An essay towards a theory of apparitions (2024)

AN

ESSAY

TOWARDS

A THEORY

OF

APPARITIONS.

BY

JOHN FERRIAR, M. D.

A thousand fantasies

Begin to throng into my memory,

Of calling shapes, and beck’ning shadows dire,

And airy tongues, that syllable men’s names

On sands, and shores, and desert wildernesses.

These thoughts may startle well, but not astound.

Comus, 1. 205.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR CADELL AND DAVIES;

BY

J. AND J. HADDOCK,

WARRINGTON.

1813.

When a late ingenious Physician discoveredthe elastic fluid, which he termedhis ‘Gas of Paradise,’ and which hehoped to render a cheap substitute forinebriating liquors, he claimed the honorsdue to the inventor of a new pleasure.

How far mankind would have benefited,by the introduction of a freshmode of intoxication, I leave to thereflection of those sages, whose duty itwould have become to appreciate its value,[Pg vi]as an additional source of revenue tothe state. But when I consider the delightwith which stories of apparitionsare received by persons of all ages, andof the most various kinds of knowledgeand ability, I cannot help feeling somedegree of complacency, in offering tothe makers and readers of such stories,a view of the subject, which may extendtheir enjoyment far beyond its formerlimits. It has given me pain to seethe most fearful and ghastly commencementsof a tale of horror reduced tomere common events, at the winding upof the book. I have looked, also, withmuch compassion, on the pitiful instrumentsof sliding pannels, trap-doors, back-stairs,wax-work figures, smugglers, robbers,coiners, and other vulgar machinery,which authors of tender consciences have[Pg vii]employed, to avoid the imputation ofbelief in supernatural occurrences. Sohackneyed, so exhausted had all artificialmethods of terror become, thatone original genius was compelled toconvert a mail-coach, with its lightedlamps, into an apparition.

Now I freely offer, to the manufacturersof ghosts, the privilege of raisingthem, in as great numbers, and in ashorrible a guise as they may think fit,without offending against true philosophy,and even without violating probability.The highest flights of imaginationmay now be indulged, on thissubject, although no loop-hole shouldbe left for mortifying explanations, andfor those modifications of terror, whichcompletely baulk the reader’s curiosity,and disgust him with a second reading.[Pg viii]Another great convenience will be foundin my system; apparitions may beevoked, in open day,—at noon, if thecase should be urgent, in the midst of afield, on the surface of water, or in theglare of a patent-lamp, quite as easily,as in the ‘darkness of chaos or old night.’Nay, a person rightly prepared may seeghosts, while seated comfortably by hislibrary-fire, in as much perfection, asamidst broken tombs, nodding ruins, andawe-inspiring ivy. To those unfortunatepersons, who feel a real dread of apparitions,I hope to offer considerationswhich will quiet their fears, and willeven convert the horrors of solitude intoa source of rational amusem*nt. But Imust forbear to display all the utility ofthis treatise, lest my reader should imaginethat I am copying Echard’s mock-panegyricon his own dialogues.

[Pg ix]

Take courage, then, good reader, andknock at the portal of my enchantedcastle, which will be opened to you,not by a grinning demon, but by a verycivil person, in a black velvet cap, withwhom you may pass an hour not disagreeably.

Observe, however, that the followingtreatise is applicable, in its principles, toprofane history, and to the delusions ofindividuals only. If any thing containedin the ensuing pages could beconstrued into the most indirect referenceto theological discussions, themanuscript would have been committed,without mercy, to the flames.

What methods may have been employedby Providence, on extraordinary[Pg x]occasions, to communicate with men,I do not presume to investigate; norcould I hope to display them in languageequal to the numbers of oursweetest poet, with which I shall concludethese remarks:

Faerie Queene, Cant. viii.

CHAPTER I.

Reality of spectral impressions—Generallaw of the system, to which they may bereferred—Division of the subject—Spectralillusions exemplified.

I shall begin this discussion, by admitting,as an undeniable fact, that the formsof dead, or absent persons have beenseen, and their voices have been heard,by witnesses whose testimony is entitledto belief.

[Pg 14]

It would be an endless task to ransackthe pages of antiquity, for instances ofthis kind. The apparition of the Geniusto Brutus, and of the Fury to Dion,cannot be doubted. We may be allowed,however, to enquire, whether the improvedstate of physiology affords anyglimpse of light on this subject, andwhether such extraordinary and terrificimpressions cannot be explained, fromthe known laws of the animal œconomy,independent of supernatural causes, inthe examples furnished by profane history.

It is well known, that in certain diseasesof the brain, such as delirium andinsanity, spectral delusions take place,even during the space of many days.But it has not been generally observed,that a partial affection of the brain mayexist, which renders the patient liableto such imaginary impressions, either ofsight or sound, without disordering his[Pg 15]judgment or memory. From this peculiarcondition of the sensorium, I conceivethat the best supported stories ofapparitions may be completely accountedfor.

To render this inquiry more perspicuous,I shall consider,

I. The general law of the system,to which the origin of the spectral impressionsmay be referred:

II. The proof of the existence ofmorbid impressions of this nature, withoutany sensible external agency:

III. The application of these principlesto the best-authenticated examplesof apparitions.

§ I.

It is a well-known law of the humanœconomy, that the impressions produced[Pg 16]on some of the external senses, especiallyon the eye, are more durable than theapplication of the impressing cause.The effect of looking at the sun, inproducing the impression of a luminousglobe, for some time after the eye hasbeen withdrawn from the object, is familiarto every one.

This subject has been so thoroughlyinvestigated by the late Dr. Darwin, thatI need only to refer the reader to histreatise on ocular spectra.[1] In youngpersons, the effects resulting from thispermanence of impression are extremelycurious. I remember, that about theage of fourteen, it was a source of greatamusem*nt to myself. If I had beenviewing any interesting object in thecourse of the day, such as a romanticruin, a fine seat, or a review of a body[Pg 17]of troops, as soon as evening came on,if I had occasion to go into a dark room,the whole scene was brought before myeyes, with a brilliancy equal to what ithad possessed in day-light, and remainedvisible for several minutes. I have nodoubt, that dismal and frightful imageshave been presented, in the same manner,to young persons, after scenes ofdomestic affliction, or public horror.

From this renewal of external impressions,also, many of the phænomenaof dreams admit an easy explanation.When an object is presented to the mind,during sleep, while the operations ofjudgment are suspended, the imaginationis busily employed in forming astory, to account for the appearance,whether agreeable or distressing. Thenthe author enjoys the delight of perusingworks of infinite wit and elegance,which never had any real existence,and of which, to his utter mortification,he cannot recollect a single line, next[Pg 18]morning; and then the Bibliomane purchasesilluminated manuscripts, and earlyeditions on vellum, for sums so trifling,that he cannot conceal his joy from theimaginary vender.

Dr. R. Darwin seems to believe, thatit is from habit only, and want of attention,that we do not see the remains offormer impressions, or the muscæ volitantes,on all objects.[2] Probably, thisis an instance, in which the error ofexternal sensation is corrected by experience,like the deceptions of perspective,which are undoubtedly strong in ourchildhood, and are only detected byrepeated observation.

“After having looked,” says Dr. Darwin,“long at the meridian sun, inmaking some of the preceding experiments,till the disk faded into a paleblue, I frequently observed a brightblue spectrum of the sun in other[Pg 19]objects all the next and the succeedingday, which constantly occurred whenI attended to it, and frequently whenI did not attend to it. When I closedand covered my eyes, this appearedof a dull yellow; and at other timesmixed with the colours of other objectson which it was thrown.”[3]

It is scarcely necessary to mention thewell-known experiment of giving a rotatorymotion to a piece of burning wood,the effect of which is to exhibit a completefiery circle to the eye.

To this principle of a renewal ofimpressions formerly made by differentobjects, belongs the idle amusem*nt oftracing landscapes, and pictures of variouscomposition, in the discoloured spotsof an old wall. This may be truly calleda waking dream, as it is composed ofthe shreds and patches of past sensations;yet there are, perhaps, few persons who[Pg 20]have not occasionally derived entertainmentfrom it. It is probably on thesame principle, that we are to accountfor the appearances of armies marching,in desert and inaccessible places, whichare sometimes beheld by the inhabitantsof the vallies, in mountainous regions.The accidents of light and shade, andthe interposition of partial fogs, or clouds,produce the same effect on the eye, asthe discoloured patches of the wall; andthe rolling of the mist adds motion to thespectral images.

In like manner, recollected imagesare attributed to the moving lights, inthe splendid exhibitions of the AuroraBorealis. The Icelander beholds in themthe spirits of his ancestors;[4] and thevulgar discern encountering armies, andtorrents of blood, in the lambent meteorsof a winter-sky. The humble diversionof seeing pictures in the fire, which[Pg 21]occupies children of smaller growth inthe nursery, is calculated on the sameprinciples. In some cases, the imaginationis assisted by physical causes, in avery imposing manner, as in the instanceof the Giant of the Broken,[5] in Germany,[Pg 22]the ‘nursing mother’ of ghosts.The giant was seen to occupy thesummit of a mountain, at certainperiods, to the inexpressible amazementof the inhabitants of the valley,and of travellers. After many years ofalarm and wonder, a passenger, whilehe was contemplating the dreadful apparition,was obliged to raise his handquickly to his head, to secure his hatfrom being carried away, by a gust of[Pg 23]wind. The giant immediately performeda similar motion; when the travellerbowed, the giant bowed in return; andafter various experiments, it was ascertained,that the portentous appearancewas nothing more than the shadow ofthe traveller, reflected from a densewhite cloud, opposed to the sun.

I remember to have heard, manyyears ago, a relation of a similar nature,[Pg 24]from a gentleman, who underwent thedeception.

He was benighted, while travellingalone, in a remote part of the highlandsof Scotland, and was compelled to askshelter for the evening, at a small, lonelyhut. When he was to be conducted tohis bed-room, the landlady observed,with mysterious reluctance, that hewould find the window very insecure.[Pg 25]On examination, part of the wall appearedto have been broken down, toenlarge the opening. After some enquiry,he was told, that a pedlar, whohad lodged in the room a short timebefore, had committed suicide, and wasfound hanging behind the door, in themorning. According to the superstitionof the country, it was deemed improperto remove the body through the door ofthe house; and to convey it through[Pg 26]the window was impossible, withoutremoving part of the wall. Some hintswere dropped, that the room had beensubsequently haunted by the poor man’sspirit.

My friend laid his arms, properly preparedagainst intrusion of any kind, bythe bed-side, and retired to rest, notwithout some degree of apprehension.He was visited, in a dream, by a frightful[Pg 27]apparition, and awaking in agony,found himself sitting up in bed, with apistol grasped in his right hand. Oncasting a fearful glance round the room,he discovered, by the moon-light, acorpse, dressed in a shroud, reared erect,against the wall, close by the window.With much difficulty, he summoned upresolution to approach the dismal object,the features of which, and the minutestparts of its funeral apparel, he perceiveddistinctly. He passed one hand over it;[Pg 28]felt nothing; and staggered back to thebed. After a long interval, and muchreasoning with himself, he renewed hisinvestigation, and at length discoveredthat the object of his terror was producedby the moon-beams, forming a long,bright image, through the broken window,on which his fancy, impressed byhis dream, had pictured, with mischievousaccuracy, the lineaments of a bodyprepared for interment. Powerful associationsof terror, in this instance, hadexcited the recollected images with uncommonforce and effect.

In another instance, related by anItalian writer, whole multitudes weredeceived for several hours, by an apparitionof a more specious kind. A croudwas assembled in the streets of Florence,earnestly beholding the image of anangel, hovering in the sky, and expectingsome miraculous consequences. Hesoon perceived, that the deception was[Pg 29]produced by a partial mist, which coveredthe dome of the church, and leftthe gilded figure of an angel, whichsurmounted the building, illuminatedby the rays of the sun. Without thepresence of a philosopher, this wouldhave passed for a supernatural appearance.

A lawyer’s argument for the existence ofwitchcraft—Proofs of spectral impressions,from recollected perceptions—NewEngland witches—Cardan—Donne—Jonson—Themaid of France—andother visionaries.

In a compilation, on the duties of aJustice of Peace, published by Nelson,we meet with a proof of the existenceof witchcraft, which the editor appearsto have thought irrefragable. “It seems,”saith he, “that there must formerlyhave been such a crime as witchcraft,because divers statutes have been madeagainst it.” Were we to reason in thesame manner, respecting demoniacal[Pg 31]agency, in medical cases, proof couldbe brought, (particularly from the olderGerman writers), that medicines havebeen administered, for the purpose ofexpelling the devil from human bodies,into which it was supposed that he hadentered, and that many different remedieshad been employed to this end.

Instead of resorting to any argumentsof this nature, I shall now proceed toshew, that the forms of objects whichhave no external prototypes, are exhibitedto the mind, in certain states ofthe brain.

§ II.

In the course of my professional employment,I have frequently conversedwith persons, who imagined that theysaw demons, and heard them speak.This species of delusion admits of manygradations, and distinctions, exclusiveof actual insanity.

[Pg 32]

When the brain is partially irritated,the patient fancies that he sees spiderscrawling over his bed-clothes, or person;or beholds them covering the roof andwalls of his room. If the disease increases,he imagines that persons whoare dead, or absent, flit round his bed;that animals croud into his apartment,and that all these apparitions speak tohim. These impressions take place,even while he is convinced of theirfallacy. All this occurs sometimes,without any degree of delirium.

I had occasion to see a young marriedwoman, whose first indication of illnesswas a spectral delusion. She told me,that her apartment appeared suddenlyto be filled with devils, and that herterror impelled her to quit the housewith great precipitation. When she wasbrought back, she saw the whole staircaseoccupied by diabolical forms, andwas in agonies of fear for several days.[Pg 33]After this first impression wore off, sheheard a voice tempting her to self-destruction,and prohibiting her fromall exercises of piety. Such was theaccount given by her, when she wassensible of the delusion, yet unable toresist the horror of the impression. Whenshe was nearly recovered, I had thecuriosity to question her, as I haveinterrogated others, respecting the formsof the demons with which they hadbeen alarmed; but I never could obtainany other account, than that they weresmall, very much deformed, and hadhorns and claws, like the imps of ourterrific modern romances.

I have been forced to listen withmuch gravity, to a man partially insane,who assured me that the devil was lodgedin his side, and that I should perceivehim thumping and fluttering there, ina manner which would perfectly convinceme of his presence.

[Pg 34]

Another lunatic believed that he hadswallowed the devil, and had retainedhim in his stomach. He resisted thecalls of nature during several days, lesthe should set the foul fiend at liberty.I overcame his resolution, however, byadministering an emetic in his food.

In Mather’s Wonders of the invisibleWorld, containing the trials of the Americanwitches, in 1692, a work whichmay be regarded as official, it appearsthat the visions of several persons whothought themselves bewitched, were occasionedby the night-mare.

On the trial of Bridget Bishop, atSalem, for example; “John Cook testified,that about five or six years ago,one morning about sun-rise, he wasin his chamber assaulted by the shapeof this prisoner, which looked on him,grinned at him, and very much hurthim with a blow on the side of the[Pg 35]head.”... “Richard Ceman testified,that eight years ago, as he layawake in his bed, with a light burningin the room, he was annoyed withthe apparition of this Bishop and oftwo more that were strangers to him,who came and oppressed him so, thathe could neither stir himself, norwake any one else,” &c.

Again, on the trial of Susannah Martin,“Bernard Peache testified, that being inbed, on the Lord’s day night, he hearda scrabbling at the window, whereathe then saw Susannah Martin come inand jump down upon the floor. Shetook hold of this deponent’s feet, anddrawing his body up into one heap,she lay upon him near two hours; inall which time he could neither speaknor hear.”

In the introduction to his history ofthe trials, which were conducted on suchevidence, Mather gravely says;

[Pg 36]

“’Tis, as I remember, the learnedScribonius, who reports, that one ofhis acquaintance, devoutly making hisprayers on the behalf of a personmolested by evil spirits, received fromthose evil spirits an horrible blow overthe face: and I may myself expectnot few or small buffetings from evilspirits, for the endeavours wherewithI am now going to encounter them.I am far from insensible, that at thisextraordinary time of the Devil’s comingdown in great wrath upon us, thereare too many tongues and hearts therebyset on fire of hell, that the variousopinions about the witchcrafts whichof later time have troubled us, aremaintained by some with so muchloud fury, as if they could never besufficiently stated, unless written inthe liquor wherewith witches use towrite their covenants; and that hewho becomes an author at such atime, had need be fenced with iron,and the staff of a spear.”

[Pg 37]

Stoughton, the Lieutenant-Governorof New England, affixed his approbationto this book, vouching for the truth ofthe statements, and declaring that allgood men would “greatly rejoice, thatthe spirit of the Lord had thus enabledhim (Mather) to lift up a standardagainst the infernal enemy, that hathbeen coming in like a flood upon us.”Such was the force of this memorablefit of national insanity, during whichtorrents of innocent blood were shed, bythe misguided judges and juries, underthe impression that they were actuallyinvaded by a legion of devils; the partof which was really performed by themselves.

Nothing, indeed, can be added to thediligence of Remy, or Remigius, withrespect to the forms of demons. He wasa commissioner for the trial of witches,in Lorrain, and as he informs us, in the[Pg 38]course of fifteen years, he condemnednine hundred criminals to the stake.His book is one of the most remarkableproductions of credulity; for the monstrousabsurdities which it contains aresupported by juridical proofs, most ofwhich evidently proceeded from spectralimpressions, when they were not extortedby torture.

My edition of this work, which isbecome very rare, was printed by Vincenti,at Lyons, in 1595. It is entitled,Dæmonolatreia. The trials appear tohave begun in 1583. Mr. Remy seemsto have felt great anxiety to ascertain theexact features and dress of the demons,with whom many of the persons supposedthemselves to be familiar. Yetnothing transpired, in his examinations,which varied from the usual figuresexhibited by the gross sculptures andpaintings of the middle age. They are[Pg 39]said to be black-faced,[7] with sunk, butfiery eyes, their mouths wide, and smellingof sulphur; their hands hairy, withclaws: their feet horny and cloven.

[Pg 40]

Not only are the voices and stature ofthe demons described by Remy’s authorities,but many other extraordinary circ*mstancesare recorded, which mighthave been omitted with great propriety.The curiosity of the worthy judge seemsto have been as unlimited as his credulity.I ought to add, that his book is[Pg 41]written in Latin, in a good style, andbears marks of considerable erudition.

The result of all these inquiries hasbeen, that recollected images only arepresented to the persons labouring underdelusions of this nature.

But the most remarkable and decisivenarrative of this kind was published,some years ago, by Nicolai, the celebratedauthor and bookseller, of Berlin.“Those who pretend to have seen andheard ghosts obstinately maintain, thatthey perceived these apparitions bymeans of their senses. In order todefeat that belief, we generally desirethem to consider how many people havebeen imposed on by artful novices, andhow liable we are to deceive ourselves;we advise them to lay hold of the supposedspectres; assuring them that theyare generally found to be of a very corporealnature. But those who have a[Pg 42]predilection for the miraculous, payno regard to these objections; insistingthat the productions of their disorderedimaginations are real beings. We cannottherefore collect too many of suchwell substantiated facts, as shew howeasily our imagination imposes on userroneous notions, and deludes notonly delirious persons but even thosewho are in full possession of their faculties,by causing them to see phantasmswhich scarcely can be distinguishedfrom real appearances.”

“I have myself experienced a case ofthis nature, which to me appears highlyremarkable, both psychologically andmedicinally; I saw, in a state of mindcompletely sound, and after the firstterror was over, with perfect calmness,for nearly two months, almost constantlyand involuntarily a vast number of humanand other forms, and even heardtheir voices, though all this was merely[Pg 43]the consequence of a diseased state ofthe nerves and an irregular circulationof the blood.”

“It being a matter of considerable importancethat an incident of this natureshould be observed with the strictest attention,and related, together with allcollateral circ*mstances, with the mostconscientious fidelity, I shall not omitany thing of which I retain a clearrecollection. The truth of what I amgoing to advance will not require a farthertestimony, as Dr. Selle, who wasmy physician and was daily informedby me of every trifling occurrence andchange that happened, is still living,and will, by all who know him, be mostreadily admitted as an unobjectionablewitness. During the ten latter months ofthe year 1790, I had experienced severalmelancholy incidents which deeplyaffected me, particularly in September,from which time I suffered an almost[Pg 44]uninterrupted series of misfortunes thatafflicted me with the most poignant grief.I was accustomed to be bled twice ayear, and this had been done once onthe 9th of July, but was omitted to berepeated at the end of the year 1790.I had, in 1783, been suddenly takenwith a violent vertigo, which my physiciansimputed to obstructions in thefiner vessels of the abdomen, broughton by a sedentary life and a continualexertion of the mind. This indispositionwas successfully removed by means ofa more regular and strict diet; particularlyefficacious in the beginning I hadfound leeches to the arms, and theywere afterwards repeated two or threetimes annually when I felt violent congestionsin the head. The last leecheswhich had been put on, previous to theappearance of the phantasms of whichI am about to speak, had been appliedon the first of March 1790, less bloodhad consequently been evacuated in[Pg 45]1790 than was usual with me, and fromSeptember, I was constantly occupied inbusiness that required the most unremittedexertion, and was rendered stillmore perplexing by frequent interruptions.”

“I had, in January and February of theyear 1791, the additional misfortune toexperience several extremely unpleasantcirc*mstances, which were followed onthe 24th of February by a most violentaltercation. My wife and another personcame into my apartment in the morningin order to console me, but I was toomuch agitated by a series of incidentswhich had most powerfully affected mymoral feeling, to be capable of attendingto them; on a sudden I perceived, atabout the distance of ten steps, a formlike that of a deceased person, I pointedat it, asking my wife if she did not seeit? It was but natural that she shouldnot see any thing, my question therefore[Pg 46]alarmed her very much, and shesent immediately for a physician, thephantasm continued about eight minutes.I grew at length more calm,and being extremely exhausted, fellinto a restless sleep which lasted abouthalf an hour; the physician ascribedthe apparition to a violent mental emotion,and hoped that there would be noreturn, but the violent agitation of mymind had in some way disordered mynerves, and produced farther consequenceswhich deserve a more minutedescription.”

“At four in the afternoon, the formwhich I had seen in the morning reappeared.I was by myself when thishappened, and being rather uneasy atthe incident, went to my wife’s apartment,but there likewise I was preventedby the apparition, which, however, atintervals disappeared, and always presenteditself in a standing posture: aboutsix o’clock there appeared also several[Pg 47]walking figures, which had no connectionwith the first.”

“I cannot assign any other cause of allthis, than a continued rumination on thevexations I had suffered, which, thoughcalmer, I could not forget, and the consequencesof which I meditated to counteract;these meditations occupied mymind three hours after dinner, just whenmy digestion commenced. I consoledmyself at last with respect to the disagreeableincident which had occasioned thefirst apparition, but the phantasms continuedto encrease and change in themost singular manner, though I hadtaken the proper medicine and foundmyself perfectly well. As when the firstterror was over, I beheld the phantasmswith great emotion taking them for whatthey really were, remarkable consequencesof an indisposition, I endeavoured tocollect myself as much as possible, thatI might preserve a clear consciousness of[Pg 48]the changes which should take placewithin myself; I observed these phantasmsvery closely, and frequently reflectedon my antecedent thoughts todiscover, if possible, by means of whatassociation of ideas exactly these formspresented themselves to my imagination;I thought at times I had found a clue,but taking the whole together I couldnot make out any natural connectionbetween the occupations of my mind,my occupations, my regular thoughts,and the multifarious forms which nowappeared to me, and now again disappeared.After repeated and close observations,and calm examination, I wasunable to form any conclusion relativeto the origin and continuation of thedifferent phantasms which presentedthemselves to me. All that I could inferwas, that while my nervous system wasin such an irregular state, such phantasmswould appear to me as if I actuallysaw and heard them; that these illusions[Pg 49]were not modified by any known lawsof reason, imagination, or the commonassociation of ideas, and that probablyother people who may have had similarapparitions, were exactly in the samepredicament. The origin of the individualforms which appeared to me, wasundoubtedly founded on the nature ofmy mind, but the manner in which itwas thus affected, will probably remainfor ever as inscrutable as the origin ofthought and reflection. After the firstday the form of the deceased person nomore appeared, but in its place, thereappeared many other phantasms, sometimesrepresenting acquaintances, butmostly strangers, those whom I knewwere composed of living and deceasedpersons, but the number of the latterwas comparatively small. I observedthe persons with whom I daily converseddid not appear as phantasms, these representingchiefly persons who lived at somedistance from me. I attempted to produce[Pg 50]at pleasure phantasms of personswhom I knew by intensely reflecting ontheir countenance shape &c. but distinctlyas I called to my lively imaginationthe respective shades of three of thesepersons, I still laboured in vain to makethem appear to me as phantasms, thoughI had before involuntarily seen them inthat manner, and perceived them sometime after, when I least thought of them.The phantoms appeared to me contraryto my inclination, as if they werepresented to me from without, like thephenomena of nature, though they existedno where but within my mind.I could at the same time distinguishbetween phantasms and real objects, andthe calmness with which I examinedthem, enabled me to avoid the commissionof the smallest mistake. I knewexactly when it only appeared to methat the door was opening and a phantasmentering the room, and when itactually opened, a real person entered.”

[Pg 51]

“These phantasms appeared equallyclear and distinct at all times and underall circ*mstances, both when I was bymyself and when I was in company,and as well in the day as at night, andin my own house as well as abroad; theywere, however, less frequent when I wasin the house of a friend, and rarelyappeared to me in the street; when Ishut my eyes these phantasms wouldsometimes disappear entirely, thoughthere were instances when I beheld themwith my eyes closed, yet when theydisappeared on such occasions, they generallyreappeared when I opened myeyes. I conversed sometimes with myphysician and my wife of the phantasmswhich at the moment surrounded me;they appeared more frequently walkingthan at rest, nor were they constantlypresent. They frequently did not appearfor some time, but always reappeared fora longer or a shorter period either singlyor in company, the latter however being[Pg 52]most frequently the case. I generallysaw human forms of both sexes, but theyusually appeared not to take the smallestnotice of each other, moving as in amarket-place, where all are eager to pressthrough the crowd; at times howeverthey seemed to be transacting businesswith each other: I also saw several timespeople on horseback, dogs and birds. Allthese phantasms appeared to me in theirnatural size and as distinct as if alive,exhibiting different shades of carnationin the uncovered parts as well as indifferent colours and fashions in theirdresses, though the colours seemedsomewhat paler than in real nature,none of the figures appeared particularlyterrible, comical, or disgusting, most ofthem being of an indifferent shape, andsome having a pleasing appearance.”

“The longer these phantoms continuedto appear the more frequently did theyreturn, while at the same time they[Pg 53]encreased in number about four weeksafter they had first appeared. I also beganto hear them talk, the phantomssometimes conversed among themselves,but more frequently addressed their discourseto me; their speeches were commonlyshort and never of an unpleasantturn. At different times there appearedto me both dear and sensible friends ofboth sexes, whose addresses tended toappease my grief, which had not yetwholly subsided: these consolatoryspeeches were in general addressed tome when I was alone, sometimes I wasaccosted by these consoling friendswhile in company, frequently whilereal persons were speaking to me.These consolatory addresses consistedsometimes of abrupt phrases, and atothers, they were regularly connected.”

“Though both my mind and body werein a tolerable state of sanity all this time,and these phantasms became so familiar[Pg 54]to me that they did not cause me theslightest uneasiness, and I even sometimesamused myself with surveyingthem, and spoke jocularly of them tomy physician and my wife; I yet didnot neglect to use proper medicines,especially when they began to hauntme the whole day, and even at nightas soon as I awaked.”

“At last it was agreed that leechesshould be again applied to me, as formerly;which was actually done, April20th 1791, at eleven o’clock in themorning. No person was with me besidesthe surgeon; but during the operationmy chamber was crowded withhuman phantasms of all descriptions.This continued uninterruptedly tillabout half an hour after four o’clock,just when my digestion commenced. Ithen perceived that they began to movemore slowly. Soon after, their colourbegan to fade, and at seven o’clock they[Pg 55]were entirely white. But they movedvery little, though the forms were asdistinct as before: growing howeverby degrees more obscure; yet notfewer in number as had generallybeen the case. The phantoms didnot withdraw, nor did they vanish;which previous to that time had frequentlyhappened. They now seemedto dissolve in the air; while fragmentsof some of them continued visible aconsiderable time. About eight o’clockthe room was entirely cleared of myfantastic visitors.”

“Since this time I have felt, twice orthree times a sensation as if thesephantasms were going to re-appear;without however actually seeing anything. The same sensation surprisedme just before I drew up this account,while I was examining some papersrelative to these apparitions which Ihad drawn up in the year 1791.”

[Pg 56]

This is one of the extreme cases ofdelusion, which a man of strong naturaljudgment has ventured to record of himself.Cardan, who fancied himself visitedby supernatural impulses, neverproduced so marvellous a story.

Cardan, however, describes himself asamused, in his youth, with recollectedimages, similar to those which I havedescribed, in the first chapter. Beforehe left his bed, in the morning, he sawa succession of figures, composed ofbrazen rings, like links of mail, (thoughhe had never seen mail-armour at thattime,) moving, in a circular direction,upwards, from right to left, till theydisappeared. Castles, houses, animals,trees, men in different dresses; trumpeters,appearing to blow their trumpets,though no sound was heard; soldiers,and landscapes; all passed before him,in circular compartments. “Videbamego imagines diversas quasi corporum[Pg 57]æreorum. (Constare enim videbanturex annulis minimis, quales sunt loricarum,cum tamen loricas nunquameousque vidissem) ab imo lecti angulodextro ascendentes per semicirculum,lenté et in sinistrum occidentes, utprorsus non apparerenti Areium, domorum,animalium, equorum cumequitibus, herbarum, arborum, instrumentorummusicorum, hominum diversorumhabituum, vestiumque variarum,tubicines præcipue cum tubisquasi sonantibus, nulla tamen vox autsonus exandiebatur: præterea milites,populos, arva, formasque corporumusque ad hune diem mihi invisas:lucos et sylvas, aliaque quorum nonmemini, quandoque multarum rerumcongeriem simul irruentium, non tamenut se confunderent, sed ut ut properarent.Erant autem perspicua illa,sed non ita ut proinde esset, ac si nonadessent, nec densa ut oculo pervia[Pg 58]non essent. Sed ipsi circuli opacierant spatia prorsus perspicua.”[8]

Ben Jonson, also, falls under thisdescription, from the Heads of Conversation,published by the executors ofDrummond of Hawthornden, who havedeprived posterity of Drummond’s originalaccount of these interesting interviews.Jonson told him, that “whenthe king came to England, about thetime that the plague was in London,he being in the country, at Sir RobertCotton’s house with old Cambden, hesaw in a vision his eldest son, then ayoung child and at London, appearunto him with the mark of a bloodycross on his forehead, as if it had beencut with a sword, at which amazedhe prayed unto God, and in the morninghe came unto Mr. Cambden’schamber to tell him, who persuaded[Pg 59]him it was but an apprehension, atwhich he should not be dejected. Inthe mean time there came letters fromhis wife of the death of that boy inthe plague. He appeared to him, hesaid, of a manly shape, and of thatgrowth he thinks he shall be at theresurrection.”

“He said, that he had spent a wholenight in looking to his great toe, aboutwhich he hath seen Tartars and Turks,Romans and Carthaginians fight inhis imagination.”[9]

That extraordinary, and much misrepresentedcharacter, the Maid of France,appears to have been a visionary of thiskind, and to have been enthusiasticallysincere in her belief of supernatural communications.[Pg 60]The ancient memoirs ofthis heroine, published by Denys Godefroy,convey a high idea of her sagacityand elevation of mind. When she inducedCharles VII. to the bold attemptof procuring his inauguration at Rheims,she described the celestial voice as havingsaid to her, while she was engaged inprayer, Fille, va, va, je seray a ton ayde,va.

Her unknown historian adds; “Elleestoit au reste tres-devote, se confessoitsouvent, & recevoit le precieux corpsde N. S. Jesus Christ, estoit de tres-belleet bonne vie, et d’honneste conversation.”

In a very curious letter, written bythe Sieur de Laval, we meet with somecharacteristic anecdotes of the Maid, towhom he was introduced by Charles VII.‘Et-fit ladite Pucelle tres bonne cherea mon pere & a moy, estant armeé de[Pg 61]toutes pieces, sauve la tete, et tenant lalance en main; et aprés que fumes descendusá selle, j’allay a son logis lavoir; et fit venir le vin, et me dit, qu’ellem’en feroit bientot boire á Paris; etsemble chose toute divine de son fait,et de la voir et de l’ouyr.——et laveis monter a cheval, armée tout enblanc, sauf la teste, une petite hacheen sa main, sur un grand coursier noirqui a l’huis de son logis se demenoittres fort, et ne souffroit qu’elle montast;et lors elle dit, menez-le a la croix,qui etoit devant l’eglise aupres, au chemin;et lors ell monta sans qu’il semeut, comme s’il fut lié; et lors setourna vers l’huys de l’eglise, qui etoitbien prochain, et dit en assez voix defemme: Vous les Prestres et gens d’eglise,faites procession et prieres a Dieu.’

Upon her trial, as it is repeated byChartier, she spoke with the utmost simplicityand firmness of her visions: ‘Que[Pg 62]souvent alloit a une belle fontaine aupays de Lorraine, laquelle elle nommoitbonne fontaine aux Feés NostreSeigneur, et en icelluy lieu tous ceulxde pays quand ils avoient fiebvre ilsalloient pour recouvrer garison; et laalloit souvent ladite Jehanne la Pucellesous un grand arbre qui la fontaineombroit; et s’apparurent a elle S^te.Katerine et S^te. Marguerite qui luidirent qu’elle allast a ung Cappitainequ’elles lui nommerent, laquelle y allasans prendre congé ni a pere ni a mere;lequel Cappitaine la vestit en guised’homme et l’armoit et lui ceint l’epeé,et luy bailla un escuyer et quatre varlets;et en ce point fut monteé sur unbon cheval; et en ce point vint autRoy de France, et lui dit que du Commandementde lui estoit venue a lui, etqu’elle le feroit le plus grant Seigneurdu Monde, et qu’il lui fut ordonnéque tretou ceulx qui lui desobeiroientfussent occis sans mercy, et que St. Michel[Pg 63]et plusieurs anges lui avoient bailléune Couronne moult riche pour lui;’&c.

Unquestionably, the temperament whichdisposes men to cultivate the higher andgraver species of poetry, contributes torender them susceptible of impressions ofthis nature. Such a temperament, excitedby the pathetic circ*mstances of astory, more interesting than any tale offiction, produced the vision of Dr. Donne.When residing in Paris, he saw the figureof his wife, then in London, pass throughthe room, with her hair hanging loose,and carrying a dead child in her arms.After reading the exquisite poem whichhe wrote, previous to their separation,it is impossible to wonder at an impressionof such a nature.

This is, indeed, an instance of thatspecies of ecstasy, which is known, inthe North of Scotland, under the name[Pg 64]of ‘Second-Sight.’ Much has been writtenon this subject; I shall thereforeonly mention two instances, which willprove that the spectral impressions certainlytake place; of their propheticnature, there may be different opinions.

A gentleman connected with my family,an officer in the army, and certainlyaddicted to no superstition, wasquartered, early in life, in the middleof the last century, near the castle of agentleman in the North of Scotland,who was supposed to possess the Second-Sight.Strange rumours were afloat, respectingthe old chieftain. He hadspoken to an apparition, which ranalong the battlements of the house, andhad never been chearful afterwards. Hisprophetic visions excited surprize, evenin that region of credulity; and hisretired habits favoured the popular opinion.My friend assured me, that oneday, while he was reading a play to the[Pg 65]ladies of the family, the chief, who hadbeen walking across the room, stoppedsuddenly, and assumed the look of aSeer. He rang the bell, and orderedthe groom to saddle a horse; to proceedimmediately to a seat in the neighbourhood,and to inquire after the health ofLady ——; if the account was favourable,he then directed him to call atanother castle, to ask after another ladywhom he named.

The reader immediately closed hisbook, and declared that he would notproceed till these abrupt orders wereexplained, as he was confident that theywere produced by the Second-Sight.The chief was very unwilling to explainhimself; but at length he owned, thatthe door had appeared to open, and thata little woman, without a head, hadentered the room; that the apparitionindicated the sudden death of some personof his acquaintance; and the only[Pg 66]two persons who resembled the figure,were those ladies, after whose health hehad sent to inquire.

A few hours afterwards, the servantreturned, with an account that one ofthe ladies had died of an apoplectic fit,about the time when the vision appeared.

At another time, the chief was confinedto his bed, by indisposition, andmy friend was reading to him, in astormy winter-night, while the fishing-boat,belonging to the castle, was at sea.The old gentleman repeatedly expressedmuch anxiety respecting his people; andat last exclaimed, my boat is lost! Thecolonel replied, how do you know it, Sir?—Hewas answered; I see two of theboatmen bringing in the third drowned,all dripping wet, and laying him downclose beside your chair. The chair wasshifted, with great precipitation; in thecourse of the night, the fishermen returned,[Pg 67]with the corpse of one of theboatmen.

Martin, who has given a very particularaccount of Seers, in the westernIslands, mentions a young woman, whowas troubled, during four or five years,with the constant appearance of her ownimage before her, the back being turnedtowards her. No event was connectedwith this spectral impression.

But one of the most remarkable Seerson record, was John Beaumont, whopublished a ‘treatise of spirits, apparitions,witchcrafts, and other magicalpractices,’ in 1705. He appears to havebeen a man of a hypochondriacal disposition,with a considerable degree ofreading, but with a strong bias to credulity.His collections of stories are entertaining;but my business is with hisvisions, which shew in a most astonishingmanner, how far the mind may be[Pg 68]deceived, without the occurrence of actualderangement. They will be detailedin the next chapter. Had thisman, instead of irritating his mental disease,by the study of the Platonic philosophers,placed himself under the careof an intelligent physician, he wouldhave regained his tranquillity, and theworld would have lost a most extraordinaryset of confessions.

Beaumont’s Visions—Those of Tasso—Kotter—Drabicius—AriseEvans—Bovet.

Physicians have sometimes occasionto regret the prolixity of the statements,which they receive from their patients.Beaumont has been rather more diffusivethan usual; for his book, which may beconsidered as a narrative of his malady,contains four hundred pages, in octavo.It is, however very much to my purpose,for it exhibits the disease of spectralvision, in its full strength and permanency.

[Pg 70]

Like Nicolai, he sometimes saw amultitude of men and women about him,both in the day and night. “So it waswith myself,” says he, “for I sawhundreds, though I never saw any inthe night-time, without a fire, or candle-light,or in the moonshine, andas the person mentioned (by Aubrey)had two particular spirits there named,which constantly attended him, besidesothers without names, so it waswith myself; two spirits constantly attendingme, night and day, for abovethree months together; who calledeach other by their names, and severalspirits would often call at my chamberdoor, and ask whether such spiritslived there, calling by their names,and they would answer, they did.As for the other spirits that attendedme, I heard none of their names mentioned,only I asked one spirit whichcame for some nights together, andrung a little bell in my ear, what his[Pg 71]name was, who answered Ariel. Wefind that one of the spirits, whoattended the second-sighted person,appeared as a boy, the other as a girl;but the two that constantly attendedmyself, appeared both in women’shabit, they being of a brown complexion,and about three foot in stature;they had both black, loose net-workgowns, tyed with a black sashabout the middle, and within the net-workappeared a gown of a goldencolour, with somewhat of a light strikingthrough it. Their heads were notdrest with top-knots, but they hadwhite linen caps on, with lace onthem, about three-fingers breadth, andover it they had a black loose net-workhood.

“As the foresaid second-sighted persons,sitting by the fire, with othersin the winter-time, would see spiritsstanding by, and often seem angry[Pg 72]and disturbed, though nothing visibleto others moved him; so, as I havebeen sitting by the fire with others,I have seen several spirits, and pointedto the place where they were, tellingthe company they were there. Andone spirit, whom I heard calling tome, as he stood behind me, on asudden clapped his finger to my side,which I sensibly perceived, and startedat it, and as I saw one spirit come inat the door, which I did not like, Isuddenly laid hold of a pair of tongs,and struck at him with all my force,whereupon he vanished.

“*** I must declare, that I wouldnot for the whole world undergo whatI have undergone, upon spirits comingtwice to me; their first comingwas most dreadful to me, the thingbeing then altogether new, and consequentlymore surprizing, though atthe first coming they did not appear[Pg 73]to me, but only called to me at mychamber windows, rung bells, sungto me, and played on music, &c. butthe last coming also carried terrorenough; for when they came, beingonly five in number, the two womenbefore mentioned, and three men,(though afterwards there came hundreds)they told me they would killme, if I told any person in the houseof their being there, which put me insome consternation, and I made aservant sit up with me four nights inmy chamber before a fire, it beingin the Christmas Holidays, telling noperson of their being there. One ofthese spirits in women’s dress, laydown upon the bed by me everynight; and told me if I slept, thespirits would kill me, which kept mewaking for three nights. In the meantime, a near relation of mine went(though unknown to me) to a physicianof my acquaintance, desiring[Pg 74]him to prescribe me somewhat forsleeping, which he did, and a sleepingpotion was brought me, but I set itby, being very desirous and inclinedto sleep without it. The fourth nightI could hardly forbear sleeping, butthe spirit, lying on the bed by me, toldme again, I should be killed if I slept;whereupon I rose, and sate by thefire-side, and in a while returned tomy bed; and so I did a third time,but was still threatened as before:whereupon I grew impatient, andasked the spirits what they wouldhave? Told them I had done thepart of a christian, in humbling myselfto God, and feared them not, androse from my bed, took a cane, andknocked at the ceiling of my chamber,a near relation of mine lying thenover me, who presently rose and camedown to me, about two o’clock in themorning, to whom I said, you haveseen me disturbed these four days past,[Pg 75]and that I have not slept; the occasionof it was, that five spirits, which arenow in the room with me, havethreatened to kill me if I told anyperson of their being here, or if Islept, but I am not able to forbearsleeping longer, and acquaint youwith it, and now stand in defiance ofthem; and thus I exerted myself aboutthem; and notwithstanding their continuedthreats, I slept very well thenext night, and continued so to do,though they continued with me abovethree months, day and night.”[10]

The celebrated visions of Tasso appearto have been of the same nature. Hefancied that he beheld a celestial being,with whom he held converse, in thepresence of spectators, who perceived noapparition, and who heard no voice butthat of the poet. Would that we could[Pg 76]have exchanged the narratives of Beaumont’sreveries, for those of Tasso!

To this class of morbid perceptions,belong also the visions of ChristopherKotter, and Drabicius, which made aconsiderable noise in the seventeenthcentury. They were published by Comenius,aided by very ghostly engravings,under the title of ‘Lux é Tenebris.’I must refer to Bayle, for many curiousobservations respecting the tendency ofthese prophetic rhapsodies: my businessis only with the faculty of spectral representation.

For this reason, I shall not noticeDrabicius. As a man of superior information,he might be suspected of politicviews, in his pretended visions: butthere can be no doubt that Kotter wassincere in his enthusiasm, and was asmuch a Seer as any second-sighted prophetof the Hebrides.

[Pg 77]

Kotter’s first vision was detailed byhim, on oath, before the magistrates ofSprottaw, in 1619. While he was travellingon foot in open day-light, inJune 1616, a man appeared to him,who ordered him to inform the civil andecclesiastical authorities, that great evilswere impending over Germany, for thepunishment of the sins of the people;after which he vanished. The sameapparition met him at different times,and compelled him at length, by threats,to make this public declaration.

After this, his visions assumed a moreimposing appearance: on one occasion,the angel (for such he was now confessedto be) shewed him three suns,filling one half of the heavens; and ninemoons, with their horns turned towardsthe east, filling the other half. At thesame time, a superb fountain of purewater spouted from the arid soil, underhis feet.

[Pg 78]

At another time, he beheld a mightylion, treading on the moon, and sevenother lions around him, in the clouds.

Sometimes he beheld the encounterof hostile armies, splendidly accoutred;sometimes he wandered through palaces,whose only inhabitants were devouringmonsters; or beheld dragons of enormoussize, in various scenes of action.

He was at length attended by twoangels, in his ecstasy; one of his visionsat this time was of the most formidableand impressive kind.[11] “On the 13th[Pg 79]day of September, says he, both theyouths returned to me, saying, be notafraid, but observe the thing which willbe shewn to thee. And I suddenly behelda circle, like the sun, red, and as itwere, bloody: in which were black andwhite lines, or spots, so intermingled,that sometimes there appeared a greaternumber of blacks, sometimes of white;and this sight continued for some space[Pg 80]of time. And when they had said tome, Behold! Attend! Fear not! No evilwill befal thee! Lo, there were threesuccessive peals of thunder, at short intervals,so loud and dreadful, that I shudderedall over. But the circle stoodbefore me, and the black and whitespots were disunited, and the circleapproached so near that I could havetouched it with my hand. And it wasso beautiful, that I had never in my lifeseen any thing more agreeable: and thewhite spots were so bright and pleasant,that I could not contain my admiration.But the black spots were carried awayin a cloud of horrible darkness, in whichI heard a dismal outcry, though I couldsee no one. Yet these words of lamentationwere audible: Woe unto us, whohave committed ourselves to the blackcloud, to be withdrawn from the circlecoloured with the blood of divine grace,in which the grace of God, in his well-belovedSon, had inclosed us.”

[Pg 81]

After several other piteous exclamations,he saw a procession of manythousand persons, bearing palms, andsinging hymns, but of very small stature,enter the red circle, from the blackcloud, chanting halleluiah.

A Polish Prophetess made her appearance,about the same time; but as therewas nothing particularly interesting inher visions, they may be kept, like themadness of Mr. Sheridan’s character inthe Critic, in the back-ground.

The prophecy of Arise Evans respectingthe Restoration of Charles II. is thusdetailed by Dr. Warburton, in a letterto Dr. Jortin. Evans, as I have mentionedelsewhere, was a mere juggler inthe dates of his title-pages. The visionitself resembles the royal shadows inMacbeth.

“You desired to have a more particular[Pg 82]account of——a certain prophecyof one Arise Evans, which you haveheard some of your friends speak of interms of astonishment; as I have hisbook which is scarce, I am able to giveyou that satisfaction. But it may not beamiss first to let you into the characterof the prophet. Arise Evans lived andflourished in the last century, duringthe time of our civil confusions. Hewas a warm Welshman, and not disposedto be an idle spectator in so busy a scene.So he left his native country for London,and finding on his arrival there thatInspiration was all running one way, heprojected to make a division of it fromthe Roundheads to the Cavaliers, and setup for a Prophet of the Royalists. Hedid, and said many extraordinary thingsto the grandees of both parties: and itmust be owned, he had a spice of whatwe seldom find wanting in the ingredientsof a modern prophet, I meanprevarication.”

[Pg 83]

“Of this he has himself given us anotable example in the 42nd page ofhis Tract, called an Echo from Heaven,which, because it contains an uncommonfetch of wit, I shall describe.There are two confessions,” says he,“subscribed by my hand in the city ofLondon, which if not now, will inafter ages be considered. The one wasmade at the Spittle, and subscribedwith the right hand, in the aforesaidvestry, before Sir Walter Earl; andthat is a confession made by the innerman, or new man; the other confessionis a confession of the flesh, calledthe outward man or old man; andthe confession made before Green (theRecorder), and subscribed with theleft hand, as the difference in thewriting, being compared, will makeit appear. I know the bench, and thepeople thought I recanted, but alas!they were deceived.”

[Pg 84]

“Well, but this very man has in the77th and 78th pages of this Echo printedfor the author in 12^mo. and sold at hishouse in Long Alley in Black Friars,1653, second edition with additions, aprophecy which astonishes all who carefullyconsider it. It is in these words,A vision that I had presently after theking’s death.—I thought that I was ina great hall like the king’s hall, or thecastle in Winchester, and there wasnone there but a judge that sat uponthe bench and myself; and as I turnedto a window in the north-westward,and looking into the palm of myhand, there appeared to me a face,head and shoulders like the Lord Fairfax’s,and presently it vanished. Again,there arose the Lord Cromwell, andhe vanished likewise; then arose ayoung face and he had a crown uponhis head, and he vanished also; andanother young face arose with a crown[Pg 85]upon his head, and he vanished also;and another——young face arosewith a crown upon his head, andvanished in like manner; and as Iturned the palm of my hand backagain to me and looked, there didappear no more in it. Then I turnedto the judge and said to him, therearose in my hand seven; and five ofthem had crowns; but when I turnedmy hand, the blood turned to its veins,and these appeared no more: so Iawoke. The interpretation of this visionis, that after the Lord Cromwell, thereshall be kings again in England, whichthing is signified unto us by those thatarose after him, who were all crowned,but the generations to come may lookfor a change of the blood, and of thename in the royal seat, after five kingsonce passed, 2 Kings x. 30. (Thewords referred to in this text are these)And the Lord said unto Jehu, becausethou hast done well, &c. thy children[Pg 86]of the fourth generation shall sit uponthe throne of Israel.”[12]

Sauvages mentions, that a woman,subject to epilepsy, saw, during theparoxysm, dreadful spectres, and thatreal objects appeared magnified to anextraordinary degree: a fly seemed aslarge as a fowl, and a fowl appearedequal in size to an ox. In colouredobjects, green predominated with her;a curious fact, which I have seen verifiedin other convulsive diseases. Avery intelligent boy, who was undermy care for convulsions of the voluntarymuscles, when he looked at some largecaricatures, glaringly coloured with redand yellow, insisted on it that they werecovered with green, till his paroxysmabated, during which his intellects hadnot been at all affected.

[Pg 87]

Among other instances of Suffusio,Sauvages also mentions an aged physicianof Narbonne, who, during severaldays, saw every object crooked.

I shall select, as a remarkable instanceof spectral impressions, a story publishedby Richard Bovet, in his Pandæmonium,or the Devil’s Cloyster, printedin 1684. The first appearances wereprobably seen in a dream. The noises,on the second night, were perhaps recollectedimpressions.[13]

“About the year 1667, being withsome persons of honour in the house ofa nobleman in the west country, whichhad formerly been a nunnery: I mustconfess I had often heard the servants,and others that inhabited or lodged there,speak much of the noises, stirs, andapparitions that frequently disturbed the[Pg 88]house, but had at that time no apprehensionsof it; for the house being fullof stranger’s, the nobleman’s steward,Mr. C. lay with me in a fine wainscoat-room,called my ladies’ chamber; wewent to our lodging pretty early, andhaving a good fire in the room, wespent some time in reading, in whichhe much delighted: then having gotinto bed, and put out the candles, weobserved the room to be very light,by the brightness of the moon, so thata wager was laid between us, that itwas possible to read written hand bythat light upon the bed where we lay;accordingly I drew out of my pocketa manuscript, which he read distinctlyin the place where he lay: we hadscarce made an end of discoursingabout that affair, when I saw (my facebeing towards the door which waslocked) entering into the room, fiveappearances of very fine and lovely[Pg 89]women, they were of excellent stature,and their dresses seemed very fine, butcovered all but their faces, with theirlight veils, whose skirts trailed largelyon the floor. They entered in a fileone after the other, and in that posturewalked round the room, till the foremostcame, and stood by that side ofthe bed where I lay (with my lefthand over the side of the bed; for myhead rested on that arm, and I determinednot to alter the posture in whichI was) she struck me upon that handwith a blow that felt very soft, but Idid never remember whether it werecold or hot: I demanded in the nameof the blessed Trinity, what businessthey had there, but received no answer;then I spoke to Mr. C. Sir, do yousee what fair guests we have come tovisit us? before which they all disappeared:I found him in some kindof agony, and was forced to grasp him[Pg 90]on the breast with my right hand(which was next him underneath thebed-clothes) before I could obtainspeech of him; then he told me thathe had seen the fair guests I spoke of,and had heard me speak to them; butwithal said, that he was not able tospeak sooner unto me, being extremelyaffrighted at the sight of a dreadfulmonster, which assuming a shape, betwixtthat of a lion and a bear, attemptedto come upon the bed’s foot.I told him, I thanked God nothing sofrightful had presented itself to me;but I hoped (through his assistance)not to dread the ambages of hell. Itwas a long time before I could composehim to sleep, and though he hadhad many disturbances in his ownroom, and understood of others in thehouse, yet he acknowledged he hadnever been so terrified, during manyyears abode there. The next day at[Pg 91]dinner he shewed to divers persons ofprincipal quality, the mark that hadbeen occasioned on his breast by thegripe I was forced to give him, to gethim to speak, and related all the passagesvery exactly; after which heprotested never to lie more in thatroom; upon which I set up a resolutionto lodge in it again, not knowingbut something of the reason of thosetroubles might by that means be impartedto me. The next night, therefore,I ordered a Bible, and anotherbook to be laid in the room, andresolved to spend my time by the firein reading and contemplation, till Ifound myself inclined to sleep: andaccordingly having taken leave of thefamily at the usual hour, I addressedmyself to what I had proposed, notgoing into bed till past one in themorning: a little after I was got intobed, I heard somewhat walk about the[Pg 92]room, like a woman in a tabby gowntrailing about the room; it made amighty rushelling noise, but I couldsee nothing, though it was near aslight as the night before: it passed bythe foot of the bed and a little openedthe curtains, and thence went to acloset door on that side, throughwhich it found admittance, althoughit was close locked: there it seemedto groan, and draw a great chair withits foot, in which it seemed to sit, andturn over the leaves of a large folio;which you know make a loud clatteringnoise; so it continued in that posture,sometimes groaning, sometimesdragging the chair, and clattering thebook till it was near day; afterwardsI lodged several times in this room,but never met with any molestation.”

“This I can attest to be a true accountof what passed in that room the two[Pg 93]described nights; and though Mr. C.be lately dead, who was a very ingeniousman, and affirmed the first partunto many, with whom he was conversant;it remains that I appeal tothe knowledge of those who havebeen inhabitants or lodgers in the saidhouse, for what remains, to justify thecredibility of the rest.”

Medical distinctions of spectral impressions.Sepulchral remedies: Preparations of thehuman skull—Mumia—Apparition ofFicinus to Michael Mercato.—Warningvoice to Quarræus.—Visions of Dr. Pordage.Latent lunacy—Exemplified inthe character of Hamlet.

In medicine, we have fine names, atleast, for every species of disease. Thepeculiar disorder, which I have endeavouredto elucidate, is termed generallyHallucination, including all delusiveimpressions, from the wandering motebefore the eye, to the tremendous spectre,which is equally destitute of existence.

[Pg 96]

It is unnecessary to my purpose, topursue the subdivisions of this affection,which have been traced by nosologists.I shall only mention one extreme species,called the Lycanthropia, in whichthe patient imagines himself to havebecome a wolf, abandons society, andtakes refuge in the woods. These impressionshave no doubt been produced,or strengthened by narcotic potions, ofhyoscyamus, datura stramonium, andother deleterious infusions, either ignorantlytaken, or maliciously administered.

But we may well be surprized to find,that impressions of this kind are registered,under the title of experimentalphilosophy. Dr. Garmann,[14] in hischapter on the ghosts of the dead, informsus, that “when human salt,extracted and depurated from the skull[Pg 97]of a man, was placed in a water-dish,and covered with another plate, thereappeared next morning, in the mass,figures of men fixed to the cross.”

Another philosopher relates, that, whenfresh earth from a church-yard was putinto an oblong plate, after the performanceof certain ceremonies, a thousandspectres were visible in it.

During the sixteenth century, preparationsfrom the human skull were favouriteremedies: the moss which wasfound on skulls long-interred, and thebones reduced to powder, were oftenprescribed. In a very respectable work,Wepfer’s Historiæ Apoplecticorum, thereis a dissertation on this subject, by Dr.Emanuel Kænig,[15] in which he asserts,that on those nights when the humanskull was pounded in the apothecary’s[Pg 98]house, the family was alarmed by unusualnoises, by clappings of the doorsand windows, by groans, and otherindications that the spirits of the deadwere abroad.

I have never found that any effects ofthis kind were attributed to the Mumia,a favourite remedy of the same period:that is, the flesh of mummies, whichwere imported from Alexandria, andwhich was swallowed in the form ofpills or boluses, by the noble and rich,in Europe. The medical writings of thattime are full of accounts of this horribleand useless practice, which was at lengthdiscontinued, when it was found thatthe Alexandrians, instead of disinterringthe embalmed mummies of the ancientEgyptians, contented themselves withexporting the putrid carcases of Jews,to which they had easier access.[16]

[Pg 99]

In this manner was anthropophagysanctioned by physicians, even as late asthe reign of Louis XIV. while somewriters affected to doubt, whether thepractice had ever existed.

§ III.

From the principles which I haveestablished, the reader will easily proceedwith me, to account for the most imposingrelations of apparitions.

I have shewn that a morbid dispositionof the brain is capable of producingspectral impressions, without any externalprototypes. The religion of theancients, which peopled all parts ofnature with deities of different ranks,exposed them, in a peculiar manner,to delusions of the imagination; and Ihave had occasion, in another essay,[17][Pg 100]to mention the influence which the doctrinesof Plato have exerted, in thisrespect, even since the establishment ofchristianity. From recalling images byan art of memory, the transition is directto beholding spectral objects, whichhave been floating in the imagination.Yet, even in the most frantic assemblageof this nature, no novelty appears. Thespectre may be larger or smaller; it maybe compounded of the parts of differentanimals; but it is always framed fromthe recollection of familiar, though discordantimages.

The simple renewal of the impressionsof form or voice, in the case of particularfriends, is the most obvious, andmost forcible of these recollections. Ofthis kind, seems to have been the celebratedapparition of Ficinus, to MichaelMercato, mentioned by Baronius.

Those illustrious friends, after a long[Pg 101]discourse on the nature of the soul, hadagreed that, whoever of the two shoulddie first, should, if possible, appear tohis surviving friend, and inform him ofhis condition in the other world.[18]

A short time afterwards, says Baronius,[19]it happened, that while MichaelMercato the elder was studying philosophy,early in the morning, he suddenlyheard the noise of a horse gallopingin the street, which stopped at hisdoor, and the voice of his friend Ficinuswas heard, exclaiming, O Michael!O Michael! those things are true. Astonishedat this address, Mercato roseand looked out of the window, where[Pg 102]he saw the back of his friend, drest inwhite, galloping off, on a white horse.

He called after him, and followedhim with his eyes, till the appearancevanished. Upon inquiry, he learnedthat Ficinus had died at Florence, atthe very time when this vision was presentedto Mercato, at a considerabledistance.

Many attempts have been made todiscredit this story, but I think the evidencehas never been shaken. I entertainno doubt, that Mercato had seenwhat he described; in following thereveries of Plato, the idea of his friend,and of their compact, had been revived,and had produced a spectral impression,during the solitude and awful silenceof the early hours of study. Baroniusadds, that after this occurrence, Mercatoneglected all profane studies, andaddicted himself entirely to divinity.[Pg 103]The vanishing of the imaginary apparition,in these cases, resembles Achilles’svision, in the Iliad.

——ψυχὴ δὲ κατὰ χθονὸς ἠΰτε καπνὸς
ᾤχετο τετριγυῖα.——

The impression of sound, the mostremarkable circ*mstance in Mercato’svision, is by no means a solitary instance.Beaumont has given us, not only hisown ghostly experience, but many examplesof this species of delusion.

Cardan believed himself to have possesseda faculty of divination,[20] by meansof voices conveyed to him in differentdirections. He certainly mistook thesymptom called Tinnitus Aurium, whichaccompanies the disease of literary men,for special warnings.

[Pg 104]

In another instance, Cardan has shewedhis propensity to ascribe his natural peculiaritiesto mystical causes. ‘WhenI lived and lectured at Paris,’ says he,‘looking accidentally at my hands, Isaw, in the ring-finger of the righthand, the figure of a bloody sword,which alarmed me. In the eveninga messenger arrived, with letters frommy son-in-law, informing me of myson’s imprisonment, and desiring meto go to Milan. That mark continuedto spread for fifty-three days, till itreached the point of the finger, andwas as red and fiery as blood, to mygreat consternation. At midnight myson was beheaded; next day the markhad nearly vanished, and in two daysafterwards, it was entirely gone.’[21] Therecan be little doubt, that this appearancewas occasioned by an inflamed lymphatic.The voice of lamentation which[Pg 105]Cardan fancied he heard, about the timeof his son’s execution, was the result ofthe agitation of his mind, distracted withgrief and terror. Beaumont’s perceptionof sounds consisted chiefly in the tollingof bells, of different sizes, with occasionaladdresses from the spirits. It is singular,that he never suspected himself to labourunder the disease of Corybantism, as ithas been termed, though he describes it,as applied to others.

The most remarkable instance of thiskind, is the story of Quarrè, as quotedby Morhoff;[22] but the proof of its accuracyis defective. Philebert de la Mare,in his life of Guion, takes occasion tointroduce the story.

During the French civil wars, Quarreus,or Quarrè, and other magistrates of[Pg 106]the royal party, were obliged to quitDijon, and remove to Saumur. In themonth of August, 1594, about twoo’clock in the morning, Quarrè wasawakened by a sudden shock, and heardsome unknown words pronounced. Heawaked his servant, who lay in theroom, and ordered him to strike a light,that he might write down the words,which he continued muttering to himself,lest he should forget them. Havingwritten them, according to thesound, they ran thus: Oug aposondeston endon distiguion. Neither himselfnor the servant could imagine what thelanguage was, Quarrè being entirelyignorant of Greek. Early in the morning,he met with Guion, on his wayto the court, and asked him to interpretthe words. Guion knew them to beGreek, and that they ought to be written,

Ο’υκ ὰπώσῶντες τῶν ἐνδον δυςτυχίυν:

And he added the translation: Nonrepulsuri, quod intus infortunium.

[Pg 107]

In attempting to unriddle the meaningof this mystical warning, Guionadvised Quarrè to leave the house wherehe lodged in Saumur, the unwholesomeair of which had occasioned him severalattacks of the cholic. But eight daysafterwards, the prediction was fulfilled.Quarrè went, on public business, toFlavignac, and during his absence, thehouse fell down in the night, andcrushed its inhabitants to death. Guionis said to have written a poem on theescape of his friend. This story rests,I believe, on the unsupported assertionof La Mare. If it be authentic, itseems to belong to the class of dreams.

On the same principles we must explainthe apparitions recorded by Vincentius,in the Speculum Historiæ,and extracted from him by Wolfius,in his Lectiones Memorabiles etreconditæ, particularly the appearanceof Pope Benedict to the Bishop of[Pg 108]Capua. “Idem lib. 25. Damianus refert:Episcopus, inquit, quidam Capuanusvidit Benedictum majorem Papamsibi olim familiarem, nigro, quasicorporabiter, equo insidentem: (videquam conveniant scripturæ Apoc. 6cum historiis) at is territus ea visionedicebat: Heus tu, nonne es PapaBenedictus, quem jam defunetum novimus?Ego sum, inquit, infelix iste.Quomodo, inquit, est tibi, pater?Graviter, inquit, torqueor, sed de Deimisericordia non dispero, si mihi adjutoriumpræbeatur, quia juvari possum:sed perge, quæso, ad fratremmeum Joannem, qui nunc sedem apostolicamoccupat, eique de mea partedic, ut illam summam, quæ potissimé intali theca reposita est, in pauperes distribuat:sicque me redimendum essequandocumque, cum hoc divina miseratiodecreverit, cognoscat, nam cæteraquæ pro me indigentibus tradita sunt,nihil, mihi penitus profuerint eo, quod[Pg 109]de rapinis et injustitis acquisita sunt.His auditis, Episcopus Romam impigeradiit, et Joanni Papæ (cui et ipseapparuit ille Benedictus 9. precansidem, et dicens, O utinam Odilo Cluniacensispro me rogaret!) fratris verbanarravit, et episcopatum mox deposuit,et monachatum induit.”

Lection. Memorab. et zecondit. T. i. p. 530.

My observations on this subject maybe strengthened, by observing the greatprevalence of spectral delusions, duringthe inter-regnum, in this country, afterthe civil war, in 1649. The melancholictendency of the rigid puritans of thatperiod; their occupancy of old familyseats, formerly the residence of hospitalityand good cheer, which in theirhands became desolate and gloomy; andthe dismal stories propagated by thediscarded retainers to the ancient establishments,ecclesiastical and civil, contributedaltogether to produce a national[Pg 110]horror unknown in other periods of ourhistory.

A curious example of this dispositionis afforded, by the trial of Dr. Pordage,a Clergyman in Berkshire, which waspublished under the frightful title of‘Dæmonium Meridianum, or Satan atNoon-day;’ among many charges broughtagainst him, Dr. Pordage was accused ofdemoniacal visions, and of frequent apparitionsin his house; one of whichconsisted in the representation of a coachand six, on a brick-chimney, in whichthe carriage and horses continued inconstant motion for many weeks. Itwas said ‘that a great dragon came intohis chamber, with a tail of eight yardslong, four great teeth, and did spit fireat him.

‘That his own angel stood by him,in his own shape and fashion, the sameshape, band and cuffs, and that he[Pg 111]supported him in his combat with thedragon.

‘That Mrs. Pordage and Mrs. Flavelhad their angels standing by them also;and that the spirits often came into thechamber, and drew the curtains whenthey were in bed.’

The developement of the story, whichis not necessary for my purpose, exhibitsthe combined effects of mysticism, superstitionand sensuality, which evidentlyproduced a disordered state of the sensorium,and gave rise to the visions,which were admitted by the parties. Itis indeed, an awful truth, well knownto physicians who see many lunatics,that religious melancholy is one of themost frequent causes of the Dæmonomania.

The subject of latent lunacy is an untouchedfield, which would afford the[Pg 112]richest harvest to a skilful and diligentobserver. Cervantes has immortalizedhimself, by displaying the effect of onebad species of composition on the heroof his satire,[23] and Butler has delineatedthe evils of epidemic religious and politicalfrenzy; but it remains as a task forsome delicate pencil, to trace the miseriesintroduced into private families, by astate of mind, which “sees more devilsthan vast hell can hold,” and which yetaffords no proof of derangement, sufficientto justify the seclusion of the unhappyinvalid.

[Pg 113]

This is a species of distress, on whichno novelist has ever touched, though itis unfortunately increasing in real life;though it may be associated with worth,with genius, and with the most speciousdemonstrations (for a while) of generalexcellence.

Addison has thrown out a few hints,on this subject, in one of the Spectators;it could not escape so critical an observerof human infirmities; and I havealways supposed, that if the characterof Sir Roger de Coverley had been leftuntouched by Steele, it would haveexhibited some interesting traits of thisnature. As it now appears, we seenothing more than occasional absenceof mind; and the peculiarities of anhumourist, contracted by retirement,and by the obsequiousness of his dependants.

It has often occurred to me, that[Pg 114]Shakespeare’s character of Hamlet canonly be understood, on this principle.He feigns madness, for political purposes,while the poet means to representhis understanding as really, (and unconsciouslyto himself) unhinged by thecruel circ*mstances in which he isplaced. The horror of the communicationmade by his father’s spectre; thenecessity of belying his attachment to aninnocent and deserving object; the certaintyof his mother’s guilt; and thesupernatural impulse by which he isgoaded to an act of assassination, abhorrentto his nature, are causes sufficientto overwhelm and distract a mind previouslydisposed to ‘weakness and tomelancholy,’ and originally full of tendernessand natural affection. By referringto the book, it will be seen thathis real insanity is only developed afterthe mock-play. Then, in place of asystematic conduct, conducive to hispurposes, he becomes irresolute, inconsequent,[Pg 115]and the plot appears to standunaccountably still. Instead of strikingat his object, he resigns himself to thecurrent of events, and sinks at length,ignobly, under the stream.

Accessory causes of delusion, regardingspectral impressions—Apparition of Desfontaines—Ghostsat Portnedown Bridge—Lucian’sstory of a Split Ghost—Instanceof a Ghost in two places at once.

It will readily occur to the reader, thatthe disposition of the mind to hallucinationmust sometimes be powerfullyaided, and encreased, by peculiar circ*mstancesof time and place. Chancemay supply, or artifice may contriveconcomitant sounds and objects, whichmust appal even the most incredulousobserver. Even Bayle has doubted,whether the imagination alone can producespectres, without the assistance of[Pg 118]the arts of confederacy. This point, Itrust, is now decided.

An apparition which made somenoise, about the beginning of the lastcentury, that of Desfontaines, seemsto have originated in a fit of deliquium,connected strongly with the recollectionof a friend.

It was published in the Journal deTrevoux, in 1726, and its outline is asfollows.

Mr. Bezuel, when a school-boy of 15,in 1695, contracted an intimacy with ayounger boy, named Desfontaines. Aftertalking together of the compacts whichhave been often made between friends,that in case of death, the spirit of thedeceased should revisit the survivor, theyagreed to form such a compact together,and they signed it, respectively, withtheir blood, in 1696. Soon after this[Pg 119]transaction, they were separated, byDesfontaines’ removal to Caen.

In July, 1697, Bezuel, while amusinghimself in hay-making, near a friend’shouse, was seized with a fainting fit,after which he had a bad night. Notwithstandingthis attack, he returned tothe meadow next day, where he againunderwent a deliquium. He again sleptill. On the succeeding day, while hewas observing the man laying up thehay, he had a still more severe attack.“I fell into a swoon: I lost my senses:one of the footmen perceived it, andcalled out for help. They recoveredme a little, but my mind was moredisordered than it had been before,I was told that they asked me thenwhat ailed me, and that I answered;I have seen what I thought I shouldnever see. But I neither remember thequestion, nor the answer. However,it agrees with what I remember I saw[Pg 120]then, a naked man in half-length;but I knew him not.

“They helped me to go down theladder; I held the steps fast; but becauseI saw Desfontaines my school-fellowat the bottom of the ladder, Ihad again a fainting fit: my head gotbetween two steps, and I again lostmy senses. They let me down, andset me upon a large beam, whichserved for a seat in the great Place deCapucins. I sat upon it, and then Ino longer saw Mr. de Sortoville, norhis servants, though they were present.And perceiving Desfontaines near thefoot of the ladder, who made me asign to come to him, I went backupon my seat, as it were to makeroom for him; and those who sawme, and whom I did not see, thoughmy eyes were open, observed thatmotion.

[Pg 121]

“Because he did not come, I got upto go to him: he came up to me, tookhold of my left arm with his righthand, and carried me thirty pacesfarther into a by-lane, holding mefast.

“The servants believing that I waswell again, went to their business,except a little foot-boy, who told Mr.de Sortoville, that I was talking tomyself. Mr. de Sortoville thought Iwas drunk. He came near me, andheard me ask some questions, andreturn some answers, as he told mesince.

“I talked with Desfontaines nearlythree quarters of an hour. I promisedyou, said he, that if I died before you,I would come and tell you so. I amdead: I was drowned in the river ofCaen, yesterday, about this hour. Iwas walking with such and such persons.[Pg 122]It was very hot weather; thefancy took us to go into the water;I grew faint, and sunk to the bottomof the river. The Abbé Meniljean,my school-fellow, dived to take meup. I took hold of his foot; butwhether he was afraid, or had a mindto rise to the top of the water, hestruck out his leg so violently, that hegave me a blow on the breast, andthrew me again to the bottom of theriver, which is there very deep.

“He always appeared to me taller thanI had seen him, and even taller thanhe was when he died. I always sawhim in half-length, and naked, bare-headed,with his fine light hair, anda white paper upon his foreheadtwisted in his hair, on which therewas a writing, but I could only readIn &c.”[24]

[Pg 123]

These spectral impressions were repeatedmore than once, with conversations.The accidental death of the youngman was ascertained very quickly.

This story was published by the celebratedAbbé de St. Pierre, who concluded,very justly, that the whole appearancesmight be explained from naturalcauses, though he failed in hismode of deduction.

The first impression was evidently occasionedby Bezuel’s fainting. I know,from my own experience, as well asthat of others, that the approach ofsyncope is sometimes attended with aspectral appearance, which I believe isalways a recollected image. But thesubsequent attacks, in this case, appearto have been delirious; there can belittle doubt that Bezuel was deceived inthe length of his supposed dialogue withthe spectre. We know well, how fallacious,[Pg 124]in this respect, the train ofthought proves, in dreams, and in delirium.

In this case also, we perceive, whatI have frequently had occasion to notice,the obstinacy with which a morbid impressionis preserved, and defended, longafter the restoration of health. I couldgive most singular, and impressive examplesof this nature, if professionaldelicacy permitted. In one instance,which I heard from a friend on whoseveracity I could depend, a gentlemanfancied during the delirium of a fever,that a considerable estate had been bequeathedto him; the impression continuedlong after his recovery, and hewas not undeceived without much troubleand difficulty.

There is a relation, published byauthority, of some apparitions, whichwere seen at Portnedown bridge, after the[Pg 125]Irish massacre, which deserves consideration,as it must be explained on principlessomewhat different.

I shall give copies of the evidence,produced by Sir John Temple, and shallthen endeavour to explain the alarmingappearances and sounds, on natural principles.

I. James Shaw of Market-hill in thecounty of Armagh, inn-keeper, deposeth,that many of the Irish rebels, in thetime of this deponent’s restraint, andstaying among them, told him veryoften, and it was a common report, thatall those who lived about the bridge ofPortnedown, were so affrighted with thecries and noise made there of some spiritsor visions for revenge, as that they durstnot stay, but fled away thence, so asthey protested, affrighted to Market-hill,saying, they durst not stay nor returnthither, for fear of those cries and spirits,[Pg 126]but took grounds and made creats,(Creaghs) in or near the parish of Mullabrac.Jurat. Aug. 14, 1642.

II. Joan, the relict of Gabriel Constable,late of Drumard, in the countyof Armagh, gent, deposeth and saith,that she often heard the rebels, OwenO‘Farren, Patrick O‘Conellan, and diversothers of the rebels at Drumard, earnestlysay, protest and tell one another, thatthe blood of some of those that wereknocked on the head, and afterwardsdrowned at Portnedown bridge, still remainedon the bridge, and would notbe washed away; and that often thereappeared visions or apparitions, sometimesof men, sometimes of women,breast-high above the water, at or nearPortnedown, which did most extremelyand fearfully screech and cry out forvengeance against the Irish that hadmurdered their bodies there: and thattheir cries and screeches did so terrify[Pg 127]the Irish thereabouts, that none durststay nor live longer there, but fled andremoved further into the country, andthis was common report amongst therebels there, and that it passed for a truthamongst them, for any thing she couldever observe to the contrary. Jurat.Jan. 1, 1643.

III. Katherine, the relict of Williamco*ke, late of the county of Armagh,carpenter, sworn and examined, saith,that about the 20th of December, 1641,a great number of rebels in that county,did most barbarously drown at that timeone hundred and eighty protestants, men,women, and children in the river at thebridge of Portnedown; and that aboutnine days afterwards, she saw a vision orspirit in the shape of a man, as sheapprehended, that appeared in that river,in the place of the drowning, bolt uprightheart high, with hands lifted up,and stood in that place there, until the[Pg 128]latter end of Lent next following; aboutwhich time some of the English armymarching in those parts, whereof herhusband was one (as he and they confidentlyaffirmed to this deponent) sawthat spirit or vision standing upright, andin the posture aforementioned; but afterthat time the said spirit or vision, vanishedand appeared no more, that sheknoweth. And she heard, but saw not,that there were other visions and apparitions,and much screeching, and strangenoises heard in that river at times afterwards.Jurat. February 24, 1643.

IV. Elizabeth, the wife of CaptainRice Price of Armagh, deposeth andsaith, that she and other women whosehusbands were murderers, hearing ofdivers apparitions, and visions that wereseen near Portnedown Bridge, since thedrowning of her children and the restof the protestants there, went unto thebridge aforesaid about twilight in the[Pg 129]evening; then and there upon a sudden,there appeared unto them a visionor spirit, assuming the shape of a woman,waist-high upright in the water,naked with elevated and closed hands,her hair hanging down, very white, hereyes seemed to twinkle, and her skin aswhite as snow; which spirit seemed tostand straight up in the water, and oftenrepeated the word, Revenge, Revenge,Revenge; whereat this deponent and therest being put into a strong amazementand affright walked from the place.Jurat. January 29, 1642.

V. Arthur Arlun, of Clowarghter inthe county of Cavan, Esquire, deposeththat he was credibly informed by somethat were present there, that there werethirty women and young children andseven men flung into the river of Belturbet,and when some of them offered toswim for their lives, they were by therebels, followed in carts, and knocked[Pg 130]upon the head with poles; the same daythey hanged two women at Turbet;and this deponent doth verily believe,that Rulmore O‘Rely the then sheriff,had a hand in commanding the murderof those said persons, for that he sawhim write two notes which he sent toTurbet by Brian O‘Rely, upon whosecoming there murders were committed:and those persons who were present alsoaffirmed, that the bodies of those thirtypersons drowned did not appear uponthe water till about six weeks after past;as the said Rely came to the town, allthe bodies came floating up to the verybridge; and those persons were all formerlystayed in the town by his protection,when the rest of their neighboursin the town went away.[25]

That the sounds complained of bythese witnesses were mere delusions,[Pg 131]there can be no doubt. The actors insuch bloody scenes are liable to tremendousrecollections. The solitaryhours of Charles IX. of France wererendered horrible by the repetition ofthe shrieks and cries which had assailedhis ears during the massacre of St. Bartholomew.[26]When the mind is loadedwith a sense of insupportable guilt, partialinsanity is at hand; and warning, orreproaching voices distract the feelingsof the sufferer.

The appearance of bodies, sitting uprightin the water, was no deception,though it contributed by its horror, tothe illusions of the ear. This terrificvisitation has occasioned much alarm,under similar circ*mstances, even inmodern times. We are told, that afterthe executions which took place, in thebay of Naples, by order of that court,[Pg 132]in 1799, the body of Carraccioli[27] wasseen floating, in an erect position, severaldays after his death, near the vesselon board of which he had suffered. Ina certain stage of putrefaction, thebodies of persons which have been immersedin water, rise to the surface,and in deep water, are supported in anerect posture, to the terror of uninstructedspectators. Menacing looks andgestures, and even words, are suppliedby the affrighted imagination, with infinitefacility, and referred to the horribleapparition. I insert a striking instancefrom Dr. Clarke. “One day, leaningout of the cabin window, by the sideof an officer who was employed infishing, the corpse of a man, newlysewed in a hammock, started half outof the water, and continued its course,with the current, towards the shore—Nothingcould be more horrible: its[Pg 133]head and shoulders were visible, turningfirst to one side, then to the other,with a solemn and awful movement,as if impressed with some dreadfulsecret of the deep, which, from itswatery grave it came upwards to reveal.Such sights became afterwards frequent,hardly a day passing withoutushering the dead to the contemplationof the living, until at length theypassed without observation.”[28]

Lucian has treated this malady ofthe mind with his usual severe ridicule,in one of his most entertaining dialogues,the Philopseudes. The stories of thestatues, which descended at night fromtheir pedestals, and walked about thecourt, are well told. But that of theinchanted stick is the best.

Eucrates says, that he became acquainted,[Pg 134]in Egypt, with Pancrates, whohad resided twenty years in the subterraneousrecesses, where he had learnedmagic from Isis herself. “At length,he persuaded me to leave all myservants at Memphis, and to followhim alone, telling me that we shouldnot be at a loss for servants. Whenwe came into any inn, he took awooden pin, latch or bolt, and wrappingit in some clothes, when he hadrepeated a verse over it, he made itwalk, and appear a man to every one.This creature went about, preparedsupper, laid the cloth, and waited onus very dextrously. Then, when wehad no further occasion for it, byrepeating another verse, he turned itinto a pin, latch or bolt again. Herefused to impart the secret of thisincantation to me, though very obligingin every thing else. But havinghid myself, one day, in a dark corner,I caught the first verse, which consisted[Pg 135]of three syllables. After he hadgiven his orders to the pin, he wentinto the market-place. Next day, inhis absence, I took the pin, drest itup, and repeating those syllables, orderedit to fetch some water. Whenit had brought a full jar, I cried, stop,draw no more water, but be a pinagain. But instead of obeying me,it went on bringing water, till it hadalmost filled the house. I, not able toendure this obstinacy, and fearing thereturn of Pancrates, lest he should bedispleased, seized a hatchet, and splitthe pin into two pieces. But eachpart, taking up a jar, ran to drawmore water, so that I had now twoservants in place of one. In the meantime, Pancrates returned, and understandingthe matter, changed theminto wood again, as they were beforethe incantation.” We may fairly applythe Italian saying to this story;si non é vero, é ben trovato.

[Pg 136]

But there is ghostly authority for thedivision of a goblin, equal to most ofGlanville’s histories, though I cannotnow recover, the names of the parties.The relation came to me, however,from a friend of one of the Seers.

Two elderly ladies, resided, each inher ancient castle, adjoining to the other,near the borders of Scotland. Whilethey were beguiling a tedious winterevening, with accounts of their domesticpolicy, the conversation insensibly turnedon the subject of their household ghosts:for at that time, every venerable oldmansion had an established resident ofthat nature, who was as well known asthe family-crest.

‘Every evening, said one of theSybils, I perceive the bust of a man,in one of the rooms, which is distinctlyvisible, down to the girdle.

[Pg 137]

‘And we,’ cried the other dame,‘have the rest of his person in ourcastle, which perambulates the houseevery night; till this moment, I couldnot imagine how the head and shouldersof the figure were disposed of.’

I have thus presented to the reader,those facts which have afforded, to myown mind, a satisfactory explanation ofsuch relations of spectral appearances, ascannot be refused credit, without removingall the limits and supports ofhuman testimony. To disqualify thesenses, or the veracity of those whowitness unusual appearances, is the utmosttyranny of prejudice. Yet, who,till within the last fifteen years, wouldhave dared to assert that stones fell fromthe clouds? Livy had regularly recordedsuch events, and was ridiculedfor supplying those most curious facts,which must otherwise have been lost tonatural history.

[Pg 138]

In like manner, I conceive that theunaffected accounts of spectral visionsshould engage the attention of the philosopher,as well as of the physician.Instead of regarding these stories withthe horror of the vulgar, or the disdainof the sceptic, we should examine themaccurately, and should ascertain theirexact relation to the state of the brain,and of the external senses.

The terror of nocturnal illusions wouldthus be dissipated, to the infinite reliefof many wretched creatures; and theappearance of a ghost would be regardedin its true light, as a symptom of bodilydistemper, and of little more consequencethan the head-ach and shiveringattending a common catarrh.

There is reason to believe, that manypersons suffer silently, from these imaginaryvisitations, who are deterred fromdivulging their distresses, by the ridicule[Pg 139]with which complaints of this nature arecommonly treated. When the properdistinction is established, admitting thereality of the impression, but explainingits production in the mind alone, alldifficulties of this kind may be removed,and the apprehensions of the visionarymay be readily quieted.

Lastly, by the key which I havefurnished, the reader of history is releasedfrom the embarrassment of rejectingevidence, in some of the plainestnarratives, or of experiencing uneasydoubts, when the solution might be renderedperfectly simple.

FINIS.

PRINTED BY J. AND J. HADDOCK, WARRINGTON.