"BOULOGNE, 5th August, 1652."* * * * *This version has, over all others, the merit of being written by anacquaintance of the seer, who was with him while the appearances weregoing on. The narrator was also present at an interview between theseer and Buckingham. His mention of Sir Ralph Freeman tallies withClarendon's, who had the story from Freeman. The ghost predicts theRestoration, and this is recorded before that happy event. Of courseMr. Towse may have been interested in Buckingham's career and may haveinvented the ghost (after discovering the secret token) {127} as anexcuse for warning him.The reader can now take his choice among versions of Sir GeorgeVilliers' ghost. He must remember that, in 1642, Sir Henry Wotton"spent some inquiry whether the duke had any ominous presagementbefore his end," but found no evidence. Sir Henry told Izaak Walton astory of a dream of an ancestor of his own, whereby some robbers ofthe University chest at Oxford were brought to justice. Anthony Woodconsulted the records of the year mentioned, and found no trace of anysuch robbery. We now approach a yet more famous ghost than SirGeorge's. This is Lord Lyttelton's. The ghost had a purpose, to warnthat bad man of his death, but nobody knows whose ghost she was!
