Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-05-27
III PREDICTION.

AA4
The annexed story is extracted from q small En-
glish publication, recently issued from the press, en-
titled " Tales of the Wild and Wonderful" AL
though the story is somewha extravagant, and Dor
ders rather too much on the marvellous, we know
not that we have ever been more pleased with an
equal number of pages. II is told in a most selicit-
Gus manner, and some of the scenes it portrays, are
painted by the hand ofa master, and with all the
vivacity of an experienced artist. The moral il
conveys to the reader is an excellent one and
whilst it serves to shew the fatal effects of superstlt-
ion on society, il holds up Ia rerited execration, the
impostor and the wretch, who, to accomplish the
viest of purposes, practises upon the credulity OF
the unlettered and confiding. The author has an
nounced his intention Of presenting another volume
to the public, if the one already before it, is receiv-
ed with Kindness. We hope he will not have occa-
sion to reliuqui.h the intention.
"Let's talk of graves."-Shakspeare.
On the southwest coast OF the prIncipality o.
Wales, stands a romantic little village, inhabited
chiefly by the poorer class Of people, consisting OF
small faru,er, and oyster d. edges, whose estates are
the wide occ u, aud whuse ploughs are the small
craft, in which they glide over its interminable
fields in search OF the treasures which they wiring
from its bosom ; II il built on the very top OF a hill,
commanding on the one side, II view Of an immense
bay, and on the 9th er. OF the peaceful green fields
add vallies, cultivated Ivy the greater number Of us
quiet inhabitants. The approach TO 1t from the
nearest town WAS by a road which branched away
INTO lanes aud wooded walks, aud from the sea, by u
teauniul little hay, running up far into the and -
hnth silpa Dt winch. and indeed ALI the rest Oi the
coast, were guarded by craggy and gigantic rocks.
some Of them followed INTO cave,ns, into which
| none oil the inhabitants, from motives ofsuperstltion,
| reverence and fear, had ever dared TO penetrate
There were, al the period OF " hIch we are about to
| treat, no better sort Of inhabitants IN the village Jus;
described none of those so emphat,cally dIstin
guished as 1" quality by the country people they
| had neither parson, lawyer, nor doctor, anon.
| them, and of course there was a tolcrable equality
| among the residents. The farmer, who followed
his own plough IN the spring, Singing the sweet
national chant OF the season, and rouBd up with his
| own hands his sheaves i'll the autumn, was not rich
er, greater nor finer, than he who, bare-lesgel "a
the strand, gathered m the hoar weed for the 'gr-
mer in the spring, or dared the wild winus of au-
tumn and the wrath of the winter in his little boat,
to earn with his dredginS-net, a yet harder subs.,.
| tence for his family. Distinctions were unknown
in the viliase-eyery man was the equal Of his
neighbour.
But, though rank and IFS polished distinctions
| were unknown TO the village of u, the supe-
| rlority of ta!ent Wa. felt aud acknowledged almost
| without a pause or murmur. There was one who
was a King anon, st them, by the mere force of a
nigh Ter spirit tina, those with whom, he sojourned,
had been accustomed to feel among them lie was
a dark, moody man, Il stranger, evidently OF a high
| err order than those around him, who had Ii few
months before, without any apparent object. settled
among them he was poor, but had 10 occuIa-
TONNE Ived iri.al!y, but quite aione-aEd hIs
Whole emplOyments were TO read during the day,
and wander out accompanied into the fields or
ny the beach, during the night. Sometimes, in
deed, he would relieve "a suffering child, or rheu-
matte Old man, by medicinal herbs, re,rove IDLE
ness and drunkenness in the youth, aud predict
all the good or evil consequences of heir conduct;
and his success in some cases, his foresight in 9th
erg, and wisdom in all, won tor him a high reputa-
ton among the Gotta ers,t to which his tGcIturn hab-
its contributed not a little, for, HIth the vulgar, as
with the educated. no talker was ever seriously
taken for IA coujurer, though a silent man is often
decided TO he a wise one.
There was but one person in " al all dis
posed to rebel against the despotic sovereignty
which RhysM Meredith was silently establishing over
the quiet village, and that was precisely the person
most likely to effect Il revolution she was a beau
tiful maiden, the glory aud boast ofthe village, who
had been the favorite n, and to Il great degree odu-
Gated by, the late lady OF the Lord Of the Manor;
but she had died, and her pupil, with the full conf
dence other intellectual superiority, had returned
to her native village, where she determined to have
an empire of her own, which no rival should dis
pute she lssyhed at the naidons who listened to
the predictions OF Rhys, and che refused her smiles
TO the youths who consulted him upon their affairs
aud their prospects and rs the beautiful Ruth was
generally beloved, the silent Rhys was soon in dan.
ger OF being abandoned 10y all, save dotiug men and
paralytic women, and found himself an outcast N
the village Of ".
But To be such was not the object Of Meredith /;
no was an idle man, and the gifts Of the villagers
contributed to spare him from ~exertion he knew
too, that in another point Of view, this ascendancy
was necessary to his purposes and as he had failed
TO establish II Ivy wisdom and benevolencc, he lie.
termined to try the effect Of fear. The character
Of the people with whom he sojourped, was admira-
bly, calculated to assist his projects his predictions
we're now uttered more clearly, and his threats
denounced in sterner tones, and in strong
or and palmer words and when he predicted
that old Morgan Williams, who had been strick-
en- with the palsy, would die at the turn ofthe tide,
three DAYS from that on which he spoke, and that
the sight little boat Of gay Gritty Morris, which
sailed from the bay in a bright winter, morning,
should never again make the shore; and the man
died, and the storm arose, even as he had said -