COINCIDENCES, LUCK, CHANCE 



window, fell diagonally on a side shelf and directly on a 

 copy of the rare booklet he practically despaired of ever 

 seeing again. Think of the many " ifs " that can be put 

 into the moralizing of this story. Thorns goes on to say, 

 that an endeavor was made to cap this stor}^ by a friend, 

 who said that, going to office one muddy morning, he 

 dropped a shilling on the edge of the Strand pavement. 

 Poking for it in the slime with the point of his umbrella, 

 and not seeing it, he went on to business, and thought no 

 more of it until going home at night, he bethought himself 

 and said, "I drop't a shilling here this morning," and 

 looking down at the spot he found twelve pence wrapped 

 up in brown paper. 



In French history 1794 is properly called the period of 

 Robespierre. If to that date you add those same figures, 

 simply as detached numerals, i, 7, 9 and 4, j^ou get 1815, 

 the date of Waterloo. Treat that Waterloo date just the 

 same way, that is to 181 5 add i, 8, i, 5, and you get 1830, 

 the date of the revolution. Treating 1830 the same way 

 you get 1842, the death of the Duke of Orleans. Now, if 

 this numerical scheme were a system of divination, the 

 next national important event would have fallen on 1857, 

 but it came in 1848. However, 1848 has its little date 

 legend. For Louis Phillipe came to the throne in 1830. He 

 was born in 1773, which, treated as a string of numerals and 

 added to 1830, makes 1848. His Queen was born in 1782, 

 which similarly added to 1830 makes 1848 ; and they were 

 married in 1809, which added to 1830 also marks the ominous 

 year 1848. Then note, Louis Napoleon became Emperor 

 in 1852 ; add as numeral? the date of his birth, 1808, and 

 you get 1869. Again, to 1852 add the birth year of the 

 Empress, 1826, and you get 1869 ; and they were married 

 in 1853, which added to 1852 also makes 1869, the date of 

 active friction that in six months culminates in his 

 disastrous war with Russia. 



The Italian summary of Napoleonic coincidence 



