In such a case, the pleasant things to come
would lose their attractiveness by reason of having been dwelt on so long
that their flavor was lost; and the unpleasant things would become
unbearable by reason of the continual anticipation of them. We are apt to
discount our pleasures by dwelling too much upon them in anticipation;
and, as we all know, the dread of a coming evil often is worse than the
thing itself--we suffer a thousand pangs in anticipation to one in
reality. But, as I have intimated, there are other, and still more serious
reasons why the advanced occultists do not indulge in public prophecies
of this kind. It is probable that Cazotte decided to, and was permitted
to, make his celebrated prophecy for some important occult reason of which
La Harpe had no knowledge--it doubtless was a part of the working out of
some great plan, and it may have accomplished results undreamed of by us.
At any rate, it was something very much out of the; ordinary, even in the
case of advanced occultists and masters of esoteric knowledge.
Another case which has a historic value is the well-known case concerning
the assassination of Spencer Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in
England, which occurred in the lobby of the House of Commons. The persons
who have a knowledge of the case report that some nine days before the
tragic occurrence a Cornish mine manager, named John Williams, had a
vision, three times in succession, in which he saw a small man, dressed in
a blue coat and white waistcoat, enter the lobby of the House of Commons;
whereupon another man, dressed in a snuff-colored coat, stepped forward,
and, drawing a pistol from an inside pocket fired at and shot the small
man, the bullet lodging in the left breast.
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