Historical dream account · English · original historical text
A French multitude approaches
Samuel Sewall (1652–1730)
Diary of Samuel Sewall, vol. II (1699–1714), in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. VI, fifth series, second edition (1879) · Diary, vol. II, printed p. 157
Dreamer identified by the source: Samuel Sewall
Read in your language or share a constellation ↗
Last night I dream'd I saw a vast number of French coming towards us, for multitude and Huddle like a great Flock of Sheep. It put me into a great Consternation, and made me think of Hiding in some Thicket. The Impression remain'd upon me after my Waking. GOD defend!
“Last night” in the 4 April 1706 entry; the original calendar is retained.
Source & context
A complete firsthand account of a frightening approaching crowd, including the impression that remained after waking and the author’s closing plea. The historical national label and comparison are Sewall’s own dream description, not a claim about people today or a verified prediction. The next dated waking visit is excluded. “Last night” in the 4 April 1706 entry; the original calendar is retained.
Samuel Sewall (1652–1730), own diary, Diary of Samuel Sewall, vol. II (1699–1714), in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. VI, fifth series, second edition (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1879), Diary, vol. II, printed p. 157. Committee of Publication: George E. Ellis; William H. Whitmore; Henry Warren Torrey; James Russell Lowell (Committee of Publication). Original-edition witness: Internet Archive, Princeton Theological Seminary Library scan. Dates, source spelling and author qualifications retained; descriptive title and navigation metadata added by Synastry.
“Last night” in the 4 April 1706 entry; the original calendar is retained.
Public domain in the United States (original published edition) ↗
Original nineteenth-century English diary publication, dated from the actual title-page witness rather than the generic archive metadata. The publication predates 1931 and Samuel Sewall (1652–1730) and the original publication committee are long deceased. This uses an expired-US-publication basis, not a modern transcription or new Creative Commons licence; no blanket worldwide grant is asserted. This record's title-page date is 1879; archive metadata's generic 1878 date is not used.
Source locator and text provenance
Diary, vol. II, printed p. 157
The original text and redactions are preserved. The page title is an editorial navigation label.
Only scan-witnessed OCR repairs and original typography/line/paragraph spacing normalization. Editorial title and navigation metadata added. No synthetic story, omitted dream qualification, calendar conversion or translation.
- Account text SHA-256
- 10fd65f5b3faa1ec55348dac4f7579ce95b7e610e2a50c9d5c256e1694c6c4ad
- Source file SHA-256
- a26c97831fe0a89670d1af8bb2e94f1713a1e70bd12cfdbd7e42b491cb5e3013
Content notes
- Historical recollection
Connections in the Loom
Titles, theme labels, illustrations and map connections are editorial navigation aids. They are separate from the account’s words and do not establish connections between real people.