A gentleman told me, that when he had once
gone far from his own Island, one of his labouring servants
predicted his return, and described the livery of his attendant,
which he had never worn at home; and which had been, without any
previous design, occasionally given him.
Our desire of information was keen, and our inquiry frequent. Mr.
Boswell's frankness and gaiety made every body communicative; and
we heard many tales of these airy shows, with more or less evidence
and distinctness.
It is the common talk of the Lowland Scots, that the notion of the
Second Sight is wearing away with other superstitions; and that its
reality is no longer supposed, but by the grossest people. How far
its prevalence ever extended, or what ground it has lost, I know
not. The Islanders of all degrees, whether of rank or
understanding, universally admit it, except the Ministers, who
universally deny it, and are suspected to deny it, in consequence
of a system, against conviction. One of them honestly told me,
that he came to Sky with a resolution not to believe it.
Strong reasons for incredulity will readily occur. This faculty of
seeing things out of sight is local, and commonly useless. It is a
breach of the common order of things, without any visible reason or
perceptible benefit. It is ascribed only to a people very little
enlightened; and among them, for the most part, to the mean and the
ignorant.
