your mode •of living,
and
prepare for the world lam in. You have no tune t
iso
ose, because you will fall in the next skirmish." It
mpossible to exress the surprise this produced in the
Marquis de Precy. He could not believe what be heard.
He macle.a new attempt to .embrace his friend, whom he
accused of hoaxing him ; but he only embraced the air, and
Rambouillet seeing. he was incredulous; pointed to the part
where he had received his death wound, which was in
the loins, and blood cootinuing to run from it.
The
phantom then disappeared, and left Precy in a state of
indescribable terror. He called several times to his valet
de chambre, and alarmed all the house with his cries. Se-
' veral persons went in, and when he had related his story,
they attributed what he had seen to the ardour of his fever,
which had produced delirium. They entreated him to com-
pose his mind by sleep, and endeavoured to persuade him
that all he had seen was no more than the effect of a
dream. The Marquis'was not well pleased at the deter-
mination which was expressed to treat him ,as,a visionary,
and he repeated minutely all the circumstances relaxing to
the appearance of his friend, firmly declaring that he
°had
seen him waking. He remained in that opinion until the
arrival of the post from Flanders, by which they re.ceived
news of the death of the Marquis de Rambouillet.
This circumstance being found true, those- who had
treated the relation of De Precy with contempt, began to
consider it very extraordinary, and particularly so, as Ram-
bouillet was killed precisely at -the time mentioned by Dc
Precy. It was impossible to account for the occurrence in
the natural way. This event having been circulated in the
best circles of Paris, many still believed that it was
butthe
effect of heated imagination, er a tale for the nursery,
there were some who examined the matter seriously, and
considered it a matter which time might explain. They
looked,to the prediction tat te 'Marquis derec would
be killed in the first skirhmish,h as the test by which
whole story would stand or fall. The•completisaid. on of that
The
prediction unfortunately confirmed all he had
MarqUii de Precy having recovered.. from' his illness, and
the civil wars having broken out, he wished to be present
at the battle of StAntoine, although his father -and mo-
ther, who dreaded the prophecy, endeavoured to persuade
him not to go. He went, and was killed, to the g re-
gret of his family.

_.-------
PERSEVERANCE.--The , most , extraordinary ants
the best attested instance of enthusiasm, existing in con-
junction with perseverance, is related of the founder of the
Foley family. This man, who was' a fiddler living near
Stourbridge, was often witness of the immense-labour and
loss of time caused by dividing the rods of iron nec,lssary
in the process .of making nails. - The discovery of the pro-
cess called splitting, in -works called •splitting-mills, vas
first made in Sweden, and the consequences of this ad-,
Vance in art were most disastrous to , the manufacturers of'
iron about Stourbridge.. Foley tbe fiddler was shortly
missed from his. accustomed rounds, Ind was not again•seen
for Many. years. He had Mentally re. Solve- to ascertain by
what means the process of splitting bars ef iron was
plished ; and-- without communicating -his in to a
single human being—be proceeded to Hull, and without
funds, worked his passage :to .the:- Swedish .Iron Port.
Arrived in Sweden, he _begged and fiddled his way
to the Iron Foundries, where he—,after a time—.
became a universal favourite will the work flea ; and from
the apparent entire absence of intelligence, 'or anything
like ultimate object, he was received into the works, to
every part of which. he had access. Ale took the advantage
thus offered, and having stored his memory with observa-,
tions, and all the combitiationS; he disappeared from amongst
his kind friends as he had appeared,•ne onecomm knew whence-
or whither. On his return to England, liu unicated:
his voyage and its result ta Mr..,Roight. and.anether person
in the neighbourhood, with whoa/ lie was. associated,
and
was
and'
by whom the necessary. buildingi were erected,
Machinery provided. When .at. length every thwouing
not
prepared, it was found that the-- machinery ld
act ; at all events it did not answer the sole. end o
dis-
f its
erection—it .would not split. the bar. of iron. Foley
appeared l
again ; it'was concluded shame and mortification
at his failure had drivenim away for ever.- Not so : again,
though somewhat more speedily he. found his way to the.
Swedish :iron-works, where he was received most d
jo iy the
fully,
and to make sure of their fiddler, he was lodgen •
splitting-mill itself. Heie was the very aim and end of his
life attained, beyond his utmost hope. He exa
of his failure.
works, the
works, and very soon discovered the cause
and having
He now made drawings, or rude tracing
and to ini-
s ;
abided an ample time to Verify his obsservations,
made his
press them 'clearly and • vividly on hi mind,. he
way to the port,- and once more returned to England. This
the results of his
time .he was completely successful,
experience enriched hims and greatly benefitted his coun-
on.Tucsday, at Draveot Ceme,
trymen. This I hold. to be the mosatneakbtryaordinary instance
of credible devotion in to times.
w. Adye, on the body' of Marin.' • srimmers,
ore, her
wbbei(clh' analsile iNgv,nrisi tesdo herdre :nightaduy dress hays-
i)elwhp, on the Saturday morning previeiv;, deliberately carnet
,Aoreit ii.l\iieir.uest was_ held
to cause her almost immediate c?
oath. ceath. It appeared, in evi-
dthoiewknitsctierns 11.i'r
eriod
dence that she was ill some time since, from whiCh p
she had been extremely low and desponding ; added to
which; her br6ther's child, of whom she was very fond, and
at whose house she was living, had died of consumption the
previous day. Her body. presented a dreadful speetaely.
Verdict—" Insanity."—Devizes Gazette.