I will proceed to give it.

I have written down the above tirade nearly, as far as I can guess, a printed pageful (may be a little more, looking at it again), in order to call down the wrath of all wise men, if any such have done me the honour of getting so far in these volumes, on the most trashy and false proverb of the whole: "Coming events cast their shadows before." Now, they don't, you know.

They never did, and never will.

I myself used to be a strong believer in pre-( what's the word ?--prevarications, predestinations)--no--presentiments; until I found by experience that, although I was always having presentiments, nothing ever came of them.
Sometimes somebody would walk over my grave, and give me a creeping in the back, which, as far as I can find out, proceeded from not having my braces properly buttoned behind.

Sometimes I have heard the death-watch, produced by a small spider (may the deuce confound him!), not to mention many other presentiments and depressions of spirit, which I am now firmly persuaded proceed from indigestion.