The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1856-04-17
H!isrrllanfnlla Burning.
Afsam IN s..

"
A man who is the least inclined to super.
stition, may be excused il, at times, he gives
some credence TO either the brilliant or the
gloomy dreams which sometimes assaiI him.
Modern philosophy, armed with its hopeless
skepticisIn, has yainly sought to ban,sh
among the crowd of fables, those features
which prove the intellectual existence Of mar
during his sleep; on the other hand, ther,
were many respectable personages or antiqui
ty, philosophers, as well as commanders OF
armies, with the most eminent writers OF
Greece and Rome, who thought il their duty
to have faith in dreams, on which might de
pend the safety Of a people. city, or au
army, so that, without blu-hing, we may be-
come credulous after the manner of Keno.
phen, Simonides, CasSius. Cesar. Plato. Blu.
without wading so far back through the food
of time, to search for celebrated dreams, we
need cite only a few, which approach nearer
to the present period s,.
Maldonat. Jesuit. had formed a design
of undertaking commentary on the four
Gospels; for several nights he thought he
beheld man, who exhorted him to 90 on
speedily with the work, and assured him
that he would complete it, but that he would
not line long after it was finished. This
man at the same time pointed ont to him a
certain part Of his stomach, in which Nal.
donat experienced violent pangs, and ot
which he died, very soon after the work was
concluded >ss
man, who did not know one word of
Greek, went to seek out Saumaise, and show
ell him some certain words which he heard
IN the night in dream, and which he had
written IN French characters. He asked him
II he knew what those words expressed I
Saumaise told him in Greek, they signified,
Go thy WAYS. dost thou not see that death
threateneth thee r. The dreamer returned
to his house, which fell down the following
night. f
A learned man of DJon, being fatigued
ali day with studying one particular passage
IN Greek poet, without being able TO com.
prehend it went at length to bed and fell
asleep. He fanciei himself transported in a
dream to the palace Of Christian.atS Stockholm.
where he visited the Queen of Sweden's H..
brary, and perceived small volume; he
opened it and read ten Greek verses, which
solved all the difficulty he had labored un.
der. His JOY awakened him he arose. noted
down what be had just -rsad. sud. finding
the adventure of so extraordinary a nature,
he wrote TO Descartes, who was then with
the Queen in Sweden, and described to him
all the particulars Of his dream. Descartes
replied to him, telling him that the most
Skillful engineer could not have drawn the
plan Of the place better, nor the library.
than he had done in his letter; that he had
found the book in question on the table he
pointed out; that he had therein read the
verses mentioned by him. and that he would
send him the work at the first opportunity.
Marshal Villars, at the age of sixteen, was
a cornet in a cavalry regiment. One night
he was on the advanced guard in the camp,
and was warming himself bef,re wretched
fire, when he heard a loud voice calling to
him TO join aud mount his horse with his
escort. The youthful warrior paid but little
attention to this order, but still he heard the
voice, and ar invisible hand seized him by
his cloak. Viliars then obeyed, and scarce
WIS he advanced few ,sees distant with
his i,sss., than the ;f,lscs heha6 left blew up
with terrible explosion. IL seems that the
enemy, abandoning the territory, which was
threatened by the French army, buried come
barrels Of gunpowder which they were una
Bile to carry away. The soldiers belonging
to villars had lighted their fires precisely
on the spot which concealed the barrels.
The action Of ths fire commenced by dry
ing the powder, and finished by its explo-
sion. The protecting genius Of yillars pre-
sefved him from this danger; and also saved
with him handful Of brave fellows who.
without the fortunate star which 0uided