Late one stormy London night in 1763, a man filled with despair was determined to end his life. He hired a driver to take him to the river and was convinced that if he could only cast himself into the depths of the Thames, his agony could be finally put to an end.
He was unwavering in his resolve as he stepped down from the carriage. As it pulled away, he walked through the fog toward the pier. Suddenly, he noticed a strange figure sitting there, staring at him as if he had been expecting him. In the awkward silence, he also observed the tide was extremely low and decided that maybe he should try something else.
Returning home, the desperate man decided to poison himself with an overdose of laudanum, a potent drug derived from opium. But he couldn’t raise the bottle to his lips. He tried again and again. However, each time, it was as if an invisible hand was pushing it away.
Finally, he attempted to hang himself from the door frame. But after he lost consciousness, the rope snapped, and his housekeeper revived him. For reasons he could not conceive, it seemed something was trying to prevent him from ending his misery.
That man was William Cowper, the famous English poet, and this had not been the first time he had contemplated suicide, only to be held back by peculiar forces.