It may be interesting to the believers in modern miracles to learn that at
all events "rapping" is no new thing. I now send you the account of an
incident in the sixteenth century, which bears a strong resemblance to some
of those veracious narrations which have enlightened mankind in the
nineteenth century.
Rushton Hall, near Kettering in Northamptonshire, was long the residence of
the ancient and distinguished family of Treshams. In the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, the mansion was occupied by Sir Thomas Tresham, who was a pedant
and a fanatic; but who was an important character in his time by reason of
his great wealth and powerful connexions. There is a lodge at Rushton,
situate about half a mile from the old hall, now in ruins; but covered all
over, within and without, with emblems of the Trinity. This lodge is known
to have been built by Sir Thomas Tresham; but his precise motive for
selecting this mode of illustrating his favourite doctrine was unknown
until it appeared from a letter written by himself about the year 1584, and
discovered in a bundle of books and papers inclosed, since 1605, in a wall
in the old mansion, and brought to light about twenty years ago. The
following relation of a "rapping" or "knocking" is extracted from this
letter:
"If it be demanded why I labour so much in the Trinity and Passion of
Christ to depaint in this chamber, this is the principal instance
thereof; That at my last being hither committed[1], and I usually
having my servants here allowed me, to read nightly an hour to me after
supper, it fortuned that Fulcis, my then servant, reading in the
_Christian Resolution_, in the treatise of _Proof that there is a God,
&c._, there was upon a wainscot table at that instant three loud knocks
{513} (as if it had been with an iron hammer) given; to the great
amazing of me and my two servants, Fulcis and Nilkton."