The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

16 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
heaving up the bed's feet, flopt them down again a while, until at last it
heaved the feet so high that those in bed thought to have been set upon
their heads; and having thus for two hours entertained them, went out as
in the night before, but with a great noise.
October 19, This night they awaked not until the midst of the night; they
perceived the room to shake with something that walkt about the bedchamber, which having done so a while, it walkt into a withdrawing-room,
where it took up a brasse warming-pan, and returning with it into the bedchamber, therein made so loud a noise, in these captains' own words, it was
as loud and scurvy as a ring of five untuned bells rung backward; but
the captains, not to seem afraid, next day made mirth of what had past,
and jested at the devil in the pan.
October 20. These captains and their company, still lodging as before,
were wakened in this night with some things flying about the rooms, and out
of one room into the other, as thrown with some great force. Captain Hart,
being in a slumber, was taken by the shoulder and shaked until he did sit
up in his bed, thinking that it had been one of his fellows, when suddenly
he was taken on the pate with a trencher, that it made him shrink down
into the bed-clothes, and all of them, in both rooms, kept their heads at
least within their sheets, so fiercely did three dozen of trenchers fly about
the rooms; yet Captain Hart ventured again to peep out to see what was
the matter, and what it was that threw, but then the trenchers came so fast
and neer about his ears, that he was fain quickly to couch again. In the
morning they found all their trenchers, pots, and spits, upon and about their
beds, and all such things as were of common use scattered about the rooms.
This night there were also, in several parts of the room and outer rooms,
such noises of beating at doors, and on the walls, as if that several smiths
had been at work; and yet our captains shrunk not from their work, but
went on in that, and lodged as they had done before.
October 21. About midnight they heard great knocking at every door;
after a while the doors flew open, and into the withdrawing-room entered
something as of a mighty proportion, the figure of it they knew not how to
describe. This walkt awhile about the room shaking the floor at every step,
then came it up close to the bed-side, where lay Captains Crook and Carelesse; and after a little pause, as it were, the bed-curtains, both at sides
and feet, were drawn up and down slowly, then faster again for a quarter
of an hour, then from end to end as fast as imagination can fancie the running of the rings, then shaked it the beds, as if the joints thereof had crackt;
then walkt the thing into the bed-chamber, and so plaied with those beds
there; then took up eight peuter dishes, and bouled them about the room
and over the servants in the truckle-beds; then sometimes were the dishes
taken up and thrown crosse the high beds and against the walls, and so
much battered; but there were more dishes wherein was meat in the same
room, that were not at all removed. During this, in the presence-chamber
there was stranger noise of weightie things thrown down, and, as they supposed, the clefts of the King's Oak did roul about the room, yet at the
wonted hour went away, and left them to take rest, such as they could.
October 22. Hath mist of being set down, the officers imployed in their
work farther off, came not that day to Woodstock.
October 23. Those that lodged in the withdrawing-room, in the midst of
the night were awakened with the cracking of fire, as if it had been with
thorns and sparks of fire burning, whereupon they supposed that the bedchamber had taken fire, and listning to it farther, they heard their fellows
in bed sadly groan, which gave them to suppose they might be suffocated;
wherefore they called upon their servants to make all possible hast to help
them. When the two servants were come in, they found all asleep, and so
brought back word, but that there were no bedclothes upon them; wherefore they were sent back to cover them, and to stir up and mend the fire,