FIENDS, GHOSTS, AND SPRI TE

S .

A B ELI EFin the supernatural h as existed in all

ages a nd a mong all n ations .

To tra ce th e origi n o f this belief the c auses of

,

the v arious mo dific ations it h as undergon e and ,

the ph a ses it h as assumed is , perh ap s one of the

, ,

most intere sting rese arches to which the min d

can be given — interesting in asmuch as we find
, ,

p erv ading every p art o f it the e ff ects of tho se

p assions and aff ect ion s which are most p owerful
and perm anent in our nature .

S o g e ner al i s the belief in a supreme an d over

ruling P ower possessing attributes altoge ther dif
,

ferent from and superior to h um a n powers and ,

bending these an d the forces of nature to i ts

will that the thought has been enterta ined by
,

man y that it is in b orn in man S uch a do c

.

B
 2 FIEN D S GH O S T S , , A ND S P RI T E S .

trine is however refuted by an acquaintance with

, ,

th e inlets and m odes of obt a ining knowledge ;

by the fact th at reason is necessary to its dis

“
c overy ; and by its uselessness * There are .

neither in nate ideas nor inn ate propositions ; but

there is an inn ate power of understanding that
shows itself in primi tive notions which when , ,

p ut into s p eech are expres sed in propositions , ,

which propositi on s decomposed produce under , , ,

the influence of abstraction and an alysis distin ct ,

”
ide as 1 .
'

O thers have asserted and maintained that man

derives hi s knowledge of the exis tence of D eity ,

and consequently, of the supern atural , from the ,

exercise of reason upon himself and hi s own powers

by self re flec tio n I f he reflects upon th e won der
-
.

ful power of liberty and free will which he pos -

ses ses on his rel ation to surrounding beings an d

,

things and particul arly on hi s imperfect limited

, , ,

and finite powers it is argued th at the antithe tical ,

proposition of in fi nite must of necessity be ad

mitted I cannot h ave the idea of the finite
“
.

a nd o f i mperfection without having that o f rf ec

p e

tion and of infinite These two ideas are logica lly .

”
eorrelati ve i O r if man extends h i
. s re a soning
L ock O f H umn Und r t nd ng B I ch 2
e. a e s a i

1 Co in Cour d I H i toi e d l PhiIO S Op hi e Modem

, .
, . .

‘ ’
us . s e s r e a ,

edit 1 847 T III p 2 6 9

.
, .
, . .

I C ou in O p i t T III p 368
s . . c .
, .
, . .
 S U P ER A TU R AL N na m es . 3

“
owers to the study or the contemplation of
p
the beauty the order the intelligence the wisdom
, , , ,

a nd the perfection displ ayed throughout the uni

verse ; and as there must of neces sity be i n the

cause wh at is witnes sed in the e ff ect y ou reason ,

from n ature to its author , and from the e xistence

o f the perfection o f th e o ne you conclude the

existen ce and perfection of the

B u t m any t heologists m ainta in th at the know
ledge of a D eity a nd of the existen c e of su pe r
,

natural beings is derived solely from revel ation ;

a nd ste ma nd prolonged h a ve been the struggles
,

in this country between the u p holde rs of the riv al

tenets.

Th at no ide a of a D eity such as that which th e

,

C hristian entertains is to be found a mong the

,

vague and undefined notion s of supernatural

power which are contained in the mythologies
of p ag an n ations ; th at even the conceptions of
P la to are to be s ummed up in the phra se “
the
unknown G od an d th at the perfect idea of the
G odhe a d is to b e derived solely from S cri p ture ,

can be s atisfactorily shown B u t the conclusion .

sought to be establish ed from this that all our ,

ideas of the supern atural are derived from this

source does not necess arily follow
,

The postul a te that m

.

an can derive a knowledge

C o in O p ci t T II I p 3 7 0
us . . .
, .
, . .
4 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T E S .

of the supern atural from the exercise of his

m ent al power s alon e cann o t either be affi rmed or
,

denied but it i s not improb able

,
.

P e rh ap s the ne are st appro ach to corre ctnes s

which w e are as yet c ap able of on this subject
is as follows
A fter the crea tion of m an G od reve aled him
,

self The p e rfect knowledge of the D ei ty thus

.

obtained w as perpetu ated by a fragment o f the

,

hum a n r ace n otwith st anding th e b aneful e ff ect s

,

of th e fal l ; and a t the epoch of the deluge th e ,

solita ry family which esca ped that migh ty c ata

cly sm form e d a centr e from which
, ane w the

a t tribute s a nd powers o f the G odhe ad w e re mad e

kn own in all th e ir tru th and purity B ut again .

sin prev ailed and with the exception of one race

, ,

w ho alone tre a sured the true knowledge of the

D eity m ankind lo st by d egrees the pure faith of

,

their fathers ; and as they receded from the light ,

the ide a o f the G odhe ad bec ame obscured and in ,

the progre ss of time well nigh lost and the ,

v ague and imperfect ide as of a su pe rn atur al Power

derived from tradition prompted to a terror and
,

a w e of some invi s ible yet migh ty influence un ,

known and inexplic able but which w as m anif ested

to m
,

a n in th e more striking obj ects a nd th e i n

co m preh en sib le phenomen a of n ature which were ,

reg arded and worshi pped as the se ats of this

 SUPE RNA T URA L B EINGS . 5

unknown P ower forming the substratum of those

,

wo nderful systems of mythology which have ch a

rac te ri se d s uccessive era s and r a ces .

“ ”
O nce write s P l ato re ferring to the e arlier
, ,

“
traditions of the G reek s one G o d governed the
,

universe ; but a gre at an d extra ordin ary ch ange

ta king pl ace in the n ature of men and thin gs ,
infinitely for th e wors e (for origin ally there w as
perfect vi rtue and perfect h appiness o n earth ) ,

the comm and then devolved o n J upiter with ,

m any infe rior deitie s to pre side over di ff erent

d e p artments under
To sta te the influence which each of the ele
ment s indic ated a bove — t radition and re ason — h ave
h ad in the development of myth ology is doubt ,

le ss impos sible .

The existence o f th e first element tra di ti on , ,

i s to those who admit the truth of S cripture

, ,

undeni able and it give s a clue to the elucid ation

,

of the le a ding princ iple in the belief i n those

g ods d eamon
, s fiends s prites
, , summed ,

up h ave constitute d the obj ects of worshi p of

,

di ffer ent nations .

I As in the course of gener ations the p ri stine

revelation of the G odhe ad to m
.

an bec am e
obs c ured and a vague and traditi on ary belief
,

a lone remained — the conceptions ,

the though ts ,

Pl to P oli tic
a . Mitford s G reece Vol I p 84
a s.
’

, .
, . .
6 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI TES
, , .

and imagi n ations of e ach generation bein g

imp lanted in th e succeeding one and influencing ,

it by the force of h abit education a nd authority , , ,

-m an impressed with an imp e rfect notion of a

,

supernatural P ower and ign orant of the forces of

,

th e m ateri al world on seeking to un fold

, the
source o f those ch ang e s which he beheld in th e

budding forth of spring the fervid beauty of

the m
,

s ummer , atu rity of autumn and the ,

s tern grandeur of winter conceived th at th e ,

wonderful phenomen a ever going on around him

owed th e ir ori gin and effects to the influence of
s upern a tur a l agency a nd m a rking their a pp aren t
,

dependence upon the su n and other orbs in

sp ace he o ff ered ador ation to those lumin aries
, .

B ut when he still further an alysed the ch anges

occurring on the surface of the globe and com ,

prehended the influence of the m o re p alp able

forces a nd el e ments and the inexh austible v arie ty
,

a nd seeming disconnectednes s of the phenomena

which he witnessed incap able of o therwi se ,

solving the mys te ries which surrounded him he ,

deemed e ach as the work of a potent and indwell

ing S pirit * .

V in ind ed i the li f of ll m en in w ho m th re i s n t th
“
a e s e a e o e

tru e kno w l dg of G d
e wh
e fro mth thing w hich
o : o, n to e s are see

b good h v n t b n b l t conc iv
e , a e o ee right of th t w hich is
a e o e e a a

goodn it lf ; nor w hil th y vi w d th w ork t cknowl dge

ess se , e e e e e , o a e

the archi tec t bu t h v though t that ei th r fi

: a e or the W nd the e re , i ,
 NA T U R A L PHEN OMEN A . 7

Thus man concluded th at he was surrounded

by a world of supern atur al be ings of di ff erent ,

powers attributes and p assions The su n an d

, ,
.

moon the pl anets and sta rs were con ceived to be

, ,

the abodes of spiritu al existences and the e ffects

caused by those orbs which more immedi ately
influence ou r ea rth were con sidered as th e ,

indic ations of the powers of their respective

deities S o also the ai r i ts clouds and currents
.
,

the oce an with its mighty progeny of l akes and

,

rivers ; and the earth its hi ll s d al es and organic , , ,

forms were p eopled with incorp ore al b eing s

, .

E very object o f be auty sh adowed forth the

operation s of a be neficent S pirit ; wh ile dev astating
storms b arre n pl aces and deserts and the con
, ,

vu lsi ons o f nature,betokened the m align ancy of

d aemons or fiends A ccording as a country s.

’

surfac e is h arsh rugged b arren an d storm tossed

, , ,
-
,

or clothed with lovely verdure an d bas king in the

ravs of a fervid su n so do we find the principa l

,

characters of i ts mythology ; ster n gigantic, and ,

fierce gods or d aemons or spiri ts more kin d

towards m
,

an and full of be auty and gr a ce

, The .

pas sions and aff ection s of m an, for th e same

reasons were considered to be under the sw ay of
,

swif t i r or th e st r
a in th ir cour or th v t de p or the
a s e ses , e as e

nd m
, ,

su n a oon w r th d iti p r iding ov r th w orld

, e e e e
”
es es e e .

Liber S p i enti
a ch 1 3 v 1 2 Translati on by Luke H oward
a', .
, .
, .
,
8 mm u p s, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES , .

supern atural beings ; in short every operation of ,

n ature in the org anic or inorganic in the mental ,

or physic al world s w as deemed an indic ation of ,

the existence of a supernatural Being which rul ed

an d governed t i * .

The se powers in the progress of time were

p erson ified and re p re sented as p osse ssed of
p as sions and propen sities similar to those of man ;
for the s ame finite and imperfect reason which
had con cluded th at they dwelt in the phenomena
A n i n t r ting ill tr tion of th t nd ncy of mnkind in
e es us a e e e a a

st ta e of g i mt
sava e s ttr ib u te trik ing p h no m
o n t u p er
a s e e a o s

n t r l g ncy nd d ify th m n through w hich th y

a u a a e a e e ea s e a re

pp r n tly x hi bi t d occurr d on th mrch of Cort fro m

,

a a e e e , e e a es

M x ico t H ondur
e o D uring d r hun t th hor whi ch
as . a ee -
, e se

C ort rod w t k n ill

es e I t d i d n t th n di though i t would
as a e . o e e,

h v b n b tt r i f i t h d
a e ee e y th d vou t b t ru thl con
e a
”
sa s e e u ess

p r n th ti c lly A l i ttl w hil ft rw rd h m

,

q ueror, a e e a .
g b n e e a e a s, av ee

court ou ly r c i v d b y th I tz lan I nd i n Cor t

e s e e e n tru t d e a a s, es
“
e s e

th me w i th th e c r of h i hor M g ll w hich h d b n l md
a e s se or i o, a ee a e

ch rging th mt t k gr t c re of i t nd tt nd t t r ov ry
,

a e o a e ea a a a e o i s ec e

nd telh ng th mth t w h n h h d
, ,

as h p ri d i t v ry hi ghly
e ze e , a e a e e a

found th S p ni rd h w in rch of h hould nd for hi

e a a s e as sea e s se s

d g in I t w fromno w n t of c r on th p r t of the
,

st ee a a as a a e e a

x b t r th r fro m n x c
.

It zae u a e of i t th t M gi ll lo t hi s a e ess a or o s

lif und r th ir mn g mnt ; for in th ir n x iety t ff ct c r

, ,

e e e a a e e e a o e e a u e,

and r g rding th
e a ni ml on ndow d wi th reason th y g v
e a a as e e e e a e

h i mp oul try nd o th r m t t nd p rese n t d hi mw i th

,

a t e ea o ea a e

ccu t md to do t p r on of
,

b unch s of flow r
e th y w r e s , as e e e a s o e o e s s

rank w h n th y w r ick ;
e e p ci es of tt n tion mwh t
e e s a s e a e so e a

sim il r t th t w hich th f ol l ughed t in n Le w hen he

a o a e o a a ar,

sp k of th cockn y wh for
ea s e p ur kindn t hi horse
e o
‘
a e ess o s

b u tt r d hi h y Th con q u nc of thi un cc to md ty l
,

’
e e s a e se e e s a us e s e

of m tm
.

edic l tr a n t w that M g ll o l nguish d nd d d nd

ea e as , or i a e a ie , a
 NA TU R A L PHEN OMEN A . 9

they were supposed to expl ain also deemed , ,

b eing un able to conceive any higher type of

existence th an was seen in m an hims elf th a t they ,

difl ere d simply in degree of power a nd were alike ,

subj e ct to thos e appetites and p assions which

characteri sed hum anity .

Thi s source of beli e f in spiritu al existences i s

found dominant in the sy stems o f myth ology of
all n ations ; and as it arise s from c a uses wh i ch
are i nh e rant in m an it ca n e asilv be u nderstood ,

why there is so gre at a simil arity i n the p rimary

m y thologic al conceptions of different races .

th n w or vil b f ll for ob rv the p iou V ll g ti re

e a se e e e se es s i a u er

though o m p o p l
, , ,

y C n k b urnt h idol in th p r nce

“
s e e e sa a e is s e ese

of Cor t th r w in r li ty no b urning of idol or nythin g

es , e e as ea s a

l in th t ci ty of T y l ; on th con tr y b y l ving th horse

e se a a asa e ar ea e

infi d l I t x th y ob t in d gr t r nd till m
,

w i th th e e z ae or e a e a ea e a s e

bo m in b l idol th n th mny th y h d b for Th m ning

,

”
a a e a e a e a e e. e ea

of thi n t nc i u b q u n tly xp l in d b y th w orthy eb ro

s se e e s s se e e a e e

ni l infor m
o et ing th t on th d th of M g ll th I t x us a e ea or i o, e zae

r i d i t ffi gy in t n nd m
,

a se s e ort r v ry p r f ct nd w
“
s o e a a , e e e ,
’
a or

shipp d i t e divini ty I t w as t d on i t hind q u r t r

a on as sea e s - a e s,

t m
.

th floor of n of th
e p l ri ing on i t for l g wi th i ts
o e e e es, s s e e s,

hind l g b n t und r i t Th b r b ri n dor d i t th god of

e s e e ese a a a s a e as e

c l ling hi mT i n h w hich m n
.

thund r nd th und rb ol t
e a e s, a z ac ac , ea s

th b rid of thund r or th thund rb ol t Th y g v i t thi s

e e e e e e a e

n m fro mh ving n o m of th S p ni rd w h w r w i th
, .

a e a see s e e a a s o e e

C rt fi th ir m
o es u k t ov r th hor h d w h n th y w
re e s e s e e ses
’
ea s e e ere

hun ti ng d r nd th y b h d th hor w r th c u of th
ee a e e eve e ses e e e a se e

noi th t w md w hich th y took for thund r nd th fl h

,

se a as a e, e e a e as

of th d i ch rg nd th m
,

e s ok of th gun p o w d r for thun

a e a e s e e e a

H t ry f Y c t n A tk m m 1 8 5 4
”
d b lt
er o F n t
.
-
a cou r
’
s is o o u a a . e eu .
,

p . 1 09 .
10 FIEN D S GH O S T S AND S P RI T ES
, , .

Th e mythologies of ancient G reece and Ro me

furni sh a very perfect illu stration of the influence
which this c ause h as ex e rcised in the development
o f the belief in supern atur a l beings and no better ,

method o f i llustration c an be adopted th an a ,

sketch of the phy sical signific ation of the princip al

deities and cl asses of deities of those countries
, , .

The primitive religion of the G reeks an d

Rom ans would appe ar to h ave consisted in the
worship of the he avenly bodie s (S abaism ) — the
Tit ans are ne arly all pe rsonifications of the celes
tial orbs S ub sequently their mythology a s sumed
.
,

a more physic al ch a ra cter and the o ff spring of

C ronos ( S aturn ti m
,

e) or the e rsoni fica tions of

p
am
, ,

the firm e nt atmosphere ,

se a & c , formed the , ,
.

leading deities of the more developed system of

religion and the reign of Jupiter commenced
,
.

I n this sy stem the god J upiter is symbolical

,

of the upper r e gions of the atmosphere

( E ther ) .

E uripides writes
The v xp nd ed b oundl ess sky b ehold
ast , e a

S ee i t w i th oft em
, ,

b r c e the ear th enfold ;

s a

T hi ow n the chi f of d ei ti s bov e

s e e a

A nd thi s ackno w l edge by th e n am

,

e of J ov e .

At a l ater period this god w as conceived to

represent the soul of the world di ff u sed alike ,

through animate and inanim ate nature ; or, as

Cicero . De N atu ra D eo ru mB
, . II c , . 25 .
 G R EEK AND R O MA N DEI T IES . ll

V irgil poetically describes it in th e fEnei d

( Book vi ) .

h v n nd rth co m
Th e ea e a p c t d fr m
ea
’
s a e a e,

And flo w ing w t r nd th t rry fl m

a e s, a e s a a e,

A nd b o th th r di n t ligh t n co m
e a a mon oul s, o e s

I n p ir nd f d nd ni mt th w hol
s es a ee s, a a a es e e.

Thi cti v m
s a ind infu d through ll th p c
e se a e S a e,

Un i t nd m
es a ingl wi th th mes ighty m e ass .

H nc mn nd b t th b r th of li f o b t in
e e a a eas s e ea e a ,

And b i d of i nd m on t r of th min ”
r s a r, a s e s e a .

The god A pollo signifies the su n — his pro p hetic ,

power being symbolical of its influence in di s

e ll ing d arkness ; his knowledge of medicine an d
p
healing signifi es the influen ce of tha t lumin ary in
,

revivifying and re storing the powers O f organic

life ; his skill in mu sic is symbolical of the
central po sition of the su n among the seve n
planets and i ts m aking harmony with them an d
,

the h a rp upon which thi s god i s depicted as pl ay

ing i s furnished with seven string s in emblem

, ,

of the seven planets P a n represents the uni

.

vers al world and he is the emblem of fecun di ty

, .

H ence thi s god i s depicted in his upper part as a

man in hi s low e r p arts as a be ast ; because the
,
“

superior and celesti al p art of th e world is beau

ti ful r adi ant and gloriou s a s the face of this god
, , ,

whose horn s resemble the r ay s of the sun and the ,

horn s of the moon The redness of h is face i s

.

like the splen dour of the sky ; an d the S p otted

11 2 FIENDS, G H O S T S AND SPRI TES
, .

skin th at he we ars is an im age of the starry firm a

ment I n hi s lower p arts he is sh agged and de

.

formed which repre sents the shrubs and wild

, ,

be asts and trees of the e ar th below H i s go at s

,
.
’

feet signify the solidity O f the e arth and h i s pipe

of seven r e eds th at cele sti al h armony which i s
,

made by the seven pl anet s H e h as a shepherd s .

’

hook crooked at the top in his h and which si g

, , ,

ni fie s the turning of the ve ar into

The godde ss Cy bele w as symbo lical of the
—
earth ; Juno O f the ai r the link between e arthly
,

and he avenly n atures Vu lca n of fire ; E olus of , ,

the wind s D i a na of the m oon ; N ep tu ne of the

, ,

sea ; R usi na of th e country ;

, Ceres o f the fruits ,

Of the e a rth ; Colli na o f the hill s ; Va lloni a of

, ,

the valley s S i lva nus of the woods wh ich teemed, ,

also with inferior deities sa ty rs and f au na S eia -

presided over all se e d ; Flora flowers P roserp i na ,

cherished the corn when it h ad sprung abov e the

e arth ; Volas i a folded th e b lade round it e re th e
bea rd broke out ; Nodosus w atch e d over th e
j oints and knots of the stalk P a teli na governed
the opened e ar ; Lactusa took ch arg e when i t
bec ame milky ; M atura gu arded and c onducted it
to m aturity ; H ostili na presided over the crop and
Tuteli na over th e cutting
Ny m
, .

p hs goddesses of lovely form and light

, ,

S rviu T ok P n th on p 1 9 8
e s . o
’
e s a e , . .
 G R EEK AND R O M AN DEI T IES . 13

and airy be a uty, s p orted about the e arth ; a

Dry a d presid e d over every tree ; a H a a a’ry a d m
w as born lived and died with e ach oak ; Orea d s
, ,
'

dwelt on the mountains ; Nap ece in the groves

'

and v alleys ; Lem oni a ds in the me ado w s an d

,

fi eldsfi ; N erei a ds in
,
the oce a n ; N a i a als a t the
,

founta ins ; Fluvi a les by th e rivers : and Li ri

,

no des by l akes and ponds

, .

Vesta pr e sided over the vital he at of the b ody ;

Janus op e ned the gate of life to infa nt m an ;

Op i s a s sisted him when he c a me into the world ;

Nasci o presided over the m oment o f birth ;
Cuni a w atched over the cradle a nd while he lay
,

a nd slept ; Vagi tanus or Va ti ca nu s took c are

while the in fant cried ; R um
, ,

i na presided while th e
child sucked the bre ast ; P ati na gu arded the
infant drink ing ; Educa w atched over it while it
“
received food ; O ssi lago knit its bones and
hardened its body ; Ca rna presid e d over the
safe ty of the inw ard p arts ; the godde ss Nu ndi na
had ch arge of the child on the n inth day—the day
of purifi ca tion ; S ta ti li nus t aught thei nfa nt to
st a nd and w alk a nd preserved it from
, falling ;
Fa buli nus looked a fter the ch ild when it beg a n to
spe ak ; P a venti a preserved it from fright ; Juven
tus protected the b e ginning o f youth ; Ag enori a

excit e d m an to action ; S trenu a encour aged hi m

to beh ave bravely on all occasions ; S ti u la urged m
14 F IENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T ES .

h im to extr aordin ary exertions ; H orta exhorte d

him to noble action s ; Quis ga ve peace an d quie
tude ; M u rci a ren dered m an l a zy idle , and dull ,

A deona protect e d him in h i s outgoings and i n

comings ; Vi bi li a guarded w anderers ; Va cuna
protec te d the l a zy and idle : Fessonia refreshed
t he w ea ry ; M edi tri na he aled inj uries ; Vi tu la
presided over and g ave mirth Volup i a governed
pleasures Orbano w as a goddess supplic ated th at
s he might not leav e p a rents de stitute o f children ;

Felloni a drove aw a y enemies ; Nu m eri a endued

men wi th the powe r o f c asting nu mbers ; S enti a

gave j u st and honourable sentiments A ugerona
removed anguish from the min d ; an d Consus
presided over good counsels .

Vi rtue a lso w as worshi p ped as a goddess ; and

the several specie s of virtue w e re considered each
a s em a n ating from some godlike p ower , and
Fa i th, H op e, Jus ti ce, P iety , P ea ce, Fi deli ty ,
Li berty , and M oney were worshipp e d as good
,

deities ; while on the other h and Envy Con

m m
, ,

Im
,

tu e ly p u dence C a lu ny F ra ud D is c ord
Fury Fa m
, , , , ,

, e Fortune Fever and S i lence were

, , , ,

supplica te d as evil deities .

M i nerva w as symbolical of wisdom and ch astity

M ercury of elo q uence— speech ; Venus of u m
,

govern able p as sions and desire ; S a turn time ;

m
,

M o us mockery ; S i lenus jesting ; M ars war ; and

, , ,
 GREEK AN D R O MAN DEI T IES . 15

B acchus, wine The M uses e ach represented an

.

accompli shment Thus Ca lli op e presided over

.
,

ep i c poetry ; C li o history ; Erato elegy and

, ,

a morous song ; Tha li a , comedy gay light and

pleasing song ; M elp om
, , ,

ene tr ag e dy ; Terp si ch ore

m
usic ; P oly hy m
, ,

dancing ; Eu terp e , ni a religious ,

song ; and Urani a, the knowledge of celesti al

events
m
.

The is taught mankind what was honest j ust , ,

and right ; As trtea w as the goddes s Of j ustice ;

m
N e esis punished vice rewarded virtue, and taught
,

mankind their duty .

E very action of man both in his collective an d

,

individu al capacity — everything in rel ation to h i s

household and domestic aff airs — was also conceived
to be governed by supern a tural powers which ,

were classed under the n ames of P enates an d

Lares .

T he as may well be imagined were

P ena tes,
but they m
,

almost numberless a be divided into

, y
three cl as ses : l st those which presided over king
,

doms and provinces ; 2 nd those which presided ,

over cities only ; and 3 rd, those presiding over

houses and families To insta nce to wh at an extent
.

this belief w as carried, a penate n amed Ferculus

looked after the door ; the goddess Cardua after
m
the hi nges ; and I /i enti us protected the threshold
m
.

The Lares we re of hu an origin , a nd they pre

16 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

sidedalso over houses streets and ways S u bse

, , .

quently their power w as extended to the country

and the sea .

To e ach person was also as signed two d e ities ,

termed g enii These spirits were subsidi ary to the

.

god s alre ady mentioned it being one of their

,

dutie s to c arry the prayers of men to them The .

ge nii diff er e d in n ature and dispositi on and were ,

ss s—
divid e d into two cl e the good an d the bad
a .

Th e g ood g eni us excited men to all action s of

honour and virtue ; th e evil geni us excite d him to
all m ann e r o f wickedness Th e G reeks termed
the se genn daem
.

on s either from the t e rror and

m
,

dre ad they created when they appeared or fro ,

the w ise a nswer they returned when consulted as

oracles .

The r av ages c aused by an ever gnawi ng con -

scienc e and by the e ff ects of the evil p assion s were ,

attribu t ed to three supern atur al powers termed

the Fu ri es— Alec to, Ti sip hone an d M ega-ra ,

w h o b e c a me sy m bolical of the a vengers of wicked

ness and l ast y Night S leep and D eath Nor ,
l —
, , ,

M ars and S om
,
nus— were elev a te d among the go ds .

This brief sk e tch will serve to show the l eading

principle entering into the form ation of the G re
c i an and R om a n mythology — a mythology con

t aining more th an gods ; and it will illus

trate h ow every hidden p ower of nature as well i n
 R O MAN AND GREEK D EI T IES . 17

the organic as the inorganic world ; and how every

equally inexplica ble Oper ation of the human min d
w as referred for an expl an ation
, to the influence ,

o f a su ern atur a l power which in the progress of

p ,

ti me w as personified worshipped a nd pourtrayed

, ,

in such a form as best set forth the e fl ects it w as

conceived to produce .

This source of the belief in the supern atural as ,

we h ave already st ated will be foun d to h ave pre

,

v a iled among all n ations ; hence the i r prim a ry

mythological con ceptions are one and the s ame ,

mo dified b y the d i ff erence of clim ate h abits & c , ,

Thus of the gods of the a ncient B ritons

,

B eli n P lenny d o r Gr anw y n posse ssed the attri

, , ,

butes of and w as the s ame with A pollo ; Gwy di on

, , ,

or Teu ta th h ad all the attributes of M ercury ;

,

Da ronwy , Ta ra nwy or Tara nis the thunderer of

, , ,

J ove ; Au ras or A ndraste of B ellon a ; H e as

, ,
-
,

H esus H ug a aa rn, or Eu y sg wn united the cha

’
-
, ,

racte rs o f B a cchus and M a rs ; Ked a nd Keri dw en

a nswered to C eres ; Lhenw to P roserpine Olw n

y ; e

a nd Dw nwen to V enus ; and Nei vion to Neptune *

y .

I n the S candin avi an mythology the principal

gods are p ersonificati ons of physical and menta l
powers Odi n th e most powerfu l of the three
.
,

b eings firs t educ e d from ch a otic confusion p os ,

ses se s the attributes of M ercury ; and according

H or B nt nni
a: a By Jno H ugh es V ol I p 2 3 5 1 81 8
c ae . .
, . . . .

C
18 FIENDS , GH O S TS AND SPRI T ES , .

to Finn M agnu sen, Vi li is the personific ation of

lig ht; Ve, o f fire The two r aven s which are
.

depicted as sitting constan tly upon the shoulders

of O din r e present M ind a nd M emory ; a nd of th e
,

princip al gods we find that Thor i s symbolic al of

,

thun der ; B aldur of the su n ; Ni ord ru les over th e

winds sea & c ; Frey is the god of rain , sunshine,
, ,
.

and the fruits o f the e arth ; Ty r, of w ar ;

B rag i of wisdom and poetry ; Vi da r of silence ;
, ,

Forseti of law and ju stice ; Loki is the pe rso ni fi

,

c ation of evil ; Frigga i s the godde ss of the e arth ;

and night day the moon time the present the
, , , , ,

p ast and the future he aling ch astity ab u ndance

, , , , ,

love courtesy wisdom , and every form a nd

, ,

p as sion and power of n ature wh ich the S c andi

nav ia ns h ad sep ar ated and di stinguished e ach ,

had its special and worshipped god .

The origin al worship of the H in doos was di *

re c te d to the he avenly bodies the elements and , ,

n atural Obj ects I n the m andras or prayers

.
, ,

which form the principal p art o f th e V ed as o r

the firm am
,

sacred wri t ing s e nt

,
the su n moon , , ,

fire ai r a nd spirit of the e ar th are most fre

, , ,

q uently addressed These writings inculcate the .

Th G e w nu m b r of wi ld tri b occupyi ng th di trict

arro s, a e es e s

ly ng b tw n th N E fron ti r of B ng l nd th kingdomof
i e ee e e e a a e

A min ddition t th w or hi p of M ah id
. .

ssa a o or S iv dor l o
e s
’
z eva, a, a e a s

n nd m
,

the su oon ; nd th Kh tt es or C tti no th r W ld

a a e a z , a es , a e l

t ri b e inh b i ting th e peni nsul of G u erat w or hi p th sun

a a z , s e .
 HIND OO DEI T IES . 19

worship of the elements and pl anets an d di ff er ,

from th e more recent an d l egend ary poems which

teach the worship of deified heroes and s ages I n .

the S anhit a of th e R ig ved a the invoc ations which

-
,

it contains are chiefly addressed to the deities o f

fi re the fi rm
, am ent the winds , the se asons the , ,

sun and the moon who are invited to be present

, ,

at th e sa crifice s o r are appe aled to fo r we alth or

,

for their sever al beneficial qu alities The per

soni fi e d attributes o f B ra hm
.

a Vi shnu and S i va ,
, ,

sign ifying resp e ctively cre ation , preserv ation and ,

destruction a re due to a l ater and more refined

,

era of H indoo mythology ; and the eight i nferior

deities ranki ng nex t in order to the Trim urti an d ,

termed Lolcap a las , are all p ersonifications of na

tural obj ects and powers Thus I ndra i s the god
.

of and is symbolic al of the visible heavens thunder

, ,

lightning storm and r ain ; Agni of fire ; Ya m

,

, , a, ,

of the infernal regions ; S ur a of the sun V n

y ,
a ru a ,

of w ater ; P a ra na o f wi nd ; Kuvera of we alth ;

m
, ,

an d S o a , or Cha ndra of the moon , .

The celebrated line which it is enj oined should

be repe ated without intermission and which i s ,

the most holy p ass age in the V ed as , re ads literally,

Let us meditate on the ador able light of S avi tri o

(the u s n — the divine ruler ) may it guide ou r i h

”
telle e ts. This it is asserted , is addressed to th e
,

s u n a s the symbol o f a di v i ne a nd all p o w e rful -

20 FIENDS GH O S T S AND
, , S P B I TES .

being and it is reg arded as a proof of the mono

,

theism of the V e d as This expl an ation is how

.
,

ever , considered by some to be far from sati sfac

tory and to o ffe r greater difli cu lti e s th an the text
,

ever can wh en t aken in a n atural light .

The creed of B uddh a contain s simil ar traces of

elemental wor ship The five B uddh as an d the
.

five B odhi sattwas would appe ar to be personi

fi cati ons of the p rincip al natur al elements an d
phenomen a .

I n P e rsi an mythology we find a simil ar deifica

tion of n atural phenomena I n th e creed of .

Zoro aster which w as a modification of pre ex

,
-

i sti ng beliefs there i s an etern al almighty B eing

, ,

Zerna ne A kherene (illimitable uncreated time )

who cre ated Orm
, ,

uz d
( light goodne ss) ; a nd A hri

m
,

a nn (d arkness evil ) , O rmuzd cre ated the uni

.

verse and the genii or dei tie s of light o f whom

, , ,

there are three cl asse s

The seven A m
.

l st Class s ha sp a nds including

Orm m
.
,

uz d himself The remaining are B a h a n the

.
,

genius of the region of light ; A rdi behesht of

e there al fire ; S ha rwi r, o f me tals ; S arp andom
,

ad

Khu dad o f ti m m
,

of fruitfulness ; e ; A erda d of
, ,

the vegetable world flocks and herds , ,

.

2 u d Class The twenty seven I z eds male and

.
-

fem le the elem

,

a — enta ry dei ties : e g Khorsid the . .

,

deity o f the sun ; M a h o f the moon ; Tashter of , ,

 P ER S IAN AN D C HINESE DEI T IES . 21

the dog star and of r ain ; Rap i tan the d e ity of

-
, ,

he at &c These deities were prob ably worshipped

, .

before the belief w as reduced to a system .

3 rd Class T e Fervers
h — the vivifying principles
.

o f n ature the ide al types of the m ateri al universe

, ,

correspon ding in general with the i deas of Pl ato .

E very o ne e ven O rmuzd h as his Ferv e r “ An

, , .

I ra ni te h as th us consta ntly by his side his ide al

type or uncorrupted m a teri al im age to guide him
, ,

through life and pre serve him from

Th e I rani te worships light fire and wa ter as , , ,

emblem s of O rmuzd in whom these elements are ,

united he doe s not worship the elementa ry

spirits at tac hed to them .

I n C hin a the sta te reli gion — the religious sys

,

te m o C onfucius
f — embodi e s the following obj ects
Of worship arranged in three cl asse s
,

l st Class Ta sz e or grea t sa crifices includes

.
, ,

the worship of the he avens ( d g) and the earth ,

Y
( ) in and while worship p ing the m ateri a l he a ven ,

they ap p ea r to consider th at there exists an ani

mating i ntelligence ( Tae kei h) wh ich pre sides over -

the world rew arding vi rtue and v ice This cl ass

, .

include s also deified sovereigns

mdi m
.

2 nd Class . Choong -
sz e, e u sa cri fi c es, in
c lu desthe worshi p of god s of the l and an d grain ,

the su n and moon , genii, sages gods , of letters ,

Blackw ll M ll et Northern An ti qui ties Bohn
e . a
’
s .
, 1 84 7 , p . 47 3 .
22 FIE NDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

inventors of agriculture manufacturers

, , and useful
a rts .

3 rd Class . S ea on-sz e, or lesser sa cr ifices , i n

clu des the worship of the a ncient patron of the

he aling art ; innumerable spirit s of decea sed states
men eminent schol ars m artyrs to virtue &c ;
, , , .

the princip al phenomen a of nature as the clouds , ,

rain ,
wind thunder each of which h as i ts pre
, ,

siding god ; the milita ry b anners (lik e the R om ans ) ;

the go d of w ar ; Loony w arty the dragon king ; -
,
-

the gods of r ain and the watery elements ; and

Ti en how , the queen of hea ven an d goddess o f the
-

we ather The C hine se also believe in good and

evil gen u and in tutelar spirits p residing over
,

families hou ses and towns

,
*
,
.

I n A fric a the mythology of i ts diff erent n ations

,

is b ased on natural objects and phenomena The .

natives of A sh anti and the neighbouring districts

worship wa ter lakes rivers mountains rocks and
, , , ,

stones leopa rd s panthers wolves crocodiles &c

, , , , , .
,

“
all of which are more or less powerful fetishes
and the Nubian worships the moon The natives .

of T ahiti a nd the i sl a nd s o f th e S outh S e a also

derive their princip al ideas of supern atural beings

from m at e rial objects I n M angareva the large st .
,

o f th e G a mbier I sl ands the gods adored by the ,

natives were princip ally p ersoni fica tio ns of nat u ral

Dv i “
Th C hi n ese
”
aC hap x11
s. e , . .
 T AB I TAN DEI T I ES . 23

obj ects . n amed Tea w as the deity and

A go d
crea tor of the sun wind and w ater ; R ongo was
, ,

th e go d of rain Ta i ri of thunder ; A ri ki tenow of , ,

the oce an ; A ng hi of storms and fa mine ; Nap i

-
,

toi ti , of death & c The Tabita n conceives also

, .

t h a t a nimals trees stones &c po sse ss so uls

, , ,
.
,

which like his own after destruction will h ave a

, ,

sub seq u e nt exis tence O n the v ast continent of .

S outh A merica we find numerous trace s of ele

men tal and n atural worship The aborigines of .

Pa ragu ay supplica te th e sun m oo n sta rs thunder , , , ,

lightning groves &c

,
I n the district bounded
, .

by the O rinoco the A tab apo the R io Negro and

, , ,

the C assequ iare including a n extent of about

,

8 0 0 0 squ a re miles and sc attered also over a still

,

greater extent of this continent are found rocks ,

covered with coloss al symbolic al figures of croco

diles a nd tigers household uten sils , a nd o f the
,

s u n a nd moon — doubtless obj ects of a dor a tio n

,

to n a tions of whose existen ce even tr a dition h as

not p reserved a trace I t i s also prob able that .

the rocks thus engraved were reg a rded as s acred ;

fo r the M acusi I ndi a n s inh abiting one portion o f ,

the districts where these sculptures are found ,

“
have the tradition that th e sole survivor of a
gen e ral deluge re p eop le d the earth by cha nging
stones into h um a n Th e I nc as of P eru
H umbold t “
A p cts of N ture Vol L p 1 9 8 note 5 1
.
”
s e a , .
, .
, .

S t pp nd D rt
e es a ese s.
’
24 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI TE S
, , .

— the children the su n—built m agnificent tem

of

ple s a nd adored th at lumin a ry ; and the scul ptures

,

o n the w al ls of the colos sal temples and b uildings

of the A ztec s the ancient inh abi tants of M exico

, ,

a s well a s the rem ains of the pyr amids of th e su n

and m oon at T eo tihu ac an te ach the s ame lesson ,

with rega rd to th at extinct ra ce The P ueblo .

I ndi ans of New M exico still perp etu ate the holy
“
fire by th e side of which the A ztec an kept a
continu al w atch fo r the return to e arth of Q uet
zalc oatl th e god of ai r
,
I n a solit ary c ave o f .

the moun ta ins is pre served the un dying fire and ,

i ts dim light is seen by the hunter if by ch ance , ,

led by the ch ase he p as ses ne ar to this lone ly

,

temple *
A mong the tribes which inh abit th e
.

more no rtherly p arts of the Am e rica n continent ,

we find also simil ar trace s of the import ant i n

fl u e nc e which n atur al phenomen a h ave exerci sed
in the d evelopmen t of their ideas of supernatur al
exi stences .

We could not well close this sketch without

allu sion to the S h am an religion which i s di ff used ,

th roughout the princip al nations of A si atic R ussi a ,

a gre a t p art o f the T a rta rs the E ins S am oi e de s , , ,

O sti aks M andshu rs B u rats an d Tu ngsees ; and

, , ,

it i s even profe ssed among the C ori aks and

Te ch u ks and people , of the eastern i sl ands .

R ux ton Adventur in M xico and Rocky Moun tain

. es e s,

p . 19 2 .
 MY T H O L OG I CAL CON C E P T I ONS . 25

This system of religion is essenti ally founded

u pon the observ ation of n atur al phenomen a : it

te a ches th at the gods (B a rchans) arose from the

gen eral m ass of m atter and spirit ; and while i n
c u lcati ng th e existence of a S piritu al world it ,

instil s the belief in the self exi stence o f matte r

-

The se rem arks will suffi ciently show the i m

.

porta nt influence which the observation of n atur al

phenomen a h as h a d in the development o f the
belief in the S u pern atural of m ost n ations ; and
it will fully indic ate th e prim ary re ason of the
correspondence of their princip al mythologic al
conc eption s A con sideration of the diff erent
.

h abits degre e o f civiliz ation locality &c will

, , , .
,

al so indic ate th e princip al re ason of the v arious

m odifi cations which th e s ame mythologic al con
cep ti o n is found to present among different
n ations .

There was one J upiter for E urope and another ,

for A fric a ; and the v aried forms under which thi s

god w a s wor shipp e d d e rived from the locality
, ,

h abits a nd o ther peculiari ties o f his worshippers

, ,

wer e v e ry numerous A t A thens the great

.
,

Jupi ter w as the O lympi an ; at R ome , the C api

toline There w as the mild and th e thundering
.

J upit e r th e J upiter Ni cep horu s O p i tu lu s Fu l

mi nator &c all differing in some subordinate
, , ,

, .
,

characters .
26 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

A mmon , of E gypt B elus of the B abyloni ans ; ,

I bis of the P h oenicia ns A lla h o f the A rabi ans ; ,

Be el B aal B eelp h agor B e elzebub B eelzem

,

, , er, , ,

& c all posse ss the a ttribute s of Jupiter , and are

.
,

the s ame with th at god .

The B uddh a of I ndi a ; P ohi of the Chinese ; ,

O din or W ode n of th e S candin avi ans ; and G wy

, ,

dion of the Ancient Britons correspond with

, ,

M ercury .

V i shnu B r ahma S iva and K ri shna the l atter

, , , ,

both o f the I rish and S anscrit corre spond with ,

A pollo ; whilst Arun of the I rish and H indoo ,

superstitions corres ponds with the A urora of the

,

G reeks .

I t is peculiarly interesting to m ark in the writ

ings of cl as sic a u thor s the earlier trace s of a
correct expl a nation of the ca u s e s Operating i n the
ch anges Ob ser ved in n ature and their influence in ,

modifying the my thological ideas o f the period .

S ocrates penetrated so far i n the interpretation of

certa in physical phenomena as to discover th at
they might be expl ained without h aving recourse
to the idea of sup e rn atur al agency Thi s is most .

interes tingly shown in A ri stoph ane s com e dy Of ’

“
Th e C louds I n thi s comedy writ ,

ten for the purpose of throwing ridicul e and co n

te mpt O n the Sophi stical philo sophy of S ocrates
S trep si ade s an aged and ignorant m
,

an is re re
, p ,
 S O C RA T E S . 27

sented as suff ering from the excesses and e x

penses of his son P h i dippides H e conceives the .

ide a of studying logic , in order by mere subtle ,

re asoning to overcome and che at his creditors

,
.

H e enrols himself as a pupil of S ocr ates and in ,

A ct I S cene 2 the following scene occurs

, ,

S tr . I s not Olym p i n J up i t r o G d a e ur o

S oc . Wh t J p it r n y j t n t— th r i non
a u e ! a , es o e e s e.

H w o y t thou w h th n r i n —thi fi r t of ll
sa
’
s o e a s s s a

D cl r t m
e a e o e.

Why th ( th cl d ) b y m ighty si gns ese e ou s

Th i I w ill p rov t th
s H t vr n e o ee . as e e see

J ov r in ng wi thout cloud — f i t w r
e a i s 1 e e so,

Through th cl r fi ld of th r m e u t h r inea e s e e s e a ,

Whil th w r f w y
e ese e e ar a a .

N w b y Ap ollo o ,

Full w ll h t thou di
e s d u p on thi p oin t ;
as sco u r
’
s

T ll n w in tru th I though t tw J upit r ’

l o as e

i v B t t ll mn x t
, , ,

Di ti ll n through
s a se e. u e e e

Who i th thund r r P— thi w k m

,

s e
y dr d e e s a a es ea .

Th y thund r th y roll
e e as e .

B t h w I pr y ! u o , a

S y thou w h d
a , t ll o ares a .

Wh n th y fi ll 1 e e are
’
(

Wi th w t r nd p rforc i m
a e p ll d long
, a e e e
’
a ,

D ri v n p r ci pi t t ll full of r in
e e a e, a a

Th y mt tog th r b ur ting w ith cr h

,

e ee e e s a as

p l th mthu t m
.

B t w h co m
,

S tr . u o ov long ! e s e s o e a

I n t thi J ov
s o s e !

N b t th th i l w hirl 0, u
’
az er a .

I n a sub sequent p art of the comedy (A ct I I I ,

S cene 1 ) S trep si ades is represented as spe aking o f

this idea of a whirlwin d as a dei fi ed being thus ,
28 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

admirably sho w ing the tendency of man to con

sider th at which h e could not comprehend as

the re sult of supern atural agency and to per ,

sonify it .

S ir
. Thou sw ea rest now , b y J ove .

P bi d I do
. .

Thou t h w good i t i t l rn
see s
'
o s o ea ,

Th r i no J ov Phidipp id
e e s e, e s.

P l id
a W ho th n e

A w hirl wind r ign ; h ving dr i v n hi mJ

.

Str. e s a e , ovc , awa y .

I t would seem also th at S ocrate s himself was , ,

subject to the influence of this feeling ; for a

p ass age in A ct V S cene l h as led to the conclu , ,
*

“
sion th at in the school of S ocrates was pla ced
an e arthen im age (S i m s the n ame of an e arthen ,

ves sel as well as of the w hi rlwind who has usurped ,

th e honour s and attribute s O f Jove ) (S ee S chol . .

ad V esp Thi s prob ably w as done by the

.
, ,

philosoph e r as a sort of compens ation for having

S tr T h t cur d Chze rO ph on and S ocrates
a se

Who h v e d eceived b oth thee and malik e

.
,

a e

Im u t n t t unju tly to w rd m
.

P hi d . s o y t ch rs
ac s a s ea e .

St N y n y r v r p t rn l J u p i t r ;
r. a , a , e e e a e a e

P l i d P t rn l J u p i t r old f hi on d fool ’
a . a e a e as

I th r J up iter
s e e a

T h ere i s .

Not so,

Since having cast ou t J ove a whirl wind rei gns

c t hi m t ; b t I i mgi n d thi
.

Not
’
S tr as ou u a s,

S ing th wh lwm
.

ee d h r
e 0 w r tch ed on es
ir e e. e

rth n img f r god !

,

T o t k th
a e ee , ea e a e, o a
 DEIFI C A T I O N O F M EN .

ex p elled J upiter (7 0V A i d) from his m

I I B u t the ideas derived from the contempla

.

tion of natural phenomena were not the sole

sources Of myt hology such as we h ave received ,

it
. O ther and most powerful c a uses oper ated ,

and o f those next in degree of importa nce were

those feelings which prompted to the deificati on

O f men .

P ersaau s a dis ciple of Zeno

,
says th at they , ,

who h ave m ade discoveries a dv a nt ageous to th e

life Of man should be esteemed a gods and th e
,
s

ve ry things he says which are he althful and

, ,

benefici al should h ave divine appellations ; so

,

th at he thin ks it not suffi cient to c all them the

discoverers Of god s but th at they themselves ,

”
should be deemed divine 1
'
.

”
The author of the Book of Wisdom in the
Apocrypha details other causes which tended
,

to the same result H e writes (Ch apter xi v .

, ,

—
v 15 21)
.

“
Thus some parent mourning bitterly for a
,

s on who h ath been taken fro m him makes an ,

image of his child : and him who before was to

his f a m i ly as a dead man , they no w begin to
wo rship as a god ; rites and s acrifices being ins ti
W heel wright s Tr n l tion p’
a s a 1 24 , and not O x ford
e 1 83 7
mB
. .
, .
,

1
'
Cic ro
e . De N atu ra D eoru . . I .
, ch 1 5
. .
30 FIE NDS, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

tu te d, to be ob served by h i s dependents A nd i n .

process of time cu stom h aving established these

,

as a law an im age se t up by an impious tyrant

receive s divine honours A m

,

an be ing un able to
.

render such respect in their presence to those

who dwelt remote from them and h aving received ,

their likene ss brought from far they h ave pro

, ,

ce e de d to m ake a conspicuous im age of a n king

y
to whom the v inclined to p ay divine honours by ,

which m e ans though absent th e ruler receives

, ,

their solicitou s hom age as though present with

,

them . The exqui site p ain s bestowed by the

a rtist h a s like w i se contributed to this wor shi p of

the absent by ignorant men for being willing to

give perfect s atisfaction to him for whom he doth
it he av a ils himself of a ll the resources of hi s art
,

to produc e a perfe ct resemblance Thus the mul

ti tu de allur e d by the beauty of th e st atue come
, ,

to re g ard a s a god him whom be fore they honoured

but as a m an A nd this h ath been the gre at

.

delusion of humanity th at out Of aff ection for

,

the de ad or sub serviency to their rulers men

, ,

have given to stock s and stones the i nc om muni

”
cable n am e of G od .

M ost sy stems of mytholo gy conta in ex amples

of deities which have been deriv e d fro mthis
source .

I t has been a gener al cu stom like w i se wri tes , ,

 DEIFI C A T I O N O F MEN . 31

“
Cicero th at men who h ave done importan t
*
,

service to th e public should be ex alted to he a ven

by fame and univer sal con sent Thus H e rcules .
,

C astor and P ollux f Esc u lap i u s and Liber bec a me

, ,

gods ; thus likewise R omulus o r Q uiri

, , ,

— —
n us for th e y a e thought to be th e s me bec am e
r a

a god They are j u stly esteemed as d e ities since

m
.
,

their soul s subsis t and enj oy et e rnity fro ,

”
whence they are perfect and im morta l being s .

The C hinese at the pres e nt day deify an d

, ,

adore their deceased emperors as well as the ,

spirit s of eminent s tate smen schol ars , m artyrs to,

virtue fire , .

I t has occ a sion ally h a ppened th at some great

sage O n hi s apotheo s is h ad attributed to him that
, ,

which he h ad s imply expounded during life and ,

thu s bec ame the per sonific ation of the religiou s

ide as he had entert ained B uddh a who lived as
.
, ,

nea rly as ca n be asce rt ained about 1 0 0 0 ye ars b e fore

,
-

C h rist attempted to reform B rahminic al I ndia

, .

After de ath he was deified by h i s converts and ,

became the embodiment of the p ri nci p le s he h ad '

a dvoc ated when o n e arth a n d h i s n a me with

; ,

v arious modific ations w as ap plied to the system

,

of cosm ogony and re ligion which h e had a d y o

cate d .Th e G r and La m a s ( Cha berons) of Thibet
a re reg arded as inc a rnations
( ava tars) of B uddha ,

O p ci t B I L c 24
. .
, . .
32 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI TES
, , .

an d as such are adored by the Thi beti ans and the

v arious tribes of T a rtar s who ro am over the v ast
district which extends from the b anks of the
V olg a to C orea in the S ea of J ap an
m
.
,

A fte r th e persecution which ter in ated in the

expulsion of the followers o f B uddh a from H in
dostan the H indoos not con tent with their celes
, ,

ti al gods or heroes exten ded their adoration to

,

v ariou s living individu al s p articul arly to the ,

B rahmins a nd pri e sts D aughters under eight

.

ye ars of age a re worshipped by them as form s of

the goddess Bh av ani ( Venus) ; and at certai n sea
sons of th e ye ar the B rah min is worshipped by his

w i fe and the wives of B rahmin s by other men

, .

S ome writers h ave thought th at all the gods of

the ancie nts consisted o f deified men This i s .
,

however an error ; for the deificatio n of men w as

,

a n act second in order to the worship of n atur a l

objects and phenomena Th e chronological po si .

tion o f thi s element of mythology h as among ,

other re asons led Bonomi to arrive at some i n

,

te re sti ng conclusions on the respective age s of the

p al aces of Nineveh ;
O n the w alls of the pal ac e at Khorsabad a re
found sculptured the winged a nd hum an he aded -

bull s emblems of wi sdom or the su n, the four

,

winged figure s typic al of I bis or C rono s e agle

, ,

headed divinities and other fi gures which are

, ,
 MY T H O L O GY F R O M S C RIP T URE . 33

con ceived to be symbolic al Of constell ations and ,

o f a strono m ic al ph e nom en a From th ese n obler .

a nd simp ler ide a s O f D ivinity it is in ferred th a t ,

wh e n this p alace w as bui lt the wor ship Of the

A ssyri ans w a s comp aratively pure B u t o n the .

w alls of Ni m ro u d in a ddition to the symbolic al

,

repre se nt ation s foun d at Kh orsabad there are ,

also indic a tions o f a n incre as e d nu mber o f divin i

ties from the pre sence o f deified men ; hence a
,

reaso n fo r the beli e f i n the degener acy of the

system of religion at the period when this p ala ce
w as built and con se qu e n tly its more recent d ate *
, .

I I I A noth e r e lem e nt ha s also exerci sed a con

.

siderable influ e nc e upon the my th o logie s o f some

n ations , namely S crip tu ra l narra ti ve and tra di

,

ti ons I t is not improb able th at sev e r al o f th e

.

he athen myth s h ave b e en d e rived from this source .

M a ny indeed believe th at all my thology a ri ses

, ,

from corrupted S criptur e and it i s a ss e rted th at,

D euc alion i s merely another n ame for N o ah ; H er

cule s for S a m son ; A ri o n for Jon ah and B acchu s ,

is either Ni m rod o r M oses — for the former s u p

position the simil arity o f n am e being assign e d ; for
the l at ter among others one o f th e n ame s and
, ,

some o f the a ction s o f this G od Thus B acchus .

,

Bono mi Nin v h nd i t P l c
e e a spp a a es , 1 3 9 — 264 , & c
Ath n umJ un 2 6 1 85 3 ; R
. . .

Dr G rote fe nd e ae e avensh aw , A th e
mJ uly 1 6
.
, , ,

nteu , , 1 85 3 .
 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

was named i
B i corn ,s dou ble-
and the face
horned
of M oses appeared double horn e d wh e n h e came -

down from the mount ain where he h a d spoken to

G o d — the rays o f glory d arting from h i s brow
,

h aving the sembl ance of radi ant horns The .

B acch ae drew w aters fro m the rock s by striking

the m with th eir thyr si ; an d wher e ver they
went the l and flowed with milk hon e y and
, , ,

wine B acchus c aused the rivers O ront e s a nd

.

H y dasp e s t o dry up by striking th e m wi t h hi s

,

thyr sus and p asse d through them dry shod — an

,
-
,

a ction s imil a r to th at of M oses at the p ass age Of

the R ed S ea & c Th at S cripture n a rr ative h as had

, .

an i mportant influence in determining the form a

tion o f mythology is highly prob able ; and we h ave
,

a lr e a dy shown t h at the pri m a ry re vel ation of a

G odh e a d at the cre ation o f m an supplied a n i m

portant initi al excitement to th at development

of th e belief in th e s upern atur al which occurred
!

s ubsequent to the fal l of m an The influence .

O f S criptur al tr a ditions o n th e myth s Of v a riou s

n ation s it is prob ably impos sible to unravel satis

fac to ri ly .

IV Again i t h as be e n supposed th at the myths

.
,

Of th e anci e n ts a nd o f modern p aga n n ation s were

, ,

a llegoric al ; a nd th a t th e y were de sign e d to r e p t e

sen t a phi lo sophic al mor al o r religious tru th

, ,

under a fabulo u s form Thus the myth o f the .

,
 AL LEG O RY . 35

i a nt Typhon cutt ing a way a nd carrying o ff the

g
s inews of Jupiter a nd th at they were afterw a rds
,

s tolen from h i mby M e rcury and restor e d to ,

Jupi ter i s suppo se d to refer to powerful rebel

,

lions by which the sinew s of kings — their reven ue

,

a nd a uthori ty — are cut O ff ; but by mildness of

a ddre s s ,and wi s dom of edicts influencing the,

people as it were in a stolen m anner they recover

, , ,

their power and reconcile their subjects A n .

in the my th o f the expedition o f th e gods against

the gi ant s wh e n the ass S ilenus became of gr eat
,

se rvice in disp e rsing them on a ccount of the te rror

,

e xci ted by his br a ying it is considered to be an

,

a llegory o f t hose v a s t projects o f rebels which are ,

mostly di ssip ated by light ru mour s and v a in con

s te rnati o n M inerv a w as fabled to h a ve been born
.

ou t of the head o f Jupiter bec a u s e it w as deemed

,

th a t m a n did not in hi m self posse s s wisdom but ,

be derive d it from divin e inspir ation ; a nd this

g odd e ss w as born a rmed bec a use,a wise ma n

clothed in wisdom and v i rtue i s fo rtified ag ain st
a ll the harm s of life .

This ele ment h as undoubtedly had an impor

tant influence i n the form at ion o f the v a riou s
myth s b ut it refers r ather to an a dvanced st age
,

in mythology and to th at p e rio d of deve lopment

,

when a n a tion has made some progress in arts

an d literature .
 F IEND S GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

T hese elem ent s, doub tless also others o f

and

which the effects are l ess e asi ly unfo lded e g , . .

in te rcour se between v a rious n ations di sper sion o f

,

trib e s &c h a ve all exercised a gr eater or less

,
.
,

degree of influ e nc e o n t he d e velopment and for

m ation o f the my tho logies o f di ff eren t n ations .

I f we co ntemp late a r ace in th e e arlier ph ases

o f i ts exis tence or one d e gr a ded in the sc ale of
,

b eing we find th at i ts ide as of the supern atural

,

a re confined to the d e i fi c a tion a nd worship of th e

s imp le st a nd mo s t s triking of the objec ts an d

phenomen a o f natur e a s it h as increas e d in civili
z ati o n a nd le arning tho se deitie s h ave been re re
, p
sent e d in symbolic al forms ; a nd as civi liz ation
a nd th e cul t iv a tion of the m ind a dv a nces a nd the ,

kno w ledge of surrounding n at ure h as become i n

cre ased so h ave the number of d e i ties been m
, ul

ti p li e d by th e dei fi c ati o n of the l e s s eviden t

po wer s of n at ure of king s and o f di stinguished

, ,

men a nd then al so al legory h as come into pl ay

, .

E very v a ri ation in the ch aracter o f a nation and ,

every e ra h as im p re ssed m ore or le ss distinct

,

m ark s on its m vth o lo g

y ; and my tho logy a s we ,

recei ve it no w i s the sum o f all those ch anges

,

which h ave been impressed upon i t from i ts

e arli e st form ation .

Wh e n C h ri sti anity d awned upon the world its ,

e ff ect w a s not th e im medi ate eradic ation or dis

 EFFE CT S O N MY T H O L O GY . 37

p ersi on o f the supers ti tious b eliefs and obse r

v anc e s then entert ain e d : it induc e d a ch ange in
t h e form a nd n ature of t hose beliefs .

A t the commencement of the C hri sti a n e ra ,

c ertain men in spired by the H oly G hos t w e re

, ,

en abled to c ast aside all th o se thoughts and fe e l

ing s derived fro m h abit e duc ation and a uthority , , ,

and to receive a t once in all i ts purity and ful ,

n e ss the light of the go spe l p e rh aps th e mo st

,
-

wond e rful of all the mir a cles of H oly Writ .

S uch was not the ca se how e ver with the m aj ori t y , ,

of the e a rlier C hri stia ns They di d not th us .

throw off th e supers titiou s beliefs of p ag an origin ,

but mo dified them so as to concur as they ,

th ought w i th S criptur e
, .

Thus the S cripture s e nunci ated the doctrine o f

,

One sol e omnip o tent a nd omni scient G od ; and it

, ,

ful ly defin ed a power of evil and denounced i do ,

la try. H e nce the ea rly C hri sti a n fa ther s w e re led

to conc e ive a nd tea ch
,
th at the gods o f th e ,

he athen were d e vils ; a nd fur ther th at thei r ,

history attributes and worship h ad b ee n ta ught

, , ,

to m ankin d by th e devil s th e m selves .

P ow r th e s r in h v n t n thron ;
a t e st ea e sa o es

Though of th ir n m in h v nly r cord n w

e a es ea e e s o

B no mmri 1 — b lo tt d
e e o t nd r
a d e ou a aze

B y th ir r b llion fro m
, ,

e e th b ook of l i f
e e e,

w nd ring rth ’
th
a e o er e ea

n f the tri l of m
,

T hrough G od h i gh
’
n
'

fi s su e ra ce or a a ,
 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

By f l iti nd li th gr t t p rt
a s es a es e ea e s a

O f mnkind th y corru p t d t fo
a ek e , o rsa e

G d th ir Cr tor nd th i nvi ib l
o e ea a e s e

G lory of H i mth t md th mt tr n form

,

a a e e o a s

O ft t th i mg of b rut dor d ’
o e a e a e a a

W i th g y r l i gion f ll of p o m
a e p nd gold
s, u a ,

A nd d v i l t dor for d i ti
e s o a e e es

Th n w r th y k no wn t mn b y v ri ou n m
e e e e o a a s a es ,

And v ri ou idol through th h th n

a s s e ea e

This ph ase being given to th e exi sting s u pe r

sti ti o ns,
it wi ll re adily be understood how under ,

th e form of devil s mo st o f th e princip al cl as ses of

,

deities in p agan my thology were retained an d

beli eved in Thu s the elemental and prim ary
.

god s o f p agani s mwere perpetu at e d under th e n am e

o f fi ends de m, ons g enii & c ; and the terms sa la
, ,
.

ma nders undi nes &c expre ssed cert ain spiri ts of

, ,
.
,

fi re and o f w at e r ; in the form of f a i ri es elves , ,

sglp li s &c
, were r e t ained th e grac eful Nymphs
.
,

O re ad s D ry a ds &c —of antiquity

, , .
,

The l igh t militi of th lo w r a e e sk

y

th e hidden p arts of the e a rth were peopled with

dw a rf s and other spirits of a more powerful
,

n ature ; and spectr a l app arition s frigh ted the mid

night hours o f th e watch e r .

I t i s therefor e to the retention o f certa in

, ,

p agan sup e rsti tions in a m odified form th at we ,

are to attribute the origin of the belief in those

Paradise Lost .
 B ELIEF IN DEVILS . 39

unn umbered spirits which under th e names o f

fiend s dm
, ,

,
mons genii fairie s fay s el ves sylph s
, , , , , ,

sprite s & c
,
h ave been supposed to surroun d u s and
.
, ,

h ave h a mper e d the i m agin a tio ns of all C hristi a n

nation s and of wh ich to u se th e words of Po p e

, ,

S o min th fi ld of p ur t th r p l y
e e e s es te e a ,

A nd b k nd w hi t n in th b l of d y
as a e e az e a

S o mguid th cour of w nd ring or b on high

e e e se a e s ,

O roll th p l n t through th b oundl

r e a ky ; e s e es s s

S o m l r fi n d b n th th m
e, e ss oon p l l i gh t
e e , e ea e
’
s a e ,

P ur u th t r th t hoo t th w rt th n i gh t
s e e s a s a s a a e

uck th m
,

O r s i t in gro r i b lo w
e s s sse a r e ,

O di p th ir p inion n th p in t d b w
r e s I e a e o

O b r w fi rc t m p t on th wi n try min
,

r e e e e es s e a ,

th gl b d t l th k i ndly r in ;
’
O r o er e e e ls l e a

O th r on rth
e s hu mn r c p r id
ea o er
’
a a e es e,

W tch ll th ir w y nd ll th i r c ti on guide
a a e a s, a a e a s .
’

Th e b e li e f th at th e he athen deities were devil s

na turally le d to the further conc lu sion th at the ,

p riests who s acrificed to those gods and who w e re ,

regarded a s the medium o f communic ation

betw e en th e g o ds and m an h e ld imm e di ate con ,

verse wi th devil s — a belief subsequently extended

,

to idol a tor s in gen e r al and to all those pr a ctisin g ,

m agic and sorcery I n sta nces o f the n atur al alli .

a nce of a mythologic al ide a to a Chris t i a n belief

might be m u ltiplied .

Th e pow e r of evil enun ci ated by the S cri p tures , ,

”
a nd spoken o f as the Devi l w as e arly re p uted ,

Rape of the L ock . Ch . 1 .

 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AND SPRI T ES .

to h ave appe ared in a visibl e form as suming th e ,

a spect of the god P a n or of a fa un or s a tyr th at i s

, , ,

a horn e d figure wi th hirsu te frame and th e lower

, ,

ex tremi tie s of a go at which indeed unti l recently

, , ,

w as considered to be th e most or thodox form Of

vi sibility fo r his S at anic M aj e sty The connection .

of th e power of evil wi t h the gods Of the most

gloomy a nd hidden p arts of n ature is obvious

P a n inde e d w as th e god o f terror
, , .

Fr e quently al so S ata n ap p e a r e d under the for m

, ,

of a go at . The go at i s an emb lem of the si n

o ff e ring a nd O f the wick e d at the da y o f j udgment
,

h e nce it bec ame symbolical of th e P rinc e of D ark

ne ss a nd in thi s fo rm the d ev i l mo st commonly
,

appe a r e d to the J ews a ccording to the R abbins

,
.

“
I n Leviticu s (xvii wh ere i t is wri tten they
.

”
sh all no more o ff e r s acrifices to devils it is ,

liter lly to h iry one s

a a —go ats The symbol of
-
.
,

the go at prompted to th e n ature of th e for m

given to P an in the G re cian a nd R om an m y th o

logy l ndeed the G reek s derived their worship of

.
,

th at god from E gyp t where he w as adored under

,

th e form o f a go at ; a nd it i s fabl e d th at he
captiv ated D i an a un der the aspect of a white
go at.

A singul ar superstition of the connection of the

go at wi th S ata n i s ente rtained in some di s trict s of
this is land . I t is asserted th at a go at is never
 T U T EL A RY DEI T IES . 41

visible for twenty four hours con secutively as

-
,

once in th at time it must visit S at an to h ave its

be ard combed
A nother ex a mple of the wedding of a p ag an
myth to th e C hri sti a n religion i s this —M ost
he athen n ations b elieved in the ex i st ence of
deities who se e sp e ci al duty w as to gu ard the
th reshold O f the house a nd prevent th e entran ce ,

of evil spirits .

Th e G reci an s and R om a n s h a d th e ir P enates

and Lars and the G e noese retain the su persti
,

tion at th e present day .

Th e Lars ( f a mi li a res) were the souls of men ,

who lingered about the dwe llings a nd pl aces they

had fo rmerly inh a bited and frequented They .

were repres e nte d b y s m al l im ag e s resembling

monkey s and covered with dog s skin ; and these
,
’

im age s were pl aced in a niche behind the door ,

or a round the he a rth A t th e feet of the Lar

.

w as pl a ced the figure of a dog to intimate ,

vi gil ance ; a nd speci al fe stiv als were devoted to

the m i n the month of M a y wh e n Offering s of ,

fruit were presented and the im ages were crowned,

with flowers .

c colour which i p o p ul rly cri b d t th d il w

The bla k s a as e o e ev as

p rob b ly d riv d fro mold m onki h l g nd w hich ffi rmd th t

,

a e e s e e s, a e a

h oft n
e epp r d
a n E th i o pi n
ea e as a( J ti n V ol ap 13
. or . . .
,

ed .
 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

P l autus (A u lu la ri a ) represents a L ar as using

the fol lowing word s
I mth f m ily L a e a ar

O f thi hou w h nc you

s mco ming t
se e e see e ou .

T mny y r n w th t I k p nd gu rd
’
is a ea s o a ee a a

Thi f m i ly b o th f th r nd gr nd ir
s a a e a a s e

Of h m th t h
i i t n w I y p ro t c t d
a as o , a e e e .

B ene ath th e thre sh old O f th e A ssyri an p al ac es

a t Nineveh were foun d im ages o f a foul and ugly

a ppe ar a nce (ter ap hi m) some h aving a lynx s ,

’

’
he ad a nd hum an body oth e rs a lion s body and ,

h um an h e ad S ent ences were al so in scri bed o n

.

the threshold and the winged bull s and figures ,

were pl ac e d on e ach side of the portal The .

intention w as doubtless th e prevention of the , ,

entrance o f evil deitie s an d the protection o f the ,

h ousehold *
.

The Chinese H indoo s and n ati ves o f A sh anti , , ,

believe in the exi stence o f simil ar deitie s The .

B hfi ta s o f H indos tan a re a species of m alevolent

spirit which are worshipped as tu te l a ry deities
, .

E very hou se and e ach family has i ts p arti c u la r

B ono mi O p t p 1 59 Th roo t or th origin l w ord

ci e e a

fromw h i ch t r p hi mi d riv d gn fi t r l x Wi th f r t
. . . . .
, ,

e a s e e Si i e s, o e a ea o

m
, ,

tr ik w i th t rror or R k o h r ’
s e e
p h h n pp ll, n w h t e e , a a a er, o e o a es e s

f in t or f i l ;
a a
g fi t n th t ingul rly ccord Wi th th t rri
n a Si i ca i o a s a a s e e

f y i ng i mg a found b y B o tt
es Th p o ib l conn c ti on b tw n a
”
e ss e e e ee

i mg nd th i mg ( t p h i m
.

th ese a es a
) w hi ch R ch l h d tol n
e a es era a e a s e

fro mh f th r L b n i of gr t in t r t
er a e a a , s ea e es .
 T U T ELARY DEI T IES . 43

B hi i ta,which is often represented by a sh apeless

’

stone D ai ly sacrific e s are o ff e red to it in order

.
,

to propiti ate its evil di sposition and incline it to ,

defe nd the house fro mth e m achin ation s of neigh

bou ri ng B h fitas The native o f A sh anti o ff ers
.

also da ily s a crifices to his tute l a ry deity which , ,

un der th e form of a stone p ainted red is pl aced ,

upon a pl atform within h i s hut .

Ther e are sever al remn ants o f thi s an cient

super stition still in vogu e in E ngl and The com .

mon pr actice o f nailing a horse shoe beh in d the -

door to terrify witch e s and pre ve nt th e entrance

,

of e vil S pirits is fa m ili ar to most person s For

, .

merly it w as the custom to nail the h orse shoe to -

th e threshold A ubrey writes in h i s M i s cella ni es

.
,

M o st h ou ses of th e west end o f London h ave the

”
h orse sh oe o n the thre shold I n M onmouth .

S treet in 1 7 9 7 m any horse sh oes were to be

, ,
-

se e n fa stened to the thre sh old I n 1 8 1 3 S ir .

,

H en ry E llis counted seven te e n hor se shoe s in this -

posi tion in th at stre et but in 1 84 1 the n umber ,

h ad diminished to five or si x .

I n some p arts o f E ngl and n atur ally p erforated ,

stones are su sp e nded b e h ind the door s wit h the ,

s ame intention in others j ug s of singul ar and , ,

Thi cu tom i p ro b b ly r lic of old S c ndin vi n

s s s a a e a a a

mythology I n th P ro E dd i t t t d th t th god
. e
“
se a,
”
is s a e , a e s

h v ing c p tur d Lo ki ( th p r onifi c ti on of vil ) w h h d fl d

a a e e e s a e , o a e
 FIENDS GH O S T S , , A ND SPRI T ES .

often frightfu l form are b uilt into the w alls of ,

the cottage s a n inte re s ting approxi m

— a t ion to the

A ssyri a n ter aphim ; and i n G l amorg anshire the

w all s o f the house s are whi t ew ashed in order to ,

terrify w ndering spiri

a t s — a m ode o f pr e vention ,

which we should lik e to see more general ly adop ted ,

a s it would doubtle s s prove of some c fl e c t in i m

edi ng the a ccess o f those ro a ming spirits of e vil

p
w ith which we h a ve to contend most a t the present

day— choler a a nd fe ver .

A ccording to Du randu s the dedic ation —cros ses ,

of th e Rom an C atholic ch urches were adopted

und e r the influence of a fee ling in every respect
anal agous to this anci e n t supers ti tion H e writes .

that the crosse s w ere u sed fir st as a terror to , ,

evil spirits th at they, h aving been driven forth

,

thence m ,
a
y be terrifi e d wh e n they see the sign of

the cros s and m ,

a
y not pr e su m e to ent e r therein

aga in . S e condly as a m a rk O f triumph for

, ,

cros ses be the b anners of Christ and the signs of ,

h is triumph Third ly th at such as loo k

o n them m
.
,

a
y ca ll to min d the p a ssion Of C hrist ,

by which H e h ath con secrated hi s church ; and

th e ir be lief in h is
fro mth ir ju tly x ci t d ng r dr gg d hi mw i thou t com
e s e e a e a e

mi r tion in to c v rn w h r in th y p l c d thr h rp
,

se a a a e e e e a e ee s a

p oin t d rock b oring hol through ch of th m

,

e s, a e ea e .

No t nd Qu ri V ol V I I I p 2 0 0 E u biu in h i O
es a e es , -
se s, s ra

ti oninp r i se of th E m p ror C on t n tine wri te th t th E m

. . .
,

a e e p ror s a , s, a e e
 T U T ELARY DEI T IES . 45

th e influence Of m
B ut ythology on C hri sti anity
did not termin at e with the mer e n atural re sults of
previous e duc ation h abits & c Th e church u nder , , .
,

a nd sub sequent to the reign o f C on st a ntine re ,

po sing in th e protect ion of the civil power an d ,

not cont e nt with the n atur al veneration due to

those e arly C hri sti an s who h ad struggled for the
cro ss and fal le n m ar ty rs or di stingui shed them
,

selves by their long and protr acted suffe rings !

in se n sibly perh ap s at the fir st a nd influenced by

, , ,

the sa me a mi able feeling s w hich led th e p ag an to

deify hi s bene fa c tors indulged a degree of reveren ce ,

to th e m e mory o f tho se holy men , which soon

ripened into supersti tious Ob serv ance s and ulti ,

m ately to their c anoniz ation and invoc ation The .

—
Fa th e rs o f th a t period A th an asiu s Na zi anzen , ,

Chrysosto m&c — e ncouraged the b eli e f ; and a

, .

rage w a s developed for th e se arch of the rem ain s

and re sting pl a ces o f the holy d e ad to whom

-
,

prayers were o ff er e d ; and in i ts encour agemen t ,

of invoc ation o f the de ad visions miracle s pro , , ,

honour d th t i m e p h ll i gn of th cro
e r u h ving r lly
a s e e sse, a ea

e xp ri nc d nd found th d i vin rtu th t i th r in F b y i t

e e e a e e Vi e a s e e or

th m ul ti tud of h i n m
.

e i w r p t t fl i gh t ; b y t th v in
es s e e es e e u o i e a e

o t nt ti on of th n m
s e a i of G d w u pp r d th p tul n t
e e e es o as s e sse e e a

of l p k r nd W ck d mn w r i l nc d ; b y i t th
,

t ongu es ev i s ea e s a i e e e e S e e e

b rb rou p o p l w r u b du d b y t th invi ib l p w of th
a a s e e e e s e i e s e o ei s e

d l w r v n q u i h d nd d
i Vi e e a n w y ;snd b y i t th
e aup r i i ve a a a e s e

t t
s i i ou s error w r confu t d nd b oli h d
s e e e a a s e .
”
 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

p h e ti cdream s relics & c the R om an church at

, , .
,

this time riv alle d th e om e n s divin ation s oracles , , ,

a nd h e ro worship o f o ne o f the l a ter ph as es of

-

mytho logy .

The church even sought to promote the sprea d

of C hri sti anity by the adoption of certa in paga n
rites and ceremonies No m ore rem ark able a nd
.

intere sting ex ample o f thi s i s to b e fou nd th an in

the an n al s o f our ow n country I n the ye ar o f .

“
o u r Lord 6 0 1 in a letter sent to the Abbot
,

”
M ellitus th e n going into B ritain P ope G regory
, ,

wrote as follow s
I h ave upon m ature deliberation on th e aff airs
,

o f the E ngli sh de termin e d , th at th e temples

Of th e idols of th at n atio n ought not to be de
stroyed ; but le t the idols th at are in them be
destroyed let holy water he m ade and sprinkled
,

in the s aid temples let alt ars be erecte d and relics

, ,

pl aced Fo r if those temples be wel l buil t it i s

.
,

r e quisite th at they be co nverted from the worship

o f devils to the service o f th e true G od ; that the

nation seeing th at the temples are not des troyed

may remove error from their h earts and knowing
, ,

a nd a doring th e tr u e G od may the more fami ,

li arly resort to the pl aces to which they h ave been

a ccu stom e d A n d bec ause they h ave been used
.

to slaughter m any oxen in the s a crifices to devil s ,

some solemnity must be exchanged for these on

 IMAGE W O RSHIP
- . 47

thi s ac count as th at on th e da y of dedic ation o r

, ,

the na tivi ties of the holy m artyrs who se r e lics are

there d epo sited they m a
y build the,
m selves hu ts

of the boughs of trees about tho se church e s which

h ave b e en turned to th at u se from te m pl e s and ,

no mor e o ff e r be asts to the devil but kill c attle to ,

th e pr a ise of G od in th e ir e a ting a nd retur n ,

th ank s to th e G iver o f all things for th ei r suste

n ance ; to the end th at whilst s o m e gra ti ficati ons
,

are out w a rdly permitted th e m th ey m a

y the more ,

e asily consent to the inw ard consolations of the

”
gra ce o f G od .

I n A D 7 2 6 P ope G regory I I expre ssed hi s

. .
,

a pprov al of im age worship a nd bec ause the G reek

-
,

emperor refu sed to accede to thi s form o f idolatry ,

be c aused th e tribute p a id to him by R om e to be

sus pe nd e d and even went to th e ex tent o f e x c o m
,

mu nicating hi m ; and in 78 9 th e second Nicene ,

co uncil re esta blished an d confirmed the a doration

-

of im age s .

E x a mples Of the influence Of the se doctrines in

the Roman and other churches m a
y be mul
t ip li e d .

The censers and lustration vessel s of th e priest

hood are Oopied fro mthe s acrifici al ves sels wh ich
w e re used in the p ag an temples th e woollen
B d E ccl i tic l H i tory
e e. es a s a s . B . I .
, ch . 30 . Dr
. G il e s
’

T ransl Bohn
. .
48 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

fillet w as transformed into the pri e st s amice ; and ’

the li tu us or curved st aff of the sooths ayer

, ,

bec ame the crozier of the bishop .

The sacred fount ain s o f an tiquity were p erp e

tu ate d in a C hris ti a n form by dedica tion to a

s aint E x amples of this a re aff orded by th e wells

.

o f S t E li an
. in D enbigh shire ; S t Winifred in
,
.
,

Flintshire &c , .

I n no respect h owever h as th e R omish church

, ,

so clo sely fol lowed the ex a mple o f p ag an n at ion s ,

and borrowed from mythology a s in the de i fi ,

c ation of men and the adoption o f tutel a ry

,

divinities .

A s the mythology of an ci e nt R ome and G reece

had i ts gods w h o presided over countries citi e s , ,

towns and the nu m

, erous a c tions and dutie s of
man in h i s civi l and religiou s life to e ach of whom ,

worship w as o ffe red and alta r s erecte d so al so the ,

R omi sh church encouraged the b elief in gu a rdi an

saint s and in thi s resp ect its c alend a r riv als th e
,

P a nth e on .

A s fully did thi s church adopt the principle of

the dei ficati on (ca noni z a ti on) o f m en — o ne of the

most promin e nt of the ch ara ct e ristics of idol atry .

Thu s the R o m i sh c al e nd a r contain s guardi an

s aint s of coun tri e s : S t G eorge i s the tutel a ry
. .

s a int o f E ng la nd ; S t A ndr e w of S cotl a nd ; S t

.
,
.

P atrick o f I r e l and ; S t D enis, of Fr ance ; and

, .
 T U T EL A RY SAIN T S . 49

S t P eter,
. A u stria po sses se s two
of Fl a nders .

guardian s aints S t C olm an a nd S t Leopold ;

,
. .

G erm any h as three S t M ar tin S t B onifac e a nd ,

.
,
.
,

S t G e orge C ata ph ra stu s ; a nd s o o n o f all the

.

co un trie s o f E uro p e .

Th e r e are also gu ardi an saints of ci tie s S t . .

E gidiu s presid e s over E dinburgh S t Nichol a s , .

,

A b erde e n ; S t P ete r succe e ded M a r s at R om e ;

.

S t Fri de sw i de O xford S t G e n evieve P a ris ; S t

.
,
.
, .

Thom a s A quin as a nd S t Ja nu ariu s Na ples & c .

, ,
.

O f th e g e neral body o f t ute la ry sa ints the fol

lowing li st will aff ord an il lu stra tion
S t A ga th a pre sid e s over nurse s ; S t C atherin e
. .

a nd S t G regory over studiou s p e rsons ; S t C hri s

. .

t op he r S t H e rmus a nd S t N ich o l as ov e r m
,
. a ri, .
,

ners ; S t C e cili a over m u sici an s S t C o smo s and

.
,
.

D a mi an over phy sici ans surgeons and p h i loso

, , ,

h e rs S t D i sma s a nd S t Nichol a s over thi e ve s ;

p . .
,

S t E u st a c e a nd S t H ubert over hu nter s ; S t

. .
, .

Felicita s over young ch i ldren ; S t Juli a n o v er

, .
,

pilgri ms S t Leon ard a nd S t B arb ara ov e r c ap

. .
,

ti v es ; S t Luke p ainters ; S t M a rtin and S t

.
, . .

U rb a n ov e r a le knight s to prevent them falling

-
,

in the kenn el ; S t f Ethelbert and f Eli an a re i n .

y ok e d ag ain st thieves 81 0 , .

S t Ag ath a presides o v er v alleys ; S t A nne

.
.
,

riche s ; S t B arb ara hills ; S t Florian fire ; S t

.
, .
, .

S ylves ter woods, &c , .

50 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

S t Thom as presides over divines ; S t Thomas

. .

a B e ck et blin d men ; S t V alentine lovers ; S t

-
,
.
, .

Winifre d virgins ; S t J oseph c arpenters ; S t

,
.
, .

A n thon y swin eherds and grocers ; S t A rnh old

, .
,

miller s ; S t B l ai se wool combers ; S t C atherine

.
,
- .
,

s pinn e r s ; S t C lement t a nners ; S t .C loud n ail , .

,

s mi th s S t D un stan gold s miths S t Elry bl ack

.
, .
,

s mith s farriers &c ; S t Flori an , m e rcers ; S t

, , . . .

Franci s butch e rs ; S t G eorge

, clo thiers S t .
, .

G oodm an and S t A nn tailors ; S t G or e pot .

, .
,

te rs ; S t H il ary Coopers ; S t Leodager drapers ;

.
, .
,

S t C ri spin shoem akers &c

.
, , .

S t A nthony pro tects hogs ; S t Ferriol geese ;

. .
,

S t G e rtrude mice an d eggs ; S t H ubert dogs ;

.
,
.
,

S t Jo y h orses &c
.
, ,
.

Nu m erous saint s were invoked against di se ases

e g
. S t C lara ag ain st sore eyes S t G enow gou t ;
.
,
. .
,

S t M arus p al sies and convulsion s ; S t S igis

.
,
.

m und fe ve r s &c , , .

“ There be m ny mir acl e s assigned to s aints ”

a ,

writes B arn aby R ich in 1 6 1 9 th at they say are , ,

good for all di se ase s : th ey c an giv e sigh t to th e

blind m ake th e de afe to he ar ; they c an restore
,

li m b s th at be cripp led and m ake the l a m e gO ,

upright ; they b e good for horse swin e a nd m any , ,

o ther be ast s An d women al so h ave shee saints

.
, ,
-
.

Th e y h ave sain ts to pr ay to wh e n th e y
.

be grieved with a th ird day ague , w hen they be

 AP P ARI T I ON S . 51

pain ed with toothache , or when they wou ld be

revenged on their angry husb ands .

They h ave s aints th at be good a mongst poultry

when they h ave the pip for geese wh e n they do ,

si t to h ave a h ap y success in gosling s ; and to

, p ,

be short there is no dise ase n o sickne ss n o

, , ,

griefe either amongst men or be ast s th at h ath not

, ,

h i s ph y sici a n a mo ng the
The R omish ch urch also adopted th e p ag an
beli e f in app ari tion s and a s th e l atter h ad s u p ,

ported th e argument i n favour o f th e exi sten ce of

the god s by the fiction of their occasion al m a ni
fe sta ti o ns in a vi sibl e form s o th e form e r endea ,

v ou re d to su st a in its dogm a s by fabl e s o f the

a pp arition from time to time of its s aints
, , .

I t i s n ee dl e ss to dwell upon th e m ann e r in

which this church p andered to the cr e duli ty of the
people in this re sp e ct for an ex a mpl e i s before ,

the world ev e n at th e present time in the a pp a

t ition o f th e B l e ssed V irgin ne a r La S alet te a ,

village about four m il e s fro mC orp s a sm all town ,

situ at ed on th e ro a d betw e e n G r e noble a nd G a

p .

The tory is as follows

s — O n the 1 9 th S ep ~

tember 1 84 6 the B le sse d V irgin appe ar e d t o two

, ,

childre n th e o ne a boy age d 1 1 a nd th e other a

, ,

girl aged 1 4 ye ars wh o w ere w atching cows ne ar

,

r nd P o p ul r A nt i qu i ti of G r
B a
’
s a es eat ri in V ol I p
B ta 20 1
N o t M i ch l m D y
. . . . .

e . ae as a .
 52 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AN D SPRI T ES .

a in th e hollo wof a r avine in the moun

fount ain ,
tains about four mile s from th e church Of L a
,

S alet te When fir st seen she w a s in a sitting

.
,

position the he ad r e sting upon th e h and s a nd

, ,

“
sh e h ad on white shoe s w ith rose s ab o ut her
,

shoes The ro ses w e re Of all colour s H er sock s

. .

were yello w her apron y ellow a nd her gown

, ,

white wi th p earls all over it S he h ad a whi te

, .

neckerchief w i th roses roun d it ; a high c ap a

, ,

little b e nt in front ; a crown roun d h e r c ap with

roses S he h ad a very sm all ch ain to which w as
.
,

a tta ched a crucifix ; o n th e right were some

pincers o n the left a h a mmer ; at the extre mitie s
,

o f the cros s w as another h uge ch a in w li i c li fell , ,

like the rose s round her h andkerchief H er fa ce

,
.

w as white a nd long .

A ddressing the children te ars coursing down ,

her cheeks she S poke to them on the wickednes s

,

o f the p e asan try p a r ticu la rly their negl e ct O f the

,

“
S abb a th and o f the dutie s of Lent when they go ,

”
like dog s to the bu tchers st alls ’
Then sh e fore .

told th at if th e m e n would not be convert ed ,

there shou ld be no pot atoes at C hri stm as a ll the ,

c a n s hould be e aten up by a nim al s o r if any did ,

gro w up it should fall to du st w h e n thrash e d

,
.

Th ere should be a gre at fa mine prec e ding which ,

children b elo w seven y ea rs Of age should h ave

convul sions and die in the arms o f those who
,
 “ o u r. ”
LADY O F SALE TT E . 53

held them ; and the r e st should do penance by

hung e r N ut s and grapes al so should p e ri sh B u t
. .

if m e n w e re convert e d then the rocks and stones

,

sh all be ch anged into he aps of corn and pot atoes ,

” ”
sh all be sown all over the l and The l ady i n
.
,

a ddi tion confid e d to e a ch o f th e children a secret

,

which w as no t to be to ld to th e o th e r but which ,

they co nfi d e d to th e P ope in 1 85 1 Then .

,

“ ”
a fter a li ttl e gossiping convers a tion the l ady ,

v ani shed .

S oon a fter this app arition h ad been noised

a bro a d, it w as di scover e d th at th e w at e rs of the
fount a in w e re p o sse sse d of m a rv ellou s h ealing
properties and m any m
, ir acu lou s cure s w e re
e ff e ct e d by its u se P i lgri m. s fl o cked to the s cene

o f th e vi s ion a nd it i s a ffi rmed th at in o ne da
y
'

of the fai thful a sc e nded the mountain .

A mong o th er s t h e pr e sent B i shop o f O rle ans

,

“ ”
m ade a pilgrim age to the holy mo u ntain and ,

he w as so im pres sed by th e solem n fee lings

excited b y tre ading on such holy ground th at he ,

often ej acul ate d I t c annot be but th at the

,

”
finge r of G od is here O ther e ccle si a stic s of
rank al so vi sited the spot and th e whole affai r ,

w as O ffi ci ally s a nctioned .

Nor did th e m a tt e r rest here for church e s a re ,

“
being built a nd dedic ate d to
, O ur La dy o f
”
S alette, in different countries ; and a society
54 FIENDS GH O S T S,
, A ND SPRI T ES .

h as been establi shed in E ngl and bearing her

n ame .

We h ave already al luded to the s acred fountain s

Of he athen n ations and in the holy foun tain of
,

S alette we witness the mod e rn developm e nt of

a simil ar superstition S o also in the app arition
.

of the V irgin the s a me credulity i s traced which

prompte d the an cients to believe in the occasion al
a p pe ar a nce o f their dei tie s .

I t i s r el ated th at C astor and P ollux the sons of ,

J upiter by Led a the wife of Ty ndaru s, w e re se en

,

fighting at th e b attle of Regi llu s ; and th at ,

subsequ e ntly mounted o n whit e hor ses they

, ,

appe ar e d to P V a tie nu s as he j ourn eyed by

.
,

night to R ome from his gove rnm e nt Of R e ate

, ,

and told him th at K ing P erses h a d th at da been

y
taken prisoner .

“
O n these legends C icero rem arks ; D o you
believe that the Tynd arid ae as you called them , ,

th at i s men sprung fro m men an d b uried in

, ,

Lace de m o n as we le a rn from H omer

, who lived ,

i n the next age ,— do y ou be lieve I say th a t , ,

they a pp eared to V ati enu s on the ro ad moun ted ,

on wh ite horses wi thout any serv ant t o at ten d

,

the m to te ll the victory of th e R om a ns to a

,

c oun t ry f el lo w r ather th a n to M C ato who w as

.
,

th at time the chief person of the sen ate ! DO

’
you take that pri nt of a horse s hoof, which i s
 “ O UR LADY O F SALE TT E ”
. 55

now to be seen on a stone at Regillu s to be ma de ,

by C astor s hor se !
’
S hould y o u no t b e liev e ,

wh a t i s prob a bl e th at the souls of emin e nt men

, ,

s uch a s the Tynd a rid ae a re divine a nd i m

, mort al ,

rather th a n th a t those b odie s w hich h a d been ,

reduced to a she s should mo unt on horses and

,

fight in an a rmy ! I f you sa y th at w as pos sib le ,

you o u ght to show how it is so a nd not a mu se us ,

”
with fa bulou s s tories .

”
D o you ta ke the se for fabulous stories ! s ays
B a lbu s . I s not th e temple bui lt b y P o sth u m i us
in honour of C a stor and P o llux to be se e n in the ,

Foru m ! I s not the decre e of the sen ate con

cerning V a ti e nu s still sub si sting !
”
O ught no t such authori ti e s to move you !
“
You Oppose m e
”
replie s C ott a with stories
, , ,

but I as k r eason s of
I t would s ee mthe n th at the p a rallelism i s
perfect even to the buil ding Of temples and the
, ,

o ffi ci al recogni tion of the tru th of th e event .

O f the individua l person ages O f ancient

mythology very few traces r e m a in in E ngl and ,

and these p rincip ally belong to th e f a i r belief

y .

Th i s supe r sti tion of which th e a n alogue is

,

found i n the Nymphs O re ads D ry ad s N ai ads , ,

Le m
, ,

oni ads, a nd N e ri e ds o f a ncient G reec e a nd

,

R ome i s still prevalent in c ert ain di stricts of this

,

C i ca o
'
. De N t ra De o m B I II ch 5
a u ru . . .
, . .
56 F IE ND S GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

country ; and the extinction of the gener al belief ,

a mong the lower order s of o ne of the m , os t noted

o f the personages which are met wi th in fairy

lore the li obg obli n is c omparatively o f recent

,

d ate The n a me is h owever still fam

,

.
, ili ar and
, ,

in use for cer tain vague m ani festations o f the

supern atural al though t he actu a l significatio n of
,

the term i s to a gre at e xtent lost sight o f

, , .

Th e li o bgo bli n is wor thy o f n otice n ot only f o r

its intrin sic interest but al s o for the illu s tration
,

whic h it a fl ords of the in tim ate r el ationship which

is often found to exi st between the s up e rstition s
of di ff e ren t and even far dis tant n ations .

Thi s spiri t in his p alm y d ay s w as th at fairy

, ,

which atta ched it self to hou se s and the neigh ,

bou rh o o d of d w el lings a nd chu rches (for even

s acred e difices were no t exemp ted from i ts
influ e nce ) . I n di spo siti o n i t w as mischievous
a nd S port iv e a lth o ugh it o f ten deign ed
,
d uring ,

th e night to perform m any meni al o fli ces and

, ,

wh at so e v e r bui lding it att ached its elf to pro spered .

I t w as a p t to take O ff e n ce p a r t icul ar ly if as a
, ,

reward m on e y o r clo thes were p laced fo r it in

,

th at p art of the hou se it m o s t frequente d ; but i t

w as p a r t i al to cre a m o r some delic a tely p rep a red
,

e at ab le and any hou sewife wh o w as c areful to

,

con cili ate the s pirit b y adminis tering to this ta s te ,

w as certa in to be well r e warded A s m ight be .

 T HE H O B G O B LIN . 57

anticip ated it w as a favourite ch arac ter wi th

,

poet s and de scrip tions of i ts prop e n siti e s and

,

ac tions abound Thu s in the M idsummer .

,

”
Night s D re am (A c t I I S c
’
one of the Fairies ,
.

is represent e d as a ddre ssing this spirit an d ,

s aying

E i th r I m ei t k your h p nd mkin g q ui t
s a e s a e a a e,

O l you th t hr wd nd kn vi h p ri t
r e se are a s e a a s s e

C ll d R ob in G oodf llow A you n t h

a e e re o e

Th t frigh t th mi d n f th vill g ry
.

a s e a e s O e a e

S k i mm
,

i lk nd l b our i n th q u rn
s a a s e e

A nd b oo tl mk th b r thl hou wif hurn ;

, ,

e ss a es e ea ess se e c

And o mti m mk th drink t h r no h rm

s e es a es e o ea a

M i l d nigh t W nd r r l ughing t th i r h r m
s ea s -! a e e s, a a e a

Tho th t H ob gob l i n c ll you nd w t Puck

se a a a s ee ,

Y do th ir w ork nd th y h ll h v good luck

ou e a e s a a e ,

A n t you h
re o e

Pu ck Thou p k t righ t s ea es a

I mth t mrry w nd r r of th night

.
,

a a e a e e e

I j t t O b ron nd mk h m m
.

es o il e , a a e i s e,

Wh n I f t nd b n f d hor b gu i l
e a a a ea - e se e e,

N ighing in l i k n of filly fo l ;
e e e ss a - a

And o mti m lurk I i n go ip b o w l

s e es a ss
’
s ,

I n v ry hk n of ro t d cr b
e e e ss a as e a ,

A nd w h n h d i ink g i n t h l ip I h b
e s e s a a s er s o ,

A nd on h Wi th r d d w l p p our th l
er e e e a e a e.

Th Wi e t n t t lling th dd t t l
se s au e e sa es a e,

S o mti m for thr foo t tool m

e e i t k th m; ee - s s a e e

Th n lip 1 fro mh b u n do w n to pp l h
e S er r , es s e,

A nd t l cri nd f ll in to
a i or cough ; es, a a s a

A nd th n th w hol q uir hold th ir hi p nd lo ff

e e e e e s a e,

A nd w x n i n th ir m a ir th nd
e nd w e r e a ree ze, a s a

A mrri r hour w n v r w t d th er
,

’
e e as e e as e e.
58 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

M ilton , in the L Allegro,

’
writes of him in a
diffe r e nt o fli c e, a nd

T ll s h
e d udging gob lin w t
ow th e r s ea

To rn h cr mho w l duly t
,

ea is ea - se

Wh n i n n n i gh t gl i m p of m
,

e o e orn ere se ,

H h dow y fl i l h thr h d th corn

is s a a as as e e ,

Th t t n d y l h
a e could n t nd
a - a
’
re rs o e

T h n li h mdo w n th lubb r fi nd
e es i e e - e ,

And tr tch d t ll th chi m

s e en y l ngth
ou a e e
’
s e ,

B k t th fi h i h iry tr ngt h
as s a e re s a s e ,

And cro p full t of door h fii ng ou s e s,

E th fi r t cock hi mti n r ng
re e s
"
s a i s .

A nother noted ch ara cteri stic of th i s fairy is

mentioned in the fi ne old song of Ben J oh n
son s ’

Wh n hou or h rth do th lu tti h ly

e se ea s s e,

I pi nch th mid n b l ck nd b lu e a e s a a e

Th b d clo th
e e fro mth b d pull I es e e

And l y th mn k d ll t vi w
,

a e a e a o e .

TW xt l p nd w k i s ee e a a e

I do th mt k e a e

A nd on th k y cold floor th mth ow

e e - e r

I f t th y cry ou e

T h n fo th I fl y e r ,

A nd loudly l ug h t ho ! h o ! ho a ou ,

The hobgoblin i s one the widest spread forms of -

Of fairy b eli e f I n E ngl and it i s als o termed

.

B ogg ard, P u ck, Robi n G oodf ellow, and Robi n H ood ;

it i s th e B row ni e S cotland th e Cluri caune Lu
of ,

ri c au ne Lep roclza u ne & c

, of I rel and ; th e Kobold , .
,

o f G erm any ; the S erva nt of S witzerla nd ; the Nis

 T HE H O B G O B LIN . 59

of D en m ark and N orw ay ; th e N i ag ru iser of the

Fe ro e s ; th e m
To i g u bbe,
- or Tou t, of S we den ; th e

P hy nnoderee of the I sle of M an; the M ona ci ello of

Napl e s ; the Du ende of S p ain ; the Lu ti n, o r
G obeh n of Fr ance ; and th e P ara of Finl an d
’

appe a rs to h a ve som e affinity with it .

The d e rivation of so m e of th e princip al n am es

of thi s fa i ry i s also of intere st From the S clavo ni c
.

Bo g,
signifying G od co me th e word
,
s bo
gg a rd an d
bogg a rt ; the S cotti sh B oy le a hill fairy ; an d ,
-

prob ably al so the word s B ug bear and B ug a boo

, ,
-

and from the I cel an dic P u ki a n evil spiri t , come ,

th e E ngli sh P uke a devil , as also Pu ck; the

,

Frie slan d P u k; the G erm a n P u tz o r B u tz ; the ,

D e vonshire P ixi e; the I ri sh P ou / ce ; t h e We ls h

c ca and th e words big a nd bug

,
—all n a mes of ,

certain v arietie s o f the fa iry b elief an d having the

-
,

signific ation of an e vil S pirit .

Certain form s of p aga n worship would appe ar

to h a ve been perpetu a te d un modifi e d in C hri stian

countri e s even to the pr e sent time A rem a rk able .

and singul a r il lustr a tion of thi s i s found in I r e l and .

O ff the north west co ast of th at kingdom are

-

S ituated the isl an ds of I nni ske a cont aining a p op u ,

lation of about 40 0 hum an beings Nomin ally .

the inh abitant s are Chri sti an s and under R om an ,

C atholic tui tion ; in re ality th ey ob serve the an cient

,

forms of I ri sh c la n government , and are idol aters ,

60 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

worshipping rocks and stone s Their chi e f god is .

a ston e ido l t e rmed N ee uon g i which h as b e e n -

,

preserved from time im m em ori al I t is clothed .

in hom e spun fl ann el which ari ses from the cus ,

tom of i ts vot a ri e s o ffering por tions of their

dress when addre ssing it Th e se fragm e nts are .

sewed upon it by a n o ld wo m a n who ha s ch a rge

of the idol a nd who o ffi c i ate s as prie ste ss I t is

,
.

invoked a mong o ther thing s to d ash helpless

, ,

ships upon the co ast and to c alm th e sea in order ,

th at the fi shing m a
y be succe ssful * .

The adoration of rocks a nd stone pill ars is on e

o f the m o st a nci e nt forms o f idol atry o n record .

I t prob ably took i ts origin from the custom of

erecting s tone pil lars as a memori al and co u se ,

crating them a s al tars on any extraordin ary even t

o r occas ion The e arliest mention of this custo m
.

is foun d in G ene sis (cxxviii v 1 0 ) , .

“
A nd Jacob ro se up ea rl y in th e m orning and ,

took up th e stone he had put fo r h i s pillo w a nd ,

set it up for a pill ar and poured oi l upon the ,

top of it .

And he called the nam e of th at pl ace B eth El -

s aying thi s st o ne wh ich I h ave set

”
up for a pi ll ar sh all be G od s hou se ’
.

S tones th us erected as m e mori als and co u se ,

S ee “
N ot es a nd Q u ri
e S ir J E T nn n t V ol
es .
”
. . e a , . V . .

p . 1 21 ; W B lood
.
, &c .
, V ol VIII p 4 1 3
. .
, . .
 R OC K AN D S TONE W O RSHIP . 61

crated as lta rs i n the course of ti m

a , e were con
sidere d to be the a bod e o f o r r ath e r to be filled
,

with the divine pow e r which h ad m anife sted it self

, ,

there ; and ultim ate ly s tone pill ars were u sed as

s ymbol s of the D e i ty S ingu larly formed rocks
.

and stones were a l so r e g arded in a s imi la r ligh t ;

a nd tr a ce s o f thi s v ery a nci e nt for mo f idol a try

may be foun d in all p arts of th e world .

The a ni m
“
a te d stones
”
o f a n tiquity which re ,

ce i v e d d i vine honour s deriv ed th e ir n am e s from

,

B e th El as for ex a mpl e B a i th u lia B e thy lli a and

-
, , , ,

B a i r ok i a S ignifying con se cr ated o r living stone s ;

,

a nd o ne o f t h e modific a tions o f Jupi ter Jup i ter ,

Lap i s (a stone ) w a s d e riv e d from t hi s form o f

,

idolatry and the mo st so lemn of th e R om a n o ath s

,

w a s th at ta k e n in the n a me of t hi s god .

Num erous trace s of supersti tion are found sc at

t ere d throughou t E ng la nd and the countri e s of
,

Wes te rn E urope , which are the line al al though ,

deg e n erated de scen da nt s o f th e super sti tions o f

the mythologic al e ra of the re sp e c tive n ations or ,

r ath e r r a c e s dwel ling there

, .

Th e re a re few l a rge town s in G re at B ritain

which do not cont ain one or more p e r sons w ho
profe ss to pr acti se astrology m agic o r divin ation , ,

—w i se m en a s th e y are pop u la r ly
,
d e signa ted ;
a nd the b e lief i n ch arms a nd omens i s far from

being eradicated amo ng a l arge mass of the p op u

62 F IEND S GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

la tion p articul arly among th ose who dwell in

,

secluded or mountainous districts .

No t unfrequently events h appen by which we

may ga uge the extent to which these sup e rstitions
are still entertain ed Tho se who m arked th e .

eff ect which the a ppearan ce o f the l ate comet

had on the minds of m any in this country would ,

perceive that a somewh at powerful fe eling of

super stitious dre ad on th e occurrence of rem ark ,

ab le cele sti a l e vent s rem ained The al arm ex , .

cited among the credulous in E ngl and w as how ,

ever, i f anything less m ark e d th a n th at c a used ,

in m any p rts o th e continen t and in A merica

a f * .

Three years ago we had a n Opportunity o f wit

ne ssi ng a singul a r exhibition of fe ar whic h w as ,

excited i n the inhabitants of the most im p o

The B rlin corr p ond n t of
e es e th e Ti mrltd e: e a e the follo wi ng
incid n t e
“
co mt w hich h l t ly b n vi ibl h rv d p ri t
Th e e as a e ee s e, as se e a es

fro mW r w Wi th mt r i l for v ry curiou rm

,

not f ar a sa on a e a s a e s se

A ft r h m g um mon d h congr g ti on tog th r l though i t w

.
,

e av s e is e a e e a as

n i th r S und y nor f ti v l nd ho w n th mth co mt h i nformd

,

e e a es a a s e e e e e

th m
, ,

e th t t h i w tha m t r th t h d pp r d t th M gi t
s as e sa e s a a a a ea e o e a a

th bi r th of th
e S vi our nd th t i t w o nly i ib l n w in th
e a ,
a a as V s e o e

R u i n E mpi r I t pp r n on th i occ ion w t i n ti mt

ss a e. s a ea a ce s as as o a e

t th R u i n
o e gl th t th ti mw n w co mfor t t p r d
ss a ea e, a e e as o e i o s ea

ou t i t Wi ng nd m
s b r c ll mnk i nd in n orthodo x nd
s, a e a e a a o e a

sa ncti fying church H how d th mth t r n w t nding i m

. me s e e e s a o s a e

di t ly ov r Con t n ti no p l nd xpl i n d th t th dull l i ght of

a e e s a e, a e a e a e

th nucl u i nd i c t d i t
e e orrow t th d l y of th R u i n m
s a e y
s s a e e a e ss a ar

in p roc d ng t i t d ti nation
ee i
”
o s es .
 T HE AUR O RA . 63

v eri sh e ddistricts of Leeds b y the prev alen ce of

,

a brilli ant di spl a y of t h e a uror a bore ali s The .

scene p arall e led the description s recorded of the

e ff ects produced by simi la r phenomen a in the
M iddle Ages The pr e v ailing impres sion w as th at
.
,

the world w as on the point of if not in the , ,

a ctu al proc e s s of de struction ; a nd in m any the

al a rm b e c a me e xtr e m e wh en duri ng the most

, ,

m agnificent period of th e pheno m e n a s e veral of ,

the stre amer s became of a de ep cri mson an d

blue tint .

This displ ay of the aurora exten ded over a

v a st exten t of country and a singul ar ex ample of
,

the feelings wi th which it w as reg arded in S pain

w as recorded at the tim e i n th e d a i ly p a pers .

O n the ev e ning on which it occurre d i t s o h ap ,

pened th at the subj ect of the homi ly in one of the

churche s of M adrid w as th e destruction of the
world and the day of j udgment A t the conclu
, .

sion of the service a nd as th e congregation were

,

issuing from the church th e n orth e rn he avens

,

were glowing with the bril li ant and ever v arying -

light of the a urora S tartled by a phenomenon

.

which i s of somewh at r a re occurr e nce in S p ain ,

the ide a at onc e occurr e d th a t the terribl e event s

upon which th e pri e st h a d b e e n descanting were
a bout to come to p a s s
; the people ru shed b ack
t o the steps of the altar, and while the aurora
64 FIENDS , GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES , .

continued the terror and confu sion b egg ared all

,

description .

A no th e r indic ation of the influence which the

super stition s w e h a ve n a med exercis e on the minds
o f cer tain cl asse s is th e number of works o n ,

a strology princip ally reprint s which h ave i ssued

, ,

fro mthe press during the l ast eight or nine

y e ars .

This a ncient superstition which is still p rac

ti se d by t h e M ah o m
,

e dans C hine s e & c re tain s a , , .

,

hold upon th e mind s of m any even now I ts ,

.

prac tice in thi s country i s howev e r mo s t fre , ,

quently combined wi th some of the minor form s

of m agic and divin ation a nd those who profes s a
knowledge o f the se a rts chi e fly direct them to the
i gnoble purpose o f detec ting s tolen a r ticle s .

I n A meric a it wou ld seem from the advertis e , ,

men ts w hich from t ime to tim e appe a r in the

new sp ap e rs th at this supersti tion is flouri shi ng
,

with some vigour W e s ubjoin in a no te speci .

, ,

m e n s of th ese adverti sem e n ts * .

M d mM orrow v n th d ugh t r of v n th d ught r nd

a a , se e a e a se e a e ,a

a d c nd n t of l i n of trolog r r ching b ck for nturi W ll

es e a a e as e s ea a ce es , i

gi v l d i p ri v t l ctur on ll th v n t of h f i n r g rd t
e a es a e e es a e e e s e, e a o

h lth w l th lov cour t hip nd mrr i g S h i w i thou t

ea ea e, s a a a e e s,

x c p ti on th m
, , , .

e e o t w ond ful trologi t i n th w orld or th t h

, e s er as s e , a as

ev r b n kno wn S h W ll i t ll th i r v ry though t nd Wi ll
e ee e i ev e i e e e s, a

how th mth l i k n
.

S e of th ir i n t nd d hu b nd nd b n t
e e e sse s e e e s a s a a se

f i nd w hich h t on i h d thou nd dur i ng h b n in

E ro p S h W ll le v th ity in v ry hor t t m 7 6 Broom
re s, as as s e sa s er a se ce

u e . e i a e e C a e s i e. ,
 C HA RMS AND O MEN S . 6b

The belief in ch arm s and om ens which w as one ,

of the mo st impo r t a nt of the super stitions of anti

q u it
y is still ent
,
e rt a ined by the lowe r orde rs in

m any counties and it forms one of the mo st ,

striking feature s of th e current folk lor e -

.

The D evonshire pe as ant wil l recite the 8 th

P s alm o n three consecutive d ays for three weeks , ,

over hi s child in order to prevent its being ,

atta cked with the th ru sh a nd S hould th e di se ase ,

notwith standing t hi s prec autio n occur h e either , ,

plucks three ru shes from a running stre am p as ses ,

th em through the mouth of the child a nd th e n ,

casts them into the stre am believing th at the ,

S tr t b tw n C nnon nd C olu m
ee e ee b i a G ntl mn
a n t a e e e are o

dm
.
,

a i tt d ”
e

M d m l Co m p t fl tt h r lf th t h i co m
.

a a e a p t nt by a e rs e se a s e s e e

h ergr t xp ri nc in th t of trology t giv tru inform

ea e e e e e ar as , o e e a

tion in r g rd t th p t p r
e a n t nd f tur S h i b l t
o e as ese a u e. e s a e o see

v i tor my h v u t in d nd Will g i v
, ,

cl rly ny lo
ea a h sse s er is s a a e s s a e a e

ti f c tory inform
,

sa s a tion in r g rd t th w y of r cov ry
a Sh e a o e a e e . e

h nd con tinu
as , a t gi v p rf c t ti f c ti on
es L d i nd g n tl
o e e e sa s a a es a e e

mn 50 c nt
.

e e H o w rd S tr t
s a ee

M d m l Co m
. .

a a p t h b n vi i t d b y ov r tw hundr d
e a as ee s e e o e

l di nd g n tl mn th p t w k nd h giv n p rf c t ti
a es a e e e e as ee , a as e e e sa s

f c tion ; nd i n con id r ti on of th gr t p tron g b to w d u p on

a a s e a e ea a a e es e

h h w ill r min t 1 3 H o w rd S tr t for four d y m

er, s e e a a or , a ee , a s e,

w h n h w ill p o i ti v ly il for th S ou th ”
e s e s e sa e

Alw mr no wn d in E uro p for h e

.

“
M rs . ,
kill in for t lli ng
e e e r S e e

th e futur h rriv d nd W i ll furni h in t ll i g nc b out ll

e, as a e a s e e e a a

circu mt nc of lif S h in t rp r t dr m l w mtt r and

,

s a es e. e e e s ea s, a a e s,

lov b y trology b ook nd c i nc nd t ll t l di nd

e, as s, a s e e, a e s o a es a

g n tl m n th n m e of the p r on s th ey w i ll m ry ;
,

e e e e a l o the e s ar a s

F
 66 FIENDS GH O S T S , ,
AN D SPRI T ES .

disease will decrease and dis appear as the rushes

flo at away or seizing a duck he will force it to ,

open wide its bill and th e n pl acing it close to ,

the mouth of th e child he hopes to see the ,

a ff ection vanish as the duck inhales the infant s

’

bre ath .

The peas antry of Norfolk North am p ton &c , , .

h ave for the prevention of epileptic fits implicit

, ,

confidence in a ring m ade from nine si x p ences ,

obtained by gift from persons of the oppo site

, ,

se x or from the money contribute d at the S a cra

,

ment of the Lord s S up pe r ’

.

There is a charm for cram p in the leg wh ich

n m of h vi i tors M A lwin p k th E ngli h Fren h

a es er s rs. s ea s e s c

nd G r m
.
, ,

a an l ngu g
e R id nc 2 5 Riving ton S tr t u pst ir
a a es. es e e, ee a s,

n r th Bo w ry L di 50 cen t g n tl mn 1 doll r
, ,

”
ea e e a es s, e e e a

fro mP hil d l p hi t nd r h rvic to th

. .

M P w t rs . re s e r, a e a, e e s er se es e

l di nd ge n tl mn f t hi ci ty in
es a trology lov nd l w matte r as

in t r p r ting dr m 8mb y b ook nd ci nc con t n tly r lied

a e e o s , e, a a s,

e e ea s, s a s e e, s a e

on b y N p ol on ; nd w ill t ll th n mof th l dy or g n tl mn
,

a e a e e a e e a e e a

t h y W ll mrry ;
e l l o th n m of th v i i tor No 59 G r t
a a s e a es e s s. ea

J on S t t corn r of th Bo w ry L di 5 0 c n t g ntl mn
.
,

es ree , e e e . a es e s, e e e

1 doll r
”
a

Th c l b r t d D F S hu mn S w d b y bi rth ju t rriv d
.

“
e e e a e r a e e s a e

in th i ci ty o ff r hi rvic in trology p hy iognom

. .
, ,

s e s y & s se es as s c

n b con ul t d in mtt r of l mrri ag p t p nt

, , , .
,

H e ca e s e a e s ove , a e, as , rese ,

a nd fu t r v n t of l i f N tivi ty c lcul t d for l di nd gentl

u e e e s e a a a e a es a e

mn M S h tr v ll d through th gr t r p r t of th w orld
.

e r as a e e e ea e a e

nd i w illing t giv th m
. . .

i n th l t forty tw y r
e as - o t ti f
o ea s , a s o e e s sa s ac

t ory i nfor m tion O ffi c 1 7 5 Ch m b r S tr t n r G r nwich ”

a e, a e s ee ea ee

( Fro m r c n t nu m
.
, , .

b r of th N w Yo k H ld Notes nd
a e e e e e r era a

Dcm
.

Q u ri e b r 1 0 1 85 3 p
es , e e e , , .
 C H A RM S . 67

m ust be familiar to most p ersons . It uns

r

thus :
d vil i tying kno t in m
Th e e y l g!
s a e

M rk L uk nd J ohn unloo i t I b g
a e, a se e

Cro thr w mk t
, , ,

sses ee e a e o eas e us,

Tw for th thi v
o nd n for C hri t J u
e e es, a o e s es s.

This formul a with a little modific ation was ap

, ,

plicable also to other fleeting but p ainful aff ec

tions C oleridge states that when h e was at the
.

B lue co at S chool there w as a charm for one s foot

’
-

when aslee p which ran thus : ,

Foot fo t foo t l i f t l p
o s as as ee

Thu m b thu m
b thu m
, ,

b i n p i ttl s e we ste e p
C ros e thr w mk t
, ,
”
s s ee e a e o ease us, &c .

We have seen a charm for the tooth ache which ,

we b elieve h as now fallen into desuetude but ,

which from i ts singul arity is worth y of p reserv a

, ,

tion I t i s as follows
.

“
I n the n ame of G od : A men .

As J esus Christ p assed through the gates of

Je rusalem he he ard o ne of his di sciples weeping
,

and wai ling J esus saith u nto him S i m

. on P eter , ,

why weepest and wailest thou ! S imon P eter

s aith unto h i m : L ord , the p ain in my toot h i s so

g ievous I can do nothing

r , Jesus saith unto .

him : Ari se S imon and the p ain i n thy tooth

, ,

sh all be eased ; and whoso ever sh all ke e p thos e

F 2
68 F IENDS GH O S T S A ND SPRI TES
, , .

words in remem b rance or writing sh all never be

troubled wi th the p ain in the tooth
“
I n th e nam e o f the Father S on and H oly
, ,
”
G h o st Amen
. .

The coral a nd bells which are suspen d e d roun d

the necks of children for their a musement were ,

origin ally used with very di ff erent intentions .

Those who professed the occult scienc e s attri

but e d several very won d erful propertie s to coral ,

it being regarded by them as a preserv ative against

evil spirits poi son and certa in dise ases
, , .

The rin ging of bell s w as also formerly con, ,

s idere d to be of great e ff ect in terrifying and

cau sing evil spirit s to fly aw ay Nor did their
.

influence ce ase ther e ; th ey were esteemed effi ca

cio ns for th e di spersion of t e mpe sts ; o r it would ,

be m ore correc t to say th at a cotempora ry super

,

s ti ti o n w as that t e mpests , thun der and lightning

, ,

a nd high winds were c aused by evil S pirits

, or ,

devil s w ho in this manner end eavoured to wr eak

their rage on m
,

an henc e in the G old e n Legend of

,

Wynken de Worde it i s s aid th at evil S pi rytes

,

th at ben in the region of th ayre dowt much

’
,

when they h ear the bells ronge n an thi s is the ,

cause why the bells ben rongen when it thon

dre th and w h anne great tempests and outr ages of
,

weth er h appen to the ende th at th e feinds and

,

w y cke d sp i ry tes sh ould be ab ashed and flee and ,

 O MENS . 69

e se
c a of the m o v n e o f t e mpest
y g This super .
”

st it io n prob ably da tes from the period when it

beca me cus tom ary to e xorcise bless an d b apti ze
the bell s s u sp e nd e d in churches —a custo m
, ,

which ,

o rigin a ted in th e t e nth century .

The u se o f the coral and bells w as derive d from

these superstitions a nd they were at fir st sus
,

pend e d fro mthe neck a s an a mul et whi ch w as

protective from the i nfluence o f evil spi rits .

C e rta in events a re sti ll r eg arded as o m ens by

the p eas antry i n m a ny districts .

If a m a gpie cross o u r p ath it is s aid that ,

we sh al l prove unlucky unle ss we immedi ately ,

cross ourse lves ; a nd an old rhyme s ays of the

magpie
O ne i s a S ign of orro w ; tw
s o are a Si gn of m i rth ;
Thr ee a re a S ign of w ddi ng ;
a e a nd four ig n of b irth
a S
”
a .

In De vo n sh i re if a person se as four m agpie s it

, ,

i s regarded as an omen o f death in his fa mily If .

a pigeon i s se en s itting o n a tree o r come s into ,

t h e house o r if a sw a r m o f bees alight o n a de a d

tree o r the dea d bough o f a living tree it fore

, ,

bode s death i n th e family of the owner In .

D erbyshire if the sun shines through the boughs

,

Of the a pple trees on Christm a s day it i s con

-
,

sidere d as a pres age of a good cro p the ensuing

ye ar.
70 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

Of all
th e su p erstition s entertained p revious to
the advent of C hrist none have h owever been
, , ,

more fully perpetu ated am ong Christi an nation s

s —
th an th at of pectral app aritions the visible ,

appear ance of the deitie s worshipped or of th e ,

disembodied spirits of the de ad ghosts — .

This w as due not only to th e n ature of the

causes inducing spectr al app aritio ns (c auses which
are ins e p a rable from the physic al constitution of

man ) but also to the confirm ation which the

,

be lief was thought to receive from H oly Writ .

The char a cter of the superstition as it has bee n ,

retained down to the verg e of the pres ent period

in ou r ow n country and as it is still entertained
,

in m any c ountries is very S imil ar to th at which it

,

bore in the remotest periods of antiquity .

The deities of those n ations wh o had distinct

a nd defined ide as re spect ing their gods are re ,

put od to h ave appe ared from time to time to

their vot aries, assuming the form in which they
were mo st commonly pourtrayed in the temples .

Th us the gods which ZEneas bore from the

destruction of Troy and carried into C rete ,

appe ared to him in th at isl and :

Tw s nigh t
a h n v ry c tur void of cares
w e e e rea e,

Th co mmon gift of b lmy lum

, ,

e b
a h s ers s a res

Th t tu
e s a of m
es y god ( for uch thsy m d)
s e see
’

Tho god w ho mI fromfl am i ng Troy edeem

,
’
se s d r ,
 GREE C E AND R OME . 71

B for m tood mj tic lly b right

e e e s a es a

Full in th b mof Ph b nt ri ng ligh t

, ,
’
e ea s oe e s e e

Th n thu th y p ok nd d m m
.

e s y t roueb l d sind e a ease e

‘
Wh t fromth D li n god thou go t t fi nd
a e e a
’
s o ,

H t ll th
e h r nd nd t r l t
e s ee e e, a se s us o e a e.

T ho p ow r se w om p nion of thy f t
e s are e, c a s a e,

Who fro mth b ur ning to w n b y th w r b rough t

e ee e e ,

T hy fortun follo w d nd thy f ty w rough t

e
’
, a sa e .

T hrough nd l nd w e th y t p
seas a tt nd a s, as s e s a e ,

S o h ll our c r thy gloriou r c b fri nd

s a a e s a e e e .

An m p l r l mfor th thy f t ord in

a e ea ee a es a ,

A town th t th nq d w orld h ll r ign

a o er
’
e co uer
’
s a e .

Thou m igh ty w ll for m igh ty n tion b ui ld a s a s

Nor l t thy w ry m
,

e i nd t l b our yi ld ea o a s e

B t ch ng th y
u at ; for n t th D li n god
e sea o e e a

N w h v giv n th
or e C r t for o b od
a e e ee e e ur a e.

A l nd th r i H p ri ll d of old
a e e s, es e a ca
’
,

( Th oil i frui tful nd th n tiv b old

e s s a e a es

T h ( E t n h ld i t onc ) b y l t r f m
,

’
o ri a s e e a e a e

N w c ll 1 I t li fro mth l d r n m
,

’ ’
o a ( a a e ea e s a e .

I iu th r nd D rd nu w r b orn
as s e e, a a a s, e e

Fro mth nc w c m nd thi th r m

e e u t r t rn
e a e a e s e u .

R i nd thy ir w i th th e gl d t ding gr t
se , a s e se a i s ee

S rch I t ly for J ov d ni th Cr t
ea a e e es ee e e.
’

A toni h d t th ir voic nd th ir igh t

s s e a e es a e s ,

( Nor w r th y dr m b t vi ion of th ni gh t ;
e e e ea s, u s s e

I w I kn w th ir f c nd d y d
sa , e e a es , a esc r
’
,

I n p rf c t vi w th ir h ir w ith fi ll t ti d)
e e e e a e s e

I t r t d fro mm cl m my w t
, ,

s a y couch ;
e a a s ea

O n ll m y li m
a b nd hi v ring b ody t s, a s e sa e .

To h v n I li ft m
,

ea e
y h nd wi th p iou h t a s s as e,

And cr d inc n in th fl m I c t
sa e e se e a es as .
’

A mong Ch risti an nations vision s of this cha

racter have also been common ; and the religious

Th e En si s . B II I
. .
72 FIENDS GH O S T S, A ND SPRI T ES
, .

wri tings ev e ry age of the Church cont ain nu

of

merou s in stance s of apparition s of the Trinity of ,

o u r Lord o f th e c anoniz e d and the powers of evil

, ,
.

B u t the mo st fa mili ar ph ase of th e ghost belief -

is th at of the v isible m anife station of th e spi rits

o f the de a d ; and prob ably fe w if any , races are
,

without a super stition of this n ature .

Th e G recian s and R om an s believed th at the

so u ls o f the de ad (m a nes) ro amed about the e a rth ,

h aving power to interfere with th e aff airs of m an

a nd inflict evil . The spirit s of th ose wh o had

bee n virtuous during life were distinguished by
the n ame of ! ares (under wh ich n ame we h ave in
a previou s p age alluded to them as tutel ary
d e itie s) or m a nes ; a nd th e spiri ts of th e wicked

were termed la rvae or lem

.

, u res and often t e rrified

,

the good a nd h aunt e d the wicked and impious

,
.

These gho st s were also deified and they were ,

known as th e B i t M anes ; and th e s tones erec ted

over the graves i n R om an buri al groun ds h ad -

usu ally inscribed upon th em the letter s D M o . .

,

th at i s Dis M oni bas or Dis M ani bus

S a cru m
, ,

”
,
“
S acred to the M anes G od s S acrifices .

were o ff e red to the se deities th e O ff eri ng s bei ng

,

termed religi osce in contr adis tinction to tho se

,

off e re d to the superior gods which wer e deno

mi nated 3 0 0 7 68 and during th e festiv als held i n
,

m
honour of the ghosts (Le uri a or Lem ura li a) i t ,
 GREE C E AND R O ME . 73

was custom ary to burn bl ack bean s over th e

graves and to beat kettles and dru ms in order
, ,

th at by the noxious Odour of the former and the

, ,

noise of the latter the ghost s migh t be frightened

,

away and no longer terrify their rel ations

,
.

We h ave alre a dy given several ex a mples illus

trati ve of the p ar a ll e lis m which exists between

the a ccount s we possess of th e app aritions of

G reci a n and R oman d eitie s and those m a ni fes ,

tatio ns of celesti al per s on ages which are recorded

to h ave occurred in more modern times A simi .

lar re sembl an ce exi sts between the acc o unts given

o f the spectral a ppe a rance of the spirits o f th e

dead .

I n the O dys sey ( B XI ) U ly sses, previous to .

,

descending into hell is described as O ff erin g ,

solemn rites and holy vows to the de a d :

W h en 10 ! a pp r d along the du ky co
ea
’
s asts,

Thin i ry ho l of vi ion ry gho t

a s a s s a s s

F i r p n i v you th nd oft n m d mid

,

’
a , e s e s, a s , e a ou r a s

A nd w i th r d ld r p l nd w i nkl d h d
e
’
e e s, a e a r e S a es

G h tly Wi th w ou nd th for mof w rrior l in

as s, e a s S a

S t lk d Wi th m j ti c p or t mr ti l tr in
’
a a es a a a a

thou nd m or w md
,

Th nd
e se a a sa th ground e s ar
’
o er
’
e

m
,

A nd ll th dir
a e b ly h i k d round
e asse
”
s re
’
a .

A striking illustration of the simi larity of

ancient and modern ghost stories in all essenti al -
,

points is contained i n the description given i n

,
74 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI TES , ,
.

the fEnei s (B I I ) of the apparition of th e gho st

.

o f H ector to zEneas at the destruction of Troy ,

T w s in the dead of nigh t w h en sl p r ep ir

a ee a s

b odi s w orn wi th toil our m

,

O ur e ind s w i th cares s,

Wh n H c tor gho t be for m

,

y sigh t app r
’
e e s s e ea s :

A b loody hroud he se md nd bath d in tears ;

s e
’
, a
’

S uch he Was w h n b y P lid l in

as e e es s a

Th sali n cours s dragg d hi mo er the pl ain ;

,

’ ’
es a er
’
S w o ll n w e r
f t w h n th thong w r thr
e hi s ee , as e e s e e u st

Through th b or d hol h i b ody b l ck wi th du t

e e es s a s

U nh k th t H c tor w h t n d fro m to i l
’
e a e o re u r s

triu m
,

Of w p h n t in E i n p oil
ar, a ac a s
’
S s,

O h i mw h md th f in ting G r k r tir
r , o a e e a ee s e e,

A nd l n h d g in t th ir n vy Phrygi n fi
au c
’
a a s e a a re .

H i h ir nd h d tood t fl n d w i th h gor
’
'

s a a e ar s s i e is e,

A nd ll th w ound b for h coun try b or

a e s e is e

N w tr md fr h nd Wi th n w p urp l
o s ea e n a es , a e e ra .

A n equally if n ot more marked e x ample is

, ,

recorded by Pliny th e consul at S ur a , .

A hou se at A thens w as grievously h aunted by

a spirit which during the night restles sly ro a med
, , ,

through the a p artments , dragging app arently a , ,

h eavy ch ain after it A th e nodoru s the philosopher .

, ,

h ired the house determined to reduce the spirit ,

to order and sil e nce I n the depth of the night, .

while pursuing hi s studies the silence w as broken ,

by the noi se of r attli ng ch ains which appro ached ,

the room where he sat P resently a spectre .

,

entered and beckoned to him but the philosopher

, ,

took no notice The spectre agitated its ch ains

.

anew an d then he arose and , following hi s ghostl y

,
 S CAND IN AV I A . 75

guide he was led into the court yard of the house

,
-
,

to a certian spot when th e s pectre v anished

,
.

H e m arked the pl ace and on the following day

,

ca used the ground to be dug u p and s earched ,

when bene ath it they found th e skeleton of a man

in ch ain s The bones were publicly burned and
.
,

from th at time the spirit cease d to haunt th e

m ansion .

A belief i n ghosts w as one of the most p ro

minent of the supersti tions of the an cient i nhabi -i

tants of Northern E urope I t was custom ary with

.

the S ca ndin avians , as with the G reci an s to perfo rm

,

certa in ceremonies at the tombs of the dead to ,

prop i ti ate the ghosts and facilitate their entrance

,

into the h alls of bliss .

The gho sts of the departed Warri ors after they ,

had entered their ai ry h alls were sup po sed to

,

p ursue ple asures simil ar in ch ar acter to those w hich

h ad eng aged their attention on e arth They .

listened to the str ains o f immortal b ards ; followed

the chase over the illim it able fields of he aven ;
visited the scenes o f their former glori es ; and
when resting within their tombs they would t alk ,

of mortal men and S ing the songs of other worlds

, .

Airy and unsubstanti al as a wre ath of mist they ,

often w andered on the surface of the e arth The .

ghost of a mighty hero cloth e d in a panoply of

,

lurid clouds, and armed with a meteor, might be

 FIENDS GHO S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

“
s een brooding o er his tomb or atten ded by a
’
,

”
ri dge of fo rmless sh ade s it swept across former ,

b attle fields The men of bygone d ays wre athed

- .
,

i n their v apoury robes and reposing on clouds , ,

hove re d on the midnight bl a st which bore in ,

its mighty c ad e nces the ec hoing sounds of the

“
v oices of the de a d ; o r like the new moon seen
through the gathered mist , when the sky pours
do wn i ts fl aky snow and th e world i s silent and ,

the spirits o f the m aidens glided over the

rugged hills o r roamed on the pebbly shore
,
.

The e arly S c andin avian tra di tion s and his toric al

writings are pregn ant with ghosts a nd other super
,

nat ur al agents M r H o wi ttt quotes from one of

. .

the E dd aic songs which record s the lives of a ,

hero n a med H elge and h is wife S igrun the fol ,

lowing singul arly intere sting scene .

H elge died and the body w as l aid in its ca irn

, .

I n the evening S igrun s m aid p as sed the c airn ’

,

and saw the ghost of H elge ride into it with a

numerous t ra in A ddressing the gho st the maid
.
,

s aid I s it an illu sion th at I see or the E ve of

, ,

the M ighty th a t ye ride your hors e s and urge

,

them with your spurs ! O r are th e heroes boun d

”
for their homes P The ghost replied I t is no ,

C rthon
O in
a ss a

nd Rom
. .

1
“
Th Li t r tur
'
e nc of Nor th rn E ro pe b y
e a e
”
a a e e u ,

W nd M ry H owi tt Vol I p 9 9
. a a . . .
, . .
 SC ANDINA V IA . 77

illusion which thou seest n or th e E ve of th e ,

M ighty ; though thou seest u s and w e u rge our ,

horses with ou r spurs ; n e ither are th e heroes

”
bound for their homes .

The m aid then went to h e r mistres s and said ,

H aste thee S igrun from the hill of S ev a if

, , ,

the l ea der of th e b attl e th ou desirest to see .

O pen i s the c airn ; H elge is come ; the w ar scars -

bleed . H elge b ade thee to still his dripping

woun d .S igrun went to the c airn a nd entering ,

it said to the sh ade of her de a d hu sb and N ow

am
, ,

I as joyful of ou r meeting as O din s raven s ’

when long fasting th e y scent the w a rm food or

,
-
, ,

the day w e a ri e d wh e n they b ehold the close of

-

day . I w i ll kiss my lifele ss king before thou

th row est ofl thy bloody cuira ss Thy h air O
'

.
,

H elge ! is pierc e d through wi th frost or with the ,

dew o f de ath is the h ero sl ai n C old are th e .

h and s of the friend of H ii gne H ow therefore .

, ,
”
K ing sh all I find a cure for thee P
, Thou only ,
”
S igrun ! o n the hill of S ev a replied the ghost , ,
“
a rt the c a u se th at H elge is h ere sl ain by the ,

dew of sorrow Thou we e pest gold adorned

.
,
-

o ne ! b urning te ar s m aid of th e su n—
,
glowing
s outh ! B e fore tho u sleepest eve ry te a r sh all,

fall bloody o n th e bre ast o f the P rince pierc e d ,

through with the cold of thy grief B u t we w i ll .

drink the precious mead together though we have ,

78 F IENDS, GH O S T S ,
A ND S PRI T ES .

lost gladness and l ands Yet no one sings a song .

o f w oe though he sees a wound in my b re ast

, .

No w a re the brides closed in the cairns, and the

”
princely m aidens are l aid beside us .

S igrun m ade a bed in th e cairn and said , ,

H ere h ave I H elge prep a red rest for thee ; rest

, ,

free from all t ro uble S on of th e Ylfi nga ! I will

.

sleep i n thy arms as formerly when my hero ,

” “
lived . The ghost answered NO longer w ill I ,

sa y th at thou a rt unfaithfu l o n the hill of S eva .

S in ce thou sleepest in the embrace of the dead in

the cairn thou fair daught e r o f H ogu r ! A nd yet
'

thou live st O ff spring of kings ! Time is t o ride

,

th e red w ay s Le t the p ale S t eed tramp the stee p s

.

o f the a i r I n the west must we be , by the bridge

.

V i ndhj ale n ere the cock in Walhalla wakes the

,
”
sons of vic tory .

I n the Ey rbyggj a S aga (written before A D . .

1 2 6 4 ; period when the events re corded occurred ,

A D 8 83 ) is an account o f certain spectra l ap p a

. .

ri ti o ns which followed the death o f a l ady whose

com m ands upon th e dea th bed h ad not been -

obey ed This story is almost unique in cha

.

ra cte r and it is a singul arly interesting e x a mple

,

of the ghos t belief of I cel and at an e arly period

- .

O n the evening o f the day when the corpse w as

be ing removed to a dista nt pl ace o f sepulture an ,

ap p ariti on of the lady was seen b usily p re p aring

 I C EL AND . 79

victuals i n the kitchen of th e house wh ere the

bea rers reposed for the night O n the night when
.

the conductors of the funeral returned home a ,

s pe ctra l appearance resembling a h alf moon glided

-

around the bo arded w alls of the m ansion in a ,

di rection opposite to th at of the su n and co n ,

ti nu e d its revolutions until the domestics retired

“
to rest . This app ari tion w as ren ewed every
night during the wh ole week and w a s pronoun ced
,

b y Thorer with the wooden leg to pres age pesti

”
lence and mortality ,
S hortly after a herdsman
,

showed signs of being persecuted by demons and

o ne m
,

“
orni ng he w as found dea d in bed and ,
”
then (to quote literally from S ir W alter S cott s ’

abstract of the S a ga
) commenced a scene of

ghost seeing unhe ard of in th e ann als o f super

-

sti ti on . The first victim w as Thorer who had ,

presa ged the cal amity G oing out o f doors one

.

evening he wa s gr appled by the spectre of the

,

deceased shepherd as he attempted to re enter the -

ho u se H is wooden leg stood hi min poor ste ad

.

in such an encoun ter ; he w as hurle d to the earth

a nd so fearf
t be aten th at he died in co u se

u ence of the bru ises Th was no sooner

q . orer

dead th an his ghost associated i tself to that o f the

h erdsm an and j oined him in p urs uing an d assault
,

i ng the inh abita nts of Froda M ea ntM e an i n

.

f ec ti ous d isorder spre a d f a st amongst them and ,

80 FIEN DS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

several of th e bond smen died one after the other .

S trange port e nts were seen within doors th e ,

m eal w as di sp lac ed a nd mingled and the dried fish

,

flung about in a most alarmi ng m anner without ,

any vi sible agent A t length while the servants

.
,

were forming their eveni ng circle around th e fire ,

a spectre resembling the he ad of a s e al fi sh w as -

se e n to emerg e out of the p avement of the room ,

bending its round bl ack e yes full on the tapestried

bed curtains of Th orgu nna (the dece ased l a dy )
-
.

S ome o f th e dome stics ventured to strike at the

figure ; but fa r from giving w ay it ra ther er e cted
, ,

itself further fro mthe floor un til Kiartan who

, ,

seemed to h ave a n atur al predomin ance O ve r these

supern atur al prodigie s seizing a hug e forge ha m
,
-

mer struck the se al repea ted ly on the head and

, ,

co mpelled it to di sappe ar forcing it down into the

,

floor as if he h ad driven a stake in to the earth

,
.

This prodigy w as found to intim ate a new c al amity .

Thorodd the m aster of the family h ad some time

, ,

before set forth o n a voy ag e to bring hom e a cargo

o f dried fi sh but in crossing the river E nna the
, ,

ski ff w as lost a nd h e perished with th e servants

,

wh o att e nded him A solemn funeral feas t w as

.

held at Froda in memory of the decea se d when

, , ,

to th e astoni shment of th e guests the app arition ,

of Thorodd and his followers seemed to enter the

a p artment drippi ng with w a ter Yet this vi sion
.
 i c ELAND . 81

e x cited less horror th an might h ave been expected ;

for the isl and e rs though nomin ally Christi a ns
, ,

ret a ined a mong other superstition s a beli ef th a t

, ,

th e spectres of such drowned person s as had

been favourab ly received by the goddess R an a
were wont to show themselves at their funeral
f e a st Th e y saw therefore with some compo sure
.
, , ,

Th oro dd a nd hi s dripping attend ants pl ant them

selves b y the fire fro mwhich all m orta l gu e sts
,

retre ated to m ake room for them I t was su p .

posed this appa rition would not be re newed after

t h e conclusi on o f the fe stiv al B u t so far were
.

their h ope s di s appointed th at so soon as the

, ,

mourning gue sts h a d dep arted the fi res being ,

lighted Th oro dd a nd his com r ades m arched

,

i n on one side dren ched as before with w ater ;

,

o n the other entered Th o re r h eading all those,

who h ad died in the pestilence and w ho appe ared ,

c overed with dust Bo th p arties seized the se ats

.

by the fire wh ile the h alf frozen and terrified

,
-

domestics spent the night without ei th e r ligh t or

w arm th The s ame phenomenon took pl ace the
.

next night though the fires h ad been lighted in a

,

s ep ara te house and a t length Ki artan w a s obliged

,

to compound m atters with the spectres by kindling

a large fi re for them in the princip al ap art m en t ,

an d one for the family and domestics in a sep arate

h ut
. This prodigy continued during th e who le
 82 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

feast of J0 1 O ther porten ts also hap p ened to ap pal

.

this devoted fami ly the contagious dise ase a gain

broke forth and when any one fell a sacrifice to
,

it his spectre w as sure to j oi n the troop of perse

,

cu to rs who h ad no w almost fu ll posse ssion o f the

,

m ansion of Frod a Th orgri m a G alldraki nna wi fe

.
,

o f Th ore r w a s one of these victims and in short

, ; , ,

of th irty serv ants belonging to the household

,

eighte en died and five fled for fe ar of the appa ri

,

tion s so th a t only seven rem ained in th e service

,

of Kiart an ”
.

The trouble a nd annoyance from the spectre s

had now re ach e d so serious a pitch that by the ,

a dvice o f a m atern al unc le Ki a rtan in stituted ,

j udici al m easures against the s p ectres .

“
A tribun al being th e n constituted with the ,

usu al legal solemnities a ch arge w as pre ferred by

,

Ki artan ag ain st Thorer wi th the wooden leg by ,

Thordo K ausa against Th orodd and by others ,

chosen as a ccuser s ag ainst the individu al spectres

present accusing them of m olesting the m
,
ansion ,

a nd introducing de a th and disea se among i ts i n

h abitants A ll the solemn rites of j udicial p ro

.

cedu t e were observed on this singula r occasion ;

evidence w as adduced , charges given and the ,

cau se form ally decided I t does not appear that .

the ghosts put themselves on their defence so that ,

sentence of ejectmen t w as p ronounced against

 I C EL AN D . 83

them individually in due an d legal form When .

Thorer he ard the j udgment he a ros e a nd s aying

, , ,

I h ave sat while it w as l awful for me to do so ’

,

left the ap artment by the door opposite to that

at which the j udici al assembly w as constituted .

E ach of the sp e ctre s as they he ard their indivi du al

,

s entence left the pl ace s aying someth ing which

, ,

indic ated their unwillingness to dep art until ,

Thorodd himself w as s olemnly appointed to dep art .

’
‘
We h ave here no lo nger s aid he a pe ace ful , ,
‘

dwelling therefore will we rem ove

, Ki art an .
’ ‘

then entere d the h all with his fo llowers and the ,

priest with holy w ater and celebration o f a

, ,

solemn m ass complet e d the conquest over the

,

goblins which h ad be e n commenced by the

,

power and aut hority of the I cel a ndic law .

The spectral phenom e n a of the ancient S wedish

folk lore di ff e rs in no r e spect from th e current
-

histori es of recent d ate A n interesting ex ample

.

of this i s foun d in the be autiful b allad of S ir U lf

and La dy S o lfve rli nd .

S ir U lf was a noblem a n who h ad m a rried a wife

from a foreign country A fter they had lived .

together eight ye ar s and h ad h ad a family of three

,

children the L ady S Olfv erli nd died I n a short

, .

time he m arried again and by his secon d wife the

, ,

Lady S ti neborg he h ad also several children

, .

. G 2
84 F IENDS GH O S T S , , AN D SPRI T ES .

This l ady however proved a cruel ste p mother ;

, ,
-

for as the ball ad re a ds

,

L dy S tin b g childr n w en t o t t p l y
a e or
’
s e u o a ,

L dy S Olf li nd childr n t w p ing all d y

a ve r
’
s e sa e ee a .

Thi kno w w of Ulf s e .

Th young t child i t w p t o loud

e es e s

T h t i t w ok t m
,

a o th r b n th th od
e i s e e ea e s .

Thi kno w w of Ulf s e .

L dy S dlf lind p ok t th ng l b nd
a ve r s e o e a e - a

I i t gr n te d t fl t th r thly l nd !
‘ ’
s a o a e ea a

Thi know w of Ulf s e .

I t i gr n ted fro m
s a h v n t rth t go ea e o ea o

B t thou m
,

u u t r turn th fi r t cock cro w

s e e re e s .
’

Thi kno w w of Ulf s e .

S he c m e to th
a door h tirled t th e p ine s e a

up m m
,

Ri childr n ’
se y ,
n d l t in e , a e e .

Thi kno w w of Ulf s e .

O n tick and ton

s s w hy li you thu s es e s

No thing b id is giv n t es es e o us .
’

Thi know w of Ulf s e .

Why lo k ye m o y childr n , gri mnd o grey e , so a s

We h v e not be n w h d si nc thou w n t w y
a e as e e e a a .
’

Thi know we of Ulf s .

Ri se u p L dy S ti n bo g h eark en to m
, a e e r , ,

F I h ve a f w w ord t
or a p k un to th
e s o S ea ee

Thi kno w w e of Ulf s .

I l ft b hind m
e e e b o th u p l nd nd l w a a o

Yet now m y ch ildr n m

,

ust u p pe rless go e s .
’

Thi kno w w of Ulf : s e .

I l ft b hind m
e ee b o th o x n nd kin e e a

Y t n w th y go b r foo t th es chi ldren of m

,

e o e ine a e , e .
’

Thi s know w of Ulf e .

 G H O S T S IN HIND O S TAN . 85

‘
Il oft dow n p illo w full mny n
e ft s s, a a o e,

N w h rd tick nd ton e
o a s s ath b d th y li on
s s a re e e e e

Th i kno w w of Ulf s e .

H d t thou t m
a s
y ch i ldron ho w n t nd rn w et s e e ess s ee ,

G d th F th r in h v n h d found th
o e a e ea et! a ee a sea

Thi kno w w of Ulf s e .

H v thy childr n in m h rd t p m
a e e oth r kno wn
e a a s e - e

H nc forth Wi ll I lov th m w l l m
e e e
y wn e as e as o

Th i kno w w of Ulf s e .

Th r n r w
e e e e
’
lov li r ight in th ky
as a e e s e s ,

T h n S tilf lind t king h chi ldr n on h i gh

a ve r a er e .

Th kno w w of U lf is e .

The ghost b elief o f H indo sta n is one o f the

-

most important o f the popul a r super stitions of

th at country I t di ff ers fro m th at o f more
.

westerly countrie s in the d egree of re ality with

which the n ative s h ave i nvest e d it ; fo r while the
former look upon the inte rference of the spirits of
the dead in the events o f ordin ary life as a cir
cu m stanc e o f r a re occurrence and reg a rd m a ni ,

festati ons O f this n atur e with a n aw e befitting

their solemnity and supern at ur al ch ar a cter the ,

latter lives in an atmosphere of spectral beings ,

which are the s pirits of those who h ave lived

a wicked life on e a rth and re t ain their m align ant ,

d isposition un ab ated after de ath if indeed it i s ,

not increa sed in inten sity by the devil like n ature -

they as sume and exercise their evil powers in all

,

the aff air s of li fe, h aunting the localities which

H o wi tt . The Liter atu re and Ro m
anc e of North ern E u ro pe .

Vol I
. .
86 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

they p reviou sly inhabited an d terrif ying and ,

tormentin g alike friend and foe Neither are .

their terrors confined to mere occasion al appa

ri ti on and to the fe a r excited by this but to the
, ,

powe r which they possess of interference by phy

si cal force ; for they bel abour with blows or ,

grievously afl e c t wi th bodily ailments the unhappy

'

individu als whom they h aunt and often subject ,

to inexpressible tortures those who h ave had the

i ll h ap to offend them
-
H ence the H indoo drea ds
.

a ghost not so much o n a ccount o f its super

n atur al ch aracter abstractedly con sidered as for ,

the phy sic al evil it m

,

a
y inflict upon him .

The ghost s of the wicked and of the unmarried ,

a lone p er
(a s it i s though t in some provinces ) a re

mitted to wan der on e arth and they h ave a

,

p a rtiality like our ow n ghosts for frequentin g

, ,

solitary pl a ces woods c avern s and ruins fro m

, , , ,

which they issue to exercise their b aleful powers

on man .

S ometimes a ghost will h aunt a cert ain house ,

or a plot of ground and become so ob streperous

, ,

th at the occupier of the house is obliged to desert

it and the proprietor of the l and to allow i t to
,

become waste B u t it has h appened th at if the

.

S p i ri t w as th a t of an old proprietor a deed ,

executed in i ts name has appe ased it and it ,

h as no more troubled the pl ace .

 GH O S T S IN HIND O S T AN . 87

T he se s p irits c all ed in the D eccan Viri kas

a re , , ,

a nd in the more southerly p a rts o f I ndi a , P a i sci chi

’

I t is cus tom ary to erect sm all shrines to them ,

formed of a pile o f stones on the top o f which i s ,

a shelte red c avity conta ining a n im age or a

, ,

rough sh apel es s sto n e to whic h o ff erings Of cloth

, , ,

rice & c are presente d from time to time Th is

, .
,
.

propi ti atory sacrific e i s in ge neral found to be an

, ,

e fi c ie nt m ethod of Obt aining im munity from the

m alignant pranks o f the ghosts ; but if it be

neglec te d they will vi sit the unfortun ate sinner
,
'

with torments and m isfortune or ap pe aring to

h im
, ,

b y night intim ate the miseri es h a nging over

,

his he ad unless he quickly a mends him sel f a nd

, ,

o ff ers up the necess ary gift s .

D r B uc h an a n rel ates a story of the a pparition

.

o f a P a isdc / n which occurred during his j ourney

'

in M ysore H is cook h ad b een taken ill and

.
,

died ; orders had b een given to s e cure his e ff ec ts

for the benefit of his wife and ch ildren but on ,

inspection afte r h is de ath , no money coul d be

,

f ound . Whether he had bee n plundered as soon

as he be ca me in sensible and th a t a guil ty ,

s cience occa sioned fears among his compa nion s ,

or w h eth er the sudde n m a n ner of his death occ a

si o ned s usp i cions I ca nnot sa ; but it was imme

y ,

diately belie ve d th at he w oul d become a P a i sdc/ zi ,

an d all my p eople were fi lle d with terro r The .

88 F IE N D S , G H O S T s, A ND SP R I TEs.

butler im agin ed th at the P a isfzc hi appeared to

'

him at night w ith a bl ack silk h andkerchi ef tie d

roun d i ts he ad and g ave hi m instruc tion s to t ak e
,

all th e e ff ect s of the dece ased to his fa mily u p o n

;
this the l atter being a m
, , a n o f cour age put hi s ,

shoes o n the right side of the door which he ,

con sid e r e d to be a sure preventive ag ainst su ch

intruders Ne xt night a ca ttl e drive r lying in all
.
-
,

the agonies of nocturn al terror sa w th e a ppear ,

ance of a dog enter a nd smell roun d the pl a ce

,

where the m a n h ad died ; when , to his utter dis

may the spectre gradually grew l arger and l arger

, ,

and a t leng th h aving a s sumed th e form of th e

cook v ani shed with a shriek The p oor m
,

,
. a n h ad

not the courag e to use the slipper s but lay till ,

morning in a kind of stupor A fter th i s even the

.
,

minds of the sep oy s wer e app alled and when I ,

h a ppen e d to be aw ake I he ard th e sentries by way ,

of keeping u p th eir cour age singi ng with a ,

trem ulous voice

Th e re is a clas s of men called Camor S hay
.

'

ca na ,
who are suppo sed to h ave the power O f
ejecti ng and frighteni ng away troubl esome spirits
by the pe rform ance of certain mystic ceremonies .

I t i s requisi te first to ascertain whether the

, ,

Off e nding gho st is that o f a stranger or if it ,

be long to a ny deceased member of the family ; for

i t would seem th at much more powerful incanta
 GH O S T S IN EGYP T . 89

tions are required to get rid of a fa mily ghost ,

which seems to h ave th e opinion that it h as a

right to h aunt its rel ation s in th e flesh than ,

to ej e ct the ghost of a str anger The l atter .

,

according to D r B uch an an m
. a
,y be got rid of for

a fa n a m or about ninepen ce sterling ; the fo rmer

,

requires e xpensiv e s acri fi ces and m any pr ayers ,

therefore the fee is much l arger .

Th e C hinese h ave a gre at dre ad of ghost s par ,

ti cul arly of the gh os t s of th o se who h ave come to

an un t imely end They sus p end in their houses

.
,

fo r the purpo se of preventing the entran c e o f

these spirits and of defending themselves from
,

their influ e nce a cruciform piece of iron to which

, ,

i s atta ched piece s of perfor ated money, the coin

age of emperors wh o h ave b een d e ifi ed and w h o ,

are conceived to exercise a protective power ove r

their votaries .

Th e superstitions of the m odern Egypti ans and

of the A rabs are rich in ghost s .

The term cff reet is applied to th e ghosts of de ad

person s as well a s to evil g e nii by the Egyp
, ,

ti ans ; and the following story rel ated by M r

,
.

Lane will ill u strate the n ature of this supersti tion

,

as it is ent e rt ained by th at people .

I had once a h umorous cook who w as some ,

wh at addicted to the intoxi cating hhash eesh : soon

after he had ente red my service, I heard him one ,
90 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

evening muttering a nd exclaiming on the stairs

, ,

as if i n surprise at some event ; and then politely

saying But why are y o u sit ting here in the

draught ! D o m
,

e th e favour to come up in to the

kitchen and amuse me with your conversa tion a
,

”
little The civil address not being answered was
repea ted a nd varied several tim
.
,

es till I c alled out ,

to the m an a nd a sked , him to whom he was

”
s peaking The éfreet of a Turki sh soldier, he
.

“
replied is sitti ng on the stai rs smoking his p ipe
, , ,

and refuses to move ; he c ame u from the well

p
be low : p ray step and see him O n my going to .
’

the sta irs an d telling the serv a nt th at I could see

,

nothing he only rem arked th at it was because I

,

h ad a clea r con scien ce H e w as told afterwa rds

.

th at the hou se had long been h aunted ; but as

s erted tha t he had not been previously informed o f

th e sup po sed c ause ; which w as the fa ct of a

Turki sh soldier having been murdered there M y .

cook professed to see this efreet frequent y fter

l a * .

The Arabs ente rt ain a considerable d egree of

fear an d res p ect for gh osts .

M r B ayle S t J ohn states th at when travel ling

. .

through the L ibyan desert i n 1 84 7 he saw a , ,

burial place of the Bedouin Arabs i n the centre of

-
,

“ ”
which were confus edly scattered camel howdahs -

An A ccoun t of the M ann ers nd Cu sto ms of a the M od ern

Egyptian s ; b y E W Lan e Vol I p 3 1 1
. .
, .
, . .
 GH O S T S IN A MERI C A . 91

(ta chterwa ns ), stirrups household utensils small

, ,

ploughs &c which h ad been left there by the

,
.
,

A r abs when commencing a j ourney under the

, ,

care of the ghost of a defunct sheikh , who had

been interred there * .

So me of the aborigin al tribes of S outh A merica

believe in the occasion al ap p arition of th e souls o f
the de ad .

S oon after th e R om an C atholic mission was es

'

tabli sh ed at B ahi a an eclip se o f the moon occ u rred ;

,

the sav ages fully a rm e d rushed in terror to the

, ,

mission and when the priest inquire d the cause of

,

their al arm they responded th at the moon w as the

,

ab ode of the s ouls o f the de a d a n d th a t o n th at

,

night they had collected there in such num b ers

th at they d ark e ned i ts surfa ce : this w as a sure
sign Of evil .

S uch is a brief sketch of th e ghost belief of -

severa l n ations anci e nt and modern

, .

This belief in i ts es senti al ch ara cteristics, w as

,

the s ame in the re mo te periods of antiqui ty as in

more recen t time s ; and a sim i lar analogy e x ists
betw een the modific ation s of it which are now
e n tert ained i n di ff eren t and widely separated
countries .

The v ar iations which it i s foun d to p ossess are

de p endent upon those peculi arities of h abit ,

Adv ntur es in the Li b y n D e e rt p 22

e a s , .
 F IENDS GH O S T S,
, A ND SPRI T ES .

religion , and soci al li fe which ch aracterize e ach

n ation Thi s fact giv e s an important clue by
which we m
.

a
y unr avel the a ctu al n a ture of the

pheno m en a which are embodied in the belief But .

p reviously to en tering upon this ta sk it is requisite

to point out a remote consequence o f mythological

and legend a ry lore which exercis es a highly i m

porta nt influence on the minds o f most if not all
p ersons at the present time .

The nu m erou s myth s which were re tained th e ,

implicit faith reposed in them and the gre at extent

,

to which the practice Of the occult s cience s w as c ar

ried in the M iddle Ages fo stered ide as respecting
,

the influence which sup e rn atural beings exercised

in the ordin a ry aff airs of life which riv alled in
,

extent and v ariety th ose entertained before the

Chris ti an e ra but they received perh aps a more
gloomy ch aracter from the doctrine of the agency
o f devils.

The prev alence o f these superstition s throws a

wild and weird like sh adow over the history of
-

those period s and one o f th e chief result s was

,

that the records of loc al and general event s became

pregn ant with mysterious occurrences and super
n atur al interpo sition s ; and a m ass Of legen ds ,

teeming wi th remn ants of ancien t myth s more or ,

less modified gi an ts demon s witches wiza rds

, , , , ,

ghosts portents &c have been per p et uated to

, ,
.
,
 f

JA C K T HE GI AN T KILLE - R l
.

modern times and h ave formed a n i nexlidi i Sti ble

,

mine to the noveli st a nd rom ance writer -

.
0

There a re few loc alities in E ngl and which do

not possess legends or tr adition of this n ature an d
’
the stand ard nursery and children s tales are full
of s upern atur al per son ages and occurrences in
which are set aside all the known l aws Of m atter
and force a nd time and s p a ce
,
are alike anni h i

l ate d M any of these tale s are of gre at interest ,

.

for i n them we find degenerated forms of some of

the most ancient tra ditions an d myths of ou r own
and other r aces .

The a dventures of Ja ck the G i ant Ki ller the -

,

most celebrated of all celebr ated nursery heroes ,

are for the most p art derived fro mth e fab ul ous
era of our o wn country and from S c andin avi an
mythology ; and th e whole tale is a degraded and
,

vitiated tradition in which the deeds of Corineus ,

a celebr ated person age in the mythic al history of

Britain and P rince A rthur ; the a dven tures of

,

Thor, the go d of thunder and other S candin avi an

,

deitie s are j umbled together in strange con

,

fusion .

G eoff rey O f M onmouth in his B ritish H istory *

,

states th at the early inh abit ants of this islan d

were gi ants B rutus a gr andson of A sc anius
.

the companion of Ene as in h is flight fro mTroy

, ,

B I ch 1 3 nd 1 6
.
, . a .
94 FIEND S GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T E S .

and Corineus al so of Troj an descent guided by a

, ,

dre am di scovered B rita in and delighted with

, ,

the ple as ant situ ation o f the pl ace the plenty of ,

rivers abounding with fi sh and the engaging ,

”
prospect o f its woods they bec ame de sirous of
,

fi xing their h abit ation in so desi rable a country ,

and l anding drove the gi ants into the fastnesses of
,

the mountain s and divided the country

, .

To Corineus w as apportioned th at part of the

island which w e c all C orn w all a nd it is recorded ,

th at he had selected thi s portion of the i sl an d for

hi s sh are because it w as a diversion to him to
,

encounter the said gi ants which were in gre ater

,

n umbers th e re th a n in all the o ther p ro vinces th at

fell to the sh a re of h is com p anions .

“
C ori neus i s described as being a n a rdent man
in m atters of council an d of great courage a nd
,

boldnesS ; who in an encounter with any per son ,

even of gigantic sta t u re would immedi ately over

,

”
throw hi m as i f he we re a child .

I n the s ame fabul ou s hi story ( B X ch 3 ) it i s .

, .

sta ted t hat a gi ant wh o had invaded o ur shores

, ,

and ta ken refuge at the top of S t M ich ael s .

’

M ount w as attacked by K ing A rthur i n the

'

night and killed ; the country being thus freed

from a most destructive and voracious mon
”
ster .

S ome of Jack s princi p al adventures are derived

’
 JA C K T HE GIAN T KI LLER - . 95

f rom the ncient E dd as a nd S agas of S can

'

dinavi a .

The incident which repre sents J a ck as h a vin g

overh eard a gi ant upon whose hos p it ality he h ad
,

intruded muttering
,

Though you lodge w i th mthi nigh t e s

You h ll n t th m
,

s a orni ng li gh t
o se e e

M y cl b h ll d h you b r in t quit ;
u s a as r a s ou e

and in which he had evad e d t he cat astrophe

by placing a log O f wood in the bed be lyi ng ,

quietly in a corner while the gi ant furiously beat

,

with hi s club the in a nim ate object thinking to ,

dash him to pieces ; and th e delightfully cool

re spon se of Jack to the wonder struck gi ant whe n -

he beh e ld him s afe and sound in the morning and ,

inquired if he h ad not been di sturbed in the

night , N o n othing wort h mentioning I believe
, ,

a rat struck m e with his tail two or three

times — thi s incident is a modification of an
a dventure which occurred to Thor on his j ourney

to the lan d Of giants and it is foun d in some ,

form or other in the folk lore of every nation in -

the north of E urope .

Thor wh ile journeying to th e l and of gi ants

met with one of th at rac e n amed S krymir They
, ,

formed a co m p anionship , an d the w ho le o f the

provisions were pl aced in th e gi ant s w allet A t ’
.

night when the y stopped to rest S kry m ir at

, ,
96 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

on ce lay down and fell asl eep previously h anding ,

the w allet to Thor in order th at he might refresh

himself Thor w as un able to open it and wroth
.
,

with the gi ant for his app arent in sensibility an d

the mode in which he had tied th e k nots he ,

seized hi s mighty h am m er and flung it at the

gi ant s he ad S krymir aw aking a sked whether a
’
.
,

le af h ad fallen o n his head and then he fell

asleep ag ain Thor again struck him with h i s h am
,

mer a nd i t ap p arently s ank de ep into his skull ;

,

and the gi ant aga in awoke a nd asked ,

D id an ,

acorn fall on my h ead ! H ow fares it with thee ,

”
Thor ! Thor, incensed beyond me asur e w ai ted ,

u n til th e gi a nt ag a in sle pt a nd then exerting all his

,

p ower d ashed h i s h a mmer at the he ad of th e

,

sle e ping monster into which it s ank up to the

,

h andle S krymir rising up rubbed his cheek

.
, ,

“
an d said A re th e re any birds p e rched on this
,

tree ! M ethough t wh e n I awoke some moss , ,

”
from the branches fell o n my head .

S krymir di strusting Thor h ad before he slept

, ,

interposed a huge rock be twixt h im self and the

god and upon this Thor had unwitting ly exercised
,

h i s strength .

Th e adventure in which J ack i s represen ted

as outwitting a gi a nt in e ating by pl a cing his ,

food in a l arge leathern recepta cle beneath hi s

vesture, and then ri p ping gi t up, and defying the
 JAC K T HE GIANT KI L LER - . 97

giant to do the same whereupon th e gi ant seizes

,

a knife plunges it into his bre ast and kills himself

, ,

i s co nta ined also in stories which are prev alent

among the S wede s Norwegi ans , G erm ans S er
, ,

vi ans and P ersi a ns

,
.

The S wedish version is as follows I n th e

eveni ng when the gi ant and his boy were about
,

to su p the crone p laced a l arge dish of porridge

,

”
before them Th at would be excellent s aid
.
,

“
the boy if we were to try which could eat the
,

most father or I
, Th e giant w as re ady for the
tri al and they bega n to eat with all their might
,
.

But th e boy w as crafty : he h ad tied h i s w allet

before his chest and for every spoonful th at e n
,

tered his mouth h e let two fall into th e w all et

, .

When th e gi ant h ad desp atched sev e n bowls of

p orridge h e h ad t ake n h is fill and sat pu ffing and
, ,

blowing and unable to swallow another spoonful

,

but th e boy continued with ju st as much good

will as when he beg an Th e gi ant asked him h ow
.

it w as th at he wh o w as so little could e at so much

, .

Father I will soon show you when I h av e e ate n

,

a s much as I can contain I slit up my stom ach ,

,
”
a nd then I can t ake in a s much a g a in S aying these .

wo rd s he took a knife and ripped up the w allet

, ,

so th at the porridge ran o u t The gi ant tho u ght this

.

a capital pl an and th at h e would do th e like B u t

, .

w hen he stuck the knife i n his s tom a ch the bl o od ,

H
98 FIENDS GH O S T S , , A ND SPRI TES .

began to flow and the end of the matter w as th at ,

it proved his
The sword of sh arpness , and the cloak which
rendered the we arer invi sible a nd by th e aid of ,

which Jack w on so m any important victories are ,

two Of the princip al supern atural elements i n the

Ni belungenli ed I n this ancient legend which .
,

con tains the same tragi c al story as the still more

a ncient S c a n din a vi an poem th e Volundar Kvida
'

the sword B alm

, ,

ur
g is described
b ro d nd m igh ty b l d a a a a e,

W i th ch k e n cutting dg th t str ight i t w y i t mde

su e - e es , a a s a a

r it m ot on h l mt
,

Wh ere e
’
s e e e

and th e cloud clo ak wh ich S iegfried took from the -

dwarf Al bric is pourtrayed as ,

A v tur th t high t cloud clo k mrv llou t t ll

es e a - a a e s o e

W h v r h i t on hi mmy k p hi m f nd w ll
, ,

oe e as a ee sa e a e

Fro mcuts nd t b of fo mn ; hi mnon n h r or

,

a s a s e e e ca ea see ,

A oon h i in i t b t
s s asnd h r n h
e s u see a ea ca e

Wh t r h will round h m nd thu m

,

a e e
’
e u t ne d p r v il ; a i , a s s e s e a

H gro w b sid trong r ; go th wondrou t l ! ”

e f s e es ar s e so es e s a e

The story of Ci nderella or the Glass S lipp er is , ,

of great antiquity and versions of it are found in ,

m an y countri es .

Elian wh o lived about A D 2 2 5 rel ates th at

,
. .
, ,

Thor pe Yul Tid S tori Bohn p 2 48 A nd T b l of

'
s e- e es .
, . . a e

Con t n t p XIII
e s, . .

1 '
Th F ll of th N b l ng
“
e & ; aT r n l tion of th e i e u ers , c a a s a e

Ni b lung N6t or N b l ng li d b y W N L ttsom p 59

.

e e , i e u er e , . . e , .
,

S t 3 46 , 3 47 ;
. p . 1 6 7 , St 9 83 . .
 C INDERELLA E T C , . 99

as R hodope a celebrated G reek courtez an who

, ,

h ad been ca rried into E gypt w as b athing o ne ,

da y an e agle c arried O ff o ne Of her slipper s

a nd a s it flew over M emphis where king P sam
, ,

metichu s was at th at tim e sitting in tribun al it

,

let fall the san dal into his bosom A stonish e d at .

the oc currenc e and at th e sm allne ss o f th e s and al

, ,

he caused inquiries to be m ade for its owner

whom when h e h ad di scovered he m
,

,
a rried ,
.

O ld version s o f this sto ry are foun d i n Norw ay ,

G erm any S weden D enmark France I taly Wal

, , , , ,

l achia S ervi a R ussi a P oland an d W ales

, ,
*
, , .

I n Ja ck and the B ean sta lk the be an is evi -

,

de ntly a version of the a sh Ygdrasil O f the E dd a ,

re aching from hell to heaven ; and the golden hen ,

h arp &c are famili ar fe atures in northern stories

,
.
, .

P uss i n B oots the S even league B ool s & c

,
-
, .
,

have their prototypes in S c andinavian folk lore ; -

and the two last mentioned tales as well as others

-
, ,

are probably o f consider able a ntiquity .

T ales derived from these sources and com p osed

o f such elements and fables in which be ast s , ,

bird s and fishes are represented as s pe aking and

re asoning in a m anner th at puts m
,

an to the blush

a re am
,

ong the e arliest things engrafted in the

infant mind ; and ever now

Thorp e . Op . c i t. T b l e of Con ten ts p

a ,
. IX .

H 2
100 FIEND S GH O S T S AND SPRI TES, , .

By night
Th vill g mtron round th b l ing h rth
e a e- a e az ea ,

S u p nd th in f n t udi nc w i th h t l
s e s e a -a e e er a es,

Br thing toni h mn t—of Wi tching rhym

ea as s e e s,

O f vi l S p iri t
e of th d th b d c ll
s : e ea - e a

O f him bb d th w ido w nd d vour ed

’
wh o ro e , a e

Th orp h n p ortion of un q ui t so l
’
e a s e u s

R i n fro mth gr v to
se th h vy guil t
e a e ease e ea

O f d d in lif co nc l d of h p
ee s e th t w lk ea e s a es a a

At d d of nigh t nd cl nk th ir ch in
ea nd w v
a a e a s a a e

Th torch of h ll round th m
,

e urd r r b d
e a e e e
’
s e

At v ry ol m
.

e e n p u th ro w d r coil
s e a se e c e

G m
,

azg ch o th
ea r p chl nd ng
e eal d s ee ess, a co
’

W i th hi ing igh ; till g r for th v n t

s v r
’
s s ea e e e e ,

A ound th b ld mll c t th y h ng
r e e a a e re e a

E ch tre m
,
"
a b li ng h r t w i th gr t ful t ror q ell d
ea a e er u
’
.

I deas of mys teriou s an d supernatural powers ,

v ague undefined a nd frightful are thus instilled

, , ,

into th e child and influence it unchecked a nd

,

uncontroll e d by the S criptural doc trines of th e

invisib le which are taught to it A t fir st th e two .

trains of thought d e rived from th ese antithetic al

sources go on sep ara tely and distinctly ; th e more
frightful and wonderful events of legend ary lore
a nd fa ble h aving a much greater influence and ,

form ing a dee per impression on the mind o f the

child , whose reasoning powers are still in a bey ance
to the emotions th an the S cri p t ural doct rines of
,

th e supern atur al A s it advances in ye ars th ese

trains of though t insensibly blend ; th e more ram
.

p ant absurdi ties of the supernatural framework of

 R EM OT E CONSE QUEN C ES O F MY T H O L O GY . 10 1

lege ndary a nd ghost lore are discarded ; but the

-

les s obvious and more in s idious portio ns remai n

to a gre ater or le ss extent and they a re s o gra ven
,

i n the mi nd th at they be com e p art and p arcel o f

it an d i n wh atever m a nner they m
,

b e su b se
a
y
quently modified in fo rmit i s prob ab le th at they
,

a re neve r era dica ted , but form a medium whi c h

gives a fals e and d eceptive glos s to all o u r ide as
u po n thos e m atte rs which are no t immediately

wi thin the ken o f re ason or which are more

,

c le a rly att ributable to oth er a ge ncy th a n the force s

of the mat eri al word — such m atters fo r ex ample ,

,

a s are con ta ined in H oly Writ .

H e nc e o u r ideas of th e supern atural are derived

—
from two sou rce s f rom legendary lore an d from
S cripture ; a nd this resul ts , th at although in a fter

m
life the more gl aring errors a nd ab surdities of the
fo rmer are re ov ed those only bei ng re t ained
,

which are thought to be compa tible with H oly

Writ yet the ide a of the supern atura l thus
,

o b tained forei n from revel ation i retained in

, g ,s a

v ague and undefined form and i ts origin a nd

,

so urces being lost sight of it is regard e d as an

,

inn ate consciousne ss o f the exi stence of super

na tural beings and p rompts to th e re ady rec e p
,

tio n a nd belief o f mysterious and not re adil y

explicabl e ph e nomen a being the result of super
n atural agency .
 10 2 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI TES
, , .

That proclivity to the belief in supern atural

interpositions that vague notion of s p iritual ,

beings that so called innate consciousness of th e

,
-

exi stence of the supernatu ral which most person s ,

po ssess more o r less of and which i s tot ally i ncon ,

sistent wi th the cle ar and perfect d octrine of the

invisible taught in th e G o sp el i s we believe , , ,

derived solely from th e in fant mind and e arlie r

periods o f youth being poisoned by th e super
n atural ev e nt s and phenomen a detailed in fabulou s ,

legend ary a nd gh ost lore ,

-
.
*

This substr atum of supers tition i s the prim e

c au se of th e retention of those figm e nts of deg s ne

r ated and ch risti anize d mythology w hich are yet

found among u s a nd for th e pers isten ce of th e ,

most generally receiv ed of th ese figm ents—g hosts .

The mrv lloua f igh tful t l th thr t

e s st ori e s, the r a es, e ea s,

w hich w r long th e p n g of inf ncy w ould di p o th

e e so a a a e a s se e

n t r lly im p r ion bl m
,

a u a i nd t r c iv ll th f n t ti c r tion
ess a e o e e e a e a as c ea s

of th p i od N w i t i i d th y t mi co m
e er . o , p l t ly ch ng d
s sa , e s s e s e e a e ,

a nd th y e t ugh t t ridicul th
a re a nci n t b li f Thi rgu
o e ese a e e e s. s a

mn t w ould b u n n w r bl if th y p ok of coll g nd b o d
.

e e a s e a e e s e e es a ar

ing chool ; b t th y forg t th rv n t t w ho m c n fi d d

s s u e e e se a s o are o e

th e rly y r of in f n t ; thu i th nur ry l w y r vi vin g

ea ea s a s s s e se a a s e

fool ri t ror nd frigh tful tori in th m

e es , er s, a iddl of which th s es, e e e

inf n t gro w I w ill con t n t mw i th n x m

a s. p l th t of n f e e o e e a e, a o e o

th e c l b r t d p o t of E n gl nd R o b rt Burn
e e a e e s I ow d m uch a e s. e

in m y thi w ri t r t n old w o mn wh liv d

,

y inf ncy
’ ‘
a sa s s e o a a o e

x tr mly ignor nt nd r m k b ly
, ,

w i th nd w h w
u s, a o as e e e a , a e ar a c re

d l
u ou s nd u p r ti tiou
a sNo n in th coun try h d l rg
e s s . o e e a a a er

coll c ti on of t l
e nd ong r p cting d vil f iri ghost
a es a s s es e e s, a es, s,
 GH O S T S . 10 3

I t is lso a highly important element in th e for

a

m atio n of th at state of the mind which is from

time to time m anifested in singul ar an d wide
spre ading delusions respecting the comm unic ation
o f the spirit world with m an and of which we
-
,

h ave ex a mp les before us at the present time in

the prev al e nt follies of spirit r apping a nd -

table t alking -
.

The belief in gh osts does not now pos sess those

glaring fe atures which were att ached to it at
the com m encement of the present century , hence
it i s le ss obtru sive ; but it is very far fro m
being extingui shed as some would te ach and its , ,

etiology i s Of interest bec au se it le a ds to the ,

elucid ation of the principal cau se s and sources of

the fall acies to which the senses of m a n are

sorc r r mgici n j ck l n t rn hob gob lin p h n to m

e e s, a a s, a -o -
’
a e s, s, a s,

app r i tion ch r m gi n t dr gon

a s, a s, a s, a s,

N t only d i d th
o t l cul tiv t in mth g rmof p o y
ese a es a e e e e s es

b t th y h d uch n ff c t u p on m
,

u e a s
y i mgin ti
a on th te v n n ew a a a e e o

in m I h v o ft n in pi t of m
, , ,

y n gh t journ y
i e y lf th y
s, a e e S e se e e e

nb m
, ,

u p on c rt in u p iciou p l c
e a nd l tho gh no n
s s s or a es a a u o e ca e e

c p tic l in uch mtt r n ff or t of th r on i occ ion lly

s e a s a e s, a e e ea s s as a

n c ry t ch
e essa w y th
o v in t rror
a se a a e se a e s .
’

D rkn o b curi ty th il nc of nigh t oli t rin

a e ss , s con tri
, e s e e , s a ess,

b ute trongly t d v lo p th f ling of t rror w rongly c t in

s o e e e ee e so as

th me ind of inf n t Th i r y r d ily p rc iv frightful fi gur

s a s. e e e ea e e es es

w hich r g rd th mine a mn c i ng mn n r ; th ir ch mb r i
e a e a a e e a e s

p op l d w i th
e e in ro bb r d v i l nd m
as sass on t r of ll kind
s, e s, e s, a s e s a s.
”

—A . B ri erre de B ois mnt o .

“
Des H a llu c mt a zons ou s toi re
Ra isonnée des App ari tzons, "
&c . Ed . II , 1 8 52, p . 3 62 .
1 04 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AND SPRI T ES .

subject and by wh ich he h as been le d in the

,

remo te st periods of antiqui t y as well as at the ,

p re sent time to frame those mighty tra mmels of

,

superstition from which the mind in v ain s t rives

to disenta ngle itself completely .

The doc trine th a t th e spirits of th e de a d return

to vi si t the scenes which were dear to them during
the body s exi s ten ce , i s in itself awfully solemn
’

and sublime M an prone to beli e ve in super

.
,

natural interpositions (from c a u ses alre ady e x

pl ained ) and trusting altoge ther to the evid e nce
,

of hi s sen se s for m any ages received th is doctrine

,

u nquestioned ; and a ided by a fe rtile i m agin ation ,

he clo th e d i t wi th attribu tes which although ,

a bsurd in the m ain e t a s a ppealing to som e o f

y ,

the de ep e st an d w armest aff ec tion s and passions

of o u r n a ture ca nnot even now be contempl ated
,

w i thout exciting se n sations of a w e if not fear ,

.

The thought th at the spiri ts of those who ,

during life were bo un d to us by the closest ties of

,

aff ec tion are e ver ne ar scru tinizing our action s

, ,

and th o u ghts and promp ting us ever and anon to

,

th at course which would mo st ten d to our profit

here and our j oy hereafter*— shielding us like ,

Thi id h b n b u ti f lly xp r d b y Longf llow in th

s ea as ee ea u e esse e e

V oic of th Nigh t
es e .
’

W h n th hour of d ye nu m
b rd e s a are e e ,

A nd th voi of th ni ght e ces e

 GH O S T S . 10 5

gu ardi an angels from the wiles of th ose w andering

,

“ ”
S pirits w ho like the Wicked O ne th at cam e
,

softly up to Christi an in th e V alley of the S h adow

“
o f D eath a nd ,
whisperingly sugge sted m any
grievo u s bl asphemies to him which he verily ,

thought had proceeded from h is own

seek to tempt us to destruction such a thought ,
-

thrills through the soul of every o ne an d fills it ,

with strange and undefined emotions of blended

j oy and fear .

Fe w ca n free themselves altoge ther from the

emotion of terror which is almost necess arily c on
ne c ted with scenes pollu te d by m urder, o r by
o ther outbreaks of m a n s foulest p a s sions This ’
.

W k th b tt r oul th t lu m
a e e b d e e s a s e re

To holy c l md ligh t
, ,

a a e ,

E th v ning l m
re p light d
e e e a s a re e

And li k p h n to m gri mnd t ll

,

e a s a a

S h do w fro mth fi tf l fi r ligh t

,

a s e u e

D nc u p on th p rlour w ll ;
a e e a a

Th n th for mof th d p rt d
e e s e e a e

E n ter t th o p n door a e e

Th b lov d th t ru h rt d
e e e e e - ea e

C o mt vi i t n m
, ,

or &
e o s us o ce e . c .

S ee also W hington I rving Br c b ridge H ll M r tin

’
St
’
as s a e a . . a s

Eve .

a: u
I look h e v n nd tri ed t p r y ;
ed to a e , a o a

B t or v r
u p r y r h d gu ht
e e a a e a s

A wick d w hi p r c m nd md
,

e s e a e a a e

My he rt dry du t a as as s .
”

C ol ridge Anci en t M arin r e . e .

10 6 F IE NDS GH O S T S
, , AN D SPRI T ES .

feeling a cting on th e m inds of th e superstitiou s

a nd ignor ant h as led them to people w i th spectres
,

all those pl a ces which h ave obta ined notoriety from

being the scene o f some terrible ebullition of

human frail ty and wickedness .

Thus the glen where murder h ad bee n com

mitte d ; the pond in which the m other had i m
,

mersed her new born infant ; the hoary r uin preg

-

n ant with horrid legends of the p ast ; the rock s

ov e r which the inebri ated drunk ard fell ; the four
cross ro ad s where the suicide was impaled ; the
dwelling of the miser or o f him who di d u nj ustly
,

to the orph an and the willow banks o f the sti ll -

flowing river into which the love lorn m aiden h ad -

cast her self,— e ach h ad i ts spectre and at the ,

midnight hour the ghost o f the murdere d b ared to

the moon the m e mentos of its foul and most nu
n atural end ; the S pectre O f the murderer writhing ,

in agon y, rattle d i ts gibbet ch ains ; the su ff oc ating

-

sobs O f the drowning in fant were borne on the

fi tfu l breeze ; h ideous spectres hovered o e r the ’

deserted rui n ; the ghost o f the mi ser gu arded i ts

q uond am trea sures ; th e cruel gu ardi an and th e
suicide sh rieked forth the agoni e s o f the d am ned ;
and the ph an tom of the deceived m aiden gliding on

the b anks of her w atery grave mingled its pl aintive

,

wails with e ach sough o f the midnigh t wind .

But al as ! this prolific source of terror and

,
 G H O S TS . 10 7

rom ance must be cOnsigned to the delusion s of th e

p ast ; and the churchy ard— erst pregn ant with
”
thin sheeted ph antoms
-
is now also shorn of -

its gloom y horrors and reg arded alone as the last ,

quiet r e sting pl ace of m -

a n o n earth .

E ven when glimpses of the spirit world are -

vouchs afed to those who still firmly believe in

occ asion al visit ations from its inh abit ants it wou i ,

seem th at the fashion Of th eir appe ara nce h as

become more in accord ance with th e quiet well
regul ated ide as of the age Th e m aj or p art of .

those terrible attributes of the nether world, that

o f O ld w e re delighted in are no longer exhibited , ,

and they are n umbered with th e things th at h ave

been . The form which appertained to S ata n

—
hims lf the cloven foot the forked ta il , the hir
e ,

sute fra me and the horned head— must also v an ish

,

before the m arch of civilis ation ; hence M ep hi s

“ ”
tO p h ele s in the
, Faust o f G o é the is re pre ,

sented as s aying
R fi n mn t t which m
e e e oo th n ll
oo , s e s a

w hich i t in th w orld h
’
O ’
er
p d e as as s ,

H as b n x t nd d in i t c ll
ee e e e s a ,

And r ch d th d vil t
ea e t l t e e oo, a as

Th t north rn p h n tomfound no m
.
,

a e aore n b ca e,

H orn t i l nd cl w w n w no long r
s, a , a a s, e o e see ,

As for th foo t—I c nno t p ar i t

e a s e ,

B t w r I o p nly t w r i t
u e e e o ea

It migh t do gr t r h mth n good

,

ea e ar a

To m m ong th m
e a ul titude e .
108 FIE NDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

And so lik e mny you th b esid ea a ,

Wh o b r v ly to th e ey e ppea rs
a e a

mthing ti ll c n t iv
,

Yet so e s hid o r es to e,

I
’
ve worn f lse c lv
a for mny y r
a es a ea s !

T he p henomen a upon which the belief of the

occasion al m anifesta tion of disembodied spi rits to
man is founded m a
y be accounted
,
for wi t hout
having recourse to the doctrine of supernatur a l
interposition .

O ur senses and our reasoning powers are ap t to

err We may deceive ourselves and are li able t o
.
,

be deceived by an erroneous appreci ation of th e

sens ations which we receive from the obj ects su r
rounding u s— i llusi ons— b ut of the n ature of which
we m a
y re a dily convince ourselves .

I llusions of the sig ht may arise either from an

e rror of judgment or from a disordered state o f
.

the eye .

O f those i ll usions arising from an error of j udg

ment perhaps none bear directly upon ou r subject
,
.

E xamples of this kind of i llusion are the broken

appearance of a stick p arti ally immersed in w ater
the a pp arent movement of trees hou ses &c p ast , , .
,

a train in motion , or the b anks of a river p ast a

ste amboat .

I llusion s arising fro m a disordered condition of

the e y e prompting the imagination are a prolific
, ,

s o urce of ghost seeing -

.
 ILLUSI ON S OE T HE SIGH T . 10 9

I n th e obscurity of the eveni ng or during th e ,

d arkness of the nigh t (p articul arly on those nights

which are cloudy and the d arkness seem s to rest
,

on the ground ) the di fli c u lty with which we dis

,

ti ngu i sh any object to which the attention i s

directed is li able to induce a disordered sta te of

,

the eye the eff ects of which are very sta rtling
,
.

The imperfect view wh ich we Obt ain of such

objects forces u s to fi x the eye more steadily upon
them ; but the more exertion we m ake to ascer
tain wh at they are the gre ater diffi culties do we
,

encounter to accomplish ou r obj ect The eye is .

actu ally th rown into a st at e o f th e m ost p ainful

agita tion th e Obj ect will s well a nd contr act

, and ,

p artly disappear an d it will ag ain become visible

,

when the eye h as recovered from th e delirium

”
into which it has been thrown .

This illusion is incre ased by a distur be d con di

tion of the pupil of the eye .

The pupil is surrounded by a muscle called the

i ris by the contr action an d dilatation of which
,

the size of the Opening is increased or diminished ,

and a greater or less a mount of light admitted to

th e eye O n a d ark night or during the twilight

.
, ,

the pupil is dil ated to its utmost extent so th at ,

every av ail able ray of light m a

y enter I n thi s .

condition the eye is no t able to a ccommodate

Br w t r N tur l M gi p 1 5
e s e . a a a c, . .
1 10 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

itself to near Objects and they become more indi s

,

i nc t sh adowy and confused

, , .

U nder these circu mstances a n object to which ,

the attention is strongly attracted m a

y appe ar to ,

a s sume stra n e v a ri a tion s in form — now i ncreas

g ,

ing now dimini shing in size n ow appro aching

, ,

n e arer now going further off or anon di sappearing

, ,

a ltogether ; a nd a bush a guide p ost a stoop & c

,
-
,
.
,
,

will seem as though it assum e d the most st artling

change s in size and appe ar an ce A dd t he e ff ects
.

of the im agin ation and we sh all at once perceive

,

a source of the v arious goblin s boggard s and , ,

other strange sights which have been supposed to

h aunt m any of our by ew ays and de s e rted pl aces
To i llus tr ate thi s form Of illusion : a m
.

an with

whom we were acqu ainted tells the following

tale — When young h e one e v ening had a
, , ,

quarrel with his mother about some trifling aff air ,

a nd in defi a nce o f her grief and supplic ations he

left home l a te at n ight intending to enter the

,

a rmy . I t w as very d ark and stormy a nd as he ,

proceeded along a bye p ath suddenly a t all Object

-
,

a rrested his attention ; st artled , h e stood s till ,

when to his utte r horror and aston i shment the

, ,

object increased in size, and seemed as though

ab i u t to pounce u p on him ; it then v ani shed ,

a nd a n on a ppe a red a g ain Terrified beyond

mea sure, and conceiving th at S atan had w aylaid
.
 B O GGARDS . 111

h im for fors aking his moth er th e poor man fell ,

o n his knees a nd excl a imed :

,
“
O good L ord
D evil do not take me and I ll go b ack to m y
, ,
’

”
mother and be a good lad !
,
I t i s u nneces
s ary to dwell upon the goggle eyes burning with

fl ames which h e im agined S at an to possess ; su f

h ee it th at he rem ained before the supposed devil
some time overcome with terror when a blink of
, ,

the rising moon showed th at he w as l aid at the

f oo t of the st u mp o f a tree H e a rtily ashamed of .

his fe ar he ro se up sl u nk b ack home and m ade

, , ,

peace with h i s mother * .

This will su ffi ce a s an example of the most

degraded form of ghost life with which our high -

w ays and by eway s have been peopled by the super

sti ti ou s and il liter ate — illusions which have a ri s en
,

from the e ff ects Of a disturbed condition of the

visu al organ on an excited im agination Burri s .

humorously describes this variety of ghost in his

A ddress to the D eil
Ae dr ry w indy win t r nigh t
ea , , e ,

t r ho t do w n wi kl nt n ligh t ’ ’
Th e s a s s s e i

W i you m
,

y l I g t fright
'
, se , a a ,

Ayon t th lough e

Y lk er h b u h tood in igh t
i e a as - s s s

W w ving ugh i
’
a s .

A few hundred f et fro mth e p l ac e w h ere this occurr d i

e e , s a

l n e Oldfi ld Lan Wor tl y n ear Leed s) w hich was noted

a e e, e

m t of one of tho se S m
, ,

a ny y ear s a o as the b e wh t r a r
g , ea i a e
1 12 FIENDS GH O S T S, AND SPRI T ES
, .

The cudg l in m y ni v did h k

e e e s a e,

E ch b ri tl d h ir tood lik t k
a s e a s e a s a e,

Wh n wi n ld i h t tour q i k—qu ich

e
’
a e r c s ua c a

Amng th p ring
,

a e s s,

Aw y q tt d l i k dr k ’
a e s ua er e a a e,

O n w hi tling wi ng
"
s s.

Another form of illu sion i s induced by objects

see n indistinctly when the mind is disturb ed and
p re occupied by some powerful and painful emo
-

tion .

“
A l ady w as once pa ssing th rough a wood in ,

the d arkening twilight O f a stormy evening to ,

visit a friend who w as w atching over a dying

child The cloud s were thick the rain begi nning
. ,

to fall ; d arkn e s s w as incre asing ; the wind w as

mo aning mournfully through the trees The .

l ady s heart almo st failed h er as she saw that

’

sh e h ad a mile to w alk through the woods i n

the gatheri ng gloom B u t the reflection of the .

situ ation of her fri e nd forb ade her turning back .

E xcite d and trembling sh e c alled to h er ai d a ,

nervou s resoluti on an d pressed onw ard S h e , .

p ct res
s e a S om
h dle
ea gho
living v n n w w h h v
ess st. are e e o o a e

h d seen thi p h n to m Wh n l t
,

known tho wh se o a n it s a e as see

pp r d as co m fort b l looking mn dr d in dr b co t
.
,

a ea e a a e- a esse a a - a

m A York hir v er i on of
, ,

and c rri d th h e d und r th

a e e a e e ar s a s e s a

v ry nci nt nd w id p r d u p r ti tion i t mm
.

e a e a ory is w orth
e -s ea s e s s e

m gho t i found in mny p arts

,

p n
re seg Th b h f in .h dl e e e ea ess s s s a

of E ngl nd I r l nd (th D ll h n or Dulach n) W les S ot

a e a e u a a a a c

l nd S p in Franc nd Ge rmny
, , ,

a , a , e, a a .
 ILLUSI ONS or T HE SIGH T . 1 13

had no t p roceeded far when sh e beheld in the ,

p ath b efore her the movemen t of some very in dis

t inct object I t appe ared to keep a little di stan ce
.

in adv an ce of her and as sh e m ade e fforts to get

,

n earer to se e wh at it w as it seemed proportionally ,

to recede The l ady beg an to feel rath e r u nplea

.

sa ntl
y . T h e r
e w as some p ale white obj ect c e r

tai nly di scernable before her and it a ppe a red ,

my s teriou sly to flo at along a t a regul a r dist ance

without any e ff ort at motion Notwith standing .

th e l ady s good sense and un usu al resoluti on

’
,

a cold chill beg an to come over her ; sh e m ad e

every e ffort to resist her fea rs and soo n suc ,

ce ede d in dr awing ne arer the mysterious obj ect ,

when she w as app alled at beholding the features

’
of her friend s child cold i n de ath wrapt i n
, ,

i ts shroud S he g azed earnestly an d then it

.
,

rem ained distinct and clea r before her eyes S he .

con sidered it a moni tion th at her friend s child ’

w as dead and th at she m ust h a sten on to her

,

ai d ; but there w as th e app arition directly i n

her path ; sh e m ust p ass it Taking up a little .

stick sh e forced herself along to the obj ect an d

, ,

behold some little anim al sc ampered aw ay I t

, .

w as th i s that her excited im agina tion had trans

formed in to the cor p se of an infant in its winding

Cham
bers Misce llany ’
. Art . Spe ctral Ap p ari tio ns ,
"
soc .
1 14 FIEND S , G H O S T S A ND
, sp m
rs s.

S ir W alter S cott rel ate s an interes ti ng case of

il lusion occ asioned by an a ccidental arrangement
o f som e a rticle s o f clothing

“
Not long after the de ath o f a l ate illustrio u s
poet who h ad fill ed wh i le living a gre at station
, , ,

in th e eye of the public a liter ar y friend to , ,

whom the dec eased had been well known w as ,

eng aged d uring th e d arkening twilight of a n

,

autumn evening in peru sing o ne of the publica

,

tions which pro fessed to detail the h abi t s a nd

opinions of the distingu ished individu al wh o w as
now n o more A s th e re ader had e nj oyed th e
.

intim acy of the dece ased to a considerable degree ,

he was deeply interested in the publication which ,

con tained some p articul ars re l ating to himself

and other friends A visitor w as sitting in the
.

a partment who w as also engaged in re ading .

Their sitting room opened into an entrance h all

- -

rather fantastically fitted up w ith articl e s of

armour skin s o f wil d anim als and the like I t
, , .

w as when l aying down his book a nd p a ssi ng into ,

this h all through which the moon w as beginning

,

to shine that the individu al of whom I speak

,

sa w right before him a nd in a sta nding position

, , ,

the ex act represen tation of his dep arted friend ,

who se recollectio n h ad been so strongly brough t

to h i s ima gi nation H e stopped for a singl e
.

m omen t so as to notice the wonderful accuracy

,
 ILLUSI ONS or T HE SIGH T . 1 15

with which fancy h ad impressed u pon the bodily

eye the peculi ari ties of dre s s an d posture of the
illustrious p oet S en sible however of the delu
.
, ,

sion he felt no sentiment save th at of wonder at

,

the extraordin ary accuracy of th e resembl ance ,

a nd stepped onw ards tow ards the figure which ,

re sol ved itself as he appro ached into the v arious

, ,

m ateri als of which it w as composed These were .

merely a screen occupied by gre at coats shaw ls

,
-
, ,

pl aid s a nd s uch other a rticles as usu ally are found

,

i n a country entr ance h all Th e spect ator re

- .

turned to the spot from which he h ad seen

the illu sion a nd ende avoured with all his power
, , ,

to rec al l th e im age which h ad b een so singularly

vi v id. But thi s w as be yon d his c ap acity ; and
the person wh o h ad witnessed th e app arition or , ,

more properly whose excited state h ad been th e

,

me ans of r aising it h ad only to return and tell

, ,

the young frien d he h ad left under wh at a strik

om
,

ing h allucin atio n he had for a m e nt

The li ab ility to i llusion or h allucin ation in th at

transition al state of the mind when it reverts to
surroun ding object s aft er it has been pre occupied
,
-

with some ab sorbing and intense thought i s very ,

strikingly shown in th e above c ase I t is very .

s imil a r t o th at condition o f th e mind which ob

tain s betw ee n sleepi ng and w aking when it is well ,

Lett s on Dem
er onology nd Wi tchcr ft 2 nd Ed p
a a . .
, .

0
1
1 16 FIENDS, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

known th at ou r dre ams are most vivid and bril

li ant .

D r Fe rriar rel ates the following interesting

.

case of i llusion occ asioned by a ray of moonlight

a cting upon th e mind Of an individu al j ust
a w a king from a horrid dr e a m .

“
A gentleman w as benighted while travelling
alone i n a remo te p a rt of the highl ands of S cot

l and and w a s comp e lled to ask shelter for th e

,

night at a sm all lonely hut Wh e n he w as con .

duc t ed to his bedroom th e l andl a dy observed

,

with my steri ou s reluc tance , th at he would find the

window very insec ure O n ex a m . in ation p a rt of ,

the w all appe ared to h ave been broke n down to e u

l arge the open ing A fter some i nquiry h e w as
.
,

told th at a pedl a r w ho had lodged in the room a

, ,

short time before h ad com mit te d suicide a nd was

, ,

found h anging behind the door in the morn i ng .

“ A ccording
to o ne of the superstitions o f the

country it w as deemed improper to remove the

,

body through the door Of the house ; and to con

ve
y it th rough the window w as impos s ible witho u t

r e moving p art of the w all S ome hin ts we re

.

dropp e d th at th e r o o m h ad b e en sub sequently

’
h aunted by the poor man s spirit .

M y friend l aid his arms properly prep a red ,

ag a in st intru sion of any kind by the bedside , and

retired to rest not without so m

,

,
e degree of ap p re
 ILLUSI ONS OF T HE S IGH T . 1 17

h ensi on H e w as vi sited in a dream by a frightfu l

.

app arition an d aw aking in agony found himself

, ,

sitting up in bed with a pistol grasped in h is righ t

hand O n casting a fe arful gl an ce roun d th e
.

room h e discovered by the moonlight a corp se

, , ,

dressed in a shroud leaned ag ains t the w all close

b y the window With m uch difficulty he su m
,

moned up resolution to ap proach the dism al

.

Object the features of which and th e minutest

, ,

parts Of the funer al app arel h e perceived dis ,

ti nctly H e passed one h an d over it felt nothing

.
, ,

and sta ggered back to th e bed A ft er a long .

interv al and much re asoning with h imself h e

, ,

renewed his investigation and at length di s ,

covered th at the Obj ect Of his terrors was p ro

du c ed by the moonbe am s form ing a long brigh t
im age th rough the broken window on which hi s ,

fan cy impre ssed by his dre a m h ad produced with

, ,

mischievous accura cy the line aments of a body

,

”
prep ared for interment
There are some illusions which arise fro m
.

certain Of the l aws Of action of impressions on the

reti na — that tissue O f the eye in which the changes
necess ary to the exc i tation Of the sens ation of
ligh t by luminous rays a re induced .

A sen sation excited in the retin a is not momen

tary or during the continu ance o f th e exciting
,

cause alone but it persists some seconds after that

,
 1 18 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

h as been withdrawn Thus if the end of a burning

.

stick be r apidly moved in a circl e before the ey e s ,

it give s ri se to the sens ation of an uninterrupted

circle of light ; the sen sation excited on each part
Of the retin a enduring for a certain period after
th e luminous point has p assed .

The following instan ce is an ex ample O f an

illusion h aving relation to ou r subj e ct from this
, ,

cause .

A gentlem an had been e arn e stly r egarding a

sm all and very be autiful p ainting of the V irgin a nd
C hild . O n turning round from the contempl a
tion Of it he w as surpri sed at finding a wom an
.

of the full size with a n infant in h er arms stand

, ,

ing before him O n ex amining the figures more

.

closely he however found th at the wom an wanted

, ,

the lower fou rth of the body and thi s at once led ,

to a correc t appre ci ation Of the n ature of th e

ph antom The p ainting h e h ad been viewing w as
.

a thr e e p arts length a nd it w as the per sistence

-
,

Of the image upon the retin a for a sh ort period

a fter he h ad turned from it which h ad given ri se ,

to the ph antom .

A species O f divin ation is m ade use of in I ndia

which h as i ts origin in an ill u sion of this n ature ,

a nd of which the following is a n int e resting

ex ample
A l ady who w as about to undertake a long
 ILLUSI ONS O F T HE SIGH T . 1 19

ourney a s persu a d e d b a M oon shee to wa lk o n

j w , y
t h e vera nd ah and con s ult he r fa te .

“
I t w as a cl ea r c al mnight the moon w a s full , ,

a nd not the fa inte s t spec k i n the sk di sturb e d

y
h e r reign The G anges w a s like a flood of silver
.

li ght ha stening on i n ch armed silence ; while o n

,

th e green s m ooth aw ard o n which th ey w alked a

t all shrub here a nd there stood erect a nd motion
le ss The young l ady whose impre ss ions were
.
,

prob ably dee p en e d by th e mystic al words Of th e

M oon s hee fe lt a ki n d of aw e ste aling ove r her ;
,

s h e looked round upon t h e a c c usto me d scene as

if in some new and st ra nge world ; and w h en th e

O ld m a n mo tio ned her t o st op as th e re h ed an
y ac ,

O pen sp ac e o n t he sw a rd s h e obeyed with a n inde ,

s crib able thrill .

Lo ok there sa id h e pointing to h e r sh adow

,
’
, ,

which fell tall and d ark upon the grass DO y ou .

s e e it i
’

‘
Ye s s aid she fa intly yet beginning t o be
,
’
,

a sha m e d H ow sh arply defined a re its edg e s !

.

I t look s like som ething you could touch 1 ’

“ ‘
B u t look longer look be tter look ste ad , .

fastly I s it still definite

.

A kind of h alo begins to g ather roun d it : m y

e yes d a zzle
’
.

Then r aise them to the he av e ns fi x th em on

y onder blue sky What do you see ! .
’
1 20 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

I it still but it is as white as mist an d

see ,

o f a gig antic size .

H a s it a he ad ! asked the M oonshee in an

’

anxious whisper .

Ye s it i s complete in all i ts parts ; but no w

,

i t melts fl oats— di sappears

— .
’

Th ank G od 1 sa id the old m

’
an your j ourney
shall be pros p erous such is the will of H eaven
, .
’

When a steady g aze is m ain tained u pon an

object until the retina is e xhau sted , which i s
“ ”
shown by the imperfe ct vision or d azzling , ,

a nd the eyes are then suddenly direc ted a w ay from

i t to a n un iformly coloured surface an i m age of ,

the Object from the per si ste nce Of th e impre ssion

, ,

as alre a dy stated , will still rem ain for a short

period upon the retin a ; but another phenomenon
i s also Observed for the exh austed condition of
,

th e retin a renders it inc a p able O f responding ,

during i ts continu ation to the im p ression O f th e

,

origin al colour O f the obj ect and th e spe ctru m ,

a ppe ars of a di ff erent colour To this S pec tra l

co lour the term co p lem m
.

enta ry or a cci denta l i s

a pplied ; and if the colo u r Of the obj e ct be red the ,

complementary c olour will be green ; if yellow ,

deep purple ; if black whi te , &c and vi ce versé

,
.
, .

Thus then the s p ectral ap parition witnessed in the

P han to ms of the Far E ast .
”
C ham
be rs E din b urgh
’

J ournal Vol XV I I p 3 1 5
. .
, . .
 .
1 LLU S I O NS O F T HE HEARING . 12 1

above relation receives a re ady and intelligible

e xpl an ation .

The se nse of h eari ng is also subject to ill u sion s

for example when a timid per son m i stakes th e
,

ru stling of le aves in a forest for the voices Of

robbers ; or the sough ing of the win d among the
trees in some pl ace of evil repute for the moaning
, ,

o f a wandering and unh appy s pirit .

The v aried and undefined n oises Often produced

by the wind when sweeping over an irregul ar sur
face a mong rock s and trees on the surface Of
, ,

water in fore sts or seclud ed and deep glens ; an d

, ,

the mysteri ous sounds occ asioned by th e ru shing

Of th e water in the hollows and c avern s of a rock
b o u n d co ast h ave been fer tile sources Of illusion
,

among the super stitious .

T h e ancient R om a ns listening to the inex p lic able

soun ds whi ch ass ailed th e e ar in solita ry and

wooded pl aces fabled th at they were the voices
,

o f th e wood deities or as Lucreti u s be autifully ,

expresses it

The n igh b uring w in b li v or fondly v un t

e o s a s e e e, a

S tyr nd ny m
,

a s a p h th rur l r gion h un t ; s e a e s a

Th t f n wi th w n ton r v l nd d ligh t
a au a a e e a e

Di turb th o b r il nc f th night
s e s e s e e O e :

Th t m
a u ic b l nd d no t
s h rd round
’
s e e e s are ea a ,

Th p l in tiv voic
e a nd h r p ccording ound
e e, a a
’
s a s

And w ll th y kno w w h n P n th
e ylv n god
e e a , e s a ,

( W hi l e hi b ro w th p iny honour nod

’
e o r s
) s e s ,
1 22 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T E S .

Wi th b n ding li p w k th voc l r d
e a a es e a ee s ,

A nd th ch rmd r of li t ning tyr f d

e a e ea s s e sa a ee s .

With j y th t l th y t ll or t l lik th
o ese a es e e , a es e ese,

A nd fi ll th w ood wi th f b l d d i ti
e s
”
a e e es .

A s the wind s swept over the wild heaths Of the

n orth or roared a mid the mount ain p asses be aring
, ,

upon thei r bosom th e he avy m antling clouds

which enwre athed the gho sts o f the heroes O f O ld ,

often in th e ir v aried ton e s did the ancient Celt

conceive th at he he a rd the voices O f the de ad ;
a nd he wh o w a s stricken with m i sery de e med t ha t

his forefathers called upon him to h as ten to th e

“ ”
l and O f sh adows . The gho sts of fathers they ,

c all aw a y the souls O f their r a c e while they

sa
y
,

”
behol d the m lon ely in the midst O f woe Or .

whe n an eddy of wind sw e eping into the hall

a woke a cadence o f music a s i t pl ayed over the

s trings of the h a rp s su s pended there the he a rers ,

shrunk as the notes th rilled through them and ,

fe arfully whi spered th a t th e gho st s Of the de ad

touched th e string s and asked who se de ath O f all
,
“
the mighty the gho stly mu sic portended The .

h a rps of the b ard s untouched soun d mournful

, ,

over the
The supernatural framework Of m an y l e gends
d epends upon illu sions Of the hearing O f a similar
ch aract e r
.

A t C ro sm e re ne ar E llesmere in S hropshire
, , ,

Bu b y Luc eti u B I V 1 T m
or
’ ‘
s s r s, . . e a.
 I L LUSI ONS O F T HE HEARING . 1 23

there is a tr adition th at a ch apel once stood on

the border s Of the l ak e and it w as long believed ,

th at when the w at e rs w e re ru ffl e d by the win d

th e soun d Of the bells might be he ard beneath
the su rface ; and an old story record s th at long ,

ago a church a nd vill age w e re entombed by an

,

e arthqu ake near the spot where R aleigh in Not

, ,

ti ngh am s hi re no w st a nds ; a nd th a t at C hristm as ,

even now the b ells m

,

, ay be he a rd sol e mnly tolling

deep in th e bo som Of th e e a rth .

A mong the C ornish miners a very singul ar

superstition prev ail s which i s due to the sounds
,

occur ing in O ld and deserted working s from th e

r
,

dropping O f w ater and o ther c au ses These .

n oi ses are suppo sed to be produced by certain

“ ”
spirits which are term e d
, Knockers a nd ,

“
ac cording to the author of Ye ast ; a P roblem ,
“
the miners hold th at they are the ghosts of the
old Jews tka t f
cru ci i ed ou r Lord, a nd w ere sent

f or slaves by the Ro mn Em
a p erors to work the

m
in es ; we fi nd their O ld smelting houses
a nd -
,

which we c all Jew s houses, and their blocks at

’
,

the bottom O f the gre at bogs , which we c all Jew s ’

ti n; and there is a town a mong u s, too which we ,

c all M arket Jew but the O ld n am e w as M a razi on

,

th at m e an s the Bitterness o f Zion they tell m

,

e ; ,

a nd bitter work it w a s for them n o doubt poor

, ,

souls I We used to break into the O ld sh afts and

1 24 F IENDS, GH O S T S AND S P RI T ES
, .

a dits which they had m ade and find O ld stags ,

’

h orn pick axes th at crumbled to pi e ces when we

brought them to grass And they say th at if a
man will listen O f a still night about those old
.
,

sh afts he m he a r the gh osts O f them at work

, a
y
ing knocking and picking as cle ar as if th ere
,

w as a m
, ,

a n at w ork in the next

B u t the most common c ause Of illusion from

sound a ri se s from th e difficulty which all more or
less experien ce Of tracing the direction of a sound
, ,

particu larly if it be indistinct The asc e rta in .

m ent Of the dire ction Of a sound and the dist an ce ,

o f the sonorous body i s an act Of judgment and

it is th e result Of experience The power m

, ,

. a
y be
cultiv ated to a gre at ex tent and m any s avage ,

t rib e s pos sess it in a very high degree ; but a mong

civilized n a tion s where the sounds r e quisite to be

,

attended to are p rincip al ly of a point bl ank -

ch a racter and where the nece ssity for the cultiva

,

tion O f t hat nicety Of h ea ring which is required in

forest life do e s not exi st the power Of distin
u i sh i n the direction and distance Of sounds is
g g
very imperfect .

The intensi ty of the sound and the position of ,

th e ears contribute to the form ation Of a corre ct

,

j udgment ; but if the two e ars h ave precisely th e

same rel ation to the point from which the S oun d
Not nd Qu ri V ol VIII p 7
es a e es, .
, . .
 ILLUSI ONS O F T HE HE ARING . 1 25

i ssuesas when it occurs directly before or behind

. ,

it is impos sible to di stingu ish by the sens ation

alone whether the soun d arises in the fron t or the

The most famili ar and striking illustration of

th e di ffi cul ty experienced in determining the
dire ction of sound is ventri loquism B y a culti
,
.

vation of the power Of spe aking wi thout the ai d o f

the lips , and by keeping the m uscles of the face
in a state of passiveness , the ven triloquist on ,

giving the min d Of the listener a ce rta in leading

ide a will in duce him to think th at he hears
,

voices issuing from the floor from th e ceiling

fro mwithin him or from any position but the
, ,

correct one ; and by a modific atio n of the

intensity of the sound it m ,
a
y be made to appe a r
as if it a rose at di ff erent distanc e s a s when voice s
,

are heard in the dista nce which gradually

,

a ppro a ch the listener come close to him p ass by

, ,
,

an d are again lost in the d i stan ce A lthough .

perfectly aware of the deception there are fe w

,

who can correct the impressions received, and

trace them to their legitim ate source .

This uncertain ty of dis tinguishing the direction

and the n ature of sounds h as been a prolific source
o f belief i n supernatur a l occurrences an d the ,

m aj ority if not all , of those mys terious n ois e s

,

which are so common i n old houses, and which it

12 6 FIENDS, GH O S T S ,
AND SPRI T ES .

was cu stom ary from in ability to discover their

,

origin to at tribute to spiritu al agency h ave been

, ,

du e to thi s c ause The yielding Of wood work

. -
,

th e scourin g of vermin t he sighing o f the wind in ,

chin ks a nd crannies h ave been transformed by ,

excited and superstitious im agin ations into the

sighing or whi spering o r knocking o f wandering
, ,

ghos ts and there is perh aps not a town or

, , ,

village in E ngl and which has not at o ne time or

other had o ne o r more houses reputed to be
h aunted by incorpore al vi sitants who h ave thu s
a nnounced their pre sence .

S ir D avid B rewste r rel ates a n interesti ng

ex ample of illusion a rising from thi s source .

“
A g e ntlem a n devoid of all supersti tious feel
ings and living in a house free from any gloomy
,

associ ation s he ard nigh t after nigh t in his bed

, , ,

room a singul ar noise unlike any ordin ary soun d

, ,

to which he w as accustomed H e h a d slept in .

the s ame room for years without he aring it and ,

he attrib u ted it at first to some ch ange o f circum

st ances in the roof or in the walls of the room ;
bu t after the strictest examin ation no c au se could
be foun d for it I t occurred only once in the
.

night ; it w as heard almost every night wi th few

interruptions I t w as over in an in st ant and it
.
,

never took pl ace till after the gen tlem an had gone
to bed I t was always dis tinctly heard by hi s
.
 ILLUSI ONS O F T HE HEARING . 12 7

com p anion to w ho se time of going to bed it had

,

no r el ation I t depended on the gentlem an alone

.
,

and it followed him into another a p a rtment with

another be d on the Oppo site side of the house

,
.

A ccu stomed to such investigation s he m ade th e

,

mo st diligent but fruitless se arch into its c ause .

The consideration th at the sound had a special

r e fe rence to him alone Operated u pon his im agin a
,

tion an d he did not scruple to acknowle dge

th at the recurrence of the m
,

y sterious sound
induc e d a super stitious feeling at the moment .

M any m onth s afterw ards it w a s foun d th at the

sound aro se from the p arti al opening of the door
of a w ardrobe which w as within a few feet of the
gentlem a n s he ad and which had been ta ken into
’
,

th e other ap ai t m ent Thi s w ardrobe w as almo st

.

alw ays Opened: before he retir e d to be d and the ‘

door being a little too tight it gradu ally forced

,

itself open with a so rt o f du ll sound resembling ,

th e note of a drum A s the door h ad only

.

started h alf an inch o ut of i ts pl ac e its ch ange of

,

position never attracte d attention The sound .

,

in deed seemed to come in a di ff erent direction

, ,

and from a gre a ter di sta n ce .

When soun ds SO mysteriou s in their origin

are he ard by per s ons predisposed to a belief i n

the m a rvellous
,their influence over the mind
must be very powerf ul A n inquiry in to their
.
1 28 FIEND S , G H O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

Origi n if m ade at all will be m ade more in th e

, ,

hope of confirming th an of remo v ing the ori gin al

impression and the unfortun ate victim o f his
,

o w n fe a rs will a l so be the willing dupe Of his ow n

Not unfrequently the difi cu lty of distin

ui shi n th direction of so n d h been mad e
g g e u as

the b asi s of impo si tion upon the credulous ; and

when it is considered h o w re adily the j udgment
i s led into e rror in this respect e ven when a ware ,

Of the deception practised as in ventriloqui sm , ,

the e a sy fa cility with which i t i s imposed upon

when superstitious feeling s are excited and th e ,

wide sprea d delu sions which h ave thus arisen

-
,

cannot be wondered at .

The Cock lane ghost is a fa mili ar ex ample of

-

a deception o f this nature : but th is and every ,

other delusion of a simil ar ch aracter sink in to ,

m
i nsi gni fic ance before a delusion of our own day
a nd times— Sp i ri t ra i ng - .

The idea of a communication of the spiritual

world with m a n by the intervention of rap e , i s

not new A writer in a recent number of Notes

.

”
a nd Q ueries 1 give s th e fo llowing ex ample o f
'

a n ea rly insta nce of this kin d in E ngl a nd .

L
e tte s r on N r l M gic 5th Ed p 1 6 6
atu a a . .
, . .

dm No t nd Q u ri V LVII I p Nov
”
1 D Jar . e, es a e es , O , . 5 1 2, .

2 6 , 1853 .
 SPIRI T RA PPING
- . 1 29

R ushton H all , ne ar K ettering in North ,

a mtonsh i re w as long the residen ce Of the

p
distinguished family of Tre sh am
,

a ncient a nd s .

I n the reign of Q ueen E liz abeth the m a nsion

,

w as occupied by S ir Thom a s Tre sh a m who w as a ,

ped ant and a fan atic ; but wh o was an impor t an t

ch aracter in his time by re ason of his gre at
wealth and powerful conn ec tion s There is a
.

lodge at R ushton situ ate about h alf a mil e from

,
- -

the old h all now in ru ins but covered all over

, ,

w ithin and without with emblem s of the Trini ty .

This lo dge is kn own to h ave been built by S ir

Thom a s Tresh a m ; but his precise motive for
s elec t ing this m ode Of illustr a ting h i s fa vourite

doctrine w as unknown until i t appe are d from a

letter written by himse lf about th e y e ar 1 5 84 and ,

discovered in a b u ndle o f book s and p ap e rs i n

closed sin ce 1 6 0 5 in a w all o f th e Old m an sio n
, ,

and brought to light about twenty ye a rs a o The g .

“ ” ”
following rel ation of a rapping or knocki ng
i s extra c ted from this letter
“
I f it be dem an ded wh y I l abour so m uch in
the Trinity and P assion Of C hri st to d e p aint in
thi s ch a mber this i s the princip al inst ance thereof ;
,

”
th at at my l a st being hither committe d
( referring to his commitment s for recu sancy ,

which h ad b een frequent) a nd I usu ally h aving

my servant s here allowed me to re ad nightly an

,

x
1 30 FIEND S , GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

hour to me after supper it fort u ned th at P uleis ,

,

my th en serv ant re ading in the Ch ri sti an R eso

,

“
l u ti on i n th e tre atise of
, P roof that there is a
”
G od the
, there w as u pon a w ainscot table at
,

th at in st ant th ree loud knock s (as if it h ad been

with an iron hammer) given to the great a m azing
”
of me and m y two servants Fulc i s and Ni lkton ,
.

”
A n oth e r ex a mple o f early spirit rappi ng is -

“
the celebrated ghost o f O ld Jefi rey s at the
'

E pworth Parson age during th e chi ldhood of the

,

R e v ds J ohn and Ch arles Wesley

. .

The conception of a famili ar corre sponden c e

between the spirit world and m - an by m ea ns of

knocks and r ps is however an ide a of modern

a
, ,

times and for wh ich we are indebted to A merica

, ,

a lthoug h it would seem that in 1 83 5 we were on

the eve o f making this unenvi able di sc o very in

o u r own country for the invi sible ca u se o f ce rta in
,

noi sy disturban ces in a house occupi e d by a C ap

t ain M ole sworth at Trinity ne ar E dinburgh i n , ,

th at ye ar would it is as serted resp o n d to a ques

, , ,

tion by knocks if it could be answer e d numeri

,

cal ly as for ex ample

,
H ow m any peop le are
,

”
there in th e room ! wh en it wou ld an swer by a s
m any knocks This S O c al led spirit seemed at
.
-

tim e s to be drumming a cert ain tune The knock s

‘

in thi s case h ad some v e ry inti m ate connecti o n

w ith a sick girl , a daughter of C ap ta in M oles
 S PIR I T R
-
AP P IN G . 13 1

worth ; for they acco mp an ie d her an d wherever ,

s h e w as th e re they prev a ile d most .

I n 1 84 6 o r 1 84 7 a hou se in the village o f

, ,

H ydesvill e S tate Of Ne w York A merica w as

, , ,

reported to be haunte d b y certa in noi se s as ,

knocking s o n the doors p anel s floors , c e ilings

, , ,

& c of which the source cou ld not be ascert ained ;

.
,

a nd ch a irs a nd t abl e s were occa s ion a lly displ a c e d ,

a nd crockery broken by some invisib le power .

When the nois e s and di sturb ances first com ~

mence d it is stated th at th e hou se w as occupi e d
a n n a med VVe ekm
,

by a m a n ; but subsequently it

p assed in to the pos se s sion o f a person c alled Fo x ,

who ha d two d augh ters C atherine and M arga retta

, ,

a nd during their residence in it no t on ly did the ,

knockings a nd irregul ar motions of the furniture

per si st but they incre ased in intensity v ariety
, , ,

a nd frequenc y of occurren ce and it w as asoer,

ta i ne d by the young women th at th e knocks

would mimic sounds wh ic h they m ade a nd e ven ,

respond to que stions put orally A code o f .

s ign als in the affi rm ative a nd neg ative w a s n e x t

a rra nged a nd by going over the letter s of th e

,

a lph a bet a nd the a ffirm a tive sig nal duly occurring

,

a t certa in lett e r s which were record e d

, a s yste m ,

o f corre spondence w as esta bli s h e d with th e i nv r

sible but apparen tly in telligent source of the di s

, ,

tu rbanc es By this method it was ascerta ined

.

K 2
132 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

th at th e cause of the noises and other indic ations ,

o f invi sibl e power professed to be the spiri t of a

,

man n amed C h arles Ry an who while in th e flesh , , ,

h ad resided in th at house ; h ad been foully mur

dered there ; the corpse interred in a cert ain p a rt
o f the cell a r ; an d h a d left a fa mily of five chil dren ,

a ll o f whom w e re th en alive The se revel ation s

c aused a s m
.

,
ay well be i m a gined a gre at sens ation ,

in the vill age and not wi ths tanding th at n o su c h

, ,

person as C h arles R y an h ad ever lived there or ,

in th a t house a nd th at o n se arching the cell ar

,

c arefu lly n o r e m ains o f a corpse were found th e ,

impo si tion and delusion w as persi sted in I t i s .

sc arcely ne c e ssa rv t o a dd th a t a s yet no o ne h a s

come forw ard to cl aim kindre d wi th the first o f

th e di sembodied spi rits t h at held communication

wi th m an .

S ever al commi ttees were appointed to i nve s

t igate the m atter but th e y failed to a scertain the
,

c au se O f the sound s and by common con sent no

, ,

n atur al c au se being evident it w a s assumed there , ,

f or e
,
th at the c a use w as supern atural ,

S ubsequently th e Fox family removed to

,

R oche st e r and singu lar to say the spirit sound s

, ,
-

followed them Noises began also to be he ard in

.

o th e r hou se s a nd towns and it w as soon found

,

th at m any fe m ales equ ally with the M i sse s Fox

’

, ,

posses sed the power of communicating famili arly

 SPIRI T RAPPING - . 133

through the medium o f sounds with the spirit ,

world . I n an almost incredibly brief sp a ce o f

time thi s del u sion swept over th e U nited S t ate s
, ,

a nd mul titudes from all r a nk s a nd condi tion s Of

so ciety gave in their acc e s sion to the system Of

belief into which it w as quickly moulded .

Certa in per son s only were foun d to pos sess th e

po wer of summoning the S piritu al knocks at ple a
sure ; these were princip ally fem ale s and they were
m
,

t ermed m edi u s
”
Th e b e lief itself w as spoken
.

”
o f un der the s imple term Of Sp i ri t4 app i ny and ,

its advoc ates and believers as Rapp ers or ,

”
Rapp i tes .

“
E ach medium somehow or oth e r m anaged
, ,

to interweave h is or h e r own views with th e spiri t

revel ations and the spiri ts themselve s did not

,

h esitate in simpl e set phrase to gi ve the lie to one

a nother ; con sequently the revel ation s and doc
,

tri nes I nculc ate d are somewh at v aried and i ncon

s istent The most g e ner ally received doc trine at
.

the pre sent time m a

y however be
,
summed up as,

follows — The knock s ” ”

r aps and other m ani
, ,

fe stati ons of invisible po w er are c au sed by the ,

s pirits of th e de a d who by direct permis sion of

, ,

t h e Almighty ( according to the more religious ) or ,

by s elf dis cov e ry on the p art of the spirits (accord

-

i ng to a sta tement m a de by the spirit Of B enj amin

Fra nklin ) are enabl e d to communicate with their
,
1 34
'

FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES

, , .

fe llo w m en by v arious sounds and exhibitions of

-

physic al po w e r This corresponden ce w as per

.

mitted by G od in con sequence of the great

a dv a nce which the A meric ans in p a rticu lar and ,

m ankind in general h ad m ade to wards perfe c tion ;

,

and it i s intim ated th a t if th e present r a te O f pro

ressi on tow a rds p erfect ion continue we h ll

g s a ,

soon be able to h ave in tercourse by voice an d sigh t

with the spiri t world A s it is certain person s
-
.
,

pos sess these privileges in full and the m ass O f ,

Chri sti ans if beli evers have so grown in goodnes s

, ,

th at the religion of th e pre sent day — B iblic al

religion i s n o longer needed and Christi a nity ,

is to be regarded as a state O f p rob ati on th at w as

requi site to att ain the perfection now arri ved at ;
but thi s transition st ate being p assed from th e ,

e levation of th e s p irit world w e ca n se e th a t m an y

-

of i ts doctrines form now a mighty and d angerou s

slough in which we are in d anger of being
,

s mo th e red .

The ide as entertained by m ankind respecting

spiritual exis tences a re singul arly incorrect ; not
with s tanding this howe ver m ost o f the S pirit s as
, , ,

when in t he body entertain some peculi ari t y o f

,
”
doctrine which sh ow s th at ev e n in the spheres
,

Opinion s are divided o n thi s point The most .

general Opinion s tates th at the S pirit wor ld su r -

ro u n ds the e arth and is divided into seven sphere s

, ,
 SPIRI T RAPPING
- . 13 5

which are subdivid e d into seven other spheres ,

a nd th e s e ag ain a dmit o f still fur th e r divi ion a

s — ,

geography e vident ly d e rived from M ah o m e dani sm ,

a nd the old mo nki sh legend s o f the s ept ate di v i

sion Of h ell purgatory and p aradis e I n the

, ,
.

first o f the spheres the lowe st order s o f spirits

resid e Th e se form the m ost degra ded cl ass of
.

spirit life and are unh a ppy comp ared with those
-
,

i n the higher S ph e res ; but the lo w est degree o f

their unh appiness e xceed s th e h ighest d egree of
man s pl ea sures I nto th is sphere p ass all those
’
.

who h ave h ad an uns atisfactory ch aracter o n

earth ; wh il e those who h ave been m ore correct i n
their conduct p as s im medi ately in to th e sphere
which approxim ates to their degree of go odness .

The re sid ence of any spirit in the lower spheres i s

not const ant ; for expo se d to heav e nly influences
, ,

i t go e s on gr adu ally improving and a s it sublimes

, ,

it ascend s throug h the higher spheres until at l ast ,

the seventh sphere is a ttained wh e re it is ful ,

filled wi th blis s and en ters th e pre sence of G od

H ence we find S t Paul a nd TomP aine C alvin and
.
,

.
,

Napol eon We sle y and S helley unit e d in frien dly

, ,

brotherhood There is no hell such as is t aught

.
,

in the S crip ture s and no etern al p uni sh me nt an d

man carri es into the spirit world his p as sion s and
, ,

propen sitie s and r el ative degrees of ignoran ce

,

a nd knowledge The spirit O f Calvin stated th at

.
 136 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T ES .

the spirit s understood all l angu ages intuitively ;

b ut this h as been refuted by an immense m aj ority
o f S pirits and it is cer tain th at they know no
,

other l angu ages th an those they were acqu ainted

with o n e arth I ndeed it is requi site to h ave
.
,

rudimen tal educ ation in ou r o w n l anguage in

“
heaven . I h ave no friends to teach me how to
”
spel l said a spirit n a med Ja ck Wat er s Another
,
.
,

n a med Frank C opl and w as un able to m ake any

,

satisfa ctory communic ation from being a n il lite ,

rate youth when he died ; and the mediu m to

” ”

whom this communic ation w as m ade kindly ,

a dvised the S pirit to get th e soul of a dece ased

sister to te ach him H e did so and in three

.
,

m onth s it was a scertained th at he had m ade very

credita ble progress in spelling &c The a m use , .

ments of the S pirits con sist of music concerts , ,

dancing card pl aying & c and they live in a

,
-
, .
,

species of concubin age They dress according to.

fancy b ut the m ale spirits generally we ar trousers

, ,

h ats or turb ans and be ards ,

They h ave also .

condescended to te ach certa in celesti al arch i tec

tural v agaries They li e like morta ls and coolly
.
,

a dmit it ; and it is occasion ally necess a ry to put

t h e spirit s o n o ath They are very li able to error ,

a nd the spirit of G ener al W a shington equ ally ,

care les s o f gra mm ar and orthography rev ealed , ,

that they m any times m ake m istakes an d so ,

 SPIRI T RAPPING
-
. 137

we are c alled li ar s ; but this is owing to ou r neglect

of the record s th a t a re given us and also to e v e l
,

spirit s ; but we will try to be more c arefu l or cor

rect afte r w e h av e beco mmore u se to writing for
”
o u r fri e nd s
. The spirits spe ak with the utmost
contempt and abhorren ce of the re ligious beliefs
o f the pr e sent da a nd reg a rd the B ible a s unfit
y ,

for gener al peru sal from the errors (due to the

,

tran sl ator s) which it conta ins ; and thi s a ssertion

is fitti ngly crowned by the statement th at it e m a

n ates under a speci al com munic ation from S t .

P a ul himself .

N otwith st anding the p ainful absurdity and

fri ghtful blasphemy of the se doctrines (whi c h s atis
fac tori ly show the cl ass o f person s by whom the
delusi o n is fo stered and the fl agr ant ch ara cter of
,

the impo sition ) clergymen j udges and person s

, , ,

distingui shed in liter ature h ave permitted them

selves to be led aw ay by the delusion e ach est ab ,

li shi ng some conscientious cl a use or giving a

peculi ar ph ase to the belief in order to exculp ate
,

themselve s from the ch arge of contributing to

some of the more outra geous dogm as o f this
strange delusion .

The phenomena which led to the delusion were

sounds of v a rio u s kinds and intensi ty which were ,

“ ”
c alled up by the m edium at will app arently ,

in various p arts o f the room in which th e

13 8 FIENDS , G H o srs, AND sp e r ms
.

”
séa nces were h eld but principally bene ath the
,

table a t which sh e sat and the movement of cer

tain articles of furniture The intel ligent corres
.

“ ”
o nde nc e with the r a ps (f r th e furn iture
p o

movi ng w as m erely indic ative o f the p ow er of th e

suppo sitious S pirit s) was by questions uttered
audibly ment ally or i n wri ting to which re p lies
, , ,

were given by repeated raps— an affi rm ative ; or by

S ilenc e — a neg ative ; or the word s of the response
were spelled out by running over the alphabet
the affirm a tive knocks t aking pl ace whe n the
finger or pencil rested o n the letters r equired to
form the sentence . S ome more highly gi fted -

mediums perv aded by a S piri tu al afll atu s were

, ,

en abled to write the a nswers ; and others sh ado wed

them forth i n d ancing .

I f we reflect for a moment upon the di ffi culty

which mo st persons e x perience in detecting the
direction a nd p o s ition of sounds p articul arly when
,

the m ind is under the dominion of certain ideas

we m
,

a
y re a di ly im agin e h ow a t the first the delu

sion of spirit r apping obta ined credence among the

-

credulous and ignor ant I t was h owever so on

.
, ,

ascertained th at an imposition w a s being practi sed ;

and v e ry S hortly after the development of the
“ ”
m ania a medium c ame forw a rd and confessed
,

the d e c e ption practised and the m ode in which

,

”
sh e had c arried it o u t This medium , named
.
 SPIRI T RAPPING
- . 13 9

M rs N orm an C ulvers , had been t au gh t the mod e

.

of deceptio n by M a rg arett a Fox, one of th e

origin al mediums a nd sh e stated th at th e
’
r aps were produced by the toe s the li stener s ,

mind b eing di str acted by directing the attention ,

by a fix e d g a ze or otherwise to cert ain p arts of

,

the room from which he w a s in structed th at th e

,

“
sounds c ame B y th e confe ssion of other me
di u m
.

”
s ,
a nd b
y o b serv a tion it
,
w as a scert ained

th at in addition to the rapping by th e toes rap s

, ,

were produced by a l ateral m ovement o f the knee

joint and the j oints o f the th umb and finger s (th e
,

”
cr acking of th e j oints a fa mili ar phenomenon )
,

by th e action of th e feet ag ain st the leg of the

t able or by th e movement o f the soles of the
,

shoe s one again st another ; an d l a stly by a ,

h ammer ingeniou sly fixed in the woodwork of

the table I t w as f urther sh own to demon stra
.

”
tion th at in no c a s e when the mediums were
,

placed in positions where none of the before

mention e d methods of r apping could occur did ,

the ra p s take pl a ce ; th at in n o ca se could th e

“ ”
spirit s reply corr e ctly to a single qu estion ,

wh e n the qu e ri st by an imp assibility of coun

,

te na nc e and scrupulous c a re over h i s a ction s ,

did not betra y his thoughts or indic ate the letters

,

con stituting the words he required ; and th at the

”
S pirits might be led to answer the most absurd
14 0 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

a nd in correct questions utterly unconscious of

,

impositi on or error .

Notwithstanding this exposure the delusion is ,

persisted in ; and it is princip ally m ainta ined by

the occ asion al correct replies which are given by
the medium to questions of wh ich none present
co uld be acqu ainted with the a nswer , but the
querist ; and m any men even of considerable ,

litera ry att ain ments h ave been led into the delu
,

sion by this simple phenomenon alone .

A c areful ex a mination of the de ta ils of th e S pirit

communication s and the confessions of the me
di u m
,

s alre a dy allud e d to will show that in no

,

case w as there a correct response given to ques

tion s when prec aution s were ta ken to guard against
the indication given by the countenance or by the
actions to the medium a nd even this was not
,

s u ffi cient to prevent a m ultitude o f errors being

fallen in to .

The pure S pirit communications which h ave

-

been received from the A postles Fra nk lin Wash , ,

i ngto n & c v a ry a ccording to the mediums to

, .
,

which they h ave been vouchs afe d and o ften flatly ,

contradict e ach other ; in itself a su ffi ci e nt indi

c ation of the gl aring ch a racte r of the delu sion .

S ome a dmittin g the spiritu al origin of the

,

”
raps have gone a litt le further an d enunci ated
, ,

”
the opinion th at the rappings occur through the
 SPIRI T R A PPING
-
. 141

influence of elec trici t y or m agnetism which the

”
spirits wield ; and if writes N P Willis di s
, . .
,

embodied spirits are sti ll moving con sciously

a mong us a nd h ave thus f ou nd a n ag ent a t la st

mni
m
,

elec tri ci ty — by w hi ch they ca n co u ca te wi th the

w orld they have lef t, i t mu st s oon in the pro ,

re ssi v e n ature o f thing s ripen to a n i ntercourse

g ,

”
betwe e n this and th e spirit world S urely an
-
.

e lectric condition th at w ould c au se sonorous

”
rap s a nd t ab le s ch airs & c to d ance j igs and
, , ,
.
, ,

imita te S hips to ssed in a storm would be within ,

reach of the test o f experiment S uch a tes t .

,

howev e r h as nev e r been attempted ; and thus it is

,

men even of hig h s tan ding in lite ra ture with the

, ,

utmos t coolnes s plunge into conjecture s respecting

the oper ations o f force s of which they seem to be
un acqu ainted even with th e signifi c ation of the
terms . Fo r el e ctricity and m agneti s m a re no
v ague n ame s but terms applied to cert ai n ph e
,

no m e na which a re re adily ascert ained and without ,

th e pre sence o f which we a re not j ustified in

u sing them .

We h ave alre a dy su ffi cien tly shown the illu sion s

to which the s ense of he a ring is l i ab le and th e ,

influ ence th e y h av e h ad in th e form ation of the

b elief in spirit rapping i s evident The di s
-
.

position of t he min d in contribu ting tow ard s thi s

and allied delusion s requires a brief com ment
1 42 FIENDS GH O S T S AND
, , S P B I TES .

The sub stratum of superstition which is found

to prev ail more o r less in most persons is a never ,

failing s o urce of delusion ; and it i s the groun d

work upo n which th e impo stor acts R e adi ly .

excit e d a nd brought in to pl ay by phenomena of

which the origin is not pal p ably evid e nt it sei ze s ,

with avidity u pon doctrines which p a nder to i ts

taste for myste ry and wonder ; and a suggestion ,

whether dire ct or imp lied induces a condi tion of

,

the min d th at in terpo ses an almost in su p er able

ba r to th e he alth y a c tion of the re ason This .

unconscious a ction of the mind under the i nfl u ,

ence of leading ide as i s the prime foun da tion of

,

those illusions of the senses o f which we have

illustrations i n the p se udo sciences of mesmer
i sm ” “ ”
electro biolo gy, &c all the phenomen a
-
.
,

o f wh ich m
,

a
y be produc e d by simply inducing

ce rtain tra ins of thought .

W hen G o ethe represented M e p histopheles as

saying
Whisp ered su ggesti o ns are the d vi l r ol
e
’
s e,

it w as with a profound perception o f th e powerful

influen ce they exercise in the cre ation of d elu
sions .

The throngs which crowd aroun d th e table o f

“m ”
the edium go pregn ant with a desire to se e
a m
,
'

ster , and fi lled with a vague fear of th e

y y
 SPIRI T RA P P I N G
- . 1 43

supernatural influences to which th e y m a

y be sub
e c te d Thi s is incre a sed by th e int e rv al of from
j .

five minute s to h alf an h onr which i s allowed to

intervene between th e commenceme nt of the
”
S ea nce a nd th e fir s t rap from th e spirits ; and
m
,

d u ring thi s peri od th e mind i s kept to th e ut ost

ten sion by listening or is well ex e rci se d by a tte n d
,

ing to the anecdotes illustrative of the power of

the S pirit s which are deta iled b y the medium and ,

it is thus brought into the st ate th at i s requisite

fo r the perfection of the d e lusion I n th e condition
.

o f the mind thus induced th e m edium h as li ttle

,

di ffi culty in le ading her credulous bea rer to what

ever l e ngth i t m a
y be d e sired , an d a ca reful
ex amin ation of the count e n a nce and the h and will
su ffice fo r a correct re s pon se to the m aj ority of
the qu estion s which m a
y be propo sed .

The w ant of di scri min ation o f th e facts from

t h e theories invente d to expl ain them is a nother ,

and gre at source o f delusion fo r the m ajority it

“ ”
suffi ces th at if th e r aps occur or the t able ,

move s it i s su fficiently demonstr ative th at it is

,

by the influe nce of spirits and it is a m uch less

di ffi cul t m atter to them to b eliev e th at the p h e
nomen s arises from supernatur al th an n atural
agency .

C erta in l uminous phenomena p hosphorescent

,

flames, luminous cloud s (glistening sta rs &c

, , .
,
1 44 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T ES .

h ave been observed when the spi rit m anifestations

-

h ave occurred in profound d arkness The se ap .

e ara nc e s were dependent upon di s ordered

p a

condition of the eye , which will be fully dwelt

upon in a sub sequent p art of this work .

The irregul ar and violent movements of the

furniture which occurred when the séances were
held in darkened ap artments , were the result o f
the most palpable collusion There were certain
.

m ovements of the ta bles however around which

, ,

the ex perimenters sat when elici ting the spiri t

rappings th at could not be attributed to this
,

source ; and an ex amin ation o f these motions

S howed th a t if several persons arrange d thems e lve s
a round a ta ble and re sted their h ands slightly
,

upon i t after a longer or shor ter period m oti on

,

would occur which w as to a gre at extent under

,

the con trol of the will although the e xp eri

,

m enters were not aw are th at they ex e rted any

force wh atever upon t he table ; and further i t ,

w as a scerta ined th at a t able thus set in motion

wou ld respon d by r apping with the leg s to ,

que stions propounded to it and th at wi th a

,

”
fa cility e qu al to the mo st perfe ct medium .

Thi s intere sting phenom enon soon attra cted con

siderable a ttention , for it w a s certa in th at neither

coll usion nor wilful d e ception were concerned i n

it ; and it could be produced b y persons who did
 T A B LE M O VING AND T A B LE T ALKING
- - . 1 45

“
not pretend to the ch ar acter of medium s ;
indeed ou t of a comp any of sev e ral individu als
,

i t w a s pretty certa i n th a t s ome coul d be foun d

c ap ab le of in ducing the phenomenon .

”
The R ap pit e s look e d upon it simp ly as
a nother a nd more g e neral m anife st ation of the
spirit world ; others imbue d with the pseudo
-
,

scientific dogmas of an imal m agneti s m odyli sm , ,

&c .
,
sought an expl an ation in the principl e s o f
their re spective theorie s ; some reg arded it as the
result of S atanic a gency ; and l astly those be st ,

cap able of j udging o n th e qu e stion looked upon

,

th e motion a s the result of m u s cul ar force ex e rted

u n con sciou sly by the e xperiment e rs a nd i n a o

,

c o rda nc e with cert a in well known l aws of mu scu la r

-

a nd m ent al a ction .

Th e doctrin e of S at anic agency has excited

gr eat attention in thi s country from the fa ct o f i ts
,

being propounded a nd a dv oc ated by c e rtai n

cl e rgym e n of our E stablish e d C hurch who not ,

conte nt wi th regarding it as one of those gre at

”
wond e rs which are to pre lude the reign of A nti
chri st h ave even sought by this agency to verify
,

the truths of the immort ali ty of the soul eternity , ,

th e existence of a hel l ; thus seeking a c o nfir

m ation of the S cripture from th e d e vil hims elf ,

a nd comic al ly identi fying them selves with the

principles so pith ily expressed by Ralp ho
 FIENDS G H O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

Tho se p rinci p l es I ve q uote d l te ’

a

P rov th t the godly my ll ge

,

e a a a e

For an ything th ir p i l g e r vx e e,

A nd t th d vil hi m lf my go
o e e se a

I f th y h v m
,

e otiv th r un to
a e es e e

F th r i
or as w b tw n
e e s a ar e ee

l nd th mi t i no n
'
Th d e ev a e s sr

I f th y b y ub tl tr t g m
,

e s e s a a e

of hi m h do them
, ,

"
Mk a e use , as e es .

The answ e r to this explication as well as to those ,

other explic ation s b ased on the doctrine s o f th e

“ ”
Rap pites and the principl es o f th e pseudo
,

scien ces is found i n the simple fa ct th at if care

, ,

be t aken to asc e rta in th e source s o f mo tion wh ich

a ri se from the experimenters themselves an d ,

to obvi ate their influence in th e experiment ,

neither movement s nor responses occur ; and by

a c areful ex amin ation o f th e condi tion s requisite
for th e perfection of th e experiment a nd an ex ,

perime a t al illustration o f them we a rrive at the ,

“ ”
conclusion th at ta ble moving and t able talk - -

”
ing are the result solely of m u scul ar action
exercised uncon sciously under th e influence of
certain ex p e c tant ide as .

I f we proceed in the ex amin ation of this ques

tion as in th at of every other ph ysic al question ,

by seeking the condition s requ isite for the fu lfil

ment of the experi m e nt and ex a mining their ,

n ature, we observe th at the position of the per

H udi b ra C n III s. a . .
 T AB LE M O VING AND T A LE TALKIN G
- B -
. 1 47

sons who p erf orm it is one th at would give ris e

to cert ain e asily under stood and comprehensible
r esul ts Th e h ands are p l aced upon the t able in
.

such a position th at th e experimenter ex e rcises

the le ast degree of pres sure of which h e c an be
conscious , and in this position they are kept for a
longer or shorter p eriod , but gener ally averagi ng
from twenty to thirty minutes Whether the
.

individu al be sitting or standing the protracted

,

e x ertion of the muscles to keep the h an d in so

constrained a position gives rise to consider able
,

fatigue which i s m anifested by the usu a l p ainful

,

sens ation s in the over exercised parts ; and these

-

sen sations h ave been s agely comp ared by the ad

v oc ate s o f the p seudo sciences to tho s e experienced
-

by electric or el e ctro m agnetic curr e nts AS the

- .

m uscul a r fatigue and the p ainfu l st ate o f tension

into which the m uscl e s are thrown incre ase the ,

se nsations by which we j udge o f the a mount o f

pre ssure exercised upon a given obj ect dimini shes ,

a nd unless the d egree of pres sure exercised is

ch ecked by inform ation derived through some
other sens e it goes on ever incre asing in a direct
,

ratio until th e whole weight of the h and the arm

, ,

a nd even the sho ulders o f the person so s t a nding

i s unconsciously thrown upon the t abl e a nd a ,

degree of force exercised which is su ffi cient to

,

L
. 2
1 48 F I ENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

ind u ce the movemen ts we witness in the table

experi m ented on .

The inertia of the table is as thoroughly de

stroyed by the a mount of force thus brought to
bear upon it as if a more inten se force had acted
,

momenta rily The period of suspense w hich occurs

.

previou s to the fi rst m ovement t aking pl ace is ,

th at during which the force communic ated by the

h and i s e qu ally di ff used through the t able and the ,

moment thi s h appens as no body can be set in

,

motion until the motion h as been im p arted to

every integral p articl e of that body a Sligh t a ddi
,

ti onal force will be su fficient to o v ercome the

resi stence o f surrounding medi a an d c ause it

,

to ch ange i ts position H ence a comparatively

.

slight force exercised over a long period will n ot

u nfrequently induce e ffects equ a l to those caused

by a gre ater degree of force exercised during a

short period o f ti me .

We often witness the pr actical application of

thi s prin ciple . I f we ob serve two men ende a
v o u ri n
g to move a railw a y c a rri age upon the line ,

we sh all notice th at th e y do not at the first exert

all their strength in o ne powerful and wh at would
,

prob ably prove exh austive and futile e ff ort bu t , ,

p lacing th eir b acks ag ain st th e carri age they will ,

p u sh wi th a conti nuou s and gra du ally incre asing

e ffort for S everal second s or even longer when a
, ,
 T AB LE M O VING AND T A B LE TALKING
- -
. 1 49

slight movement will be perceived in the c arri age ,

and a s light a ddition al exerci se o f force will se t it

in motion S o al so as we h ave seen in quarries

.
, ,

when s e vera l m e n h a ve en de avoured to move a

la rge m ass of ston e with a lever they h ave not ,

used one long and powerful e ffor t but a succes ,

sion of slighter one s unti l a tremulous mo tion

,

h as been s e en in the m a ss when by o ne e xertion

,

of force they h ave h urled it from i ts pl ace .

Th e d e gree o f pressure exercised b y any given

persons will be in the inverse r atio of the degree of
control which the y c an exercise over the m u scul ar
system , and over their ide as ; hen ce the pheno
men a o f table turning and table talking are most
- -

fully developed by tho se who are posse ssed of but

a low d e gree of volition al pow e r a nd in whom the
,

p assions and emotions are p ara mount as in young ,

fem ales boy s o r those wh o are influenced by cer

, ,

ta in domin ant ide as and as these condition s v a ry

i n diff erent per son s to an almost endle ss exten t ,

i t would follow th at the power of exciting the

m ovements of the t able and re sponses as well as ,

th e n ature an d degr e e of the re spon ses would ,

v ary in a simil a r degree which i s foun d to be the

,

c ase ; and the rule of response is a s o ne of the ,

supporters of the S atanic theory (the R ev N S . . .

G odfr e y ) very nai vely rem arks whatever the

,

”
investiga tor wishes it to be .
1 50 FIENDS , GH O S T S , AND SPRI T ES .

The directive f orce in the pheno m en a of table

moving i s derived fro mcer tain h abitu al action s of
the m u scl e s as i n the direction from righ t to left
, ,

from the cu stom ary u se of the right h and and the

influence which o u r ide as exercise upon the m us
cul ar sys te m unwittingly and involunta rily on ou r
,

p art .

This as w ell as the preceding rem arks are all

, ,

cap able of being ex p erimen tally illus trated and

demonstrated ; and P rofessor Farad ay * by a rigo ,

rou s series of experime nt s has shown th at it is,

u p on these principles th at the phenomen a depend .

B y th e u se of a mo st ingenious and simple

piece o f mech ani sm connected with an index he ,

showed the extent to which we e x ercise a ce rtain

degree of force and directive power unconsciously ,

and the nature o f this directive pow e r ; and the

result w as
“
Th at when th e p arties saw the index it re
mained ve ry steady ; when it w as hidden from
them or they looked aw ay from it it w a vered
, ,

about tho u gh they believed th at they al ways

,

pre ss e d directly downw ards ; a nd wh e n the table

did not m ov e there w as still a resu ltant h and
,

force in th e dir e cti on i n which it w as wi shed the

tabl e should m ove which how ever w as exercised
, , ,

quite un w i ttingly by th e p arty op e r ating T his .

Ath n aeu m J uly 2 1 853 p 80 1 nd App n dix

e .
, , .
, a e .
 T AB LE M O VING AND T A B LE T ALKING
- - . 151

resultant it is which in the cours e of the w aiting

,

time whi le the fingers and h and s beco m e sti d

'

, ,

nu m b and in sen sibl e by co ntinued pr e ssure grow s ,

up to a n a m
,

ount su ffi cient to mov e the t able o r

th e substa nces pr e ssed upon B u t the mo st v alu
.

able efl ec t of this te st app aratus i s the corrective

'

power it po sses ses over the mind of the t able

turner A s soon as th e index is pl ac e d before the
.

mo st earne st and th e y perceive— as in my pre

,

s ence they h a ve a lwa y s done — th a t it tel ls truly

whether they a re pre ssing downwa rd s only o r o h

li qu ely then a ll e ff ects of table turning cea se
,
-
,

e ven though th e p arties per severe ea rne stly ,

d e siring motion till they become we ary and wo rn

,

ou t . N o promp ting or checking o f the h and is

heeded ; the p ow er i s g one and this only because
the p ar tie s are m a d e conscious of wh at they are
really doing mech anic ally a nd so are un able u n,

”
wittingly to decei ve themse lves .

A n exp e riment is fa m ilia r to m a ny person s by

which a ring , b e ing suspend e d by m e ans of a piece
o f thr e a d to o ne o f the fingers may be c a used to
,

b eat respo n ses ag ainst a gl ass surfa ce (as th at of a

t u mb le r) in a n sw e r to certain querie s put a udibly ;
,

or, if the ring be h e ld by the qu e stioner it is ,

requisite m er e ly th a t the que stions be conceived

mentally This to m any a puzzling ph e nomenon
.
, ,

l s de p en dent upon precis ely the s a me c au se as

 1 52 FIENDS GH O S TS , AND SPRI T E S
, .

table talking — a movement c aused by m

- u scu

lar a ction developed unconsciou sly under the i nflu

e nce o f certain ide ation al states of the mind .

I t i s an interesting fact th at a species of divina ,

tion is mentioned by A mmi anus M arcellinus i n ,

which a ring used after th e above fashion and a

, ,

t able consecr ated by mystic rite s were used We

, , .

a re indebted to the Re v J W Thom a s o f D ews . . .

,

bury for the follo wing quot ation from the works
,

of this author who lived about the m , iddle of th e

fourth century The quotation is tak e n from the fir s t
.

chapter of the twenty ninth book C onstru xi

-

mus m a ni fic i j udices ad ort i nw si m i li t u di ne m

, g c ,

"
Delp hi caz, &c ) .

Noble j udges thi s unfortunate little ta ble

,

which you se e we constructed o f l aurel rods wi th

,
-

fea rful rite s ( or ill omened signs ) after th e 1 e

-
,

ness o f the D elphic tripod ; and ( it having been )

virtu ally consecrate d with imprec ations of m ysti c
in canta tions (secret hymns ) and m any splendid ,

a nd long continued prep a r a tions we at length u sed

-
,

( li.t moved it
) ; a nd o f using ( m o ving) it a s often ,

as it w as con sulte d a bout secret things this w as

the method I t w as pl aced in the m
,

. iddle of a
cle a n hou se with a round plate m ad e of diver s
,

metallic m ateri als correc tly (li t purely ) put upo n

,
.

it on whos e e xtreme circumference the twen ty

,

four letters o f th e alphabet were learnedly en

 T A B LE M O VING AND T A B LE T ALKING
- - . , 1 53

graven sep ar ated by sp aces acc ur at ely me asured

,
.

A person ! gift e d ! with ceremoni al science stood at

i t clothed in linen g arment s h i s feet in linen
, ,

sock s, a wre ath round hi s he a d be aring br anche s

,

o f a l ucky tre e a for tun ate omen h a ving been oh

,

tai ne d from the deity wh o i s th e a u thor of predic

tions by hymns conceived ( Apollo ) w eighing

,

wi th sc ale s a pen sile ring formed (or furnished )

,

wit h very fine C arp ath i an thre ad con secrated ,

with my stic rite s which (or who ) by di stinct inter

,

v als falling by le aps on every letter r e ta ined ,

m akes heroic verses agreeing with (or an swering

to ) the in terrogato ri e s to the compl e ted n umbers
,

and metr e s such a s the D elphic ones are re a d o r

m
, ,

those given by the ora cle s of the B ranch i d .

Thus then to tho se who inquired of u s who S hould

s ucceed to the pre s ent imperi al govern ment for
,

being s w ept in e very p art ! a s! it h as been men

ti o ne d and the ring le aping touched went through )
, (
two syll able s G EO ; wi th the a dditi on o f the l ast
,

let ter (l ast addi tion al letter ) one pr e se nt cried ou t

,

Theodoru s (a s the n a me portend e d ) by the

decree of fa te (by c asta l
This p ar agr aph embodi e s the d e fence of one
H il arius who to g e ther with a c e rt ain Pa tri ciu s
, , ,

w as ch a rged wi th h a ving spr e ad abro ad prophecie s

adverse to the throne of the E mperor V alens .

1 54 FIENDS, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

”
A correspondent of Notes and Q ueri e s (Vol .

I X , p 2 0 1 ) quotes the following interesting p as

. .

s age from the A p ologeti c us o f Tertulli an c a

p , .

”
xxiii P orro s i e t magi ph antas mata &c ) ,
.

“
M or e over if magica l profe s sor s also exhibit
,

p hantoms and d e fame the souls o f the dep arted ;

if they press ora cles out o f children s ta lk ; if they
’

p l ay m any miracles with mounteb ank tricks and ,

if they send dre ams h aving once the power assist

ing them o f inviting angels and demons by w hom
,

and sh e goats a nd ta bles they were a ccustom

, , ,

-
, ,
ed to

”
di vi ne how much more & c ,
.

The correspondent rem arks : H ere table divi -

n ation by me an s o f angels and d emons seems di s

, ,

ti nctly alluded to .H ow like the modern system

The contex t of t his passa g e , as well as the extract
itself wi ll suggest singul ar coincid e nce between
,

”
modern and ancient preten sions of this cl a ss .

The sense of touc h rarely le ad s to illusions

which are refe rred to the supern atural except ,

u nder the influence of powe rful superstitious

f eelings when it is generally connected wi th illu
,

sions of the o ther sen ses .

The influe nc e o f fear in developing illusions of

the se nses of sight h earing and touch h as been
, , ,

well pourtrayed in Be aumont and Fletcher s ’

”
comedy of The Beggar s B u sh ( Act V S cene 1 )
’
,
 ILLU S I ON S . 1 55

Boar . Mi stress, d rk
it gro w o mw h t p r tty
s s e a e and a .

Ge rt d ru e. Wh t th n a e

Bo o N y nothi ng D n t think I mfr id

r. a ,
. o o a a a ,

Al though p rh p you e a s, are .

I mn t Forw rd !
,

a o a

Giv myour h nd ; f r no thing

.

S ur b t you e u are . e e a ea .

Th r n l g in th w ood
e e s o
’
do n t f ll b ck w rd !
e e e o a a a s

Wh t w t n n a in you or I l
a s ea o e o
’
s are

P r y G d i t do n t p rov th p l gu Y t ur
a o o e e a e. e s e

It h inf ct d m for I w t t
as e e e s ea oo

I t run t tm y kn F l f l I p r y you
s ou a ees . ee , ee , a

W h t l th f llo w a ai s e e !

H rk h rk I be e ch you a a s e

D you h r no thing
o ea

ild hog Li st a w
H gr nt en w ti b r ; thi w ood i ful l of m
u s o
’
s a ea s s
’
e

And n w w olf m it o w olf !

a w olf ! , s re ss a a

It th h w h ng of13 w olfe o a .

G er Th b r ying of n e i it n t
a a ass, s o !

0 h n w n h m!
.

B o
o r o o e as e

Oh m m
.
,

y l ft h f r w ll e a a e e

Look t your h nk o s a s,

Your b r ch i f nough th w olf f rn b rake

ee s sa e e e
’
s a e - .

B or B t
o . u ! th r i rp nt in t
se e , see, see e e s a se e i

Th y’
b ro d p l tt r i t p i t fi !
as e e s as a as a e s s s re

N w i t cr p t w d
o h lp m nd y m
ee s y pr y r
o
’
r s us e e a sa a e s

T h th w llo w d m l m o t; m y b r th to p t
’
a s a e e a s ea 18 s

I c nnot p k ! D I p k m
a i tr
s eat ll m o s ea s e ss -
e e.

Wh y thou tr ng ti m
,

G er . orou t c n t thou p rc iv
s a e s so a s e e e

Any thing i th b u h b t a p or glo w worm

,

’ ’
s u o

I t my b ti b t glo ww or m
.

B oa n w b t twi ll
’
r. a e s u a o u

G ro w t fi dr k p r n tly o a re - a e ese

C o mth n fro mi t
.

e e

I h v p r ciou guid of you nd court ou

a e a e s e a e s,

Th t giv ml v t l d m
,

a y lf th w y thu ! H o ll
es e ea e o ea se e a s. a.

B oorI t thund
. you h r th t n w ! ers ea a o

G er. I h ear on holla e .

1 56 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

B oor ’
hund r ! thund r !
Ti s t e fl h of lightning e see a as

you n t b l t d m i tr ! P ull your m k ff

.

A re o as e s e ss as o

p l y d th b r b r Wi th mh r
,

"
I h ‘
as a
’
I h v lo t
e a e e e e: a e s

My b rd m y b rd ! Pr y G d you b n t h v n ;
ea ea a o e o s a e

T w ill p oil y our mrri g mi t

,

’
s a a e, s ress.

Wh t tr ng w ond r f r f nci in cow rd

a s a e e s ea a es a a

N w th e rt h p n
o e a O e s

P ri th hold thy p c ee ea e .

We h ave now glanced at the princip al illu sions

to which the senses o f S ight and he aring are li able ,

a nd the be a ring which they h ave on the subj e ct of

spectral app aritions and other phenomen a which

it has been custom ar y to reg ard as m anifestation s
of the supern atural .

But a fal se appreci ation of sens ation s excited by

n atural obj ects is not th e only mode in which we
are li able to be deceived fo r we are ap t to reg ard ,

sensa tions excited by the action of the mind or ,

by a disordered condition of the nervous system ,

o r both combined — subj e ctive s e ns ation s— a s sen

sati o ns excited by natural obj e cts — objective sen

sati o ns .

To the erroneous perceptions arising from thi s

source the term ha lluc i na ti on h as been given and ,

th e ph anta sm a ta to which they give rise are more

import ant th an those a rising from illu sions since ,

the j udgment i s often un able to correct th em and ,

they m a
y im p ose equally on the wisest and the

most ignorant .
 HALL U C INA T I ON S . 1 57

I t is a law in physiology th at a nerve of speci al

sens ation (including in th at term its central as well
as its p e ripher al t e r m
,

in ation s ) in wh atever m anner

,

it m a
y b e excited c an only produce th at sen sa tion
,

to which it i s appointed Th u s the nerve of sight

.
,

whether it be excite d by n atural o r artifici al light ,

o r m e ch anic al stimulus from without o r by mor ,

bid ch ange s within can only give rise to the

,

sens ation of light ; the nerve of he aring sound ; ,

the nerve o f s m ell odours , a nd so o n .

I f the b all of the e ve i s pre ssed upon (say by

the finger at the inner angle ) when th e eye lids are
clo sed or the light oth erwise excluded cert ain
, ,

luminou s figur e s will be perceive d Thi s ari ses .

from th e pr e s sure e xciting the inner co at of th e

.

eye (the reti na) which is formed princip ally by the

,

exp an sion of the nerve of light (th e op ti c nerve) ,

and is the ti ss u e in which the ch ange s nece s sa ry

fo r the production o f the sen sation of light are

induc e d by the rays of light from without .

Th e l u minous figures c aused by mech a nic al ex

citation o f thi s the peripher al termin ation of the
,

nerv e of sight , v ary in int e nsity in diff e rent indi

v i du als and at di ff erent time s Th e y are some
.

times ve ry brilliant and h ave been observed to be

,

iridesc ent I n form they a re circul ar ra di ating

.
, ,

o r regu larly divided into squ a res which h a ve been

,

comp ared by P urkinje to the figure s produced by

1 58 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AN D SPRI T ES .

the vibrations communic ated to a fine powder

s c attered o n a pl ate of gl a ss along one edge of
,

which a violin bo w is drawn ; or to the t hom

-

hoidal figures formed on the surface of w ater in a

glass thrown into vibration by the s am e means
, .

A fa mili ar illustration of the excit ation o f a

sens ation of light by mechanical stimul u s i s the
brillia nt S p arks of ligh t st arlike figures &c
, , .
,

caused by a blow on the eye or by a fa ll on the ,

h ead .

A sensation of light m a
y also b e cau sed by th e

p assage of a current o f electricity through the

eyeball ; by ment al em otion as gri e f p assion , , ,

&c ; and by a morbid st ate of the brain or Optic

.

nerve I t is often also induced by a disord e red

.

state of the he al th a nd under this condition the

,

l u minous appe a rance occasionally assumes a bl u ish ,

green yello w o r even red tint

, , .

When an excess of blood is determ ined in the

vessels of the eye eith e r from position or other
,

c ause a luminous arbore s cent figure i s occ asion ally

,

observed in the field of vi sion on entering a dark

a partment Thi s according to P urkinj e i s due
.
, ,

to pressure o n the retina by the distend e d blood

vessels A luminou s spot is also sometimes oh

.

served isochronou s wi th the pul se .

I n ourselves in ordin ary he alth a l ambent bluish

,

coloured cloud of light constantly floats before the

 H A LLU C INAT I O NS . 1 59

ey es in a d arkened ap artme nt ; and there are pro

b ably few wh o would not perc e ive a gre ater or less
sen sation of light on being s hut up in profoun d

d arkness .

O n th e spont aneous a ppe a ra nce of light in th e

fi e ld of vi sion w h e n it i s d arkened M ii ller th e , ,

distingui shed P ru ssi a n physiologi st writes If ,

we obs e rve the field of v i sio n keeping the eyes ,

clo sed it occ asion ally h app e ns th at we perceive

,

not only a cert ain degree of lu m inou sne ss but ,

fu rther th at we discover a more m arked glimmer

,

ing of light aff ecting even in certa in c a ses the

,

form of circul a r w aves which are develop e d fro m

, ,

the centre tow ard s th e periph ery where they dis ,

a ppe a r S ometimes the faint ligh t re sembles a

.

n ebulosity spots and more r arely in mys elf it i s

, , , ,

reproduced with a c e rt ain rhyth m To thi s spon .

ta ne ou s a ppe a r ance o f light in the eye which i s ,

a lw a y s very v ague a re rel a ted the more cle arly ,

de line ated form s which sh ow themselves at the

moment we are about to fall asleep and which ,

d e pend upon the influence of the im aginatio n

iso lati ng the n ebu lous g limmerings o ne from th e
other and clothing them with more distin ct
,

”
forms .

M ull r M nu l d Phy iologic

e . T r du it p A J L
a e e s . a ar . . .

J ourd n 2 d cd 1 85 1 p E L tt é T II p 3 88 S l o
a u ar i i ee a s

Phénom
. . . .
.
, , .
, , .

‘ A B C EF S ct V én S u bj ctif d V i on ”
J . . . . .
, e .
, es e s e st ,

p 3 86
. .
 1 60 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

The degree to which this sens ation of light i s

p roduced in he alth and the power wh ich the
,

im agin ation has over it vary gre atly in di ff erent

,

indivi du als
.

M ii lle r writes
I had occasion in 1 8 28 to converse with
, ,

G oethe upon this subj ect which had an equal ,

interes t for both of us K nowing that whe n I w as

.

tranquilly e xtended in bed , the e yes closed but ,

n ot a sleep I frequ e ntly perceived figures that I

,

could observe distinct ly he was curious to know

,

wh at I exp e rienced then : I told him th at my will

h ad not any influence either upon the production
or the meta morphose s of th e se figures and th at ,

I never di stingu ished anyt hing symm etric al any ,

thing th at had th e ch a racte r o f veget ation G oethe .

,

on the contra ry was able t o appoint at will a t heme

, ,

which afterwa rd s tran sformed it se lf after a fashion ,

a pp arently involunt ary but alw a ys in obedience to

,

the l aw s of h armony and s y mmet ry : a diff e rence

between two m e n of which
,
o ne posses sed the
poetic al imag in a tion in the highest degree of deve
l op m e nt whilst th e other devoted his life to the
,

s tudy of r e ality and o f n ature .

“
G ti eth e s ays,
When I close th e eyes on
‘
,

lowering the bead l im agine th at I se e a flower

,

in the middle o f m y vi su al org an ; this flower d oes

not for a moment pre serve its form : it i s q uickl y
 H A LLU C I NA T I O NS . 16 1

decomposed and from its interior are born other

,

flowers with coloured or sometimes green petals ;

these are not n atur al flowers but fa nt a stic never , ,

th ele ss regul a r fi gures such as th e roses o f sculp

, ,

tors I t w as i mpossible for m e to regard this

.

cre ation fi xedly but it continued as long a s I

,

wi shed without in cre asing or dimini shing E v e n

,
.

when I figured to me a di sc ch arged with v ariou s

colours I saw continu ally borne from the
centre toward s the circumfe r e nce ne w forms co m
,

par able to those that I could perceive in a kalei

I llusions arising from the p roduction o f th e

sens ation o f light whether by pressure men ta l
, ,

emotion or a disordered state of the health h ave

, ,

been a most prolific source of ghosts .

I m agine a per son s uffering from severe grief

occas ioned by the loss of a friend or rel ative ; or
one subj ec t to supers titious terrors O n reti r .

ing to rest in a d arkened ap artment the attention ,

i s attr acted an d wonder raised by the appe aran ce

o f a clo u d of p ale white o r blueish coloured ,

light (the colours which ghosts love to deck

themse lve s in and which are most re a dily excited)
,

flo ating before the eyes U n acqu ainted wit h i ts

.

nature and source he i s natur ally startled and his

, ,

supersti tious fe ars are a wakened The imagin ation .

M ull r 0 p i t T I ! p 549
e . . c .
, .
, . .
162 FIEND S G H O S T S
, , AND SPRI T E S .

next coming into pl ay the luminous cloud i s ,

moulded into the form of the person recently

de ad or of the supersti tio us ide as most prominen t
,

in the m in d of th e individu al at the time .

O r suppose a s u persti tious person pas sing i n ,

the obscurity o f the nigh t a place where som e ,

foul crime had been perpetrated Terror give s .

rise to th e produc tion of a vivid sensation of

light in the field o f vision and the im agination as, ,

in the previous c as e works o u t the rest

, .

The following c ases are ex amples of the i nfl u

ence which the sponta neous appe arance of light
in the field of vision exercises in the development
o f s pectral apparitions .

A gentlem an who had lost hi s wife from a pain

ful an d protracted dise ase for some time s a bse ,

q uen tly was troubl ed by her ph antom which re ,

m ained before h i s eyes so long as he was in

obscuri ty O n a light being brought or during
.
,

th e day this spectre vanished but no sooner w as

, ,

he pl aced in darkness than it ap p eared vividly

limned before him and was a source o f consta nt
,

terror * .

Th is ph antom w as evidently due to the pro

duction of th e sen sation o f light in the field of
vision and the subse q uent e ff ects of th e i m
, a

i nati on
g .

B oi m
s on t . Op . c i t. , p . 74 .
 H AL LU C IN AT I O N S . 163

A gentlem an with whom we are ac quainted hap

pened when young to h ave a severe fall on the he ad
, ,
.

A fter this a ccident and until he atta ined the age

o f eleven ye a rs he w as subj ect to visions of bril
,

lia nt and v a riously coloured light when h e retired

,

to bed at night a nd all light in his room h ad been

,

extingui shed O cc a sion ally these vision s were so

.

gorgeous and resplendent th at he is accu s tomed

t o comp are the m to the j ewelled decor ations of

the p al aces of the genii in the Ar abi anNights ’

E nte rt ainment When about eleven years of

.

a e he o t possession of a volume of legends

g g
and rom ances which were pregnant with super
,

n atur al events an d person ages ; and a frien d i nj u di

c i ou sly g ave him a work ful l of ghost stories and -
,

”
e ntitled News from the I nvisible World These
, .

work s he re ad with avi dity an d the effect upon

,

the mind was such th at henceforth his nightly

visions were transformed into foul horrid an d , ,

often variously coloured spectres, rendering the

period of time intervening b etween retiring to
r est and sleep one of un mitig ated terror and it
became necessary to h ave a light constantly bu m
, ,

ing in the room unti l slee p occurred A fter the .

twelfth ye ar the intensity of th e v isions rapidly

dimin ished and at length only occurred when he
turned him
,

self upon h is face in bed I n this .

po sition a se nsa tion as if the bed had p assed from

M 2
1 64 FIENDS, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES , .

under him occurred and his eye formed the ,

centre o f a circle of imps which whirled rapidly

round it . The n umber of these spectres next
beg an to diminish and by the time he w as fifteen
,

ye ars of age but one rem ained and this appeared

, ,

only occ asionally Th i s solitary spectre gra du ally

.

lo st its fi end lik e form and as sumed th at of a

-
,

respect ab le looking old R oman clothed in a toga ;

-
,

and it at length v an i shed to re appe a r n o more -

.

This gentlem an h as for m any ye ars b e en free

from any spectral app arition ; but h ard study ,

menta l emotion a disordered state of the health

, ,

or pres sure with th e finger on th e eyeb all i s apt ,

to occ asion a b rilli ant evolution of coloured light

in the fi eld of vi sion .

The sponta neous appearan ce of light in the

visu al fi eld in th is c ase formed the substratum
, ,
-

upon which the mind m oulded the spectres ; and

it is in tere sting to rem ark the influence which
th e perus al o f a volume of l e gen ds and ghost

stories and subsequent cl assical studies h ad in

, ,

dete rmining the form of the ph anta sm a .

To the s ame c ause— the subjective phenomen a

—
of vision are due the v arious coloured ligh ts or
luminous appe arances which in the ex p eriments ,

o f R eichenb a ch , the beli evers in anim al mag i

neti s m me smerism
,
an d electro biology are
,
-
,

s upposed to have b een see n i ssue , by the

 HALLU C IN A T I ONS . 165

”
su sceptible from the poles of m agnets p l aced
in d arkened ap ar tments fro m so c all e d m
,

a
g
-
,

neti se d bodi e s or from bodies pl aced in th e con

,

di tio ns which the respective theories dem an d .

All th e sens ations of ligh t th at are experienced

u nder the se circum st ances and which h ave bee n ,

S ought to be expl ained by the a ssum ption of the

”
od force or by the influence of m agnetism
, ,

&c , are dependent o n th at excita tion of a

.

sens ation of light i n th e eye when plunged into

d arkness or when under cert ain mental emotions
,

which we have fully expl ained .

This h as be en demonstr ate d b y p ositive exp e ri

“ ”
ment ; for if we take any o f the susce p ti b les ,

a nd, ind e ed oth e r s and pl ace them in a d arkened

, ,

a p artment we m a by simple suggestions excit

y
, e

a ll the luminous se ns ations attributed to the

” “
supposititious od force , or to anim al m ag
ne ti s m
.
”

The luminous ap pe arances which certain

”
sensitives h ave averred th at they witnessed
over graves were due also to the subj ective p heno
,

mena o f vi sion excited by an expectant i de a

, .

A young clergym an n a med B illing who acted ,

as a n a m a nuensis to P fe ff er the blin d poet , ,

asserted th a t h e const antly saw , at night a ,

luminous cloud resting in one position in the

’
poet s garden ; a nd on se arch being made b ene ath
166 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

the surface of the ground at the spot occupied by

,

this phantasm the rem ains of a skeleton were

,

found.

R eichenb ach con cluded from this th at the

process of de composition of a corpse going on in
the gr ave prob ably like wh at is observed in
,

other forms of chemical action , gave rise to

luminous appear ances which were visible to
”
highly sensitive persons .

“ ” “
I t appeared possible , he writes th at such ,

a person might see over graves in which moulder

ing b odies lie , something simila r to th at which

Billing had seen M ademoiselle R e ichel h ad the
.

courage r are in her sex to gr a tify this wish of

, ,

the a uthor O n two very d ark nights she

.

allow e d herself to be taken from the C a stle of

R eisenberg where she w as living with th e
,

’
author s famil y to the neigh bouring churchyard
,

of G runzing Th e result j u stified his anticipa

.

tion in the most beautiful m an ner S he very .

soon saw a light and observed on one of the

,

graves along i ts length a delic ate bre athing

, ,

flame ; she also saw the s ame thing only weaker , ,

on a second grave But she saw neither witches

.

nor gh o sts S he described the fiery ap p earance as

.

a shining v apour one to two s p an s high extend

, ,

ing as far as the grave and floating nea r i ts,

s u rface S ometime after wards she was taken to

.
 HALLU C INAT I ONS . 16 7

t wo la rge cemeteries n ear V ienn a where sever al ,

buri al s oc cur da ily and graves lie about by thou

,

s ands .H ere sh e saw n umerous graves provided

with simila r light s Wherever sh e looked sh e
.

s aw luminous m a sses sca ttered a bout B u t this .

a ppe ar ance w as mo st vivid over the n e west graves ,

while o n the oldest it could no t be perc e iv e d .

S he described th e a ppe ar ance les s as a cle ar fl ame

t han as a den se v aporous m ass o f fire inter ,

me di ate betwee n fog and fla me O n ma ny graves

.

the fl a me was four feet high so that when sh e ,

s tood o n them it surround e d her up to the neck .

I f she th r ust her h a nd into it it w as like putting

,

it into a dense fiery cloud S he betrayed no .

uneasine ss bec au se she ha d all her life bee n

,

a ccus tomed to such em an a tion s a nd h a d s een the

,

s a me in the a uthor s ex pe riment s often produced

,
’
,

by n atural
The total neglect of those prec autions which
a re requisite to obviate the influence o f ex e cta nt
p
ideas and the subj ective phenomen a of vi sion i n
thi s experiment is mo st strange a nd it i s p ain ful
,

to witness men like R eichenb a ch G regory a nd , ,

others th us stumb ling over some of the simplest

,

fa ct s o f physiology an d psychology , a nd utterly

pros tituting the n a me and c alling of science .

R esearch es on M gn ti smE l ectrici ty & c in their Rel

a e , , .
, a
"
t ions to the Vi tal Forc e
, b y Karl von Reiche n bach Pts I I I , . .
168 FIENDS GH O S T S, AND SPRI T ES
, .

S ingul ar and falla c i ous as are the p seudo

scientific doctrines j u st mentioned th ey are ,

e xc e e ded by the extraordin ary specul ati ons of

o ther writers who al so appe ar to hold in ut ter
,

conte mpt the ordin a ry l aws of a ction of the

s ense s
. For ex ample M rs C rowe writes of the
, .

s e ns ation of light perceived by somn ambules and

dreamers and of the still more simple ph eno

menon of the sensation of light induced by the
m
,

i nh alation of e ther in the following ann er

,

All somn ambules o f th e highest order ,

a nd when I m ake u se of this ex p ression I repeat ,

th at I do not allude to the subjects of mesmeri c

experiments but to tho se extraordin ary cases of
,

di se as e the p articulars of which h ave been

,

recorded by v arious continental physician s of

—
eminence all person s in that condition describe
,

th e mselves as he aring an d seeing not by the ,

ordin ary orga ns but by some me ans the idea o f

,

which they cannot convey fu rther th a n th at they

a re perv aded b y light ; and th at this is not the

ordi na ry p hy sic al light is evident in asmuch as

,

th ey generally see bes t in the d ark — a remarka ble

,

in stan ce of which I myself witnes sed .

I never had the slightest idea of this internal

light till in the w ay of experiment I in h aled the
,

sul p h u ric ether ; but I a mn ow very well able to

,

con ceive it ; for after first feeling an agreeable

,
 HALLU C INA T I ONS . 16 9

w armth perv ading my limbs my next sens ation ,

w as to find my s e lf — I c a nnot say in this he avenly

light for the light w as in m
,
e—I w as perv a ded by

i t ; it w a s not perceived by my eyes which were ,

closed but perceived intern ally I c a nnot tell how

, , .

O f wh at n ature this he avenly light w as— I c annot

f orbe a r calling it h ea venly for it wa s like noth ing
,

o n e a rth — I know &c .

The sen se of h eari ng like th at o f sight in wh at

, ,

ever m anner it m be excited only gives ri se to

'

a
y ,

the sens ation of soun d ; e g , when an electric . .

curren t is p assed through it or a severe blow is ,

“ ”
struck upon it and c auses it to ri ng as it is
, ,

expressed in common p arl ance Th e rushing and .

s—
other sound as of the ringing o f bells rus tling ,

of le aves & c
,
—c aused by a diso rder e d state of th e
.

circul ation in the he ad ,are other ex ample s ; and

t here are perh aps few per sons wh o h ave n ot at
some time o r other sta rted and responded to
, ,

their n am e o r to c alls which they suppose they

,

h ave he ard in th e voice of persons who were at a

,

di stance or wh o h ad not spoken

, .

A Si m i l a r excitation o f the nerves o f taste a nd

sm ell will al s o give ri s e to their speci al sens a tions ;

but di sord e r of these nerves and their centres

will rarely excite h allucinations except in connec ,

Nigh t S id of N tur by Mrs c r ewe Ed

’

“
Th e e a e, . . . 1 853 ,
p . 362 .
1 70 F IEND S GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

tion with a di sturbed condition of the senses of

sight and h eari ng .

S uch are th e S implest forms of h allucin ation of

the senses of sight he aring t aste and smell ; and
, , ,
'

we have seen that all th e phenomen a of light ,

colour sound , tast e an d smell can occur i n man

, , ,

without the presence of n atural o r a rtifici al light ,

sonorous undulation s of the ai r s apid or odorous ,

substances .

We are now in a p osition to comp rehend mo re

fully th at by the action of the im agin ation and
,

emotions alone the ch anges going o n in the ne rvous

cent res m
,

be so far disturbed th at the whole

a
y
o f those sens ations which are generally excited
by agents external to the body m a
y be called
into play and the mental ide a assume in ligh t
, , ,

colour and shade sound , tas te and touch all the

, ,

distinctness and defini ti veness which a ppertains to

an actual o bj ect withi n the sphere of th e resp ec
tive senses a nd b e considered a s such
, .

I f the mind revert to a ny o f the v a ried sensa

tions which are stored up in the memory and are ,

within the power of the wi ll to recall an im age ,

” ’
is conjured up before the mind s e y e such th at ,

we can describe it as though a re al obj e ct s tood

befor e us ; and if it be th at of a person —a pa ren t ,

a friend or one bound by even still stronger tie s

,

every lineament every peculiarity , is depic ted with

,
 H ALLU C INA T I ONS . 17 1

a fi delity but little less th an th at we S hould b e

c ap able of were the individu al a ctu ally present
before us ; or should it be a sce ne wh ich h as been
tre asured up for its gr andeur its loveliness or for , ,

i ts being ende ared to us by still stronger feelings ,

every ch aracteri stic fe ature every object is mi , ,

nu tely and truly described ; and did we posse ss

the power of limning not unfrequently we S hould ,

fin d little di fli c ulty in tr an sferring th e ment al

”
im ag e to the canv ass I think I see him now .

”
S he might be before m e I c an c all to
‘

min d e very tree and stone so vivi d is the ,

”
memory are forms of expression in con st ant
-

use and they contain the ger mof the simplest

,

form o f ide al h allucin ation to wh ich we are

subj ect .

U nder th e influen ce o f love grief, remorse or , ,

other powerful and protra cted emotion the ideas ,

u p on which th e mind is conc e ntrated assume a

vividnes s i n m any person s little short of -the
,

re ality ; and when V ictori an addressing P recios a ,

“ ”
in the S p ani sh S tudent (A ct I S cene is ,

represented as s aying
Thou c mt b tw n m nd tho b ook too oft n
o es e ee e a se s e

I thy f c in v y thing I
see a e e er see

Th p in ting on th ch p l w r th y lo k
e a s e a e ea o s,

Th c n ticl
e a ch ng d t r b nd ;
es are a e o sa a a s

And wi th th l rn d doctor of the chool

e ea e s s s,

I see th ee d nc c ch c a e a a as
172 F I ENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

he m akes use of no ex aggerated poetical tropes or

fi gure s but spe aks the sim p le fact *
, .

A p ainful il lus tration of the vividness of the

mental im age under powerf ul emotion is aff orded
”
by a p as sage in The D re a m of Lord B yron in ,

which he d e scribes the im ages of the obj ect and

scenes of his youth ful and only love th at occupied ,

h i s mind a nd render e d him insen sible to the

,

ceremony o f hi s m a rri age unti l he w as a roused

f rom his ab straction by the congratulations of the

bys ta nders .

He s p ok e
The fi tting vow h rd n t hi wn w ord
s, bu t ea o s o s,

A nd all thi ngs l d round h i m h could

’
re e a e see

N t th t w hich w
o a nor th t w hich hould h v b n
as, a s a e ee

B t th old mn ion t m
,

nd th d h ll
’
u e a s a e ac cu s o a

A nd th mm d ch m
, ,

be re b r nd th p l c
e er
’
a e s, a e a e,

Th d y th hour th
e a , un hin nd th h d
e , e s s e, a e s a e,

All thing p rt ining t th t p l c nd hour

s e a o a a e a

And h w h w hi d tiny c mb ck
,

er o as s es a e a

A nd thru t th mlv b tw n hi mnd th ligh t

, ,

s e se es e ee a e .

Th e protracted devotion of the thoughts to the

memory of th o se whom th e grave h as severe d from
us,
or fr o m whom we are sep arate d by distance ,

and which i s induced by grief gives also to the ,

I w t th mti n l m
as e p in igh for th
e a a s s ee ,

Thy i mg t l b tw n m y G d nd m
a e s ea s e ee o a e

Th y voic I min v ry hymn t h r

e see e e o ea ,

Wi th v ry b d I dro p to oft t r
e e ea o s a ea .
”

Elois nd A b l e a e ard . Pope .

 HA LLU C INA T I O NS . 173

menta l im age gre at vividness E xquisitely be a u .

tiful and true is the sentence pl aced in the mouth

o f Con sta nce when blamed for the grief sh e enter
,

ta ine d on being sep ar ated from P rince A rthur

G ri f fill th ro mu p of m
e s y b n t child
e o a se

Li in h i b d w lk u p nd do w n Wi h m
,

es s e , e
a s a t

P u t on hi p r tty look r p t hi w ord

s s e s, e ea s s s,

R mm
e b r m of ll hi gr ciou p rt
e e s e a s a s a s,

S tu d t hi v c n t g r mn t w i th hi for m
’

s ou s a a a e s s

Th n h ve I r on t b fond of gri f
e a eas o e e .
”

I n direct proportion to the concentration of

the mind in the conte mpl ation of i ts own actions ,

i s the brilli ancy an d distinctness o f the ide as

which p ass athwart it ; an d in the sta te of abstrac
tion or of reverie when fro m intense meditation , ,

o r from mere in a ctivity the sens ations derived from ,

surrounding objects are not attended to the ideas ,

a re so defined th at they diff er but little from

ac tu a l obj ec ts in the sen sat ions they exci te So .

also in sleep if from an cause physic al or men

y , , ,

tal we are roused into a state of semi conscious

,
-

ness as in dre aming the ph antasms of former

, ,

events stored up in the memory and by certain

, ,

sens ations or trains o f thought thrown to the su r

face di fi er in n o respect light colour shade or
,
-
, , ,

—
sound from the sensations derived from th e
objects repr esented .

S hould therefore the concentration of the

, ,
174 FIENDS GH O S T S AND S P RI T E S
, , .

mind upon any subj ect be such as to disturb

the n atural functions of the brain the mental ,

im age is li ab le to excite sens ations and to be ,

“ ”
pourtrayed wi th a distinctness and outness
which approxim ates to o r equ als that of a real
, ,

obj ect and it i s regarded as such

, .

I n the m ajority of individu als the concentration

and intensity o f feeling necessary for the produc

tion of h allucination s is of rar e occurrence and it ,

i s found only under such conditions as profound

grief c aus e d by d e ath under p ai nful or peculi ar
circumst ance s ; from terror excited by c au ses
,

bringing powerful superstitious feelings into pl ay

un der which circumstances the h allucin ations
a a t —
induced re gener l y t ransi ory o r by emotions
l
inordin ately protracted ; hence it is th at we find
visions of the dead among the most common of the
te m p orary h allucin ations I n the studious and
.
,

men of powerful thought the mind being h abitu

,

ated to absorption in i ts own ideas it not u nfre ,

quently h appens th at h allucin ations o c cur from a

disordered sta te of the brain induced by continued
mental l abour These h allucin ation s are generally
.

very vivid and may ari se either voluntarily or

,

involuntarily and may become h abitual without

,

the he alth being seriously disturbed .

I t will be seen therefore , th at the a ction of the

mental powers alone is s uffi cient to give rise to
,
 H ALLU C INAT I O NS . 17 5

sens ations which are r eg arded as resulting from

a ctu al objects ; and th a t from the simpl e vividness

of th e ment al i m age which i s common to most

,

per son s we may trace their e ff ects in a gra du ally

, ,

a scending sc ale in inducing ment al conditions in

,

which the brilli ancy of the im age is such th at for ,

the time it completely occupies the attention and

, ,

shuts out a s it were the sens ations derived from

, ,

—
obj ects before the field of vision and in the for
,

m ation of ideas so V ivid and d efin ed th at they ,

take their position a mong surroun ding and excite ,

th e sen sations pro p er to extern al obj ects , .

We h ave th us far spoke n o f the e ff ects of the

im agin ation on the he althy fra me but in certai n ,

disordered conditions of the nervous sy stem o ccu r ,

ring either alone or in connection with other and

,

more general morbid alteration s in the economy ,

h allucin ations are more ap t to occur th an in health .

The system in this sta te is more susceptible of

th e e ff ects of emotion an d the im ages a rising in
,

the mind are more vi vid than would hap p en from

the same degree of excitement in he alth a nd are ,

re adil y converte d into hallucin ations This is .

witnessed in certain form s of hysteri a febri le ,

disease s & c
, . hen ce in these di sordered con
,

di ti o ns o f the system the h allucinatio ns a re no t

,

to be attributed to the action of the mind so much

a s to a m
,

orbid su sce p tib i lity to u ndergo those

 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , A ND SPRI T ES .

ch anges requisi te to the production of hallu ci

n ations ; and these are consequently , induced by
,

grades of emotion and by influences which would

not h ave cau sed th at in ordin a ry heal th .

O n the other h an d the actio n of the mind in

,

the d e velopment of h allucin ations equ ally induces

certain di se ased states either S peci al o r general
, .

E ven simple and tempora ry h allucin ation in ,

wh atever m anner c a used m ust be regarded as

,

a n in dic ation th at the ch anges going o n in the

nervous cen tres h ave p as sed the bounds of heal th ;
a nd a ccording as the causes inducing h allucin a

tion s are more o r less protracted or the balluci ,

n ations are more o r less per sistent or frequent so ,

we may m ark a gre ater or less deterioration in the

menta l powers the n ervou s or the general s ys tem
, ,

or indications of m ore acute dise ase to progres s ,

along with them until the acme i s re ached in

,

ins anity idiocy or some more r apidly progressiv e

, ,

and equ ally formid abl e disease .

To illustrate these remarks : B lake the art i st , ,

who after the de ath o f S ir J oshu a Re ynolds

, ,

enj oy e d great fa me as a po rtrai t p ainter ow e d hi s

-
,

celebri ty in gre at p art to the si ngu lar fac t th at ' ‘

, ,

he req u ired but one or at the most two sittings

, , , ,

from t hose who se portraits h e p ainted H e w as .

a ccustomed to r e g a rd the per son w h o sat to him

attentively for about half an h our, sketching from

 H A LLU C INA T I ON S 17
p.
. 1

time to time o n th e c anv as , and he woul d the n

p ass o n to another subj ect W hen he wi sh e d to
.

continu e the first portrait on pl acing th e ca nv as

,

before him he h ad the power of calling up so

,

vivid a mental im age of the person age the o u t ,

li ne of who se face w as depicted u po n it th at it ,

assumed all th e appea r ance o f re ality and he per ,

ce i v e d it in the p os ition in which be required it to

be From thi s ph anta sm he painted turning from

.
,

th e c a nv as and r e g arding it a s he would h ave d o ne

h ad th e represent ative o f th e ph a ntom been there

in per son B y degrees h e beg an to lose the
.

distinction between the re al and th e im agin ary

obj ec ts and at length a complete confusion of the
,

mind occurred rendering it necess ary for h i m to

,

b e confined in an asylum D uring his residence

.

there h i s ins anity w as m arked by an ex agger ation

,

of th at vivid power of im agin ation he h ad

p os

ses sed previou sly ; for he at will could sum mo n

before him the ph antoms o f any of th e personages
of history and he held long and sen sible conver~
,

sati o ns with M ich ael A ng e lo M oses , S em ir a mis

, ,

R ichard I I I &c , all of whom appeared to h im

,
.
,

when he desired in the vivid hues an d distinct

,

outlines of re ality .

T alm a the gre at French tragedian , h ad the

,

power when upon th e stage o f causing the vest

men ts of his audien ce to di sap p ear, an d of dep icting
, ,

N
178 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

them as skeletons When the h allucin ation w as

.

complete an d he had fill ed the the atre with the se

,

gh astly auditor s, he w as en abled to give the

fullest and most surprising force to his perform
a nce .

E x amples of the influence of powerfu l and p ro

tracte d emotions in inducing h allucin ations are
n umerous D r Conolly rel ates the case of a
. .

gentlem an who when at one time in great d an ger

,

Of being wrecked in a sm all bo at on the E ddyston e

rocks in the m oment o f gre atest peril saw his
,

family before him .

M B oismont quotes the c ase of a world known

.
-

general who when in a comb at one day was su r

, ,

rounded
1
by the enemy and in so great d ange r
,

that e scape seemed impossible H e nevertheless .

, ,

contrived to esc ape ; but t he impression m ade

u p on him w as such t h at afterwards until a late
, ,

period of life h e occasion ally su ffered from an

,

h allucination in which the scene of danger w as

agai n presented before hi m an d re en acted ; and -

when subsequently o n a throne sometimes the ,

silence of the p al ace would be di sturbed by hi s

cries as he struggled and fought with h i s phan
,

tom foes The h allucin ation w as mom enta ry

. .

The intense emotion which S ir R ich ard C ro ft

experi e nced on being summoned to atten d the
P rincess C harlotte o f Wales on her death bed -
 HALL U C INA T I O NS . 179

was such th at he saw her form habited in white

, , ,

gli de alon g before h i s carri age .

A c a se i s re la ted by Boismont o f a l a dy who ,

while suff ering fro m the d epression occ asioned

by receiving inform ation th at her daughter w as
s eriously i l
l
hea rd a voice which a ddressed to her
,

th e words ,L ovest thou me The l ady responde d

“
im medi ately Lord thou knowest th at I h a ve
, ,

pl ace d all my confidence in thee and th at I love ,

”
t he e wi t h all my soul The voic e then said
.
,

”
D ost thou give her to me ! The l a dy trembled
with fe a r but summoning courage she re p lied ,

H owever p ain ful the sacrifice m

, ,

a
y be ,
le t Thy
”
will be accomplished This l ady w as deeply
.

pious and the h allucin ation a rose from the power

,

ful and pa inful emotion caused by the sud den

’
news of her d aughter s illness inducing that dis ,

ordered st ate of the nervous system in which ,

the thoughts n atur ally engen dered in o ne who

s ubmitted everyt hing to th e Al ighty became m ,

a udible .

The comb i ned influence o f love and sorrow has

been a powerful source of h allucin ation s and ,

m any of those wild an d be autiful legends and

t ales which are scattered throughout the kingdom ,

recording the ap p arition of a dece ased or dist ant

lover to hi s betrothed have bee n due to thi s
,

Ca u se .
1 80 FIEND S GH O S T S , , AN D sp e r m s .

Thus , as in the Old b allad

“
Wh n i t w gro wn t d rk m idnight
e as o a ,

A nd ll w r f t l p a e e as a s ee

I n c m M rg r t gri m
,

ly gho t
a e a a e
’
s s

A nd tood t Willi m f t
,
" ’
s a a s ee .

”
O r in th e story I s abell a by B occaci o
of , ,

be autifully rendered by K e ats

It w vi ion I n th dro w y gloo m
as a s e s

Th dull of m
.
,

e idnigh t t h couch foot a er

’
s

Lo r n o to d nd w p t the for t to m
,

e z s o a b e es

H d m d hi glo y h i w hich onc could h o t

,

'
a arr s ss a r, e s o

Lu tr in to th n nd p t cold doo m
s e e su , a u

U p on hi li p nd t k n th o ft lut
s s. a a e e s e

Fro mhi l rn voic e nd p t hi lo md

s o a as s a e ears

H d md m
,

a iry ch nn l for hi t r
a e a a e s ea s .

S trang ound it w wh n th p l h dow p ok ;

e s as , e e a e s a s e

Fo th r w
r t riving in t p i t ou tongu
e e as s i s e s e,

T o p k w h n on rth i t w w k
s ea as e ea as a a e,

And I b ll on i t msa u ic hung

e a s s

L nguor th r w in i t nd tr m
a e e ulou h k
as , a e s s a e,

A in p i n d D ruid h rp un t rung ;
’
s a a e s a s

And thro gh i t m o n d gho tly nd r ong

u a e a s u e -s

Lik ho r night gu t p ulchr l b ri r m

,

e a se - ong s s se a e s a .

It y
s e es , though wild w r till ll d wy b rig ht e e s a e

W i th lov nd k p t ll p h n to mf r loof
,

e, a e a a ea a

Fro mth poor gi rl b y mgic of th ir ligh t

e a e ,

Th w hil i t d i d un thr d th hor i d w of

e ea e r o

O f th l t d k n d ti m—th m d
e

e a e ar e
’
pi t e e ur
'
rou s s e

O f p rid nd v ric — th d rk p in roof

e a a a e e a e

I n th for t— nd th odd n turf d d ll

e es a e s e e e

Wh n w i thou t ny w ord fro mt b t f ll

,

e , a ,
s a s i e .

S ym
a g m or ov r I eb l m ye w t ! sa e s ee

droo p b ov m
, ,

R d w hor tl be rri
e e- y h d es a e ea

And l rg fl nt ton w igh u p on m

,

a a e i -s
y f t e e s ee

A round mb ch nd high ch nu ts h d
e ee es a es s e
 HALLU C INAT I ON S . 1 81

T heir le av es a nd p rickly nu ts a s ee h p fold b le - at

Co m fromb yond th riv r t m

es y b d
e e e o e :

G h d n t r u p on my h th r b loom
o s e o e ea ea e -

And i t h ll co m fort mw ithin th to m

,

s a b e e .

I m h do w n w l ! l !
a a s a o a as a as

U p on th kir t of hu mn n t r d w lling
,

e s s a a u e e

Al on e I ch unt lon th holy m

a a e e ass,

W hil li ttl ound of l i f

e e s round mkn lling s e a re e e ,

And glo y b ss t n on do fi ldw d p

ees a o e ar ass ,

And mny ch p l h ll th h ur tell i ng

a a a e e e o 18

P ining mt hrough tho ound gro w tr ng t m

,

a e se s s s a e o e,

And thou t di t n t in humni ty

ar s a a .

S ome these app a ritions h a v e in all prob a

of ,

b i li ty been illu s ions cau sed by an Obje ct in dis

,

ti nc tly seen i n the p ale moonlight o r by an ac ci ,

d ent al a rra nge ment of the furniture of the a p art

ment transform e d by a n i m
,
agin a tio n devote d to

th e subj ect o f its own sorrows , or influ e nced by a

v i vid dream into the ide a at th e moment most
,

prominent in the mind .

Th e influence o f remorse or of those terrible ,

emotions which accrue to th e m urderer on the

perpetration Of the foul deed , in causing h allu ci
n ations i s well known
,
.

The ghost O f B an quo ( M acbeth A ct I I I , ,

S cene 3 ) is a type o f m any wondrous histories

Pry thee , h r ! B hold ! L ook ! L o l— H

see t e e e ow say you !
Why w h t n I ! I f thou c n t nod p k to
a ca a s s ea o.

gr v m
,

I f ch rn l hou
a e nd
- u t nd
se s , a o ur a es , s se

Tho th t w b ury b ck our m

se a e onu mn t a e s

S h ll b th mw of ki t
, ,

”
a e e a s e s.
1 82 FIENDS GH O S T S AND S P RI T ES
, , .

rel ates the story of a convict w ho

V anderki ste*
had murdered an overseer and t aken to the ,

bush
“
H e lived in the woods , and c am e armed
to the huts to dem and provision s for some time ,

but imagined he was c ontinually haunted by th e

spirit of the m a n he h a d murdered A t l ast h e .

delivered him self up to th e authorities decl aring ,

his life a burden H e w a s seen for d ays dogged

.
, ,

as be conceived by the s p ectre of his victim an d

, ,
”
esca ping from tree to tree .

S ir W alter S cott records the story , th at the

captain of a sl aver in a fi t of anger shot at and
, , ,

mortally wounded one o f his s ailors A s th e .

man was dying be fixed hi s eyes upon th e

,

cap tain an d s aid

,
“
S ir you h ave done for m
, , e ,

”
but I will n e ver leave you The c ap tain be .

c am e grav e and m o od y and some time after ,

he invited the m ate into the ca bin and addres s ,

“
ing him said ,
I need not tell y ou Jack what
, , ,

sort of h an d we have got on board with us H e .

told m e he would never l eave me an d h e has kep t ,

h is word Yo u only se e him now and then but

.
,

h e i s always by my side, and never ou t of my

sight A t th is very moment I see him I am
. .

determined to bear it no longer an d I h ave ,

Notes nd N rr tiv of Six Y r Mi ion p rinci p lly

a a a e a ea s
’
ss a

m
ong th D en s of L ndon By R W V nde kiste p 182
a e o . . . a r , . .
 H A LLU O I NA TI O NS . 1 83

”
resolved to le ave you S oon after this th e
.
,

c aptain w atching an Opport u nity when he w a s

,

unobserved plunged into th e sea : the m ate

,

rushed to the side of the ship an d the c apt ai n ,

perceiving him extended his h ands upwards

, ,

“ ”
exclaimed ; B y B i ll is with me now !
and sunk .

O ne of the most rem arkable examples of hal

lu ci nati on a rising from th e feelings excited by
cold blooded murder is recorded by Boi s mont
-

A duellist who had killed sixteen per sons i n

,

s ingle comb at w a s constantly a ccomp anied by

,

their ph anto ms ; they never left hi mnight or

”
day .

The solitary hour s of Charles I X were m ade

frightful b y the shrieks a nd cries which ha d
re ached him during the m ass acre of the E ve of
S t B artholomew and he wa s h aunted for m any
.
,

d ays subsequent to i ts occurrence by hideous and

bloody faces T aking A mbrose P aré aside at one
.
,

time he rem arked th at he wi shed they had not

,

com p rised in the m as sacre th e aged and children .

N0 cause i s however so a pt to eng e nder h allu

, ,

ci nati ons as religious enthusi a sm o r an inordin ate ,

or r ather fan atic al occup ation of the mind in the

contempl ation O f religious subj ects .

I n the s aint vision s which are so n umerou sly

-

scattered in the a nn als of Christian ch urches

1 84 F IENDS GH O S T S AND , , se
'

mE T s .

a nd which were so common under th e self denyi ng -

a nd a scetic rules of som e of the mon as tic orders ,

”
w e h ave ex a mples ; and S pen ser s H ermit fur ’

nishes the ty pe Of this species of h allucin ation

Th nce fo rward b y th t p i nf ll w y they p

e a a u a as

Forth t n b ll th t w b o th t p nd by
o a i , a as s ee e a

O n t p w h r of
o cr d ch p l w
e e a sa e a e as ,

And k li ttl h m
e e a i t g th b y e er a e e re

Wh r in n g d holy mn d i d li
,

e e a a e a e,

Th t d y nd ni gh t id h d vo ti on
a a a sa is e ,

Ne oth w rldly b in d i d pp ly
er o us es a :

H i n mw
s a H v nly Con t m
e as pl ti onea e e a

O f G d nd goodn
o a w hi m di t tion ess , as s e a .

Gr g c th t old mn t hi mgiv n h d;
ea t ra e a a o e a

For G d h ft n w fro mh v n high t

o e O e sa ea e s :

All w r hi rthly ci n bo th b lun t nd b d

e e s ea e a a ,

A nd through gr t g h d lo t th ir kindly igh t

ea a e a s e s ,

Y t w ondrou q uick nd p r un t w
e s hi p igh t a e sa as s s r ,

As eagl th t n b hold th
es e i e , nn ”
a ca e e su e.

The V irgin appeare d to I gn atius Loyol a a nd

co nfi rm
,

ing h is de sign s urged hi mto th e enter ,

pri se he had i n view for the esta bli shment of th e

Rom a n C ath olic church on a surer b asis S atan .

came visibly to L uther and contended with him ,

sometimes worsting him in argum e nt S wed e n .

borg beheld in visions the he avenly scenes which

hi s i m agin ation h ad po u rtr ayed ; while P asca l
wrote he beheld an abyss of fl a mes be side h i s
w ri ting tab le ; an d S ymeon S tylite s conceived th a t
-

S atan had appe are d to hi m under the form of

 HALLU C INAT I ON S . 1 85

J esus Christ and invited him to ascen d to he aven

,

i n a ch ariot drawn by cheru bim S ym e on put

.

o u t his foot to e nter the ch ariot when the ,

whole v anished ; and a s a p u ni sh m ent fo r h is

‘

presumption the o ff ending thigh w as aff ected with

,

an ulcer which oblig e d him to rest u pon one leg

,

for the rem ain d e r of his li fe .

I t i s importa nt to compr eh end fully the i nfl u

ence of the im agin ation in developing visions of
thi s n ature p articul arly in a disordered st ate Of th e
,

he alth from the import ant e ff ects w hich they

,

have exerc i sed and still exerci se upon m ankind .

The following ex ample is a n interesting illus

tra ti o n Of the n ature and source of these h allu ci

n ations
S ome ye ars ago considerable attention w as ex
ci ted i n G e rm any by the publication of a series
of visions which a l a dy Of considerabl e literary
atta inments a nd high ch a r a cter h a d beheld and ,

fo r which sh e b elieved th at sh e w as indebted to

di vine favour .

The h allucin ations which sh e experienced had

first been noted in the fourth ye a r of her age ,

when one day as sh e w as dressing a doll and for

, ,

gre ate r conveni ence h ad pl aced a l arge folio B ible

beneath her feet sh e he ard a voice excl aim
,

P u t th e book where you foun d it ! ”

S h e did
not immedi ately obey the order as sh e saw n o
,
1 86 FIEND S GH O S T S AND S PRI T E S
, , .

o ne , but in a few moments the m and ate w as

repea ted and sh e thought some o ne took hold of
,

her face . This h allucina tion according to D r

, .

H ibbert is to be reg arded as a renov ated feeling

,

a rising from some prior remonstra nces reg arding

the holy volume ; and we would add together

, ,

with the altered sen sation experienced i n the fa ce ,

w a s eviden tly due to the ea rli e r stages of a dise ase

which occasioned the more fully developed visions .

A fter this period sh e d e vo ted her self to the study

,

of the S criptures ; a nd her l abours in th is respect , ,

were incess ant and protracted I n her seventh .

year she saw , when pl aying a vision of a clear

,

flame which entered th e ch a mber door in the ,

centre of which was a strong bright light descri be d ,

a s a bout the size of a child si x years o ld This .

vi sion endured about h alf an hour No other .

vision is mentioned until the period of her mar

ri ege which proved unfortun ate embittering her
, ,

l ife an d ca using her const antly to medit ate on death .

I t w as in this state of m ind that the principal

v i sions to which she w as subj ected occurred O n .

o ne occasion a fter receiving so me ill tre atment

,
-

from h er husb and broken down in spirits and

, ,

thinking the Lord h ad fors aken her sh e made a ,

resolution to desist from prayer O n retiring to .

bed she repen ted the decision she h ad m ade and

, ,

prayed fervently .S he awoke in the morning

 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 1 87

before d aybre ak, and w as surprised to find the

room vividly illumin ated and that at the bedside
,

w a s se ated a h ea venly figure in the form of an Old

,

man Thi s ph antom w as dressed in a bluei sh

.

robe and h ad bright h air ; and the counten ance

,

shone like the cle are st red and white crystal I t .

“
regard e d her benigna n tly and s aid , P roceed ,

”
p r o cee d p
, r ocee d ! A t first the words were u n

intelligible to her but a young and be autiful angel

, ,

which appe ared on th e other side Of th e bed ,

excl aimed : P roceed i n p ray er p roceed i nf a i th , ,

p r oc eed i n t i a ls r A fter thi s the devil appe ared ,

pulled her by the h air and tormented her in other

,

w ays until the angel interf ered and drove hi m

, ,

aw a y . S atan in this c as e as sumed his usual

hideous g arb S ubsequently one Of the angels
.

exclaimed three times , Lord this is su fli c i ent

,

a nd while s aying the se words the l ady beheld

,

la rge wings on his shoulders and knew him to be ,

a n angel Of G od The light and the angels then

.

v anished and the l a dy felt eased Of her grief a nd

, ,

a rose .

I f the n ature of the figures an d th e m ode of

a ction in the se visions h a d not su fli c e d to show how

comple tely they were dependent upon dominant

ideas and a di sordered state of the nervous system ,

the history of the ca se would demonstrate it Th e .

early protracted an d inordinate study of religiou s

, ,
 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , A ND SPRI T ES .

beliefs simil a r to th at which l aid the basi s of

.

S weden bo rgs vi sions ; the p ainful state o f the

mind induc e d b y her unh appy m arri ag e and ,

dise ase were the source o f the h allucin ations to

,

which sh e w as subject ; for it w as ascertained th at

when the vi sions occurred sh e always suffered
fro m slight attacks of epilepsy .

I ntense and protrac ted mental exertion f re

quently gives ri se to hallucin ations .

A medical gentlem an i n E dinburgh while ,

se at e d one e vening in h is library after a period of

,

excessive study on r ai sing his he ad w as startled

, ,

by perceiving at the Oppo site side of th e table

the spectre of a gentl e m an w ho h ad died under me
lanch oly circum stances some d ay s previou sly and ,

a t whose st mortem
- ex amin ation he h ad as sisted
po .

Th at exce ssive action of th e im agin ation and ,

consequen t ab sorption of the mind in i ts own

workings to exclusion of extern al s en sations
, ,

which is common in men o f genius has b een a ,

fe rtile source of h allucin ations .

I n so me instance s the h allucin ation s h ave been

”
counterfeit pre sentment s of the i de as w hich
h ave been most prominent in th e mind ; in others
th e y h ave had no rel ation to th at con dition .

S pinello who had p ainted the Fall of the A ngel s

, ,

thought th at he w as h aunted by the frightful

devil s which he had depicted H e w as rendered
.
 HALLU C IN A T I O NS .

so miser able by this h allucin ation th at he d

himself O ne o f ou r Own artists wh o w as much
.
,

engaged in p ainting c aricatures bec ame h a unted ,

by the distorted face s he drew ; and th e deep

m el ancholy and t e rror which accomp anied these
app a ri tion s c a u sed h i mto commit suicide M ii l .

ler w h o execut e d the copper pl ate of th e S ixtin e

,
-

M adonn a h ad more love ly visions

, Tow ards the .

clo se Of h i s li fe the V irgin appe ared to him and ,

th anking h im for the affection he h ad shown

tow ard s h er, invited him to follow h e r to he aven .

To achieve this th e arti st sta rved him self to

,

death B eethoven who bec ame completely de af

.
,

in the d e clin e of life often he ard his sublime com

,

po sition s performed di stin ctly .

I t is rel ated o f B en Jonson th at h e spent the

,

whole of one night in reg arding h i s gre at toe ,

a round which he saw T a rta rs Turks R om ans a nd

, , ,

C atholic s cli m bing up and struggling and figh t

,

ing . G o ethe whe n ou t riding one day w as

, ,

s urprised to see a n ex a ct im age of himself o n

horseb a ck dressed in a light coloured co at riding

,
-
,

tow ard s h im .

A si m i lar kind o f h allucin ation to th is Of

G o ethe s has be e n Observed as a p re c u rser of cer
’

ta in for m s of ins anity and in the delirium o f fever

, .

B oi smont record s the c ase o f a g entlem an who

w as troubled with a spectral im age o f himself ,
190 FIENDS GH O S TS AND S P RI T ES
, , .

which he h ad the power of calling before him

voluntarily Thi s for several y e ars w as a source
.
, ,

of amusement to him ; but by degrees thi s

ph anto m became more persistent arose i nv olu n ,

tarily and a ddressed him

,
The h allucin ation
.

then as sum e d a sti ll gr aver ch ar ac ter for h i s ,

double would di spute with him and Often foil ,

him in argumen t ; and coincid e ntly with this

ph as e of the di se ase the g en tlem an became
melancholy and he ultim ately committ e d suicide
,
.

The im agin ation rarely gives ri se to h allucin a

tion s of the s e nses o f touch t ast e, or smell a lone
,
.

The sweet smelling odour s which are sta ted to

-

have been experienced during the vision s of

a ngel s a nd s aints ; a nd the foul a nd sulphurous

fumes which have accompanied apparitions of the

infernals are however to be attributed to this
, , ,

cause .

Thus far our illustrations an d rem arks h ave

been confined to th at cl ass of h allucinations
which are induced princip ally by the action O f the
imagination mental emotion o r excessive exertion
, ,

o f the re asoning powers .

There is however a nother class of h allucina

, ,

tions de pendent upon certain disord e red sta tes of

t he general he alth and n ervous system , which

h ave an important be aring upon the belief in the

supernat ural .
 H A L L U C I N A T I ON S . 191

The simplest forms of h all ucin atio n this of

cl ass are those occasion ally Observed during th e

initi atory stages of some di se ases after the ter ,

min ation of exh austing aff ections or during ,

tempora ry morbid conditions Of the brain .

The following ex a mples will illustrate th e

n ature of the h allucinations arising from these
source s .

A l ady with whom we are acqu ainted w as

, ,

w alking e arly one morning in a lonely and u nfre

u e nte d p ath , which w as Open to the eye for
q
some distan ce O n appro aching its termin ation
.
,

she w as surp rised to see a l a dy a dvancing towards

her dressed in deep mourning and re ading a
, ,

book .S truck by the peculi ar be auty of the

l ady s face sh e turned round to g aze upon her as
’
,

sh e p assed ; but to h er surpri se the figure

, ,

v an i shed S tartled and al armed she hurried

.
,

home and almost immedi ately afterw ards w as

,

seized with shiverings and su ff ered from a violent

,

atta ck o f fever ch ar acterised by severe cerebral

,

disturb ance The hallucin ation in thi s case w as

.

ca used by the ch anges i nduced in th e nervous

system bv the initi a to ry stages Of the dise ase .

A you ng lady recoveri ng from a severe attack

of fever w as l e ft in ch arge of the house during a
,

fine S und ay evening in a utumn the rem ainder of ,

the fa mily having gone to church A thunder .

1 92 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

storm c ame on with he avy r ain and S he beca e

, , m
v e ry anxious about her aged fath e r O n going .

into the room generally occupied by th e fa m ily ,

there to h e r gre at a stoni shmen t sh e beheld as she

, , ,

th ought her fath er sitting in his u su al po sition

, .

S uppo sing th at he mu st h ave returned from church

unwell she a dv anced pl aced her h and upon th e
, ,

sembl ance and found no thing A lthough startl e d

, .
,

sh e a ttributed the vision to its proper c au se ,

a n xiety a nd we akne ss ; but though sh e w e nt in

a nd o u t o f the room se vera l time s the spectre ,

persi sted for a con sider able period .

A merch ant while si tting in h i s counting hou se

,
-
,

w as a nnoyed by he a ring voi ce s outside th e door

conver sing freely re sp ecting his ch aracter a nd ,

S pe aking Of him as a dishonoured m an Think .

ing it was some trick of his friend s, h e quietly

opened th e door and w as a stoni shed to find no
,

one O n clo sing it the voice s ag ain bega n in a

.

simil ar stra in ; and on re ope ning the door he still

-

found no one A l armed h e l eft his Offi ce an d

m
.
, ,

proce e d e d home but th e voices follow e d h i

, ,

thre a teni ng puni shment for im agin a ry crime s .

This h allucin ation w as accomp anied by other

signs Of a di sord e red state Of the brain and it ,

was not until after a period Of entire rel ax ation

from b usines s and a d aily game at cricket th at
, ,

t h e ph antom voices ceased

-
.
 HALLU C INA T I ONS . 193

There are certain formid able disorders of th e

nervou s system in whic h h allucin ations afl e c t all
t h e senses .

The followin g i s a n ex a mple of the dise ase s of

t hi s cl ass a nd it will sho w th e influence which
,

they are liable to exert i n the development of

certa in forms Of sup er sti tion .

A m aiden la dy aged forty year s who from e arly

, ,

youth ha d been o f a very sus ceptible and r e stle ss

disposi tion su ff e red from h a llucin at ions whic h
,

per si sted fo r many ye ars .

A t first the sight alone w as afl ecte d and sh e ,

saw numerous per sons Of singul a r a nd fa nt astic

form S ub sequently she h eard voic e s which p ro

.
,

fe s sed to h ave t ak e n up their abode in her stom ach ,

a nd a ddre s sed her from thence The se voices

.

tormented her ; comm a nded all her a ctions ; i n

formed her O f wh at took pl ace within th e body ;
g av e her instructions upon diseases and even ,

pre scribed for them The voices ga v e her i nfo r

.

m ation r e specting the ch aracters of divers per son s ,

a nd occasion ally endowed her with the pow e r o f

e xpres sing herself in terms more florid and fl uent

th an sh e w as accustomed to O ften th e voic e s
.

conver sed on geogr aphy gr amm a r rhetoric &c ;

, , , .

a nd they would r e prove her wh e n sh e h ad done

a mi ss . They told her th at she w as pos se s sed and ,

a lthough sh e w as not s uperstitious a nd fully ,

O
 FIEND S , GH O S T S , AND SPRI T ES .

recognized th e hallucin ation s sh e suffe red from ,

sh e at this time sought a prie st to exorcise her ,

thought much o f eternity and sometimes g ave ,

her se lf up to desp air At o ne time th e voices

.

told her sh e would become queen ; often they

conver sed with her upon stra nge and sometimes ,

e ven abomin able s ubj ect s ; then they would say

things extremely comica l and m , ake her l a ugh .

They would ple ase and then mock her and then
, ,

a s sa il her more violently th a n ever and spoil ,

like h arpies everything she touched or did I f .

s h e took a gl as s o f w a ter the voic e s would c a ll

,

out th at it w as poi soned ; and frequen tly they

urged h er to destroy herself When sh e w alked .

out if sh e p assed a fem ale th e voices would cry

, ,

o u t th at sh e c a rried mu sk (the Odour o f which th e

l ady abomin ated ) and im medi ately sh e sm el t this

o dour ; if a m an p a s sed her s h e w as affected with
,

th e s mell of tob acco . The voices often g av e he r

n o rest u ntil sh e did wh at they liked a nd th ev ,

e v e n ordered her to P a ri s to place her self under

,

th e c a re o f physici an s there .

The visions she s u ff ere d from were v e rv sin

gul a r H er ap artment w as filled with persons o f
.

a ll ch a ra cters and de s cription s ; numerous pro

c e ssion s de file d be fore her and some Of the figu res
,

h a d but o ne h alf the body a profile or o ne , ,

e e ;
y they were large or sm all and occ a sionally ,
 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 195

underwent singular an d fantastic changes of

The food she took did n ot possess its natural

taste and the voice s often gave unple a s ant savours
, ,

to p revent her e ating .

Wh e n sh e j ourneyed she felt as if so ake d with

,

wa ter and she would attempt to w ring her

,

clothes .

A ddressing one of her physicians when the ,

“
m alady w as fully d e veloped sh e said I know , ,

th at it i s m onom ani a bu t the voices are stronger

,

th an m y will I wi sh y ou to prescribe for me

. .

it i s impo ssible for me to rem ain i n one

Th i s c as e is a n interesting illustr ation o f a for m
of di se a s e which when d e v eloped in persons who
, ,

are s ubj e ct to r eligious e nthu si a sm h as given ri s e ,

to the b e li e f of pos se ssion with devils (dem ono

m a ni a ) .I nst ance s o f thi s di se ase are frequen tly

met with in th e French asylums .

M any oth e r form s of h allucin ation occur in

ins ani ty monom ani a fever hysteri a and o th e r
, , , ,

di sease s in dre am s an d from the influen ce O f

, ,

certa in poisonous substanc e s taken in to the

s v st e m S ome of th e se h allucin ations are o f
.

considerable interest since they h ave been the

,

prime c ause O f m any superstitions .

I n addition to th e h allucin ation s of th e he a ri ng

B oi mon t O p t p 1 1 0
s . . Ci , . .
196 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

a lre a dy mentioned in certain dise ases words

, ,

spok e n i n th e right e a r h ave been h eard in the

left and vi ce versé ; and under th e influence o f
,

opium o r h a s c hi sh (prep ared from the I n d ia n

hemp ) th e sense b e co m
, e s occ asion ally so deve
, ,

Iop e d th at a word pronounced low or a slight

movement sound s like a p eal of thunde r H allu
, ,

.
,

c i na ti o ns of the sigh t h av e occ a sion ally pres e nt e d

fi gures o f colos s al s tature o r o f extreme di m ,

i nu
t i ve ne ss ; or the p atient h a s conceived th e ide a

th at he w as so t all th at he w as un a ble t o walk

erec t in a lofty ap artment o r so dimin utive th at ,

h e dre a ded the movemen ts of any ne ar to

h im les t they should do him h arm Ple as ant or
, .

fetid odours are sometimes con sta ntly p resen t to

th e smell Fe u ch terslebe n st ates the c ase o f a
.

l a dy wh o w as long h aunt e d wi th t he e fli u vi a as
o f a charnel house -
The taste is subj ected to hal
.

lu c i nati o ns o f exquisit e ly fl avoured vi ands a nd

wines ; or the rev e rse no food being t aken ; or
,

e very t hing t aken pre se nt s o ne u ndev i a ti i i g flavour ,

which m a
y b e ple a s a nt o r unpl ea s a nt or it h as ,

n o ta ste at all A sen sation of fly i ng is no t u n

.

common B oismon t h as a friend who frequently

.

e xperienc e s thi s s e n sation a nd it often occurs in

,

dre a ms . A friend o f our s i s in the h abit of

dre a ming th at he i s suspended about a foot a bov e
the s urface of the e arth a nd is c arried along by
,
 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 197

s imple vo lition without movement of th e limbs

,

a nd S t . Jero m e s tat e s th at Oft en i n dre a ms h e

,

fl e w from t he e a r th ov e r mo u nt ai ns a nd s e a s .

O ur id eas of depth a nd sp ac e are som etim e s

incre a sed in dre am s to a n e xtent th a t i s i ne x re s
p
sible and almo st bewi ldering ; and th e s e n sation
o f fa l ling into a n a by ss is com m on to th e dr e a m e r .

The ide a of ti m e is Often extended in d efinit e ly ;

in the sp ace of a singl e nigh t d a y s w e ek s y ear s
, , , ,

a nd ev e n a ge s h a ve a ppe ared to elap se Trans

, .

form ation o f the figure is occ asion ally m e t wi th

a mong t h e h a llucin a t ions Of i nsani tv ; a nd in th e

sta te induced by h asch i sh th e si ngul a r and fa n

,

ta sti c form s which th ose und e r i ts influenc e a nd ,

the p artie s s urrou nding them h a v e a pp e ar e d to ,

undergo are of gr e at inter e st

,
Th e eyel ashes
.

writes one gen tl e m an “

le ng then ed the m
,
s elve s

ind e finitely and rolled them sel v e s as thre ads Of

,

gold on little ivory bobbin s which t urned un as ,

sisted w it h frightful r api di ty

, I sti ll saw
.

my comrade s at c e rtain momen ts b ut def orm ed , ,

h a lf men h alf pl a n ts with th e pen siv e air s of an

, ,

ibis st anding on one foot Of os trich es fl a pping ,

their wing s & c ”

,
“
I im agined th a t I w a s the
.

p arroqu e t o f th e Q ue e n of S heb a a nd I imitated ,

a s w e ll a s I w a s a ble the crie s of thi s pr ais e

worthy bird .

I n the state cau sed by haschi sh it occa sionally

198 FIENDS, GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

a lso h appen s th at the person under its influence

may be caused to sp eak o r act in any m anner th at
i s suggested to him Th i s ph e nomenon is als o
.

seen in dre a m s ; in both condition s the h alf

a w a kened mind a u tom atically p ursues th e tr ain

o f though t wh ich h as been sugg e st e d to it either

by the voice o r by cert ain sens ation s .

Lastly in certain di sordered condi tion s o f the

,

system the p e rson h a s the po we r of looking as i t

, ,

w ere into him self and a sc e rta ining wh at is going

, ,

on there or Of e xtending hi s sen su al powers

,

beyon d th e bounds Of their ordin ary sph er e and ,

ascerta ining wh at tr anspire s in o ther pl ac e s o r at ,

a di st an ce o f m any m iles (c la i rvoy a nce) The .

gen tlem an from whose experience o f the e fl e cts of

'

h as c hi sh we h a ve alre ady quoted though t he could

,

l ook at will into his stomach and th at he sa w

,

t here in the fo rm o f an em erald fro m which

, ,

es caped mil lions of sparkles the drug he had

,

swallowed .

By a careful considera tion of the ill u sions and

h allucin ations to which we are li able we obt ain a ,

clue to unravel the wild fa ntasi e s which constitute

the gre ater part of the most prominent super
st i ti o u s .

I f we refle ct on the superstitious ide a s wh ich

filled the min ds of ou r forefathers and follow them ,

b ack in their deepening in tensity in to the middle

, ,
 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 19 9

a ges we can easily im agin e how the irregular and

,

fa ntastic figure s whic h an indistin c t and disorder e d

vi sion g ave ri se to i n th e gloo mo f the night wer e ,

t r a nsformed into fiends and de m on s how spectre s ,

clo th e d in their horri d wh ite and b lue p anoply wer e ,

s e en sta lking over the e a rth a nd hauntin g th e

,

murd e r st ained c astle gla de and forest ; how th e

-
, ,

dimly illumin at e d mi sts of th e evening an d morn

ing sh adowed forth th e form s of the dead and th e ,

s pirit s o f th e w a t e r s a nd th e ai r ; h ow in th e m i st

o f K i llarney a n O Dono h u e mounted o n his mi lk

’
, g ,

white ste ed , and atte nd e d by a host of fairy form s ,

swep t ov e r the bea utifu l l ake a nd a sp e c tr al a rra y

a rose night after night fro m th e bed of the rushing

M old a u and besieg e d the w alls o f P r ague ; how

,

the moonb e ams che quering th e deep rece sses of

th e wood s a nd th e ba n k s a nd me adows overh ung
,

with foli age were m e tam o r h i se d into fairies ; h o w

, p
the win d ho wling a mong the rock s and mount ain s ,

s weeping through th e v alley s , or whi spering a mid

the tre e s a nd a bout th e nooks a nd corners o f th e

t u rre tt e d c astle and ruinous m ansion bore o n its ,

bosom th e sounds o f spectre horsemen demon -

,

hun ters and fie nd lik e hound s or the w ail an d

,
-
,

la ment at ion s o f w andering and lost spirits and ,

t h e shri eks o f the i nfe rn al s ; and h o w th e billows ,

r u shing into the c a verns a nd deep fissures in the

cli ff s of a rock boun d co ast filled the ai r with the
-
,
 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , A ND SPRI T ES .

my sterious and incomprehensible l angu age of the ’

spirit s of the deep .

A clue also is obtain ed to other forms of

s uperstiti on .

The power which th e witch w as suppo sed to

po ssess of transporting her se lf from pl ace to pl ace ,

and which those self deluded wretches themselve s

-

believed ; and th e orgies of th e witch s abbath -

,

which were ag ain and a gain deposed to were ,

h allucinations due to a form O f in sanity— for we

may so call i t—prev ailing at the period which ,

w as determined by the n ature o f the supers titious

beliefs entert ain e d The re al ch ar acter of thi s

.

superstition is well shown by an incident which i s

recorded by Jung S tilling - .

H e writes I ama cqu aint e d wi th a t ale for ,

the truth of which I can vouch bec ause it is taken ,

f rom th e o ffi ci al document s of an old witch pro -

cess A n old woman w as impri soned , p ut to th e

.

t ortu re and confessed all th a t wi tch es are gene

,

rally ch arged with A mong st others she als o

.
,

denounced a n eighbour Of hers who h ad been wi th ,

her o n the Blocksberg th e pre ceding W alpurgi s

,

night This wom an w as c alled and asked if it

.
,

were true wh at the prisoner said of her ! O n

wh ich she st ated th at on W alpurgis eve sh e,

h ad c alled upon thi s wom an bec ause s h e ha d s ome

,

thing to say to h e r O n entering her kitchen she

. ,
 H A LLU O I NA TI O N S . 20 1

foun d the prison e r busy in prep arin g a decoction

o f herb s. O n asking h er wh at sh e w a s boili ng ,

s h e sa id
, with a smi ling a nd m ysteriou s mien ,

”
Wil t th ou go wi th me to the B rocken P From
curi osi ty a nd in ord e r to a scert ain wh at there w as
,

“
in the m atter sh e answered
, Ye s : I should,

like to go well en ough O n which the pri soner

ch attered some tim e about th e fe ast and th e d anc e , ,

and th e enormous go at S he then dr a nk Of th e

.

“
decoction and o ff ered it to h e r saying : There
, , ,

t ake a h e arty drink of i t th a t thou m , a yest be

able to ride through th e a i r sh e likewi se put the

pot to her mouth and m ad e as i f sh e dra nk of it

, ,

b u t did n ot taste a drop D uring thi s the pri

.
,

so ne r h a d put a pitchfork b e tween h er l e g s a nd ,

p l ace d h er self upon the he arth ; th at sh e soon

s unk down and b e g a n to sleep and s nore : af ter
,

h aving looked on for som e ti me sh e w as at length ,

tired o f it and went home

, .

The n ext m orning the pri so ner c a m e to h er

, ,

and s aid ,
W ell h o w do st th ou lik e b e ing at the
,

”
B roc k e n ! S ith there were glorious doings
, On .

which she h ad l a ughed h e artily and told h e r ,

th at she h ad not drunk o f th e po tion a nd th at ,

sh e the pri soner

, h ad no t be e n at the B rocken
, ,

b ut h ad sl ept with her pitch fork upon the he arth

Th at the wo m
.

an , o n this bec am e angry and

, ,

s aid to her th at she ought not to deny having

,
20 2 FIENDS , GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES , .

been at the B rocken and h aving d an ced and ,

”
kiss e d the go at .

G assendi rel ate s an exp e riment to the s ame

e ff ect H e a nointed some pe asa nts wi th a pom ade
.

m ade o f bell adonna or opium persu ading them ,

th at the Oper ation would convey th e m to the

witch s abb ath
-
After a pro found sl e ep they
.
,

a woke a nd told how they h a d b e en presen t at

,

the s abb ath and the ple asures they h a d e nj oyed

, .

S tu p i fyi ng a nd in toxicating drug s were in all ,

prob ability freely used by sorcere r s a nd in the

, ,

a ncient mysterie s and to their u se i s to be attri

,

buted m any o f the illusions and h allucin ations

which a re familiar in th e details of th e practice
o f the occult scien ces .

Jung S tilling quotes a singul arly interesting

-

example of a method o f practising o ne of th e most

im po rta nt proc esses of m agi c ; a nd a n ex amin ation
o f i t s a ti sfa cto rily shows the m ann e r in which
s ome of the most striking of the deceptions of

th at a rt were brought about a nd how i t h appened ,

th at the professor as well as the student w as , ,

equ ally deluded .

I n Ec khartshau se n s K ey to M agic there i s

” ’

“
a n account o f a young S cotsm an who though he ,

meddled no t with the conj uration o f s pirit s and ,

Th ory of Pn u mtology
“
e e a
”
B y Dr J H J ung S tilling -

n l t d by S m
. . . .

tra s a e l J ck on ; p
a . a s . 1 9 7, Lond .
, 1 83 4 .
 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 20 3

su ch like ch arl at anry h ad le arn ed however a , ,

rem ark able piece of art from a Jew which be c o m

,

mu ni cate d al so to Eckhartshau sen, and m ade the

exp e rim e nt with him which i s surprising and
,
-
,

worth y o f peru sal H e th at wishes to r aise and see

a n p articul a r spirit m
.

u st p re are hi m
y p self f or i t f or

md y
, ,

so e a s tog ether, both sp i ri tua lly a nd p hy si ca lly .

Ther e are al s o p artic u l ar and rem ark able requisites

and relation s nec e s sa ry betwixt such a s pirit a nd

th e p e r son who wi sh e s to se e i t— rel a tions which

cannot other w ise be exp lain ed th an on the groun d ,

of the inte rvention o f some secret influ e nce fro m

the invi sibl e world A ft e r all these precaution s a
.
,

v apour i s produc e d in a room from c e rt ain ,

m ateri al s which Eckh a rtsh au se n with propriety , ,

do e s no t divulge o n a ccount of the d angerou s

,

abuse whic h might be m ad e o f it which vi sibly ,

forms it self into a figure which bears a resembl an ce

to th a t which th e p e r s on wi shes to s e e I n this .

there is n o qu e stion of a ny m agic l ant e rn o r optical -

a rtifice ; but the v a pour re all y f orms a hum a n

figure simil ar to th at w hich th e individu al d e sire s

,

to behold I will now in sert th e con clusion of

.

the story in Ec kh artsh au se n s own word s ’

S om e time a fter th e dep arture of the s tranger

th at i s the S cot s m a n I m
,

, a de the exp e ri m
, en t
for one of my frien ds H e saw as I did and .
,

had the s ame sensation s .

 FIENDS GH O S T S,
,
A ND SPRI T ES .

The ob serv ation s th at we m ade were the se As .

soon as th e i ngr e di e n t s were thrown into th e

c h afi ng dish - a whiti s h body form s itself that
, ,

se em s to hover above the c h afi n dish as l arge -

g ,

a s life .

I t possesses the likeness of the p e rson whom

we wished to see only the vi sage is of an ash y
,

p alen ess .

O n appro aching th e figure one is conscious ,

of a re si s ta n ce simil a r to th at w hich i s felt when

going again st a strong w m

,

d which drives one ,

b ack.

I f o ne spe aks with it o ne remembers no m ore ,

di sti nctlv wh at i s s poken ; and when th e a ppear

ance v ani shes o ne fe el s as if aw aken i ng from a
,

dre am The h ead is stu p ifie d a nd a contr action

.
,

is felt about the ab do men I t i s al so very singular .

th at the same a pp e a rance pre sents it self when one

i s in the d ark or when looking upon d ark Obj ects
, .

The unpleas antnes s o f thi s sens ation w as th e

re ason why I w as unwilling to repe at the e xperi
m e nt al though Often urged to do so by m any
,

I t w ould be diffi cult to con ceive a ny m ore

po w erful me thod o f inducing h allucin ation s th an
th a t det a il ed in t his in structive a nd intere s ting

recital The previous scho o li ng of the im agin a

.

Op . ci t .
, p . 200 .
 HALLU C INA T I O NS . 20 5

tion in ord e r thoroughly to imbue it with the

,

train of id ea s requisite for th e full d eve lop ment

of the ph e nomenon a nd th e s ubs e que nt intoxic a
,

tion induc e d by th e inh al ation of powerful n arcotic

—
v apours a n intoxicatio n which as w e h ave alre ady
,

s ee n in th e ex a mpl e of h asc h i sh i s p e c u li arly a p t

,

to th e d e velopment o f h allucin ations — will su fli

c i e ntl a ccount for th e i llu s ion o f t h e s moke of

y
the c h afi ng di sh pr e senting a ny figure which the
-

mind d e sire s to se e The di ffi culty which th e

.

experi m ent e r experi e nc e d in appro aching th e

ph an t om a nd which h e comp ar e s to th e r e sis t
,

a nce w hich i s fel t when con te nding ag ain st a

strong wind w a s evidently due to th e powerful

,

emotion which he exp e rienced d e priving him o f

th at con tro l o f the vo lunt ar y muscl e s such as we,

fin d in a p e r son p ar alyzed by fear or astoni sh

ment ; o r perh aps it w a s rather a fe eling simil ar
t o th at experienced in nightm are wh e n wh a tever
, ,

eff ort w e m a
y m a ke w e fe el a lmo s t inc a p a ble o f
,

motion .

The action o f the n a rcotic v apour alone w as

su ff icient to induce h allucin ation s f o r p er s u d d
; , a e

by a v e ry experienced phy sici an w h o m ain tained

,

th at the n arcotic ingredient s which formed the

v apour must of necessity v io lently aff ect the i m a

g i n ati o n, a n d m ight be very inj uriou s accord ,

ing to circumstances Eckhartsh au se n m ade the

,
20 6 FIENDS GH O S T S , AND SPRI T ES
, .

experiment on h imself without previous pre p ara

“ ”
t ion ; but he writes sc arcely h ad I c ast the
, ,

qu antum of ingredients into th e c hafing dish when -

,

a figure résente d it self I w as however sei ze d

p .
, ,

with such a horror th at I was obliged to leave th e

,

room I w as very ill during three hours and

.
,

thought I saw the figure alw ay s before m e .

Tow ards evening after inh aling the fumes of

,

vineg ar an d drinking it wi th w ater I w as better

, ,

again but for th ree weeks a ft e rw ards I felt a

debility : and the strang est p art Of th e m atter i s ,

t h at when I remember t h e circumst ance a nd look ,

for some time upon any d ark objec t this ashy pale ,

fi gure still presents itself very vividly to my sigh t .

A fter thi s I n o longer d ared to make any e xp eri

”
ment s wi th it .

The use of into xi catin g a nd stu pifyi ng drugs

doub tles s contributed al so to th e development of
th ose ide as o f s trange and wonderful tran sform a
tion s and anom alies of form with w hich th e l egends
a nd rom an ces o f O rienta l a nd E urope a n n at ion s

t eem . I n the ex am p le s o f h allucin ation s we have

a lre ady given from thi s source we find the key to
,

th e e xpl an ation of severa l Of the se tran sform ations ;

and the el abor a ted supern a tu ral fra mework o f fa i ry

tal e s in which men are ch anged without com

, p uiic

tion into inferior anim als tr e es or vegetables has

, , ,

prob ably had a simil ar origin .

 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 20 7

The st ate of cl airvoy ance and th at condition

,

o f th e nervous system which is found in cert ain

dise ases dre am

,
s and un der the in fl uence of
,

n arcotic poisons in which b y su gge stions in

, , ,

wh ate ver m anner given c e rt ain actions and train s

,

of thought m a
y be excited at the will Of th e
sugge stor is se e n al so and m
, ,
a
y be induced at will

in those condition s of the system which are

sum m ed up under the ter m s “
mesm eri sm ”
,

anim al m agn eti s m ”

,
el ectro biology ”- &c ; , .

and the th e ori e s which h a v e been invented to

ex pl ain them and which are expr e ssed in the
,

a bov e n a mes a re not only needless

,
but i nco n
,

sistent with th e fac ts ob served The so c alled .

-

me sm eric and el e ctro biologic al tr anc e i s strictly

-

a lli e d to cert ain forms of dre a ming a nd th e w hole

;
of the re sult s wi tnessed m a
y be expl ai ned by
c e rtain admit ted phy siological a nd phy sical l aw s
of a ction and are due to le ading trains of thought
,

w hich are excit e d by sugge stions direct o r indirec t .

A s to the higher faculty o f pre v ision cl aimed i n

thi s state w e are no t aw a re th at a s yet a singl e
, , ,

t ru stworthy insta nce h as been e sta blish e d .

Ther e is a cl ass of spectral app aritions whic h

diff e r from those which we h ave alre ady dwelt
upon in asmuch as they h av e appe a r e d to for e
,

sh a dow or h ave occurred coincidentl y with th e

, ,

d eath of an in dividu al ; o r th e y h ave m a de

208 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

known events occurring at a distan ce, or have

brought to light t hings else hidd e n by the
grav e.

I n the deepening gloom of twilight the seer of

S cotl an d Often witnessed the w ra i ths o f those w ho
were about to die , wre ath e d in the ascending mist s
o f the nigh t ,
troop in ghostly silenc e before hi s
horror stricken vi sion ; and th e B oda ch Glas
-

cros sed the p ath of the de ath l aden M a c I vor ;

-

the B odac o u Dun o r G host o f the H ill wa rned the

, ,

Roth i nurc h a n o f a ppro a ch ing c al a mity ; the spectre

o f the B loody H an d sc ared th e Ki nc ardi ne s ; the

B oda ch G a rl i n glided in signific a nt horror through

t h e gloomy p a ss ages o f G artni beg H ou se and the

G irl with the H a iry L eft H an d— Al d ri ch M onlach

—pointe d to the death bol t ab out to c a rry weeping
-

a nd w a iling into the h alls of T u lloch G orus .

The spectral f etch sh adowed for th in the sister

i sle the d ark course of de ath while the B anshee
mourned wi th the frightful accents o f the dead
over the dying scion s of the ancient fa milie s .

H overing nea r the sorrow l aden m an sion her robe

-
,

flowing wide in the night ai r a nd her tangled

,

tres ses borne upon the wind she cried the ke en

,

of a nother world a down the v a ulted p as sag e s an d ,

sobb e d in gh as tly ag ony her bitter l amentations .

The Gw r ch y
d R hi by n— H a of the D ribble
g

when th e night h ad cove red the e arth , spread ou t

 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 20 9

her le at h ern like wings and fl itting before th e

-
,

house of th e de ath -strick e n C a m bri ans shri eked ,

in h arsh broken and pro longed tone s their n am

, ,
es .

I n our o w n l an d the spectres o f all tho se w h o

would die in the p arish d u ring th e ye ar might be
s een w a lking in ghostly proce ss ion to the church ,

or e nte ring its port al s by him wh o woul d w atch

, ,

thre e years con se cutively during th e l ast hour of ,

the night and th e fi r st hour o f the morning in the ,

porch o n the E ve o f S t M ark or wou ld kneel

,
.
,

and look through th e keyh ol e o f th e door Of th e

sa nctu a ry at m idnight o n the E ve o f S t Joh n the .

B ap tist .

The Whi te La dy w h o h aunt s the ancient castl e

,

of the c e l e br ated B oh e mi a n fa mi ly o f R o senb e rg

N euh au s and wh o also appe a r s fro m time to

,

time in the c astl es of th e alli e d fa m ili e s of B ran

denbu rg B a
, d n
e a nd D r
,
a m s —
t adt Trz ebon I slu , ,

bock a B e ch i n and Tre tzen and e ven h as b e e n

, , ,

s e en in B erlin B ayr e uth a nd at C a rlsrh u e is o f

, , ,

hi storic al notoriety Tall of stature at tired in

.
,

white and we aring a white widow s veil a dorned

,
’

with ribbon s , th rough th e fo lds of w hich and ,

from wi thin h e r a faint lig ht h as be e n seen to

,

glimmer she glide s wi th a mod e st ai r t hrough th e

,

corridors and a p artments of tho se c astles and p al ace s

in which the de ath o f one of her fam i ly i s about

to occur ; and she h as been seen at o ther time s ,

P
2 10 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

a nd oft, with the aspect and ai r as though th e spi rit

h ad a mel ancholy p le as u re in visiting and hovering
a bout h er de s cend ants I t is s aid to be th e gh o st of
.

o ne P e rch ta V o n R osenberg who w a s born b e twe e n ,

A D 1 4 2 0 a nd 1 43 0
. . a nd subseq u e n tly m a rri e d to
,

John V o n L ich tenstein a rich a nd p ro fl i gate ,

b aron who so emb i t tered her l i fe th at sh e w a s

,

obliged to seek r elief from h er r el atives and she ,

died borne down with th e insult s a nd i nde scrib abl e

di stre ss she en dured A mong the old p ainting s
.

o f th e fa mily of R osenberg w a s foun d a portr ait

of t his l ad y attired after the fashion of the times

, ,

a nd be a ring an ex a ct re semb la nce to the Whi te

”
La dy . I n D ecember , 1 6 2 8 she appe ared in ,

B erlin and w as heard to excl aim V eni j udic a , ,

v ivos e t m
,

”
o rt u os j udicium mihi adhu c su p e re st I
C ome j udge the living a nd the de ad ; m y fate
,

”
is no t y et decided .

The Klage wei b (M ourning Wom an ) when the

-

s torm is driving the rift before it a nd the m oon ,

shin e s fi tf ully and faint ly o n the e arth may be ,

s een stalking a long her gigantic an d sh adowy

,

form e nveloped in d ark flowing grav e clo the s her -

,

d e a th like cou nten ance and deep ca v ernous e y e s

fre e zing th e u nh app y spec ta tor with hororr while , ,

e xt e n di ng her v as t a rm s li c s weeps i t above th e

,

c ot tag e m arked out by de a th .

I n the T y rol also th e phantom of a whi te

,
 G HO S T S TO RIES - . 211

wo mn looks in at the window

a of a house where a

per son mu st die .

The se are ex a mple s o f S pectral a pp a rition s for e

boding de ath and mi sfortu ne which the l a p se Of ,

a g e s a nd th e in fluenc e o f super sti tion h a ve i ii

ve st e d with a sembl a nce o f r e ali ty approxim ating ,

them in apparen t truthfuln es s to h i storica l fa ct s .

I t i s a ne e dl e s s and wou ld be a th a nk les s ta sk

, ,

to sho w how the s e notion s w e re the l e giti m at e

r e su lt of the id ea s of the s up e rn atur al ent e r ta in e d

a t t h e p e riod when they were deve lop e d a nd h o w

when th e superstition s on ce assumed a d e finite

form the slighte st illusion during the p e riod of
,

s ickne s s o r c a l a mity wh e th e r ob se rved i n th e

,

castell at e d m an sion pregn a nt generally with de e d s

,

o f da rkne s s o r blood o r in th e t wi light or t h e

,

st orm o f a moon lit

night were -
conv e r te d in t o ,

t h e se ph antom s ; * o r the i m perfe c tly r e m e m bered

dre am or i ts vivid depic tion of th e super sti tion
, ,

sh adowed for th th e s a m e .

S c ant o f rom ance and th at wild and thri lling

,

medium through which m any of o u r old lege nd s

a re see n we h ave h a nded to u s n umerou s bu s i
,

n e ss like s tories some o f very recent d ate in

-
, ,

which the s a me principles are invo lved as in the

The pp ri tion of
a a the Whi te La dy v ry irr gul r
w as e e a

a nd unc rt in for mny mm

e a , b r of th
a e e s e fmily di d Wi thout h
a e er

s p ct h vi ng b n n
e re a ee see .
 2 12 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI TES .

legends we h ave detailed and which de m and rave

g ,

attention from the hone st truthfulness wi th which

,

they are evidently det ailed and the events whic h ,

th e y appe ar to h ave foresh adowed .

Le t u s ex a mine some of these insta nces and ,

ende avour to as cert ain whether they come under

the charact e r of illusions or h allucin ations ; or
whether they are to be pl aced in another category ,

a nd to be regarded as the results of supernatura l

ag e ncy as is most frequently done

, .

”
I n Bl ackwood s M ag azine for 1 8 40 there is
’
,

a letter which con t a in s th e following s tatem e nt

“
Th e H awk being o n her p ass age from
‘ ’

the C ape o f G ood H ope towards the isl and o f

Java and myself h aving the ch arge of the m iddle
,

w atch between one a nd two in th e morning I

,

w as t aken suddenly ill w hich obliged me to send ,

for the o fli c er next in turn I then went do w n on

the gun deck and sent my boy for a light I n
-
, .

the me anwhile I sat down o n a chest in the

,

steer age under the after grating whe n I felt a

,
-
,

gentle s queeze by a v e ry cold h and ; I sta rted ,

and sa w a figure in white stepping b ack I said , ,

‘
G od s my life ! who is th at ! I t stood and
’ ’

gazed at me a short time stooped i ts he ad to get ,

a more perfect view sighed aloud r e pe ated the

, ,

excl am ation O h ! three times and instan tly

‘ ’
,

v anished The night was fine though the moon

.
,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 213

a fforded through the grating s bu t a we ak light so ,

t h a t li ttle of fe a t u re could be se e n only a figure ,

rat her tall th an otherwi se and white cl ad M y,

-
.

boy returning now with a light , I sent h i mto th e

c abin s o f all the O fli c e rs wh e n he brought me
,

word th a t not one of them h ad been stirring .

Co ming afterwa rd s to S t H elen a homeward .

,

bound h earing o f my sister s d e a th a nd finding

,
’
,

the time so ne arly coinciding it a dded much to ,

my p ainful concern ; a nd I h ave only to th a nk

G o d th at when I s aw wh at I no w veril y believe
,

t o h a ve been her a pp a rition (my s ister A nn ) I ,

d id no t then know the mela ncho ly occa sion of

it .
’

The super sti tiou s fe elings which we find per

v a ding the mind of the gentlem an rel ating thi s
incident a n d which i s evinc e d by i ts termin a
,

tion ; t he circum s tanc e s und e r which the appa

riti on took pl ace , n amely a di muncert ain light
, ,

th at mo st favour able to illusion ; an att ack of

i ndi sp o si ti n le ading to alteration o f the natur a l
p
s ens ations ; a nd l a stly an d most important o f all
, ,

the after c onclu sion arrived at o n h ea ring of the

-

’
s ister s d eath a nd un de r the influen ce o f which
,

t he account wa s writ t e n and which it is evident

, ,

from the nature o f the detail s gave ri se to that ,

d e fi nite st atem e nt which h a s been r ec orded —all ,

t e nd to the conclusion th at th e spectre w as a n

2 14 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

illusion and th at its signi fic an ce w as a pha se

,

imp arted to it by supers t itious feeling s alone .

Th e influence o f subsequent conclu sion s in

w arping th e re al hi story o f an e v ent and giving a ,

de fi nite an d pre cise ch a racter to wh at would other

wise have been v a g ue and inconclusive as i s ,

witnessed in th e above sto ry is o ne of th e most,

import ant fallacies pe rv ading gho st sto ries There -

.

i s no source o f s elf deception to which w e are

-

ex p osed m ,ore in sidious ; a nd i t is requi si te to

ke e p it con stantly in view not only in rel ations
,

of th is n ature but in th e ex amin ation o f events of

,

an
y kin d whatever The. colouring which fa cts

receive from thi s source to o ofte n hid e s their re al

,

ch aracter and the reciter is p e rfectly unconsciou s

of the erroneous ligh t which he casts upon them .

H ence th e im portance o f asce rta ining the peculi a r

bi as and tendencies of thought which a ppertain
to o ne who records occurrences U pon which i m

portant conclusions or th eorie s m a

y be b ased .

The vicious h abit which h as been commo n

a mong the advoc a t e s o f supern a tur al vi sita tion s ,

of supporting their opinions upon the a ssertion s

o f men o f known probity and honour to th e c o m ,

l t ex clusion f an ex a min at ion o f the sourc e s

p e e o

o f d e lu sion and error to which th e se m e n were

li able from th e ch a ra cter of their previous edu

cation h abits of thought associ ations &c and
, , , .
,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 215

from their imp e rfect acqu aint an ce with the fal

la ci e s to which th e y m a
y have been exposed h as ,

b ee n a fe rti le source of e rror .

A so called fa ct is not an abstra ct truth ; it is

-

si m ply a fa ct so far as it rel ates to th e as serto r ,

a nd the cred e nce given to it by others d e pen d s

upon the extent to which it agree s with their

experience o r upon th e kno w l e dge th at th e as
,

se rtor h a s by previou s st udy or experience so f a r

dimini shed th e prob ability of error o n th e su bj e ct

to which it rel a te s , th a t the st a tement m a
y be
receive d witho ut he sit ation .

A nother form o f gho st story is th at in w h ich

-

t h e spirit of the de a d h as b e en compel led to

w ander in mi se ry on th e e ar th for s o m e crime o r ,

error sm all or gre at com mitted durin g life and

, , ,

which unle ss it be a toned for or rectified p re

, ,

vents i ts et e rn al repo se .

A story o f thi s kin d i s given by Jung S tilling -

,

a nd however a bsurd it m be in some p a rt s it

a
y ,

i s intere sting from the pr e cision o f its detail s

en abling u s to lay hold of a c lue to th e expl an ation
o f th e m ajori ty o f the s e ta les .

In M Do erien o ne o f the proctors of

.
,

C a roline C ollege B runswick w a s t aken ill an d

, ,

”
died shortly after S t J oh n s Day (J une 2 4th )
, .
’
.

I m m e di at ely before his de ath h e requ este d to se e

,

a nother of the proctors M H oefer, having some

,
.
2 16 FIENDS GH O S T S , , AND sp e r m s
.

'

comm u nication of import ance to m ake to him ;

but before th at gentlem an arriv e d de ath had take n ,

pl ace A ft e r some time a report bec ame pre

.

v alent in the college th at the gho st of the decea sed

proctor h ad be e n seen ; but as this proceeded
merely from the young little attention had been
,

given to it A t leng th in O ctober upw ards of

.
, ,

three mon ths after the death o f M Doe ri en as .

,

M H oefer w a s proceeding on his accustomed

.

night ly round b e tween the hours o f el e ven and

,

twelve in o ne of the corridor s he saw the S pectre

,

of th a t p rofe ssor clothed in a com mon night

,

gown a nd whi te ni ght cap Thi s unexpected

-
.

sight te rrified M H oefer somewh at but rec ol

.
,

leeting th at he w as in the p ath of duty he reco ,

vered himself and adv ancing to the spectre

, ,

en de avo u red to ex amine it by the light o f the

c andle he h eld in hi s h and ; but such a horror
ca me over him th at he could scarcely withdraw
,

the h a n d in which h e exten ded the light a nd ,

from th at m oment it w as so swollen th at som e ,

”
m on th s ela p sed before it w as he aled The fol .

lowing night he w as a cco m p anied i n his rounds

-

b y a ph ilosopher P rofes sor O eder wh o w as r ather

, ,

sceptic al on the subj e ct of a pp a ritions ; but o n

a ppro a ching the spot in whi c h the spectre h ad

bee n se e n on th e pre vious evening there they ,

beheld it ag ain in the same position .

 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 217

O thers attempt e d to g a in sight of th e gh ost

a ,

but i t would not m anife st itself no t ev e n to M M ,

.

O eder a nd H oefer until the former gen tlem an

, ,

we ari e d with hi s use less w at ching during a some

wh at prolong e d period excl aimed I h ave gon e
, ,

a fter the spirit lon g eno u gh to p le a se him if he

”
now w ant s a nything let him come to m e
,
B ut .

wh at followed ! A bout fourteen d ays aft e r when ,

he w as thinking about anything el se th an o f

gho sts h e w a s suddenly and rudely aw akened
, ,

’
between th ree and fo u r o clock in the morning by ,

som e extern al motion O n Opening his eyes he

.
,

saw a n a pp a rition opposite to the bed st anding ,

by the c lothe s pre ss which w as only tw o p aces

-
,

from it th at pre sented itself in the s ame attire

,

as the spirit . H e r aised him self up and could ,

then cle arly discern the whole face H e fix e d hi s .

eyes s te ad fa stly u pon th e ph antom until after a , ,

period of eight minutes it bec a me invi sible

,
.

The next morning he w as ag ai n aw akened

a bout the sa me time , and sa w the s a me a pp a rition ,

onl y with this di fference th at th e door of th e

,

press m ade a cracking n oise j ust as if some one ,

le aned upon it This time the spirit r e m aine d

.

longer so th at P rofessor O eder spoke to it a s

,

follow s G e t thee hence th ou evil spirit ; wh at

,

”
h ast thou to do here P A t these word s th e
ph antom m ade all kinds of dre adful motions waved ,
2 18 FIENDS , GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, .

i ts he ad its h an ds a nd its feet in such a m anner

, , ,

“
th at the t e rrified P ro fes sor beg an to pray Who ,

t rust s in G od a nd
,
G od the Father dw e ll
”
with u s ,
on which the spiri t v ani shed .

A fter eight d ays the spiri t again a ppea red but ,

with this di ff erence th at it c ame from the pre ss

,

directly tow ards him a nd inclined i ts he a d over

,
”
him whereupon the terrified P rofe ssor struck out
,

at it a nd the s piri t retired

,
but no sooner had he
l aid down th a n it ag ain advanced and he n oticing
, , ,

th at i ts aspect w as more in sorro w th an in anger ,

Ob served it attentively and saw that the ghos t had

,

a short tob a cco pipe in its m outh

- This circum .

cum sta nc e a nd the S pirit s mild mie n induced h im

’

t o a ddre ss the gho st and ask A re yo u still

, ,

owing anything H e knew beforeh an d that the

.

d e ceased h ad l eft some debt s and th e a moun t of ,

a few doll a r s w hi ch occa si oned the i n ui r T h

, q y e .

s pirit looked atte nti v e lv at thi s query ; a nd at

leng th guided b y the tob acco pipe when the

,
-
,

P rofe ssor asked A re you p e rh aps owing some

,

”
t hing for tobacco ! th e spirit re tre ated an d
suddenly dis ap pe ared M e asures were imm e .

di ate ly ta ken to liquid ate the debt which was

foun d to be owing for tob acco .

The n e xt nigh t P rofe ssor S eid le r rem ained wi th

O eder The spirit a gain appe a red bu t not as fo r
.
,

merly at the pres s but near it , close to the white

, ,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 2 19

w all I t w as vi sible only to O eder h i s brother

.
,

profe ssor merely seeing something white From .

t his night O eder burnt a night l a m p a nd h e n o -

,

long e r saw the app ari t ion but fo r some nights,at

th e sa m e ti m e from thr e e to five h e w as tr o ubled
, ,

wi th u ne asy sen sation s and frequently he ard a ,

noi se at th e clothe s press and knocking at the

-

door B y d egrees the se sens ation s p a ssed aw ay

.
,

and h e discontinued the night l a m p ; bu t th e -

“
second night a fter th e sp e c t re ag a in a ppe a red
,
at

”
t he accustom e d h our b ut visibly d arker
, It .

h ad m ,
oreover a new S ign in i ts h and
,
I t w as
l i ke a picture a nd h ad a h ole in the centre into
, ,

w hich th e spirit fr e qu e ntly put i ts h a nd A fter .

long r umin ating a nd in quiring wh at th e d e ce ased

‘

might m ean b y th e s e sign s so much w as at ,

l eng th elicited th at a short time b efore h i s illness

,

he h ad tak e n som e p ainting s in a m a i c l a ntern

g
-

from a pictur e de a ler o n tri al which h ad no t been

-
,

re turn e d The p a inting s were given to th e right

.

ful own e r , a nd from th at time O e der continued

”
u ndi sturbed .

I n this story we notic e first th at a report was , ,

prev al e nt in the co ll ege th at th e gh o st of ,

M Doe ri e n h a d been se e n by sev e r al persons ;

.

a nd it is but n atur a l to s uppose th a t su c h a state

ment wou ld exerci se a powerful e ff e ct U pon th e

mind o f M H oefer , who had been placed in th e
.
2 20 FIENDS GH O S T S, AND SPRI T ES
, .

p ainful po sition o f b eing summoned to th e de ath

bed o f his friend to receive a communication
,

n e ces sa ry to m e ntion to h i m but h ad arriv e d

”
,

in time only to witness the de ath struggle Up -

.

wards of three months after the d eath of M .

Doeri e n a nd when M H o e fer w as evidently in a

, .

disord e red sta te Of he alth as i s indic ated by th e

,

s welling o f th e h an d a nd subsequent per s istence

,

o f thi s swelling for some time as this gentleman ,

w a s m aking his usu al rounds by the light of a

ta per in the de ad o f night h e witne sses th e fi rst

,

app arition in a situ ation pre gn ant with a sso

c i atio ns O f th e dece ased The app a rition m
. a
y
have been an illusion sugges te d at first by some
,

outline s indi stinctly seen ; or it may h av e been ,

and it i s more prob able to h ave be e n an h allu ,

c i na ti o n excit e d by the associ ation o f ide a s in a

p er son whose s ys te m was in a disordered st ate .

T h at con nection o f ide as simil a r or di s simil ar ,

,

which i s acquired by h abit o r other w ise so that ,

o ne o f th e m i n w h atever m anner we m
,
a v become

conscious o f it will suggest and give r i se to th e

,

others without the intervention of a volunta ry

,

a ction of th e mind is fa mi li ar to most p e r sons

,
.

The a ssoci ation which the m ind h abitu ally

forms bet w e e n certain obj ects and scenes and ,

persons connected with them i s mo st evident ,

when a separation h as been e ff ected by de a th or

 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 22 1

remov al to a distance and as i s w ell known and

,
-
,

h as prob ably been p ainfully exp e rienced by mos t

person s when the min d h as been r allying from a
,

s ta t eo f ab str a ction o r reverie the S ight of some

,

obj ect , or an indistinct soun d , which during the

fu ll activity of the fa cultie s would not h av e been
reg arded or would simply h av e suffi ced to arouse
,

an ordin a ry remini sc e n ce will c ause to fl ash

,

athw a rt the mind a vivid a nd startling im age o f

,

the dece ased or far di st ant on e .

We well r e member s ome ye ars ago when a ,

fellow student with wh om we had be e n o n very

-
,

intim ate term s w as cut off after a few d ays illne ss

,
’
.

H e had be e n in the h abit of sp e nding much tim e

in ou r rooms For some months after his de ath
.
,

p a rt icul arly when we aried with study a slight ,

noi se in th e p assage o r at the door of the room

h as given rise to so vivid an impression th at h e
was appro aching o r at the door th at it h as
, ,

required an eff ort of the m ind to quell the h allu

ci nati on .

The apparition which M H oefer witne ssed .

w as most prob ably an h allucin ation o f this kind

the corridor and position in which it occurred

, ,

rec alling to m e mory in all th e vividn e ss of r eality

, ,

th e form a nd line a ments o f th at d e ce ased frien d

w h o h a d formerly frequente d it along with him .

We have alre ady seen an instance of a some

22 2 F IE NDS GH O S T S AND
, , sp e r m s .

wh at simil ar ch a r ac ter in th e account given in a

,

previous p aper o f the a pp a rition of a fa ther the n ,

a live , but ab sent at ch urch to h is d aughter at ,

home I n th at c ase the app arition w as ex cite d

by the sight o f the armch air gen e rally occupied
.

by th e old g e ntlem an and connec ted with i t

,

a lone the a ssoci a tion o f the ide as b e ing obvio u s ;

,

a nd th e s ta t e o f the br a in forming so to s pe ak , ,

t he substra tum of the h allucin ation w a s induced ,

by une asin e ss c au se d bv a he avy thunder s torm -

acting o n a fram e d e bili tated by fever .

Th e a pp ari t ion of th e following night which ,

w a s seen a l s o by P rofes sor O eder w as so far a s , ,

M H oefe r w a s concern ed a modific ation o f th e

.
,

h a llucin a tion o f the preceding nigh t prom p ted by ,

t h e be he f th at the a pp arition he h ad witnessed w as

s up e rn a tura l ; and the preci se simil ari ty o f th e

a pp a ri tion pro fes sed to h a ve b e en seen by M O e .

der, to th at seen by M H oefer o n t h at a nd th e

.

preceding night would le ad to the su spicion th at

,

in t he former gentlem a n it w as a trick of the

im agin ation alone — a suspicion confirmed by th e
,

s ubs e quent progress o f the ta le .

P rofe ssor O eder brooded upon the app arition he

h a d witnessed a nd it i s impor ta nt to m
, ,
a rk m a d e ,

e v ery ende avour for some time to obta in a second

sigh t of i t b u t fa i led un ti l w e a ried o u t with hi s

, ,

frui tless research he ceased to hun t after i t

,
.
 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 223

Fourte e n d ays afterwards he st ates that he w as

,

suddenly and rud ely a wak e ned by some extern a l

mo tion (w hich i s evident ly an after conclu sion -

derived from wh at fol low e d ) a nd saw the app a ,

ri ti o n o f Do e ri e n st a nding by the cloth e s pre ss -

.

I n other w o rds h e awok e sudd e nly o u t of a

,

troubled s le ep and in the tr an si t ion st ate bet “een

,

s leeping and w aking in wh ich th e mental im ag e s

,

a re a s brigh t a nd d e fin ed a s in dre a m s the su b ,

j c e t which h a d occu pi e d hi s mind so m uch of l ate

w as pre se nted b e fore him in a visibl e form A s it .

no t u nf re q u e ntlv h app e ns when a dre a m has m a d e

a po w e rful impre s sion o n th e mind it is rep e at e d ,

ag a in s o o n th e fo l lo w ing night M O e de r s h allu

’
, .

c i nati o n occurr e d but wi th the a ddition of a slight

,

cre aking noi se of the cloth e s pre ss door -

.

O ed e r w a s now fully convince d of th e super

n atural ch arac ter O f hi s vi sitant a nd wh en the ,

s p e c tre a g a in a ppe a red to him which w a s a fter a

,

period of ei g ht d ay s he h aving adop ted th e op i

,

nion at th at period very pr e valent Of tro ubled ,

spirits proceeded to inquire a s to the c ause o f i ts

,

vi sit ation s ; and n oticing a white tob acco pipe i n -

the S pirit s mouth and knowi ng th a t the dec ea sed

’
,

Doeri en ha d left so me d e bt s to th e a mount o f

“

a few do lla r s , h e a sked A re y o u perh aps owing

,

”
fo r t o bacco ! whereupon the spirit di sappe ared .

H ere then we find an h allu c in ati on either in th e ,

224 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

dre aming or waking state presenting the preci se ,

s imili t ude o f
’
th e P rofessor s opinions a nd con

c e ti ons respecting the possible c ause of th e

p
spectre .

The following night wh en the spectre appeared

,

ag ain a frien d was with O eder but this friend

, ,

“ ”
saw n othing fur ther th an some thing white ,

n o very extr aordin ary sight in a room which h ad

white walls an d w as no t perfectly d ark
, .

From this time O eder used a night l a m p and -

,

the spectre no more appe a red but by cert ain ,

sen s ation s and noises he kne w it w as in the ap art

ment .

The invisibility of the spectre when the light ,

w as pre sent would indic ate th at a sen satio n of

,

light excited in the eye bv a disordered sta te of

the he ad such as we h ave f ully dwelt upon in a
,

previous p art of th e work pl ayed an important ,

part of the hallucin ation ; and the di sturbed sleep

for so m any nights and une asy sen sation s poin t
, ,

to a circumstan ce which we h ave not yet a llud e d

to th at the P rofessor s he alth w as not in good
,
’

condition —the prob able cau se of the whole series

,

of h allucin ations .

Th e un e asy sens ations ce ased the light w as ,

disp e nsed wi th the spectre ag ain came but it

, ,

w as d a rk e r and cont ained a n ew S ign i n its h and

, ,

which by following ou t a simil ar course of reason

,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 225

ing as u p on the tob acc o pipe and by long ru i -

,
m
n ating and in q uiring the P rofessor puzzled out
,

to signify s ome paintings belonging to a m agic

l ante rn which Doeri en h ad received on tri al

before his de ath and which h ad not b een returned
,
.

They were so ught up sent to their rightful ,

O w n e r and the app arition v anished to return no

,

more .

I t is to be remembered th at this story like ,

most others o f a similar nature, has been w ritten

under a fu ll belief of the supern atural ch a r acter
o f the ap paritions and it h as received a colouring
,

a ccordingly ; and ou r comments su ffi ce to sho w

th at n o c are no attempt h as been m ade by the

, ,

ghost seer to asc e rta i n ho w much the appa ritions

-
,

might depend u pon some illusion or h allucin ations

connecte d wi th his bodily h ealth The progress of .

the tale fur ther shows th at th e app arition s occurred ,

in both M H oefer as well a s P rofe ssor O ede r s

.
’

c ase in conn e ction with symptom s o f di sordered

,

h ealth and th at they add e d n othing to wh at these

,

g entlemen kn ew o r could work ou t as M O eder

, , .

did by hi s ow nre ason and j udgment ; in sh ort

, ,

that they w e re simple im ages of id e a s th e y alre ady ,

po ss ess e d or arrived at from the inform ation they

ob tain e d .

O ther source s o f er ror in the j udgment could

be pointed out and other c auses of i llu sion and
,

Q
2 26 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND S P B I TEB.

h allu cination in the ab ove tale, but we h ave writ

ten su fli c ie nt to S ho w i ts worthl e ssness .

O ne of the most formidable obj ections to the

majority of ghos t stories of this nature is the insu f
-

fici enc y of the authority upon wh ich they are given .

I n many insta nces we cannot trace them satis

factorily to the i r o rigi n ; in others we have
m
,

re ceived the after they h a ve p assed through the

han ds of se ve ral persons ; and i n still more (as in

the ta les we h ave j ust an alysed ) there is intrinsic
e vidence that no ende avour h as been m a de to

obviate or elicit the sources o f fallacy to which the

gh ost seer has bee n exposed and diminish as

-

m
,

uch as p ossi b le the chanc es of error .

The story of the L ast H o u rs of L ord Lyttle

”
ton i s a singularly interesting ex ample of a
ghost-story based upon insu ffi cient a uthority , an d
,

p ro b ably also upon a trivial circumstance , recei v

ing almost u nivers al credence ; and it shows ,

moreover how readily the superstitious feelings

,

of the listeners will lead them to receive without

due e x am i nation tales which in themselves may
,

be utterly void of satisfactory found atio n ; and

induce the mto reta i l subsequently an account
which h as probab ly received its precision and
c olouri ng from their imaginations alone .

O ft as the story h as been told we are neces si

,

ta ted ag ain to quote it in part in order to sho w

,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 227

more full y the nature of the authority u p on wh ich

it depends .

A gentlem an who w as on a visit to L o rd Lyt

,

I w as at P itt Place E psom wh en Lord , ,

L yttleton died ; Lord Fortescue Lady Flood , ,

and the two M iss Am p h letts were also p resent ,

.

Lo rd Lytt leton h ad not long been returned from

I reland an d fre quently had b een seized with su f
,

foca ti ng fits ; he was attacked severa l times by

them i n the course of the preceding month while ,

he w as at his hous e i n H ill S treet , B erkeley

S qu are I t happened th at he d re a mt three days
.
,

before hi s death , th at he saw a fluttering bird ;

an d afterw ards that a woman appe ared to hi mi n
,

white apparel an d s aid to him P rep are to die

, ,
‘

,
’
you will not exist three d ays H is L ordship wa s
.

much alarmed and ca lled to a serv an t from a

,

clo set adj oining who foun d h i mmuch agitate d

, ,

and in a profuse perspiration : th e circumsta n ce

had a considerable e fl ec t all th e next day on h is

'

Lordship s spirit s
’
O n the third day whil e h is
.
,

L ord ship w as at bre ak fast with the above person

ages he said I f I live over to night I shall h ave
, ,
-
,

j oc k i e d the ghost for this i s the third da

, y Th e .
’

whole p arty pre s ently set off for P itt Pl ace where ,

they had not long arrived before hi s Lordship w as

vi s ited by one of his accustomed fits ; after a short
Q 2
 FIENDS GH O S T S
, ,
A ND SPRI T ES .

’
inte rv al h e recovered H e dined at fi ve o clock
, .

th at day an d wen t to bed at eleven , when hi s

,

serv ant w as about to give him rhub arb and mint

wa ter ; but hi s Lordship perceiving h im sti r it
with a t ooth pick c alled h im a slovenly dog and
-
, ,

bade him go and fetch a tea spoon ; but o n the -

’
m an s return he found h is m as ter in a fit an d the
, ,

pillow being pl aced high his chin bore h ard upon

,

h i s neck when the se rv ant in stead of relievi ng

, ,

h is L ordship o n the instan t from hi s p erilous

situation ran in his fright and called out for help
, ,

”
b ut o n his return he foun d his Lordship dead .

The circumstances attending the a pparition as ,

rel ated by L ord Lyttl e ton a ccordi ng to the sta te

,

ment of a rel ative o f Lady Lyttleton s , were as ’

follows
TW O nigh ts before o n his retiring to bed a fte r
, ,

h is s ervant w as dismis sed an d his light ex t i n

u i she d he h a d hea rd a n oise re se mbling t h e
g ,

flutteri ng o f a dove at hi s chamber window Th i s .

a ttra cted h i s atten tion to the spot ; when looking ,

in the direction o f the sound he saw the figure of ,

a n unh appy fem ale who m he had s e duced and de

s e rte d a nd who when deserted h ad put a violent

, , ,

end to her own exis ten ce sta nding in the aperture

,

Of t he w indow from w hich the fluttering soun d had

proceeded The form appro ached the foot of the
.

be d th e room w as pretern atura lly light the obj ec ts

, ,
 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 229

of the ch a mber were distinctly visible ; raising her

head and po i nting to a di al which stood on the
mantel piece of t he ch imney , the figure with a
-
,

severe solemnity of voi ce and manner announ ced ,

t o the a ppalled and conscience stricken man th at -

,

a t th at very hour on th e third da a fter the visita

, y
tion his life and h is sins would be concluded an d
, ,

nothi ng but their puni sh ment rem ain if he avai led ,

h ims elf not of the w arning to repentance which he

h ad received The eye of L ord Lyttleton gl anced
.

upon th e di al the h and was upon the stroke o f

,

twelve ; aga in the ap a rtment was involved in total

darkness the w arn ing spirit di s appeared a nd b o re
, ,

a way at her d ep a rture all the li gh tn es s of h eart

a nd buoy a ncy o f spiri t ready flow of w i t an d

, ,

vivacity of m ann er wh ich had formerly b ee n the

,

p ride and ornament Of the unh appy b e ing to

whom sh e had delivered her tremendous su m
mm o s.
”

From a p assa g e in the M emoirs of S ir Nath ani al

Wraxall it would see m th at th e sole a uthority for
,

th e above story w as h i s Lordshi p s va le t-de

’

c ha mbre for he w rites

,

D i ning at P itt P lace abo ut four ye ars after

,

the death of Lo rd Lyttl e ton in the ye ar 1 7 83 , I

,

h ad the cu riosity to v is it the b edch a mber where ,

the cas emen t w in do w at which L ord L yttleton

-
,

as serted the dove appeared to flutter was p oin ted

,
23 0 F IE N DS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

ou t to me ; an d at hi s ste p mother s th e D o wager ’

,

’
Lady L yttle ton s , i n P ortugal S treet G rosveno r ,

S qu are I have fre q uently seen a p ainting which she

mm
,

herself e x ecuted , i n 1 7 80 ex p ressly to com e o

,

rate the event ; i t h ung in a conspicuous part of

h er drawi ng room -
There the dove ap pears at the
.

window, while a female fi gure h ab ite d in white, ,

sta nds at the foot of the b ed ann ouncing to L ord ,

L yttleton his dissolution E very p art of the p ic .

tu re was faith fully d esi gned af ter the descrip tion

m
,

gi ven to her by the va let-de- cha b re who a ttended

hi mt, o who mhi mt s as er rela ted al l the ci rcum
”
sta nc es .

I n addition it would app ea r ac cording to Lo rd ,

Forte scu e th at th e only foundatio n u p on which

,

this s to ry rests i s as follows

,

“
I heard Lo rd Forte scu e on ce say writes a ,

friend o f S ir Wal ter S cott, that he w as in the

house with him (L ord L yttleton ) at the tim e of
th e su pposed visi ta tion an d h e mentioned th e ,

following circ u msta nces as the only founda ti on

for the e x t raordina ry su pe rstructure at which th e
world has wondered —A woman of th e party had
one day lost a favo u rite bird and all th e men ,

tri ed to recover it for her S oo n after on assem .

,

b ling at breakfast Lord Lyttleton complained of

,

having p as se d a very b ad night, and having bee n

w orried in his dream s by a re p etition of the chase
 GH O S T S TO RIES
-
. 23 1

of th e H is
’
lady s b ird . death followed , as stated
i n the
I t would s eem highly p ro b able therefore, that
m
,

this story has bee n framed m uch after the sa e

“ ”
fashio n as that of the three bla ck crows an d ,

the singular diff eren ces which we fin d i n the

v ersions we have gi ven , fu lly con fi rm th is vie w .

Co nnecte d with the foregoing sto ry is another

of the a pparition o f Lo rd L yttleton , on the night

o f hi s dea th to M iles P eter A n drews one of hi s

most intim ate fri ends Th is a pp arition occurred

, ,

at D artfo rd M ills where M r A n d rews was then

, .

sta ying and do ub tl es s i n i ts origin and mode O f

, ,

development the story is in eve ry re sp ec t si milar

,

’
to that o f L o rd L yttleton s .

The M arch n umber of H ousehold Words 1 ”

,
'

for 1 85 3 contains a ghost-story which e x hi b its

,

another form of the belief d iff eri ng from tho se ,

wh ich we have al ready dwelt u p on an d it i s

i nte rest i ng fro mi ts com pa ratively re cent
,

renc e , an d from i ts having to a certai n e x te nt

re ce i v ed the con fi rmation of a la w court - .

I n the colon y of New S outh Wales at a plac e ,

ca lle d P enri th di sta nt from S ydney about thirty

,

se ve n miles lived a farmer n amed Fi sher

, He .

D em on ology and Wi tc hcraft 2 nd E .

"
d p 3 5 0 note .
, .
, .

1 H ousehold Words ”
C ondu cted b y C harles Di ckens
.
,

March 1 85 3 p 6
, , . .
 232 FIENDS GH O S T S, AND SPRI TES
, .

was unm arried about forty five years old, and

,
-

h i s l an ds an d stock were worth not less th an

£400 0 S uddenly Fisher dis appe ared an d a
.
,

neighbour named S m ith gave out th at he

, ,

h ad gone to E ngl an d for t wo o r th ree ye ars and ,

produced a written docu ment authorizing him to

ac t as his agent during his a bsen ce A s Fish e r
w as an eccentric m
.

a n, this sudden depa rture did

not crea te much su rp rise and it w as declared to ,

“ ”
be exactly like him .

About six months a fter Fisher s dis app ear ’

ance an O ld m
,
an called Ben Weir w h o h ad a ,

sm all farm near P enrith a nd who alw ays drov e

his own cart to m arket w as retu rning fro m
,

S ydney o ne night when he beheld , seated on a

,

rail which bounded th e road Fisher The nig ht

m
.

w as ver
y d a rk, a nd the di s ta n
c e of the f enc e f ro

the m iddle of the roa d wa s a t leas t twelve y a rds .

Weir nevertheless saw Fisher s fi gure se ated on

, ,
’

the rail H e pulled his old m are up and c alled

.
,

“ ”
ou
t F isher i s that you ! N o a n swer w as

m
.
” ,

re tu rnei rf but th ere

. still o n the rail
,
sa t the for ,

of th e m ai n w ith whom he had be en o n the most

intim ate term s Weir who w as not dru nk ,
.
,

though h e hli d h ad several glasses of strong

t
liquor, j um p ed O ff h i s cart and appro ached the ,

rail To h i s s u rp rise , the form van ished

. .

We i r noti ced t h at the gh os t was m arked by a

 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 23 3

”
cruel g ash on the forehe a d and th at there was ,

the appeara nce of fresh blood about it ; and

before le aving the spot he m arked it by b reaking
,

se v e ral b ran ches of a sap ling close by .

O n returning h ome he told h is story to h i s

wi fe who ho wever told h im that he w as drunk,
, , ,

and ri di c ul ed hi m .

O n the follo w ing Th ursday night whe n old ,

—
Be n w as returning fro m m arket again in his ,

cart ,— h e saw seated upon th e s ame ra il the ,

identical app arition H e had purp osely abstained

.

fro m drinki ng that day an d w a s in the full ,

p ossessio n of all his sen ses .

Weir again told hi s wife o f the app arition , to

be aga in ridiculed by her, and he rem ark ed ,

S mi th is a bad un l DO y ou think Fisher

wo u ld ever h ave left this country without coming
to bid y ou an d me good bye -

The next morning Ben waited o n a M r .

G rafton , a j u stice of the peace who lived near to ,

him and told hi s tale The m agistra te was at first

, .

disposed to tre at the a ccount lightly, but after

consideration h e s u mmoned one of the aborigin al
,

n atives and at sunri se met Weir at the plac e

,

where the app arition had occurred and which w as ,

s u ffi ciently m arked by the dead and b roken

branches O f th e s apling .

The rail was found to b e stained in several

 234 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

places , and the n ative without any previou s ,

intim ation of the obj ect o f th e se arch w as ,

directed to ex amine them and h e S hortly pro ,

w hi te m
“ ”
nou nced them to be
’
a n s blood and ,

search ing about he poin ted out a spot whereon a

,

“
body h ad been l aid No t a single shower of
.

rain had fallen for several months previously — not ,

s ufficient to lay even the dust upo n the r oads .

N otw ith s tanding this however the native su c

c ee ded in tracking th e foots teps o f one m
, ,

an to

the unfre q uented side of a pond at some di stan ce .

H e ga ve it as h i s opinion that another man had

been dragged thither The s av age w alked round
.

and round the pond e agerly ex am ining i ts,

borders and the sedges and weeds springing u p

,

a round it . a —
A t first h e seemed b fll ed no clue ,

h ad b een washed ashore to S h ow that an ythi ng

unusual h ad b een sunk in th e p ond ; but havi n g
fin ished this ex am inati on , he laid himself do w n
on h i s f ace and l ooked keenly along the surfa ce
,

of the s mooth and stagnant w a ter P resently h e .

j umped up utte red a cry p eculia r to the n atives

,

when gratified by fi nding some long sought obj ect, -

clapped h i s h ands an d pointi ng to the m iddle O f

the p ond to whe re th e d ecomposition of so m
,

, e
sunken substance had produ ced a slimy c o ating
streaked with prism atic colours , h e excla imed,
m
Whi te a ns f a t ’
Th e pond was imm e di ately
 GH O S T S TO RIES
- . 235

searched ; and, below the s p ot indicated, the

rem ains of a body were discovered A large .

stone and a rotted s ilk h an dkerchief were foun d

”
ne ar the body these h ad b een used to sink it .

B y the teeth and buttons upon the w aistco at the

, ,

body w as identified as th at of Fish er S mith was .

a rrested an d upon this evidence , tried before th e

, ,

late S ir Fran cis Forbes, found guil ty sentenced to ,

d e ath, and h ung ; but p revious to the execution ,

“
he confes sed th at he and h e alone committed, ,

the murder and th at it w as u p on the very rail

,
’
where Weir swore th at h e had seen Fisher s
ghost sit ting and th at he had knocked out
,

”
Fi sher s b rains with a tom ahawk
’
.

We quote this story as an in teresting ex ample

of one of the best an d most consistent o f the

tal e s of this kind although it i s p robable th at a

,

mo re thorough investiga tion of the circumstan ces

con nected with it, would sh ow an origi n of a
“
nat ure simi lar to that o f the L ast H ours of Lord
”
L yttleton .

S everal statements in the story require con

m
fir a ti on an d throw doubt u p on the whole
, .

“ ”
The assertion th at Weir o n a very d ark ,

night saw sea ted upon a rail at a distance of

, ,

tw elve y ards a resemblance o f Fisher which he

,

took to be real and w as not aware of the actual

,

nature of the a pp earan ce until h e advanced

236 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T E S
, , .

towards it is a sta tement too improb able to be

,

w orthy o f cred e nce unless suppor ted by other

a nd less obj e c tion able evidence ; and notw i th
standing the extraordin ary degree to which th e
vi sual and other senses :of the abori gin a l n atives
are as we are aw are ofte n developed yet th at
, , ,

they will enable them to s tate th at an old blood

stain is produced by the blood of a white m an ,

or that a n iridescen t scum flo ating at a distance

o n w a ter i s produced by the fat of the white m an ,

are statements which cannot be admitted without

strong confirm atory evidence .

I t not unfre q uently h appen s that dre ams ap

pear to foresh adow events the occurrence of ,

which could not be an ticipated by the reasoning

faculti es M any of the insta nces recorded of this
.

kind are after conclu sion s founded upon imper

-

fec tly remembered dre a ms a nd are con sequently ,

worthless S uch for ex a mple i s the sto ry sta te d

.
, ,

b y M rs Crowe of a gentlem a n who has several

.

times been conscious on aw aking th at h e h ad

been conversing with some one whom he h as ,

been subsequently startled to hear had died at that

O ther dreams h ave received a verifi cation fro m

the natural results of the dreamer s supersti tio us ’

foll y .

0p . ci t. , p . 1 42 .
 D REA MS . 237

M rs C rowe h as quote d the following examp le

.

from a conti nenta l ne w sp aper

“
A letter fro m H amburg contains the follow
ing curious story rel ative to the verific atio n of a
dream I t appe ar s th at a locksmith s a pprentice
.
’
,

o ne morning l ately inform ed his m aster ( C l aude

,

S oller ) t h a t o n th e previous night h e dreamt th a t

,

he h ad been as sassin ate d on th e road to B ergs

dorfi a little to w n at ab o ut two hours dista n ce
'
’
,

from H a mburg Th e mas ter lau ghed at the

.

young m an s credulity and to prove that h e

’
,

himself h ad lit tle fait h in dre ams i nsiste d upon ,

sending hi m to B e rgsdorfl, with 1 40 ri x doll ars

which he owed to his brother i n law - -

who r esided in the town The a ppre ntice after .

,

in vain imploring his master to change h is inta n

tion w as co mpelled to set out at about eleven
,

o clock O n arriving at the village of B i llwaerder

’
.
,

a bou t h alfway between H a mburg and B erg s

do rfl h e r e collecte d his dream with te rror but
'

p e rc e iving the b aillie o f the vi lla ge at a little

di stance talking to some o f h i s workmen he ,

a c co sted him a nd acqu a in t ed him with his si n

,

gu lar dream at the sa me time reque sting th at

, ,

a s he h ad money a bout h is person o ne o f his ,

workmen m ight be allowed to a ccompany hi m for

protection acro s s a sm all wood which lay i n hi s
w ay . The b aillie smiled and in obedience to ,
23 8 F IE N DS GH O S T S
, , AN D sp e r m s
.

hi s orders one of the men set ou t with hi s young

,

apprentice . Th e next day the corpse of the

latter w as conveyed by some p easants to the
b ai llie along with a reap ing hook , which h ad bee n
,
-

foun d b y h i s side, and with which th e throat of

the m u rdered youth h ad been cut The b aillie .

imme diately recogn ized the instrument as one

w hich he had on the p revious day given to the
’
workman who h ad served as the apprentice s
g uide , for the p u rpose o f p runing some willows .

Th e workman was apprehended an d on bein g ,

co nfron te d with the body of hi s victim m ade a f ull

c onfe ssion of his c rim
,

c adding th at the recital of

,

the dream had al one p rom p ted h im to commit the

horrible act The as sassin who is thirty five
.
,
-

yea rs of age w as a n ative of Billwaerder and p re

, ,

vi ou sl
y to the per p etration of the m urder had
m
,
”
always ho e an i rreproachab le ch a racter .

I t is well know n that sensations from w ithout

w ill not only frequently excite dreaming but will ,

also ofte n determine the ch aracter of the dreams .

The following story i s evidently an example of

a dream of this nature .

O n the 3 oth J uly 1 85 3 the dead b ody of a

, ,

young woman was di scovered in a field at L ittl e

port in the I sle o f E ly There could be little
,
.

doubt that the woman had been murdered ; and

at the adjo u rned inquest held before M r W . .
 D REAMS . 239

M arshal l, th e coroners for the isle, on the

one of

2 9 th A ugust the following e x tr aordinary evidenc e

,

w as gi ven
“ J am es J s o
e s p a n elderly res p
, ectable —
looking
lab ourer with a face of the most p erfect stolidity ,
,

and who posses se d a most curio u sly sha p ed skull ,

broad and flat at the tO p an d proj ecting greatly,

on e ach side over the ears deposed I live ab out

a furlong and a half fro mwhere th e b ody was
,

found . I have seen the b ody of the deceased .

I h ad never seen her be fore her death O n the .

n ight of Friday the 2 9 th of J ul y, I drea mt three

,

successive times th at I heard the c ry of murder

i ssuing fro m n ear the bottom of a close c alled
L ittle Ditch m ent C lose (the p lace where th e body

w as found ) The fi rst time I dre a mt I he ard th e

.

cry, it woke me I fe ll asleep a g ain and dreamt

.
,

the same a g ain I then woke a g ain , and told my

.

wife. I co ul d not res t ; but I dreamt it again

afte r that I got up b etween four or five o clock ,
.
’

but I did not go down to the C lose, the wheat

and b arley in which have since been cut I .

dreamt on ce about twenty years ago th at I saw

, ,

a woman h angi ng i n a b arn an d o n p assing the

,

next morning the barn which appe ared to me in

my dr eam , I entered, an d did fin d a woman there
hangi ng and cut her do w n j ust in time to s ave
,

her life I never told my wife I heard any crie s

.
2 40 F IE ND S GH O S T S, , AND SPRI T ES .

of murder but I have mentioned it to several

,

p erson s since I saw the b ody on the S aturd ay

m
.

it w as found I did not mention my drea to

.

any one till a day or tw o after th at I saw the .

field disti nctly in my dream and the trees thereon , ,

but I sa w n o person in i t O n the night of .

the murder the wind lay from th at s p ot to my

”
h ouse .

R hod a J essop wi fe o f the last witness stated

, ,

th at h er husb and rel ated his dreams to her on ,

the evening of th e day the body wa s

I t i s highly prob able th at in th is insta nce the
, ,

screams of the unfortun ate wom an borne upon ,

the wind were the exciting cause of the dreams

, ,

and the direction from which th e soun d came

woul d be su fficient to call u p th e a ssoc iated idea
of th e fields in which the murder occurred Th e .

powerful impres sion m ade upon the mind o f the

man according to his own a ccount, will su fli c i
,

ently account for th e repetition of th e drea m s ;

a nd the s tatement th at the p ar ticul ars of the
dream were not related until after the finding o f
the body m ust induce a little caution to th e
,

rec eption of the above version as an actual d e tail

o f the fa ct s o f th e case This remark a pplies .

also to the dre a m inte rpol a ted i n the evidence .

A mong the mo st vivid an d connected dream s ,

“
Notes and Qu ries V l VIII p 28 7
a:
”
e . o . .
, . .
 D RE AMS . 2 41

are those e x cited by a d om in ant or absorbing

train of thought which h as engaged th e min d
,

during waking hours or by p owerful or p rotracted

,

emotion .

M Boismont rel a tes a dre a m , whi ch he co n

.

c e i v es i s to b e classed among the inex p licable p heno

m ena of this nature , b ut which , with all deference

to th a t distinguished psychologi s t i s rather to be ,

p laced in the category we have j ust n amed .

M i ss R , gift ed with an exce llent j udgment and

.
,

reli gious without bigotry lived before her mar

, ,

ri age, at th e hous e of a n uncle a celebrated ,

physici an and a member of the I nstitu te S he

, .

was a t that time se para ted from h er mother wh o ,

had been a ttac ked in the country , by a se vere

,

llne ss . O ne n ight this young l ady drea med th a t

,

he saw her moth e r before her p ale disfigured , , ,

b o u t to render the la st breath a nd s howing p ar,

ti c u larly lively gri e f at no t being surrounded by her

child ren o f whom one curé of one o f the p a rishe s

, ,

in P a ris had e migra ted to S pa in an d the o ther w as

, ,

in P a ris P re sently sh e h eard her call upon h er

.

m a ny times by her Christi a n name ; w hereu pon

the person s wh o surrounded her mother suppos ing ,

th a t sh e called her gra nd daugh ter who bore th

-
,

sa me n a m e went to see k her in the neighbouring

,

r oom but a S ign fro mthe invalid app ris e d th e m

,

t ha t it w as no t the gran d-d augh ter b t the , u

 242 FIENDS GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI T ES .

daughter who resided in P aris that sh e wi shed to

,

see . H er appearance expressed th e grief she felt

at her absence ; suddenly her features ch anged ,

became covered with the paleness of dea th, and

she fell without life on the b ed .

The lady had died during th at night an d i t was

subsequently ascertained th at the circumstan ces
delineated in the dream simulated those which
,

had occurred by the death -b ed .

f
What are the circum stances o this case — A
—
mother d angerously ill her children away fro m
home Wh at more likely to occur to a child cogni
.

sant of these facts than the train of thought

,

which engendered and c aused this dream ! Th e

events attending a de ath bed scene under such
-

circumstances were all b ut inevita b le and we ,

cannot j ustifi ably consider th i s case in any

, ,

O th er light than tha t of a sim p le coi nci

( le nc e .

M any physiol ogists and me ta p hysician s are of

opinion and there i s m uch ground for the be lief

, ,

t h at every sen sation which has been a ctuall y ex

eri ence d, ma
y b e come th e subject o f perception
p
a t some fut u re time , although in the interval all

trace of i ts exis tence m

, ,

a
y h ave been lost and it ,

i s beyon d th e power of the will to rec all .

The phenomen a upon which this opi nion has

been principally founded h ave been Observed in
,
 D RE A M S . 2 43

the delirium of certain feb ri le di seases, an d i n

dreaming .

T h e re i s a case on record of a woman , who ,

during th e delirium of fever repe ate d long ,

p assages in th e H ebrew an d Chaldaic tongu es .

When i n healt h sh e was perfectly ignorant of

th ese langu a ges an d it was as certained , that the
senten ces she spoke in h er delirium were correct ,

p assages from known wri ters in them I t w as .

subs eq uently di scovered , th at at one peri od of

her life sh e h ad li ve d with a clergym an who w as
in the habit of walking up and down the pass age,
reading aloud from H eb rew and Chald aic works ,
an d it w as the sensations thus derived an d ,

retained un consciously to herself which had been ,

revi vi fi e d by the changes induc e d during the pro

gres s of th e fever .

A case i s also recorded b y D r A ber crombie , i n

.

“ ”
which a servant girl who h ad manifeste d no ear
-

for, or pleasure i n music during slee p w as he ard to

m
,

i ita te th e sounds of a violin ev e n th e tuning,

,

a nd to perform m ost complicated an d d iffi cult

pieces of music This girl had sle p t for some
.

time and much to her annoyance , in a roo m

,

a djoin i ng that occu p ied by an itineran t violinist

who was somewhat of an enthusiast in h is art ,

and w as accu stom ed to spend a po rt ion of the

night i n p racti sing di ffi c u lt pie ce s of mus ic often ,

R 2
2 44 FIEND S GH O S T S
, , AND SPRI TES .

p reventing this female from sleeping The mus i c .

sh e had th us h eard registered in the mind

, so to ,

spe ak, was re p eated un con sciously during the

, ,

disturb ed action of the brain conse q uent u po n

i mperfect he alth and dreaming .

The p rinci p le wh ich h as been deduced from

th ese an d simil a r cases gives a ready explanation
,

to n umerous stories which it has been customary

to regard as coming within the pale of th e

su p e rnatural .

Those insta n ces i n which du ring a dream the

, ,

p laces i n which documents of v alue which had ,

been lost or mispl aced h ave been reve aled are

, ,

e xam p les of re vivi fie d sen s ations which h ad bee n

lost sight of an d Of which the return had bee n
,

determined b y the p rotracte d e x ercise of the mind

to recover the missing traces .

S ir W alter S cott in h is notes to The A nti

,
“

q u ar,y relates the following highly interestin g

illustration
“
Mr R
. d of Bow land a gentlem an of
, ,

la nded property in the vale o f G ala wa s prose ,

outed for a very considerable sum the ac cu mu ,

l ated arre ars o f ti end (or tithe ) for which he w as ,

s aid to be indebted to a noble fa m ily the titul ars ,

l
( ya i m ro ri eto rs of the ti thes
p p ) M r R d . .

w as s trongly impressed with th e b eli ef th at h i s ,

father had by a form of proces s p eculi ar to the

,
 DREA MS . 2 45

la w of S cotlan d , p urchas ed those lands from th e

titula r ; and therefore that the prese nt p rose ou

,

tion w as groundless B ut after an in dustri ou s

.

searc h a m ong his fa ther s pa p ers an investigati on

’
,

of th e public reco rds an d a carefu l inquiry amo ng

,

all p ersons who ha d tran sa cted law business for

his father no evidence could b e rec overed to
,

su p port his defen ce The p erio d w as n ow near at

.

hand when h e co nceived th e loss of th e l awsuit to

be inevit abl e and he h ad form
,

, ed h i s determinatio n
to ride to E dinburgh n ext day a nd m ake th e ,

b es t b argain he could in th e wa y of co m p romise .

H e even went to bed with this resolutio n and ,

with all th e circum stances of the ca se flo ating

u p on his m ind had a drea m to the fo llowing
,

pu rp ose .

H i s fath er wh o had been m any years dead

, ,

a pp e a red to him , he th ought and asked him why ,

he w as di stu rb ed in h i s min d I n dre a ms men .

are not su p p ris ed at such a pp aritions M r . .

R — d thought he informe d his fa ther of the

cau se of h is distress, a dding that the pa yment of
,

a considerable su mo f money was the more nu

p leas ant to him beca use h e had a strong con sci
,

ous ne ss that i t was not due though he w a s un able

,

to acq uire a ny evidence in support o f his beli e f

m
.

You are right y so n,

,
re p lied ’
th e pa terna l

sha de ; I did ac q uire ri ght to the se ti ends for ,

246 F IENDS GH O S T S
, , AN D S P B I T ES .

p ayment of which you are now p rosecu ted The .

p ap ers relati ng to the transaction are in the han ds

of M r . a writer (or atto rney) who i s now ,

retire d from p rofession al busin ess and resid es at

,

I nve resk near E dinburgh

, H e w as a p erson
.

whom I em ployed on that occasion for a p articular

reas on, but who never on an y other oc casio n
, ,

transacted busines s on my ac coun t I t i s ve ry .

p ossible p ursu ed th e vi sion , that M r

’

m
.
,

a h ave f or otten a matte r whi ch i s now of a v e ry

y g
old d ate b ut you may ca ll it to his recollectio n
by this token —that when I came to pay h i s
,

ac count there w as difficulty in getting ch ange for

,

a Portugal piece o f gold and that we we re forced

,

’
to d rink ou t the b alance at a ta ve rn .

M r R— d awoke in the m orning with all

.

th e words of the vision imprinted on hi s mind ,

an d thought it worth while to ride acro ss the

c ountry to I nve resk instead of going st raight to
,

E dinburgh Whe n he came there he waited on

the gentlem an m
.
,

enti oned in the dream a very old ,

man ; without saying anyt hing of th e vision he ,

inquired wheth er he remem bered h aving co n

ducted such a matter for hi s deceased father The .

old gent leman could not at fi rst bring the the ci r

cu m stance to hi s re collection but on mention of
,

th e P ortugal pi e ce of gold the whole returned u pon

,

h i s memo ry ; he made an imm ediate search f or

 DRE AMS . 2 47

the p a p ers, and re covered them ; so that M r .

R — d carried to E din b u rgh the documents

nec es sary to gain the caus e whi ch he was on the
v erge of losing .

The au tho r s theory i s, that the dream was

’

only the reca p itulation of in form ation which M r .

R - d had really received fro m h i s f ather wh il

e

in life , b ut which at first be merely recalle d as a

general im p res sion that the clai m w as settled I t .

is not un common for p erson s to recover , d u rin g

sl ee p , the thread Of ideas which they have lost

duri ng waking h ours

It m
.

be added that th i s remarka b le circum

a
y ,

stan ce w as atte nded with bad conseq uences to

Mr R. d whose health and spirits were after
,

w ards im p aired b y the a ttention which he thought

hi mse lf obliged to p ay to the vi sions of the
ni gh t ) ,

A n insta n ce which i s related b y M rs Cro we .

,

rec ei ves i ts expl an ati on also fro m this source .

“
A case occ urre d not m a ny years since i n the
North of Sc otland where a murder having b een
,

c om mitted a man c a m e forward s a yi ng

, , that he ,

had dreamt that the p ack o f the m urdered p edlar

was hidden in a ce rtain spot ; whereon a search ,

b eing made it w as actu ally foun d They at fi rst

, .

co ncluded he w as h i mse lf the a ssassin b ut the

,

rea l c riminal was afte rwards discove re d a nd it

;
24 8 F IENDS GH O S T S
, ,
A ND SPRI T E S .

being as serted though I h ave been told errone

,

o u sl th a t th e two men h a d pass ed some tim e

y ,

together since the murder in a sta te of i n to x ica

, ,

tion it w as decided th at the crim e an d the p lace

, ,

of concealment, had been communi cate d to the

”
pre tended dre amer &c , .

I f the s tatement that th e m urderer an d the

dre amer h ad s pent some time togeth er in a state
of in toxication after the murder had been co m
m
,

i tte d be correct the su p position that the

, ,

murder had be e n com municated to the dreamer ,

forgotten when the state o f intoxic ation had

pass e d away but subsequently recalled during th e
,

progress of a drea m aff ords a n easy and natural

,

expl a n ation of th e whole matte r .

A s a n ex a mple of th a t c lass of dreams which

are ine x plicable but wh ich unfortun ately are of
, , ,

little weight from th e im perfect authority u pon

which they are given and from the fact that the y ,

bea r intrin sic eviden ce O f h avi ng be e n received

wi thout inquiry into the circ u msta nces un der
w hich they occurred an d the fall acies to which ,

the drea mer and subsequent details had been

exposed we quote the followi ng from th e works
,

o the R ev J ohn Wesley

f .
* .

“
A mong the congregation at A mbleside were
a gentlem a n and h i s wife , who g ave me a remark

Ed 1 829 Vol 1v p 2 7 1
.
, . .
, . .
 DRE A MS . 24 9

able relation S he s aid S he h ad often he ard her

.

brother rel ate wh at an intim ate ac q u ainta n ce h ad

,

told her th at her husband w as conc e rned in th e

,

rebellion of 1 7 45 H e w as tried at C arlisle and

.
,

found guilty The e v ening before h e w as to die,

.

sitting and musing in her ch air S he fell fast asleep ,

.

S he dre am e d one came to h er and s aid G o to ,

such a p art o f the w all an d amo ng th e loose ,

stones vou w ill fin d a key wh ich y ou m ust carry ,

to your hu sb and
'

S he w aked ; but thinking it

.
’

a common dre a m , p aid n o a ttention to it P re .

se ntl sh e fell asleep ag ain a nd dreamed the very

y ,

sam e dre a m S he sta rted up p ut on h er clo ak

.
,

and h at an d went to th at part of the w all

, and ,

a mong th e loose stones foun d a key H aving .

,

with some di fficul ty, p rocured a dmission into the

gao l sh e g ave this to her husb an d I t opened
, .

the door o f his cell as well as the lo ok of th e ,

pri son d oor (l) S o at midnight he escaped for

.

”
li fe .

I t i s not un common to fi nd persons asserti n g

that they h ave h ad dreams which h a ve p refigu red
events o ften trivial in th e common run of life
, , .

P rob ably without exception these are irre

, ,

lev ant conclusions : the affi rm ative instances bein g

marked to the total neglect o f the negati ve For
, .

example — A l ady with whom we are acquainte d

w as accusto med to relate a dream which sh e had
2 50 F IEND S GH O S T S
, , AN D S PRI T E S .

had, in which she th o ught that sh e was in the

nursery watching one of her child ren pl ay when ,

suddenly it tripped over the fender and fell against

,

the ribs of the grate , and before it could be extri

cate d the f ace was severely b u rned
, O n the fol
.

lowing day the child sh e h ad seen in h er dream ,

ha p pened to have an a ccident in the nurse ry ve ry

similar to that she had seen occ ur in the dream .

O n inqui ry however it proved that drea ms of

, ,

this n ature respecti ng h er children were quite

usu al to the la dy and that at one time or other
,

she h ad witnessed while sleeping a lmost all those

acciden ts occu r to which infant life i s exposed .

This was the only instan ce in which any one had

app arently co me true ; and u nti l this had occurred
sh e had very p ro perly and correctly a ttributed her

dreams to the anxiety S he n aturally entertained

res p ecting her young famil y .

O f all the divisions, or r ather b ranches of ,

supern atural lore n one h as Obtained more uni

,

versal credence, none h as b een more persistent

m
,

than that of p resenti ents

A history of p resenti m
.

ents would form a curious ,

if not very instructive work and it alone would
,

almost suffi ce to indicate the absur dity of the

belief in i ts m ain features .

We have i nsta nces of high sp i ri ts fore b oding

evil ; low sp i ri ts forebodi ng the same ; sudden
 PRE S E NT IME NT . 251

illness shado wi ng forth calami ty, not to the p erso n

affec ted , but to a companion ; su dden dullness of
si ght pres aging death —indeed a co llection o f these

instan ces would show th at every obscure sensation ,

every v ari ation of emotion or p assion preceding,

an evil occurrence has at one ti me or other b ee n

,

regarded as a presenti ment of th at evil .

J u ng S tilling has so well described the nature

-

of th e fa cul ty of presentiment ,a nd the circum

stances u nder which it is m ost com monly deve

lo p ed th at we cannot do better th an quote the
,

words of that celebrate d write r on this subj ect .

H e writes
As the develo p ed facu lty of pres entiment i s a
ca p ability of ex p eriencing the arr angements whi ch
are m ade in the world of S pirits and ex ecuted i n
,

the v i sible world second sight certainly belongs

,
-

als o under this head A nd as those who p osses s

.

th is cap abili ty are generally simple people, it

agai n follows from h ence that a developed facu lty
,

of presenti ment i s by no means a quality which

b elongs solely to devout and pious p eople or that ,

it should be regarded as a divine gi ft ; I take it,

on the contra ry for a disease of the soul which
, ,

we ought rather to endeavour to heal than p romo te .

H e th at h as a natural disposition for it an d ,

then fi xes his im agination long and intensely, an d

m
therefore agica lly , u po n a ce rtai n o bj ect , ay at m
2 52 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES, , .

length be able with res p ect to this o bject to

, ,

fore s ee things which have reference to it G rave .

diggers n urses and such as are employ ed to

, ,

undres s and S hroud th e dead w atchmen , and th e ,

like a re accustomed to b e continually re fl ec ting

,

on o bj ects which stand in connexion with d eath

an d inte rment ; what wonder therefore if the ir , ,

faculty of p resen ti ment at length develo p itself

on the se subj ects ; an d I am i nclined to mai nta in ,

th at it m a be p romoted by drinking ardent

y
spirits .
“

I n addition to this M rs C rowe remarks , .

I t is worthy of observ ation th at idiots often p o s

sess some gleams o f this faculty of se cond S ight or -

pres enti ment ; and it is pro bably on th is ac co u n t

that they are i n some countries held sacre d .

P resentiment which I think may very prob ably

,

be merely the vague an d im perfect recollection of

wh at we knew in our slee p is often observed in ,

”
drunken people 1 .
'

Cicero 1 after relating the myth of th e ap p a

,

ri ti on o f Tages in E tru ri a a dds , ,

“
But I should i n deed be more foolish than
they who c redit these things i f I seriously argue ,
”
the matter .

E qually fooli sh it would b e for us to attem p t to

Op . ci t , p . 1 82 .
1 Op
'
. ci t , p . 47 0 .

3 De Di vi natione
. et de Fato .
 PRE S EN T IMEN T . 2 53

show the absurdity of the foregoing O p inions ; an d

we fear it woul d be a bootless an d inutile task to
a rgue with those wh o reg a rd the statements of

th e studiously an d transcendentally super stitious

a nd ignora nt the incoherence of the drunk ard
, ,

the depressed feelin gs ex p erien ced a fter a de

b auch or the v ague glea ms of u n dersta nding in
,

an idiot as evidences of communication wi th the

,

s p i rit world
- .

We know two l adies gifted with th e fa culty of

o rdin a ry presentiment a nd who bo ast ( if we m
, a
y
use th at expres sion ) that they are m embers of a
family of which no scion h as died for ye ars
without some supern atur al indica tion of its occur
rence We well remember af ter the in form ation
.

h ad been received by them of the de ath of the

las t male representa tive of one b ran ch of th e
fa mily that they told how on the night of the
,

death they hap pe ned to be awake in bed ; when

ce rta in strange noises were h eard about the bed
“ ”
curtains ,
as of a m ouse scrambling upo n
them and im mediately afte rwards a blow w as
,

struck u pon a large ch est of d rawers which stood

o ppo site the foot of th e bed and th e sound w as
,

as th ough th e che s t h a d been b roken to piece s .

We did not draw th e inference which the ladies

did from this circum stan ce , n amely th at it w as an
,

inti mati on o f the death of their relative , for, u nfor

 2 54 F IENDS GH O S T S AND SP RI TE S
, , .

tunately m
for the ro an tic view of the q uestion ,
w e knew that suc h n ightly occurrenc es as th ese
w ere somewhat co mmon with them , and th at a
sim p le and co mforta b le ho u se in a densely pO p u -

late d ma nufacturing district had b ee n pe o p l ed

b y them with nightly no i ses and sounds audi b le ,

alone to them , to su ch an e x te n t, that the ada pta

tio n o f a prese ntiment to any particular occu r

rence w as a matte r of little di fi c ulty .

We also well re mem be r so me yea rs ago when

, ,

an inf a nt b rother lay d ying that our mother an d

,

the n urs e we re startled i n th e dea d o f night

b y a st ran ge fluttering at th e w indow O n the .

cu rtai n be ing raised the light of the ca ndle show ed

,

a bird flutte ri ng and b eating agai ns t one o f th e

p anes W as it an omen of d ea th , and an em b le
. m
o f th e ha pp y transitio n o f th e b aby -s p i rit to
anoth e r world ! m
A few mo e nts e x am i n atio n
’

soon sho w ed that it was n o s pec tre b i rd , but

a pparently a rob i n , which had been distur be d i n

the darkn ess and was attracted b y the light, and
,

no sooner was t he windo w darkened than it fl ew

away
m
.

Th ree days ago, we sa w a wo an who had be e n

for so me mon ths i n a deli cate state of health .

”
S ir ,
she said ,
what I have most to com p lai n
of i s th at I always feel as if so me grea t e vil w as
m
,
”
a bout to befall myself or fa ily T h i s fee lin g is
.
 P RES ENT IMENT . 2 55

co m mon in a greater or less degree to that de

, ,

pressed sta te of the syste m p receding attacks of

f ebrile an d man y other di seases , an d i s ofte n
m arked in hyp o condri acis m
Who , when suff er
.

ing from S light indis p osition h as n ot often felt thi s

,

feeling of forebo ding of which the low est grade i s

,

e xp ressed i n the ordinary p hras e, low s p iri ts ! -

T hi s feeli ng an d th us derived h as been the sub

, ,

stratu m for th ose v a gue , so ca lled p resentiments

-
,

which constitute the grea t bulk of instan ce s i n that

d oct rine ; an d the fallacy h as been that the mind , ,

mo re readily afi e cted b y affi rmative th an by nega

'

tive ex am p les, has held to the former an d

neglecte d th e lat ter an d deluded itself b y
,

im pe rfect and too contra cted view of the facts .

Boismont th e most recent writer on the doctrin e

,

of p re se ntiments, writes
I n the grea te st n um b er of cases th ey are not ,

real ised ; in th o s e where th e ev ent justi fi es th em ,

they are only a remin is cence—a sim p le coi nci~

den ce — w e adm it all th is I t is not th e less true
.
,

that an u nforeseen event, a strong pre possession ,

g rea t rest le ssn e s s ,

a sudden change i n habits an y ,

fear whatsoev er gives ri se at th e moment to p re

, , ,

sentiments w hi ch it would b e diffi cult to deny by

m
syste ati c
Le t u s e x amine one or two of th e ca ses whi ch
Op . ci t. p . 243 .
256 FIENDS G H O S T S,
, AND S PRI T ES .

w ould le ad so distinguished a p sychi ologi st to give

a certain degree of credence to this belief .

The P rince de Ra dzvil h ad adopted one of hi s

nieces an o rp h a n
, H e inhabited a ch ateau in
.

G alli c i a an d this ch ate au h ad a large h all which

,

sep arated the apartmen ts o f the P rince from th ose

occupied by th e children and in order to com
mu ni cate between the two suites of roo ms it was
,

nece ssarv either to traverse the h all o r the co u rt .

The young A gnes aged from fi ve to si x years

, ,

always uttered piercing cries every time th at they

c aused her to traverse the gre at hall S he indi .

cate d wi t h an e x pression o f terror a n enormou s

, ,

i i cture which w as su s pe nded above th e door and ,

which re p resente d the S ibyl of C uma They .

endeavoured for a length o f time to vanquish this

repugn ance wh ich they attributed to infant obsti

,

n acy ; but as serious accidents h ap pened from thi s

v iolence they ended by p ermi tting her no more to
,

enter the h all ; and th e young gi rl loved bette r ,

during te n or twelve ye ars to t raverse in rain , ,

snow or cold the v ast court or the garden s ra ther

, , ,

th a n p ass under thi s door which made so di s ,

a gree able a n impre s sion upon her .

Th e young C oun tess being of age to m a rry an d ,

alre ady be t rothed t here w as a rece p t ion at the

,

ch ate a u The comp an y in the evening wish e d

.
, ,

a h av e some noisy game ; they went in to the

 PRESEN T IMEN T . 257

great hall wh ere m oreover the nupti al ba ll would

, , ,

be held A nim ated by the young peo p le wh o

surro u n ded her Agnes did not h esitate to ac com
.

pany the guests B u t scarcely had sh e crossed

.

th e th reshold of the door th an sh e wish e d to ,

draw back a nd sh e a vo wed her fear

,
They had .

caus e d her to p ass fi rst a ccording to custo m , ,

h er betro thed friends and uncle laughing at

, , ,

her ch ildishnes s cl osing th e doors u p on her B ut

,
.

the poor young girl wished to resist ; an d i n

sh aking and be at i ng the door caused the picture ,

to fall w h ich was a bove it Thi s enormous m as s

.

b rui sed the hea d by one of i ts corners , and k ill ed

h er immedi atel y .

The s cene of this story i s an Old cas tle i n G al

licia doubtles s li ke all sim il ar p laces h aving
, , ,

a tta ched to it m a ny strange an d wonderful legen ds ,

a nd m an y serv a nts full y imbued with these legends

,

a nd wi th all the fo lk lore which a district li ke G al

-

licia contains We h ave n o info rmation as to w hat

am
.

ount of this lore the nurse i nd octrin ate d into

the child or w h at use sh e may have made of the
,

p ain ting in order to te rrify her li ttle charge in to

sub missio n from ti me to ti m & That an i n q uiry ,

speci al and d istinct upon th is point w as nece ss a ry

,

e re the main point o f the story could be su bstan

ti ate d i s evident ; fo r th e e s ta bli sh ment of th i s

,

infl u ence wo u ld at once des troy the p resenti ment

8
2 58 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

sought to be establi shed and to suppose th at the

child w as brought up without its m in d being so
p oisone d is to suppose a phenomenon un iquely
,

r are . A gain th e p ainting was a re p resenta tion of

,

the S ibyl o f Cuma I n her e arly d ays s ays cl as sic

.
,

history this S ibyl w as lovely ; but after her short

,

sighted bargain with A pollo for a life as long in

years as the number of grain s of sand she held in
her h and forgetting to add the re q uest for per
,

anu lal beauty also sh e shortly became old a nd

,

decre p id her form dec ayed her counten ance me

, ,

lancholy and pale and her looks h agga rd a nd it

,

is as thus de scribed th at we are generally accu s

to m
,

ed to se e her pourt r ayed But we are left in .

the d ark a s to whether the pai nting in question

re p resented th e S ibyl in e arly youth in h er ,

d ecrepid m atu rity or at th e m oment of inspira

,

tion when according to the f Enei s (B ook vi )

, , ,

H colour ch ng d h f w n t th m
er a e e er ace as o e sa

And hollo w gro n fro mh d p p iri t c m

,

a s er ee s a e.

H h i tood u p convul iv r g p
er a rs d s e a e osse ss
’

tr m b l i ng li m
,

H er e b nd h v d h l b ouring b re t s, a ea e er a as

G r t r th n hu mn k i nd h md t look
.

’
ea e a a S e see o

A nd w i th n ccen t m ore th n m
,

a a or t l p ok a a S e,

H t ring
er s a w i th p rk li ng fury roll ;
e y es s a

W h n ll th god camru h i ng on h oul

e a e e s er s .

Th a t the p ainting m ust h ave depicted th e S i br l

in o ne of th e t w o l atter ch ar acters i s almo st c e r
tain for in any other it would have been meaning
,
 PRESEN T IMEN T . 2 59

le ss ; and le aving the question o f the extent to

which her mind might be poisoned by folk lore -
,

o r by the serv ants m aking the p a inting a bugbe a r

to her — lea ving th i s in abeyance wh at must the ,

,

e ffect o f a frightful looking and gigantic pictur e

.

sta ring the child in the fa c e h ave been upon a

,

young min d ! Little doubt need be entert aine d

of the feeling of te rror with which a n infant e ye
would reg ard it and we h ave alre ady sh own how
,

such a feeling being impl anted th ere would

, ,

be come a p art and p arcel o f its nature an d he ,

never subsequen tly eradica ted .

\Ve see thi s feeling m a nifested every day in the

aversion which s o me individ u als manifest to cer
t ain anim als Fro m em o tions taught during child
.

hood and youth a nd often lost sight of in m atur e

,

ye ars a eat a dog a rat a s p ider a frog &c h as

, , , , , , .
,

become an obj ect of such dre ad to some person s ,

t h at even in adv a nc e d life th e pre sen ce o f o ne h a s

caused the utmo st annoy ance a nd terror .

The powerful a nd pers i sten t influ en ce of ide as

th us as soci ated h as bee n cle arly and pi thi ly e x
pressed by L ocke and his first instance h as an
,
‘

immediate bea ring upon our subj ect

“
Th e ideas of goblin s and S prights have really
no more to do with d arkness th a n light yet le t ,

but a fooli sh m aid inculcate these often on the

Of H un a n Und r tanding
e s .
”
Bk II ch
.
, . 33, se ct . 10 .

s 2
26 0 FIENDS GH O S T S AND S P RI T ES
, , .

mind of a child an d raise them there together,

,

robably he sh all never b e able to sep a ra te th em

p
again S o long as he lives but d arkness sh all ever
,

afterwards b ring with it those frightful ide as and ,

they sh all be so j oined that h e can no m ore bear

”
the one than the other .

That the fall of the p ain ting was cau sed b y the
vi b rations oc casioned by sh aking an d be ating u pon
the doo r be neath it see ms certain but that th ere
m
,

w as any p resenti ental connec tion ( if we may

so word it ) be tween the fall of th e p ainting and

the p revious dread o f i t — any fo reshadowing in

,

this d re a d o f th e subsequent fall and i ts fatal

cons eq uen ces ,— there i s n o satisfactory evi den ce

whatever .

A nother exam ple of p resentiment , q uoted by

Boismont i s th e following
,

Two French gentlemen , refugees who resid ed ,

together in Ne w York on te rm s of great amity,

freighte d a ship for I ndia E verythi ng w as p re
.

pared for their de parture , an d they waited only a

favourab le wind O ne of them B
. of a cal m
,

and p laci d tem p erament ap p arentl y excite d by th e

,

uncertainty and del ay of the ti me of S ailing b egan ,

to man i fest a degree of restlessness which su r

p rised his com p anion O ne day he ente red the
.

a p a rtment where h i s frien d was e ngaged in writing

letters for E urope and under the i n fluence of an

,
 PRESEN T IMEN T . 26 1

ex cite men t so gre at th at he had di fli cul ty to su p

press i t h e excl ai med : Why lose time in writing
,

le tte rs P— they will never go to their destin ation .

Come with m e and ta ke a turn on the Battery .

The wind m a
y become fa vourable ; we are p er ,

h aps ne arer the poin t o f dep a rture th an we sup

,

p o se A cceding to the request his frien d aeco m ,

pani ad him and as they proceeded arm i n arm he

, ,
- -
,

w as as to ni s he d at th e rapid and excited mann e r i n

which B walked O n reaching th e Battery

.
,

B p recipitated hi s rate of w alking sti ll m ore ,

until they approached the para pet H e s poke i n .

a h i gh and quick tone expressing in flori d terms

,

hi s admiration o f the scenery S uddenl y be .

arreste d his incoherent disco urse and his friend ,

”
se p arate d from him I regarded h im fi xe dly
.
,

to co ntinue the n a rra tive in the words o f the n ar

rator ; he turned away as if intimida ted and cas t

down . B ‘
I cried y o u inten d to kill
,
‘

me y o u wish to throw me from th is height in to

,

the sea ! D eny it mon ster if you d are

, The,

madm an looked me in the face with haggard eyes

for a moment but I w as ca reful not to lose h is
,

glance an d he lowered the he ad H e murm ured

, .

some incoherent word s a nd sough t to p ass b y

,

me . I b arred th e w ay e x te nding m y arms , .

After looking vaguely right an d left h e th rew ,

h im self on m y n eck, and melted into tears It .

26 2 FIENDS GH O S T S AND
, , sr mn
r s.

is true it is true m y friend The thought has '

haunted m
, ,

e night a nd day as a torch o f h e ll It , .

w a s for this end th at I brought y o u here ; ha d you

been bu t a foot from the border of the p a ra pe t ,

th e work h ad b een done

’
The demon had aba n
.

doned him his eyes were without expre ssion a

, ,

fo am covered hi s dried lips ; the excitement w as

p assed I recon ducted him to the h ouse So me
. .

d avs of repo se tog e ther wi th bleeding an d low

,

diet re established him comple tel y ; a nd wh at is

,
-

still m ore e x traordin a ry we never more S poke of

,

”
thi s e vent .

A re we w ith Boismont to re ga rd this as an

, ,

”
e x ample of s udden and mysterious inspi ration !
Would it not h ave bee n still mo re mysterious if a
minute e x a mination of the coun ten an ce of a
m adm an wh o was talking incoherently near the
,

verge of a p reci p itous descen t a nd big with intent ,

to murder h ad not been suffi cient to unr avel h is

,

pur p ose ! We think it would and th at there i s ,

no eviden ce here of anyth ing beyon d th e p ale of

th e laws o f co mmon observ a tion .

I t wo u ld be ne edless to multiply insta nces of

presentiment which have ca rried conviction to t he
m inds of persons less a ccustomed to analyze the
o per ations o f the senses and intellect th a n B oi s
mont a nd i n w hom errors of observ ation a re
,

infinite ly more lik e ly to occur ; nevertheless th er e

 PRESEN T IMEN T . 26 3

are insta nces on reco rd w hich , if the auth ority

upon which th ey are stated be admitted receive ,

n o expla n ation from n atural l aws so far as we are

yet acquainted with them .

O ne o f the best and m ost striking examples of

o f th i s kind is given on th e authority of M rs .

C rowe .

S he writes
O ne of the most remarkab le c ases of presen
ti m e nt I know is th at which occurred not very
,

long since o n bo ard one of H er M aj esty s shi p s ’

,

wh e n lyi n g o fi P orts mouth The offi cers being

'

o ne da a t th e mess table a yo
- u ng L ieute nant
y ,

P suddenly laid down h is knife and fork

.
,

pushed aw ay his pl ate and turned extremel y p ale

, .

H e then rose from the ta ble covering his face ,

with h is hands and retired from the room The

,

p residen t of the mess supposing hi mto be ill,

.

sent o ne of the young men to inquire wh at w as

the m atte r A t fi rst M r P w as unwilling to s p eak
. . .
,

but o n be in g p ressed h e confessed th at he had

, ,

been S eized by a sudden an d irresistible im p res

sion th at a brother h e had th en in I ndi a was dead .

‘
H e died said h e, o n the 1 2 th of A ugust at
’
,
‘
,

si x o cloc k ; I am perfectly certain of it ! No

’ ’

argument could overthrow this con viction which ,

in due course of p ost w as verified to the letter .

2 64 F IENDS GH O S T S AND
, , S P B I TES .

Th e young m an h ad died at C awn p o re , at th e

p recise pe riod
A S in gula r sto ry i s also re lated of the early day s
of the E m p res s J ose p h ine which m a
y fi tly be ,

deta iled here .

”
S he was b orn i n th e Wes t I ndies writes S ir ,

A rchib ald Alison an d it had early been p ro phe

,

sied by an old negre ss that S he should lo se her

fi rst hus band b e e x tremely u nfortunate b ut that
, ,

S he sho uld afte rwards be greater than a qu ee n .

T his p ro p hecy the authenticity of which i s placed

,

bey ond a doubt was ful fi lled in th e most S in gula r

,

manner H er fi rst husband C ount A lex an der

B eau ham
.
,

ai s a general in the army on the R hine

, ,

had been guillotin ed du ri ng th e Reign of Terror ,

solely o n a cco unt of h i s belonging to the nobility ;

an d she he rself who was also im p rison ed at the

m
,

sa me ti me w as only saved from i pe nding death

,

b y the fall of R o b espierre S o stron gly w as the .

p ro p h ecy im p ressed on her m in d that wh ile lyi ng ,

i n the dungeon s o f the Con ciergerie e xp ec ti ng ,

eve ry hour to be sum moned to the Revolutionary

Tri b un al , S he mentioned it to her fe llow priso n ers -
,

and to amuse them n amed some of them as

, ,

—
ladies of the bed c hamb er a j est which she
-
,

afterwards lived to reali se to one of thei r num

”
ber.

Op . ci t. , p . 65 .
 PRESEN T IMEN T . 26 5

S ir A rchibald A lison dds the following n ote

a

in confirm a ti on of th e p rophecy
“
The author he ard thi s prophecy in 1 80 1 long ,

before Na poleon s elev ation to th e throne , from

’

the la te Coun te ss of B ath an d the late Coun tess

of A nc rum who were educated in the same
,

co nvent with J ose p hine and had re p eatedly heard

,

her mention the cir c umstance i n early

Th e most grave of the errors aff ecting th e
deta ils of those occurren ces which have been
su ppose d to fo res hadow events , or to h ave som e
ine x plica ble an d su pe rnatural connection wi th
c erta i n ci rcumst an ces occurring co in cidently wi th

them has been fully set forth by L ord Bacon

m
, ,

”
in the 46 th A phoris m of the N ovu m O rgan u
an d to this di ctumn othing needs to be added
,

The human understanding wh en any p ro p o ,

si ti on has been once laid do w n (either from general

admission an d b elief or from the ple asure it

,

afl ords) forces everything else to add fresh sup

'

po rt and co nfirm a tion an d although most cogent

and a bu ndan t instances m
,

a
y e x ist to th e contrary ,

yet either doe s not observe or d espises them or

, ,

e t s rid of an d rej e cts them by some distinction

g ,

with violent and inj urious prej udice rather than ,

sa crifi ce th e authority of i ts fi rst conclusion s It .

H i story of E uro pe , from1 7 89 to 1 81 5 By Si A rchi

. r

bald Alison Bart C ha p

, . . XX Se ct 25 nd no te
, .
, a s.
26 6 FIENDS GH O S T S AND SPRI T ES
, , .

was well a nswere d b y him wh o w as shown in a

tem p le the voti ve tablets suspended by such as
had es caped th e p eril o f shipwreck and was ,

p ressed as to whe ther h e would then recognise

f
the p ower o the god s by an in q uiry “ But
, ,

where are the portraits of th ose who h ave

perished in spite o f their vows A ll supe rstition
m
i s uch the same whether it he that o f astrology
, ,

dreams omens retri b utive j udgment or the

, , ,

like in all o f which th e deluded believers observe

events which are fulfilled but neglect and ,

pass over their failure though it be much more

,

common Beside s even i n the ab sen ce

,

o f that ea g erness an d want o f thought wh ich we

(
have mentioned ) it is the peculi ar an d per p etual
,

error of the h uman un ders tanding to be m ore

m oved and e x cited b y afli rmati ve s than n ega ti ves ,

whereas it ought duly an d regularly to be im p ar

tial ; nay in establi shin g an y true a x iom th e
, ,

”
negative insta nce is the most p owerfu l .

We h ave now b riefly ex amin ed the p rincip al of

those phenomena which i t h as been and in m any,

instances is custom a ry to ascribe to su pe rnatural

,

interp osition an d we have endeavoure d to asoer

tain how far they receive expl an ation fro m th e
known l aws of action of the senses and re asoning
faculties ; an d we have seen reason for the con
 CO N C LUSI O N . 26 7

e lusion th at they m ainly come within the c ategory

o f t hose l a ws .

O f the exce p tion s to this con clusion it i s ,

unfortunate th at the authorit y u p on which they

depend i s generally un satisfactory and th e details ,

im pe rfect i n m a nv of the most import a n t p arti

c u lars ; a nd they to u se th e words o f M rs Crowe

,
.
,

( whose evidence in this res p ect is o f considerable

“
i mportance ) as they now stand c an h ave n o
, ,

s cientific value ; they cannot i n s hort en ter i nto , ,

t he region o f scien ce at all , still less into th a t of

philo ophy Whatever conclusion s we m

s . a
y be
led to form cannot be founded on pure i nduction
,
.

We m u st confine ourselves wholly with in the

region o f opinion ; if we venture beyond this w e ,

sh all assuredly
l Ve are no t awa re that this imperfection of
details necess a rily apperta in s to facts of this
n ature a nd we simply require the s ame care
,

against error which is expected an d is exercised

i n other dep artment s o f inquiry ; an d un til th e

in stances p resented be ar evidence of this we ,

must ente rta in doubts and declin e to receive

,

them as fac ts est ablishing such theories as h ave

be en ende avoured to be founded upon th em .

The great progress o f physiology and psychology

i s almost d aily enabling us to grapple wi th
Op . ci t.
,
p . 10 .
268 C O N C LUSI O N .

sen suous phenomena which have hi therto

obscure ; an d it i s never to be lo st sight of in
r ese arches into the dom ains o f the co ca lled
-

supe rna tural that th e knowledge we po ssess of

,

o u r o w n powers i s as yet very im erfect an d

p
li mited
.
 AP P ENDI X .

Ex r a a c rs FR O M P x or z sso x FA R ADA Y
’
S LETT ER
ON TA B LE MO V I N G .

Ath emmJ ly 2
au , u , 1 853 , p . 80 1 .

The obj ec t which I h ad in view in m y in q ui ry

w as not to satisfy mysel f for my conclusion had
, ,

been formed already on th e eviden ce of those w ho

—
had tu rned tables , but that I might be enabled
to give a strong O p inion founded o n facts to the, ,

man y wh o ap p lied to m e for it Yet the proof .

which I so u ght for and the method followed in

,

the inqui ry were precisely of the same nature as

,

those which I should adopt i n any other phy sical

inves ti g ation The parti es with whom I have
.

worked were ve ry h onou rable very clear in their ,

intention s su ccessful table movers very desirous

,
-
,

o f succeeding in esta blishing the existence of a

peculi ar power thoroughly ca ndid and very

, ,

e ffectual I t i s with m e a cle a r point that the

.

table moves when the p artie s, though they strongly

wish it do not in tend , and do not believe , th at

,

th e y move it by ordin ary mech anic al power Th ey .

sa
y
, t h e table draws their han ds ; th a t it m oves
270 APPENDI X .

fi rst and they h ave to follow it ; th at some times it

,

eve n moves from under their h ands With som e .

,

the t able will move to th e right or left according ,

as they wish or will it ; with others the direc tio n ,

o f the fi rst move is uncertain — b ut all agree th at

the ta ble moves the h ands an d not the hands th e ,

ta ble .Though I believe th e p arties do not

i ntend to move th e table, but obtain the res ult by
a qua i involuntary acti on , s till I had n o doubt
s -

o f the influence of e xp ectation upon their minds ,

and th rough that u p on the success or fa ilure of

, ,

their eff orts .

The first p oint therefore was to remove all

, ,

—
objection s due to e x pectation having rel ation to
the substances which I might desire to use ; so ,

plates of th e most diff erent b odies electrically ,

s peaking n amely san d p aper mill bo ard glue

, ,
-
,
-
, ,
'
gl ass moi st clay tinfoil c ardbo ard gutta pe rch a
, , , , ,

vul can ized ru bbe r wood , &c were m ade into a

, .
,

b undle and pl ace d on a table under the h ands of

, ,

a turner Th e table turned O ther bundles of

. .

other pl ates were submitted to di fferent per

sons a t —
other times and the t ables turned,

H enceforth therefore these substances m

.

a
, , y
be used in the construction o f a pp aratu s .

Nei ther during their use no r a t a ny oth e r ,

time s could th e sligh test trace o f electrical o r

,

m agnetic e ff ects be Obt ained A t the same trial s .

,
 A PPENDI X . 27 1

it w as re adily ascertained th at o ne p er son could

p roduce the e ffect ; and th at the mo tion w as not
nec ess a rily circul ar but might be in a str aigh t
,

line N0 form of experiment o r mode Of observ a

.

tion th at I could d evi s e ga ve me the slighte st indi

cation of any peculi ar n atural force No attrac .

tion o r repul sion or signs of tan genti al powe r

,

appeared ; nor anything which could be referred to

oth er th an the mere mechanic al pressure exerted
in advertently by the turner I therefore pro
.

ce e de d to a nalyze this pressure , or th a t p a rt o f it

exert ed in a horizontal direction ; doing so in ,

the first in stance un aw ares to the p arty

, A .

soft cement consisting of wax and turpentine

, ,

or wax and pomatum w as prep ared : Fo u r ,

o r fi ve pieces of smooth sli p pery c ard bo a rd -

were attached o ne over the other b y little

ellets o f the cement a nd the lower o f the se to
p ,

a piece of s a nd p aper re s ting on th e t a ble ; t he

-

edges of the s e sheets overl apped slightly an d o n ,

t he und e r surfa ce a pencil line w a s dr a wn over

the l ap s so as to indic ate position The upp e r

, .

card bo ard w as l arger th an the rest so as to cover

-
,

th e whole from sight Then the t able turner

.
-

pl a ced the h ands u p on the upper c ard and w e ,

w aited fo r the result NO W the cement w a s

.
,

strong en o u gh to o ff er consider able resisten ce to

mechanical motio n an d also to retain the c ards i n

,
27 2 A P PENDI X .

any new position wh ich they migh t ac q uire and y et ,

weak enough to give way slowly to a continued force .

When at las t the ta bles , cards an d hands, all ,

moved to th e left together an d so a true res ult

m
,

w as obtained I took u p the pack

,
O n exa i .

nation i t w as e as y to see b y th e dis placement o f

,

the par ts O f th e line that the hand had mov ed

,

further than the table and that the latte r had

,

lagged behind —that the hand in fact had , ,

p ushed the up per card to the le ft an d that the ,

under cards and the ta ble had followed and bee n

dragged by it I n oth er s i milar cases when the
.
,

ta ble had not moved still the u pper card w as

,

found to have moved showing that the hand had

,

ca rried it in the e xpecte d direction I t w as evi .

dent, therefo re , that the ta b le had not drawn the

hand an d pe rso n round nor had i t moved simul
,

ta neously with the hand Th e hand had left all.

things under i t, behind and th e ta b le evidently

,

tended continually to keep th e han d b ack .

The next ste p w as to arrange an inde x which

, ,

shoul d show whether the table moved fi rst or the ,

h an d moved be fore the table or bo th moved or ,

remained at rest together Two th in

boards nin e and a h alf by seven inches w ere p ro
,
-
,

v i ded ; a board nin e by five inches w as glu ed to

, ,

the m iddle of the under side of one of these (to

be called the tab le -b oard ), so as to raise the edges

 AP P ENDl X . 27 3

free from the table ; being p laced on the

table n ear an d parallel to i ts side an u p righ t
, ,

pin was fi x ed close to the furth er edge of the

board at the middle to serve as the fulcrum
, ,

for th e indicating lever Then four glas s rods

.
, ,

seven inch es long an d a q u arter o f an in ch in

,

diameter were pl ac ed as rollers on di ff erent parts

,

o f this ta ble board an d th e u p per bo a rd placed on

-
,

th em ; th e rods p ermitted any re q uired amount of

p ressu re on the boards , with a free moti on of th e
up pe r o n the lower to the ri gh t an d left At th e .

part co rres ponding to the pin in th e lower b oard ,

a p iece w as cut out o f the up p er board a nd a pin ,

attached there which being ben t downwards

, , ,

entered the hole in the end of th e sh ort arm of

the index lever this p art o f the lever w as of card
bo ard : the indica t ing prolonga tion w as a s traight
h ay sta lk fifteen inches long I n order to re st rai n
- .

the motio n of th e upper bo ard o n the lower, two

vulca n ize d rubber rings were p ass e d round b oth ,
at th e p arts not re sting o n th e table these whilst ,

they ti ed the b oards together a cted also as sp rings

,

— an d whils t they allow e d the fi rst feeb lest ,

tendency to motion to be seen by the index ,

e xerted before the U pp e r b oard had moved a

,

q uarter of an inch , su fli c i e nt power in pulling the

upper boa rd b a ck from ei th e r side to resist a ,

st rong lateral action of the h a nd .

27 4 A PPENDI X .

A ll being thus arranged exce p t th at the lever

,

w as aw ay the two bo a rds were tied together with

,

string running p arallel to the vu lcanised rubber

spring s so as to be immove able in re lation to
,

e ach other They were then pl ac e d on th e table

.
,

an d a ta ble turner sat down to them The table

-
.

very shortly m oved in due order showing th at the ,

apparatu s o ff e red no im pediment to th e action .

A like app aratus with m eta l rollers produced the

, ,

same result under the h ands o f another p erson .

The index w as no w p ut into its place , and the

s tring loosened so th at the springs should come
,

nt o pl ay I t w as s oo n s een w i th the p a rty th at

.

could wil l the motion in either direction (fro m

whom the index w as p urpo sely hidden ) th at the ,

h ands were gradu ally creeping up in the direction

before agreed upon though the p arty certainly
,

thought they were pre s sing downw ards only .

When shown th at it w as so they were truly ,

surprised ; but when they lifted u p their h ands

a nd immediately saw the index return to i ts norm a l

po sition they were convinced When they looked

a t th e index and could see fo r the m
.
,

,
selves whether
they were pressing truly downwa rd s or obliquely , ,

so as to produce a resulta nt in the right or left

h a nded direction then such an e ff ect never took

,

place S everal tried for a long while together

.
, ,

and with the be st will in the world but no ,

 APPENDI X . 27 5

moti on right or left O f the table or hand or

, , ,

a nythin g else occurred , .

“
I think the app ara tus I h ave described m a
y
be usefu l to m a ny who re al ly wish to know the
truth of nature and w ho would prefer th at truth
,

to a mistaken conclusion des ir e d p erhaps only ,

because it seems to be n ew or strange P erson s .

do no t know how di ffi cult it i s to p ress direc tly

downward or in any given direction ag ainst a fixe d
,

Ob sta cle or even to know only whe ther they are

,

doing so o r n ot unle s s they h ave some i ndicator

,

which by visible m otion o r otherwise sh all

, ,

inst ruct them ; and this is more e speci ally the

c a s e when th e m u scles of th e fingers and h and
h a v e been cramped a nd rendered eith er tingling
o r in s e n s ible or cold by long con tinued pressure -
.

I f a finger be pres sed constantly into the co rner

o f a window fra m e for ten minut e s o r more a
- nd ,

then continuing the pre s sure the m ind he directed

, ,

to j udge whe ther the force at a given moment is

all hori zonta l or a ll downw a rds or how m uch is i n ,

o ne direction a nd h ow much in the other it will ,

fin d gre a t di ffi culty in deciding and will , at ,

,
—
l ast become altogether uncert ain at le ast such ,

i s m y c a se I know th at a simil ar r e sul t occurs

.

wi th other s fo r l h a v e h a d tw o b o ards a rr ange d

, ,

s e p ara ted not by roller s but by plugs o f v u lca n

, ,

i ze d rubber ; and with the vertic a l index , when

27 6 A P P EN DI x .

e person with his hand s o n the upper bo ard is

requested to press only downw ard s an d the index ,

is hidden from his sight it moves to th e right to , ,

the left to hi m an d from him and in all hori

, ,

zo nta l direction s ; so utte rly un able is he strictly

to fulfil his intention without a visible an d

correcting indicator Now such i s the u se of the
.
,

in strum ent w i th the horizon ta l index and rol lers ;

the mind i s instruc te d and th e invo lun tary or
qu asi i nvoluntary motion is ch e cked in the com
-

me nc ement and therefore neve r rise s up to the

, , ,

d e gre e needful to move the tabl e o r even per ,

mane ntly the ind e x itself No one can suppose .

th at looking a t th e index c an in a ny w ay interfe re

with the t ransfer of electricity or any o ther ,

power from t h e h an d to the bo ard u nder i t or to

I f the bo ard tends to move it m
, ,

t he ta ble . a
y do ,

s o ; the in dex does no t confine it ; a nd if th e t a bl e

t e nd s to move th ere i s no r e ason why it should

,

no t . I f both were influenced by a ny power to

mo v e t oge ther t he v m a
y do so,
a s th e y did , ,

in d e ed w he n th e a pp ara tus w as tied a nd the

, ,

mi nd and muscle s left unwa tched and u n

”
checked .

r
'
m x r vn B Y n xn m so x A\ O
'
s ox s .

( H A HN ) U l‘ l l l h
‘
51 “A 13 1 t 1 A\ l
. .