T has been thought not improper to prefix to lowing fummary Account of the Proceedings in regard to some strange Noifes, heard the beginning of the Year 1762, at a Houfe in Cock-lane Weft-Smithfield, London; which gave rife to the enfuing Poem. Mr. Parfons, the officiating Clerk of St. Sepulcbre's, obferving one morning at early prayers, agenteel couple standing in the aile, ordered them into a pew; and, being afterwards thanked for his civility by the gentleman, who afked if he could inform him of a lodging in the neighbourhood; Parlons offered his own houfe, which was accepted of. Some time after, in the abfence of the gentleman, who was in the country, Mr. Parfon's daughter, a child of eleven years of age, being taken by Mifs Fanny (the name the gentlewoman went by) to her bed, Mifs Fanny complained one morning to the family, of both having been greatly disturbed by violent noifes. Mrs. Parfons,. at a lofs to account for this, bethought herself of a neighbouring industrious fhoe-maker, whom they concluded to be the cause of the disturbance.. Soon: after, on a Sunday night, Mifs Fanny, getting out of bed, called to Mrs, Parfons, "Pray does your fhoe-maker work fo hard on Sunday nights too?" to which being anfwered in the negative, Mrs. Parfons, &c. were defired to come into the chamber, and be themselves witnesses to the truth of the affertion. At this time feveral perfons were invited to affist, and among the reft the late reverend Mr. Linden, but he excufed himself and the gentleman and lady removing into the neighbourhood of Clerkenwell, (where the foon after died) the noise discontinued at the house of Parfons, from the time of their leaving it, to the first of January, 1762, or thereabouts, the space of above a year and a half; and then began this fecond vifitation, as for diftinction fake, we may venture to call it. In this vifitation, then, the child, upon certain knockings and fcratchings, which feemed to pro ceed from beneath her bedfted, was fometimes thrown into violent fits and agitations; and a wo man attendant, or the father, Mr. Parfons, put questions to the spirit or ghoft, as it was fuppofed by the credulous to be, and they alfo di&tated how many knocks should ferve for an answer, either in the affirmative or negative; and though thefe fcratchings and knockings, difturbed Fanny before her death, it was now fuppofed to be her fpirit, which thus harraffed the poor family. In this manner of converfe fhe charged one Mr. whose first wife was her fifter, and with whom the afterwards lived in fornication, with having poifoned her, by putting arfenick into purl, and adminiftring it to her, when ill of the fmall-pox. Numbers of perfons, of fortune and character, and several clergymen affifted at the vagaries of this invisible knocker and fcratcher, and though no dif covery could be made, by the feveral removals of the |