OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 

AN HISTORY 
 
 MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT, 
 
 ANIMAL MAGNETISM. 
 
Ov yag TI i>vv yt KX^S^ cthtC otlst TOTS 
 Zij roi/ro, xov^el; o'/Ssv, s$z OTOV (pxvn. 
 
 SOPHOCLKS. 
 
 For this is not a mutter of to-day, 
 
 Or yesterday, but hath heen from all time, 
 
 And none hath told us whence it came, or how. 
 
AN HISTORY 
 
 MAGIC, WITCHCRAFT, 
 
 ANIMAL MAGNETISM 
 
 J. C. COLQUHOUN, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF " ISIS REVEI.ATA,'' &.C. 
 
 IX TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 LONGMAN, BROWN, GKEEN, & LONGMANS; 
 ADAM & CHARLES BLACK, EDINBURGH. 
 
 M.DGCC.LI. 
 
JUH.1 HUOHKS, I'RINTER, 3 TIUSTLK STREET, EDINBURGH. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THERE is no term, perhaps, which has been more 
 frequently and more grossly abused and misapplied 
 than that of Science. The word, in its proper and 
 legitimate sense, unquestionably denotes something 
 known, or, at least, something worthy of being 
 known ; and it is generally, and most correctly, 
 employed to denote a series of combined facts 
 which tend to establish a certain general law, or 
 series of laws, of Nature, either in the physical, 
 the intellectual, or the moral world. 
 
 In order to serve as a foundation for any general 
 conclusion in matters of science, however, it is 
 necessary to demonstrate, in the first place, that 
 those facts, upon which we rely, do really and per- 
 manently exist in nature, under certain conditions 
 of development ; that they are not exceptional, fic- 
 titious, or illusory ; that they, under the requisite 
 conditions, are not merely insulated phenomena of 
 an accidental or capricious, equivocal and transitory 
 
 VOL. i. a 
 
11 PREFACE. 
 
 nature ; and that their existence and character fully 
 warrant us in drawing the general inferences which, 
 on the principles of a sane philosophy and sound 
 logic, we are disposed, or compelled, to deduce 
 from them. 
 
 We may remark, however, that in recent times, 
 and particularly in this country, the term science 
 has been generally, and, we think, most improperly 
 restricted to Physics alone ; for there are facts in 
 psychology and moral philosophy which are equally, 
 if not more important, equally susceptible of ana- 
 lysis, and equally capable of being reduced under 
 general laws ; and these facts and these laws, there- 
 fore, are, at least, as deserving of our research and 
 investigation, as those which have been discovered 
 in the economy of the physical universe ; nay, the 
 former, are even of more real interest and utility 
 to man, as an intelligent and rational being. 
 
 " There are some persons," says PLATO, " who 
 draw down to the earth all heavenly and invisible 
 things, grasping with their hands rocks and trunks 
 of trees, maintaining that there is nothing real 
 exists but what offers resistance and can be felt, 
 holding body and existence to be synonymous. 
 And when others say that something may exist 
 that is incorporeal, they pay no regard to this, and 
 will no longer listen to the subject." PLATO ; Ed. 
 Stephan., p. 246. 
 
PREFACE. Ill 
 
 The study of physics, it is true, as well as that 
 of psychology, has been discouraged by influential 
 individuals and sects, at various periods, under 
 the mistaken impression, that the knowledge thus 
 acquired must ultimately prove prejudicial to cer- 
 tain other moral or social interests, which ought, in 
 their estimation, to be held paramount amongst 
 mankind ; and, consequently, the progress of all 
 science has been occasionally much impeded, and 
 its cultivation discouraged, during almost every 
 period of the history of the world ; as if ignorance 
 were productive of the most perfect happiness, and 
 most conducive to the interests and well-being of 
 the species. 
 
 These latter notions, however, in so far as they 
 relate to physical science, have now been pretty 
 nearly exploded ; we are now permitted freely to 
 examine the material objects and physical laws of 
 the universe, without becoming liable to an imputa- 
 tion of heresy ; and the same result, we apprehend, 
 must ultimately follow in the case of psychological 
 investigation, in regard to the presumed tendency 
 of which much prejudice still continues to be enter- 
 tained. In this latter department of science, indeed, 
 facts are daily in progress of development, which 
 are not only of great practical importance, but also, 
 in other respects, of the highest interest to mankind, 
 as social, intelligent, rational, and responsible beings. 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 About eighty years have now elapsed, since 
 r a German physician first 
 
 announced a new and very remarkable discovery 
 he had made in the course of his researches, which, 
 although little appreciated upon its first promulga- 
 tion, was afterwards found to be of no small import- 
 ance towards the enlargement of our scientific 
 knowledge of nature, and, especially, of the consti- 
 tution of man. During a considerable period, as is 
 well known, this very interesting discovery made 
 tardy progress in the learned world. It was, 
 indeed, new and startling ; it was supposed to be 
 inconsistent with some of the already accredited 
 principles of established science, and, therefore, 
 it received little countenance from the reputed 
 learned men of the day. It was, moreover 
 although upon manifestly false grounds accounted 
 a dangerous doctrine a downright scientific and 
 religious heresy. The few who gave it their honest 
 support and encouragement, therefore, were pub- 
 licly denounced as mystics, and ridiculed as fools, 
 or commiserated as madmen. The magnetic dis- 
 covery, indeed, was generally regarded, even by 
 many philosophers, as a gross imposition upon the 
 ignorance and credulity of the age ; and no terms 
 of contempt were considered too strong to be 
 applied to the few faithful supporters of the appa- 
 rently extravagant and heretical doctrine. Time, 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 however, works wonders in the moral as well as in 
 the physical world ; and science has its revolutions 
 and reactions as well as empires. A considerable 
 number of intelligent and inquisitive men unap- 
 palled by the denunciations of the ignorant and the 
 interested gradually obtained instruction from the 
 modern discoverer of Animal Magnetism, or his 
 immediate disciples made experiments themselves 
 succeeded in eliciting the much-controverted phe- 
 nomena, and thus became convinced of the truth of 
 the facts, and of the utility and importance of the 
 proscribed magnetic doctrine. But the more obsti- 
 nate among the sceptics would not even look at the 
 facts alleged to have been discovered ; or, if they 
 did condescend so far, they would not believe their 
 own eyes, unless the causes in operation were imme- 
 diately and satisfactorily explained to them. Such 
 an explanation, in these early times, however, was 
 not an easy matter ; and, at all events, even had 
 it been practicable, probably MESMER was not the 
 man to afford it. Besides, it is well known that 
 many phenomena may be observed long before it 
 becomes possible to explain them, or to demonstrate 
 their rank and value in the scale of human acquire- 
 ment ; and, therefore, the sceptics were too unrea- 
 sonable and impatient. How many natural pheno- 
 mena are there, too, which have been known for 
 centuries before their scientific causes, and various 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 uses in the economy of nature, could be discovered 
 by philosophers ? And how many similar facts 
 may not still await a satisfactory analysis and 
 explanation ? 
 
 In the meantime, the adversaries of Animal Mag- 
 netism and these were a very numerous class - 
 found it more convenient to deny the facts alto- 
 gether, than to submit to the requisite labour of 
 investigation ; and in adopting this course, they 
 were sure to have all the weak, the indolent, the 
 timid, the ignorant, and the incompetent upon their 
 side. Besides, they might probably have heard a 
 great deal about supernatural powers, fascinations, 
 enchantments, divinations, magic, witchcraft, sor- 
 cery and, perhaps, thousands of ridiculous stories 
 calculated to estrange all sober persons from the 
 serious examinations of phenomena, which, without 
 due investigation, must have appeared very mar- 
 vellous and utterly incredible ; and, consequently, 
 a fair subject for scepticism. Moreover, there is 
 always a multitude of individuals, even among the 
 better educated classes, who, themselves incapable 
 of conducting a new and serious investigation, or 
 unwilling to undertake the task, are content to 
 await the decision of those who are accustomed to 
 guide the opinion of the public in such matters, 
 before they consent to give in their adhesion to 
 new and unaccredited doctrines. But, in this par- 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 ticular instance, unfortunately, those who ought to 
 have been most capable of directing the opinion of 
 the public, on the subject of MESMER'S alleged dis- 
 coveries, thought proper to assume an attitude of 
 perfect indifference, or of actual, and violent, and 
 uncompromising, and most unreasonable hostility. 
 
 It may be remarked, however, that all of the 
 great contemporary luminaries of science did not 
 thus contemplate the reality of the early magnetic 
 discoveries; and the opinions of such men as Jus- 
 SIEU, LAPLACE, CUVIER, TREVIRANUS, HUFELAND, 
 SPRENGEL, SCHLEIRMACHER, OKEN, REIL, AUTEN- 
 RIETH, BURDACH, HuMBOLDT, and of many other 
 eminent authorities philosophers, naturalists, phy- 
 siologists, and professional physicians ought to 
 have possessed more weight with the intelligent 
 and candid portion of the public. Nay, the very 
 simple, yet prolific and most interesting nature of 
 the discoveries alleged to have been made by MES- 
 MER and his associates and disciples ought, at least, 
 to have had the effect of stimulating curiosity and 
 of promoting inquiry 
 
 In the whole history of philosophical discovery, 
 indeed, there, is nothing, perhaps, more incompre- 
 hensible we might add more paltry and contemp- 
 tible than the indifference and hostility which 
 were so long displayed towards the interesting 
 labours of the early Magnetists. What could be 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 more strange, in a pretended age of reason, and of 
 scientific progress, than to find a discovery so sim- 
 ple, yet so prolific in its consequences a discovery 
 which was calculated to throw so much new light 
 on our knowledge of human nature, and the flexi- 
 bility of the animal organism in general, and to 
 increase our therapeutic powers to see such a dis- 
 covery confined within the contracted circle of a 
 small number of inquisitive individuals, who made 
 no mystery of the acquisition they had made, yet 
 who dared not speak of the truths they had disco- 
 vered and embraced, without exposing themselves 
 to the opprobrium or ridicule of powerful and 
 influential antagonists, even among the otherwise 
 learned and ingenious ? 
 
 Had the question related merely to certain equi- 
 vocal theoretical notions, or to the adoption of some 
 novel system of abstract truths, we may easily con- 
 ceive that there might have been ample materials 
 for controversial discussion ; but here the subject 
 in dispute was merely a matter of fact, which was 
 capable of being almost immediately verified or 
 disproved by a direct appeal to experiment and 
 observation, and, moreover, the relative investiga- 
 tion was exceedingly simple, and, besides, open and 
 accessible to all the world. 
 
 But it would appear that a large majority of the 
 learned men of the age were, for one reason or 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 another, obstinately prepossessed against the sub- 
 ject of inquiry, and little disposed to lend their 
 assistance in investigating the relative facts. The 
 members of the medical profession, although, per- 
 haps, the most interested in the ultimate result of 
 the inquiry, distinguished themselves throughout 
 by their virulent opposition to the new discovery, 
 and that from very obvious, although not very 
 generous or even creditable motives. 
 
 The greater part of our scientific prejudices, no 
 doubt, arise from mental prepossession from the 
 partiality or inadequacy of our previous inquiries. 
 Being unable to comprehend the whole of the 
 diversified phenomena of nature, and, therefore, 
 confining our attention to a small portion of those 
 which are most familiar to observation, we, never- 
 theless, proceed, upon this partial view, to form 
 our judgment in regard to the totality of her laws. 
 This premature and therefore contracted process 
 necessarily conducts us to a partial and unsatisfac- 
 tory, fallacious and imaginary conception of the 
 powers and operations of nature, which we feel 
 ourselves incompetent or indisposed to embrace in 
 their generality, or in the infinite variety of her 
 manifestations. Accidental circumstances, too, fre- 
 quently determine the attention of mankind, in 
 every age, towards a particular line of inquiry, to 
 the neglect of almost every other acquisition ; and, 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 lience there arise, at different periods, totally diffe- 
 rent, and sometimes contradictory notions, in re- 
 gard to the probability, or the possibility of certain 
 alleged facts.* 
 
 Even at such times, when the phenomena which 
 now constitute the basis of the magnetic doctrines 
 were generally known and recognized, they were, 
 unfortunately, enlisted into the service of super- 
 stition, and regarded as much too sacred to be 
 investigated on the principles of profane science. 
 Mankind are unwilling to look at the phenomena of 
 nature unless through the clouded spectacles of 
 their prejudices, and, accordingly, even the most 
 simple facts are frequently enveloped in a shroud 
 of mysticism and fallacy. From this source of illu- 
 sion all the fables of magic and sorcery once so 
 prevalent throughout the world appear to have 
 derived their origin. Ages frequently elapse in 
 this state of mental darkness and delusion ; and 
 mankind actually become afraid of even attempting 
 
 * " No man can learn what he has not preparation for 
 learning. A chemist may tell his most precious secrets to 
 a carpenter, and he shall be never the wiser ; the secrets he 
 would not utter to a chemist for an estate. God screens us 
 evermore from premature ideas. Our eyes are holden that 
 we cannot see things that stare us in the face, until the hour 
 arrives when the mind is ripened; then we behold them, 
 and the time when we saw them not is like a dream."- 
 EMERSON ; Essay on Spiritual Laws. 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 to emerge out of this obscurity of ignorance into 
 the light of knowledge. They are surrounded, for 
 a long period, by a dense cloud of prejudices and 
 false notions, which, at length, mingling with their 
 habitual conceptions, it becomes exceedingly diffi- 
 cult to dispel by the torch of science and of truth. 
 The simple facts, which may now be satisfactorily 
 explained by the modern psychological discoveries 
 of Animal Magnetism, are, in a great measure, 
 identical with those which, in former times 
 adopted without any investigation into their true 
 origin and nature, and disguised by the colour- 
 ing of a vivid imagination and a lively fancy 
 lay at the foundation of all the fables of magic 
 and sorcery, with which they were subsequently 
 identified : 
 
 " Somnia, terrores magicos, miracula, sagas" 
 
 Mankind, in barbarous ages, are accustomed to 
 look at nature through the mist of their ignorance 
 and prejudices, which conceal the true aspect of 
 the objects from their bewildered eyes. Hence 
 the long reign of intellectual darkness, false philo- 
 sophy, and impure religion. 
 
 Erroneous notions, indeed, which have been suf- 
 fered to prevail for ages, are with difficulty eradi- 
 cated, even from such minds as have become 
 emancipated, in some measure, from many of the 
 
Xll PREFACE. 
 
 errors and prejudices of previous and less enligh- 
 tened ages ; and even those philosophers who have 
 addicted themselves to the cultivation of what have 
 been called the exact sciences, are not always ex- 
 empted, as it is sometimes imagined, from the com- 
 mon infirmity of being seduced by the vulgar pre- 
 judices of less enlightened minds. TYCHO BRAHE, 
 the modern restorer of astronomical science, that 
 most indefatigable observer of the starry heavens, 
 who made such a number of valuable observations 
 within the department of his favourite studies, and 
 was so indefatigable in the investigation of facts ; 
 even this great matter-of-fact philosopher divided his 
 time between the study of astronomy and the re- 
 searches of alchemy. He also patronized the doc- 
 trines of judiciary astrology, and a great portion of 
 his books was devoted to the defence and propa- 
 gation of these empty reveries. His successor, 
 KEPLER, the precursor of Newton, the most pro- 
 found physical philosopher of his age, attributed 
 the motions of the celestial bodies to certain animal 
 forces, and wrote a treatise on the mysterious pro- 
 perties of numbers. NEWTON himself the most 
 illustrious physical philosopher of his own, or of 
 any age after explaining the laws of the material 
 universe, wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse. 
 Indeed, the influence of this mystical disposition, 
 even among very practical men, appears to be 
 
PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 more common than is generally suspected ; and a 
 notable instance of the occasional predominance of 
 such hallucinations, even in men who have distin- 
 guished themselves in the department of material 
 science, occurs in the well-known case of EMANUEL 
 
 SCHWEDENBORG. 
 
 But another, and, in some degree, an opposite 
 aberration in the domain of scientific research, 
 deserves to be commemorated, as still more appo- 
 site to the science we are about to submit to the 
 consideration of our readers. For a considerable 
 period, the efforts of philosophers have been prin- 
 cipally directed to the discovery and appreciation 
 of those mechanical forces which appear to regulate 
 the motions of the material universe, and which 
 have been found to be susceptible of rigid calcula- 
 tion ; and the labours of those eminent men, who 
 have cultivated this field of investigation, have 
 given a decided bias to the study of material 
 nature, and of the action of those physical forces 
 which are recognised as predominating in the ex- 
 ternal universe. We should be most unwilling to 
 attempt to derogate, in any degree, from the legiti- 
 mate fame of those enterprising and intelligent phi- 
 losophers, whose laudable exertions have tended to 
 the development of so many interesting and useful 
 results. But we feel ourselves compelled to ac- 
 knowledge that, in our humble opinion, they have 
 
XIV PREFACE. 
 
 attempted to solve only one portion of the grand 
 problem of Nature ; nay, we suspect that the very 
 success of their achievements has had a tendency 
 to discourage, and, consequently, to retard the 
 solution of the other, and still more interesting 
 portion of the inquiry. 
 
 Nature we would observe presents us with 
 two different but, in our opinion, co-relative 
 subjects of investigation the external universe, 
 and the percipient mind. All philosophy must be 
 incomplete, if it does not embrace both of these 
 objects of research. Without a mind to perceive 
 and comprehend it, no external universe could 
 exist ; and mind has its peculiar properties as well 
 as matter. 
 
 But in the midst of that scientific regeneration 
 which has taken place in modern times, philosophy 
 has become almost entirely one-sided our atten- 
 tion is principally, or almost wholly directed 
 towards external objects ; and the study of the 
 intelligent and percipient mind, with all its active 
 energies and passive susceptibilities (psychology), 
 has been utterly neglected, or even contemned, 
 amidst the materialistic tendencies of the age. In 
 short, we would appear to have become incapable 
 of distinguishing the various accidental modes of 
 the exercise of our perceptive faculties, occasioned 
 by the different conditions of our psychical organs, 
 
PREFACE. XV 
 
 in the various states and conditions of the sensitive 
 powers. The consequence of this has been, that 
 when we happen to stumble upon a phenomenon 
 which appears foreign to the usual train of our 
 ideas, but which we find it impossible to reject in 
 toto, we become incapable of appreciating its true 
 nature and value, and are induced either to over- 
 look it altogether, as something utterly anomalous 
 and incomprehensible, or to refer it to certain 
 imaginary causes. In such cases, the reputed 
 learned are, probably, the least capable of exer- 
 cising a sound and impartial judgment, in conse- 
 quence of their prepossessions. To all such pro- 
 blems, they, at once, give a dogmatic solution, 
 without giving themselves the trouble of instituting 
 an experimental inquiry. 
 
 A new truth, however, which, when rightly 
 apprehended, is capable of throwing additional 
 light upon some particular department of our know- 
 ledge, frequently substitutes reality for illusion, 
 and shows that things are occasionally different in 
 nature from what they appear to be in our precon- 
 ceived systems. But unreasoning dogmatism is 
 itself a mental disease ; frequently a very obstinate 
 or even incurable distemper; and it is always a 
 very difficult matter to abandon opinions once seri- 
 ously entertained, even upon insufficient evidence ; 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 and a particular habit of thinking, according to a 
 common proverb, becomes a second nature : 
 
 " Ponere difficile est quse placuere diu." 
 
 If we cast our eyes over the ages which are past, 
 we shall probably find that a considerable number 
 of the obstacles opposed to the introduction of new 
 truths generally arise from the particular direction 
 given to inquiry by the previous speculations of 
 otherwise distinguished men. New discoveries, in 
 every succeeding age, may infringe upon some of 
 the opinions and dogmas, or even the prejudices of 
 the learned men of their day and generation ; and 
 the learned, also or the reputed learned have, 
 at all times, been the most obstinate opponents of 
 new truths. 
 
 " Turpe putant par ere minoribus, et quce 
 Imberbes didicere, series perdenda fateri" 
 
 In the investigation of nature, indeed, it is a very 
 difficult thing to shake off prepossessions to main- 
 tain the clearness and unbiassed impartiality of our 
 judgment, and to avoid being misled by our preju- 
 dices. It is almost unnecessary to recal to the 
 recollection of our readers the well-known examples 
 of GALILEO, COLUMBUS, HARVEY, JENNER, &c., or 
 to enlarge upon the opposition made to the intro- 
 duction of Innoculation, Quinquina, Antimony, &c., 
 
PREFACE. XV11 
 
 into medical practice ; or to signalise the days, not 
 ver y long past, when the use of these remedies and 
 preventives was characterised as murderous, crimi- 
 nal, and magical. It was no longer ago than the 
 middle of the 18th century, that the Faculty thus 
 spoke of innoculation, and with the same spirit of 
 hostility towards the innoculators, as, more recently, 
 in the case of the Magnetists, denounced them as 
 hangmen and impostors, and their patients as dupes 
 and idiots. It is notorious that the vaccine, upon 
 its first introduction, was equally obnoxious to the 
 faculty. This last-mentioned discovery had been 
 originally made, within the memory of living men, 
 in a province of England, at some distance from the 
 capital ; and the practice, like that of Magnetism, 
 was placed in the category of dangerous supersti- 
 tions and delusions, until JENNER, after its con- 
 demnation by the faculty, at length obtained a 
 signal triumph over all prejudices by its general 
 introduction in practice.* 
 
 * The following just and generous observations upon this 
 subject occur in the biography of JENNER : 
 
 " Let no one hereafter abate the honest zeal of useful 
 pursuit, because his ideas are chilled at first by an universal 
 frigid sneer, or by careless ridicule. Such has ever been 
 the fate of those who labour for the benefit of mankind : 
 even the wisest among us oppose innumerable prejudices to 
 the acknowledgment of a new truth ; and happy are those 
 who, like Jenner, survive to witness the triumph of their 
 
 VOL. i. b 
 
XV111 PREFACE. 
 
 Such instances, assuredly, ought to have the 
 effect of rendering us more cautious in rejecting 
 facts without an adequate investigation of their 
 nature, truth, and value, merely because they may 
 appear, at first sight, to be inconsistent with some 
 of the notions we may have been previously led to 
 entertain in regard to the powers and phenomena 
 of nature. Theories frequently the offspring of. 
 misconception, or of too partial and limited inquiry 
 must not be permitted to invalidate facts ; and 
 there is nothing more adverse to the advancement 
 and ultimate establishment of truth than inveterate 
 prejudices and preconceptions. 
 
 painful struggles in its promulgation." See Lives of British 
 Physicians. 
 
 A case similarly illustrative of the jealousy of the medical 
 profession, occurred, not very long ago, in France. 
 
 M. BOUDIN attained eminence as Chief Physician to the 
 army of the Alps. He is considered a leading authority in 
 military medicine, and wrote some instructive letters on the 
 French colony of Algeria, Some years ago, he was one of 
 the managers of the Hospital at Toulon, and after some 
 interesting experiments on the effects of arsenic, he intro- 
 duced an arsenical treatment of the marsh fever, tinder 
 which the soldiers from Algeria suffered. The faculty at 
 Paris made a great outcry ; the Minister was besieged with 
 remonstrances ; M. BOUDIN was stopped in his treatment, 
 and threatened with a judicial inquiry. But he had suc- 
 ceeded; the Government protected him ; he was suffered to 
 proceed ; and his method was soon afterwards professionally 
 recognised. He afterwards rose rapidly in his profession. 
 
PREFACE. XIX 
 
 Animal Magnetism, upon its first introduction to 
 the scientific world, experienced the same fate with 
 those other discoveries to which we have alluded. 
 By the learned men of the day, it was scouted and 
 ridiculed as an arrant imposture ; and its adherents 
 were stigmatised as mountebanks and dupes. But 
 after the elapse of years of contentious controversy 
 and that, too, in a scientific age this important 
 discovery also obtained a signal triumph over its 
 ignorant, interested, and prejudiced opponents. 
 Many of those who had previously controverted it 
 upon philosophical grounds had, at length, the can- 
 dour to acknowledge their error, and became its 
 most valuable supporters : the serious opponents, 
 indeed, are now reduced to a very small number, 
 and those not remarkably distinguished for their 
 scientific attainments or philosophical candour. 
 
 It must not be disguised, however, that, while 
 magnetic science is becoming more and more exten- 
 sively diffused, there are still a few who regard this 
 branch of science with considerable jealousy and 
 suspicion, as apparently tending, in its conse- 
 quences, to subvert certain other notions which are 
 supposed to be of primary importance to society. 
 But this idea, too, in our humble opinion, is entirely 
 founded upon a misapprehension. No one truth 
 can possibly militate against another truth ; the 
 antagonism, if any, consists not in the things them- 
 
XX PREFACE. 
 
 selves, but in the erroneous conceptions of the 
 human mind ; and we must not determine the 
 reality of one fact by its presumed inconsistency 
 with another. We ought to accept the phenomena 
 of nature as we find them developed by our expe- 
 rience, and endeavour to reconcile them with each 
 other, and not to aggravate presumed discrepan- 
 cies; for by adopting the latter course, we shall 
 retard, instead of promoting the advancement of 
 general science. That the sun makes a diurnal 
 circuit round the earth is believed to be a fact by 
 many even at the present day. Their belief is 
 founded upon the apparent evidence of their 
 senses; and they laugh at the philosophers who 
 maintain the contrary proposition, as visionaries 
 and mystics. 
 
 We are all convinced, or. at least, profess to be 
 convinced, of the uncertainty of mere theories, and 
 of the absurdity of denying positive facts, merely 
 because they appear to be hostile to our precon- 
 ceived notions of the powers of nature, and their 
 various modes of manifestation ; and yet we still 
 find individuals who, although apparently satisfied 
 of this truth, do not hesitate to reject the doctrine of 
 Animal Magnetism, not exactly because it absolutely 
 contradicts any of the known laws of nature for 
 that has never yet been proved but merely because 
 the phenomena it presents to our view appear to 
 
PREFACE. XXJ 
 
 lead to consequences different from the dominant 
 notions of the age in regard to the powers and sus- 
 ceptibilities of the animal organism. We reason a 
 priori, from the presumptions of our own minds, 
 instead of a posteriori, from the phenomena actually 
 presented by nature to our contemplation. We first 
 endeavour to persuade ourselves that a thing is im- 
 possible, and then proceed to deny the fact of its 
 actual existence upon that presumption, in the teeth 
 of all evidence, even the most cogent. We com- 
 mence by asking ourselves whether a certain phe- 
 nomenon is possible, instead of enquiring into the 
 means of establishing the fact of its reality ; and 
 we then proceed to pronounce judgment, not upon 
 evidence, but upon prejudice. The result of such a 
 vicious method of proceeding is just this : From a 
 limited number of ascertained phenomena we deduce 
 certain general laws, which we regard as the sole 
 laws of nature applicable to the particular circum- 
 stances, and reject all other facts excepting those 
 which we conceive to be capable of being explained 
 upon this arbitrary criterion. 
 
 It is this vicious method of reasoning which has 
 led some philosophers to the rejection of the phe- 
 nomena of animal magnetism, without adequate 
 investigation, and upon the absurd pretext that, in 
 recognising these, we should run the risk of bring- 
 ing back the minds of men to the belief in occult 
 
XX11 PREFACE. 
 
 causes. And do we not daily find men who con- 
 tinually reproach the magnetists for relating facts 
 which they do not pretend to be able to explain ? 
 But it may be reasonably asked, " What do we 
 actually know? of what can we thoroughly ex- 
 plain the causes?" Let us suppose two pheno- 
 mena, A and B, which are so connected together, 
 that, when A appears, B will invariably follow ; we 
 necessarily assume that B takes place because A 
 exists, and, therefore, we say that A is the cause of 
 B. Upon the present occasion, we have no need 
 to enter into any abstract metaphysical discussion 
 in regard to the nature of the connection between 
 cause and eifect : It is sufficient for our present 
 purpose to state the simple fact. Whether this 
 connection results from repeated experience, or 
 from a necessary law of our mental constitution, 
 we may leave to the determination of metaphysi- 
 cians ; we are only concerned with the fact itself. 
 
 But the human mind is not content to rest at this 
 stage of the inquiry it desires to proceed farther 
 and after having found the proximate cause of a 
 particular phenomenon, it attempts to discover the 
 cause of the cause, and so onward, until it arrives 
 at a primitive cause, beyond which it cannot go. 
 
 Several phenomena appear to stand in no regular 
 relation towards each other ; and when we attempt 
 to ascend to their common source, we feel ourselves 
 
PREFACE. XX111 
 
 compelled to ascribe them to the same general law 
 which we recognise as primitive as one of the 
 fundamental conditions which are necessary to the 
 existence of the universe. This process of reducing 
 several phenomena under one general law, is what 
 is commonly called inductive reasoning. Such a 
 process conducted NEWTON, from the most simple 
 observation, to the discovery of the great law of 
 universal attraction, or gravitation. A somewhat 
 similar process, originally founded, it is true, upon 
 an hypothesis, led COPERNICUS to his grand disco- 
 very. From the motion of the earth, he inferred 
 the movements of all the celestial bodies, and this 
 inference was confirmed by correct calculations. 
 Beyond this we cannot proceed. When we have 
 once established a general law of nature, we have 
 reached the limit assigned to our faculties, and must 
 take our stand on the primitive will and fiat of the 
 great Creator of the universe ; for who would other- 
 wise attempt to explain the cause of a general law ? 
 The true philosopher endeavours to connect the 
 various phenomena of the universe in such a man- 
 ner as to elicit one or more of these general laws ; 
 and it is in this way and in this way alone that 
 we can best contribute to the completion of the 
 sciences. To attempt to go beyond this point, is an 
 error into which no man of sound sense and philo- 
 sophical tact will readily fall. 
 
XXIV PREFACE. 
 
 When we have once arrived, therefore, at such 
 general laws in any one department of investigation, 
 it is evident that we can proceed no farther in the 
 explanation of particular natural phenomena. But 
 it is equally evident that, as we cannot flatter our- 
 selves with the notion that we have arrived at a 
 knowledge of all the laws of nature in the material 
 and the moral world, we are not entitled to reject 
 any real phenomenon, merely because we cannot 
 immediately explain it upon any of those theories 
 deduced from the facts which have been already 
 discovered. Such conduct would imply a gratuitous 
 and unwarrantable limitation of the progressive 
 march and development of the human mind, and an 
 attempt to describe a narrow circle beyond which 
 we must deny that any thing can exist or become 
 known. In some cases, indeed, we resort to the 
 expression, occult cause, but as a primary cause can 
 only be known from the effects it produces, it is 
 evident that by occult cause we can only mean a 
 cause of which the whole effects have not yet been 
 properly determined ; if it were otherwise, we 
 should be compelled to acknowledge that every 
 thing in the universe was governed by occult causes. 
 What, we would ask, is there more occult than the 
 influence of man's will on his corporeal movements ? 
 
 Now, what is the objection generally made to 
 animal magnetism ? The antagonists of this branch 
 
PREFACE. XXV 
 
 of science assert that the admission of the pheno- 
 mena it embraces has a tendency to re-introduce the 
 belief in occult causes. Do they mean to allege, by 
 this expression, that the ultimate cause which pro- 
 duces these phenomena is unknown to us ? If so, 
 they are quite right in a certain sense ; and Mag- 
 netism has this in common with every branch of 
 our knowledge. Do they mean to allege, on the 
 other hand, that the effects of Magnetism are not 
 yet sufficiently known to enable us to determine 
 exactly how they may be modified by the organic 
 state and idiosyncrasy of the individual who pro- 
 duces or manifests them, and by other influential 
 causes and conditions yet unknown ? Here they are 
 right again ; but what are we entitled to infer from 
 this ? Nothing more than that these phenomena 
 ought to be more carefully observed, and more 
 attentively studied, under all their conditions, and 
 in all their bearings, than has hitherto been the 
 case. 
 
 Those individuals who have made every possible 
 effort to attract public attention to the interesting 
 phenomena of Animal Magnetism, who endeavour 
 to reduce them under one or more general laws, 
 and to determine the mode and conditions of their 
 production and manifestation, cannot surely be 
 justly accused of a desire to introduce a lax method 
 into philosophy ; such a charge, we presume to 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
XXVI PREFACE. 
 
 think, is much more applicable to those who decline 
 to observe the facts presented to them by nature, 
 under the pretence that they are impossible who 
 proceed to decide upon mere presumptions, and 
 refuse to recognise a particular faculty in man, 
 which is capable of being substantiated by the most 
 demonstrative of all evidence that of our senses 
 qui nisi sunt veri, ratio quoque falsa fit omnis. 
 
 NEWTON ascribed the physical motions of the 
 universe to attraction. The Cartesians attributed 
 the same motions to certain vortices, which, on their 
 hypothesis, drew these bodies along with them in 
 their movements ; and the latter accused the for- 
 mer of having recourse to an occult cause. VOL- 
 TAIRE, who was one of the first propagators of the 
 Newtonian doctrines in France, said, in discussing 
 this subject : " Those who believe in occult causes 
 are subjected to ridicule ; but we ought rather to 
 ridicule those who do not." And, in truth, we find 
 nothing but occult causes in the universe, not even 
 excepting the vortices of DESCARTES, were they 
 otherwise admissible. The hypothesis of NEWTON, 
 however, became generalised into an universal law 
 of material nature, and thus explained the principle 
 of the mundane motions. 
 
 Without entering farther, however, into the dis- 
 cussion of the question regarding cause and effect, 
 we shall proceed to remark, that a vast number of 
 
PREFACE. XXV11 
 
 phenomena have occurred since the creation of the 
 world, which have been variously ascribed to cer- 
 tain obscure and supposititious causes. These phe- 
 nomena have been observed in all ages of the 
 world, from the earliest period of history down to 
 our own times. So strange and unaccountable 
 have they appeared to be, that, until a very recent 
 period, mankind seem to have universally agreed 
 in ascribing them to supernatural causes, and in 
 referring them to the immediate action of the 
 Deity, or, at least, of certain divine or demoniacal 
 beings. In comparatively recent times, however, 
 certain inquirers into the phenomena of nature 
 have attempted to explode this superstitious view 
 of the matter, and to explain the phenomena in 
 question upon natural principles, and to reduce 
 them under general laws. The facts themselves 
 have been carefully collected and exposed to the 
 torch of philosophical investigation. 
 
 Some of those individuals, however, who had 
 previously asserted a prescriptive right to the 
 exclusive possession of these facts, have frequently 
 risen up in arms against the new claimants, and 
 endeavoured, by force or fraud, to exclude the 
 alleged intruders from this hitherto reputed sacred 
 territory ; and in this attempt they have been 
 seconded and encouraged by the vulgar and unin- 
 quiring. But when the title of these fiery anta- 
 
XXV111 PREFACE. 
 
 gonists comes to be rigidly examined, it will be 
 found to be surreptitious, defective, and, conse- 
 quently, invalid. 
 
 In the following pages, it will be our business to 
 demonstrate that the phenomena in question are 
 merely the natural effects of natural causes. They 
 have, indeed, been indiscriminately appropriated to 
 themselves by the enthusiastic devotees of all reli- 
 gious denominations since the creation of the uni- 
 verse, and pressed into the service of every sect ; 
 while extravagant zeal and devotional excitement 
 have been found to be a fertile source of their 
 development and manifestation. But the views 
 here alluded to have been the prolific source of 
 many and serious aberrations. The blind zeal of 
 these sectaries, indeed, while it has confirmed the 
 evidence in favour of the reality of the facts in 
 question, only tended to place their religion upon 
 a false and untenable foundation, and, consequently, 
 to weaken its supports and to diminish its perma- 
 nence. A religion built up entirely on the substra- 
 tum of pretended miracles must necessarily be a 
 weak and perishable thing; and the progress of 
 general intelligence makes sad havoc upon all 
 miraculous beliefs.* 
 
 * The phenomena presented to us by the practice of 
 Animal Magnetism are said by shamefully ignorant, impu- 
 dent, or silly persons, to be pretended miracles. If this be 
 
PREFACE. XXIX 
 
 Let it not be imagined, however, that we abso- 
 lutely deny the possibility of miracles, or foolishly 
 pretend to limit the power of the Almighty which 
 would be equally irrational and impious. But the 
 inscrutable wisdom of the great Creator and Gover- 
 nor of the universe cannot be supposed capable of 
 exhibiting itself in action in an arbitrary, capri- 
 cious, and contradictory manner ; for such conduct 
 would imply imperfection, and would, therefore, 
 be derogatory to the character and attributes of 
 the Deity, in whom there can be "no variableness 
 nor shadow of turning." All nature is God's 
 nature, constant and invariable in its manifesta- 
 tions under their proper conditions ; and we may 
 be assured that these manifestations must have 
 been the same in kind, however apparently modi- 
 fied by circumstances, throughout all ages of time. 
 
 The faculties of man, on the other hand, are 
 gradually developed both in the individual and in 
 the species. The knowledge of the infant is recti- 
 fied and enlarged by the mature judgment of the 
 adult; and the same system of development is 
 manifested in the progress of society at large. 
 The ideas of one age are corrected, modified, and 
 extended by the more matured experience and judg- 
 
 asserted in the case of the scientific Magnetists, the allega- 
 tion is utterly false and calumnious. 
 
XXX PREFACE. 
 
 ment of succeeding times many erroneous notions 
 are exploded many new truths are discovered ; 
 and the human intellect gradually expands during 
 this unceasing process of mental development. 
 New truths are gradually elicited; and although 
 these may be, for a considerable period, defaced 
 by some erroneous conceptions, imperfect generali- 
 sations, and false interpretations, yet these last 
 may ultimately be corrected by farther research, 
 until the whole of our knowledge approaches, 
 nearer and nearer, to absolute, or, at least, to 
 relative certainty. 
 
 In the following pages, the author has humbly 
 endeavoured to contribute his mite towards the 
 advancement of one particular branch of human 
 research. The subject he has attempted to eluci- 
 date has been hitherto much misrepresented and 
 vilified. He shall feel happy if his well-meant 
 endeavours, however inadequate, shall succeed in 
 attracting the attention of more powerful minds to 
 the investigation of those interesting, but hitherto 
 neglected phenomena, which he has endeavoured to 
 bring under their notice. 
 
 " Vera diu latitant, sed longo temporis usu, 
 Emergunt tandem quce latuere diu." 
 
 The author of this work is perfectly aware that 
 many of the facts founded upon in the following 
 pages must appear exceedingly startling to such of 
 
PREFACE. XXXI 
 
 his readers as may come to the perusal of these 
 narratives without any previous preparation. But 
 he would entreat all such persons, otherwise com- 
 petent to the investigation, to lay aside all preju- 
 dices and prepossessions, and to weigh the evidence 
 with calmness, candour, and impartiality. If in 
 this mood, we think he cannot fail to perceive that 
 a series of phenomena has been presented to his 
 notice, from the earliest records of human society 
 down to the present times, which, if fairly examined 
 and attentively studied, cannot fail to produce a 
 h'rm conviction of the essential truth of those curi- 
 ous facts, which, however occasionally disguised by 
 the false notions of former ages, in regard to their 
 origin and character, have, in comparatively recent 
 times, been investigated with more philosophical 
 accuracy and acumen, and legitimately relied upon, 
 by the disciples of Animal Magnetism, as solid and 
 permanent proofs of the authenticity and univer- 
 sality of the facts upon which their science is 
 founded. 
 
 Finally, the author has appealed to an uninter- 
 rupted series of phenomena of a consentaneous cha- 
 racter and complexion, occurring in all ages of the 
 world's history, and related by numerous authors, 
 without any view to the establishment or support 
 of the modern doctrine of Animal Magnetism, which, 
 indeed, was, until lately, entirely unknown. These 
 
XXX11 PREFACE. 
 
 facts are generally related and attested by various 
 authors of reputation and credit ; and they have 
 been laid before the reader of this work with as 
 much accuracy as a diligent inquiry could insure. 
 The various authorities for these facts have been 
 adduced when possible ; so that the reader may 
 have an opportunity of testing the accuracy and 
 the value of the evidence upon which the different 
 narratives rest. 
 
 With these prefatory observations, the author 
 submits his labours to the judgment of the inquisi- 
 tive and candid reader. 
 
 Some time after the preceding portion of this 
 Preface was written, my ingenious and respected 
 friend, Dr BRAID of Manchester, was kind enough 
 to transmit to me a copy of his recently published 
 " Observations on Trance, or Human Hyber na- 
 tion;" in which some curious cases are narrated of 
 individuals who permitted themselves to be buried 
 alive, for considerable periods of time, and were 
 afterwards disinterred and brought to life again. 
 If these cases can be considered as perfectly authen- 
 tic, they must, assuredly, be very interesting to 
 physiologists, as constituting a new chapter to the 
 science of life ; but, without attempting to impugn 
 the veracity of the narrators of these singular occur- 
 
PREFACE. XXX111 
 
 rences, we should feel disposed to suspend our judg- 
 ment in regard to their reality, until we obtained 
 farther evidence of the perfect authenticity of the 
 facts. 
 
 But this is not a subject upon which we feel dis- 
 posed to animadvert upon the present occasion. 
 Other topics are alluded to by Dr BRAID, and other 
 opinions expressed by the author of the Observa- 
 tions, which, we are sorry to say, we consider rather 
 uncandid, uncourteous, and unjust, towards his fel- 
 low-labourers in the magnetic mine, and which the 
 learned Doctor himself would not be slow to resent 
 in an adversary of his own peculiar doctrines. 
 Upon these sensitive ebullitions the author of the 
 present treatise deems it his duty to animadvert as 
 briefly as possible. 
 
 " I believe," says Dr BRAID, " that the great 
 cause of the opposition which has been offered to 
 the acceptance of the truth of the genuine pheno- 
 mena of Hypnotism and Mesmerism, has arisen 
 from the extravagance of the Mesmerists, who 
 have contended for the reality of clairvoyance in 
 some of their patients, such as seeing through 
 opaque bodies, and investing them with the gifts 
 and graces of omniscience, Mesmeric intuition, and 
 universal knowledge, pretensions alike a mockery 
 of the human understanding, as they are opposed 
 to all the known laws of physical science. In sup- 
 
XXXIV PREFACE. 
 
 port of the above sentiments," continues Dr BRAID, 
 " I gladly avail myself of the following quotation 
 from an article in Fraser's Magazine for July 1845 
 (page 3), by a most acute observer and forcible and 
 clever writer. When writing regarding the feats 
 of the Pythoness" (whom the writer, no doubt, 
 most acutely observed), " the author says ' Now 
 we take it that the Pythoness, not by the objective 
 operation of Magnetism from without, but by the 
 subjective or personal influence of internal agencies, 
 was enabled intensely to concentrate her conceptive 
 faculties (aided by the workings of her perceptive 
 powers which had drunk in certain transactions of 
 the outer world, and stored them up in her memory) 
 from the thousand influences which must ever be at 
 work around her in her waking state, and concen- 
 trate them upon a given purpose ; whether it were 
 to forecast the probable duration of a man's life, or 
 the fall of a kingdom. By throwing herself into 
 the nervous sleep described by Mr Braid (and we 
 mean to show how commonly this has been prac- 
 tised from the earliest times), she becomes, as it 
 were, isolated from external influences and trans- 
 actions, and intensely concentrated in the world 
 within herself. In this condition the memory is 
 almost supernaturally vivid ; she remembers cir- 
 cumstances in the character of a man's life, and 
 remarkable vicissitudes in the history of the king- 
 
PREFACE. XXXV 
 
 dom ; she reasons logically from the petitio prin- 
 cipii to the rational conclusion ; all the material 
 facts in both cases (that of the man and that of the 
 kingdom) pass in review before her ; she weighs 
 them with scrupulous nicety, in combination and in 
 their relative bearings, and she arrives at a conclu- 
 sion which surprises everybody, because it is so 
 much more accurate and positive than any which 
 could have been attained by faculties distracted and 
 disturbed by the ever-varying and constantly suc- 
 ceeding events of the outer world.' ' 
 
 It was by such a long and laborious and concen- 
 trative process, no doubt, that the Pythoness dis- 
 covered that Croesus, King of Lydia, was actually 
 dressing a turtle. " And this/' says the dogmatic 
 writer of the article in question, " is what the Mes- 
 merists call clairvoyance." Indeed ! Well, if this 
 be so, then is the author of this treatise free to 
 admit that, after studying Mesmerism with con- 
 siderable assiduity and attention, during nearly 
 half a century, he must now, in his old age, be 
 content to retrace his steps, to go to school again, 
 and to fall back upon his books and his experiments 
 and observation of the facts. 
 
 But, in reality, this is not what the Mesmerists 
 call clairvoyance, nor any thing like it, but the very 
 reverse ; and we are actually astonished that any 
 gentleman of ordinary intelligence and perspica- 
 
XXXVI PREFACE. 
 
 city, upon mature study of the subject lie attempts 
 to elucidate, and a strict and impartial observation 
 of the relative facts, should have been betrayed 
 into such a manifest absurdity. Every individual 
 who professes to enlighten the public upon any 
 philosophical subject, should recollect that his object 
 ought to be non fumum ex fulgore, sed exfumo 
 dare lucem. 
 
 We cannot stop to point out and animadvert 
 upon the manifold blunders pervading the foregoing 
 exposition, if blunders they be, and not wilful mis- 
 representations for we would rather impute them 
 to ignorance ; but must return to our friend Mr 
 BRAID, who, at least, ought to be better informed ; 
 although we are disposed to doubt whether even he 
 has yet succeeded in sounding the depths of the 
 doctrine he attempts to explain. We have not, in- 
 deed, had the good fortune to meet with any scien- 
 tific Mesmerist who invested his patients with the 
 " gifts and graces of omniscience," although, no 
 doubt, there may be certain religious enthusiasts 
 who, misled by their ill-regulated feelings, travel a 
 considerable way upon this path of mystical exag- 
 geration. 
 
 But to us, we are sorry to say, it now appears 
 pretty evident, from his depreciatory inuendos, that 
 Mr Braid is very desirous of entirely supplant- 
 ing Animal Magnetism, or Mesmerism, by his own 
 
PREFACE. XXXV11 
 
 new doctrines of Hypnotism, and thus of becoming 
 entitled to be considered as the inventor of an ori- 
 ginal science ; and, as a friend, I must take the 
 liberty of telling him frankly, that I do not think 
 he has the smallest chance of succeeding. 
 
 Hypnotism,* indeed, embraces but a small por- 
 tion, or fragment, of Animal Magnetism or Mes- 
 merism ; and it is evidently nothing more than an 
 offshoot from that science. Perhaps it may em- 
 brace as much as may be required for mere medical 
 purposes ; but it totally excludes the philosophical 
 scope and importance of the Magnetic doctrines. 
 We had at one time hoped that the learned Doctor 
 himself would have ultimately become aware of this 
 position of his favourite science ; but, now, we more 
 than suspect that he is anxious to claim the merit 
 of an original discoverer, and to get rid of his 
 troublesome and embarrassing precursor. Much, 
 however, as we are disposed to applaud the assi- 
 duity and zeal with which our learned friend has 
 hitherto prosecuted his Hypnotic researches, we 
 have no hesitation in expressing our humble opinion 
 that he would have acted more ingenuously and 
 
 * Even the appellation (Hypnotism), however, is not 
 original. The same, or similar expressions, derived from 
 the Greek word VKVOS, sleep, were occasionally employed by 
 the ancient Greeks in somewhat the same sense as the Latin 
 word Incubatio. 
 
XXXV111 PREFACE. 
 
 more usefully towards the interests of science, by 
 associating his labours with those of his elder 
 brethren, the Magnetists, than by merely adopting 
 a portion of their discoveries, depreciating their 
 merits, and attempting to supersede their interest- 
 ing results, by the introduction of a new and partial 
 science of his own. Dr BRAID, indeed, speaks of 
 the " pretensions" of the Mesmerists as " alike a 
 mockery of the human understanding, as they are 
 opposed to all the known laws of physical science" 
 Does Dr BRAID, then, acknowledge no science but 
 the merely physical ? and is he, moreover, ac- 
 quainted with all the laws even of physical science, 
 with all their various modifications under peculiar 
 circumstances ? Were this the case, we should, in- 
 deed, have reason to dread an encounter with such 
 a formidable antagonist, for our pretensions are far 
 more humble. 
 
 For our own part, indeed and we believe we 
 may answer for all our fellow-magnetists we 
 make no such pretensions as those ascribed to us 
 by Dr BRAID. We merely profess to interrogate 
 Nature, and, so far as possible, endeavour faith- 
 fully to record her answers. Like other mortals, 
 indeed and even Dr BRAID himself, we think, with 
 his ally, the " most acute observer, and forcible 
 and clever writer" will scarcely be bold enough to 
 plead an exemption from this common infirmity of 
 
PREFACE. XXXIX 
 
 our nature we may be occasionally liable to mis- 
 take humanum est errare ; but we are ever ready 
 to correct such mistakes when candidly pointed out 
 to us. We advance no claims to infallibility, nor do 
 we recognise it in others ; and the censure even of 
 Dr BRAID must be more temperate, more disinte- 
 rested, as well as more just, before we can bring 
 ourselves to bow to his authority and submit to his 
 castigation. 
 
 u AMICUS PLATO, AMICUS SOCRATES, SED MAGIS AMIGA 
 VEIUTAS." 
 
 Will Dr BRAID permit us to call his attention to 
 a late interesting publication by a gentleman whom 
 the learned Doctor himself, we should think, must 
 admit to be no mean adept in physiological science, 
 and no unqualified arbiter between us ? To us, in- 
 deed, it is quite delightful to find that gallant 
 veteran physiologist and most learned and amiable 
 man, Dr HERBERT MAYO, once more buckling on 
 his scientific armour in defence of the facts and 
 principles of Magnetic science. (See Letters on the 
 Truths contained in Popular Superstitions, by 
 HERBERT MAYO, M.D., 1849.) This small but 
 very valuable volume is written in a light and 
 pleasing style. The propositions which the learned 
 and accomplished author endeavours to establish 
 are confirmed by many apposite and striking ex- 
 
xl PREFACE. 
 
 amples, and the theoretical views propounded must 
 have great weight with all those who are capable 
 of appreciating them, as proceeding from one of 
 the most ingenious and successful investigators of 
 the nervous system. The views of such a distin- 
 guished physiologist as Dr MAYO, therefore, upon 
 such a subject, must be very valuable ; and the ease 
 and vivacity with which his opinions are communi- 
 cated, must render his lucubrations most acceptable 
 to every description of readers. 
 
 The following treatise having been wholly written 
 before the author had an opportunity of seeing Dr 
 MAYO'S publication, he was, of course, precluded 
 from availing himself, to the full extent, of the views 
 of the great physiologist upon this most interesting 
 subject ; but he would earnestly recommend the 
 book to the notice of all who feel an interest in the 
 subject. 
 
 The publication, as its title denotes, appears in 
 the epistolary form ; and in the several letters the 
 reader will find a number of ingenious disquisitions 
 on the following subjects connected with the Mes- 
 meric doctrines : BARON REICHENBACH'S experi- 
 ments discovery of the Od force, or Odile; the 
 divining-rod; Yampyrism; Ghosts; Trance; Dreams; 
 Somnambulism ; Catalepsy ; Religious Delusions ; 
 Witches and Witchcraft ; Mesmerism, &c. All 
 these subjects are treated in a most pleasant and 
 
PREFACE. X 
 
 attractive style, and, at the same time, with great 
 philosophic acumen ; and, for the most part, the 
 ingenious author displays a profound and accurate 
 knowledge of the principles of Magnetic science. 
 Some of his professional brethren, indeed, of the 
 sceptical and Hypnotic schools, may, perhaps, be 
 disposed to tax the learned writer of these letters 
 as they do all other Magnetic philosophers with 
 credulity ; but the accomplished author gives, at 
 least, sound and substantial reasons for the faith 
 that is in him. Credulity may be said to be a 
 belief contrary to reason, or resting upon insufficient 
 grounds of evidence. This, however, is an error 
 with which Dr MAYO cannot justly be charged, 
 without demonstrating the falsehood or inadequacy 
 of the evidence upon which he relies. An obiter 
 dictum, in such circumstances, is of no value ; and 
 irrational abuse of Mesmerism and its intelligent 
 advocates has now grown quite stale, and altoge- 
 ther unpalatable in the present position of the 
 science. Fools deride philosophers investigate ; 
 and Dr MAYO is a philosopher, as well as a physi- 
 cian and physiologist. 
 
 Dr MAYO justly observes, that " a new truth has 
 to encounter three normal stages of opposition. In 
 the first, it is denounced as an imposture. In the 
 second, that is, when it is beginning to force itself 
 
 VOL. i. d 
 
xlii PREFACE. 
 
 into notice, it is cursorily examined, and plausibly 
 explained away. In the third, or ' cui bono ' stage, 
 it is decried as useless, and hostile to religion. And 
 when it is finally admitted, it passes only under a 
 protest that it has been perfectly known for ages 
 a proceeding intended to make the new truth 
 ashamed of itself, and wish it had never been born." 
 Such, indeed, has been the treatment which Animal 
 Magnetism has experienced from the vulgar or 
 trading class of medical practitioners and theolo- 
 gians in this country. The learned and intelligent 
 have preserved a more prudent reserve. Some of 
 the latter, indeed, have not been ashamed to join 
 the ranks of the Magnetists. 
 
 The high and well-merited reputation, indeed, of 
 Dr MAYO, together with his natural candour, enable 
 him to speak with much more discrimination and 
 impartiality in regard to the character and mani- 
 festations of some of those clairvoyants, who have 
 occasionally exhibited their extraordinary faculties 
 in public, than the unintelligent at least the unin- 
 formed sceptics. He speaks thus of ALEXIS, the 
 Parisian somnambulist, whose powers of clairvoy- 
 ance have been depreciated, and even ridiculed, by 
 some of the less candid members of the medical pro- 
 fession in this country. 
 
 " The most celebrated of these persons at pre- 
 sent," says Dr MAYO, " is M. Alexis. A friend 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 and patient of mine, a gentleman educated to the 
 bar, took occasion recently to consult M. Alexis 
 about his health. The opinion which M. Alexis 
 delivered, when entranced, on the case, is more 
 precise and minute than I had ventured to express ; 
 but it agrees with all I had observed, and I see no 
 reason why it should not be strictly exact. The 
 treatment -which M. Alexis has recommended does 
 not differ at all from that which any medical man 
 of experience might reasonably have ordered in 
 such a case. I have known other instances in 
 which the intuition of entranced persons has fur- 
 nished them with a seemingly equally accurate 
 knowledge of the complaints of persons either 
 brought into their presence, or otherwise into rela- 
 tion with them. The prescriptions of persons in 
 a lucid trance seem to me mostly shrewd guesses 
 founded upon the nature of the case, and what is 
 popularly known of the action of remedies. Some- 
 times, however, particularly when Mesmerism or 
 loss of blood are advised" the ingenious author 
 might have added, when certain drugs are pre- 
 scribed " the performers seem to have an extra- 
 ordinary sagacity in measuring the dose of the 
 remedy." 
 
 After mentioning the answers of the clairvoyant 
 to some other profound questions, Br MAYO pro- 
 ceeds : " My friend then put into the hand of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 M. Alexis my note, and asked him if he could tell 
 any thing about the writer ? M. Alexis said, 
 ' The writer is bald, short in stature ; something 
 above fifty years of age ; has lost the use of his 
 legs ; he is in bed ; he has a very active mind ; he 
 is a physician.' Each shot hit the mark. ' He 
 lives on the sea-coast ; ' This my friend denied. 
 ' No,' said M. Alexis on reflection, * it is not the 
 sea, but a river. He lives on the banks of the 
 Rhine, about twenty leagues from Frankfort.' 
 The bull's eye again." 
 
 We might refer to a considerable number of 
 additional instances of the manifestation of similar 
 phenomena to those exhibited by M. Alexis, as 
 described by Dr MAYO. We shall adduce only the 
 following, which was observed by M. VAN GHERT, 
 and related in his work entitled : " MNEMOSYNE ; 
 or a Collection of Remarkable Cases of Animal Mag- 
 netism ; " which was published at Amsterdam in the 
 year 1815. 
 
 The patient was a young man, who possessed an 
 extraordinary acuteness in discovering (or, rather, 
 in feeling) the diseases of other persons. This gift 
 was manifested not only when the patient placed his 
 hand in that of the clairvoyant, but even when 
 clothes were sent to him which had been worn for 
 some days on the body, placed immediately in a 
 silken wrapper, sent to him, and felt with the points 
 
PREFACE. Xv 
 
 of his fingers. The following instance, which took 
 place in the presence of several unexceptionable 
 witnesses, male and female, is demonstrative of the 
 fact. 
 
 During one sitting, an article of the description 
 mentioned was sent from a female patient, whose 
 person and disease were equally unknown to the 
 clairvoyant, and to all the individuals present. 
 Having felt the cloth for some time, the patient said : 
 " It belongs to a female." This was correct. " She 
 is about 48 years old." Right. " Her disease is in 
 the stomach." Right again. " She has an aversion 
 to food, because it excites sickness and vomiting." 
 This was exactly the case. " Her sight is weak, 
 and, for some time, she has been obliged to use 
 glasses/' She had done so for some months. "All 
 the medicines she takes produce no good effect upon 
 her." Such was the case. When asked whether 
 her disease could be cured, he said : " Yes, but not 
 without employing Magnetism ; " and he added : 
 "At this moment, the lady is suffering from head- 
 ache above both eyes, but nowhere else." We im- 
 mediately caused this to be investigated, and found 
 it true. 
 
 " I am not quite sure," he continued, " but it 
 appears to me that the lady has a stiff finger in her 
 right hand." He was quite right : The thumb of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 the right hand had been broken, and, in consequence, 
 became stiff. 
 
 Dr MAYO after wards very properly observes, "that 
 the entranced person is probably always liable to 
 mislead you, either through his view being at that 
 time accidentally obscured ; or through the influence 
 of preconceived notions on his mind; or through 
 the thoughts of others who are at present influencing 
 him. And an observer must always be on his guard 
 against these unintentional sources of error, as well 
 as against premeditated deception." This is a cau- 
 tion worthy of being more strictly observed by 
 careless, and perhaps sceptical experimentalists. 
 
 According to Dr MAYO, " it is easy theoretically 
 to explain the beneficial results which follow from 
 the daily induction of trance for an hour or so, in 
 various forms of disorder of the nervous system 
 in epilepsy in the tic doleureux in nervous palsy, 
 and the like. As long as the state of trance is 
 maintained, so long is the nervous system in a state 
 of repose. It is more or less completely put out of 
 gear. It experiences the same relief which a 
 sprained joint feels, when you dispose it, in a relaxed 
 position, on a pillow. A chance is thus given to the 
 strained nerves of recovering their tone of health. 
 And it is wonderful how many cases of nervous dis- 
 order get well at once through these simple means. 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 As it is certain that there is no disease in which the 
 nervous system is not primarily or secondarily im- 
 plicated, it is impossible to foresee what will prove 
 the limit to the beneficial application of Mesmerism 
 in medical practice.'' 
 
 " In operative surgery, the art is not less avail- 
 able. In trance, the patient is insensible ; and a 
 limb may be removed without the operation excit- 
 ing disturbance of any kind. And what is equally 
 important, in all the after-treatment, at every dress- 
 ing, the process of Mesmerising may be resorted to 
 again, with no possible disadvantage, but being 
 rather soothing and useful to the patient, indepen- 
 dently of the extinction of the dread and suffering 
 of pain." 
 
 The following account, given by Dr MAYO, of the 
 phenomena exhibited by a patient in a state of cata- 
 leptic trance, is applicable to a variety of other cases, 
 and may assist us in explaining many of the most 
 curious phenomena of Mesmerism. 
 
 "1. The organs of sensation are deserted by their 
 natural sensibility. The patient neither feels with 
 the skin, nor sees with the eyes, nor hears with the 
 ears, nor tastes with the mouth. 
 
 " 2. All these senses, however, are not lost. Sight 
 and hearing, if not smell and taste, re-appear in 
 some other part ; at the pit of the stomach for 
 instance, or the tips of the fingers. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 "3. The patient manifests new perceptive powers. 
 She discerns objects all around her, and through any 
 obstructions, partitions, walls or houses, and at inde- 
 finite distances. She sees her own inside, as it were, 
 illuminated, and can tell what is wrong in the health 
 of others. She reads the thoughts of others, whe- 
 ther present, or at indefinite distances. The ordi- 
 nary obstacles of space and matter vanish to her. 
 So likewise that of time ; she foresees future events. 
 
 " Such and more are the capabilities of cataleptic 
 patients, most of whom exhibit them all." (p. 99.) 
 
 Dr MAYO thus discusses the subject of physiolo- 
 gical materialism. The author of this treatise feels 
 much gratified in having such an able coadjutor in 
 the dissemination of views, for the propagation of 
 which he has been ridiculed by the sceptics and the 
 scoffers, especially of the medical schools. Let us 
 attend to the opinions of the great physiologist upon 
 this important question. 
 
 " The school of physiological materialists hold 
 that the mind is but a function or product of the 
 brain, and cannot therefore admit its separate action. 
 But this fundamental tenet is unsound, even upon 
 considering the analogies of matter alone. 
 
 " What is meant by a product ? In what does 
 production consist ? Let us look for instances ; a 
 metal is produced from an ore alcohol is produced 
 from saccharine matter the bones and sinews of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 an animal are produced from its food. Production, 
 in the strict sense of the word, means the conversion 
 of one substance into another, weight for weight, 
 agreeably with, or under, mechanical, chemical, and 
 vital laws. If mind be the product of the brain, it 
 must be the conversion of so much brain, weight 
 for weight, into thought and feeling, which is an 
 absurdity. 
 
 " It is, indeed, true, that with the manifestation of 
 each thought and feeling a corresponding decom- 
 position of the brain takes place. But it is equally 
 true that in a Voltaic battery in action, each movement 
 of electric force developed there is attended with a 
 waste of the metal plates which help to form it. 
 But that waste is not converted into electric fluid. 
 The exact quantity of pure copper which disappears 
 may be detected in the form of sulphate of copper. 
 The electricity was not produced ; it was only set 
 in motion by the chemical decomposition. Here is 
 the true material analogy of the relation of the brain 
 to the mind. Mind, like electricity, is an imponder- 
 able force pervading the universe : and there happen 
 to be known to us certain material arrangements, 
 through which each may be influenced. We cannot, 
 indeed, pursue the analogy beyond this step. Con- 
 sciousness and electricity have nothing farther in 
 common. Their farther relation to the dissimilar 
 arrangements, through which they may be excited 
 
 VOL. i. e 
 
1 PREFACE. 
 
 or disturbed, are subjects of totally distinct studies, 
 and resolvable into laws which have no affinity, and 
 admit of no comparison. 
 
 " It is singular how early in the history of man- 
 kind the belief in the separate existence of the soul 
 developed itself as an instinct of our nature." 
 
 We are truly happy to find our opinions, upon 
 these abstruse subjects, corroborated by the ingeni- 
 ous researches of a gentleman who stands in the 
 very first rank of British physiologists. 
 
 Without farther comment, we leave these opinions, 
 which we adopt as our own, to be digested, at their 
 leisure, by the hypnotists, and other medical scep- 
 tics. And, in the meantime, we sincerely trust that, 
 notwithstanding the corporeal infirmities incident to 
 age, the life and spirits of Dr MAYO may yet long 
 be preserved to enable him to please and instruct 
 his friends and the public in general, with his valu- 
 able lucubrations upon scientific subjects, and the 
 chaste and playful character of his style of writing. 
 
 The only fault we have been able to detect in 
 this spirited and entertaining volume, is the ingeni- 
 ous author's appreciation of MESMER, whose labours, 
 as it appears to us, he has much undervalued. Too 
 little allowance is made for the character of the 
 times, the nature of the discovery, and the peculiar 
 circumstances in which the modern resuscitator of 
 the magnetic doctrines was placed. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 We have remarked, too, that in speaking of 
 GREATRAKEs,Dr MAYO calls him DOCTOR Greatrex ; 
 whereas Greatrakes was a private gentleman who 
 had served in the army, and had no pretensions to 
 any knowledge of medicine or philosophy. But ubi 
 plura nitent, &c. 
 
 Ever since its first introduction into public notice, 
 in modern times, by MESMER, the science of Ani- 
 mal Magnetism has been exposed to much persecu- 
 tion, obloquy, and ridicule, which have considerably 
 retarded the progress of its advancement. It is 
 pretty obvious, however, that all this opposition has 
 arisen from ignorance, misconception, or interested 
 motives. The opponents, therefore, may be divided 
 into two classes. The first includes those who are 
 unable or unwilling to institute such an investiga- 
 tion as might terminate in reasonable conviction : 
 The second embraces a considerable proportion of 
 the members of the medical profession, who, after a 
 laborious course of professional study, are unwilling 
 to go to school again, and are, therefore, disposed to 
 depreciate the real value and practical utility of 
 the magnetic discovery. Among the greater pro- 
 portion, indeed, of those who are uninstructed in 
 the principles of this discovery, or have not tho- 
 roughly examined the phenomena with which it is 
 conversant, there is a strong, and, perhaps, not 
 altogether unnatural propensity to scepticism. To 
 
Hi PREFACE. 
 
 this we do not much object : For it is a remarkable 
 fact, as the author has elsewhere observed, that all 
 the most obstinate scientific opponents of the system 
 have been subsequently converted into warm adhe- 
 rents of the magnetic doctrines, and that, so far as 
 our enquiries have extended, not a single rational 
 convert has afterwards been induced to abandon his 
 conviction. On the contrary, many of these ori- 
 ginal sceptics have become the most valuable adhe- 
 rents and practical expositors of the science, and 
 among these we find many of the most eminent 
 physicians and philosophers in Europe. 
 
 It is quite true, indeed, that we frequently meet 
 in society, persons who exhibit astonishment and 
 scepticism when any apparently extraordinary or 
 anomalous magnetic fact happens to be alluded to ; 
 but this astonishment and scepticism are the off- 
 spring of ignorance ; and this, in particular, is a 
 subject upon which no individual is competent to 
 pronounce a decided opinion, without previous care- 
 ful and candid investigation. It is consolatory, how- 
 ever, to observe, that in the present times, the doc- 
 trine of Animal Magnetism is gradually becoming 
 less mysterious, and that many new discoveries of 
 the reality of these facts are almost daily dissipat- 
 ing scepticism and extending conviction in the pub- 
 lic mind. Sober enquiry is rapidly taking place of 
 irrational doubt and illiberal prejudice. 
 
PREFACE. liii 
 
 The author of the following treatise, however, is 
 perfectly aware that he may be exposed to a charge 
 of credulity in regard to some of the facts and nar- 
 ratives to which he has had occasion to refer in the 
 following pages. For such a charge, therefore, he 
 is not unprepared. Some authors, indeed, are 
 afraid of relating, or even of alluding to facts which 
 may possibly excite scepticism, or even ridicule, 
 among the ignorant and the prejudiced. Facts, 
 however, when fully ascertained and accredited by 
 competent enquirers, must be boldly and faithfully 
 proclaimed, especially when they tend, in the 
 opinion of the author, to advance the interests of 
 science and humanity. Truth, in all matters, but 
 more especially in relation to scientific research, and 
 still more when it tends to advance the improve- 
 ment and welfare of mankind, in any particular 
 direction, never can be injurious to society. To 
 every philosopher, therefore, we would recommend 
 the advice of CICERO : Ne quidfalsi dicere audeat ; 
 ne quid veri non audeat. The cowardly and incom- 
 petent only are afraid of truth ; perhaps because it 
 is beyond their reach, or is believed to be incom- 
 patible with what they consider to be their interests. 
 But banish truth from the world, and what remains 
 to mankind ? A labyrinth or a desert ! 
 
 One of the most important duties of a philoso- 
 pher, indeed, and one of the most difficult, too, is 
 
liv PREFACE. 
 
 to set due bounds to the natural credulity, or incre- 
 dulity, of his disposition. He ought to believe at 
 once when he finds that nature presents sufficient 
 data to warrant his belief; and, in all doubtful 
 cases, he ought to encourage a disposition impar- 
 tially to receive evidence on either side of a propo- 
 sition, more especially when custom, prejudice, 
 prior opinions drawn from analogy, or any other 
 cause, may have induced him to adopt particular 
 views. There are few, however, who become 
 capable of maintaining this moral and intellectual 
 equilibrium. 
 
 It is well known, for example, what a perplexity 
 an eminent professor of mathematics in Edinburgh 
 (Mr MACLAURIN,) was once thrown into, on receiv- 
 ing from a friend abroad an account of a few of the 
 first discovered and least remarkable eifects of that 
 astonishing power, the electric fluid. The profes- 
 sor, liberal, knowing, and candid as he was, could 
 hardly credit the testimony of his friend ; and not 
 doubting the veracity of a man he highly esteemed, 
 concluded that a delirium had seized his imagina- 
 tion. A more satisfactory instance of the necessity 
 of suspending a positive judgment, in many things 
 where one is inclined to decide without adequate 
 investigation, can hardly be imagined. It shows 
 very forcibly the propriety of a disposition to 
 receive evidence concerning the existence of any 
 
PREFACE. lv 
 
 phenomenon in nature, or event in human affairs, 
 however inconsistent either may seem with the 
 received principles of science, or with the maxims 
 that are derived from a limited experience. 
 
 GOETHE, the celebrated German author a keen 
 and most intelligent observer of nature, although 
 not exactly, so far as we know, a professed mag- 
 netist appears to have been firmly convinced of 
 the existence and phenomena of the magnetic 
 power and susceptibility, as appears, in particu- 
 lar, from his conversations with ECKERMANN ; and 
 he gives several instances of their manifestation. 
 He appears to consider the magnetic influence as 
 something instinctive, and peculiar to the animal 
 sensibility. " We are all groping," says he, 
 " among mysteries and wonders. Besides, one 
 soul may have a decided influence upon another, 
 merely by means of its silent presence, of which I 
 could relate many instances. It has often hap- 
 pened to me, that when I have been walking with 
 an acquaintance, and have had a lively image of 
 something in my mind, he has at once begun to 
 speak to me of that very thing. I have also 
 known a man who, without saying a word, could 
 suddenly silence a party engaged in cheerful con- 
 versation, by the mere power of his mind. Nay, 
 he could introduce a tone which would make every 
 body feel uncomfortable. We have all something 
 
Ivi PREFACE. 
 
 of electrical and magnetic forces within us; and 
 we put forth) like the magnet itself ^ an attractive or 
 repulsive power, according as we come in contact 
 with something similar or dissimilar" &c. 
 
 The following observations of the same illustrious 
 author are equally just and appropriate to our sub- 
 ject. " In the sciences," said he, " that also is 
 looked upon as property, which has been handed 
 down, or taught at the universities. And if any 
 one advance any thing new which contradicts, per- 
 haps threatens to overturn, the creed which we 
 have for years repeated, and have handed down to 
 others, all passions are raised against him, and 
 every effort is made to crush him. People resist 
 with all their might ; they act as if they neither 
 heard nor could comprehend; they speak of the 
 new view with contempt, as if it were not worth 
 the trouble of even so much as an investigation or 
 a regard ; and thus a new truth may wait a long 
 time before it can make its way." 
 
 The medical application of Animal Magnetism, 
 or Mesmerism, has always been viewed with great 
 jealousy by the profession, especially in this country ; 
 and the most extraordinary subterfuges are occa- 
 sionally resorted to, in order to evade the evidence, 
 or, at least, to render the practice suspicious. A 
 periodical writer has jocosely observed that " criti- 
 cisms" on Mesmeric cases are very curious. If 
 
PREFACE. v 
 
 you call in a doctor, the cure is ascribed to him. 
 If you do not call in a doctor, it is said that nothing 
 was the matter. The world has often desired to 
 know who is the infallible doctor who is sure to 
 cure you. We have found it out. It is the last 
 doctor who gives you up, before you call in the 
 mesmeriser. He it is who always cures you. You 
 don't know it you are dying in ignorance of it. 
 But he is the man. When the mesmeriser has 
 restored you to health, the critics find out that the 
 doctor did it all." 
 
 This pleasantry is not a mere joke it is a serious 
 
 truth : 
 
 u ridentem dicer e verum 
 Qwdvetat?" 
 
 In concluding this Preface, the author may ob- 
 serve that he has retained the designation of Animal 
 Magnetism for reasons which appear to him to be 
 perfectly satisfactory. It was the first appellation 
 which was given to the science upon the original 
 discovery of the facts. It was used by PARACELSUS, 
 VAN HELMONT, and the early writers upon the 
 subject ; and it was retained by MESMER himself 
 the modern restorer of the doctrine. The designa- 
 tion of Mesmerism is inappropriate. MESMER was 
 not the original discoverer of the science ; he merely 
 revived, confirmed, and enlarged it ; and nothing 
 is gained by the change of a name : On the con- 
 
Iviii PREFACE. 
 
 trary, it can only produce confusion and embar- 
 rassment. 
 
 The author feels exceedingly unwilling to extend 
 "this Preface, which may, perhaps, be considered as 
 already too long ; but while preparing his treatise 
 for publication, there came into his hands a volume 
 entitled Letters on the Laws of Man's Nature and 
 Development, by H. G. ATKINSON, F. G.S., and 
 HARRIET MARTINEAU, which he considers too im- 
 portant to be passed over without such notice and 
 animadversion as his cursory perusal of the book 
 and his limited time will admit of. Many years 
 ago probably before Mr A. and Miss M. com- 
 menced their physiological studies, the author of 
 the following treatise publicly avowed his appre- 
 hensions in regard to the contemplated combination 
 of the sciences of Animal Magnetism and Phreno- 
 logy, as a circumstance which would probably 
 operate in a manner prejudicial to the former. His 
 apprehensions have now been fully verified ; and 
 the volume alluded to may be considered as the 
 hybrid product of the unnatural conjunction. 
 
 Time has not altered his first convictions in regard 
 to the fatal consequences of this unhappy combina- 
 tion. Embarked on board the same frail vessel 
 with Phrenology, Animal Magnetism becomes ex- 
 posed to the fate of suffering shipwreck, along with 
 its associated science. The author, at the same 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 time, took the liberty of expressing his decided 
 conviction that Phrenology, when pursued into its 
 legitimate consequences, must ultimately terminate 
 in Atheism. The connection was, at that period, 
 faintly denied, or, at least, evaded, by the Phreno- 
 logists. GALL, the inventor of the science, how- 
 ever, boldly acknowledged the direct result. In 
 the volume before us, it is, at length, fully admit- 
 ted, in one of the most wanton and gratuitous 
 attacks that have ever been made, not upon the 
 Christian religion only, but upon all religion what- 
 ever. We are now taught by the conclusions at 
 which the authors of these Letters have arrived, 
 that there is no God, no soul, no future state, no 
 prospect for mankind beyond the grave. Our anti- 
 cipations have thus been fully realised. 
 
 Thank God ! For however disposed to qualify 
 some of its more stringent doctrines, when pushed 
 to the extreme, we have still retained an ineradi- 
 cable conviction of the existence of a Supreme 
 Being, and of the truth of the essential doctrines 
 of Christianity we never became converts to the 
 pseudo-science of Phrenology ; we never could hold 
 that thought was the pure and unmodified product 
 of matter. 
 
 During nearly forty years of his life, the author 
 happened to be placed in a situation peculiarly 
 favourable for the observation of those facts which 
 
IX PREFACE. 
 
 lie at the bottom of phrenological speculation, and 
 he made ample use of his opportunities. He has 
 carefully examined the heads of hundreds of indi- 
 viduals notorious for the manifestation of particular 
 faculties and propensities ; and the general result 
 only demonstrated the utter fallacy of any such 
 test of character as that which has been assumed 
 by the Phrenologists. Indeed, it frequently hap- 
 pened that he discovered the very opposite of that 
 of which he was in search. 
 
 We fully concede to the Phrenologists should 
 they consider this any advantage to their science 
 that the brain is a most important organ in the 
 animal economy, and that much may depend upon 
 its regular and healthy development. But the 
 same is the case in regard to the stomach, the 
 liver, the heart, and the intestines generally on 
 the normal development and healthy action of the 
 whole internal viscera. But farther than this, it is 
 conceived, we cannot go ; beyond this, speculation 
 cannot proceed with any certainty of a satisfactory 
 result. Thought is not to be found in the viscera, 
 any more than music can be considered as inherent 
 in the strings of a fiddle, or the keys of a harpsi- 
 chord ; but, in the latter case, in the undulations of 
 the air. But there are secrets in nature connected 
 with the science of mind, which, perhaps, never will 
 be revealed to our perceptive faculties. 
 
PREFACE. 1x1 
 
 It is probably known to many inquisitive readers 
 that the author of this publication has long devoted 
 himself to the study of Animal Magnetism ; and 
 from reading, conversation, and experience, he has 
 been led to form very decided opinions in regard 
 to the character of the phenomena elicited, as well 
 as upon the "practical uses and advantages of that 
 study, in a scientific as well as in a practical view. 
 He has ventured to publish some works upon the 
 subject ; and he has always considered the advan- 
 tages of this science as of infinitely greater value in 
 a practical, than in a speculative view. Indeed, he 
 has always feared that the very extraordinary phe- 
 nomena elicited by the practical application of this 
 method might have the effect of turning the heads, 
 and disturbing the intellects of certain speculative 
 devotees of this branch of science, and thus compro- 
 mise the solid advantages of the acquisition ; and 
 so it has happened. By means of a forced and 
 unnatural association with Phrenology, attempts 
 have been made to render it subservient to the 
 interests of materialism, infidelity, and atheism. 
 In short, the universe, by these speculations, has 
 been deprived of its God, and man of his immortal 
 soul. 
 
 The author of the following treatise is now an 
 old man, having nearly attained that age which the 
 Royal Psalmist has assigned as the ordinary limit 
 
x PREFACE. 
 
 of human life. It is therefore, perhaps, now too 
 late for him to think of commencing a new work 
 for the purpose of exposing the recent fallacies of 
 the Phreno-Magnetists. He trusts, however, that 
 this task will speedily be undertaken, and more 
 effectually accomplished by a younger and a far 
 abler hand. 
 
 In the meantime, we may be permitted to ex- 
 press our entire and decided dissent from the spe- 
 culative conclusions of the authors of the volume 
 now before us, expressing, at the same time our 
 grateful acknowledgments for the communication 
 of some curious facts, which had previously escaped 
 our attention, but have not altered our previous 
 views and convictions. 
 
 To all such avowed atheists as Mr ATKINSON and 
 Miss MARTIN EAU, we would, in the meantime, op- 
 pose, instead of prosaic argument, the following 
 beautiful and appropriate lines of the great German 
 poet, SCHILLER, in his animated and highly inte- 
 resting and philosophical tragedy of DON CARLOS. 
 The MARQUIS POSA is represented as thus address- 
 ing King Philip of Spain : 
 
 " Look around thee, Sire, 
 
 Throughout this glorious universe ! On Freedom 
 Are its foundations laid and, oh ! how rich 
 Through freedom ! He, the great Creator, throws 
 The worm into a drop of dew permits 
 Caprice to revel in the dark abodes 
 
PREFACE. Ixiii 
 
 Of foul corruption : Your creation, Sire, 
 How small how poor how lifeless ! 
 
 HE to leave 
 
 The glorious march of freedom undisturb'd 
 Permits the grimly host of ills to rage 
 Throughout his boundless universe. We see 
 Not HIM the artist ; HE withdraws from sight, 
 And veils Himself in his eternal laws. 
 These the Freethinker sees not HIM. ' And why 
 A God ? ' says he, ' the world is self-sufficient.' 
 And ne'er did Christian's homage more exalt 
 The eternal and invisible Lord of all, 
 Than this Freethinker's empty blasphemy." 
 
 The Freethinker, indeed, merely adopts a change 
 of names. The Theist speaks of God and Provi- 
 dence ; the Atheist talks of Nature and Necessity. 
 
 But what is Nature ? and whence comes Neces- 
 sity ? Are they not a -mere paltry substitute for the 
 Creator and His eternal and immutable laws ? 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THERE is no part of the wide field of science, 
 perhaps, which has been less cultivated, especially 
 in modern times, than the philosophy of the human 
 constitution, comprehending its peculiar endow- 
 ments, and the various phases in which its more 
 interesting phenomena may be occasionally pre- 
 sented to our serious contemplation. The study of 
 this particular subject, indeed, appears to be not only 
 unpopular in the present age ; it is even seriously 
 reprobated by many timid or prejudiced inquirers, 
 who seem to be of opinion, erroneously, we pre- 
 sume to think, that the results to which such an 
 investigation tends to conduct us, may eventually 
 prove adverse to certain other dogmas of belief, 
 which they have been accustomed to cherish, and 
 to regard as demonstrated and incontrovertible 
 truths ; or to subvert some other opinions which 
 they may have inconsiderately embraced as essen- 
 tial and paramount facts. Such notions and such 
 
 VOL. I. A 
 
2 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 conduct, however, betray a degree, not of igno- 
 rance merely, but of moral weakness, or cowar- 
 dice, which is utterly degrading to an intelligent, 
 candid, and inquiring mind, incompatible with all 
 freedom of thought and impartiality of judgment ; 
 and, consequently, they become a serious impedi- 
 ment to the progressive advancement of science and 
 civilisation. But, in opposition to all such preju- 
 dices, we are disposed to hold with the poet, that 
 
 " The proper study of mankind is man ; " 
 
 and we may be perfectly certain that no one truth, 
 when once satisfactorily ascertained to be a truth, 
 can possibly militate against another truth ; the 
 incompatibility exists only in the mind which cre- 
 ates it, and demonstrates the narrowness of its 
 conceptions. No one truth was ever substan- 
 tially injured by another truth, when both were 
 properly understood, and duly restricted within 
 the just limits of their own particular application ; 
 although, indeed, our conceptions may be occasion- 
 ally enlarged, modified, or corrected, by the diligent 
 exercise of our intellectual faculties in the gradual 
 investigation of nature in all its various forms and 
 stages of development. We hear much, indeed, 
 about credulity in the acceptation of phenomena. 
 Now, credulity may be defined to be a belief with- 
 out any adequate grounds of conviction in regard to 
 the reality of its object ; and such a credulity, when 
 it is combined, as it frequently is, with superstition, 
 or with some other mental hallucination, becomes 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 one of the most powerful, but most fallacious, and, 
 in some instances, the most mischievous incentives to 
 erroneous beliefs. The superstitious man is unable, 
 or afraid, to exercise his reasoning faculties. He is 
 unwilling to inquire, or incapable of directing his 
 intellectual and moral faculties towards the impar- 
 tial investigation of truth. He is perfectly satisfied 
 with the first partial convictions which his undis- 
 ciplined mind has once been led, however incau- 
 tiously, to embrace, and obstinately indisposed to 
 suffer them to be disturbed or modified by any other, 
 even more matured views. Hence the powerful and 
 permanent influence which all false systems of reli- 
 gion and philosophy have exercised over the minds 
 of their respective devotees, and the mischievous 
 effects they have frequently exercised on society. 
 Christianity alone, when embraced in its genuine 
 purity and truth, can submit to the test of the strict- 
 est philosophical investigation, and come out from 
 the trial unscathed. But even the Christian religion 
 itself may be, and has been, corrupted and debased, 
 in all times, by injudicious culture in an erroneous 
 direction. Superstition the offspring of false and 
 degrading views of religion when opposed, as it fre- 
 quently is, to science, has a powerful tendency to 
 subserve the purposes of ignorance, by discouraging 
 the cultivation of learning and philosophy, which 
 last can never prove detrimental to genuine and 
 pure religion, however inimical they may be to false 
 views and a degrading worship. The more enlight- 
 ened the mind, the more will it be disposed to ren- 
 
4 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 der due and acceptable homage to the great Author 
 of all created being, and to submit with reverence 
 to the laws He has framed for the government of 
 the universe. 
 
 The intellectual education of mankind, however, 
 in consequence of the limited nature and gradual 
 development of his several faculties, is very slowly 
 progressive, and continually exposed to various 
 interruptions. The knowledge of one age is fre- 
 quently modified, or entirely superseded by that 
 which follows in the next ; and it occasionally hap- 
 pens that, during the onward march of improvement, 
 while many errors may have been abandoned, some 
 not unimportant truths, if not entirely lost, are in 
 some danger of being obliterated or sacrificed along 
 with the previous untenable hypotheses. It becomes 
 of some consequence, therefore, to pause at certain 
 stages of civilization, and to take a retrospective view 
 of our past progress, for the purpose of systematis- 
 ing our real acquisitions, and of ascertaining whe- 
 ther some important article some material link in 
 the chain of social intelligence may not have been 
 accidentally dropt, in the course of our too inconsi- 
 derate and unreflecting advancement. 
 
 We may observe, at the outset of our inquiry, 
 that, in the infancy of human society, as in that of 
 the individual, the organs of sensitive perception, 
 admiration, and reverential awe, are probably first 
 developed in mankind, by the multitudinous pheno- 
 mena presented by nature to their contemplative 
 faculties. The secondary causes of these various 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 5 
 
 phenomena being yet necessarily uninvestigated, 
 and, consequently, unknown and unappreciated, the 
 untutored mind, in the infancy of knowledge, was 
 naturally induced to ascribe them to the direct and 
 continual agency of some immediately impending 
 power, whose being and attributes transcended the 
 limits of mortal cognizance. In these early times, 
 therefore, religion and science thus came to be 
 amalgamated, as it were, by a very simple and 
 natural process the primitive philosophy was essen- 
 tially theosophistic. The mind of man, indeed, is 
 constitutionally predisposed to superstition and 
 mysticism, particularly in the earlier stages of its 
 development ; and being yet ignorant of the secret 
 influences of nature, it is apt to ascribe their effects, 
 in each individual case, to the direct and immediate 
 agency of supernatural causes ; 
 
 " the untutor'd mind 
 Sees God in clouds, and hears him in the wind ; " 
 
 and, in process of time, secondary causes came to 
 be themselves elevated into distinct and essential 
 beings. Thus do Religion and Philosophy ulti- 
 mately become amalgamated into one common 
 science; and that science gradually lapses into a 
 system of Polytheism.* The most ancient priests, 
 
 * The history of the Jewish nation may seem to contra- 
 dict this position ; but it will be recollected that the Jews 
 themselves were prone to idolatry, and that, even in their 
 purer creed, their God was a being different from the gods 
 of other nations, with whom they were at war. 
 
6 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 as we shall presently see, were also the primitive 
 philosophers. 
 
 There are few subjects, therefore, more interest- 
 ing to the philosophical inquirer than the history 
 of human superstition, which itself results, in a 
 great measure, from the ignorance of the existence 
 and operation of proximate causes. This branch of 
 research, indeed, when diligently, accurately, and 
 impartially prosecuted, independently of its value 
 in other respects, cannot fail to disclose to our view 
 some of the most powerful springs of speculation 
 and action in the mind of man ; and it must unques- 
 tionably tend to make us more intimately acquainted 
 with many of the more important, and, apparently, 
 the more mysterious affections and impulses of our 
 common nature. Some not unimportant truths, too, 
 may thus be developed, in the course of our inqui- 
 ries; although these last may frequently be dis- 
 torted, or rendered obscure, in consequence of their 
 being directly attributed to erroneous, perhaps even 
 to fictitious causes. 
 
 Before entering into the particular investigation 
 of this interesting subject, however, it may be neces- 
 sary to impress upon the attention of the reader, 
 that superstition the offspring, not of actual depra- 
 vity, as has been alleged, but of ignorance and cre- 
 dulity may be manifested either in arbitrary, false, 
 and fantastic notions of things, which have no essen- 
 tial being, or in crude and erroneous ideas respect- 
 ing the true character and proximate causes of 
 phenomena which have an actual existence in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 7 
 
 nature. It becomes the more important to keep 
 this distinction steadily in view, because, as shall 
 hereafter be shown, many serious and influential 
 errors have arisen in consequence of confounding 
 facts with the false, imperfect, or unsatisfactory 
 explanations which have been vulgarly given of 
 them by ignorant, and consequently incompetent 
 interpreters. Facts themselves may be perfectly 
 authentic, while the explanations commonly given 
 of them are false and fantastical ; having their ori- 
 gin in ignorance, misconception, or prejudice ; and 
 opinions of this nature are frequently transmitted, un- 
 questioned, from generation to generation, long after 
 these explanations ought to have been rectified and 
 superseded by the general diffusion of a more en- 
 lightened and rational science. This circumstance, 
 indeed, as we shall have an opportunity of showing 
 more at large in the sequel, is believed to have been 
 a principal source of the many erroneous and per- 
 verted notions so generally entertained in society 
 in regard to the interesting conclusions to which we 
 are naturally led by the curious phenomena of Animal 
 Magnetism, which have been so fully elucidated by 
 the disinterested labours of those learned and inge- 
 nious men, who, in defiance of scepticism, obloquy, 
 and ridicule, have endeavoured to expiscate the 
 facts, and to explain the Mesmeric doctrines. 
 
 In the infancy of knowledge, we may remark, every 
 particular portion of nature was an object of simple, 
 but profound and mysterious admiration, and was 
 placed by the poetic fancy of man under the special 
 
8 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 government and tutelary guardianship of its own 
 peculiar presiding deity. The earth, the ocean, the 
 stars, the winds, the mountains, the woods, the 
 rivers, &c., were all placed under subjection to a 
 particular supernatural influence each had its own 
 special and appropriate god. The diseases which 
 occasionally afflicted humanity probably less fre- 
 quent in the earlier than in the more advanced 
 stages of society were believed to be produced by 
 maleficent Genii ; dreams were the gift of beneficent 
 spirits ; nervous crises, originating in an abnormal 
 condition of the organism, were held to be prophetic 
 inspirations. Hence that motley mythology, em- 
 braced in the devotional conviction of entire nations, 
 and subsequently enlarged, embellished, and per- 
 petuated by the fancy of the poets, which, although 
 long since discredited and exploded by the revela- 
 tion of a more pure and genuine religion, and the 
 gradual development of a more sound and rational 
 philosophy, may still be recognised in many of the 
 habits and prejudices and ceremonial observances of 
 the people, down to a recent period. In process of 
 time, however, a spirit of meditative inquiry was 
 combined with the contemplation of nature, meta- 
 physical systems were excogitated by men of power- 
 ful faculties and cultivated minds, more reasonable, 
 indeed, and better concocted, but still, for the most 
 part, founded upon no substantial basis ; and which, 
 being addressed only to men of superior under- 
 standings, were incomprehensible, and therefore 
 valueless to the generality of mankind. At length, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 9 
 
 in the fulness of time, Christianity superseded Pa- 
 ganism ; and although a considerable leaven of 
 ancient heathenism still remained incorporated with 
 the popular acceptation of the new faith, yet the 
 mind of man gradually became emancipated from 
 the thraldom of many erroneous conceptions a 
 more accurate observation of the phenomena of 
 nature, and of their causal connection, ultimately 
 led to more rigorous and more just methods of 
 investigation and reasoning ; and physical as well 
 as intellectual science, at length renouncing the 
 errors and hallucinations of premature speculation, 
 ultimately cast off the trammels of superstition and 
 fable : 
 
 " The old fantastic faith had lost its power ; 
 The ancient gods were exiled from the earth." 
 
 It appears to be now universally admitted by the 
 learned, that science and civilisation had their origin 
 in the Eastern regions of the earth, among the 
 ancient Assyrians, Bactrians, Chaldeans, Babylo- 
 nians, Egyptians, Hindoos, Medes and Persians. 
 Now, it is of some importance to observe, that, 
 among these primitive nations of the world, the 
 term MAGIC appears to have been employed to 
 designate both natural and supernatural science 
 philosophy and religion including principally, the- 
 ology, astronomy, and medicine. The individuals 
 who addicted themselves to these studies, and were 
 presumed to have made the greatest proficiency 
 in their acquirement, were denominated MAGI, or 
 wise men philosophers ; the students and teachers 
 
10 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 alike of natural and of moral wisdom ; the profes- 
 sors, the priests, and the prophets among the peo- 
 ple : and as learning of any kind was a rare acqui- 
 sition in these early ages, these priest-philosophers 
 were universally regarded with veneration and awe 
 by the uninstructed and superstitious vulgar, who 
 conceived that their superior knowledge and endow- 
 ments could only be obtained by means of an habi- 
 tual intercourse and intimate converse with certain 
 beings of a superhuman order. The study of 
 nature, accordingly, among the early Eastern na- 
 tions, thus came to be amalgamated with religion, and 
 both were considered as the exclusive province of 
 the MAGI the Priesthood ; by whom the know- 
 ledge thus acquired was combined with their devo- 
 tional worship and ceremonial observances. 
 
 The origin of MAGIC, therefore, in its present 
 acceptation, must be traced back to the most ancient 
 traditionary records of the primitive nations of the 
 world, and the earliest dawn of human civilisation. 
 Babylon, Chaldea, Assyria, Bactria, Persia, Media, 
 Egypt, and India, were probably the cradles of 
 infant science in early times the chief seats of the 
 ancient MAGI, and consequently of the primitive 
 philosophy promulgated among mankind. ZORO- 
 ASTER a personage now difficult to individualise 
 the Chaldean astronomers and soothsayers, the 
 Egyptian priests, and the Indian Brahmins, appear 
 to have been the early depositaries and professors 
 of this mysterious knowledge, which was considered 
 too sacred to be communicated to the promiscuous 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 11 
 
 vulgar; and upon these personages also devolved 
 the superintendence over the religious tenets, wor- 
 ship, sacrifices, and ceremonies of the people, the 
 cure of the sick, and, above all, the due conserva- 
 tion of the sacred science. 
 
 In all ages, knowledge may be said to be power, 
 or, at least, to afford the most effectual means of 
 acquiring and retaining dominion over the mass of 
 the people ; but this is more especially the case in 
 the infancy of human society, when learning and 
 ignorance are separated by a wider interval, and 
 when all science is generally believed to have a 
 superhuman origin. 
 
 The Magi, therefore, in these early times, were 
 held in the highest estimation by mankind, as the 
 venerated depositaries of all science, sacred and 
 profane, consequently, as the mediators between 
 earth and heaven, the interpreters of the divine 
 will to the inhabitants of this lower world. Their 
 social rank corresponded with the dignity of their 
 sacred functions. They were either themselves 
 princes of the land, or the chief tutors and indis- 
 pensable councillors of princes, as we learn from 
 the Old Testament Scriptures, and from other an- 
 cient records. As their duties, however, were 
 paramount, so were their responsibilities great Und 
 stringent. The qualifications required of them, in 
 addition to learning and practical wisdom, were a 
 strict devotion to truth and* justice, and a pure dis- 
 interestedness of moral character. The neglect of 
 their appropriate duties, or the violation of any of 
 
12 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 these essential virtues, subjected the delinquent to 
 the severest punishment of which history has pre- 
 served some notable examples. 
 
 From all that has been said, it would appear 
 that the word MAGUS, in its original signification, 
 denoted, at once, a philosopher and a priest a 
 lover and cultivator of all natural and moral wis- 
 dom ; and as, in the primitive notions of mankind, 
 all science was believed to emanate directly from 
 above from the immediate inspiration of divine 
 power and wisdom, and was carefully preserved, 
 from generation to generation, as the peculiar inhe- 
 ritance of the priesthood (the MAGI) the indi- 
 viduals of that consecrated caste were regarded, 
 not only as the special favourites of Heaven, and 
 the hereditary ministers of the national religion, 
 but as the rulers, the advisers, and the physicians 
 of the people ; for even medicine itself was, in these 
 times, regarded as a mystery, and consequently 
 considered as a portion of the sacred science.* 
 
 * That, in early times, medicine formed a portion of magi- 
 cal science, appears from the testimony of various ancient 
 authors, as well as from the Scriptures of the Old and New 
 Testaments. PLINY (Hist. Nat. L. xxx. c. 1) even derives 
 the latter from the former : Natam primum e medicina nemo 
 dubitat magiam. PLATO also considers Magic as that science 
 which is consecrated to the service of religion Stgctir&ice. 
 Siiov ; and APULEIUS, as well as other ancient authors, in- 
 forms us that the word MAGUS signified a priest (Sacerdos) 
 in the Persian language; -and that, among the vulgar, a 
 Magus was, properly speaking, considered as a privileged 
 person who maintained an intercourse with the gods. The 
 most general meaning of the expression MAGIC, however, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 13 
 
 The combination of these various offices, too, in the 
 persons of the members of the priesthood, together 
 with their reputed endowments of superior know- 
 ledge and sanctity, and their supposed intercourse 
 with the celestial powers, contributed to clothe them 
 with large authority among the people, and caused 
 them to be universally regarded with extreme 
 reverence ; while, at the same time, these circum- 
 stances rendered them the almost supreme arbiters 
 in all important matters of public, or even of pri- 
 vate concern. 
 
 appears to have comprehended all that knowledge, divine 
 or human, which was deemed mysterious and inaccessible 
 by the vulgar. The MAGI, in short, were originally the 
 physicians, as well as the priests of the people; and this 
 connection was continued in Europe long after the destruc- 
 tion of the ancient institutions of Paganism. Until a com- 
 paratively recent period, the hospitals in France were placed 
 under the superintendence of ecclesiastics. 
 
 After the introduction of Christianity, indeed, MAGIC and 
 the MAGI were subjected to a grievous degradation, as we 
 shall see in the sequel. The Pagan priests were said by the 
 new converts to worship the devil, to whom they were 
 alleged to be indebted for all their knowledge and power ; 
 and hence MAGIC came to be accounted diabolical. 
 
14 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN ancient, as well as in modern times, MAGIC 
 or that species of learning and science which was 
 thought to be beyond the reach of the vulgar 
 mind was also believed to comprehend the art 
 of exercising powers which have always been ac- 
 counted supernatural ; such as the endowments of 
 divination and prophecy, and the faculty of oper- 
 ating miraculously, as it has been generally held, 
 upon other persons, either present, or at a distance. 
 MAGIC, thus understood, was sedulously cultivated 
 by its devotees throughout the whole of the Eastern 
 world. It constituted the essence of the ancient 
 mysteries in Egypt and in Greece, of which we 
 shall have occasion to speak in the sequel ; and it 
 was propagated, at a later period, by the Jewish 
 sect of the Essenians, by PYTHAGORAS and his 
 disciples, and, subsequently, by the school of the 
 Neo-Platonists at Alexandria. The supposititious 
 derivation of this science, so generally prevalent at 
 different periods of history, was manifestly founded 
 upon ignorance, and consequent misapprehension of 
 the actual powers and established laws of nature ; 
 and the belief itself was fostered by those super- 
 stitious feelings, which, to a certain extent, predo- 
 minate over the intellect in all ages, and are pecu- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 15 
 
 liarly characteristic of barbarous and uncultivated 
 times. MAGIC, indeed, when considered as a science 
 transcending the limits of mere human acquirement, 
 was a natural product of the infancy of learning and 
 civilisation. The extent of the powers of Nature, 
 even in her more ordinary and obvious manifesta- 
 tions, could not yet have been generally ascertained 
 and determined, far less accurately defined and 
 correctly appreciated ; and, consequently, all those 
 more remarkable occurrences which surpassed the 
 most familiar experience of life, or of which the 
 rude knowledge of the times was incapable of com- 
 prehending the scientific causes, were at once 
 accounted supernatural, and ascribed to the imme- 
 diate interventive agency of the gods, or to that 
 of beneficent spirits, or of malignant dromons. 
 Miracles, prodigies, and portents, are things of 
 frequent occurrence in the earlier ages of the 
 world ; but they become rare in proportion as 
 science and civilisation advance, and dispel the 
 darkness of mental vision. As a learned and elo- 
 quent author has observed, " the farther men 
 advance into the light, the less apt are they to 
 start." 
 
 But the exclusive possession of this mystical 
 science by the priesthood the MAGI in these 
 rude times, was natural enough, and might, in 
 some respects, have been beneficial, as it unques- 
 tionably constituted a powerful spring in the engine 
 of government. The continuation of this associa- 
 tion of the sacerdotal with the scientific character, 
 
16 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 however, in later ages when knowledge had be- 
 come more generally diffused throughout a wider 
 circle as in the instance of the more modern Pope- 
 dom was manifestly productive of much serious 
 injury, both to religion and to science, which, in 
 process of time, instead of being permitted to exist 
 together in union and harmony, it became custo- 
 mary to represent as incompatible with each other. 
 Hence the many abuses that have arisen, and the 
 many enormities which have been perpetrated, at 
 various periods, by individuals and by governments, 
 in their preposterous and insane attempts to enforce 
 conformity with particular dogmas of faith, and to 
 protect and promote the interests of the national 
 religion by arresting the progress of scientific know- 
 ledge ; as if an ignorant and blind belief were pre- 
 ferable to an enlightened and reasonable conviction. 
 Whenever inordinate power has been conferred 
 upon the priesthood, or gradually usurped by that 
 ambitious, influential, and, it may be, irresponsible 
 body, especially in the more advanced stages of 
 society, it has been almost invariably abused to the 
 injury and retardation of truth, and consequently 
 to the great disadvantage of the general community. 
 The very sanctity of their calling, and the prestige 
 of their divine authority, in the general estimation 
 of the people, appear to absolve the members of 
 that profession from all those responsibilities which 
 operate as a salutary restraint upon the conduct of 
 every other class of the people, and which tend to 
 prevent them from abusing that power over the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 17 
 
 lives and consciences of their fellow-men, with 
 which, from accident or policy, they may have 
 been entrusted. Besides, as Lord Bacon and other 
 distinguished philosophers have justly observed, 
 every effort that has been made, in any stage of 
 civilisation, to combine physical science with theo- 
 logy, has uniformly terminated in giving us bad 
 philosophy and worse religion. When confined 
 within the appropriate limits of their respective 
 spheres, there is really no necessity for any rude 
 collision between them. The foundations of the 
 one rest upon veneration, faith, and hope ; those of 
 the other, upon observation, experience, and reason- 
 ing. It would be manifestly absurd to attempt to 
 demonstrate a mathematical proposition by moral 
 reasoning, or to prove the rectitude of a religious 
 dogma, or of an ethnical principle, by mathematical 
 demonstration by the properties of the circle, the 
 square, the triangle, or the hypothenuse. Illegiti- 
 mate reasoning is equally injurious to religion and 
 to science. 
 
 Like almost every other branch of human know- 
 ledge, accordingly to whatever cause the circum- 
 stance may be ascribed the early Magic, or super- 
 natural science, as it was then accounted along 
 with all the practices resulting from its study and 
 application degenerated in subsequent times ; it 
 ceased to be held in general repute among the 
 influential classes ; and it is alleged to have been 
 frequently employed in subserviency to the most 
 ignoble, the most dishonest, and the most dangerous 
 
 VOL. I. B 
 
18 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 purposes. It became incorporated with the most 
 vulgar and perverted religious notions of antiquity, 
 and gradually came to be distinguished into two 
 distinct kinds the theurgic and the goetic the 
 legitimate and the diabolical magic the white and 
 the black art ; according to the particular sources 
 from which it was supposed to be derived, and the 
 different objects to which it was sought to be 
 applied. In process of time, the original significa- 
 tion of the term was almost entirely lost sight of ; 
 the science itself became totally perverted from its 
 original purposes, and the reputation of MAGIC, in 
 this state of degeneracy, consequently fell into 
 general discredit. These facts may be elicited 
 from various narratives in the Old Testament 
 Scriptures. The ultimate introduction of the Jew- 
 ish, or rather of the Chaldean devil, and of his 
 infernal agents and emissaries, upon the theatre of 
 the supernatural world, soon after the diffusion of 
 Christianity throughout the semi-barbarous nations 
 of Europe, as shall be seen hereafter, occasioned a 
 transference of many natural phenomena to the 
 alleged influence of his Satanic Majesty; and, as 
 will be seen in the sequel of our history, these per- 
 nicious notions ultimately engendered a series of 
 the most extraordinary, the most absurd, the most 
 mischievous and brutalising hallucinations that ever 
 afflicted and degraded humanity : hallucinations 
 which presented a formidable barrier to the pro- 
 gressive development of science and civilisation, and 
 became productive of more barbarous and shocking 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 19 
 
 atrocities than ever signalised and disgraced the 
 
 darkest superstitions and relative practices of the 
 Pagan world. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE doctrine of the antagonist and rival powers 
 of God and the Devil is certainly of great antiquity, 
 and was, we think, unquestionably derived from 
 the ancient eastern superstition from the tenets, 
 ascribed to ZOROASTER, relative to the good and 
 the evil principles, personified in the dominant 
 spirits ORMUZD and AHRIMAN.* It is extremely 
 
 * ROLLIN in his Ancient History (B. iv. chap. 4,) gives a 
 very fair and impartial account of the religious doctrines of 
 the MAGI. He adopts the opinion of Dr PRIDEAUX, that 
 there were two persons named ZOROASTER, between whose 
 lives there might be the distance of six hundred years. He 
 observes that, throughout all the Eastern countries, idolatry 
 was divided into two principal sects that of the SABEANS, 
 who adored images, and that of the MAGI, founded by 
 ZOROASTER, who utterly abhorred images, and worshipped 
 God only under the form of fire " as the most perfect sym- 
 bol or representative of the Deity." Their chief doctrine 
 was, that there were two principles ; one the cause of all 
 good, and the other the cause of all evil. The former is 
 represented by light, the other by darkness. The good God 
 they named YASDAN and ORMUZD ; the evil God, AHRI- 
 MAN. Concerning these two Gods they had this difference 
 of opinion, that whereas some held both of them to have 
 been from all eternity, others contended that the good God 
 
20 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 probable, if not absolutely certain, that the Jews 
 received this doctrine from the Babylonians and 
 
 only was eternal, and that the other was created. But they 
 both agreed in this, that there will be a continual opposition 
 between these two, till the end of the world ; that then the 
 good God shall overcome the evil God, and that from thence- 
 forward each of them shall have this world to himself ; that 
 is, the good God his world with all the good, and the evil 
 God his world with all the wicked. 
 
 The second ZOROASTER is said to have introduced a con- 
 siderable reformation in regard to the first principle of the 
 Magian religion. Formerly, they held, as a fundamental 
 principle, the existence of two supreme first causes Light 
 and Darkness ; and that of the mixture of these two, as 
 they were in a continual struggle with each other, all things 
 were made. The second ZOROASTER embraced and incul- 
 cated the doctrine of a superior principle, one supreme God, 
 who created both light and darkness, and who, out of these 
 two subordinate principles, made all other things according 
 to his own will and pleasure. But to avoid making God the 
 author of evil, his doctrine was, " that there was one supreme 
 Being, independent and self- existing from all eternity ; that, 
 under him, there were two angels one the angel of light, 
 who is the author of all good and the other the angel of 
 darkness, who is the author of all evil ; that these two, out 
 of the mixture of light and darkness, made all things that 
 exist ; that they are in a perpetual struggle with each other ; 
 that where the angel of light prevails, there good reigns ; 
 and that where the angel of darkness prevails, there evil 
 takes place ; that this struggle shall continue to the end of 
 the world ; that then there shall be a general resurrection 
 and a day of judgment, wherein all shall receive a just retri- 
 bution, according to their works ; after which, the angel of 
 darkness and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, 
 where they shall suifer, in everlasting darkness, the punish- 
 ment of their evil deeds ; and the angel of light and his dis- 
 ciples shall also go into a world of their own, where they 
 shall receive, in everlasting light, the reward due to their 
 good deeds ; and after this they shall remain separated for 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 21 
 
 Chaldeans during the captivity. It subsequently be- 
 came incorporated to a certain extent with the Scrip- 
 tures of the Old Testament, and from thence passed 
 over, originally, perhaps, in the form of Manicheism, 
 into the Christian scheme. The term Devil, too, in 
 scriptural language, was frequently used figuratively, 
 or metaphorically, in conformity with the primitive 
 practice of impersonification, to signify evil, disease, 
 insanity, &c. Those persons who, in modern times, 
 adopt this doctrine of the Devil in its strictly literal 
 and personal application, do not appear to be aware 
 that they are in reality polytheists, heathens, idola- 
 ters. The belief in the actual existence of such a 
 personage as the Devil or Satan, indeed, appears to 
 have originated, partly, in superstitious fears, impos- 
 ture and credulity, and, partly, in a vain and prepos- 
 terous attempt to impersonate a principle which 
 might be made to account for the existence of all 
 that has been supposed to be evil in the universe. 
 This diabolical idea, however universally it may 
 have been entertained, appears to have been founded 
 upon a misconception of the genuine meaning of the 
 Sacred Scriptures the acceptation of a figure for 
 a fact and to be opposed alike to religion, to rea- 
 
 ever, and light and darkness be no more mixed together to 
 all eternity." 
 
 M. ROLLIN farther observes : "It is needless to inform 
 the reader, that almost all these tenets, though altered in 
 many circumstances, do in general agree with the Holy 
 Scriptures." And yet ZOROASTER has been held up, by 
 many modern writers, as a mere vulgar magician and 
 impostor ! 
 
22 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 son, and to common sense. There cannot be but 
 one God one sole Creator of all things. The 
 supreme Creator and Governor of the universe can 
 have no equal, no antagonist, no rival. The very 
 idea of such an antagonism, indeed, involves a con- 
 tradiction in terms, and has given birth to many 
 false, fantastic, and mischievous notions, including 
 all the monstrous barbarities of witchcraft and sor- 
 cery. 
 
 In process of time, after the degeneration and 
 corruption of MAGIC, and the misapplication and 
 perversion of the very name the Devil, of course, 
 the reputed author of all mischief, evil, and heresy, 
 came to be considered as the great patron and 
 high-priest of the Magical or Black Art of witch- 
 craft, sorcery, and every species of imaginary en- 
 chantment; and to these supposititious practices, 
 in particular, the term MAGIC was universally and 
 exclusively applied. But this Devil appears to 
 have been, in reality, the mere fanciful creation of 
 ignorance and superstition, or of a depraved imagi- 
 nation the rude impersonincation, as we have 
 already observed, of the evil principle. And if the 
 Devil can be shown to be a merely supposititious 
 being the vain creation of human fancy it fol- 
 lows, of course, that this fictitious personage cannot 
 be reasonably regarded as the real author of any 
 such effects as have been vulgarly ascribed to his 
 agency ; and if it can be proved, moreover, that 
 these diabolical phenomena are the mere product of 
 natural causes, the whole of this satanic system, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 23 
 
 with all its associated notions of rivalry and anta- 
 gonism to the one supreme Creator and Governor 
 of the entire universe, is utterly and for ever over- 
 thrown. 
 
 Now, it does appear to us that the degene- 
 racy and fall of man was induced solely by his 
 contempt of the commands of his Maker ; by 
 the violation of those laws which were imposed 
 upon him at the period of his creation. He was 
 tempted by his own evil passions, and he for- 
 feited his paradise. The whole history of his 
 temptation and fall is obviously an allegory. The 
 Devil, the tempter, consisted of the weakness and 
 consequent disobedience of our first parents. The 
 vulgar notion of the Devil appears to have crept 
 surreptitiously into religion, in consequence, no 
 doubt, of a misconstruction of certain figurative 
 or metaphorical expressions in the sacred Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 One of the principal objects of the blessed advent 
 of Jesus Christ, moreover, appears to have been to 
 abolish this pernicious satanic doctrine, so dero- 
 gatory, as it is, to the dignity and prerogatives of 
 the only one Supreme Being to overthrow the 
 empire of the Devil in the minds of men, and to 
 introduce a milder, a purer, and a more beneficent 
 theology. 
 
 But, then, it will no doubt be objected that Jesus 
 Christ and his disciples are said to have cast out 
 devils from the bodies of men. This expression, 
 however, according to the opinions of the most 
 
24 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 learned commentators, evidently refers to the mira- 
 culous cure of diseases. To be possessed by a devil 
 or a da3mon, were expressions used in those times, 
 and long after, to denote diseased persons, chiefly 
 such as were afflicted with epilepsy, palsy, leprosy, 
 or insanity disorders to which the Jewish people 
 appear to have been peculiarly subject. The terms 
 appear to have been principally applied to indivi- 
 duals who were accounted insane. He hath a devil, 
 or is mad, is an expression used by some of the 
 Evangelists ; and MALDONAT, the Jesuit, and a stre- 
 nuous defender of the doctrine of devils and of 
 diabolical possession, tells us, " Alii putant Dce- 
 monem habere, vel Dcemoniacum esse, modumfuisse 
 loquendi, quo non significarent eum vere habere 
 Dcemonem, sed motce esse mentis, delirare, insanire.* 
 This opinion has been held by many other learned 
 and respectable authors, and, particularly, by the 
 celebrated DR MEAD, as may be seen from his 
 Medica Sacra. 
 
 We may, therefore, reasonably hold that, in 
 Scriptural language, to be possessed of a devil, or 
 to be dsemoniacal, is to be mad or diseased ; and to 
 drive out a devil or devils, means to cure the disease ; 
 and this view is supported, not only by reasonable 
 construction, but by the phenomena and relative 
 doctrines of Animal Magnetism to be explained in 
 
 * " Others think that the expression, to have a Daemon, 
 or to be dsemoniacal, was a mode of speaking, signifying, 
 not that he really had a daemon, but that he was disturbed 
 in his mind delirious, insane,*' &c. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 25 
 
 the sequel of this treatise. In the meantime, how- 
 ever, we may observe, that the notion of diabolical 
 possession was subsequently extended to those indi- 
 viduals, in particular, who were subject to any of 
 the forms of the ecstatic affections. 
 
 The terms Devil and Satan, diabolical andsatanic 
 when once familiarly introduced, and clothed with 
 substantial existence afterwards came to be em- 
 ployed, metaphorically, to denote wicked persons 
 and evil dispositions ; nay, they were even extended 
 so as to apply to such individuals as were supposed 
 to be inimical to any portion of the established reli- 
 gious belief to those heretics who ventured to im- 
 pugn any of the dogmas of the orthodox church, or 
 even to those persons who cultivated such studies 
 as were then accounted profane. 
 
 Soon after the introduction of Christianity, indeed 
 so great was the intolerance of the proselytes to 
 the new faith all learning and science, unconnected 
 with the prevailing religious doctrines, were supposed 
 to be allied to Paganism, and to Magic in the most 
 depraved sense of the expression ; while those who 
 addicted themselves to such profane studies were 
 reputed to be heretics, and suspected of carrying on 
 an unhallowed intercourse with evil spirits. He 
 who was most profoundly skilled in the Hebrew 
 language was believed to be a Jew, and, therefore, 
 equally obnoxious as a heathen or a heretic. Those 
 whose enterprising minds had enabled them to 
 penetrate farthest into the secrets of nature, and to 
 
 VOL. i. c 
 
26 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 enlarge the boundaries of science, were accounted 
 heterodox and irreligious ; and many of those 
 learned and intelligent individuals were subjected to 
 the most violent persecution, and the most cruel 
 punishment, by their rude, and ignorant, and into- 
 lerant contemporaries. In these unhappy times, 
 learning was indeed a very dangerous thing, and 
 frequently proved fatal to its unfortunate possessor. 
 During those days of blind and bigoted zealotry, 
 it was no easy matter for men of independent and 
 philosophical minds to escape the imputation of 
 heresy, and its concomitant persecution. There 
 were probably as many, or more martyrs to scien- 
 tific heresy, than to orthodox Christianity. 
 
 The Christian zealots, indeed, of every sect and 
 persuasion, were deeply imbued with the spirit of 
 a dark and virulent intolerance of all differences of 
 opinion in regard to matters of religious belief; 
 and every thing was accounted heresy which did 
 not exactly accord, in the minds of the vulgar 
 devotees, with the prevailing doctrines of the day ; 
 while the powerful influence of a bigoted priest- 
 hood sanctioned and encouraged the most intolerant 
 delusions and superstitions of the people. Even 
 those intellectual individuals who ventured to devote 
 any portion of their time to the perusal of the clas- 
 sical works of antiquity, were accused of a leaning 
 towards the superstitious worship of the heathen 
 world ; while those who addicted themselves to the 
 study of the mathematics and natural philosophy, 
 were more than suspected of being magicians and 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 27 
 
 conjurors in the most offensive sense of the words.* 
 All profane studies, indeed, were generally repro- 
 bated and anathematised by the early Churchmen, 
 as inimical to the orthodox belief, and Christianity 
 was constantly opposed, not merely to Paganism, 
 but to all science^, whatever, which the professors 
 and expounders of the new faith endeavoured, by 
 every means in their power, to discourage and sup- 
 press. But Christianity, in the earlier period of 
 its development and progress, was, like all other 
 religious systems, deeply imbued with superstition 
 and intolerance ; and these have always proved the 
 most formidable enemies of learning, and of the 
 
 * It would appear that, in France, and, probably, in some 
 other European countries, during the 13th and 14th cen- 
 turies, even the study of the Mathematics was pursued 
 cautiously and in secret, on account of the dread of incur- 
 ring the fearful imputation of dealing in sorcery. Indeed 
 the Mathematici were frequently associated with the magi- 
 cians and conjurors. 
 
 M. MONTEIL, in his Histoire des Franqais des divers etats, 
 &c., published in Paris in 1827, makes one of his imaginary 
 characters, the Cordelier of Tours, express himself, upon this 
 subject, in the following manner : " I will not dissuade you 
 from teaching mathematics, if you are determined upon it ; 
 but such instruction must be given with precaution, and with 
 prudence that is, in a retired apartment, without permit- 
 ting that geometrical figures, algebraical letters, or conjunc- 
 tions, should be traced on the walls or floors. The character 
 of no person should be endangered ; more especially ought 
 one to guard against attaching to any person the imputation 
 of sorcery." 
 
 Such was the condition of learning previous to the reli- 
 gious reformation, subsequently to which the human mind 
 gradually recovered its elasticity and freedom. 
 
28 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 free and unfettered exercise of the reasoning facul- 
 ties. The first centuries after the establishment of 
 Christianity constitute, perhaps, the darkest period 
 in the history of semi-barbarism in Europe ; and 
 many enormities were committed under the pretext 
 of guarding the interests, or of advancing the tri- 
 umph of the dominant religion. The times, indeed, 
 are now, no doubt, greatly improved ; the progress 
 of learning and civilisation has mitigated many of 
 the harsher and more offensive features of religious 
 zeal; but although the fire and the faggot have 
 long been abolished as instruments of conversion, 
 something analogous to what we have described 
 above a hatred to science, and an intolerance of 
 freedom of thought and liberality of opinion may 
 still be detected, although in a more cautious and 
 subdued tone, among some of the most blind and 
 bigoted of the modern Christian and sectarian 
 devotees. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN the previous chapters, we have endeavoured 
 to trace the origin of MAGIC and the MAGI ; and 
 before proceeding to the narrative of the gradual 
 corruption and ultimate decay of that ancient sys- 
 tem, we deem it expedient to anticipate the more 
 interesting portion of our subsequent narrative, by 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 29 
 
 adverting to a more recent, and, at least, equally 
 interesting event, which contributed to throw a 
 flood of new light upon many curious and, appa- 
 rently, mysterious phenomena, which we shall after- 
 wards have occasion to present to the notice of our 
 readers, and which may, perhaps, enable them to 
 comprehend more clearly the subject and objects of 
 our subsequent narrative. 
 
 The discovery of the principle and effects of Ani- 
 mal Magnetism by MESMER, towards the end of the 
 last century, was, indeed, an event of no small 
 importance to science, not only in its more imme- 
 diate results, but, also, in consequence of the new 
 lights which, in the progress of its subsequent 
 development, it contributed to throw upon many 
 obscure historical facts, which had been previously 
 regarded, by a great majority of the learned, with 
 derisive scepticism, and which were almost univer- 
 sally ascribed to the influence of credulity and mys- 
 ticism, or to the practice of fraud and delusion. It 
 is unnecessary, at the present stage of our inquiry, 
 to enter into any minute details in reference to the 
 history and gradual development of this truly inter- 
 esting discovery, the origin and progress of which, 
 up to a comparatively recent date, as well as the 
 very remarkable phenomena elicited by the experi- 
 ments and researches of its early cultivators, have 
 already been amply elucidated by the author of the 
 present history, in a work published some years 
 ago ;* and many competent and ingenious inquirers, 
 
 * Isis REVELATA, &c. 
 
30 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 both foreign and domestic, have since greatly con- 
 tributed to our theoretical and practical knowledge 
 of the subject. It is more consistent with the object 
 of the present publication to point out some of the 
 ulterior consequences of this prolific discovery, in 
 enabling us, at length, to demonstrate the reality, 
 and to unravel the causes of many of those obscure 
 historical facts, to which we have already partly 
 alluded, and which had previously been regarded 
 by many of the otherwise learned, even in more 
 recent times, with feelings of the most inveterate 
 scepticism. 
 
 The labours of MESMER himself a professional 
 physician were principally directed to the deve- 
 lopment and illustration of the medicinal effects of 
 the new and powerful agency he had discovered, and 
 to the controversies which arose upon the subject of 
 its actual reality, its true nature, and the value of 
 its application in practice. The attention of his 
 disciples and successors in the exercise of the art, 
 however, was specially attracted to a different series 
 of very extraordinary phenomena, resulting from 
 the magnetic treatment, which appeared to open up 
 an entirely new field of philosophical investigation. 
 In the course of their magnetic practice, a variety 
 of curious symptoms were observed to be manifested 
 by their patients, which, although apparently irre- 
 concileable with the very simple means employed, 
 were both exceedingly interesting in themselves, 
 and, consequentially, of no small utility towards 
 the explanation of many obscure passages in the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 31 
 
 writings of the ancients, as well as in those of some 
 more modern authors, which had been previously 
 misunderstood and misrepresented ; and which, 
 moreover, seemed to afford materials for an en- 
 tirely new chapter in the philosophy of human 
 nature. We allude to all those modifications of the 
 ecstatic affections which have occasionally made 
 their appearance, in one form or another, in every 
 age, from the beginning of time, and which are 
 recorded in almost every page of the records of 
 history. To signalise this fact ; to demonstrate 
 the universality of the occurrence of the affection 
 in question, with all its curious and diversified phe- 
 nomena ; to trace the causes of its misapprehension 
 and consequent neglect ; and, if possible, to discover 
 the principle the rationale of the relative facts ; 
 these are the peculiar objects of the present publi- 
 cation. And in order to facilitate the attainment 
 of these objects, we trust that our readers will have 
 the patience to accompany us in our inquiry into 
 the history of these very remarkable phenomena 
 among the various nations of the earth, from the 
 earliest records of human society downwards to our 
 own times. We are much mistaken if the research, 
 tedious as it may appear to be, will not be found to 
 afford ample matter both of rational entertainment 
 and of solid and permanent instruction. 
 
 Before we enter upon our historical investigation, 
 however, we deem it necessary to call the attention 
 of our readers to one or two circumstances, which, 
 if previously unexplained, might leave an unfavour- 
 
32 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c, 
 
 able prejudice upon their minds, at the very outset 
 of the inquiry. 
 
 In the first place, then, we would observe, that 
 for some time after the discovery of MESMER, the 
 phenomena of Somnambulism and the ecstatic affec- 
 tions, which, as we shall see by-and-bye, were 
 occasionally developed during the magnetic treat- 
 ment, constituted something which was generally 
 believed to be quite new, apparently miraculous, 
 and rather apocryphal, if not entirely suppositi- 
 tious abnormal states of the organism, in which 
 the human mind was alleged to acquire certain 
 peculiar anomalous faculties, previously unknown 
 and undreamt of, which enabled it, as it were, to 
 carry on an intercourse with disembodied spirits, 
 and to acquire supernatural intelligence from ultra- 
 mundane sources. Now, many of these notions, in 
 regard to the nature of the discovery in question, 
 were notoriously incorrect some of them were 
 quite preposterous ; and it ought to have been 
 well known to every physician, at least, if not to 
 every philosopher, that the affections in question 
 were merely the result of certain pathological states 
 of the human organism, of rather uncommon occur- 
 rence, which sometimes appear naturally, sponta- 
 neously, or without any immediately perceptible 
 cause which are not unfrequently developed in 
 particular diseases, and in certain abnormal states 
 of the nervous system, as well as by the application 
 of artificial excitants : and that the phenomena 
 manifested in such circumstances were perfectly 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 33 
 
 familiar to the ancients, however much they might 
 have been misunderstood and misrepresented in 
 modern times. 
 
 In the second place, we may remark that these 
 phenomena, although well known to the ancient 
 philosophers and physicians, were, during a long 
 period, considered much too sacred to be submitted 
 to the indiscriminating eyes of the vulgar, or to be 
 made the subject of profane speculation. They 
 were almost universally held to be the immediate 
 product of divine agency, and made subservient to 
 the purposes of an idolatrous worship. This last 
 circumstance, indeed, brought the phenomena them- 
 selves into utter discredit among the early Chris- 
 tian proselytes in subsequent times, who affected to 
 consider them as resulting from the impious, delu- 
 sive, and diabolical practices of the heathen priest- 
 hood consequently viewed them as a main-pillar 
 of Paganism, and, therefore, as a satanic impedi- 
 ment to the recognition and diffusion of their own 
 faith. 
 
 These false impressions, arising from the errone- 
 ous interpretation of certain well-known natural 
 facts, continued to prevail for many centuries after 
 the establishment of Christianity in Europe, and, 
 at length, gave an origin and countenance to the 
 abominable delusions of witchcraft, and its con- 
 comitant barbarities; which were propagated and 
 practised to a most alarming extent, as shall be 
 afterwards shown, by the ignorant and ill-directed 
 zeal of an infatuated priesthood. It is a curious 
 
34 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 fact, however, that the Roman Catholic ecclesiastics 
 much as they professed to be scandalised at the 
 impious worship and idolatrous practices of the 
 heathen world condescended to borrow a fragment 
 from the pagan creed ; and ecstatic and nervous 
 crises, having a natural or constitutional origin, or 
 arising from a diseased or anomalous condition of 
 the corporeal system, were, according to the pecu- 
 liar nature and manifested symptoms of the affec- 
 tion, reputed to be the immediate effects of divine 
 agency, or of satanic artifices, and to be capable 
 of being improved to edification in the one case, or 
 cured or alleviated in the other, by the invocation 
 of the Deity, or of some patron saint, in their 
 solemn prayers and exorcisms, In these dark ages, 
 it seems never to have occurred to even the most 
 learned among the ecclesiastical body or, at least, 
 they carefully eschewed the task to institute a 
 philosophical investigation into the true psycholo- 
 gical causes of these extraordinary phenomena, 
 with a view to discover whether they might not 
 have had their origin in the natural order of things ; 
 thus superseding the necessity of having continual 
 recourse to the immediate and direct interposition 
 of God or of Satan, or to any other preternatural 
 influence. Such an investigation, indeed, in those 
 times, would probably have been held sufficient to 
 warrant the imputation of impiety. 
 
 In the third place and in order to prepare our 
 readers for a subsequent explanation of these curious 
 phenomena we may observe, that the powers and 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 35 
 
 susceptibilities of the human constitution may be 
 arranged under two distinct classes those which 
 have their origin in the Intellect, and those which 
 arise from the Sensibility ; each of these having its 
 separate offices and distinct manifestations in the 
 animal constitution ; and these are shared by diffe- 
 rent individuals in different degrees and relative 
 proportions, according to age, sex, natural confor- 
 mation and temperament, and various other influen- 
 tial causes. Hence we find some persons who are 
 naturally predisposed to addict themselves to such 
 pursuits as afford exercise to the intellectual facul- 
 ties, while others manifest a decided inclination to 
 devote themselves to those studies which are most 
 gratifying to certain natural feelings. In common 
 language, one individual has more head another 
 more heart ; one is more intellectual another more 
 sensitive. The difference is conspicuously displayed 
 in the distinctive characters of the philosopher and 
 the poet. The sensibility is unquestionably more 
 predominant in the earlier stages of human society 
 the intellect, on the other hand, is more promi- 
 nently developed at a later period. MERIC CAUSA- 
 BON coincides in the opinion of PLUTARCH and 
 X\RISTOTLE and the fact is supported by historical 
 evidence that mankind, long before the time of 
 SOCRATES, had a natural predisposition to the sen- 
 sitive or ecstatic affections, and a decided mental 
 tendency towards allegory and poetry.* Poetry, 
 
 * Veterum nonnulli observant, multis saeculis ante Socra- 
 
36 AN HISTOKY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 indeed, preceded philosophy ; and the earliest phi- 
 losophy was of a poetical character. The more 
 ancient poets were probably also the earliest philo- 
 sophers. 
 
 Sensibility and Intellect appear to bear the same 
 relation towards each other as Instinct and Reason ; 
 and each class of faculties and susceptibilities pro- 
 bably has its own peculiar seat and source in a dif- 
 ferent portion of the nervous system. The sensitive 
 faculties, and the instinct also, are generally found 
 to be predominant at the earlier periods of life, and 
 more especially in the female sex ; the intellectual 
 powers are more fully developed in persons of 
 mature age ; -the latter requiring exercise and expe- 
 rience in order to bring them to perfection. The 
 same observation applies to the infancy and matu- 
 rity of human society, as will become more apparent 
 in the progress of the present investigation. The 
 moral sense, and even the religious feeling, have 
 both their source in the sensitive system of the 
 human economy, and both may be improved by 
 judicious culture, or become depraved by neglect, 
 or by improper treatment. 
 
 tern, naturalem dispositionem hominum fuisse aliquo modo 
 ecstaticam, in actionibus suis plerosque exstitisse tumidos et 
 alatos, in verbis vero ad poesin et allegorias proclives, in 
 omnibus autem aptos omnino, qui ducerentur a phantasia 
 et externis rerum speciebus. Animo eos fuisse summa 
 religione pragdito, sed eo magis superstitioso, in plurimis 
 suis operibus comitatos potius certo aliquo subitoque in- 
 stinctu aut raptu, quam ratione, non ex aliquo hujus con- 
 temtu, sed defectu. M. CAUSABON, De Enthusiasmo. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 37 
 
 Sensibility, indeed, and the predisposition to what 
 may be denominated magical influences, pervaded 
 the whole of remote antiquity in an extraordinary 
 degree. The sacred institutions of the early nations 
 of the world were founded upon the basis of these 
 influences as their principal support ; the reputation 
 of individuals was chiefly derived from their real or 
 presumed possession of magical powers, and their 
 oracles were accounted divine. Mankind willingly 
 submitted themselves to the dominion of those who 
 were believed to exist in a state of continual con- 
 verse with supernatural beings. The Jewish insti- 
 tutions were founded upon a theocracy ; and all the 
 other ancient nations of the earth had similar con- 
 stitutions, although upon a less rational system of 
 supremacy. Even among the Jews, however, 
 although professing a purer theology, magical arts 
 and influences partly borrowed, no doubt, from the 
 surrounding nations prevailed to a considerable 
 extent ; as we learn from the Old Testament Scrip- 
 tures. The ancient Egyptians were celebrated for 
 their knowledge and practice of Magic. Among 
 the Greeks, in the temples of Isis, of APOLLO, of 
 ^ESCULAPIUS, and of their other deities, or deified 
 mortals, where the ancient oracles were delivered, 
 and the sick cured ecstacy, somnambulism, or the 
 magnetic sleep as it is called in modern times 
 appears to have been sedulously cultivated as an 
 art. We have abundance of evidence to establish 
 this fact, which will be laid before the reader in the 
 sequel : and we shall have occasion to show that 
 
38 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 the proceedings in these temples did not consist of 
 such mere disingenuous trickery and delusion, or 
 other mean and disreputable practices, as has been 
 represented by many modern writers on the sub- 
 ject, with a view to discredit the whole system. 
 The proceedings to which we allude were manifestly 
 founded upon a knowledge, from whatever source 
 derived, of the efficacy of certain artificial processes 
 in producing those abnormal phenomena in the 
 living organism, to which our attention has been 
 more recently directed by the practical Magnetists 
 of the present day. In modern times, however, the 
 natural instincts and susceptibilities of the human 
 constitution have been almost entirely overlooked 
 and neglected the study of the psychical manifes- 
 tations has been utterly abandoned ; and all our 
 educational efforts have been exerted in the training 
 of the intellectual and mechanical powers. The 
 former, therefore, might, perhaps, be appropriately 
 denominated the age of instinct ; the latter, the age 
 of reason. In consequence of this altered tendency 
 of mental cultivation, the study of the primitive 
 powers and susceptibilities of the sensitive portion 
 of the human constitution which form a most 
 important ingredient in the mixed nature of the 
 species have been almost entirely superseded by 
 that of the purely intellectual processes, and the 
 formal deductions of reasoning ; psychological facts, 
 however interesting, are generally viewed with 
 scepticism, coldness, and indifference ; and, conse- 
 quently, the magnetic states now so little thought 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 39 
 
 of, far less comprehended are manifested only 
 occasionally, in a few individual instances, princi- 
 pally in the phenomena accidentally witnessed in 
 certain cases of morbid or abnormal action in the 
 vital organism, which appear to us to be utterly 
 anomalous and inexplicable incapable of being 
 brought within the limits of any general rule, or 
 reduced under any distinct classification. In most 
 cases, indeed, they are generally ascribed altogether 
 to deception and a spirit of imposture ; unless when 
 elicited in the service of religion, when they are 
 accounted the products of divine inspiration. 
 
 It was different among the nations of antiquity, 
 when the MAGI were physicians and philosophers, 
 as well as divines the healers of the sick, and the 
 teachers of wisdom the priests and the prophets 
 of the people. The origin and true nature, indeed, 
 of the phenomena which were occasionally elicited, 
 may have been misunderstood and ascribed to erro- 
 neous causes ; but the facts themselves were noto- 
 rious, and acknowledged equally by the learned 
 and the vulgar. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IN ancient times in consequence of those pre- 
 vailing causes to which we have alluded towards 
 the conclusion of the last chapter individuals 
 
40 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 appear to have been much more frequently predis- 
 posed, by natural impulses, to the ecstatic affections, 
 than in the modern and more artificial state of 
 society ; and, accordingly, we find that these affec- 
 tions actually occurred in a much greater variety 
 of instances in the early history of the world. For 
 this reason, probably, in these remote periods, phi- 
 losophy, as well as religion, assumed a much more 
 mystico-poetical form, and sensitive complexion, 
 than in the later ages of the world; as we find 
 them developed in the minds of PYTHAGORAS, 
 SOCRATES, PLATO, and the disciples of the Alexan- 
 drian school PLOTINUS, PORPHYRIUS, IAMBLICHUS, 
 PROCLUS, &c., and as they are found to have existed 
 among the ancient MAGI, the Indian Brahmins, and 
 the Jewish prophets and seers. In the works and 
 myths of all these philosophers, and of many other 
 individuals to whom* we may have occasion to allude 
 hereafter, we can have no difficulty in tracing the 
 elements of the Magnetic Philosophy, as well as 
 various allusions, more or less direct, to the facts 
 upon which it was founded all demonstrating the 
 predominance of the sensitive over the intellectual 
 organs. PLATO, in his Phcedrus, and in other 
 dialogues, ascribes many beneficial consequences to 
 what he denominates the ecstatic mania which 
 even HIPPOCRATES the first great master of medi- 
 cal observation and science considered to be a 
 favourable symptom in certain diseases; and the 
 former (PLATO) asserts that the Priestesses of Del- 
 phi, in their ecstatic paroxysms, announced, or pre- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 41 
 
 dieted, many important matters, both upon public 
 and upon private occasions. These ecstatic affec- 
 tions, moreover, in the times of which we are speak- 
 ing, were universally believed to arise from super- 
 human influences, and were, consequently, accounted 
 divine. 
 
 In general, we think it may be plausibly main- 
 tained, that there is more truly religious feeling 
 and principle developed in the writings of some of 
 those heathen philosophers, than in the works 
 of some of those modern authors who have lived 
 and written under the dispensation of the Chris- 
 tian gospel. The Deity was deemed to be uni- 
 versally present in all the more remarkable phe- 
 nomena of nature. Every extraordinary occur- 
 rence was ascribed to the immediate agency of 
 divine power and wisdom in its production or reve- 
 lation ; and these phenomena themselves were 
 regarded as direct manifestations of the divine will 
 and pleasure to mankind. Religion, therefore, 
 plays a most important part in the history of all 
 the primitive nations of the world. Even their 
 philosophy, in general, assumed a theosophistic 
 aspect. That this natural theology had a decided 
 tendency to degenerate into idolatry in the minds 
 of the vulgar, there can be no doubt ; for the fact 
 itself is historically demonstrated in the crude 
 opinions and absurd ceremonial observances of the 
 people. But can it be truly affirmed that even the 
 purer doctrines of Christianity, shrouded, as they 
 frequently are, in the metaphysical abstractions and 
 
 VOL. I. D 
 
42 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 intellectual subtleties of its learned commentators 
 and expounders, have, in reality, simplified and 
 purified the religious sentiments, and exalted the 
 moral conduct of its disciples, and entirely emanci- 
 pated us from the trammels of superstition ? And 
 is the sensitive spiritualism of the early heathen 
 sages less favourable to the dignity of religion, or 
 to the elevation of the human character and feel- 
 ings, than the more gross intellectual materialism 
 of the present Christian age ? Man, indeed, is not 
 entirely the creature of abstract reason ; and the 
 sensitive faculties of our nature, therefore, ought 
 to be interested in our religious opinions and devo- 
 tional exercises, as well as our rational and intel- 
 lectual powers. 
 
 The MAGI, then, especially among the more 
 ancient Eastern nations, as we have already ob- 
 served, were the wise and learned men of their day 
 and generation the philosophers, the physicians, 
 the priests and the prophets among their country- 
 men. As a consecrated caste, they were held in the 
 highest estimation by all ranks of the people, and 
 were consulted, even by the rulers of empires, in 
 all cases of difficulty and national importance, as we 
 learn from the Old Testament Scriptures, as well 
 as from other sources. Their wisdom was essen- 
 tially founded upon a more profound and more 
 accurate study of the phenomena of nature, both 
 physical and psychical ; and much of their science, 
 and, consequently, of their celebrity, appears to 
 have been derived from the use they made of the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 43 
 
 prevalent disposition towards the ecstatic affections, 
 which appears to have been more frequently mani- 
 fested during the infancy of the world, and which, 
 even in these early times, it was found possible to 
 develope by artificial means. Hence not only the 
 spontaneous manifestation of prophetic powers in 
 individual instances, but the establishment and 
 endowment of many public institutions, specially 
 dedicated to particular divinities, for the magical 
 or magnetic cure of the sick, and the cultivation 
 and evolution of the divinatory faculty : The 
 Temples of Health, Oracles, &c. These celebrated 
 institutions, at one time so flourishing, were, it is 
 true, like all things human, liable to degeneracy 
 and consequent abuse ; but there is no doubt that, 
 originally, they were pure, and highly beneficial in 
 their tendencies ; and it appears to us to be a great 
 misconception of their origin and purposes to sup- 
 pose, with many otherwise learned and distinguished 
 writers on the subject, that they were founded and 
 conducted entirely on foolish, delusive, and impious 
 principles. We have evidence of their having been 
 productive of salutary consequences while in a 
 flourishing state ; and at the same time that they 
 are believed to have become corrupt, MAGIC itself, 
 at first synonymous with knowledge and wisdom, 
 had begun to degenerate, like many other ancient 
 religious institutions and dogmas, into worldly craft, 
 mischievous superstition, and consummate folly. 
 
 There was one very remarkable phenomenon, 
 however, frequently elicited in the institutions to 
 
44 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 which we have just alluded, which, although as 
 completely demonstrated as any other fact in na- 
 ture, has afforded a fertile theme for scepticism, 
 ridicule, and vituperation, to our modern material- 
 ists and general sceptics the phenomenon of Clair- 
 voyance ; in regard to which we shall probably 
 have a good deal to say, by way of example and 
 illustration, in some of the subsequent chapters of 
 this work. This most remarkable physiological or 
 psychological affection, indeed, as we shall after- 
 wards see, was well known, and much appreciated 
 in ancient times ; and in those days of theosophic 
 simplicity, the explanation of it was attended with 
 no difficulty. The Oriental sages, without having 
 recourse to any profound and elaborate philosophi- 
 cal investigation of the subject, at once ascribed the 
 apparently mysterious phenomenon to the imme- 
 diate agency of the Deity, or of celestial spirits ; 
 while the Jews attributed it to subordinate angels 
 and daemons, who were supposed to be of various 
 ranks, and endowed with different functions, and to 
 hold familiar intercourse with the human race. A 
 similar belief appears to have prevailed among the 
 Greeks and Romans. In modern times, the States 
 to which we have alluded have been presumed, 
 both by Catholics and Protestants, to be occasioned 
 by diabolical or demoniacal possession. It is a very 
 remarkable circumstance, however, that, in all reli- 
 gious systems, the facts themselves have been amply 
 recognised, and their reality acknowledged. The 
 only difference lies in the explanations they have 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 45 
 
 respectively given in regard to the nature and 
 causes of the phenomena. 
 
 Prophetic dreams and visions were frequently 
 produced as a consequence of the artificial means 
 employed, for sanatory purposes, in the ancient 
 Temples of Health ; and the different theories by 
 which the learned men of those times attempted to 
 explain the facts will be found in the recorded 
 opinions of DEMOCRITUS, HERACLITUS, PLATO, the 
 Neo-Platonists, &c. The last mentioned class of 
 philosophers, however, by mixing up the Platonic- 
 ideas with the Jewish Cabbala, unfortunately in- 
 volved themselves, and, consequently, their disciples, 
 in a series of mystical doctrines, which were subse- 
 quently propagated throughout the middle ages of 
 Europe, and had a tendency to render the facts 
 themselves obscure and suspicious ; and these sub- 
 tile speculations, although never held in high esti- 
 mation by the more modern schools, have not yet 
 been altogether abandoned, nor have they entirely 
 lost their influence over the speculations of a certain 
 class of visionary theosophists, even down to our 
 own times. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AMONGST all nations, at all times, and, especially, 
 at certain periods of extraordinary excitement. 
 
46 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 and, more particularly, of religious excitement, we 
 can clearly trace the occasional, and sometimes very 
 generally prevalent development of the ecstatic 
 phenomena the effects of the predominance of the 
 sensitive over the intellectual faculties. Independ- 
 ently of the immediately exciting external causes, 
 this psychical development may depend, partly, 
 upon natural predisposition and temperament, or 
 corporeal infirmity ; and, partly, upon education, 
 climate, addiction to mystical and ascetic habits, or 
 other preponderating influences ; and these dispo- 
 sitions may, ultimately, become strengthened and 
 confirmed into permanent states of the organic sys- 
 tem. To this latter class belong the religious en- 
 thusiasts, mystics, fanatics, and ecstatics of every 
 age, of every country, and under every variety of 
 form and character the Brahmins, the Bonzes, 
 the Fakirs, the Dervises, the Israelitish Prophets, 
 the Pagan and the Christian Seers ; whose revela- 
 tions, provisions, divinations, denunciations of every 
 character, frequently expressed in an ennobled, 
 poetical, or symbolical diction, and allegorical style, 
 have frequently astonished and awed the multitude 
 by their prophetic warnings, admonitions, com- 
 mands, promises, and threatenings. These pheno- 
 mena, although similar in kind, and possessing a 
 common origin, have been found to be character- 
 ised by specific differences among different nations, 
 and at different periods ; modified, no doubt, by 
 situation and circumstances, by peculiarities of tem- 
 perament, by education and religious belief. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 47 
 
 Passing over the subject of dreams and visions 
 for the present, we would first direct the attention 
 of our readers to the opinions of some of the most 
 eminent authors of antiquity, in reference to the 
 reality and probable nature of some of those pheno- 
 mena of Clairvoyance, or lucid vision, whether 
 natural or artificial, which, although fully authenti- 
 cated by many competent and credible observers, 
 have, very naturally, perhaps, excited the greatest 
 amount of incredulity in the minds of the modern 
 physical philosophers ; for there is a fund of ex- 
 tremely irrational and stubborn bigotry of unbelief 
 in philosophical scepticism, as well as in religious 
 fanaticism ; and many persons, even of limited 
 attainments, are easily induced to reject such facts 
 as they cannot immediately explain upon their own 
 arbitrarily assumed principles, however contracted 
 and inapplicable they may be.* 
 
 Among th.e most remarkable, the best attested, 
 and the most violently controverted of the pheno- 
 mena of the class to which we have alluded, we may 
 commence with the occasional manifestation of the 
 faculties of prevision and prophecy, which we may 
 find to have been amply developed at various histo- 
 
 * In a lecture delivered by an eminent medical professor 
 in the University of Edinburgh, the author of this treatise 
 heard the learned gentleman declare, that the faculty now 
 admitted all the phenomena of Animal Magnetism, with the 
 exception of Clairvoyance. The author, therefore, has 
 resolved to pay particular attention to this branch of his 
 subject, conceiving it equally capable of being demonstrated 
 as any of the other portions of the science. 
 
48 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 rical periods, and, indeed, in all times. And, first 
 of all, let us listen to the opinions of some of the 
 most celebrated among the ancient philosophers 
 upon this curious and controverted subject. 
 
 CICERO, as is well known, has written a particu- 
 lar treatise (De Divinatione), specially directed to 
 the question relative to the prophetic faculty, in 
 which he commences by calling the attention of his 
 readers to the universality of the belief in such a 
 power a belief which, we apprehend, must neces- 
 sarily have been founded upon ample and direct 
 evidence of the truth of the facts, although this 
 belief may not always have been supported by the 
 most correct and cogent philosophical reasoning. 
 The ancients, indeed, do not appear to have always 
 adverted to the maxim that demonstrated facts are 
 independent of all ratiocination. Ubi experientia 
 constat, ratio peti non debet. 
 
 CICERO proceeds to observe that there is no 
 people, whether civilised or rude, among whom this 
 belief has not, to a certain extent, prevailed ; and 
 he reprobates the scepticism which would pervert 
 or calumniate things so generally accredited, and 
 corroborated by such ample and unimpeachable tes- 
 timony. (Quce est igitur calliditas, res vetustate 
 robustas calumniando belle pervertere.) 
 
 Indeed, the prophetic faculty, occasionally mani- 
 fested in certain states of the human organism, 
 appears to have been more accurately observed 
 as it was probably more prevalent from causes 
 already adverted to and to have attracted more 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 49 
 
 philosophical attention, in ancient than in modern 
 times. At all events, in these early ages of civilisa- 
 tion, the belief in the occasional development of 
 such phenomena was almost universally accredited 
 and entertained. From the writings of DIOGENES 
 LAERTIUS, PLATO, PLUTARCH, CICERO, and other 
 authors, we learn that PYTHAGORAS, and several 
 philosophical inquirers after him, believed in the 
 existence of a faculty of seeing into futurity. In- 
 deed, it would appear from the expressions used by 
 CICERO, that XENOPHANES of Colophon was the 
 only one among the more ancient Greek philoso- 
 phers, who expressly denied the reality of this 
 power ; and it is somewhat remarkable that this 
 sceptic was also the first determined Pantheist 
 among the Greeks. That, in later times, the belief 
 in the occasional manifestation of the faculty in 
 question must have become almost universal among 
 the learned, appears from the words of CICERO. 
 Reliqui omnes, praeter EPICURUM, balbutientem de 
 natura deorum, divinationem probaverunt.* 
 
 PLATO, in his Phcedrus, as well as in his Timceus, 
 and other dialogues, speaks of this faculty without 
 expressing a doubt upon the subject of its reality ; 
 and which is more remarkable, as coinciding with 
 the opinions of the most recent inquirers he 
 appears to consider it as an endowment altogether 
 independent on the intellect. The disciples of the 
 
 * All the others, excepting Epicurus, prattling about the 
 nature of the gods, maintained the reality of divination. 
 
 VOL. I. E 
 
50 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 earlier school of ZENO, in particular, were favourable 
 to the belief of the existence of such a power ; and 
 in the writings of PLUTARCH, the inquisitive reader 
 will find much eloquent and beautiful disquisition, 
 illustrative of the development of this extraordinary 
 faculty. In process of time, however, it would 
 appear that the number of the sceptics gradually 
 increased ; until, at length, CICERO himself never 
 particularly steadfast in his philosophical opinions 
 and convictions having evidently passed over into 
 the current free-thinking notions of his own times, 
 rejected this doctrine altogether, as unfounded. 
 
 At the commencement of our modern era, the 
 more ancient belief again revived, although under a 
 somewhat altered form. During the middle ages 
 of Europe, and even down to a late period, it pre- 
 vailed, to a great extent, among the European 
 nations ; while, in our own times, it appears to have 
 been again almost utterly abandoned, in conse- 
 quence of the indefatigable efforts of the sceptical 
 philosophers, and the materialistic tendencies of the 
 age. Thus, it would appear, that, in the earlier 
 periods of ancient learning and philosophy, and also 
 of Christianity, scepticism, and in the later periods 
 of both, belief in the existence of the prophetic 
 faculty was the exception from the rule. 
 
 PLATO, in his Phcedrus, as is well known, distin- 
 guishes two modes of divination the one by means 
 of the intellect, the other by inspiration. CICERO 
 mentions that the Stoics also assumed two modes of 
 the exercise of this faculty : unum (genus) quod 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 51 
 
 particeps erat artis, alterum quod arte careret ; ,the 
 former derived from observation of the present, and 
 a conjecture founded upon this observation, in 
 regard to the future; the latter being produced 
 solely by a peculiar exaltation of the mind, or spi- 
 ritual faculties, to a presentiment of futurity : i. e. 
 either a conclusion drawn from given premises, or 
 an immediate intuition of the soul, without any 
 assistance from the reasoning faculties. The latter 
 the immediate intuition of the future was the 
 most highly appreciated by the ancients, as the 
 most pure and infallible the more immediate and 
 more precious gift of the gods. Carent autem arte 
 ii, says CICERO, qui non ratione aut conjectura, 
 observatis ac notatis signis, sed concitatione quadam 
 animi, aut soluto liberoque motu futura prmsentiunt. 
 The same accomplished, although not always very 
 consistent author, gives us the following remarkable 
 account of the opinions entertained by the ancients 
 on the subject of the phenomena of Sleep and 
 Death ; to which we refer with the greater satis- 
 faction, because, as shall be shown hereafter, it is 
 corroborated by numerous apposite instances in 
 almost every period of human history, and has been, 
 in our judgment, fully substantiated by the recent 
 most important discoveries of Animal Magnetism. 
 His words are : Cum vero est sevocatus animus a 
 societate et a contagione corporis, turn meminit prce- 
 teritorum, prcesentia ceruit, futura prcevidet. Jacet 
 enim corpus dormientis ut mortui; viget autem et 
 vivit animus. Quod multo magis faciet post mor- 
 
52 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 tern, cum omnino corpore excesserit. Itaque, appro- 
 pinquante morte, multo est divinior. Nam et idip- 
 sum vident, qui sunt morbo gravi et mortifero 
 affecti, instare mortem. Itaque his occurrunt ple- 
 rumque imagines mortuorum ; tamque vel maxime 
 laudi student ; eosque, qui secus quam decuit vixe- 
 runt, peccatorum suorum maxime pcenitet.* 
 
 The foregoing observations might, with equal 
 propriety, have proceeded from the pen of a modern 
 magnetist ; the phenomena described being pre- 
 cisely similar in character to those which are of 
 almost daily occurrence in the course of his practice 
 and observation. 
 
 We may pass over, as founded entirely upon 
 vague observation and fallacious conjecture, and, 
 therefore, foreign to our present purpose, all those 
 ancient modes of divination which were derived from 
 the flight and cries of birds oiuvtariw the actions 
 of other animals, inspection of the entrails of animals, 
 meteorological phenomena, &c. ; and confine our 
 
 " But when the mind is abstracted from the society and 
 the contagion of the body, it then remembers the past, per- 
 ceives the present, and foresees the future. For the body 
 of the sleeper lies like that of a dead person ; but the mind 
 is alive and active. And this will be more remarkably the 
 case when it shall have departed altogether from the body. 
 Therefore, on the approach of death, it is of a much more 
 divine nature; for those, also, who are labouring under 
 grave and mortal diseases see that their dissolution is at 
 hand. Thus they frequently see the apparitions of the 
 dead ; and at such times they become more studious of 
 praise ; while those who have not lived as they ought to have 
 done are more penitent on account of their sins." 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 53 
 
 remarks, exclusively, to the true prophetic faculty, 
 as it has been, at various periods, developed in 
 human beings. 
 
 In treating of this subject, PLUTARCH employs 
 the following beautiful and appropriate simile : 
 As the sun shines not only when he emerges 
 from the clouds, but always retains his splendour, 
 although temporarily obscured from our sight by 
 the vapours which surround him ; in like manner, 
 the soul of man does not then first receive the pro- 
 phetic faculty when it manifests itself through the 
 body, but possesses it at all times, although obscurely, 
 as it were, in consequence of its present admixture 
 of mortality. The prophetic faculty, then, being 
 innate and imperishable in the soul, but only latent 
 in the ordinary condition of life, it is capable of 
 being excited by a superior power, or manifests 
 itself freely and openly, when, by any means what- 
 ever, the energy of the body has been diminished. 
 
 This is particularly the case in those states in 
 which the soul, apparently, has the least connection 
 with the body, and is permitted to see into the 
 internal essence of things. Such lucid intervals are 
 more conspicuous in sleeping and dreaming, and on 
 the approach of dissolution. 
 
 XENOPHON observes (Cyrop. viii. 7. 21.) that, in 
 Sleep, the souls of men appear to be more unfettered 
 and divine, and are enabled to cast a look into futu- 
 rity ; and JOSEPHUS remarks (I. vii. 8. 7.) that, in 
 Sleep, the soul, undisturbed, holds converse with 
 the Deity, to whom it is related, roams about every 
 
54 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 where unconstrained, and perceives future events. 
 The spirit of prophecy, frequently manifested on 
 the approach of death, was a phenomenon well 
 known even in the most ancient times. This belief 
 in the prophetic powers occasionally manifested by 
 the dying was so prevalent in Greece, that in PLA- 
 TO'S Apology, SOCRATES is made to speak of it as a 
 thing universally accredited. CICERO expresses 
 himself to the same purpose ; as also ARRIAN (de 
 exped. Alex, vii.) ; ARET^EUS (de cans, et sign. morb. 
 acut, &c.) ; and a great variety of other learned 
 and distinguished writers. 
 
 In the ecstatic affections, whether occurring spon- 
 taneously, or as a symptom in certain morbid or 
 abnormal states of the human organism, the occa- 
 sional manifestation of the prophetic faculty is a 
 fact which has been generally recognised ; as, also, 
 in many cases of reputed insanity ; and the pheno- 
 menon has been ascribed, partly, to the immediate 
 divine agency, and, partly, to the operation of cer- 
 tain physical causes. This phenomenon was deno- 
 minated by PLUTARCH, in his Morals, PKVTIKQV ^sv^ot 
 Koti n-vtvpot. PLATO speaks of the former species of 
 the prophetic mania in his Phcedrus ; and Pliny ad- 
 duces several remarkable instances of the cataleptic 
 ecstasis. For examples of the moribund clairvoy- 
 ance, the reader may consult HIPPOCRATES, GALEN, 
 AVICENNA, ARET^EUS, PLUTARCH, CICERO, &c. 
 The reality of this very remarkable phenomenon, 
 indeed, appears to have been known to HOMER, 
 who describes Hector as foretelling the death of 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 55 
 
 Achilles. CALANUS, when mounting the funeral 
 pile, foretold the death of Alexander the Great. 
 POSIDONIUS relates the story of a dying Rhodian, 
 who predicted which, out of six persons, was to die 
 first, second, third, &c., and the prophecy was verified 
 by the event. We shall probably have occasion, in 
 a subsequent part of this work, to refer to several 
 other remarkable and authentic modern instances of 
 the unquestionable manifestation of this peculiar 
 prophetic faculty. 
 
 PLUTARCH considers it improbable that, in these 
 circumstances, the human soul should, for the first 
 time, acquire an entirely new power ; but thinks it 
 much more likely that this faculty always exists, 
 although in an undeveloped state, and that the soul 
 is only enabled to manifest it, when no longer 
 oppressed by the burthen of the decayed members 
 and corrupted humours of the body. ARET^US, 
 and several other philosophical physicians, appear 
 to have entertained a similar opinion ; and the late 
 accomplished Sir Henry Halford published an ele- 
 gant treatise upon this subject of the moribund 
 clairvoyance. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE phenomenon of the natural Somnambulism, 
 or Noctambulizm, was also well known to the 
 ancients. It has been frequently observed and 
 
56 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 described by the Greek and Roman authors ; and 
 our modern physiologists to whom it has generally 
 proved a most embarrassing theme have occasion- 
 ally attempted to explain it upon principles almost 
 always unsatisfactory, and, in many respects, incor- 
 rectly, or gratuitously assumed.* 
 
 By the terms Somnambulism and Noctambulism, 
 we denote an affection of a very peculiar nature, 
 which may occasionally occur by day or by night, 
 in which the patient, in a state of apparently pro- 
 found sleep, performs a variety of operations requir- 
 ing the utmost attention of the waking man ; and 
 this, as has been abundantly demonstrated by 
 innumerable examples of the natural and artificial 
 crisis, when entirely deprived of the use of the natu- 
 ral organs of the external sensibility. The Somnam- 
 bulist walks or runs about with great freedom and 
 confidence he reads, writes, and performs, while 
 in this state, the most difficult and dangerous feats, 
 which no sane man would ever think of attempting. 
 Numerous instances of the operations performed in 
 these states have been adduced in the author's for- 
 
 * It is not a little remarkable that a phenomenon so 
 curious in itself, and so frequently developed, should, for so 
 long a period, have attracted so little of the attention of 
 philosophical minds. This circumstance, indeed, can only 
 be explained, perhaps, by the fact, that the phenomenon 
 itself was generally held to be of a sacred character, and, 
 consequently, placed far beyond the limits of profane specu- 
 lation. Even when it was examined, the attention of philo- 
 sophers was principally directed to the phenomena exhibited, 
 and not to the peculiar sensitive condition of the particular 
 organs. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 57 
 
 mer writings upon this subject. To these, for the 
 sake of brevity, we must take the liberty of refer- 
 ring upon the present occasion.* To bring for- 
 ward additional evidence of these simple facts, in 
 this treatise, would be a work of supererogation, 
 considering that they must be well known to 
 every competent individual who has condescended 
 to make a diligent and impartial inquiry into the 
 matter.f 
 
 In conformity with the experience of all the most 
 eminent and best informed writers upon this sub- 
 ject indeed of every competent individual who has 
 
 * See Isis Revelata, and WIENHOLT'S Lectures on Som- 
 nambulism. 
 
 f We may venture, however, to add the following case, 
 observed and reported by the learned and ingenious Dr 
 EXNEMOSER, one of the most eminent theoretical and prac- 
 tical writers upon this particular subject. The patient was 
 a peasant in the doctor's neighbourhood, who was in the 
 habit of getting up out of his bed at night, and executing 
 pieces of work, which he was not capable of accomplishing 
 when awake. He left the house with his eyes closed, and, 
 after .executing his business, returned, went to bed again, 
 and slept quietly during his ordinary time. Upon one occa- 
 sion, he took with him his axe, and hewed d&wn a tree 
 which hung over a dreadful precipice. The same author 
 relates the story of an apothecary who read, at night, the 
 prescriptions which were brought to him, by means of his 
 fingers ; and prepared the prescribed medicines in the most 
 accurate manner ; and all this while in a state of somnam- 
 bulism. The learned reporter asserts and every individual 
 conversant with the subject can confirm the statement that 
 there are hundreds of well -authenticated instances of the 
 occurrence of similar phenomena. See Isis REVELATA ; 
 WIENHOLT'S Lectures on Somnambulism ; and the Zoo-Mag- 
 netic Journal. 
 
58 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 carefully and impartially investigated the facts 
 Dr ENNEMOSER observes, that the eyes of Somnam- 
 bulists are usually closed ; in some rare instances, 
 they are found to be more or less open ; but even 
 when in this latter state, it has been completely 
 demonstrated, by the most ample and most irre- 
 fragable evidence, that they are utterly incapable 
 of exercising the ordinary functions of vision. In 
 another work, the author has referred to the deci- 
 sive experiments of medical and scientific men upon 
 this particular point.* 
 
 Noctambulism, we may observe, is not unfre- 
 quently complicated with certain morbid states of 
 the corporeal system such as Hysteria, Catalepsy, 
 Melancholia, Epilepsy, St Vitus's dance, inflamma- 
 tory and intermittent fevers, worm complaints, 
 &c. and it has been sometimes mistaken for tern- 
 porary delirium, or actual insanity. 
 
 Somnambulism was a subject of serious investi- 
 gation from the most ancient times, and many vari- 
 ous views have been entertained in regard to its 
 peculiar nature and phenomena. By the Greeks, 
 it was denominated vvntopotrti* ; by the Romans, 
 Noctambulatio and Somnambulismus. In regard 
 to the particular causes and characteristics of this 
 remarkable affection, various opinions appear to 
 have been entertained, at different periods, by 
 those authors who have observed the manifestation 
 of the phenomena ; while there exists a very striking 
 
 * See WIENHOLT'S Lectures on Somnambulism. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 59 
 
 uniformity in their descriptions of these phenomena 
 themselves by the most accurate observers. In 
 addition to the ancient writers upon this interesting 
 subject, we would refer our readers, for the most 
 ample information, to the views of FORESTUS, ETT- 
 MULLER, PARACELSUS, VAN HELMONT, JUNKER, 
 HALLER, WEICHART, UNZER, F. HOFMANN, BRAN- 
 DIS, VAN SWIETEN, DE HAEN, SAUVAGES DE LA 
 CROIX, J. FRANK, DARWIN, PETETIN, PUYSEGUR, 
 WIENHOLT, DELEUZE, GEORGET, GMELIN, HEIN- 
 ECKEN, RENARD, BERTRAND, REDERN, PASSAVANT, 
 KIESER, NASSE, NEES VON ESENBECK, FISCHER, and 
 the numerous authors who have written upon the 
 phenomena of Animal Magnetism. It is not the 
 least interesting fact, in relation to this peculiar 
 affection, that it has been found capable of being 
 produced by artificial means, as we shall see in the 
 sequel. It is remarkable, likewise, that almost all 
 the authors to whom we have referred, especially 
 the most recent writers upon the subject, however 
 much they may differ in their theoretical views, are 
 perfectly at one in regard to the facts. 
 
 A remarkable variety of the apparently natural 
 development of the prophetic faculty, so frequently 
 manifested in the idiopathic as well as in the arti- 
 ficial somnambulism, has been occasionally found to 
 exist, constitutionally, among the inhabitants of the 
 Highlands of Scotland, as well as in various other 
 countries. These phenomena are, unquestionably, 
 produced in consequence of some peculiar modifica- 
 tion of the somnambulistic or ecstatic affection. 
 
60 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC. &c. 
 
 But to this particular branch of our subject we 
 shall have occasion to refer, with more propriety, 
 in the sequel. In the meantime, we may refer to 
 MARTIN'S Description of the Western Islands of 
 Scotland; and to Professor KIESER'S Archiv fur 
 den thierischen Magnetismus, Vol. viii. No. 3. 
 
 Visions and apparitions, similar to those which 
 occur in the magnetic sleep-waking state, have been 
 frequently observed in various diseases, and in many 
 abnormal states of the organism, by medical writers 
 of every age ; indeed, almost all the most minute 
 phenomena of the Magnetic Somnambulism have 
 been noticed by ancient authors. ARISTOTLE ob- 
 serves, that the development of the prophetic faculty 
 is by no means an extraordinary occurrence in 
 individuals afflicted with melancholia; and CICERO 
 speaks of divination as being frequently manifested 
 in different species of insanity. Indeed, both the 
 Greek and the Roman authors were accustomed to 
 speak of the ecstatic affections as a species of Mania, 
 to which, however, they ascribed the character of 
 divine. PLUTARCH and PLINY have made similar 
 observations, as also, ARETJEUS, GALEN, and many 
 of the more modern writers. The Idio-Somnam- 
 bulism, occurring in nervous affections, has been 
 described by several of the most eminent patho- 
 logists. 
 
 The delirium which accompanies certain inflam- 
 matory disorders, especially of the brain, fre- 
 quently assumes a prophetic character. DE SEZB 
 (Recherches sur la Sensibilite) holds it to be undis- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 61 
 
 puted that, especially in inflammation of the brain, 
 and in apoplexy, ecstatic states occur, in which not 
 only new ideas are acquired, but, also, extraordi- 
 nary powers are displayed of penetrating into the 
 secrets of futurity. Instances of a similar character 
 are referred to by FERNELIUS and other authors. 
 But such minute observations frequently escape the 
 notice of the ordinary routine physician, who is in 
 the habit of bestowing more attention upon the 
 strictly medical, than upon the more philosophical 
 phenomena which may present themselves to his 
 notice. The very remarkable and decisive experi- 
 ments of Dr PETETIN, in certain cases of the cata- 
 leptic ecstasis, are well known, and have been 
 repeatedly verified upon the Continent ; but they 
 are, apparently, little appreciated, if even noticed, 
 by empirical and dogmatic physicians in this coun- 
 try ; although the results have been subsequently 
 confirmed, in a variety of instances, and in all the 
 essential particulars, by Dr KENARD of Mentz, by 
 Dr ARNDT, and by many other distinguished prac- 
 titioners ; and it cannot' be disputed that they are 
 of vast importance to physiological, pathological, 
 and psychological science. 
 
 SOMNAMBULISM, or ECSTACY, such as we have 
 described, has sometimes occurred, as a crisis, in 
 other affections ; and it has frequently been con- 
 sidered as a favourable symptom, as was long since 
 observed by HIPPOCRATES. Hence the salutary 
 effects of the artificial Somnambulism, produced by 
 the Mesmeric processes, in the treatment and cure 
 
62 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 of many serious maladies ; a fact which appears to 
 have been well known and appreciated in ancient 
 times, but which has been much disregarded by the 
 modern physicians ; although the recent most suc- 
 cessful practice of the disciples of MESMER was suf- 
 ficient to have recalled their attention to its great 
 utility as a medical agent ; and, moreover, it has 
 been found to be efficacious in almost all diseases, 
 and, in some, almost a specific. The greatest natu- 
 ral predisposition to the ecstatic affections seems to 
 occur in all cases of chronic spasms, hysteria, St 
 Vitus's dance, and epilepsy ; but the artificial pro- 
 cesses may be safely and even beneficially employed, 
 to a certain extent, in almost all disorders of the 
 system. That eminent physician and physiologist, 
 Dr HERBERT MAYO, has given substantial reasons 
 for this salutary efficacy. (See Letters on Popular 
 Superstitions, by HERBERT MAYO.) 
 
 The most remarkable instances of the apparently 
 natural occurrence of these extraordinary states 
 Somnambulistic or ecstatic visions, accompanied, in 
 many cases, with cataleptic insensibility, and the 
 development of the faculty of clairvoyance appear 
 to have occurred among the religious mystics and 
 fanatics of all ages among the Eastern Brahmins 
 and Bonzes, the Hebrew Prophets, the early Chris- 
 tian Saints and Martyrs, the Mahometan devotees, 
 and the Protestant sectaries in France, Germany, 
 England, Scotland, and America. The same phe- 
 nomena, under similar circumstances, re-appeared 
 in those remarkable occurrences which took place, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &e. 63 
 
 towards the middle and end of the last century, at 
 the tomb of the Abbe Paris, at St Medard, and 
 which have been fully recorded by CARRE DE 
 MONTGERON, in his work, entitled, La Verite des 
 Miracles Operes par I' Intercession de M. Paris, 
 Cologne, 1745. Similar scenes took place among 
 the early Methodists the disciples of Wesley and 
 Whitfield in England and America and, to a cer- 
 tain degree, among the Scotch Covenanters ; and 
 various attempts have been subsequently made, in 
 different countries and at different times, to renew 
 these extravagances, particularly in Scotland and 
 the United States, by the modern Revivalists. 
 Somnambulism may thus arise, in some one or 
 other of its various degrees or modifications, either 
 as an idiopathic affection, or as a symptom in other 
 disorders of the sensitive or intellectual systems. 
 
 It is not at all surprising that, previous to the 
 great discovery of MESMER, and the subsequent 
 elucidation of the magnetic doctrine, occurrences, 
 such as we have alluded to, should have been gene- 
 rally regarded as miracles the immediate work of 
 God and that they should have been appealed to, 
 by the enthusiastic religious sectaries, as indisputable 
 proofs of divine favour, and of the orthodoxy of their 
 own particular faith. Such a belief could only be 
 dispelled by a more searching investigation into the 
 susceptibilities of the human constitution, and a dis- 
 covery of the natural causes of the phenomena in 
 question. But religious fanatics are seldom much 
 disposed to philosophical research, or very acces- 
 
64 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 sible to reason. It is a singular fact, however 
 and this may serve as a powerful warning to 
 theologians that, with equal reason, and equal 
 confidence, such phenomena have been, by some 
 zealots, ascribed to divine influence, and, by others, 
 to satanic agency. But we must not anticipate. 
 
 It is not very surprising, we repeat, that such 
 occurrences should, in these times, have been re- 
 garded as miracles. The phenomena, it is true, 
 were, apparently, very wonderful ; and at those 
 different periods, science had yet no means of 
 affording a rational and adequate explanation of 
 them. The facts themselves, indeed, were abun- 
 dantly attested they were notorious and undeni- 
 able ; and as no natural cause could be assigned for 
 their manifestation, we cannot wonder that they 
 should have been directly attributed to superhuman 
 influences. 
 
 In the affection called St Vitus's dance, patients 
 sometimes acquire transient visions of a divinatory 
 character, relating to themselves and others. A curi- 
 ous instance of this symbolical somnambulism is rela- 
 ted in the Blatter aus Prevorst; and a similar case 
 was observed by Dr ENNEMOSER. The same phe- 
 nomena occasionally occur in syncope, and in appa- 
 rent death. There is a curious and very interest- 
 ing narrative of a case of this last description, in 
 the person of the daughter of Montezuma, in CLA- 
 VIGERO'S History of Mexico. We shall probably 
 have occasion to advert more particularly to some 
 of these cases in the sequel. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 65 
 
 In the female sex, especially, the somnambulistic 
 phenomena are very frequently developed at the 
 period of puberty, and, in that case, they are gene- 
 rally regarded as ordinary symptoms of hysteria. 
 In insanity, they often assume a still more perma- 
 nent form, constituting, as it were, the lucid inter- 
 vals, which are of a quite different character from 
 the transient delirium of fevers. Ecstasis, indeed, 
 occurs very frequently in insanity, and, hence, 
 madmen have been sometimes regarded as Saints 
 and Prophets. The Hebrew word Nabi a pro- 
 phet also signifies an insane person ; and the 
 Greeks, too, used the word Mania to denote an 
 inspired state. Hence, PLATO affirms that much 
 benefit may be derived from insanity.* The ordinary 
 paroxysms of ecstatics are transient phenomena, 
 which, in insanity, assume a more permanent form. 
 Prophetic annunciations of all kinds, both relating 
 to occurrences personal to the patient, and to the 
 fate of other individuals, frequently alternate with 
 fits of insanity and nervous excitement, (See 
 PINEL'S treatise Sur V Alienation Mentale). The 
 
 * The theory of Insanity although its treatment appears 
 to have been, in many respects, much improved in recent 
 times seems to be still very imperfectly understood. Medi- 
 cal men, in general, advert merely to the apparent physical 
 causes and symptoms of mental aberration. The disco- 
 veries of Animal Magnetism, and, in particular, the study of 
 the ecstatic affections, are, unquestionably, calculated to 
 throw much new light upon this highly interesting subject. 
 PUYSEGUR speaks of many insane persons as merely Som- 
 nambules desordonnes. 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
 
66 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 language of the soul, in these states, resembles in- 
 spiration, and occasionally exhibits a symbolical 
 character. In Lunatic Asylums, it is not unusual 
 to hear songs sung in the purest dialect, and most 
 perfect intonation, by entirely uneducated persons. 
 
 In one of those brilliant coruscations of his 
 powerful genius, in which he frequently exhibits the 
 most profound intuitive conception of human na- 
 ture, in all its various phases, SHAKSPEARE has 
 expressed, in poetical language, an idea or, rather, 
 a fact which modern scientific investigation has 
 demonstrated to be a general philosophical truth. 
 
 " Lovers, and madmen, have such seething brains, 
 Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend 
 More than cool reason ever comprehends. 
 The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, 
 Are of imagination all compact. 
 
 " The poet's eye, in a fine phrenzy rolling, 
 Doth glance from heav'n to earth, from earth to heav'n ; 
 And, as imagination bodies forth 
 The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen 
 Turns them to shape, and gives to airy nothing 
 A local habitation, and a name." 
 
 We may regard these states, in general, as the 
 symptoms of a predisposition to the ecstatic affec- 
 tions. Every man of original genius is, in fact, in 
 certain respects, a Somnambulist, a Clairvoyant. 
 The close alliance between Genius and Madness, 
 indeed, is proverbial : 
 
 " Great wits to madness are so near allied, 
 But thin partitions do their bounds divide." POPE. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 67 
 
 Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementia* 
 
 Excludit sanos Helicone poetas Democritus.-f 
 
 HORAT. De Arte Poetica. 
 
 CICERO says, De Or at. (L. II. n. 64 :) Poetam 
 bonum neminem sine inflammatione animorum exis- 
 istere, et sine quodam afflatu furoris.% Hence the 
 proverb : Nascimur poeta fimus oratores. A 
 great orator, however, may be inspired may be a 
 genius, as well as a poet. We are disposed to 
 think that Genius proceeds not from the cerebral 
 portion of the nervous system the head the 
 seat of the intellect; but from the ganglionic 
 nerves the seat of the instinctive feelings of the 
 sensibility. 
 
 LUCRETIUS, the poet, was subject to fits of in- 
 sanity. TASSO composed poetry during his severest 
 paroxysms ; LEE, the dramatist, was subject to 
 insanity ; and BABCEUF is said to have written his 
 best verses during the most violent delirium of 
 fever. All great poets, too, have been accounted 
 prophets and seers ; and the poetic furor, or mania, 
 is a common expression. Some curious disquisi- 
 tions upon this subject will be found in several of 
 PLATO'S dialogues. 
 
 The poet, the painter, the sculptor, the musi- 
 
 * There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. 
 
 t Democritus excludes all sane poets from Helicon. 
 
 J There can be no good poet without an inflammatory 
 state of the mind, and a certain afflatus of fury (furor 
 poeticus). 
 
 We are born poets we become orators. 
 
68 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 cian, &c., may all be arranged under the same cate- 
 gory. They idealise all the objects of perception, 
 addressing themselves chiefly to our higher sensi- 
 tive faculties. The minds of all the most eminent 
 artists, in every department, appear to have been 
 in a state of enthusiastic rapture, or phrenzy, 
 while engaged in the composition of their most 
 celebrated works. There is an holy inspiration, an 
 enthusiasm of genius, which enables it to transcend 
 the formal rules of art. This truth was recognised 
 by that successor of the apostle Peter, when he in- 
 quired of GUIDO RENI, " into what heaven didst 
 thou look, when thou paintedst this angel ? " the 
 Madonna. RAPHAEL said of himself and his produc- 
 tions "A certain idea arises in my mind ; to this 
 I hold fast, and endeavour to realise it, unconcerned 
 about its artistic value." He trusted, in short, to 
 the inspiration of his own genius. In one of his 
 letters, the same distinguished painter informs us 
 that he could give no reason why his pictures should 
 have assumed one form or another. " The world," 
 says he, " discovers many excellencies in my pic- 
 tures, so that I myself frequently smile when I find 
 that I have succeeded so well in the realisation of 
 my own casual conceptions. But my whole work 
 has been accomplished, as it were, in a pleasant 
 dream ; and, while composing it, I have always 
 thought more of my object than of the manner of 
 representing it. That I have a certain manner of 
 painting, as every artist generally has his own 
 this seems to have been originally implanted in my 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 69 
 
 nature : I have not attained it by means of severe 
 toil ; and such a thing cannot be acquired by study." 
 RAPHAEL, indeed, appears to have been a natural 
 Clairvoyant in art. It is a well-known fact that 
 DANNECKER, the Danish sculptor, obtained his idea 
 of Jesus Christ upon the cross, at length, in a 
 dream, after many unsuccessful efforts to realise it 
 in his waking hours. 
 
 PLATO, in his dialogue entitled Ion, expresses his 
 sentiments as one well aware of this distinctive 
 character of genius. " All true poets," says he, 
 " speak not by art, but as persons inspired and 
 possessed." KANT, the celebrated German meta- 
 physician, makes some remarkable observations 
 upon the distinction between talent and genius, in 
 his Anthropology. Talent is partly inborn, partly 
 acquired by exercise ; Genius is altogether intuitive 
 instinctive. 
 
 Let us listen, for a moment, to the words in which 
 MOZART describes his own state, while engaged in 
 the composition of his celebrated musical pieces. 
 We use his own homely style. " When I am in 
 good spirits, and in the right trim," says he " for 
 example, when travelling in a carriage, or walking, 
 perhaps, during the night, when unable to sleep 
 thoughts flow in upon me more readily, and, as it 
 were, in a stream. Whence they come, and how, I 
 know not, and I have no control over them. Those 
 which come upon me I retain in my head, and hum 
 them to myself as others, at least, have told me. 
 If I remain steady and uninterrupted, sometimes 
 
70 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 t 
 
 one thing, sometimes another, comes into my head 
 to help to make a piece of confectionary, according 
 to the rules of counterpoint, and the tone of the 
 different musical instruments, &c. JN"ow, this warms 
 my soul, provided I am not disturbed. Then my 
 mental work gradually becomes more and more 
 extended, and I spread it out farther and more 
 clearly, until the piece really becomes in my head 
 almost ready, even should it be of considerable 
 length ; so that I can survey it, in spirit, with a 
 glance, as if I saw before me a beautiful picture, or 
 a handsome person ; and I hear it in imagination, 
 not in detached portions, but, as it were, altogether, 
 as a whole. Now, this is a feast. All my feelings 
 and composition go on within me only as a lively and 
 delightful dream. But to hear all this together is 
 the best." 
 
 Indeed, the poet, the painter, the sculptor, the 
 musician in short, every enthusiast in art accom- 
 plishes his most striking performances in a state of 
 intellectual transport as if in an ecstatic dream ; 
 and he is himself ignorant of the modus operandi, 
 and of the reasons of the excellence of the product. 
 His intellect is overpowered by his genius. Inspi- 
 ration produces masterpieces, which the most labo- 
 rious study can never attain. 
 
 A patient, subject to periodical attacks of insanity, 
 was always delighted at the approach of a fit, 
 because, as he said, every thing succeeded with him, 
 when in that state, of which he was, at other times, 
 incapable, and, upon such occasions, he felt himself 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, c. 71 
 
 particularly happy. May not many of the apparent 
 eccentricities of men of genius be capable of expla- 
 nation upon some similar principle ? 
 
 All somnambulists and ecstatics appear to be 
 endowed with a peculiar intuitive power, when in 
 these states, and describe their sensations, at such 
 times, as uncommonly agreeable. The prophetic 
 glimpses of the partially insane, also, are often very 
 remarkable ; and these are occasionally manifested 
 as immediate sensitive intuitions, frequently ex- 
 pressed in symbolical language, or representative 
 action. GLAUS, the reputed fool, upon one occasion, 
 entered hurriedly into the privy-council room at 
 Weimar, and exclaimed : " There you are consulting, 
 no doubt, about very important matters ; but nobody 
 is thinking how the fire in Colmar is to be extin- 
 guished." At this very moment, as was afterwards 
 learnt, an alarming fire was actually raging in the 
 town of Colmar. 
 
 NICETAS GONIATES relates, in his life of ISAAC 
 ANGELUS, that, when the emperor was at Rodostes, 
 he paid a visit to a man called Basilacus, who had 
 the reputation of possessing the faculty of seeing 
 into futurity, but who was otherwise regarded, by 
 all sensible persons, as a fool. Basilacus received 
 the emperor without any particular marks of respect, 
 and returned no answer to his questions. Instead 
 of doing so, he walked towards the emperor's pic- 
 ture, which hung in the apartment, scratched out 
 the eyes with his staff, and attempted to strike the 
 hat from his head. The emperor took his leave, 
 
72 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 considering him to be a perfect fool. But shortly 
 afterwards, a rebellion broke out among the mag- 
 nates of the empire, who deposed Isaac, and placed 
 his brother Alexis upon the throne ; and the latter 
 caused the late emperor to be deprived of his sight ; 
 thus realising the symbolical prophecy of BASILACUS. 
 We may observe, however, that the varieties and 
 nuances of the sensitive and ecstatic aifections are 
 exceedingly numerous, and that many of them are 
 frequently referred to certain eccentricities of indi- 
 vidual character. Indeed, it is difficult, in many 
 instances, to determine exactly where mere eccen- 
 tricities terminate, and insanity begins.* 
 
 * " Madness, or Insanity," says Lord Byron and it is 
 curious to find the remark coming from that quarter u is 
 much more prevalent than people imagine ; indeed, their 
 notions respecting the nature of it are very loose. There 
 are three stages of it, and it goes by three names oddity, 
 eccentricity, and insanity. One who differs a little from the 
 rest of the world, in his whims, tastes, or behaviour, is 
 called odd ; he who differs still more is called eccentric ; 
 and when this difference passes a certain bound, it is termed 
 insanity. All men of genius," continues his Lordship, " are 
 a little mad ;" and many persons, it is believed, will be of 
 opinion that the noble Poet himself was no exception from 
 the general rule. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 73 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THAT man, in the internal recesses of his organ- 
 ism, possesses a higher and more indestructible 
 faculty a soul, or spiritual essence, which is not 
 always affected by the insanity of the other por- 
 tions of his sensible and intellectual system ; which, 
 amidst the greatest aberrations of his mental pow- 
 ers, still preserves its higher and more independent 
 vital energies, and, in lucid moments, and, espe- 
 cially before death, shows itself elevated above the 
 distemper of its corporeal instrument, exhibits its 
 still equable, undisturbed internal harmony nay, 
 even in defiance of a long period of obstinate insa- 
 nity, still continues capable of an enlargement and 
 exaltation of its endowments : all this is clearly 
 demonstrated by many striking and apposite in- 
 stances of the fact, which are, or ought to be, well 
 known to all philosophical psychologists. Upon 
 the present occasion, we shall only refer at large 
 to the following instructive case, which is related 
 by Dr STEINBECK, in his learned and highly inter- 
 esting work, entitled. Der Dichter ein Seher : 
 
 A woman in the Ukraine, after twenty years of 
 continued insanity, died in the year 1781. It had 
 been previously remarked that, in her occasional 
 lucid moments, she had exhibited a pious fortitude 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
74 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 in her sufferings, and a calm resignation to the 
 divine will. Four weeks previous to her death, 
 she, at length, awoke out of her long dream. Those 
 who had previously seen and known her could now 
 no longer recognise her as the same person ; so 
 enlarged and exalted were her intellectual powers, 
 and so refined was her language. She expressed 
 the most sublime truths with such clearness and 
 internal lucidity as are seldom developed in com- 
 mon life. She was visited by many individuals on 
 her deathbed, and all who saw her declared, that if, 
 during the whole period of her insanity, she had 
 been holding intercourse with the most cultivated 
 minds, her ideas could not have been more en- 
 lightened and comprehensive.* 
 
 Among the abnormal manifestations of Somnam- 
 bulism, which are somewhat similar to those of 
 delirium and the visions of the insane, we may in- 
 clude the phenomena of all those anomalous states 
 which either occur accidentally, or may be volun- 
 tarily produced by means of certain poisons. In 
 these cases, we find a species of temporary intoxi- 
 cation, combined with mental exaltation, which are 
 frequently succeeded by a greater or less degree of 
 debility and stupor. Such effects are generally 
 produced by all narcotics. Several examples of 
 these states have been collected by Dr PASSAVANT, 
 in his Untersucliungen uber denLebens-magnetismus, 
 
 * For the full particulars of this curious case, Dr STEIN- 
 BECK refers to the Basle Collections for the year 1788, which 
 the author has not had an opportunity of consulting. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. * 75 
 
 &c. (See, also, a Latin treatise, De Opii Usu; auc- 
 tore DORINGIO. Jena, 1620, p. 171.) GASSENDI 
 relates that a shepherd in Provence prepared him- 
 self for the visionary and prophetic state by using 
 stramonium. The Egyptians, we are told, prepare 
 an intoxicating extract from the juice of hemp, 
 which they call Assis, and make it up into balls of 
 the size of a chesnut. Having swallowed some of 
 these, and thereby produced a species of intoxica- 
 tion, they experience ecstatic visions. JOHN WIER 
 speaks of a plant, growing on Mount Lebanon, 
 which places those who taste it in a state of vision- 
 ary ecstacy. (JOHANNES WIERUS ; De Lamiis.) 
 Interesting and satisfactory accounts of the states 
 produced by the use of opium will be found in 
 KAEMPFER ; PINEL'S Necography ; the Confessions 
 of an Opium Eater; and various other works. 
 Henbane, and probably most other poisonous sub- 
 stances, in certain doses, may produce similar 
 eifects ; as, also, some of the gases. The intoxi- 
 cating and sedative effects of some of these sub- 
 stances have recently proved a welcome relief a 
 perfect God-send to some of our British physi- 
 cians, who had become seriously alarmed at the 
 signal success attending the more simple and salu- 
 tiferous Mesmeric methods ; which latter, however, 
 will always retain their advantage of being more 
 safe and innocuous, besides being, in other respects, 
 generally restorative. VAN HELMONT relates a 
 curious instance of the effects of an experiment 
 made upon himself with the root of the Aconitum 
 
76 - AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 napellus, which the author of this treatise has 
 adverted to, in the Appendix to Isis REVELATA. 
 Sir HUMPHRY DAVY has left us a graphic and 
 very interesting description of the states produced 
 upon himself by the inhalation of some of the gases ; 
 and we shall probably have occasion, hereafter, to 
 make some observations upon the recent exhibition 
 of these and other narcotics in medical practice. 
 
 VAN HELMONT, by-the-bye, appears to have been 
 very well acquainted with the various phenomena 
 of the visionary and ecstatic states, and of the 
 causes which operate in producing them. He was 
 one of the first philosophers who seem to have 
 anticipated the modern discoveries of MESMER and 
 his disciples in magnetic science ; and that accom- 
 plished physician gave explanations of the facts he 
 elicited, very nearly akin to those which have been 
 entertained and promulgated by the later mag- 
 netists. (See, in particular, his treatise entitled, 
 Imago Mentis.) 
 
 The state of Ecstasis constitutes the highest 
 degree of what may be called the visionary life 
 the term visionary being used in a sense somewhat 
 different from the ordinary meaning of the expres- 
 sion. This peculiar state of the organism may be 
 produced either by constitutional causes, as a symp- 
 tom in other morbid or abnormal affections of the 
 system, or although, perhaps, more rarely by 
 the processes of Magnetism. In ecstatics, the inter- 
 nal sensibility, and the imaginative powers, are 
 isolated and exalted to such a degree, that the body 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 77 
 
 of the patient either lies apparently dead, or in a 
 state of cataleptic rigidity, and insensible to all 
 external stimuli; but the spiritual principle is, at 
 the same time, more than usually active and influen- 
 tial contemplates the present, perceives distant 
 objects, and penetrates into futurity. In the most 
 exalted degree of this extraordinary affection, too 
 whether it may have been induced by natural or 
 by artificial means recollection frequently remains 
 in the waking state ; there is still some species of 
 connection, therefore, with the external world ; and 
 the body, while in this abnormal isolation, is gene- 
 rally endowed with greater vigour, and energy, and 
 pliability, than in its ordinary condition. 
 
 Ecstacy very frequently assumes a religious form, 
 or type, as in the saints, prophets, seers, and mar- 
 tyrs, under every species of devotional worship ; 
 and it may then become productive of the most 
 extraordinary revelations, or the most fanatical 
 delusions. The phenomena of this particular modi- 
 fication of the ecstatic affection have been generally 
 ascribed to divine influence, or to satanic agency, 
 according to the peculiar modes of its manifestation ; 
 and this branch of the subject, therefore, might be 
 considered as falling more appropriately into the 
 province of the theologian, than into that of the 
 philosopher ; and, accordingly, such has generally 
 been hitherto the case. But the theologians, we 
 conceive, have not been particularly happy in their 
 attempts to explain the nature of these affections ; 
 philosophy, with the assistance of psychological 
 
78 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 principles, may prove somewhat more successful ; 
 and we presume to think that, along with every 
 other species of these anomalous states, the variety 
 in question is capable of being more satisfactorily 
 explained upon scientific principles, without the 
 necessity of having constant recourse to the inter- 
 vention of any immediate supernatural agency in 
 every particular instance of the affection : 
 
 Nee Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus. 
 
 Examples of this peculiar species of the ecstatic 
 affection (religious ecstacy) will be found, in abun- 
 dance, in the lives of ST FRANCIS, ST ANTHONY, 
 ST MACARIUS, ST BERNARD, ST IGNATIUS, ST 
 CATHARINE, ST BRIGITTA, ST HILDEGARDIS, &c. 
 in short, of almost all the distinguished Saints in 
 the Roman Catholic calendar ; and the actions and 
 passions of these memorable personages have been 
 carefully recorded, and regarded by the orthodox 
 as divine inspirations as pregnant and decisive 
 proofs of an immediate intercourse with the angelic 
 world. The Protestants, too, are not without their 
 ecstatics ; although those on record are neither so 
 numerous nor so remarkable as those belonging to 
 the Catholic community. All of these cases, how- 
 ever, afford ample materials for magnetic history. 
 But of all this we shall have occasion to treat more 
 at length in the sequel. 
 
 In the meantime, we may observe, that some 
 recent and rather remarkable instances of the devo- 
 tional ecstacy have been fully and carefully com- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 79 
 
 memorated in our own times such as those of the 
 ecstatic patients MARIA VON MORL, called the Ecsta- 
 tica, at Caldero ; the miller's daughter, DOMINICA 
 LAZARI, called the Addolorata, at Capriani, in the 
 Tyrol; and of several other individuals similarly 
 affected, in various other countries. Indeed, cases 
 of this description, occasionally diversified in regard 
 to some of the phenomena manifested by the seve- 
 ral patients, especially in Catholic countries, are by 
 no means very rare, although seldom publicly exhi- 
 bited. The two last mentioned Ecstatics have been 
 visited and described by the EARL OF SHREWSBURY, 
 amongst others, to whose interesting publication 
 upon the subject, as giving the orthodox Catholic 
 view of the question, we beg leave to refer our 
 readers. The similar case of A. K. EMMERICH, 
 called the Nun of Dulmen, in Germany, has been 
 noticed, and amply described, by a number of 
 authors. 
 
 From ignorance of the true nature and real causes 
 of these very curious states, or from the less credi- 
 table motive of conferring an adventitious support 
 upon a system of superstitious worship, such natural 
 ecstatics have been occasionally canonised, and 
 awarded a place in the calendar of saints; nay, 
 they have even been elevated, by pious zeal, into 
 objects of religious adoration, or invoked, as inter- 
 cessors, at the throne of the Almighty. But in 
 regard to all abuses of this description, passing over 
 the obvious impiety, we may take the liberty of 
 using similar language (mutatis mutandis) to that 
 
80 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 which was long ago applied by POMPONATIUS (a 
 Roman Catholic heretic, however,) to the old necro- 
 mancers. Aliqui multa sunt operati secundum 
 naturalem et astronomicam scientiam, et tamen vel 
 ex sanctitate crediti sunt ista operari, vel ex necro- 
 mantia ; cum tamen neque sancti neque necroman- 
 tici sint. De naturalium admirandorum causis, &c. 
 The vulgar belief, to which POMPONATIUS here 
 alludes, appears to have been transmitted, in some 
 measure, even to our own times ; and all such extra- 
 ordinary, although perfectly natural occurrences, 
 which we cannot immediately explain upon scientific 
 principles including the abnormal phenomena of 
 organic metastasis are still ascribed, by many 
 persons who ought to be better instructed, to super- 
 natural and imaginary causes either to the direct 
 agency of the Supreme Being, or to the unhallowed 
 artifices of Satan. 
 
 The study of Animal Magnetism tends to dis- 
 pel all those erroneous, fantastic, and mischievous 
 notions, by endeavouring to explain the natural 
 causes of the phenomena in question upon physiolo- 
 gical, psychological, and rational principles. In 
 this respect, indeed, it may be of the most essential 
 and salutary use, by obviating popular delusions 
 and scientific difficulties, dispelling groundless and 
 superstitious fears, and referring all such pheno- 
 mena to their appropriate natural causes. Such 
 explanations cannot fail to be of service both to 
 orthodox religion and to sound philosophy. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 81 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IT was a principal object of the most ancient 
 Magic to endeavour to discover the most simple and 
 most efficacious means of affecting the organism of 
 other individuals, chiefly with a view to the cure of 
 diseases. The MAGI, as we formerly observed, be- 
 sides being the priestly caste, were also the primi- 
 tive physicians. At a somewhat later period, when 
 experience and research had gradually brought to 
 light several of the more obscure powers of nature, 
 and their action upon the living organism, this 
 knowledge, in the hands of evil disposed persons, 
 became liable to abuse, and was employed for the 
 accomplishment of other mischievous and unlawful 
 purposes. In process of time, the science of Magic, 
 in the hands of unworthy cultivators, degenerated 
 from its original purity into a base and sordid art ; 
 and the pretenders to proficiency in this department 
 of knowledge, sought unhallowed means of imposing 
 upon the ignorance and credulity of the multitude, 
 by affecting to cultivate an infamous alliance and 
 wicked compact with the infernal powers of dark- 
 ness. Hence the goetic or false Magic, or the Slack 
 Art, which was always held in merited disrepute 
 among the truly learned and good. Even in the 
 times of authentic prophecy, however, a distinction 
 
82 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 was always made between the true SEERS and the 
 vulgar miracle-mongers. 
 
 In consequence of the scanty knowledge of the 
 inherent powers of nature in early times, as has 
 been already observed, and the gross ignorance and 
 superstition of the great mass of the people, the 
 operation of these powers was utterly incompre- 
 hensible by the multitude ; and, hence, many 
 phenomena, however familiar in themselves, were 
 generally accounted miraculous, and attributed to 
 the action of supernatural influences. The super- 
 stitious notions comprehended in the Pagan worship 
 had their source in this cause. Even the magnetic 
 cures, to which we have already alluded, were 
 generally considered to be the immediate effects of 
 a divine influence communicated to the priesthood 
 the sole mediators between mankind and the Deity. 
 Faith, therefore, implicit faith, was held to be a 
 necessary and indispensable condition of the bene- 
 ficial efficacy of the means employed ; and the 
 magical, magnetic, or remedial virtues, supposed to 
 be inherent in certain substances, were believed to 
 be excited into action by the mysterious energy of 
 the will of the operator, fortified by the use of cer- 
 tain words, prayers, incantations, and other cere- 
 monies, which were preserved in the worship of the 
 Gods. To these remedial operations belonged the 
 cure of diseases by the imposition of the hands, by 
 breathing, &c. or by the use of talismans and 
 amulets, wearing of consecrated rings, and so forth. 
 Hence arose a systematic treatment of diseases, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 83 
 
 analogous to that employed with such signal suc- 
 cess, by the modern Magnetists. It would even 
 appear, from various facts and circumstances, that 
 some of the different methods of producing the arti- 
 ficial sleep and Somnambulism were known and prac- 
 tised in ancient times ; as shall hereafter be shown, 
 particularly when we come to speak of the Temple- 
 processes, and the doctrines propounded by the 
 Eastern MAGI, the Neo-Platonic philosophers of the 
 Alexandrian school, and the mystical writers of all 
 ages. Indeed, at different periods long previous to 
 the discoveries of MESMER, and his immediate suc- 
 cessors in magnetic science, the somnambulistic 
 affection, and its characteristic phenomena, had 
 been fully and Correctly described both by ancient 
 authors, and by others of a more modern date. Of 
 this fact we shall have occasion to adduce many 
 proofs hereafter ; but, in the meantime, for the 
 sake of brevity, we shall restrict ourselves to the 
 following : 
 
 IAMBLICHUS, in his treatise De Mysteriis Egyp- 
 tiorum, has described the somnambulistic affection 
 with great accuracy and precision. The author has 
 quoted the passage referred to in a former publi- 
 cation.* CORNELIUS AGRIPPA, in his work De Oc- 
 culta Philosophia, speaks very distinctly in regard 
 to the phenomena of the particular state in ques- 
 tion. His words are : Potest enim animus humanus, 
 
 * See WIENHOLT'S Lectures on Somnambulism. Introd. 
 p. 1. 
 
84 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 prcesertim simplex et purus, sacrorum quorundam 
 avocamento ac delineamento separari et externari 
 ad prcesentium oblivionem ; ita ut, remota corporis 
 memoria, redigatur in naturam suam divinam ; 
 atque sic divino lumine lustratus, ac furore divino 
 afflatus, futura rerum prcesagire^ turn etiam mira- 
 bilium quorundam effectuum cum hoc suscipere vir- 
 tutem* It is a great mistake, therefore, or a 
 signal proof of ignorance, to ascribe the original 
 discovery of these phenomena to MESMER, or to 
 any other modern inquirer. Indeed, we shall 
 have occasion to show, hereafter, that the states 
 in question have been known from the earliest 
 times. 
 
 There is now no doubt, indeed, that the cure of 
 diseases by means of the touch, the imposition of 
 the hand, and other magnetic methods, prevailed 
 amongst all the most ancient nations of the world 
 the Hindoos, the Parsi, the Chaldeans, the Baby- 
 lonians, the Egyptians, the Hebrews, &c. and, 
 especially, among the Jews, as we learn from the 
 Scriptures of the Old Testament. The same me- 
 thods also appear to have been practised, from the 
 remotest times, among the Chinese. (See ATHA- 
 
 * u The human mind, especially when simple and pure, 
 by means of certain sacred ceremonies, may become estranged 
 into an oblivion of present things ; so that, the corporeal 
 memory being obliterated, it may be restored to its divine 
 nature ; and, thus purified by the divine light, and filled 
 with divine rapture, it becomes enabled to predict future 
 events, and to experience, at the same time, certain won- 
 derful affections." 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 85 
 
 NASIUS KIRCHER ; China Illustrata.) Many signi- 
 ficant allusions to this practice occur in the Bible, 
 particularly during the times of MOSES and the 
 Prophets. But the New Testament Scriptures 
 abound still more in examples of the efficacy of the 
 practice of the laying on of hands, as a consecrative 
 or a curative act, always accompanied, be it obser- 
 ved, with faith in the consequent results. Indeed, 
 in those early records of our religion, we hear of 
 scarcely any other method of cure, than that of 
 words, prayer, and the manipulating processes, 
 accompanied with faith, as an indispensable adjunct, 
 both in the operator and in the patient. The in- 
 stances of the employment of these processes, for 
 the purposes above mentioned, are so numerous, 
 that the quotation of individual examples would 
 appear to be almost superfluous. This method of 
 cure, therefore, instead of being stigmatised as 
 profane, magical, idolatrous, or diabolical, can be 
 demonstrated to be eminently orthodox and Scrip- 
 tural : and it appears to have been a genuine 
 Christian practice, which was employed and sanc- 
 tioned by our Saviour himself, and strenuously 
 recommended to his disciples. (See, in particular, 
 MATTHEW, Chap. viii. and ix., and xix., 13th, 14th, 
 and 15th). The same practice is also commemo- 
 rated in many of the writings of the Apostles. 
 Away, then, with the silly, false, and preposterous 
 charge of impiety, and the use of diabolical arts 
 and enchantments, which has been so liberally 
 brought against the honest and intelligent disciples 
 
86 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 of ME SHE R by certain vulgar fanatics ! We, unhe- 
 sitatingly, repeat our conviction, that the practice 
 in question is expressly sanctioned by the Word of 
 God, approved by the example and precept of 
 Jesus Christ, and recommended by the Apostles of 
 Christianity to their brethren in the faith. Most 
 justly may the Mesmerists maintain, in the words 
 of the poet, 
 
 Nos habitat non tartara, sed nee sidera cceli : 
 Spiritus in nobis qui viget, illafacit." 
 
 Etenim sanatio in Christo domino incepit, says 
 VAN HELMONT, per apostolos continuavit, et modo 
 esi, atque perennis permanet* That the magnetic 
 methods, for the cure of the sick, were employed 
 by the Christian Church, from the earliest times, 
 is again remarked by the same distinguished phy- 
 sician and philosopher, in his treatise, De Virtute 
 Magna Verborum et Rerum. 
 
 Operatic sanandifait in ecclesia,per verba, ritus, 
 exorcismos, aquam, salem, herbas ; idque nedum 
 contra diabolos et effectus magicos, sed et morbos 
 omnes.-\ The practice, indeed, has been partially 
 retained, even to the present times, especially by 
 
 * u Nor hell do we invoke, nor starry skies : 
 The soul within us all our force supplies. 
 " For our healing powers are derived from Jesus Christ ; 
 they were continued in the Apostles, they exist now, and 
 shall for ever remain." 
 
 f " The operation of healing diseases existed in the church, 
 by means of words, rites, exorcisms, water, salt, herbs ; 
 and not only in the case of diabolical and magical affections, 
 but of all morbid states." 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 87 
 
 the Roman Catholic priesthood, in their solemn 
 ritual of exorcism. 
 
 The efficacy of fervent faith and zealous devo- 
 tion, in producing the ecstatic states, can be demon- 
 strated by numerous examples, both of individuals 
 and of entire communities, at all times, and under 
 every form of religious worship. Some striking 
 facts and observations, upon this subject, will be 
 found in Isis REVELATA, and many more will 
 occur, incidentally, in the farther progress of our 
 present investigation. One instance of modern 
 date, however, may now be referred to, as it has 
 been related by a well-known physician and philo- 
 sopher, as a fact consistent with his own know- 
 ledge, and, therefore, rests upon the most unsuspi- 
 cious testimony. In his learned work, entitled 
 System des Tellurismus, oder Thierischen Magnet- 
 ismiiA, the Aulic Councillor and Professor KIESER 
 of Jena observes, that he is acquainted with a man 
 who procures prophetic visions, at night, by means 
 of fervent prayer, frequently upon a mountain, on 
 which he lays himself down upon his stomach ; and 
 this gift he exercises, in the most unpretending 
 manner, for the cure of diseases. It is not said 
 that this individual prepares himself for this state 
 by the use of any narcotic substance. These visions 
 the learned Professor describes as partly prosaic, 
 partly poetical, and partly plastic; and, besides 
 diseases, they, occasionally, have a reference to 
 other important affairs of life, and even to political 
 events; so that, in this respect, this seer bears 
 
88 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 some resemblance to the Prophets of the Old Tes- 
 tament. 
 
 Our present generation of Doctors and Profes- 
 sors, however skilful in the mere technicalities of 
 their art, and however learned in all the knowledge 
 of a meagre, material, and narrow-minded system 
 of philosophy, are, for the most part or, at least 
 profess to be utter sceptics and infidels in regard 
 to the influence of any spiritual powers over the 
 modifications and manifestations of the human or- 
 ganism. They endeavour to depreciate all devo- 
 tional feeling, by branding it with the epithet of 
 mere mysticism ; as if the value of facts could be 
 annihilated by the use of contemptuous expressions. 
 But when they make use of the epithet mysticism, 
 we may well be permitted to doubt whether they 
 really attach any intelligible and definite meaning 
 to the term ; or whether they have not resorted to 
 it for the purpose of concealing their own ignorance 
 and incapacity. To the true philosopher, the entire 
 universe of matter, and thought, and feeling, may 
 be said to be, in one sense, a great complex of mys- 
 ticism, which cannot be comprehended by the 
 human mind, without adopting the hypothesis if 
 it be but an hypothesis of some great spiritual 
 influence, under divine direction and the control of 
 inscrutable power and wisdom, constantly pervad- 
 ing, actuating, and governing every portion of the 
 entire system. Even the most ancient philosophers 
 appear to have been aware of this necessity ; and 
 without subjecting ourselves to the imputation of 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 89 
 
 adopting the whole creed of EPICURUS, we may 
 venture to express our approbation of one particu- 
 lar article of his doctrine, in regard to the consti- 
 tuent element of the mundane fabric, as expressed 
 by the Roman poet : 
 
 44 Principle coelum, ac terras, camposqtie liquentes, 
 Lucentemque globum Lunae, Titaniaque astra, 
 Spiritus intus alit ; totarnque infusa per artus 
 MENS AGITAT MOLEM, et magno se corpore miscet." 
 
 To those individuals who are disposed to consider 
 the entire fabric of the universe as a mere piece of 
 wound-up clockwork, having its causes of affecta- 
 bility, and consequent action, solely in its own inde- 
 pendent mechanism to whom life has no soul, and 
 man no divine particle no mens divinior within 
 him ; to whom an eternal though invisible Power, 
 Wisdom, and Beneficence, presiding over Time and 
 Nature to whom all this is a mere empty halluci- 
 nation a pure nonentity ; to such persons, words 
 and prayer, and the fervent utterance of the heart 
 and affections, may, no doubt, appear to be utterly 
 ineffectual and absurd in short, mere mummery ; 
 but individuals of this way of thinking will, assu- 
 redly, never become capable of comprehending the 
 true philosophy of the universe far less of per- 
 forming the works, or even of appreciating the 
 influence of the spirit. To such persons and such, 
 we fear, there are the magical and magnetic phe- 
 nomena the effects, principally, of latent psychical 
 energies are an inexplicable enigma ; and, not- 
 withstanding all their mighty pretensions to supe- 
 
 VOL. i. H 
 
90 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 rior lore and worldly wisdom, the most profound 
 and the most valuable secrets of nature will ever 
 exist for them as a terra incognita an unintelli- 
 gible cypher. 
 
 But to those, on the other hand, who are dis- 
 posed and enabled to penetrate beyond the mere 
 external surface of things the outer crust of na- 
 ture the physical body, and its merely corporeal 
 powers, adapted, no doubt, to our present ephe- 
 meral state of being, appear only as the material 
 levers, by means of which the immaterial, ener- 
 getic, living spirit acts upon material nature, and is 
 enabled to render it subservient to the purposes of 
 the operative volition. The Materialists, indeed, 
 in their utter blindness, overlook, or disregard, the 
 mighty influence of the human will, and its incom- 
 prehensible energy, when excited and invigorated 
 by a lively and undoubting faith as announced by 
 Jesus Christ himself to his disciples; a power, of 
 which the extent may be said to be yet unknown. 
 But to this most important topic we shall probably 
 have occasion to revert in the sequel. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 IN the infancy of science, the name of MAGIC 
 was frequently employed, especially among the 
 Greeks, to denote views and doctrines, with which, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 91 
 
 properly speaking, it had no essential connection ; 
 as, for example, the doctrine of ANAXAGORAS in 
 regard to eclipses, which, like many other branches 
 of science, was originally propounded in secret, 
 from the fear of offending the dangerous prejudices 
 of the vulgar, who could not easily be brought to 
 recognise the distinction between proximate and 
 ultimate causes. Even the divine PLATO himself, 
 according to his own confession, put forth his pecu- 
 liar doctrines in the names of other individuals, in 
 order to avoid a similar responsibility. SOCRATES 
 that " old man eloquent " fell a victim to his sin- 
 cerity. 
 
 In later times, the term MAGIC was brought into 
 discredit from different causes. The science itself 
 came to be considered as a relic of Paganism a 
 remnant of heathenish divinity ; and, as such, it 
 was violently denounced by the Christian converts, 
 during the barbarous ages of Europe ; and the 
 stigma, then affixed to the name, has not yet been 
 entirely effaced, even in the present more enlight- 
 ened times. In the very mildest sense, the ancient 
 MAGIC is still regarded by many, as a mere system 
 of jugglery and deception. In how far it deserves 
 this degradation, we shall have occasion to inquire 
 hereafter. 
 
 It is remarkable, however, that all of those 
 ancient philosophers, who travelled into India or 
 Egypt in pursuit of knowledge, became devoted to 
 the study of MAGIC, as it was then called ; and 
 that, after their return home, they propounded, 
 
92 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 among their countrymen, the doctrines they had 
 been led to embrace, for the most part in secret, 
 but, sometimes, more or less openly. Among the 
 chief of these sages, we may reckon PYTHAGORAS, 
 along with his disciples and followers, EMPEDOCLES, 
 DEMOCRITUS, PLATO, &c. We cannot consent to 
 rank these distinguished men among the mere Jug- 
 glers and Professors of Legerdemain ; yet they 
 have sometimes been included in the category of 
 Magicians. The doctrines taught by PYTHAGORAS 
 were also imbibed and propagated among the 
 Romans and other nations ; and the philosophers 
 of that school were pre-eminently distinguished by 
 their earnest cultivation of arithmetic, the mathe- 
 matics, astrology, and divination ; all of which 
 sciences appear to have had their origin in the 
 early Eastern world. Of these Pythagoreans, 
 APOLLONIUS TYAN^US subsequently became most 
 famous for his magical proceedings, as we shall see 
 hereafter. In consequence of his extraordinary 
 magical and therapeutic powers, and his faculty 
 of divination, his countrymen and contemporaries 
 paid him almost divine honours ; and, after his 
 death, a temple was erected and dedicated to him, 
 near the city of Tyana. We shall have occasion to 
 speak more at large of this remarkable character in 
 the sequel of our narrative. 
 
 Many of those ancient philosophers and physi- 
 cians, of whom we have spoken, devoted much of 
 their attention to the phenomena of Sleep and 
 Dreams ; and, especially, to the prophetic cha- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 93 
 
 racter they occasionally manifest. HIPPOCRATES 
 wrote a treatise, De Insomniis, of which an ab- 
 stract was drawn up by JULIUS CAESAR SCALIGER, 
 the elder. The following is a short summary of 
 the opinions held by that most eminent of the 
 ancient physicians upon this curious subject : 
 
 " After the soul has become emancipated, not 
 entirely from the body, but from the oppressive 
 thraldom of its grosser parts, it withdraws into 
 itself, as into a harbour of refuge, in order to pro- 
 tect itself from external storms. It there sees and 
 recognises everything that takes place in the inte- 
 rior of the body, and represents this state in diffe- 
 rent figures and colours, and thus explains the par- 
 ticular condition of the corporeal frame." In the 
 third book of his treatise De Vita, he repeats this 
 statement in the following words : " The soul sees 
 every thing that takes place in the body, even with 
 closed eyes." SCALIGER observes that Galen, and 
 other philosophical physicians, not only recognised 
 this faculty of the soul, in order to take advantage 
 of it in their medical practice, but even considered 
 it as something divine. GALEN, indeed, makes use 
 of almost the same expressions as HIPPOCRATES, in 
 order to designate the prophetic character of dreams. 
 In sleep, says he, the soul retires into the inner- 
 most part of the body, abandons all external opera- 
 tions, and points out everything connected with the 
 corporeal functions ; and, in relation to itself, it sees 
 everything as actually present. We shall have 
 occasion hereafter to point out the remarkable coin- 
 
94 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 cidence of these notions with the philosophy of the 
 ancient Hindoos. GALEN also confesses that he 
 derived some portion of his own practical knowledge 
 from the accurate observation of such phenomena. 
 Hence, it would appear that these ancient physicians 
 and philosophers were pretty well acquainted with 
 some, at least, of the more remarkable phenomena 
 of sleep and dreams, and even with many of the 
 characteristic features of the somnambulistic or 
 ecstatic states. A great deal of the professional 
 knowledge and tact possessed by Galen, indeed, 
 may, no doubt, have been derived from actual per- 
 sonal experience of diseased action ; but his prog- 
 noses were sometimes of such singular acuteness 
 and exactitude as can only be explained by assum- 
 ing the existence of an internal magnetic instinct. 
 Thus, for example, he foretold that the senator, 
 SEXTUS, at that time in perfect health, should, on 
 the third day thereafter, be attacked by fever, 
 which would abate on the sixth day, return on the 
 fourteenth, and finally leave him on the seventeenth 
 day, in consequence of a general perspiration : all 
 which was verified by the event. The physicians 
 wished to bleed a young Roman, who lay sick of a 
 fever ; but GALEN remarked that this was unneces- 
 sary, because the patient would be relieved in a 
 natural manner, by losing a sufficient quantity of 
 blood through the left nostril, and thereafter recover, 
 which actually happened. 
 
 XENOPHON remarked that nothing so much 
 resembled death as sleep ; but that, in the latter 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 95 
 
 state, the human soul most distinctly exhibits its 
 divine nature : It sees future events ; being, in that 
 condition, most freed from the trammels of the body. 
 ARET^EUS, in his treatise De Signis et Causis Mor- 
 borum, expresses himself, with equal clearness and 
 decision, upon this subject. It is astonishing, says 
 he, to observe what sick persons, occasionally, 
 think, see, and express. Their whole internal sen- 
 sibility is exceedingly pure and perfect, and their 
 souls sometimes acquire a general prophetic faculty. 
 (Excutoque sordibus ammo, veracissimi vates quan- 
 doque oriuntur.) 
 
 PLUTARCH, also, in his Morals, makes some strik- 
 ing observations of a similar import, upon the 
 faculty of divination. PLATO and ARISTOTLE have 
 likewise written largely upon this subject, and to 
 these philosophers we must, for the sake of brevity, 
 merely refer our inquisitive readers. Some of these 
 ancient sages considered it no more wonderful that 
 man should be enabled to foresee the future, than 
 that he should be capable of recalling the past. 
 Both faculties they held to have been originally 
 implanted in our human constitution, and called 
 into exercise under their proper conditions. CICERO, 
 in his treatise De Divinatione, has given us a tole- 
 rably satisfactory summary of the opinions of the 
 ancients upon the whole of this interesting subject, 
 illustrated by many apposite and curious facts. 
 
 If the author may here be allowed a short digres- 
 sion from the subject more immediately under con- 
 sideration, he would beg leave to refer his readers 
 
96 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 to the remarkable fact, that many of the ancient 
 philosophers entertained the hypothesis of an uni- 
 versal aether, or anima mundi, as noticed, in parti- 
 cular, by CICERO and APULEIUS. Aerem complec- 
 titur immensus cether, qui constat in altissimis igni- 
 bus. (CICERO, de Natura Deor. Lib. II. c. 36.) 
 Ccelum ipsum stellasque collegens, omnisque siderea 
 campago, cether vocatur ; non, ut quidam putant. 
 quod ignitus sit et incensus, sed quod cursibus 
 rapidis rotetur. (APULEIUS, De Mundo.) Upon 
 this hypothesis, it is by no means wonderful that, 
 among the nations unenlightened by divine revela- 
 tion, this universal circumambient aether should have 
 been regarded as an actual manifestation of the 
 Deity, nay, as the Deity Himself the supreme 
 mover and regulator of all created material being 
 the Anima Mundi. 
 
 Jupiter est quodcunque vides, quocunque moveris. 
 
 This same hypothesis of an universal aether per- 
 vading all space, was, under certain modifications, 
 entertained, in modern times, by DESCARTES, JNEW- 
 TON, MESMER, and other philosophers ; with a view, 
 no doubt, to assist them in the explanation of their 
 physical and cosmological theories; and a similar 
 principle has been adopted by several of the most 
 eminent Magnetists, in order to enable them to 
 account for the phenomena of their science. Mo- 
 dern investigation, indeed, does not absolutely reject 
 this idea. Philosophical research seems rapidly 
 tending towards an identification, under various 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 97 
 
 modifications, of the common origin and principle 
 of light, heat, motion, electricity, magnetism, &c, ; 
 and the ultimate general recognition of this identity 
 may prove of eminent utility in facilitating our 
 explanations of many of the more obscure pheno- 
 mena of nature. 
 
 Our own immortal NEWTON appears to have, in 
 some degree, anticipated this interesting discovery, 
 in modern times, as appears from the following pas- 
 sage towards the conclusion of his Prindpia: 
 " We might add," says he, " some things concerning 
 a certain very subtile spirit pervading solid bodies, 
 and latent in them, by the force and activity of 
 which the particles of bodies mutually attract each 
 other at the smallest distances, and, when placed in 
 contiguity, adhere ; and light is emitted, reflected 
 and refracted, inflected, and heat communicated to 
 bodies ; and all sensation is excited, and the limbs of 
 animals are moved at will, namely, by the vibrations 
 of this spirit, propagated through the solid capilla- 
 ments of the nerves, from the external organs of the 
 senses to the brain, and from the brain to the muscles. 
 But these things cannot be explained in a few words, 
 nor have we a sufficient number of experiments to 
 enable us to determine and demonstrate accu- 
 rately the laws by which the actions of this spirit 
 are governed." In these very remarkable expres- 
 sions, may we not, in some measure, recognise the 
 germ of the modern science of Animal Magnetism, 
 although, in the days of Newton, the facts them- 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
98 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 selves, as he admits, had not yet been sufficiently 
 developed ? 
 
 Phenomena of this attenuated nature, indeed, 
 cannot easily be made the objects of direct experi- 
 ment ; the productive cause is not immediately cog- 
 nizable by our senses; but reason compels us to 
 assume, on probable grounds, what we cannot 
 directly or sensibly demonstrate ; and the analogies 
 of magnetism, electricity, and galvanism, seem to 
 warrant us in the assumption of other, and even 
 more subtile, invisible, and impalpable agencies, than 
 those which are more immediately recognised by 
 the senses. The theory of perception itself is still 
 a puzzle to even the most profound philosophers. 
 They may, indeed, describe the process to a cer- 
 tain extent ; but they are ignorant of the rationale 
 of the phenomenon itself. JSTo system of mere 
 materialism, it is thought, can fully explain the 
 facts. 
 
 We may be permitted to observe that, in many 
 passages of Scripture, GOD is said to be Light ; and, 
 in others, Light is represented to be the dwelling of 
 GOD. MILTON has expressed this idea in his 
 immortal poem : 
 
 " God is Light, 
 
 And never but in unapproaehed Light 
 Dwelt from eternity." 
 
 This opinion of the identity of the Supreme 
 Being with the essence of Light, or of Light being 
 the element in which the Deity resides, appears to 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 99 
 
 have given rise to the ancient religious creed of 
 ZOROASTER, and to the fire-worship of the Persians 
 and other early Eastern nations. But we must not 
 pursue this subject any farther, at present, as it- 
 might lead us into a wide philosophical discussion 
 rather foreign to our present purpose- 
 It is of some importance, however, to observe, 
 that those among the ancient philosophers who 
 advocated the doctrine of an immaterial and inde- 
 structible soul in man, considered this soul as an 
 effluence or emanation of the divine spirit, or ethe- 
 real essence divince particulum aurce and, there- 
 fore, as undecaying and immortal. There were 
 other philosophers, no doubt among whom CICERO 
 mentions PHERECRATES and DIC^EARCHUS who 
 rejected all immateriality ; who held that the soul 
 is an empty word an absolute nonentity ; that 
 there is nothing but matter in the universe; and 
 that all the sensitive and active faculties of man are 
 merely the properties or functions of material struc- 
 ture. (NiJiil esse omnino animum, et hoc esse totum 
 nomen inane ; neque in homine inesse animum, &c. 
 CICERO, Tusc. Qucest. I. 21.) A doctrine somewhat 
 similar to this appears to be held by our modern phy- 
 siological and phrenological Materialists, who seem 
 disposed to refer all human action and passion to 
 the organic structure and peculiar functions of the 
 brain ; and who speak of mind, soul, spirit, &c. as 
 vain and empty notions nay, as mischievous phan- 
 tasms, which ought to be ridiculed and exterminated 
 by all sound philosophers. They appear to forget 
 
100 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c 
 
 that matter itself is only cognizable through the 
 mind or spiritual principle. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 MAGIC, as we have already observed, had its 
 principal seat, and became most universally diffused, 
 among the primitive Oriental nations. Of the his- 
 tory and phenomena of this early science we shall 
 presently have occasion to speak at some length ; 
 but, in the meantime, we may take the opportunity 
 of observing, that it is impossible to conceive how 
 that history, and these phenomena, can be correctly 
 appreciated, without keeping steadily in view the 
 great modern discovery of MESMER, and the labours 
 of his most ingenious successors in the magnetic 
 art. Without some such preparation, indeed, we 
 may become acquainted with the facts, but we can- 
 not be in a fit state to appreciate their nature, or 
 their scientific value. Animal Magnetism, it is true, 
 may not be found capable of affording us, at once, 
 the means of adequately explaining the whole 
 series of those curious psychological phenomena 
 which are presented to us by history more espe- 
 cially when we consider that this doctrine is, in 
 itself, in many respects, still a philosophical enigma ; 
 but, in consequence of this most important disco- 
 very of MESMER, the facts themselves have, un- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 101 
 
 questionably, been rendered more accessible to phi- 
 losophical research, and more capable of being 
 reduced under a methodical and scientific arrange- 
 ment. The apparently mysterious manifestations 
 of Somnambulism, the sleep-waking states, Clair- 
 voyance, the faculty of Divination, &c., may now be 
 classified, and, in some measure, comprehended, as 
 a series of real and most interesting phenomena. 
 A new chapter may thus be added to the philosophy 
 of human nature we shall no longer feel disposed 
 to start when facts of this character are brought 
 under our observation many obscure and, appa- 
 rently, mystical passages of history may be ren- 
 dered more generally intelligible, and many new 
 and most important views in moral, and even in 
 physical science, may be presented to the specula- 
 tive mind. Phenomena, coincident with, or analo- 
 gous to those we have alluded to varied, perhaps, 
 in some degree, by national character and habits, 
 by individual idiosyncrasies, and by other modify- 
 ing causes, have occasionally occurred in all nations, 
 and in every age of the world ; among the ancient 
 Eastern MAGI ; in the possessed among the Israel- 
 ites ; in the Pythonesses, and Sibyls, and Temple- 
 Sleepers, among the Egyptians, the Greeks, and 
 the Romans ; in the Indian Ascetics; in the Siberian 
 Shahmans ; in the Scotch and other Seers ; in the 
 Witches of the Middle Ages of Europe ; in the reli- 
 gious enthusiasts and fanatics of all times, and of 
 every denomination, and in the magnetic patients 
 of our own day. Here, then, a continuous series of 
 
102 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 the most curious facts is presented to the intelli- 
 gent and inquisitive mind, which constitutes no un- 
 important acquisition to physiological science, and, 
 consequently, to our general knowledge of human 
 nature. It becomes an occupation of considerable 
 interest and importance, therefore, to trace the 
 occurrence of these various, but cognate phenomena 
 in the historical records of all nations, ancient and 
 modern; and with this object in view, we shall now 
 proceed to examine the annals of the species, from 
 the earliest period to the present time. 
 
 In the early memorials and traditionary history 
 of the primitive Eastern nations, we find the most 
 numerous instances of the manifestation of those 
 peculiar states of the human organism, in which the 
 phenomena of Somnambulism, Ecstacy, Clairvoy- 
 ance, Prophecy, &c., are most prominently, most con- 
 spicuously, and most frequently developed. It was in 
 the East, as we have already observed, that MAGIC, 
 in the best and most legitimate acceptation of the 
 term, had its original seat ; and, accordingly, it is 
 to the Eastern regions that we must look for the 
 earliest diffusion of that knowledge, divine and 
 human, which it was the primary object of the 
 science to cultivate. Now, there is one character- 
 istic feature in these early records of the human 
 race, which is peculiarly striking and remarkable. 
 We allude to that intimate connection subsisting 
 between science and theology, in consequence of 
 which all human knowledge was rendered subser- 
 vient to religious worship. This connection is con- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 103 
 
 spicuously manifested in the early history, habits, 
 and speculative notions of the Chaldeans, the Baby- 
 lonians, the Persians, the Hindoos, the Egyptians, 
 the Israelites, &c., as we may perceive from the 
 books of MOSES, and from other portions of the Old 
 Testament Scriptures from the traditions respect- 
 ing the peculiar doctrines of ZOROASTER and his 
 followers from the Code of MENU, the Zendavesta, 
 the Vedams, &c. Even the personal intercourse of 
 man with the Deity the creature with the Creator 
 was an accredited fact of no unusual occurrence 
 in the early stages of society ; and, in process of 
 time, certain artificial means appear to have been 
 employed for the purpose of rendering the former 
 more capable of enjoying the advantages of this 
 blessed privilege. The natural states, which were 
 conceived to be most favourable for the enjoyment 
 of this divine intercourse, were Sleep and Dreams, 
 Somnambulism and Ecstacy. 
 
 In process of time, MAGIC became distinguished 
 into two kinds the theurgic or celestial, and the 
 goetic, or demoniacal ; according as the devotee was 
 supposed to invoke and do homage to the beneficent 
 or to the malevolent being to the Spirit of Light, 
 or to the Spirit of Darkness to God or the 
 Devil. This double doctrine is developed, in a bor- 
 rowed form, in the Jewish Scriptures, and refer- 
 red to in the New Testament ; it pervades the 
 whole mythological, theological, and philosophical 
 literature of the primitive Eastern nations the 
 Indians, the Chinese, the Chaldeans, the Babylo- 
 
104 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 nians, the Persians, the Egyptians, &c, And from 
 these original sources it has insinuated itself, in 
 its rudest form, into the Christian scheme ; and 
 thus a mere metaphor, or allegory, has become 
 exalted into an element of religious belief. 
 
 It appears, indeed, to have been almost univer- 
 sally held, in the most ancient times, that mankind 
 were placed in intimate connection with a super- 
 sensible world, which was governed by the antago- 
 nist powers of a good and an evil principle ; and that 
 this connection between the sensible and the super- 
 sensible world was indirectly maintained through 
 the means of intermediate agents, who were always 
 ready to present their services at the summons of 
 their respective votaries. The pure original idea 
 of MAGIC, as the profound study of nature, and of 
 the power, wisdom, and benevolence of the Deity 
 they worshipped, was gradually lost sight of ; and 
 the first of sciences, at length, degenerated into the 
 practice of absurd and superstitious arts and bru- 
 talising ceremonies as may be observed even in 
 many of the Jewish rites. Even so early as the 
 time of ZOROASTER, indeed, MAGIC had begun to 
 be thus deteriorated and abused, as appears from 
 the books of the Zendavesta. Hence, as we have 
 already observed, it ultimately came to be distin- 
 guished into the white and the black art. Even 
 the Jews were with difficulty restrained from the 
 evil practices of this corrupted science. At a later 
 period, the Greeks gave the appellation of yo/jre/a 
 to the black Magic. In the cultivation of this per- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 105 
 
 verted science, therefore, its degenerate votaries 
 endeavoured to discover the means of subjecting 
 the spiritual powers to their own interested and 
 illegitimate purposes, and of thereby becoming des- 
 potic masters over their fellow-creatures. 
 
 Among the ancient Chaldeans, Medes, Persians, 
 Bactrians, Babylonians, Hindoos, &c., MAGIC was 
 interwoven with their whole physical and intellec- 
 tual philosophy, and combined with their religious 
 worship and ceremonial observances ; and the same 
 combination may be traced in the construction of 
 the Jewish Temple. 
 
 The most ancient theological books of the Hin- 
 doos, which by some learned men have been con- 
 sidered as the earliest profane records of the human 
 race, are the Vedas, or the Brahminical revelations, 
 and the Code of MENU. These books contain the 
 theological notions of this very ancient and remark- 
 able people, their philosophical doctrines, and a 
 continual reference to those magical, or magnetic 
 states of the soul, in which it was supposed to be 
 separated from the body, and to hold immediate 
 intercourse with the original source of all intelli- 
 gence. These ancient doctrines, narratives, and 
 expositions, were, for a long time, regarded by the 
 modern world as empty mystical fables, or, at most, 
 as inscrutable mysteries or fanciful and extravagant 
 inventions ; until, in these later times, physiology, 
 at length, afforded the means of a more adequate 
 explanation of their true tenor and genuine pur- 
 port ; and a careful comparison with the recent 
 
106 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 phenomena of Animal Magnetism ultimately pre- 
 sented a clue to guide us out of the obscure and 
 bewildering labyrinth. The analogy existing be- 
 tween the celestial visions of the Brahmins, the 
 ecstatics of the Egyptian, Greek, and other temples, 
 and the modern Clairvoyance of the Magnetists, has 
 now been fully demonstrated. The most striking 
 parallels to these last phenomena have been adduced 
 by BERNIER, COLEBROOKE, PASSAVANT, SCHLEGEL, 
 WINDISCHMANN, and other inquirers into the know- 
 ledge, literature, and habits of the Hindoos ; and 
 the comparisons which have been instituted leave 
 no doubt in regard to the perfect characteristic 
 identity of these affections. The entire contents of 
 the Vedas were regarded as the product of imme- 
 diate revelation, through the medium of the Seers. 
 What the soul sees, hears, and apprehends, is a 
 direct intuition an unquestionable revelation. The 
 Seers themselves were supposed to derive their in- 
 spiration immediately from the celestial spirits, and 
 from the Deity himself, with whom, while in this 
 state, their souls were thought to hold intimate com- 
 munity and converse. The revelations obtained, 
 while in this state of inspiration, related to the 
 origin, nature, connection, and destiny of all things ; 
 and, in particular, to the position, character, and 
 rank of the spirits, or souls of men, in this world, 
 and to their future existence in the world to come. 
 The means resorted to for the purpose of inducing 
 this state of spiritual exaltation, were somewhat 
 different from those employed by the modern Mag- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 107 
 
 netisers ; and they were more akin to the practices 
 of the earlier Christian Ascetics. These were, 
 among the Orientals, strict penance, ascetism, absti- 
 nence from food, the abandonment of all sensual 
 pleasures, and the mortifying of all carnal passions. 
 It was held that, in order to set the soul free from 
 all the fetters of the world, and to prepare it for 
 the pure enjoyment of divine contemplation (the 
 beatific vision), all natural relations, all mundane 
 thoughts, must be renounced ; the tumult of the 
 world abandoned, strict chastity constantly pre- 
 served ; and fasting must be practised, in order to 
 deprive the mortal passions of their earthly nourish- 
 ment. 
 
 According to BERNIER, the Jogues or Jogis were 
 held to be the truly illuminated, and in the most 
 perfect union with God. These Jogues were indi- 
 viduals who had entirely abandoned the world, and 
 withdrawn into absolute solitude. If offered food, 
 they would accept of it ; but if not, they could dis- 
 pense with it. They were believed to exist upon 
 the mercy of God, in a state of fasting and strict 
 self-denial, continually plunged in profound con- 
 templation. They would thus continue for hours 
 absorbed in a state of the deepest ecstacy, deprived 
 of the use of the internal senses, contemplating the 
 Deity as a pure, white, clear, inexpressible light. 
 These ecstatic Seers would also suppress their 
 breath as long as they could, and remain, for a 
 considerable time, motionless, with their eyes fixed 
 on the point of the nose, or some other part of the 
 
108 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 body, in all sorts of weather, in heat or in cold, 
 and in the most extraordinary and unnatural posi- 
 tions, as if grown into the earth. In the reports 
 made by travellers of such occurrences, there may, 
 possibly, be some occasional exaggeration ; but we 
 have no reason to doubt the truth of their concur- 
 rent narratives in all the essential particulars. We 
 may add, too. that the phenomena exhibited by 
 these ascetic fanatics making all due allowance 
 for diversity of habits, constitutional temperament, 
 &c. are precisely similar to those which have been 
 frequently observed to occur, in modern times, 
 according to the experience of the Magnetists, and 
 others, in cases of Somnambulism, ecstacy, cata- 
 lepsy, and apparent death. It is observed by 
 BERNIER, indeed, that the Indian Jogues, in their 
 ecstacies, are, like the magnetic and cataleptic 
 patients, deprived of all sensibility. 
 
 In the Code of Menu, there are various passages 
 in which other means of producing the ecstatic 
 states are mentioned such as the effects of fire, 
 the influence of the sun and moon, sacrifice and 
 music ; as also a beverage which was called the 
 Soma-drink. Soma has been thought to signify 
 the Sun or Lotus plant ; the juice of which was 
 used for the purpose of completing the Jogue. It 
 is said to have the effect of inducing the ecstatic 
 state, in which the votary appears, in spirit, to soar 
 beyond the terrestrial regions, to become united 
 with Brahma, and to acquire universal lucidity 
 (Clairvoyance). According to DECANDOLLE, this 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 109 
 
 Soma-drink is prepared, partly, from the juice of 
 the Asclepias acida, or Cyandium viminale, which 
 constitutes the principal ingredient of the potion. 
 This juice is pungent and intoxicating. In larger 
 doses, it may prove poisonous ; and, in many cases, 
 the nervous system is similarly affected by it as by 
 the use of other narcotics. WINDISCHMANN observes 
 that, in more ancient times, the Soma-drink was 
 taken as a holy act a species of sacrament ; and 
 that, by this means, the soul of the communicant 
 became united with Brahma. It is frequently said, 
 that even PARASHAPATI partook of this juice the 
 essence, as it was called, of all nourishment. In 
 the human sacrifices, the Soma-drink was prepared 
 with magical ceremonies and incantations, by which 
 means the virtues of the inferior and superior worlds 
 were supposed to be incorporated with the potion. 
 Mention is also made of opium, which was likewise 
 calculated to promote the stupifying sleep and 
 ecstatic visions. KAEMPFER mentions that, after 
 having partaken of a preparation of opium, in Per- 
 sia, he fell into an ecstatic state, in which he con- 
 ceived himself to be flying in the air, beyond the 
 clouds, and associating with the inhabitants of the 
 celestial spheres. PROSPER ALPINUS also relates 
 that, among the Egyptians, dreams of paradise, 
 and celestial visions, are produced by the use of 
 opium. 
 
 According to the Code of MENU, the three states 
 of the soul, in this world, are : the waking state, 
 the state of sleep and dreaming, and the ecstatic 
 
110 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 state. The state of waking, in the external, sen- 
 sible world, affords no true knowledge of things. 
 Ignorance and illusion predominate, in consequence 
 of external contemplation, and the influence of the 
 animal passions. This, therefore, is a state of dark- 
 ness. In sleep and dreaming, the solar influence is 
 manifested in phantasms. This state may be com- 
 pared to the twilight. The ecstatic sleep first 
 developes the light of true knowledge ; and the 
 real, internal waking state presents a contemplative 
 vision of objects inaccessible to the ordinary natu- 
 ral sight. The internal eye of the soul is opened, 
 and the sight is no longer sensual and confused ; 
 but there is a clear-seeing (Clairvoyance), an accu- 
 rate seeing, a thorough seeing of the whole magic 
 circle, from the circumference to the centre. This 
 ecstatic sleep, however, has different gradations of 
 internal wakefulness and lucidity. 
 
 Here, then, we have a pretty accurate descrip- 
 tion of the^ Somnambulism of the modern Magnetists, 
 nearly in their own language, from the lower states 
 of Sleep-waking to the higher Clairvoyance. 
 
 According to the narrative in the Upanishad, one 
 of the ancient Indian philosophers gave the follow- 
 ing answer to a question relative to waking and 
 dreaming, and the seat of the ecstatic affection. 
 When the sun sets, his rays retire into the centre, 
 and, in like manner, the different corporeal senses 
 withdraw into the Manas, or great common sense. 
 The individual then sees nothing, hears nothing, 
 tastes and feels nothing, &c. and becomes absolutely 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. Ill 
 
 passionless. Such an individual is Supta asleep. 
 But within the city of Brahma (i. e. in the body of 
 the sleeper) the five Pranas according to COLE- 
 BROOKE, the internal vital breath and enlightening 
 shadows are luminous and active. So long as the 
 doors of the body are still open, and the heart 
 roams about in the external world of sense, there is 
 no essential personality ; for the senses are divided 
 and act separately. But when the latter are with- 
 drawn into the cardiac region, they melt into unity 
 they become one common sense; the individual 
 attains his true personality in the light of these 
 Pranas ; and while the doors of the body are closed, 
 and he is in a state of profound sleep and corporeal 
 insensibility, he becomes internally awake, and 
 enjoys the fruit of the knowledge of Brahma daily, 
 during the continuance of this blessed sleep. He 
 then sees anew, but with different eyes, all that he 
 did in his ordinary waking state ; he sees every 
 thing together, visible or invisible, heard or unheard, 
 known or unknown ; and because Atma (the pure 
 spirit) is itself the originator of all actions, he like- 
 wise performs, in his sleep, all these actions, and 
 re-assumes his original form. In order to attain 
 this elevated point, the senses and desires must be 
 closed up, and, in the interior of the body, this 
 power must enter into the vena portce, and prevent 
 the flow of the bile : for the Manas, at such periods, 
 binds up this vein, which is the passage of corporeal 
 passion, and the sleeper then sees no more phan- 
 tasms, but becomes wholly spirit (Atma), luminous. 
 
112 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 and he sees things, not as they are represented by 
 the senses, but as they really exist in themselves. 
 He acts rationally, and accomplishes everything 
 he undertakes. 
 
 From the foregoing observations, when stript of 
 the mystical phraseology of the Eastern sages with 
 which they are enveloped, it is impossible, we pre- 
 sume, not to recognise a full and distinct knowledge 
 of the phenomena of the ecstatic affection, as well 
 as of its causes. Even from the remark made in 
 regard to the vena portce, and the influence of the 
 biliary secretion, we may infer no shallow views 
 respecting the physiology of this extraordinary 
 state. In their elucidations of this obscure subject, 
 too, the Eastern philosophers ascribed considerable 
 importance to the influence of the sun and moon 
 an influence of which the reality has been recognised 
 in modern times, and demonstrated by a variety of 
 striking and authentic facts.* 
 
 The faculty of divination, occasionally manifested 
 by individuals in the states above described, was a 
 phenomenon well known to these Eastern sages. 
 They were also aware, as are the modern Magnet- 
 
 * English writers, in general, seem to be sadly puzzled 
 with the Indian philosophy, which they appear to regard 
 altogether as a mere tissue of fantastic chimeras. The dis- 
 covery of the magnetic Somnambulism and Ecstacy, how- 
 ever, in recent times, affords us the means of explaining many 
 things which had been previously obscure and unintelligible. 
 My ingenious friend, Dr BRAID of Manchester, has published 
 some papers upon this curious and interesting subject in the 
 Medical Times, which are well worthy of a careful perusal. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 113 
 
 ists, that all of these ecstatic visions and prophetic 
 indications were not exactly consistent with truth, 
 or verified by the event ; but that, on the contrary, 
 they were, occasionally, delusive. But they also 
 knew that this latter circumstance depended upon 
 the more or less perfect development of the pecu- 
 liar affection upon the greater or less freedom of 
 the spiritual faculties from the control of the corpo- 
 real organs. Even the apparently vicarious trans- 
 ference of the senses e. g. vision through the 
 medium of the epigastrium, or cardiac region and 
 the insensibility of the body to external impressions 
 appear to have been as well known to these 
 Indian philosophers as to our modern Magnetists. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A VERY eminent German physician and philoso- 
 pher, Dr PASSAVANT of Frankfort, in his valuable 
 work on Vital Magnetism* justly observes, that it 
 is impossible to comprehend the writings of the early 
 Eastern philosophers without a competent knowledge 
 of the ecstatic affections, and their several varieties 
 and gradations. Their philosophy essentially con- 
 sisted in a continual reference to the phenomena of 
 
 * Untersuchungen uber den Lebensmagnetismus und das 
 Hellseken ; von Dr J. C. PASSAVANT. Zweyte Auflage. 
 Frankf. am Main. 1837. 
 
 VOL. i. K 
 
114 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 the ecstatic clairvoyance. Hence, their doctrines 
 appear to many students, unacquainted with this 
 particular branch of philosophy, and with the curious 
 discoveries of the modern Magnetists, to be alto- 
 gether mystical, fantastic, and unintelligible. But 
 the experimental researches of the Magnetists, in 
 our own times, have enabled those who have studied 
 the subject of Animal Magnetism to understand the 
 language, and to appreciate the doctrines, of the 
 Oriental philosophers. The Indian or Brahminical 
 philosophy, too, is intimately interwoven with the 
 Eastern theology and mythology, and he who would 
 comprehend the former must necessarily devote 
 himself to the study of the latter. Here, too, as in 
 other sciences, we must overlook the symbolical and 
 mystical character of the language in which the 
 peculiar doctrines and speculations are embodied ; 
 and also endeavour to acquire an adequate know- 
 ledge of the particular facts upon which their doc- 
 trines and speculations are founded. 
 
 The religion and philosophy of the ancient Hin- 
 doos became the special inheritance of a particular 
 caste, or sect the Brahmins. By the most learned 
 and accomplished individuals of that sacred body 
 they have been transmitted downwards, from age 
 to age, mingled, probably, with many of those natu- 
 ral and inevitable corruptions, with which the lapse 
 of time generally disfigures all ancient dogmas, and 
 renders them, in their literal acceptation, more or 
 less unintelligible to the modern scholar. The 
 substance of these dogmas, however, has been 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, c. 115 
 
 carefully preserved by the sacred order to whose 
 trust they were committed ; and some of the more 
 curious phenomena, upon which the doctrines them- 
 selves seem to have heen originally founded Clair- 
 voyance and Prophecy would appear to have been 
 manifested and witnessed, among the Indian Brah- 
 mins, down to a late period. Of this fact we shall 
 take the liberty of adducing two very remarkable 
 instances, which occurred at different periods of 
 time, and which are both related upon perfectly 
 credible authority. 
 
 The first of these instances will be found in the 
 common histories of British India ; the second rests 
 upon the narrative of an English gentleman in 
 official station and of high respectability. 
 
 Among the scientific residents at Ghizni, during 
 the reign of Mahmoud, was ABU RIHAN, sent by 
 Almamor from Bagdad, where he was venerated 
 almost as the rival of AVICENNA. Besides metaphy- 
 sics and dialectics, he studied and appears to have 
 drawn his chief lustre from his attainments in what 
 is now called the magical art. Of this D'HERBELOT 
 relates a remarkable instance. One day Mahmoud 
 sent for him, and ordered him to deposit with a 
 third person a statement of the precise manner 
 and place in which the monarch would quit the 
 hall where he then sat. The paper being lodged, 
 the king, instead of going out by one of the numer- 
 ous doors, caused a breach to be made in the wall, 
 by which he effected his exit; but how was he 
 humbled and amazed, when, on the paper being 
 
116 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 examined, there was found a specification of the 
 precise spot through which he penetrated ! Here- 
 upon, the prince, with horror, denounced this 
 learned man as a sorcerer, and commanded him to 
 be instantly thrown out of the window. The bar- 
 barous sentence was presently executed, but care 
 had been taken to prepare beneath a soft and 
 silken cushion, upon which the body of the sage 
 sunk without sustaining any injury. ABU RIHAN 
 was then called before the monarch, and requested 
 to say, whether, by his boasted art, he had been 
 able to foresee these events, and the treatment 
 through which he had that day passed. The 
 learned man immediately desired his tablets to be 
 sent for, in which were found, regularly predicted, 
 the whole of the above singular transactions.* 
 The second instance of Brahminical Clairvoy- 
 
 * Another story of a similar description has been related 
 by some of the magnetic authors. A certain conjuror had 
 the reputation of possessing the faculty of reading the con- 
 tents of closed letters. Having been called into the presence * 
 of a prince, he was asked whether he would undertake to 
 inform him of the contents of a dispatch which he had just 
 received by a courier. The answer was : " Yes to-mor- 
 row morning." The dispatch remained all night sealed in 
 the cabinet of the prince, and, on the folio wing morning, the 
 conjuror appeared before him, and gave him correctly the 
 contents of the letter. Astonished at this wonderful occur- 
 rence, the prince requested an explanation of the matter, 
 which the conjuror gave him in the following terms : Upon 
 going to bed, he excited in himself a strong desire to read 
 the letter ; he then fell asleep, and in a dream he learnt the 
 contents ; he appeared to be in the cabinet of the prince, 
 and read the letter. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 117 
 
 ance, to which we now propose to direct the atten- 
 tion of our readers, is of a more modern date, and 
 of more unquestionable authenticity. We have ex- 
 tracted it from the Oriental Memoirs of Mr JAMES 
 FORBES, a gentleman who held distinguished and 
 honourable situations, under the British government 
 in India. The narrative is all the more trust- 
 worthy, because the circumstances occurred within 
 the personal knowledge of the narrator, and were 
 not merely related from hearsay. The narrative is 
 rather long, but it is exceedingly interesting and 
 apposite ; and its perfect authenticity, we presume, 
 will not be disputed. We shall relate the occur- 
 rences in question in Mr Forbes's own language. 
 
 " On my arrival at Bombay, in 1766, Mr Crom- 
 melin, the governor of that settlement, was under 
 orders to relinquish his situation at the beginning 
 of the following year, and then to return to Eng- 
 land. Mr Spencer, the second in Council, was 
 appointed his successor in the Bombay govern- 
 ment. The affairs of a distant settlement, espe- 
 cially after the lapse of many years, must be unin- 
 teresting ; but, in the present instance, it is neces- 
 sary briefly to mention them. 
 
 " I arrived in India during a profound peace : 
 there were then neither King's ships nor troops in 
 that part of the world. Overland dispatches were 
 not common, and a packet by sea seldom arrived. 
 Bombay had very little communication with Eng- 
 land, except on the arrival of the Indiamen in 
 August and September, a period expected with no 
 
118 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 small anxiety. Such being the general situation 
 and character of that settlement, I found it on my 
 arrival, in 1766, peculiarly agitated. Society was 
 divided into three parties : one who paid their 
 court to Mr Spencer, the rising sun ; another grate- 
 fully adhered to Mr Crommelin ; the third affec- 
 tionately devoted to the interest of Mr Hodges, 
 whom they deemed an injured character, deprived 
 of his just rights as successor to the government. 
 
 " Mr Crommelin went out a writer to Bombay, in 
 1732 ; Mr Hodges, in 1737 ; Mr Spencer, in 1741. 
 At that time, supercessions in the Company's employ 
 were little known ; faithful service and a fair cha- 
 racter, if life was spared, generally met with reward. 
 I shall not enter upon the political or commercial 
 system of India at that period. Previous to Lord 
 Clive being appointed governor of Bengal, in 1764, 
 Mr Spencer had been removed from Bombay to 
 Calcutta, and for some time acted as provincial of 
 Bengal ; ten years before the appointment of a 
 governor-general and supreme council in India, 
 when the four presidencies were entirely indepen- 
 dent of each other. On Lord dive's nomination to 
 the government of Bengal, Mr Spencer was appoint- 
 ed by the Court of Directors to return to Bombay, 
 with the rank of second in council, and an order to 
 succeed Mr Crommelin in the government of that 
 settlement in the month of January 1767. This 
 supercession and appointment was deemed an act of 
 injustice by the Company's civil servants in general 
 on that establishment, and a peculiar injury by Mr 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 119 
 
 Hodges, in particular, who was then chief of Surat, 
 second in council, and next in regular succession to 
 the government of Bombay, which he looked upon 
 as his right, being senior to Mr Spencer by four 
 years. Indignant at Mr Spencer's supercession, 
 and chagrined by his disappointment in the govern- 
 ment of Bombay, Mr Hodges addressed a spirited 
 letter from Surat to the governor and council, com- 
 plaining of injustice in the Court of Directors, with 
 whom, as an individual, he was not permitted to 
 correspond. This, therefore, was the only regular 
 channel by which he could communicate his senti- 
 ments, and seek redress. The governor and council 
 of Bombay deeming his letter improper, and disre- 
 spectful to his employers, ordered him to reconsider 
 it, and make a suitable apology ; which not being 
 complied with, he was removed from his honourable 
 and lucrative situation as chief of Surat, sent down 
 to Bombay, and suspended the Company's service. 
 Thither he accordingly repaired to settle his private 
 affairs, and afterwards to proceed to Europe. The 
 government of Bombay sent a dispatch to the Court 
 of Directors by the way of Bussorah and Aleppo, 
 informing him of their proceedings. 
 
 " After this necessary preamble, I can with more 
 propriety introduce the Brahmin who occasioned 
 the digression, and with whom Mr Hodges became 
 acquainted during his minority in the Company's 
 service. This extraordinary character was then a 
 young man, little known to the English, but of great 
 celebrity among the Hindoos, and every description 
 
120 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 of natives, in the western part of the peninsula. I 
 believe Mr Hodges first saw him at Cambay, where 
 he was appointed resident soon after the expiration 
 of his writership. The Brahmin expressed an affec- 
 tionate regard towards him, and as far as the dis- 
 tinction of religion and caste allowed, the friendship 
 became mutual and disinterested. The Brahmin 
 was always justly considered as a very moral, and 
 pious character ; Mr Hodges was equally well dis- 
 posed : his Hindoo friend encouraged him to proceed 
 in that virtuous path which would lead him to wealth 
 and honour in this world, and finally conduct him to 
 eternal happiness. To enforce these precepts, he 
 assured him he would gradually rise from the sta- 
 tion he then held at Cambay to other residencies, 
 and inferior chief ships in the Company's service ; 
 that he would then succeed to the higher appoint- 
 ment of chief at Tellicherry and Surat, and would 
 close his Indian career by being governor of Bom- 
 bay. Mr Hodges not having been enjoined secrecy, 
 spoke of these Brahminical predictions among his 
 associates and friends from their very first commu- 
 nication ; and their author was very generally called 
 Mr Hodge's Brahmin. These predictions, for some 
 years, made but little impression on his mind. 
 Afterwards, as he successively ascended the grada- 
 tions in the Company's service, he placed more 
 confidence in his Brahmin, especially when he 
 approached near the pinnacle of his ambition, and 
 found himself chief of Surat, the next situation in 
 wealth and honour to the government of Bombay. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, c. 121 
 
 " When, therefore, Mr Spencer was appointed 
 governor of that settlement, and Mr Hodges dismiss- 
 ed from the chiefship of Surat, and suspended the 
 service, he sent for his Brahmin, who was then at 
 Pulparra, a sacred village on the banks of the 
 Tappee, on a religious visit. Mr Hodges received 
 him at the chiefs garden-house, where he was sit- 
 ting in the front veranda. He immediately commu- 
 nicated to him the events which had lately taken 
 place, to the disappointment of all his hopes and 
 future expectations ; and that he was on the eve of 
 his departure to Bombay, and from thence to Eng- 
 land. It is said that Mr Hodges slightly reproached 
 him for a pretended prescience, and for having 
 deceived him by false promises. The Brahmin, 
 with an unaltered countenance, as is usual with his 
 tribe on all such occasions, coolly replied : ' You 
 see this veranda, and the apartment to which it leads. 
 Mr Spencer has reached the portico, but he will not 
 enter the house. Notwithstanding all appearances 
 to the contrary, you will attain all the honours I 
 foretold, and fill the high situations to which he has 
 been appointed. A dark cloud is before him ! ' " 
 
 Mr Forbes then observes, that this singular pro- 
 phecy became known at Surat and Bombay, but 
 Mr Hodges himself placed so little confidence in it, 
 that he made preparations for his return to Europe. 
 In the meantime, the dispatches had been received 
 from Bombay, and the answer followed with unusual 
 celerity. The Court of Directors disapproved of 
 Mr Spencer's conduct as governor of Bengal, can- 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
122 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 celled his nomination to the government of Bombay, 
 dismissed him from the Company's service, and Mr 
 Hodges was appointed governor. 
 
 From that period, the Brahmin exercised the 
 greatest influence over the mind of the new gover- 
 nor, who took no important step without consulting 
 him. It is a circumstance deserving of notice, that 
 the former never promised his friend anything 
 beyond the government of Bombay, and never fore- 
 told his return to his native country ; but that he 
 drew a mysterious veil over a period corresponding 
 with our year 1771. Mr Hodges died suddenly on 
 the night of the 22d of February, in that year. 
 
 Mr Forbes relates a second instance of the pro- 
 phetic powers of this Brahmin, in the case of a 
 widow lady who was mourning for the fate of her 
 son. This prophecy was exactly fulfilled. 
 
 The following is an abridgement of a third story 
 of a similar description. 
 
 Some months before the departure of Mr Forbes 
 from India, a gentleman who had been appointed to 
 a considerable situation at Surat, landed at Bombay, 
 along with his lady. Both were still young, and 
 they had an only child. The gentleman left his 
 wife with a friend, and repaired to Surat, in order 
 to arrange his domestic concerns. His wife was to 
 follow him in the course of a short time. On the 
 evening previous to the day when she was to em- 
 bark for Surat, her landlord had a large party, 
 among which was our Brahmin. The latter was 
 presented to the company, and requested, as a joke, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 123 
 
 to foretell the fortune of the young couple who had 
 just arrived from Europe. To tho astonishment of 
 the whole company, and especially of the lady her- 
 self, the Brahmin threw a compassionate glance upon 
 her, and, after a solemn pause, said to the landlord, 
 in the Indian language : " Her cup of happiness is full, 
 but it will speedily be exhausted ! a bitter draught 
 awaits her, and she must be prepared for it ! " Her 
 husband had written that he should come in a barge 
 to Surat bar to accompany her ashore. However, 
 he did not make his appearance ; but in his stead 
 there came a friend who informed the lady that her 
 husband lay dangerously ill. When she arrived, he 
 was in a violent fit of fever, and died in her arms. 
 On his return to Europe, Mr Forbes was on board 
 the same ship with the widow, and the anniversary 
 of her husband's death occurred during the voyage.* 
 We shall presently have occasion to refer, more 
 at large, to a variety of similar instances of the 
 development of the spirit of prescience, prevision, 
 or presentiment of future events, more particularly 
 when we come to speak of the faculty or gift of 
 Second Sight and relative phenomena. In the mean- 
 time, we may observe, that all the arts and practices 
 which prevail among the modern Magnetists, appear 
 to have been familiar to the Hindoos, and to have 
 been exercised among them from the earliest period 
 of their history. ORIGEN (contra CELSUM) relates 
 that the Indian Brahmins also performed great 
 
 * See Oriental Memoirs ; by JAMES FORBES. 
 
124 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 miracles by the aid of certain words ; and PHILOS- 
 TRATUS mentions that these Brahmins carried about 
 with them a staff and a ring, by means of which they 
 were enabled to accomplish many wonderful things. 
 The Indian philosophers, too, appear to have been 
 well acquainted with the processes of magnetic mani- 
 pulation ; for we find it frequently mentioned, or 
 alluded to, in their writings. The Jesuit Mission- 
 aries, indeed, would appear to have learned this 
 practice from the Brahmins. 
 
 The same magical or Magnetic knowledge seems 
 also to have been diffused, to a certain extent, among 
 the Chinese, and that, too, from a remote period. 
 KIRCHER, and other early travellers and residents 
 among this ancient people, inform us that, from the 
 most remote times, diseases were cured, in China, by 
 means of manipulation, breathing, and other simple 
 processes. Similar practices appear to have been in 
 use among the Chaldeans, the Medes, Persians, and 
 Babylonians indeed, throughout the whole of the 
 ancient Eastern world. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IN following out the history of MAGIC among 
 the early inhabitants of the world, it becomes 
 necessary to devote some of our attention to their 
 religious opinions, doctrines, and observances, which 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 125 
 
 are intimately connected with their philosophical 
 tenets, and even with their therapeutic science. 
 
 The Dualism of ZOROASTER became incorporated, 
 in different forms, with the ancient theological and 
 metaphysical dogmas of the Hindoos, the Chaldeans, 
 the Egyptians, and the Israelites. According to 
 PLUTARCH, the Chaldeans assumed two good and 
 two bad deities, and their attendant spirits. The 
 Indian Dualism was of a milder character than that 
 of the Parsi ; but their Daemons and Genii their 
 good and evil spirits were no less numerous than 
 those of the Chaldeans and Babylonians ; as is evi- 
 dent from their theosophistic systems, their poetical 
 productions, and mythological traditions. From 
 Babylon, the Jews, after their captivity, appear to 
 have brought back to Canaan the Eastern Magic, 
 Theurgy, and Daemonology, which afterwards be- 
 came essentially, but only partially, incorporated 
 with Christianity ; although, in the New Testament 
 Scriptures (John iii. 8) we are told that one of the 
 chief objects of the mission of JESUS CHRIST upon 
 earth was to destroy the empire of Satan and the 
 Daemons, to annihilate the doctrine of Devils, and to 
 restore the undivided empire of the one supreme 
 GOD. We shall see, by-and-bye, how the writings 
 of the Alexandrian Jews, and the diffusion of Chris- 
 tianity, subsequently contributed, indirectly, to re- 
 vive, and even to extend the previous Oriental belief, 
 and to modify the doctrine of MAGIC. 
 
 Even the tradition of the Serpent appears to have 
 originated among the Orientals, and not, as has been 
 
126 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 generally supposed, from the Mosaic history of the 
 creation and fall of man. It is to be found, we 
 believe, in almost all the ancient mythologies. The 
 serpent was the symbol of Ahrimanes, the evil 
 Deity, and, as such, it is introduced in the Zoroastic 
 theology ; and even the original evil was beh'eved to 
 have been brought down from heaven to earth in 
 the form of a serpent. 
 
 All of these theosophistic and demoniacal notions 
 lay at the foundation of the ancient MAGIC, or sacred 
 science, and ought to be carefully separated from 
 the facts it embraces. For these ancient theosophists 
 also studied, and affected to practise the pretended 
 art of holding converse with Spirits, and of render- 
 ing them propitious and subservient to their own 
 wishes and designs. The artificial means employed 
 for the purpose of accomplishing this object, were, 
 amongst others, the use of certain narcotic substan- 
 ces, such as opium, the juice of hempseed, stramo- 
 nium, henbane, &c. in certain doses ; and these 
 means, it is believed, have been preserved to the 
 present day among the Persians, Arabians, Turks, 
 and, generally, throughout the Moslem tribes. 
 The phenomena produced by these means are, in 
 many respects, similar to those which are frequently 
 the result of the magnetic processes, although infi- 
 nitely less innocuous, and, in most cases, highly 
 injurious to the corporeal and mental powers.* 
 
 * There is nothing new under the snn. In recent times, 
 the medical profession have very generally adopted the prac- 
 tice, in certain cases, of causing their patients to inhale the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 127 
 
 Among the Persians, as in other countries, the 
 Magiuse (Magicians, Magi,) presided over the 
 sacerdotal office, and MAGIC, as we formerly ob- 
 served, thus became combined with religious wor- 
 ship. PLATO, in his Alcibiades, informs us that the 
 " Kings of Persia learn MAGIC, which is a worship 
 of the gods." MAGIC, therefore, in those ancient 
 times, had reference to every thing which was sup- 
 posed to relate to human and divine science to 
 medicine and to philosophy, as well as to religious 
 worship. 
 
 The visionary and ecstatic states, to which we 
 have already referred, are frequently observed, in 
 a peculiarly modified form, among the present inha- 
 bitants of certain parts of Asia as, for instance, 
 among the Siberian Shamans, the Arabian Dervises, 
 the Samoiedes, and the Laplanders, as well as 
 among the Hindoos. A species of Somnambulism, 
 we are told, is by no means uncommon amongst all 
 of these tribes, occasioned either by constitutional 
 irritability and a certain natural predisposition, by 
 particular motions and turnings of the body, or, less 
 frequently, by the use of narcotic substances. With 
 such dispositions, aggravated by frequent habit and 
 a peculiar mode of living, most of them require 
 
 vapour of poisonous substances such as the ether of sul- 
 phuric acid, Chloroform, &c. in order to suspend pain dur- 
 ing the performance of certain surgical operations. To this 
 coarse method they appear to have been driven by the signal 
 success of the more innocuous Mesmeric practice in similar 
 cases. See, in particular, DR ESDAILE'S account of his mag- 
 netic practice in India. 
 
1 28 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 nothing more than violent screaming, or other 
 noises dancing, drumming, turning rapidly round 
 in a circle, &c. to induce syncope and cataleptic 
 rigidity. The Siberian Shamans, according to 
 GEORGI, also make use of narcotics and stimulants 
 to produce visions, in which they see ghosts, and 
 converse with them, and also receive from them 
 revelations of future and distant occurrences, They 
 likewise see all kinds of particular animals and 
 places, and even the souls of the dead, to whom they 
 elevate themselves from their bodies into the air, 
 up to the seat of the gods. HOGSTROM relates 
 of the Laplanders, in particular, that they fre- 
 quently exhibit such a degree of excitability as 
 to manifest the most extraordinary phenomena. 
 When any person opens his mouth, or draws it 
 together, or points to some object with his finger, 
 or dances, or performs any other gesticulation, 
 there are many who imitate all the motions they 
 perceive ; and, when the fit is over, they inquire 
 whether they have done any thing improper 
 being themselves ignorant of what they have done. 
 These Laplanders are said to be so highly excitable, 
 that, by the slightest unexpected noise, or by the 
 most insignificant unforeseen occurrence, they are 
 frequently thrown into convulsions, In church, if 
 the clergyman gesticulates too vehemently, or speaks 
 too loud, they often fall into syncope ; others spring 
 up, in a furious manner, run out of church, over- 
 turn every thing that stands in their way, strike 
 with their fists all persons whom they meet, and, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 129 
 
 in short, conduct themselves, in all respects, like 
 insane persons.* 
 
 PALLAS, in his Russian Travels, gives a similar 
 description of other Northern Asiatic tribes. He 
 represents them as so exceedingly excitable, that the 
 slightest circumstance gives a shock to their whole 
 organism, produces a commotion in their imagina- 
 tive faculties, and puts them beside themselves. It 
 is remarkable that a single individual, thus affected, 
 frequently communicates the infection to those in 
 his immediate neighbourhood ; the contagion thus 
 becomes diffused ; so that entire districts and tribes 
 are, occasionally, thrown into a state of terror and 
 disorder. The same traveller relates, that young 
 females are sometimes so susceptible of this infec- 
 tion, that, when one happens to be attacked, a 
 number of others are sympathetically affected at 
 the same time. The paroxysm, in general, only 
 lasts a few hours, and sometimes recurs, without 
 any certain regularity, weekly, monthly, &c. These 
 
 * These phenomena are precisely analogous to the symp- 
 toms which occurred, at no very remote period, among the 
 Methodists, Revivalists, and other religious sectaries of 
 various denominations and descriptions, in this country, on 
 the continent of Europe, and in America ; as we shall pro- 
 bably have occasion to show, more particularly, hereafter. 
 They were generally called the work of God: They might, 
 with as much propriety, have been denominated the work 
 of the Devil. In fact, they were produced entirely by natu- 
 ral causes acting upon weak minds and susceptible consti- 
 tutions. These fantastic exhibitions, it is believed, have 
 now been completely and very properly abandoned, never, 
 we trust, to be renewed. 
 
130 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &.c. 
 
 states, along with all tlieir sympathetic phenomena, 
 have been also described by GEORGI, as occurring 
 among all the Mogul and Tartar tribes. And we 
 may here remark, that similar phenomena have 
 been frequently observed to occur in the artificial 
 paroxysm, induced by the Mesmeric processes; 
 but in this last case, they are capable of being 
 controlled and regulated by skilful and judicious 
 management. 
 
 A very curious account of the magical proceed- 
 ings of a Tungusan Shaman will be found in a 
 letter of M. DE MATJUSCHKIN, a companion of 
 BARON WRANGEL in his expedition to the North 
 Pole, to a friend in St Peter sburgh, in the year 
 1820, which was published in the Morgenblatt, ISTo. 
 294, and inserted in HORST'S Deuteroscopie, and also 
 in FISCHER'S Somnambulism. In the course of the 
 proceedings in the case referred to, according to the 
 narrative of M. DE MATJUSCHKIN, the phenomena 
 of the cataleptic insensibility, as well as of Clairvoy- 
 ance, were most distinctly developed, although the 
 means of exciting them appear to have been of a 
 very rude description. SCHUBERT, in his Oriental 
 Travels, describes similar phenomena, as occurring 
 among the Eastern Dervises. Such phenomena, 
 indeed, are not confined to any particular time, or 
 to any particular country. 
 
 Instead of dwelling, at present, however, upon 
 any merely individual instances of the various 
 modes of the development of these magical or mag- 
 netic states, it will probably be considered more 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 131 
 
 methodical, more appropriate, and certainly more 
 useful and instructive, to endeavour to trace the 
 history of these remarkable occurrences, and of the 
 ideas suggested by them, among the several nations 
 of antiquity, before we proceed to commemorate 
 their more recent manifestation. Such an inquiry 
 may probably tend to dissipate many doubts in 
 regard to their authenticity, by exposing the uni- 
 versality of the facts, under the various forms in 
 which they have been occasionally developed. With 
 this view, therefore, we shall now proceed to pre- 
 sent our readers with a succinct account of all that 
 appertains to this interesting subject, in so far as 
 we are able to gather up the scattered fragments in 
 the most ancient annals of human learning and cul- 
 tivation, among the Egyptians, the Israelites, the 
 Greeks, and the Romans. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ANCIENT Egypt, if not the actual birthplace of 
 MAGIC, may, perhaps, be justly regarded as the 
 primitive land, the cradle of Animal Magnetism 
 the region in which, so far as our knowledge ex- 
 tends, that art, or science, was first practically and 
 extensively cultivated. If we may be permitted to 
 infer from the remains of numerous monumental 
 records, as well as from the entire history of this 
 
132 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 remarkable people, it would appear that the Egyp- 
 tian priests were well acquainted with the Zoo- 
 magnetic phenomena, and with some, at least, of 
 the various methods of exciting them artificially, 
 both in their religious ceremonies, and for the pur- 
 pose of curing diseases ; and that they most assidu- 
 ously cultivated this mystery in their sacred edifices, 
 and, at the same time, jealously concealed the prac- 
 tice from the profane eyes of the vulgar. 
 
 In the most ancient period of Egyptian history, 
 we find medicine, theology, and religious worship 
 combined in the profession of the priesthood ; the 
 first, indeed, to such a degree, that it appears to 
 have occupied as much, if not more of their atten- 
 tion, than the latter. For, in Egypt, we find the 
 first regular practice of therapeutics incorporated, 
 as it were, during thousands of years, with their 
 religious ceremonies and observances. In the treat- 
 ment of the sick, they appear to have carefully 
 watched what they conceived to be the annuncia- 
 tions of their deities ; and, for this purpose, their 
 patients themselves were artificially prepared to 
 receive and declare them. The methods employed, 
 upon these occasions, have been distinctly noticed 
 by DIODORUS SICULUS (L. i.). " The Egyptians," 
 says this author, " assert that Isis is of great ser- 
 vice to them in medicine, by discovering therapeutic 
 means ; and that, having herself become immortal, 
 she takes great pleasure in the religious worship of 
 mankind, and is especially concerned about their 
 health ; that she comes to their aid in dreams, and 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 133 
 
 thus reveals the whole benevolence of her character. 
 This is proved, not by mere fables, as among the 
 Greeks, but by certain authentic facts. Indeed, all 
 the nations of the earth bear witness to the power 
 of this goddess, in relation to the cure of diseases, 
 by their devotion and their gratitude. To those 
 who are afflicted she points out, in dreams, the 
 remedies appropriate to their respective diseases ; 
 and the efficacy of her prescriptions, contrary to all 
 expectation, has cured patients who had been given 
 up by the regular physicians." STRABO (Lib. xvii.) 
 makes similar observations in regard to the Temple 
 of SERAPIS ; and GALEN (Lib. v., De Med. Sect. 
 Genes.) gives the like account of a temple near 
 Memphis, called Hephaestium. 
 
 Among no other people of high antiquity, indeed, 
 do we find such precise, and, apparently, authentic 
 accounts of a regular and systematic treatment of 
 the sick in the temples, as among the Egyptians. 
 Their priests evidently appear to have perfectly 
 comprehended the method of exciting that internal 
 sanative instinct in the human organism, which, in 
 general, is a profound mystery even to the indi- 
 vidual himself who excites it into operation, and 
 which was, therefore naturally enough, perhaps, 
 in those remote ages represented as an immediate 
 gift of the gods. Nowhere was this internal faculty 
 so generally cultivated, for the cure of the sick, as, 
 also, for other affairs of life, as in ancient Egypt ; 
 although the whole proceedings, in these cases, were 
 carefully enveloped in mystery, and concealed from 
 
134 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &o. 
 
 the scrutinising eyes of the vulgar and the profane. 
 Hence the ancient mysteries and oracles, which have 
 aiforded so much scope for learned discussion, and 
 even for misrepresentation and ignorant ridicule, in 
 modern times; and which cannot be thoroughly 
 comprehended without an intimate knowledge of 
 the entire system from which they derived their 
 origin, as well as a correct appreciation of the 
 means employed, and of the nature of the pheno- 
 mena which were frequently manifested.* 
 
 The primitive records of almost all the most 
 ancient nations of the world commence with tradi- 
 tionary accounts of a primaeval state of ignorance 
 and happiness, in which mankind lived in perfect 
 harmony with all nature, and enjoyed a familiar 
 intercourse and converse with spiritual and divine 
 beings. Aurea prima sola est cetas. In this blessed 
 state, neither space nor time existed for man the 
 
 * The author is not a Free-mason ; but, although ignor- 
 ant of the precise objects of the institution, he has long been 
 of opinion that the origin of this ancient craft might be 
 traced up to the Egyptian mysteries ; although the original 
 objects of such an association, or brotherhood, may have, 
 for a long time, been lost sight of. The association of the 
 fraternity, he believes to have been always humane, and 
 probably, in some respects beneficial ; and the accusations 
 occasionally brought against their views and objects appear 
 to have originated in malice or misconception. The author 
 is not aware whether, in the records of the craft, any dis- 
 tinct and authentic traces of its origin have been preserved. 
 Were they to study these lucubrations of ours, they might, 
 perhaps, be led to adopt more precise notions in regard to 
 the origin of the institution, and, also, find themselves 
 better prepared to harmonize in light. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 135 
 
 past and the future were as one present ; and 
 objects, now considered distant, were in his imme- 
 diate neighbourhood. His soul was pure, and un- 
 corrupted by the transient passions and pleasures 
 or pains of the mental or corporeal frame. Disease 
 and death were unknown : Nothing, in short, could 
 occur to disturb the equable tenor of his perfect 
 serenity and continued happiness. One common 
 and general instinct enabled him to see and hear, 
 and to exercise all the faculties of sense. In short, 
 he was created after the image of God. 
 
 In process of time, however, and in consequence 
 of some transgression of the laws of his Creator, man 
 is said to have forfeited this blessed state of innocence 
 and simplicity sin and misery, disease and death, 
 entered into the world ; and the relations of the 
 human race towards external nature, as well as in 
 reference to the Author of his being, underwent a 
 complete and a melancholy change. The Mosaic 
 account of the creation and fall of man alludes to 
 this original state of the species, in delineating the 
 primitive paradise ; and the memory of it is pre- 
 served in one form or another, in the traditional 
 myths of almost every people upon earth. The 
 Golden Age has been celebrated by the poets even 
 of the Pagan world. 
 
 After the fall from this original condition of 
 purity and happiness, the earth itself was cursed ; 
 man was doomed to labour for his daily subsistence, 
 and subjected to the fearful penalties of sin, disease, 
 and death. Deprived of that blessed intercourse. 
 
136 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 which he had been previously privileged to enjoy 
 with heaven, he was now thrown entirely upon his 
 own natural resources. His original undisturbed 
 
 O 
 
 health and inborn Clairvoyance had passed away 
 from him ; and he found himself compelled to resort 
 to artificial means, for the purpose of restoring the 
 one, and of re-awakening the other. In order to 
 attain these objects, he voluntarily withdrew him- 
 self from the tumult of the world, mortified his 
 earthly passions, and endeavoured to restore the 
 lost intercourse with the spiritual world, and with 
 the Deity, by exciting in himself that primitive in- 
 ternal instinct, which had been obscured, but not 
 entirely obliterated within his bosom. Sometimes, 
 too, in his happier moments, he would experience a 
 feeble manifestation of that inward, inborn light, in 
 sickness and on the approach of death like a 
 phosphoric glimmering from decayed matter. 
 Such dispositions and feelings probably gave rise 
 to the ancient oracles and mysteries to the early 
 admixture of religious worship, medicine, and 
 divination. 
 
 A foresight, or presentiment, of the future, as we 
 have already had occasion to observe, is by no 
 means so strange and unnatural a faculty, as many 
 have been induced to suppose. History, indeed, 
 abounds in instances of the manifestation of such 
 instinctive forebodings, which cannot be redargued 
 by reason, nor confuted by scepticism. Philosophy 
 does not altogether repudiate the belief of the fact ; 
 and there are, probably, few individuals who have 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 137 
 
 not, at one period or another, experienced some 
 indications of the existence of such a faculty within 
 them. We shall have an opportunity of referring 
 to some striking and authentic instances of the mani- 
 festation of this instinctive power in the sequel. In 
 the meantime, we think it proper to observe, that 
 this faculty may be of a morbid and false, as well 
 as of a healthy and truthful character ; and it 
 becomes necessary, therefore, to endeavour to dis- 
 tinguish the phantasms of a diseased imagination 
 from the suggestions of a sane instinct. Some of 
 the phenomena recorded in the history of the ancient 
 oracles are precisely of a similar character to those 
 which have occasionally presented themselves in the 
 Somnambulistic affections of modern times. 
 
 Strangers always found great difficulty in obtain- 
 ing admission to the Egyptian mysteries ; a circum- 
 stance which can be easily accounted for by the 
 modern Magnetists, who, for similar reasons 
 although their practice is no longer mysterious 
 are equally averse to the promiscuous intrusion of 
 vulgarly inquisitive visitors. The first among the 
 Greeks who appear to have triumphed over these 
 difficulties, are said to have been ORPHEUS, THALES, 
 and PYTHAGORAS ; of whom the philosopher last 
 mentioned is believed to have acquired the largest 
 insight into the secrets of the priesthood. More- 
 over, as we have already had occasion to remark, 
 the ancient priests were regarded with universal 
 reverence, and enjoyed a respect, a dignity, and an 
 influence, equal, if not superior, to that which was 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
138 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 conferred upon the kings and princes of the land. 
 They observed a strict regimen ; and personal 
 cleanliness was deemed a primary requisite in the 
 exercise of their sacred vocation. They devoted 
 themselves, also, to the study of medicine, and the 
 practice of the healing art. Their mode of treat- 
 ment, indeed, appears to have been exceedingly 
 simple and consonant to nature consisting, princi- 
 pally, of a few general processes and dietetic obser- 
 vances. They did not possess that immense quan- 
 tity of liquid and solid remedies those salts, earths, 
 gases, vegetable and mineral poisons, &c. which 
 swell our pharmacopoeias, and are so plentifully 
 exhibited by the empirical practitioners of physic in 
 modern times. Yet, according to all accounts, their 
 practical methods were eminently successful. Their 
 treatment appears to have consisted, principally, of 
 bathing, anointing, manipulations, fumigations, &c. 
 By these means, combined with exercise and fast- 
 ing, the patients were prepared, in the temples, 
 for those divinatory dreams for which the oracles 
 became so famous. The officiating priests superin- 
 tended these prophetic manifestations in their sleep- 
 ing patients, and, upon their awaking, suggested 
 the remedial means prognosticated during the divi- 
 natory sleep, and the probable issue of the particu- 
 lar case ; a circumstance which led to the erroneous 
 belief that the priests were themselves the prophets. 
 It is extremely probable, indeed, if not absolutely 
 certain, that in most, if not in all cases, these prog- 
 nostications proceeded from the patients themselves 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 139 
 
 as in the case of the modern magnetic Somnam- 
 bulists who, in their waking state, forgetting every 
 thing that had occurred during their sleep, allowed 
 themselves to be persuaded that these suggestions 
 were made by the priests, in consequence of the 
 peculiar favour of heaven. It would also appear 
 that, as in the magnetic practice, individual patients, 
 peculiarly susceptible of the somnambulistic and 
 ecstatic affections, were retained in these temples, 
 for the purpose of discovering the particular diseases 
 of others, and of prescribing the appropriate reme- 
 dies. After these institutions became corrupted, 
 and, consequently, fell into discredit, the whole of 
 this procedure came to be considered as a mere 
 system of falsehood, jugglery, and imposture ; and 
 this would appear to be the prevailing opinion of 
 negligent inquirers, even at the present day. The 
 discoveries of the modern Magnetists, however, and 
 their profound researches into the practices in ques- 
 tion, appear to have completely demonstrated the 
 reality of the facts, and the analogy existing between 
 the ancient methods and that of the disciples of 
 MESMER. 
 
 The lower orders of the priesthood, it appears, 
 were entrusted with the general charge of the 
 patients, according to certain directions laid down 
 for their guidance ; and these directions were to be 
 observed upon all occasions, and in the strictest 
 possible manner. 
 
 GALEN has enumerated some of those remedies 
 which were preserved, as approved recipes, in the 
 
140 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 temples ; and mention is also made of others by 
 CELSUS, and by PAULUS J^GINETA. We must not 
 allow ourselves to be surprised at the simplicity, or 
 the apparent triviality and inefficacious nature of 
 some of these remedies. All those who are well 
 acquainted with the modern magnetic treatment 
 are, at the same time, perfectly aware how much a 
 strict attention to the most trifling and, apparently, 
 insignificant prescriptions of a patient, and the exact 
 time of their adminstration, are conducive to the 
 ultimate cure ; and even regular physicians, in their 
 ordinary practice, it is believed, have occasionally 
 been astonished at the success of remedies per- 
 haps suggested by their patients which they had 
 previously conceived to be totally inoperative and 
 worthless. It is remarkable, too, that the ancient 
 priests also made frequent use of a particular sort 
 of magnetic stone (aerim). 
 
 Even in GALEN'S time, an universal remedy was 
 still called Isis. The most celebrated temples in 
 Egypt were those of Memphis and Busiris ; the 
 Temples of SERAPIS at Canopus, Alexandria, and 
 Thebes ; the Temples of OSIRIS, APIS, and PHTHAS. 
 The word Isis was also occasionally understood to 
 denote Wisdom : Hence the inscription in her 
 temple : / am all that was, and is, and shall be ; 
 and no mortal has succeeded in lifting my veil. 
 (PLUTARCH ; De Iside.) SPRENGEL observes, that 
 this goddess was an emblem of the moon, whose 
 periodical states have been believed to exert so 
 much influence in certain morbid affections. For 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 141 
 
 this reason, Isis was thought to possess peculiar 
 medicinal virtues; and many diseases, too, were 
 ascribed to her displeasure. The Egyptians adored 
 her as the discoverer of many remedies, nay, even 
 of the science of medicine itself. The temples of 
 Isis were the most famous for the resort of patients, 
 who, during their sleep, received her oracular direc- 
 tions for their cure. Her priests were generally 
 denominated ISIACI. 
 
 HORUS, the son of Isis, is said to have learned 
 the arts of medicine and vaticination from his mother, 
 and was called by the Greeks APOLLO. (HOKUM 
 interpretantur APOLLINEM, qui medendi et vatici- 
 nandi artem ab Iside matre edoctus, fyc.) SERAPIS 
 was another no less celebrated deity, who had 
 many temples erected to him in Egypt, and also in 
 Greece and in Rome. In all of these temples, 
 medicine and vaticination were cultivated, along 
 with the worship of the gods. 
 
 In regard to the proceedings in these temples, 
 especially in relation to the treatment of the sick, 
 we possess very imperfect accounts. The unini- 
 tiated were strictly excluded from them, and those 
 actually initiated appear to have faithfully kept the 
 secret. Even those among the Greeks who were 
 fortunate enough to obtain admission into these 
 temples, have preserved silence upon the subject of 
 the mysteries, and have transmitted to us only a few 
 scattered hints. JABLONSKI observes, that only a few 
 select members of the priesthood were admitted 
 into the inner sanctuary, and that foreigners were 
 
142 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 scarcely ever permitted to enter it under any cir- 
 cumstances. (Nonnisi pauci selecti digniores admit- 
 tebantur. Peregrinis, vero, vix ac ne vix quidem 
 unquam, certe non ante incredibiles molestias, pate- 
 bat aditus, idque semper prcevia circumcisione). 
 (JABLONSKI ; Pantheon JEgypt. III. Proleg. 141.) 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 WHEN we compare all the fragmentary notices 
 which have been collected in regard to these ancient 
 institutions of the Egyptians, we must assuredly 
 become impressed with a conviction that the treat- 
 ment of the sick, and the responses of the oracles in 
 the temples, were exceedingly analogous to the mag- 
 netic processes of modern times. But here the evi- 
 dence does not conclude ; for, besides all this, we 
 have additional historical testimony in regard to 
 the preparatory ceremonies to which the invalids 
 were subjected, the temple-sleep, and its concomi- 
 tant phenomena, and, also, to the particular medical 
 treatment of the patients, &c., partly in indirect 
 monuments, and, partly, in images and hierogly- 
 phical representations of the res gestce. 
 
 We have already alluded to the practice of mani- 
 pulation, combined, as it frequently was, with a 
 variety of other ceremonies and observances among 
 the Egyptians. In all ages, in fact, and, probably. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 143 
 
 amongst all nations, as the author has elsewhere 
 observed, a certain directly sanative efficacy has 
 been usually ascribed to the touch of the human 
 hand, to the placing of it upon a sick person, or 
 rubbing with it any part of the body that may 
 happen to have been exposed to injury. (See Isis 
 REVELATA, and Zoomagnetic Journal). A similar 
 efficacy appears to have been also attributed to the 
 fingers, especially the fore-finger. Now, it is a 
 rather remarkable fact, and worthy of some atten- 
 tion, that, among the Romans, the fore-finger was 
 occasionally denominated Medicus, or the Doctor. 
 In ancient times, indeed, the observation ubi dolor 
 ibi digitus actually passed into a common pro- 
 verb. 
 
 But the hand had a still more extensive import 
 and significancy among the nations of antiquity; 
 and this import is unambiguously commemorated 
 in some of the ancient Egyptian monuments, as has 
 been shown in Isis REVELATA. Let us look, also, 
 into the Jewish Scriptures. MOSES, the divine law- 
 giver, we are told, was a man learned in all the wis- 
 dom of the Egyptians. In the Bible, we meet with 
 many remarkable expressions, by no means entirely 
 metaphorical, which point out the hand as the in- 
 strument of the magical or magnetic influence, in per- 
 fect conformity with the ideas attached to the mani- 
 pulations of the modern magnetisers. By means of 
 the human hand the magnetic influence is distributed, 
 and Somnambulism, or ecstacy, artificially produced. 
 In like manner, we find certain passages in the Old 
 
144 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 Testament Scriptures, in which the same office, and 
 similar effects, are ascribed to the hand, viz. the 
 production of ecstatic visions, and the excitement of 
 the prophetic faculty. When God desires to excite, 
 in the chosen prophet, the spirit of divination, it is 
 said that the HAND of the LORD came upon him, and 
 he saw and prophesied. It is related of ELISHA, 
 when he was consulted by the kings of Israel and 
 Judah in regard to the war with the Moabites, that 
 he sent for a minstrel, and while the latter played 
 upon the harp, the hand of the LORD came upon 
 the head of the Seer, who became enraptured, and 
 exclaimed: " Behold, thus saith the Lord," &c. (II. 
 Kings, iii. 13, &c.) Similar expressions are met 
 with in the Psalms, and in Ezekiel : " As I was 
 among the captives by the river of Chebar, the 
 heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God."- 
 " The word of the LORD came expressly unto EZE- 
 KIEL, the priest .... and the hand of the LORD 
 was there upon him." Now, how does such an 
 expression come to be made use of in these and 
 other passages of the Sacred Writings ? GOD 
 Almighty cannot be said, literally, to possess human 
 hands ; and it is evident, therefore, that the expres- 
 sion, in these and other passages, is there used in a 
 metaphorical sense. The Scriptures manifestly 
 describe the divine will and act by comparing them 
 with the corresponding practice among mankind, 
 when the object was to place an individual in the 
 ecstatic state, and thereby induce the visionary and 
 prophetic faculty. There are many other passages 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 145 
 
 in the Bible, which we deem it unnecessary to 
 adduce, relative to the magical efficacy of the hand, 
 not only in producing ecstaey and visions, but also 
 for other objects. The laying on of the hand, 
 indeed, was practised, upon various occasions, as 
 denoting the communication of some peculiar power, 
 or gift, or endowment, particularly when used in 
 religious ceremonies. It was employed in giving a 
 blessing, in sacrificing, in healing the sick, in raising 
 the dead, &c. (See Mark, v. 23; Luke, iv. 40; 
 Daniel x.) We may also refer to the interpreta- 
 tion of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and to the learned 
 CALMET'S Dictionary, Art. MAIN. 
 
 When it is said that the hand of the LORD was 
 upon a particular individual, the expression evi- 
 dently signifies the assistance and counsel of GOD, 
 to enable the favoured personage to apprehend and 
 utter the truth, and to perform works of a miracu- 
 lous and beneficent nature. " The hand of the 
 Almighty shall be with him," is said of John by 
 Zacharias ; and it is also said of the Apostles : 
 " The hand of the LORD was with them, and there 
 happened signs and wonders." The word hand, 
 therefore, in all of these and other similar passages, 
 appears to be used metaphorically, to denote the 
 operation of the divine will, in conferring the pro- 
 phetic inspiration, and the power of working miracles. 
 The Apostles, too, literally made use of a similar 
 method, in communicating the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit to the believing disciples : " They laid their 
 
 VOL. i. N 
 
146 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 hands upon the believing brethren," and the latter 
 received the divine gift. 
 
 Here, then, we find precisely what actually takes 
 place in the operations of Magnetism : the same 
 functions, the same confidence in the operator, the 
 same faith in the patient, and the same results ; 
 with the difference only between the divine and 
 human act and will, and the various objects contem- 
 plated in the procedure. We trust that the fore- 
 going statements and comparison will not be regard- 
 ed as in any degree irreverent, which is far from 
 our intention. 
 
 The actual imposition of the hand, however, is not 
 absolutely necessary, in all cases, to the accomplish- 
 ment of the magnetic effect : A finger may be suffi- 
 cient, even without actual contact; nay, when the 
 Rapport has once been completely established, the 
 mere energetic operation of the will may be suffi- 
 cient to produce all the desired effects, 
 
 In the Bible, we frequently find the word finger 
 also thus metaphorically used. We read of miracles 
 and cures performed by the finger of GOD. (See 
 II. Moses, viii. 19. Ibid. xxxi. 18. Psalms, viii. 
 4. Luke, xi. 20.) The finger, then, as well as the 
 hand, according to the opinion of the MAGI, was the 
 instrument by means of which the Egyptian Science 
 operated its miracles ; and thence it would appear 
 that the finger also was a consecrated organ, by 
 means of which such wonderful effects were pro- 
 duced in the ancient mysteries. JESUS CHRIST 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 147 
 
 himself says, expressly, that he cast out devils (i. e. 
 cured diseases) by means of his finger ; and that this 
 was a sign that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. 
 This attribution of miracles to the energy of the 
 finger, indeed, even became proverbial upon many 
 extraordinary occasions. " Herein we recognise the 
 finger of GOD." All of these expressions, however, 
 appear to have been peculiar to the Egyptians and 
 the Jews. 
 
 For more minute information upon this curious 
 subject, we would refer our readers to the Annales 
 du Magnetisme Animal, JSbs. 34-37, in which the 
 whole of these points are fully illustrated from the 
 antique monuments preserved by MONTFAUQON and 
 DENON ; and to Isis REVELATA, vol. i. 
 
 We have every reason to believe that, in ancient 
 Egypt, the arts and sciences attained a high degree 
 of cultivation. This fact, indeed, is attested riot only 
 by their artistic monuments, and the high estimation 
 in which that nation was held amongst its contem- 
 poraries, but by the direct and circumstantial re- 
 ports of various authors. Travellers from different 
 and distant lands long continued to resort to Egypt 
 for instruction in the arts and sciences. MOSES, as 
 we have already observed, is said to have been 
 learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and 
 the ancient authors maintain that the science of 
 Egypt was transmitted to the Phoenicians, the Ara- 
 bians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Some authors 
 are of opinon that even the Persians and Hindoos 
 also derived much of their learning from the same 
 
148 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 quarter. The Egyptians, indeed, sedulously cul- 
 tivated all the branches of natural philosophy , 
 mechanics, astronomy, and astrology ; but their 
 doctrines and discoveries, as was usual among the 
 Eastern nations, were frequently announced in ima- 
 ginative and mystical expressions, and gave occasion 
 to the most gross and fabulous misrepresentations. In 
 physical science they appear to have been no mean 
 adepts ; for we have some grounds for believing that 
 the doctrine of the earth's motion round the sun was 
 known to the Egyptian priests, or MAGI, and that 
 it was communicated from them to the Indian Brah- 
 mins. PYTHAGORAS, the celebrated Greek philoso- 
 pher and Mystic, is thought to have derived it from 
 the same source. Such, at least, is the opinion of 
 the learned JABLONSKI, and of other investigators 
 into ancient literature and science. Neque enim 
 prcetermittere hie possum, videri celeberrimam 
 illam COPERNICI hypothesis terram circa solem 
 moveri, sacerdotibus JEgyptiorum olim jam ignotam 
 non fuisse. Sciunt omnes hoc docuisse Philolaum 
 aliosque scholce Pythagorce alumnos. Pythagoram 
 vero placitum hoc astronomicum ab j^Egyptiis ac~ 
 cepisse, et in scholce suce dogmata tradidisse, ex eo 
 non parum verosimile mihi fit, quod idem etiam ad 
 Indorum Brahmannos, JEgyptiorum priscorum dis- 
 cipulos dimanasse intelligam JABLONSKY ; Pan- 
 theon ^Egyptior. III. Proleg. 10. As it appears 
 pretty manifest, therefore, that ancient Egypt was 
 the cradle of physical, mechanical, and artistic 
 science, it seems liable to little doubt when we 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 149 
 
 explore the monumental records of that primitive 
 and singularly ingenious and inventive people that 
 we are also indebted to the MAGI, or priest-philo- 
 sophers of that country, for the first distinct memo- 
 rials of the doctrine and practice of Animal Magnet- 
 ism; which would appear to have been scientifi- 
 cally cultivated, at a very early period, in the 
 sacred mysteries of the national priesthood, and 
 gradually spread abroad among the surrounding 
 nations. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 IN passing on to the more authentic history of 
 the Israelites, the same phenomena, which we have 
 endeavoured to trace in the annals of the ancient 
 Egyptians, will be found to have prevailed among 
 the Jews, at and after the time of MOSES : MAGIC, 
 the development of Sorrinambulism and Clairvoy- 
 ance, and all the other effects of the magnetic 
 agency. In the case of the Israelites, however, 
 these phenomena were generally manifested in a 
 much purer and more noble form with more dig- 
 nified objects, and a more elevated tendency ; in 
 consequence, no doubt, of the early prevalence 
 among them of a much more sublime and truthful 
 theology, and a more confident faith in the power, 
 and wisdom, and goodness of the Supreme Being. 
 We have already referred to some evidence, in 
 
150 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 regard to this subject, in the sacred writings ; and, 
 in order to avoid tediousness and unnecessary repe- 
 tition, we shall now proceed, at once, to the farther 
 proofs. 
 
 In perusing the Scriptures of the Old Testament, 
 every attentive reader must probably have been 
 struck by the numerous and most remarkable reve- 
 lations which are represented as having occurred in 
 dreams, during sleep. In the fourth book of Moses 
 (Numbers) there occur the following words : " If 
 there be a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will 
 make myself known unto him in a vision, and will 
 speak unto him in a dream" In the book of 
 Genesis (xx. 3) it is said, " GOD came to Abimelech, 
 in a dream by night'" and, in the same book 
 (xxxi. 24), " God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a 
 dream by night." See, also, the very remarkable 
 passage, xxxvii. 5, and xl., in reference to the his- 
 tory of Joseph. In I. Kings, iii. 5, it is said that, 
 " in Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a 
 dream by night/' In the book of Job, xxxiii. 14 
 and 15, we are told that " GOD speaketh in a 
 dream, in a vision of the night" Such revelations 
 in dreams are repeatedly referred to, also, in the 
 New Testament Scriptures. We scarcely require 
 to point out the particular passages ; but the reader 
 may consult St Matthew's Gospel, and the Acts 
 of the Apostles. 
 
 The Scriptures, too, abound in allusions to the 
 magnetic treatment and phenomena. Of these we 
 have an example in Adam's sleep (I. Moses, ii. 21). 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 151 
 
 The Seventy-two Interpreters of the Sacred Scrip- 
 tures actually consider the sleep here spoken of as 
 a species of ecstacy ; and TERTULLIAN expressly 
 says, that " the prophetic power of the Holy Spirit 
 fell upon him : " Accidit super ilium spiritus sancti 
 vis operatrix prophetice. 
 
 The prophetic dreams and visions of the Jewish 
 patriarchs and seers were manifold, and will be 
 found recorded at length in the Old Testament 
 Scriptures. Not less remarkable are the whole 
 phenomena exhibited in the history of Moses. 
 Moses, we are informed, as already remarked, was 
 instructed in all the learning, imbued with all the 
 wisdom, and initiated into all the magical arts and 
 mysteries of the Egyptians. The prophetic views 
 of Moses, then, were either the result of magical 
 or magnetic intuition, in consequence of a natural 
 predisposition to the ecstatic affection an idiosyn- 
 crasy which appears to have been characteristically 
 prevalent among the Jewish nation ; or they were 
 the effects of the immediate influence and inspiration 
 of the Almighty or both causes may have been 
 combined. If we are disposed to adopt the latter 
 explanation, the circumstance would prove, what 
 experience otherwise teaches us, that an energetic, 
 a devout, a confident and believing mind, is ever the 
 most susceptible of divine impulses and affections 
 and, consequently, the best adapted for carrying 
 into execution the purposes of the divine will. In 
 the history of Moses, we shall find many pheno- 
 
152 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 mena analogous to those which have been found to 
 occur in the natural manifestations of the ecstatic 
 crisis, and in the artificial states developed by the 
 practice of Animal Magnetism. 
 
 It were tedious and, probably, unnecessary, to 
 attempt to enumerate the whole of the occurrences 
 to which we have alluded, and which, we presume, 
 cannot have escaped the notice of any attentive 
 reader of the Bible. We may just refer, however, 
 to one of the most remarkable instances of coinci- 
 dence in which magnetic power appears to have 
 been combined with the faculty of Clairvoyance in 
 the narrative relating to the proceedings of the 
 prophet Elisha : II. Kings, iv. 18-37. 
 
 We must not, however, overlook the fact, that a 
 marked difference exists between the manifestations 
 of Clairvoyance and divination, as developed in the 
 Jewish prophets and the heathen seers. The natu- 
 ral susceptibility, in both cases, indeed, may be 
 considered as a special endowment conferred upon 
 some of his creatures by the great Author of our 
 being ; but this susceptibility has always been sub- 
 jected to various modifications-. The faculty in 
 both cases, therefore, may be considered as homo- 
 geneous ; but the diversity consists in the particular 
 modes of its excitation, and the peculiar objects 
 to which its manifestations may be immediately 
 directed in the specific instances of its development. 
 The faculty itself, in short, may be considered as 
 natural to man, in particular circumstances ; and, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 153 
 
 in a certain form and degree, it is capable of being 
 excited by artificial, as well as by natural means; 
 but, in the case of the Hebrew prophets, we have 
 the assurance of Scripture that the states in ques- 
 tion were immediately induced through the direct 
 influence of the Supreme Being, for the purpose of 
 promoting certain important objects of the divine 
 will. 
 
 The same argument, or explanation, too, applies, 
 with equal propriety and force, to the comparison 
 which some undiscerning individuals have very ab- 
 surdly, we think, felt disposed to institute between 
 the miracles of JESUS CHRIST and his Apostles, and 
 what they have been pleased to denominate the 
 miracles of Animal Magnetism. The difference, 
 however, between the miracles first alluded to, and 
 the speciosa miracula the effects of the magnetic 
 processes is conspicuously apparent. The former, 
 as we are assured by the witnesses of the transac- 
 tions, were the product of the instantaneous act of 
 the volition of the Saviour, or of the individuals 
 who held their commission from him ; the latter, as 
 is well known, are, in general, the result of a slow 
 and laborious artificial process. Besides, most, if 
 not all of the miracles of JESUS CHRIST, far surpass 
 all the boldest pretensions of the modern Mag- 
 netists. Moreover, our Saviour himself attributed 
 all his miracles to the influence of faith, and he 
 repeatedly reproached even his own disciples for 
 the want of that essential requisite, which, to use 
 
154 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 his own remarkable expressions, is capable of 
 removing mountains.* 
 
 The influence of the doctrines of Christianity pro- 
 duced a material change upon the previous tenets 
 in regard to MAGIC. At the period of the advent 
 of JESUS CHRIST upon the earth, the belief in 
 daemons and malignant spirits was universally pre- 
 valent, not only among the heathen, but also among 
 the Jews. To these daemons and spirits there was 
 ascribed an unhallowed and almost unlimited power 
 over this sublunary world, rivalling, antagonising, 
 and even almost surpassing that of the Deity him- 
 self; and extending not only over the spiritual 
 world, but throughout the universal domain of 
 
 * For my own part, I am free to confess that I have 
 always felt great difficulty on the subject of miracles, and I 
 strongly suspect that many other respectable persons are in 
 the same situation with myself. Some German theologian 
 has said : Argumentum a miraculis petitum non est conve- 
 viens ; cum vera miracula a falsis nullo certo argumento dis- 
 cernere possumus. How, with our limited faculties, can we 
 discover whether a particular event be natural or super- 
 natural ? What is the infallible test of a miracle ? 
 
 The belief in the necessity of particular miracles, as proofs 
 of the existence of a Supreme Being, may be compared to 
 the notions of children, who express little surprise when a 
 perfect piece of mechanism is shown them as the work of an 
 artist such as a clock or timepiece, with its regular move- 
 ments and striking of the hours ; but who are disposed to 
 love and admire the clock-maker, when he stops the 
 machinery, or produces some extraordinary irregularity in 
 its action, as often as he pleases, or the child desires it. It 
 is not perfection, but imperfection, which, in their minds, 
 generates veneration for the artist. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 155 
 
 nature. The credulity and superstitious feelings 
 of mankind, also, in these dark ages, induced them 
 to resort to every species of art and contrivance, in 
 order to conciliate the favour, or to avert the male- 
 volence of these infernal agents ; and by any means, 
 lawful or unlawful, to endeavour to direct their 
 maleficent influences to others ; or to procure super- 
 natural aid, for the purpose of promoting their own 
 selfish objects. MAGIC, in short, had completely 
 degenerated from its original uses into what has 
 been called the Black Art, falling more and more 
 away from its primitive lofty purposes, and essential 
 dignity, into a base and sordid profession. The 
 Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth was no longer 
 the God of universal nature the sole disposer of 
 all mundane events ; but only the God of the Jew- 
 ish people ; and he was worshipped only because he 
 was believed to be more powerful than the gods of 
 the other and rival nations, and more capable of 
 rendering them victorious in their career of con- 
 quest. We are told, indeed, that one of the chief 
 objects of the blessed advent of the Saviour upon 
 earth was to annihilate the works, to frustrate the 
 designs, and to overthrow the kingdom of Satan 
 throughout the universe ; to illuminate the spiritual 
 darkness of a benighted world ; to substitute truth 
 for falsehood and delusion; faith for superstitious 
 fear ; to introduce confidence in the decrees of hea- 
 ven, and the love of God and of our neighbour, 
 instead of doubt, despair, and hatred. In this view 
 even apart from the divine character of his per- 
 
156 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 son, and the other lofty and beneficent objects of 
 his mission JESUS CHRIST must ever be regarded 
 as a true Saviour in time of need. But this Saviour 
 was scorned and rejected by the stubborn and 
 unbelieving Jews : his holy and beneficent ministra- 
 tions, accordingly, were not immediately followed 
 by the desired results. The seed, indeed, was 
 abundantly sown, but chiefly upon barren soil : The 
 ground was yet unprepared for its immediate, uni- 
 versal, and beneficent reception : The ultimate har- 
 vest may yet be remote : Our anticipations of the 
 Millenium are still confined to pia desideria. In 
 the meantime, we must still be content to survey 
 this world of mortality, frailty, and error, as it has 
 already existed, and as it still presents itself to our 
 scrutinising view. 
 
 But in some of these last observations, we may 
 appear to have rather anticipated the regular course 
 of events, and must, therefore, resume our narrative 
 of the development of the magnetic phenomena 
 among the ancient nations of the world. With this 
 object in view, we shall now proceed to trace the 
 historical facts relating to our general subject among 
 the Greeks and the Romans. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 157 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 AMONG the Greeks, MAGIC and D^EMONOLOGY 
 had a similar origin as among the ancient Eastern 
 nations, from whom much of their learning, philo- 
 sophy, and theology appear to have heen derived, 
 although manifested in a somewhat different form, 
 corresponding with the peculiar distinctive charac- 
 ter of the people. Here, too, MAGIC, in its best 
 and most original signification the white MAGIC 
 was long antecedent to that pseudo science, the 
 black Magic ; the latter spurious art being desig- 
 nated, by the Greeks, by the name of yovrwa, which, 
 unquestionably, was a bastard science, and, in fact, 
 merely the illegitimate offspring of the former, 
 patronised by the vulgar, and never held in estima- 
 tion by the truly learned. 
 
 The knowledge of the real and beneficial influence 
 of the spiritual powers and susceptibilities implanted 
 in the human constitution the phenomena of the 
 instinctive or ecstatic Clairvoyance was, indeed, at 
 all times, unknown to the profane vulgar, and 
 appears to have been confined, exclusively, or, at 
 least, in a great measure^ to the priesthood the 
 MAGI by whom it was carefully cherished and 
 preserved and to the select few whom they conde- 
 
158 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 scended to initiate into their sacred mysteries. 
 Hence the erroneous notions which came to be 
 entertained by the bulk of mankind, in all ages, 
 upon this very curious subject. 
 
 It is certain that the celebrated mysteries at 
 Samothrace reach back into a very remote anti- 
 quity ; and it appears equally clear that the earliest 
 and most genuine MAGIC was nothing else than a 
 species of Natural Philosophy, combined with reli- 
 gious worship. Almost all the modern writers upon 
 this subject appear to have associated the mysteries 
 in the ancient temples with daemonology and witch- 
 craft ; an opinion which, if not actually originated, 
 was, at least, sedulously propagated by the early 
 Christian converts ; while many eminent authors, in 
 more recent times even the learned and shrewd, 
 but frequently negligent and superficial, and cer- 
 tainly not very philosophical DEFOE appear to 
 have carelessly adopted the vulgar belief, and to 
 have confounded these sacred ceremonies with the 
 absurd and superstitious art, as it was then called, 
 of raising the Devil. But all such extravagant and 
 unwarranted opinions manifestly arose from the 
 neglect of due investigation, or from wilful misre- 
 presentation. The institution of the mysteries in 
 question appears to have been intimately connected 
 with the development of the national religion. 
 That religion may have been, and certainly was, 
 imperfect, unsound, and perverted ; but it is unfair 
 to contrast these early aspirations with the subse- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 159 
 
 quent and purer institutions and tenets of Chris- 
 tianity, which were not, for a long period after- 
 wards, in existence. 
 
 The ancient priesthood, as we have already 
 shown, were the curators, or conservators, of the 
 sacred dogmas, the religious worship, and the cere- 
 monial observances of the ancient world ; and we 
 cannot doubt that they alone were in possession of 
 all the higher knowledge of the times, which they 
 consecrated to the service of the gods, and carefully 
 guarded from profanation ; while they endeavoured 
 to conceal its mystical application from the untutored 
 minds of the vulgar ; and, hence, the latter were 
 accustomed to regard these unappreciated ceremo- 
 nies, and their unintelligible phenomena, as not only 
 mysterious, but magical, in the more depraved sense 
 of the term ; an opinion which has been generally 
 transmitted down to our own times. The rationale 
 of this opinion is abundantly obvious. The God of 
 the Christians could not be the God of the Pagans ; 
 and as the former was the only true God, the latter 
 must, of necessity, be a false god, or the Devil ; 
 and the mysteries in the heathen temples, therefore, 
 must, ex hypothesi, have consisted of an unhallowed 
 worship of the Devil, and the cultivation of diabo- 
 lical arts and enchantments. The reasoning here 
 is, evidently, not the most correct, nor the conclu- 
 sion the most logical ; but it appears to have satis- 
 fied the minds of most of the primitive Christian 
 fathers. 
 
 That a knowledge of some of the less obvious 
 
160 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 powers of nature, combined with the medicina 
 psychica, was zealously cultivated in these temple 
 mysteries, and that cures, in those times accounted 
 magical or miraculous by the vulgar, were performed 
 in these consecrated edifices, are facts fully attested 
 by the most clear and incontrovertible evidence of 
 contemporary and perfectly competent witnesses. 
 But all this does not warrant the hypothesis of any 
 invocation of the Devil, or any co-operation of diabo- 
 lical agency ; on the contrary, the whole of this 
 apparent mystery is capable of being satisfactorily 
 explained by perfectly natural causes, without the 
 necessity of constantly having recourse to the hypo- 
 thesis of any extraordinary divine or demoniacal 
 aid. 
 
 ORPHEUS, and Mus^us, his pupil and successor, 
 are said to have been the original founders, if not 
 the actual inventors of these Pagan mysteries; and, 
 therefore, they have generally been considered as 
 the original representatives of the most ancient 
 natural philosophers among the Greeks, and the 
 true authors of the temple-worship and religious 
 ceremonies. ORPHEUS, indeed, like most of the 
 alleged instructors of barbarous times, appears to 
 have been, in a great measure, a fictitious and 
 mythological character ; and, as is usual in such 
 circumstances, many romantic, improbable, and 
 even impossible actions, have been liberally ascribed 
 to him : Omne ignotum pro magnifico. He is 
 represented to have been a prophetic poet, who 
 flourished before the Trojan war ; and he is re- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 161 
 
 ported to have been such a wonder-worker such 
 a magician that animals, and even trees and 
 stones, followed his pipe, and that he exercised a 
 control over the winds and tempests. He is also 
 said to have been in Egypt and the East to have 
 accompanied the Argonauts in their expedition to 
 Colchis, and to have returned home laden, if not 
 with any portion of the fabled golden fleece, at 
 least with a great store of profound and mysteri- 
 ous knowledge. 
 
 Mus^us also a poet and philosopher is said 
 to have introduced the sacred ceremonies of 
 ORPHEUS into the Eleusinian and other mysteries, 
 and to have also performed many miraculous cures. 
 
 PYTHAGORAS is almost equally celebrated as a 
 philosopher and a mystic. From the ancient 
 accounts of this remarkable man, he would appear 
 to have been initiated into all the mysteries of the 
 Egyptian MAGI. He was the founder of a particu- 
 lar, and very celebrated philosophical school, and 
 had many eminent disciples and followers. But, 
 upon the present occasion, it is unnecessary for us 
 to enter into any general discussion of the peculiar 
 principles of his philosophy, which have been 
 already investigated by many other authors, and, 
 besides, constitute a subject rather foreign to our im- 
 mediate purpose. We may observe, however, that, 
 from his time, the mysterious doctrines of the MAGI 
 attracted a much greater degree of attention among 
 the Greeks. They continued, for a considerable 
 period, to be held sacred, and were associated with 
 
 VOL. i. o 
 
162 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 religious belief and worship, long after they had 
 degenerated, in the vulgar apprehension, into the 
 general practice of daemoniacal incantations : and 
 this latter degrading misapplication of MAGIC would 
 appear to have been expressly excluded from the 
 mysteries of Eleusis. It is probable, however, that 
 these mysteries ultimately became involved in the 
 general corruption of the national religion ; and 
 that their original purity gradually became defiled 
 by the admixture of a vulgar da3monology , and a pro- 
 pensity to the adoption of more profane and unhal- 
 lowed practices. Hence the different, and, in many 
 respects, contradictory representations of the cha- 
 racter and objects of these mysteries, and the con- 
 sequent difficulty of discriminating and appreciating 
 their true nature. Thus much, however, appears 
 certain that, although the original MAGIC was 
 gradually superseded by the vulgar arts of sor- 
 cery, yet that the latter were long held in just 
 contempt and abhorrence by the more cultivated 
 minds of the rational devotees ; and that the prac- 
 tice of these ignoble arts was utterly repudiated 
 and condemned by all the learned, upright, and 
 orthodox votaries of the science. 
 
 At the same time, we may observe, in regard to 
 the curative processes of the ancient priesthood, 
 that it was very generally believed, in these early 
 ages, and even at a much later period, that almost 
 all those diseases of which the human frame is sus- 
 ceptible proceeded from some divine or daemoniacal 
 infliction ; and that they were incapable of being 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 163 
 
 cured by natural means, without the direct assist- 
 ance of the gods, or of some species of supernatural 
 agency, and the practice of certain religious cere- 
 monies. Even HIPPOCRATES the great master of 
 rational medicine in his treatise De Morbo Sacro, 
 observes, that the various morbid phenomena were 
 ascribed to different spiritual agencies. From the 
 same author we learn, that the convulsive symp- 
 toms, generally accompanying epileptic affections, 
 were ascribed to particular supernatural influences 
 an opinion which has been partially transmitted 
 down to our own times, and is still, we believe, 
 preserved by the priests of the Roman Catholic 
 Church, and even by some of the Protestant clergy, 
 in their solemn ritual of exorcism, which is just a 
 species of conjuration, or magnetization. We shall 
 afterwards see, more particularly, how this fusion, 
 or combination of the ecclesiastical and therapeutic 
 functions, came to be perpetuated in the Christian 
 monasteries. 
 
 The celebrated men among the ancients, who are 
 said to have travelled, in pursuit of knowledge, to 
 Egypt and Asia such as PYTHAGORAS, DEMO- 
 CRITUS, PLATO, &c. lay under the suspicion of hav- 
 ing brought back with them a knowledge of the 
 magical arts, as a similar imputation was attached, 
 in modern times, to ROGER BACON, ALBERTUS MAG- 
 NUS, GALILEO, and, indeed, to all those philosophers 
 who surpassed the average standard of genius and 
 acquirement in their respective ages. And, more 
 especially, was this accusation brought against all 
 
164 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 those individuals of original genius and research, 
 who ventured to ascribe any particular influence to 
 the established laws of nature, without any direct 
 interference of the gods in each specific case. 
 Theology and theosophy have, in all ages, main- 
 tained a constant and inveterate warfare with 
 natural philosophy. Hence, MAGIC, or science, and 
 Atheism, or religious heresy or infidelity, came to 
 be associated together ; and both have been includ- 
 ed under one anathema, as has been observed by 
 APULEIUS, in his treatise De Magia: Verum hcec 
 ferme communi quodam errore imperitorum philo- 
 sophis objectantur, ut partem eorum qui corporum 
 causas meras et simplices rimantur, irreligiosos 
 putent, eosque aiunt decs abnuere, ut Anaxagoram, 
 et Leucippum, et Democritum, et Epicurum, cceteros- 
 que rerum naturae patronos ; partim autem, qui 
 providentiam mundi curiosius vestigant et impensius 
 deos celebrant, eos vero Magos nominent, quasi 
 facere etiam sciant, quce sciant fieri ; ut olimfuere 
 EPIMENIDES, et ORPHEUS, et PYTHAGORAS, et 
 OSTHANES. Ac dein similiter suspecta EMPEDO- 
 
 CLIS xaSa^wo/, SoCRATIS D^EMONIUM, PLATONIS TO 
 
 In Greece, from the remotest times, we find the 
 practice of the medical art in the hands of indivi- 
 duals of particular families, and of the priesthood ; * 
 
 * This union of the sacerdotal and medical functions con- 
 tinued, for a considerable period, during the middle ages of 
 Europe. The monks, and other ecclesiastics, as we shall 
 see hereafter, succeeded to the offices of the ancient priests 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 165 
 
 and the whole of that practice assumed a magical 
 or magnetic character. This art was exercised in 
 the temples, enveloped in religious ceremonies and 
 devotional practices, and, in other respects, in the 
 most simple and primitive manner. The faculty of 
 divination, frequently manifested by the patients in 
 prophetic dreams, appears to have occurred more 
 generally in the sacred temples of the Greeks, than 
 among those of other nations. Those primitive 
 physicians, too, who ministered in their temples, 
 paid much more attention to the manifestations of 
 this faculty, and made them subservient to their 
 remedial processes. The most distinguished among 
 these priest-physicians were not only highly rever- 
 enced during their lives, but had divine honours 
 paid to their memory, after their death. To use a 
 modern expression they were canonised, not by 
 any Pope, but by public opinion. 
 
 These temples, then, as we have said, were served 
 by priests, who combined the worship of the gods 
 with the cure of the sick both offices being consi- 
 dered divine ; and they were generally resorted to 
 
 and Druids. It appears from the Annales de Paris, that the 
 Canons of Notre-Dame took charge of the sick, and cured 
 maladies and infirmities. It was from these Canons that the 
 present Hotel- Dieu derived its origin. ST BASIL, the Great, 
 and St Gregory Nazianzenus practised medicine. In the 
 early times of the French monarchy, monks and other eccle- 
 siastics were generally, if not always, the Royal physicians ; 
 and even down to a late period, the medical officers of the 
 Crown were selected out of the same class, and also the 
 governors of the public hospitals. 
 
166 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 by vast numbers of patients labouring under various 
 morbid affections. According to HERODOTUS (Lib. 
 II. c. 50), the Greeks borrowed their temple cere- 
 monies from the Egyptians, and their principal 
 temples were dedicated to Egyptian deities. From 
 the same authority we learn, that the most ancient 
 temple of Venus Urania was situated at Ascalon 
 in Syria. Isis had a splendid temple at Phocis ; 
 and SERAPIS had one at Messene, and another at 
 Athens, &c. 
 
 But besides the Egyptian deities, the Greeks had 
 their own medical divinities. In this character were 
 JUPITER, JUNO, and APOLLO worshipped ; nay, 
 even HERCULES, according to PAUSANIAS (in Boet. 
 c. 24), had a particular temple of health. For a 
 long period, too, the Greeks revered the monument 
 of the celebrated Seer CALCHAS, to whom the sick 
 sacrificed a ram, and slept upon its skin, in order 
 to procure prophetic dreams. 
 
 One of the most celebrated among the medical 
 deities of the Greeks was APOLLO, who was also 
 denominated PAEAN (!!/;/), the physician of the 
 gods. To APOLLO, PINDAR ascribes three profes- 
 sions Medicine, Music, and Divination. Music, 
 indeed, was frequently employed, as a therapeutic 
 agent, in ancient times, and much, that is now 
 accounted utterly fabulous, has been ascribed to its 
 efficacy. By the later poets and historians, APOLLO 
 is principally distinguished as a physician and a 
 seer. In the mythology of the Greeks, this deity 
 is generally designated as the inventor of medical 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 167 
 
 science, of music, and of poetry ; and he is also said 
 to have taught the art of divination (Pythius 
 APOLLO) : 
 
 Inventum medidna meum est, opifergue per orbem 
 Dicor, et herbarum est subjecta potentia nobis. 
 
 OVID. Met. I. 
 
 ORPHEUS, who was thought to have derived his 
 science and wisdom from the Egyptian priests, has 
 also been considered, by others, as the inventor of 
 all religious ceremonies and mysteries, as well as of 
 medicine and poetry, among the Greeks. In this 
 capacity, he has been commemorated by SOCRATES, 
 PLATO, EURIPIDES, and HERODOTUS; and the fa- 
 culty of divination is said to have been hereditary 
 in his family. Hence the many singular and fabu- 
 lous adventures which have been ascribed to him. 
 MELAMPUS was another celebrated physician among 
 the Greeks. He acquired an extraordinary repu- 
 tation, in consequence of his care of Iphiclus, and 
 of the three daughters of Proctus. 
 
 But the most famous among the Greek physicians 
 was ^ESCULAPIUS, said to have been the son of 
 APOLLO, who was also numbered among the gods, 
 and had numerous temples erected to him. In these 
 temples, as well as in those of the other medical 
 deities, the treatment of the sick was superintended 
 by the priests ; and this treatment appears to have 
 been of a nature so remarkable, so successful in 
 many instances, and so intimately connected with 
 the modern therapeutic doctrines and practices of 
 Animal Magnetism, as to deserve our particular 
 
168 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 attention. The inquiry into this curious subject, 
 indeed, seems to be the more necessary, and the 
 more interesting, because the remedial processes 
 adopted in these ancient Temples of Health appear 
 to have been, in general, entirely misunderstood, 
 and, consequently, much misrepresented, in later 
 times ; and, at length, to have been, in general, 
 entirely superseded by a superficial and empirical 
 mode of treatment, without any profound views in 
 regard to the true nature of diseases, and the 
 rationale of the operation of remedies ; and by a 
 thorough disregard of the medicina psychica, and 
 even of the most simple and obvious intimations of 
 nature. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 WE have already adverted to the mode of treat- 
 ment adopted by the priests in the Egyptian and 
 Greek temples, and attempted to point out, in gene- 
 ral, their relation to the peculiar processes re-intro- 
 duced, in modern times, by MESMER ; and shall 
 now proceed with our remarks relative to the same 
 subject, more especially in the practice of the 
 ancient Greeks; upon which, as it appears to us, 
 our later physicians have attempted apparently in 
 ignorance of its peculiar nature and efficacy, or from 
 some less justifiable motive to cast unmerited ridi- 
 cule and contempt. Perhaps it may appear, in the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 169 
 
 course of our farther inquiry, that the ancient sys- 
 tem of medical treatment, when properly understood, 
 was founded upon a more consummate knowledge of 
 the human constitution, physical and psychical, than 
 the boasted therapeutic practice of the present day. 
 In these temples, then, the most remarkable 
 subject of investigation is their oracles, which 
 flourished in Greece, even at the period when the 
 inhabitants of that wonderful and most intelligent 
 country had attained their highest degree of de- 
 velopment, in literature, philosophy, and the arts. 
 The oracles, indeed, were anxiously consulted by 
 all ranks of men, even the most cultivated, upon 
 every important public or private occasion, even 
 upon matters relating to affairs in which the interests 
 of the commonwealth were most deeply concerned. 
 This practice of consulting the most celebrated 
 oracles, indeed, has been stigmatised, or ridiculed, 
 by almost all modern authors, as a system of fraud, 
 deceit, and delusion ; and the priests themselves, 
 who officiated upon these occasions, have been gene- 
 rally denounced as arrant knaves and impostors. 
 But these opinions appear to have been formed 
 without any serious investigation of the subject ; 
 and those who entertained them were probably 
 swayed also, in no small degree, by misapprehen- 
 sion and prejudice. Let us, therefore, examine the 
 whole matter a little more narrowly, and with 
 greater attention to the particular processes.* 
 
 * In forming our judgment in regard to the subject of the 
 ancient oracles, we must not rely too implicitly upon the 
 VOL. i. p 
 
170 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 In these sacred temples, then, it appears to have 
 been the usual practice to place the patients, after 
 
 opinions of all the later Christian writers, who frequently 
 appear to conceive, very preposterously, we think, that, by 
 depreciating these institutions, they are, at the same time, 
 advancing the credit of the Scriptural miracles and prophe- 
 cies. Even the learned and amiable ROLLIN, forgetting his 
 duties as a faithful and disinterested historian, does not 
 hesitate to make use of occasional assertions and argu- 
 ments argumenta ad vulgus upon this subject, which 
 appear totally inconsistent with his usual candour, and can 
 scarcely be conceived capable of imposing upon the minds 
 of such men as will submit to fair and impartial inquiry. 
 
 " The general character of oracles," says this popular 
 author, " were ambiguity, obscurity, and convertibility, 
 to use that expression ; so that one answer would agree 
 with several various, and sometimes directly opposite events. 
 By the help of this artifice, the Daemons" so the Arch- 
 bishop believed in Dsemonology " who of themselves are not 
 capable of knowing futurity, concealed their ignorance, and 
 amused the credulity of the Pagan world.' 1 ' 1 
 
 After referring to the response of the oracle in the well 
 known case of Crcesus, King of Lydia, M. Rollin observes 
 that, " under the cover of such ambiguities, the god eluded 
 all difficulties, and was never in the wrong." 
 
 The learned and eloquent historian, however, afterwards 
 finds himself compelled to make pretty ample admissions in 
 favour of the oracles. 
 
 " It must, however, be confessed," 1 " 1 says he, " that sometimes 
 the answer of the oracle was clear and circumstantial. I have 
 repeated in the history of Croesus the stratagem he made 
 use of to assure himself of the veracity of the oracle, which 
 was to demand of it, by his ambassador, what he was doing 
 at a certain time prefixed. The Oracle of Delphos replied, 
 that he was causing a tortoise and a lamb to be dressed in 
 a vessel of brass, which was really so. 
 
 " The Emperor Trajan made a similar trial of the god at 
 Heliopolis, by sending him a letter sealed up, to which he 
 demanded an answer. The oracle made no other return, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 171 
 
 a certain period of lustration, in a state of profound 
 artificial sleep the Somnambulism of the modern 
 Magnetists ; in which state they were enabled to 
 point out the seat, and to describe the character 
 and symptoms, of their respective diseases, to pre- 
 scribe the appropriate remedies, to announce the 
 approaching result, and, also, to give a prophetic 
 indication of other matters relating to themselves 
 
 than to command a blank paper, well folded and sealed, to be 
 delivered to him. Trajan, upon the receipt of it, was struck 
 with amazement to see an answer so correspondent with his 
 own letter, in which he had written nothing." 
 
 The explanation which M. ROLLIN gives of these trans- 
 actions is curious enough, and would probably have been 
 deemed very ingenious and satisfactory some centuries ago. 
 
 u Admitting it to be true," argues he, " that some oracles 
 have been followed precisely by the events foretold, we may 
 believe that God, to punish the blind and sacrilegious credu- 
 lity of Pagans, has sometimes permitted da3inons to have a 
 knowledge of things to come, and to foretell them distinctly 
 enough. Which conduct of God, though very much above 
 human comprehension, is frequently attested in the Holy 
 Scriptures." 
 
 The simple-minded Principal of the University of Paris 
 does not appear to have perceived that these arguments of 
 his savoured not a little of Jesuitry, if not of absolute im- 
 piety. With similar simplicity, the learned Principal informs 
 us, that Father Baltus, the Jesuit, Professor of the Holy 
 Scriptures in the University of Strasburgh, composed " a 
 very solid treatise, wherein he demonstrates invincibly, with 
 the unanimous authority of the Fathers, that dcemons were 
 the real agents in the oracles" And he afterwards asserts 
 that " all the Fathers of the Church, and ecclesiastical 
 writers of every age, maintain and assert, that the Devil was 
 the author of idolatry in general, and of oracles in particu- 
 lar." And yet the learned and Reverend Principal repro- 
 bates credulity ! 
 
172 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 and others. These temples, indeed, were generally 
 provided with regular dormitories, especially those 
 which were most numerously frequented by patients 
 who were desirous of obtaining divine assistance 
 and counsel in their various afflictions. The inti- 
 mations, too, which were mysteriously received by 
 the patients, in these circumstances, were conceived 
 to proceed from the patron-deity, and were, conse- 
 quently, accepted as oracles. This temple-sleep 
 itself was denominated by the Greeks exyxoipwis, 
 and by the Romans, incubatio. 
 
 In order to exhibit the particular procedure 
 which took place in these temples generally, we 
 shall take, for our special example, the temples 
 erected to ^ESCULAPIUS, the most celebrated of 
 which was the temple at Epidaurus. This edifice, 
 situated in the Peloponnesus, was dedicated to that 
 religious service which, subsequently, spread over 
 a large portion of the ancient world. Epidaurus is 
 said to have been the birthplace of ^ESCULAPIUS ; 
 and, for this reason, it was held to be peculiarly 
 sacred. Multitudes of patients flocked to this 
 temple, in order to recover their lost health, and 
 to become enlightened by divine dreams. For this 
 last reason, ^ESCULAPIUS was also denominated by 
 the Greeks ove/gow<y*ro* the sender of dreams. 
 
 The temple itself was situated in a beautiful spot, 
 upon a considerable eminence. On all sides, it was 
 surrounded by wooded hills, where the air was 
 exceedingly pure, and there was abundance of 
 excellent spring water. The charms of nature 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 173 
 
 were enhanced by beautiful artificial groves and 
 pleasure walks, and even enchanting spectacles. 
 Behind the temple stood the dormitory for the 
 patients, and, near it, a round marble bath. In 
 the temple itself there were many ante-chambers, 
 and, in the very innermost recess, the statue of the 
 god. This statue, composed of ivory and gold, in 
 a sitting posture, was the workmanship of Thrasi- 
 menides. In the one hand of the figure was a staff, 
 and the other was placed on the head of a serpent, 
 which wound itself round the staff. A dog was 
 placed near the figure. In some of the other 
 temples, ^ESCULAPIUS had a laurel wreath on his 
 head ; and he occasionally exhibited various other 
 emblems : such as a large golden beard, a cloak 
 (pallium), &c. In the ante-chamber of the temple, 
 there were usually the emblematical representations 
 of Fortune, Dreaming, and Sleep. 
 
 No person, unless on very rare and uncommon 
 occasions, was admitted into the interior of the 
 sanctuary ; the Priests alone had access to the pre- 
 sence of the deity ; sometimes strangers were not 
 even permitted to approach the temple. Those 
 who desired access to it were obliged first to prepare 
 themselves for the occasion in the neighbouring 
 Temple of Isis. In the ante-chambers of the tem- 
 ple, there were many votive tablets, containing 
 descriptions of diseases, and of the remedies suc- 
 cessfully exhibited. These were also sometimes 
 engraved on the pillars of the temples. Such 
 inscriptions were intended for use in similar cases ; 
 
174 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 and it has been said that HIPPOCRATES actually 
 availed himself of the information communicated by 
 these tablets and inscriptions in the Temple of Cos, 
 of which he is reported to have made a collection. 
 THOMASIUS has preserved and published several of 
 these inscriptions. 
 
 Another similar temple was erected to ^ESCULA- 
 PIUS at Pergamos in Asia Minor, where, in addition 
 to the other advantages of the situation, there was 
 a wonderful medicinal spring, and, also, warm baths. 
 Indeed, in selecting situations for these temples, 
 those were usually chosen which afforded the con- 
 venience of mineral springs, and the purest air; 
 and, for these reasons, they were generally placed 
 upon elevated grounds. The advantages of natural 
 situation were frequently enhanced by artificial 
 contrivances. Gardens were formed, and establish- 
 ments were instituted for the encouragement of all 
 sorts of gymnastic exercises. Upon entering the 
 temples, the patients were taken bound, by the 
 most solemn promise, to pay implicit obedience to 
 the orders and prescriptions of the superintending 
 priests. Abstinence, in regard to diet, was strictly 
 enforced, and, especially, from the use of wine. 
 The priests conducted the patients through the 
 ante-chambers of the temple ; pointed out to them 
 the images and votive tablets, and related the mira- 
 culous cures which had been performed through the 
 aid of the presiding tutelary deity. Prayers were 
 offered up, and sacred hymns were sung the latter 
 frequently accompanied with instrumental music; 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 175 
 
 and sacrifices were made, for the purpose of con- 
 ciliating the favour of the patron-god. Baths were 
 always employed, as a part of the preparatory 
 treatment ; as, also, the drinking of pure water (the 
 hydropathic system). The baths were usually 
 accompanied with frictions, and with various mani- 
 pulations and anointments (the magnetic treatment). 
 These frictions and manipulations were cautiously 
 administered by individuals specially appointed and 
 trained up, and indoctrinated for that particular 
 purpose. Fumigations were also employed pre- 
 viously to admission to the Oracle. (See SPREN- 
 GEL'S History of Medicine, vol. i.) 
 
 The object of all these preparatory ceremonies 
 and observances, generally, was to induce sleep ; 
 and when this disposition was manifested, the 
 patients were laid to sleep, frequently upon the skin 
 of a newly slaughtered sheep (incubatio), in the 
 usual dormitory. This temple-sleep, or incubation, 
 however, according to PAUSANIAS, generally took 
 place at night, in the different apartments of the 
 dormitory, in darkness and solemn silence. In short, 
 these ancient Temples of Health appear to have 
 embraced a system of moral and physical treatment 
 admirably adapted to promote the comfort, and to 
 effectuate the ultimate cure of the patients who 
 resorted to them for the restoration of their health. 
 
 But we must now proceed to advert, more parti- 
 cularly, to that portion of this ancient medical pro- 
 cedure which appears to have been most closely 
 
176 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 analogous to the modern practice of Animal Mag- 
 netism. 
 
 We have seen that, in the temple ceremonies we 
 have described above, it was usual to endeavour to 
 set the patients asleep, by means of certain artificial 
 processes ; and we have abundant reason to infer 
 that the sleep, thus provoked, was nothing else than 
 a modification of that Somnambulism, which is so 
 frequently produced by the modern disciples of 
 MESMER. In this temple-sleep, as in the Mesmeric 
 crisis, dreams and visions occurred, and the pro- 
 phetic faculty was developed, in a manner similar 
 to that which is occasionally elicited by the magnetic 
 treatment. This, indeed, is pretty clear from the 
 accounts which have reached us in regard to the 
 effects of the temple processes ; and, also, from the 
 descriptions which have been given of the states 
 themselves, by various ancient authors. The 
 patients slept, dreamt, prescribed appropriate reme- 
 dies for themselves and others, predicted their own 
 ultimate cure or death, as well as the fate of other 
 persons, even of such as were absent, and at a dis- 
 tance. In all this heathenish as it has been 
 accounted by many there was, in reality, nothing 
 either peculiarly unnatural or diabolical. Such 
 presentiments were merely a product of the extra- 
 ordinary state in which the patients were occasion- 
 ally placed. In the sequel of this work, we shall 
 have occasion to notice many instances of the 
 development of similar phenomena, which, with 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 177 
 
 equal justice, were generally held to be either divine 
 or dsemoniacal, but which, in fact, were neither the 
 one nor the other, but merely the effects of natural 
 causes. Some of these temple-sleepers not only 
 prophesied, but composed and recited very beautiful 
 verses a talent which, as we formerly observed, 
 has been occasionally exhibited by the insane, as 
 well as by somnambulists and ecstatics. ^Euus 
 ARISTIDES, the philosopher and rhetorician, fre- 
 quently speaks of these rythmical compositions dur- 
 ing the divine sleep, as it was then called ; and 
 instances of the development of the same poetical 
 faculty have not unfrequently occurred in the prac- 
 tice of the Mesmerists, and even in many cases of 
 the natural crisis. 
 
 It occasionally happened, however, as in the case 
 of the modern Somnambulism, that the predictions 
 of these temple-sleepers were not exactly verified by 
 the actual event a circumstance which has been 
 much insisted upon by the sceptics, as demonstrative 
 of fraud or collusion. But this circumstance as 
 we shall see by-and-bye is capable of an easy and 
 satisfactory explanation. 
 
 With regard to their medical prescriptions, the 
 remedies presented to them in their dreams appeared 
 to them either as roots, herbs, or in their real form ; 
 and they generally consisted of very simple and, 
 apparently, innocuous substances ; or of fasting, 
 bathing, or of what have been designated as supersti- 
 tious ceremonies, but which, in all probability, were 
 analogous to the modern magnetic treatment by 
 
178 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 manipulation, and other similar processes. It 
 occurred, not unfrequently, that these remedies, 
 thus indicated, appeared to the patients themselves 
 in an obscure manner, and under a symbolical form 
 a circumstance which occasionally occurs at pre- 
 sent, in the ordinary practice of Mesmerism ; and 
 it then became the business of the officiating priests 
 to interpret and point out the meaning of the sym- 
 bols. Sometimes, however, these remedies were of 
 a more heroic character, as we learn from JULIUS 
 ARTSTIDES and others. (See SPRENGEL, ut supra.) 
 
 It appears that the attendant priests paid very 
 particular attention to the regulation of the diet and 
 general regimen of their patients ; and it frequently 
 happened that they succeeded in curing even the 
 most inveterate maladies by an entire change of the 
 mode of living. Great attention was also paid to 
 the mental passions and emotions ; and, as we have al- 
 ready observed, all sorts of gymnastic exercises were 
 likewise encouraged and occasionally prescribed. 
 
 When any remarkable cure was effected in these 
 temples by means of the remedies or processes em- 
 ployed, it was usual, in many cases, for the grateful 
 convalescent to put up a votive tablet, in some con- 
 spicuous part of the edifice, with a suitable inscrip- 
 tion, for the purpose of commemorating the auspi- 
 cious event. This practice has been alluded to by 
 the poet TIBULLUS, in one of his elegies : 
 
 Nunc, Dea, nunc succurre mihi ; nam posse mederi, 
 Picta docet templis multa tabella tuis. 
 
 In process of time, these tablets and inscriptions 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 179 
 
 became very numerous ; and they probably con- 
 tained, in general, a short description of the specific 
 disease, and of the remedies prescribed and success- 
 fully administered in each particular case. It was 
 also customary to engrave all the principal pre- 
 scriptions for particular diseases, especially when 
 the remedies had been recently discovered, on the 
 door-posts and pillars of the temples. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IT would seem unnecessary to enter into any par- 
 ticular description of the various ancient Temples 
 of Health, which, indeed, were all very similar to 
 each other in their institution, objects, and modes 
 of treatment. It might appear unpardonable, how- 
 ever, in a treatise of this nature, to pass over, 
 without any special notice, the celebrated Oracle 
 of Delphi, which, although ultimately subjected to 
 the common fate of all the other institutions of 
 Paganism, has preserved the memory, at least, of 
 its once universal reputation to the latest times, 
 and has even become proverbial in the language of 
 all nations. 
 
 The Oracle of Delphi derived its name from a 
 city in Bceotia, which was situated on the southern 
 side of Mount Parnassus. This institution is said 
 to have taken its origin from the following circum- 
 
180 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 stances : Some shepherds, who were tending their 
 goats in that neighbourhood, observed that the 
 animals, when they happened to approach too near 
 to a deep aperture upon a particular spot, from 
 which there constantly issued a peculiar vapour, 
 were seized with a species of intoxication, accom- 
 panied with strange motions ; and that even one of 
 the shepherds, who went from curiosity to examine 
 this aperture, became similarly affected. He not 
 only exhibited the same peculiar motions as the 
 goats, but actually became suddenly endowed with 
 the spirit of prophecy, and began to predict future 
 events. These circumstances soon led to the con- 
 clusion that there must be something divine 
 according to the notions of these times in this 
 subterraneous aperture ; and the place, therefore, 
 at length came to be generally resorted to, with 
 the view of exciting the faculty of penetrating into 
 the secrets of futurity. But, as it sometimes unfor- 
 tunately happened that those who approached too 
 near to the aperture in question, stupified by the 
 vapour which issued from it, fell into it and perished, 
 this aperture was subsequently closed up with a 
 three-footed stool ( Tripos), in the middle of which 
 there was an opening, upon which those placed 
 themselves who were desirous of acquiring the pro- 
 phetic faculty. 
 
 For a considerable period, this miraculous spot 
 was dedicated to no particular deity ; but, at length, 
 it was determined that the place should be conse- 
 crated to APOLLO, and that a temple should be 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 181 
 
 erected to that tutelary divinity upon the particular 
 spot. At first this temple is said to have been 
 formed merely of laurel branches ; but, afterwards, 
 it was converted into a more solid and lasting edi- 
 fice of stone, and also provided with priests, for the 
 purpose of superintending the regular worship of 
 the deity to whom it was consecrated. 
 
 It is particularly remarkable that, in the Temple 
 of Delphi, young women were, for the most part, 
 selected for the prophetic office ; generally girls of 
 simple manners, chosen out of the lower classes of 
 the people. They were denominated PYTHI^E 
 (Pythonesses) a designation derived from APOLLO 
 Pythius, or the Soothsayer. That these Python- 
 esses derived their prophetic inspiration from sub- 
 terraneous vapours, was generally believed ; while 
 different opinions prevailed in regard to the real 
 cause. Some explained the whole matter in a per- 
 fectly natural manner. They conceived that these 
 vapours produced a state of mental excitement, and 
 disposed the soul to the exercise of divination. 
 Others propounded explanations of a different and 
 more mysterious character ; but the fact itself was 
 never called in question. Most of our modern inter- 
 preters, indeed, have been disposed to overlook or 
 utterly deny the reality of these facts, and to 
 ascribe the whole matter to fraud and delusion. 
 But this last opinion is directly opposed to the 
 evidence, and appears to be no better than a mere 
 arbitrary cutting of the Gordian knot, which they 
 have found themselves unable to unravel. 
 
182 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, c. 
 
 It is a very remarkable circumstance that the 
 Pyihia was also sometimes called the prophetess 
 from thebreast or the stomach VENTRILOQUA VATES 
 
 Or, among the Greeks, syyaT%ipat,vTis, sy/oiar^i^v^og. 
 
 From the use of these expressions, in one particular 
 sense, it would appear probable that the phenome- 
 non of the transference of the sensibility to the 
 epigastric region, or pit of the stomach, was known 
 to the Greeks, even in these ancient times, as we 
 previously found it to be among the still more 
 ancient Hindoos. The priests interpreted the 
 symbolical and frequently indistinct responses of 
 the Oracle, which and this is another remark- 
 able circumstance were, for the most part, de- 
 livered in rythmical sentences which required 
 explanation. 
 
 This temple at Delphi, like those of JEscuLAPius, 
 was provided with different apartments for the 
 sick, and for those who merely came to consult the 
 Oracle. The Pythia herself had a distinct and 
 separate sanctuary, to which no person whatever 
 was admitted. Near her apartment, there was a 
 small cabinet, where those who came to consult her 
 awaited her responses. The open entrance to the 
 cell appropriated to the Pythia was entirely covered 
 with laurel leaves ; so that no one who approached 
 it could perceive the Prophetess. Among plants, 
 the laurel, as is well known, was particularly sacred 
 to APOLLO ; and it was believed to possess the 
 property of inducing sleep and dreams. It was 
 also a common belief amongst the people, that the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 183 
 
 laurel was useful in driving away spectres ; a belief 
 which has been commemorated by PASSERATIUS : 
 
 Laurus arnica bonis geniis, longeque repellit 
 Nube cava tectos lemures. 
 
 It deserves to be remarked, that the Delphic 
 Oracle became so celebrated for its responses, not 
 only in cases of disease, but also in other matters 
 both of public and of private concern, that it was, 
 at length, designated as the oracle of the universe, 
 and numerously frequented by individuals from all 
 quarters of the globe. It is also mentioned by 
 PLUTARCH, as a peculiarity connected with the 
 temple at Delphi, that, in the sacred fire main- 
 tained in it, no other timber but fir was consumed ; 
 and that no female was ever permitted to consult 
 the Oracle. 
 
 We deem it quite unnecessary to enter into any 
 further details respecting the other numerous an- 
 cient Greek temples and oracles. They appear 
 to have been all devoted to nearly the same pur- 
 poses viz., to the cure of the sick, to the deve- 
 lopment of the prophetic faculty, and to religious 
 worship ; and enough has already been said for the 
 purpose of illustrating these objects. 
 
 It has been usual with many modern authors, 
 who have written upon this subject, to depreciate, if 
 not to ridicule, the whole of this ancient temple 
 system, as the mere offspring of ignorance, vanity, 
 and folly. The wisest among the contemporary 
 philosophers and historians, however, contemplated 
 
184 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 this matter in a very different light, and with very 
 different feelings ; and, in consequence of their 
 opportunities of observation, their opinions upon the 
 subject ought to possess greater weight. PLATO 
 (in Phcedro) observes, that the prophetess at Delphi, 
 and the priestesses at Dodona, had, in their sacred 
 mania, done much good to their country, by their 
 explication both of public and of private affairs ; 
 but, in their sober, waking state, little or nothing. 
 Hence it would appear to be quite certain that these 
 pythonesses and priestesses did not utter their 
 oracular responses in their ordinary conscious state 
 of existence and wakefulness, but in a peculiar con- 
 dition of ecstatic inspiration, produced, no doubt, by 
 artificial means in susceptible subjects ; and JULIUS 
 ARISTIDES, the philosopher already mentioned, and 
 himself a temple patient, repeatedly bears witness 
 that the priestesses of Dodona neither knew, before 
 their spiritual excitation, what they were about to 
 say, nor, after they had recovered their natural 
 consciousness, what they had actually said. Here, 
 as will more plainly appear hereafter, we have a 
 perfect and very striking coincidence between the 
 ancient temple-sleepers, and the modern Somnam- 
 bulists, as described by the disciples of MESMER, 
 in all essential, and even accidental circumstances.* 
 
 * A great deal of very curious information on the subject 
 of the oracles, and the treatment of the sick in the ancient 
 temples, will be found in the writings of the Greek author 
 mentioned in the text, ^SLIUS ARISTIDES, who lived in the 
 times of the Emperor MARCUS ANTONINUS, and was him- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 185 
 
 Thus, from all the accounts transmitted to us, we 
 are entitled to deduce the following inferences, in 
 regard to the treatment of the sick, and the pheno- 
 mena manifested by them, in the ancient temples. 
 Those patients, who came to consult the oracles on 
 the subject of their health, slept, during the night, 
 in the Temple of ^Esculapius^ where, during the 
 darkness and solemnity of the surrounding scene, 
 they were subjected to certain ceremonies and mani- 
 pulations i. e. they were magnetised by the priests. 
 It is now well known from experience, that a par- 
 ticular place, or a particular apartment, may be 
 specially magnetised, and Somnambulism thus ren- 
 dered infectious. This fact might be demonstrated 
 to have occurred in various instances, and has been 
 proved, in particular, by the proceedings which took 
 place in the early magnetic associations, in France, 
 soon after the promulgation of MESMER'S discovery. 
 Now, in the ancient temples, as has been shown, 
 there was a particular place, a special apartment, or 
 dormitory, where the patients slept; and in these 
 circumstances were manifested all those curious 
 phenomena which have astonished, puzzled, bewil- 
 dered, and perplexed philosophers in all subsequent 
 ages, even down to our own times. 
 
 From all the information which has reached us, 
 
 self a valetudinarian and a temple patient. He has left us 
 an interesting account of the means he employed for the 
 restoration of his health. See .ZEuus ARISTLDES, oratoris 
 clarissimi, orationes, Greece et Latine, interprete GULIELMO 
 CANTOR. 1604. 4to. 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
186 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 relative to the opinions of the most ancient and most 
 celebrated philosophers of Greece PYTHAGORAS, 
 EMPEDOCLES, PLATO, ARISTOTLE, &c. it is abun- 
 dantly evident that they were all well acquainted 
 with the somnambulistic and ecstatic states, however 
 much they may have differed from each other in 
 their methods of explaining the phenomena. Some, 
 indeed, considered these states as altogether of 
 divine origin, and, consequently, incapable of any 
 philosophical explanation whatever ; whilst others 
 conceived them to arise from natural, although, in 
 some respects, extraordinary and abnormal causes, 
 and to lie within the domain of science. Among the 
 former may be reckoned SOCRATES, PLATO, and the 
 philosophers of that school ; among the latter, 
 ARISTOTLE and his disciples, who considered the 
 prophetic faculty, in particular, as something quite 
 natural, depending upon the imagination and the 
 temperament, combined with a peculiarly modified 
 condition of the animal organism, or idiosyncrasy. 
 " Many of those persons who manifest the spirit of 
 prophecy," says the last-mentioned philosopher, 
 " are under the influence of maniacal or lymphatic 
 diseases ; and they are said to be divinely inspired, 
 when the phenomena, apparently, are not produced 
 by actual disease, but by a natural predisposition, 
 resulting from a peculiarity of temperament." To 
 much the same purport, BUCCAFIERRI, one of the 
 commentators of Aristotle, says : Qui habet habitum 
 melancholicum, habet per se causam prcedicendi de 
 futuris, et ideo per istum habitum , prophetia erit 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 187 
 
 secundum naturam, et melancholicus habitus erit pro 
 propheta naturaliter, quia ille habitus est naturalis. 
 (LuD. BUCCAFIERRI ; Lectiones in Aristotelis libros. 
 Venet. 1570.) 
 
 All this, we trust, will become clearer and more 
 generally intelligible, when we come to narrate and 
 comment upon the more modern instances of the 
 natural and artificial development of Somnambulism 
 and the ecstatic affections. 
 
 Our object in the preceding observations has been 
 to demonstrate that the phenomena in question had 
 not escaped the attention of the philosophers and 
 physicians of antiquity ; but that, even in these 
 remote times, they had constituted a serious and 
 interesting subject of scientific investigation to the 
 students of nature. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ONE of the most extraordinary, and most active 
 and influential successors of PYTHAGORAS, and who 
 became so celebrated for his study and practice of 
 what were denominated the magical arts, was APOL- 
 LONIUS TYAN^EUS. He is, perhaps, the first eminent 
 individual of whom it can be affirmed that his whole 
 doctrines and medical practice were manifestly of a 
 truly magnetic character. 
 
 In his sixteenth year, this enterprising physician 
 and philosopher commenced his travels, for the pur- 
 
188 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 pose of visiting the various temples in different 
 countries, and of being initiated into their peculiar 
 doctrines and mysteries. His life has been written 
 by PHILOSTRATUS, who informs us that APOLLONIUS 
 first visited the temple of ^ESCULAPIUS in JEgese, 
 and afterwards those of the oracles of AMPHIARIUS, 
 DELPHI, and DODONA ; that he subsequently made 
 acquaintance with the MAGI at Nineveh and Baby- 
 lon : that he afterwards travelled to Egypt, JEthio- 
 pia, Crete, Sicily, and Rome ; and, at length, took 
 up his abode in Smyrna, Ephesus, and Tyana. He 
 is said to have lived about an hundred years, and 
 to have died, at length, in the ninety-sixth year 
 after the Crucifixion. Wheresoever he came, during 
 his lifetime, he encouraged piety, prayer, and moral 
 conduct, performed the most wonderful cures, and 
 prophesied. For these reasons, it is said that some 
 of the heathen placed him on a level with, or in 
 opposition to JESUS CHRIST ; and as there were no 
 certain accounts of his death, the inhabitants of 
 Tyana declared him to be immortal, and erected a 
 temple to him in their city. His portrait was exhi- 
 bited in many other temples. The Emperor ANTO- 
 NINUS CARACALLA paid him divine honours; and 
 ALEXANDER SEVERUS, and other emperors, showed 
 the greatest respect for his memory. (LAMPRID. in 
 ALEX. SEVER, c. 29.) 
 
 Upon, one occasion, when a grievous plague was 
 raging at Ephesus, APOLLONIUS was called in to 
 assuage the violence of the pestilence ; and he suc- 
 ceeded in his efforts to abate the malady. It is said 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 189 
 
 to have frequently happened that his personal pre- 
 sence was not even necessary in order to produce 
 the remedial effects. At a distance, he is reported 
 to have effected cures, at different places, at one 
 and the same time. (PHILOSTRAT. IV. 10.) By 
 means of his talismans, he also operated wonderful 
 cures, and even, it is said, controlled the fury of the 
 winds and waves. 
 
 As, in the time of APOLLONIUS, Magic, probably 
 in consequence of its degradation and consequent 
 abuses, had been strictly prohibited by several 
 decrees of the Emperors and the Roman Senate, 
 he exerted himself in order to maintain it in all its 
 original purity and dignity ; and, at the same time, 
 he made a very proper distinction between MAGIC, 
 in its purer sense, and the spurious arts of witch- 
 craft and sorcery. By MAGIC, he understood the 
 method of performing miracles, as they were then 
 called, or marvellous things, by means of sacrifices 
 and ceremonies words and prayers. Of demons 
 and spirits APOLLONIUS says nothing. 
 
 The philosophy of APOLLONIUS was Platonic- 
 Pythagorean, and would probably be denounced, as 
 obscure and mystical, by the shallow thinkers of 
 the present age. In the main, however, it is by no 
 means so inconsistent with the doctrines and spirit 
 of Christianity, as many of the physiological and 
 psychological speculations of some of the modern 
 schools. APOLLONIUS, indeed, would appear to have 
 acquired very considerable attainments in physics, 
 as well as in psychology and metaphysics, and to 
 
190 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 have sedulously cultivated all that mysterious know- 
 ledge which could be obtained by frequenting the 
 temples and studying the processes employed by 
 the priesthood. 
 
 The more profound inquirers among the ancient 
 MAGI, indeed, appear to have been aware that the 
 development of that spiritual or psychical pheno- 
 menon, which is now called Clairvoyance, lucid 
 vision, second-sight, prophecy, &c., and the mental 
 actio in distans, although rarely manifested, pro- 
 ceeded from a faculty natural to the human soul, 
 when freed from the obstructing fetters of the 
 material organism, and left free to exercise its own 
 independent energies ; and similar notions have 
 been embraced by many modern philosophers, 
 whose minds have become emancipated from the 
 trammels of all degrading material systems of 
 intellectual science. All schemes of philosophy, it 
 is true the spiritual, as well as the sensual may 
 be carried out into the regions of extravagance and 
 mystical speculation, when extended beyond the 
 legitimate bounds of experience and observation ; 
 but the rigorous deductions of the cautious exer- 
 cise of our reasoning faculties, when warranted by 
 the facts presented to us by nature, must, it is con- 
 ceived, ultimately conduct us to the manifest dis- 
 tinction of a material, and of a spiritual or moral 
 nature in man a distinction which lies at the very 
 foundation of all morality, and of all religion ; while 
 the due control of common sense will compel us to 
 restrain our speculations, upon such subjects, within 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 191 
 
 the contracted sphere of our limited intellectual 
 powers. In short, while enlarged and impartial 
 investigation forces us to acknowledge the distinc- 
 tion between mind and matter intellect and sensi- 
 bility that which apprehends from that which is 
 apprehended the subject from the object ; we find 
 ourselves utterly incapable of explaining the abso- 
 lute nature of either, and must, necessarily, restrict 
 our speculations to an observation and examination 
 of the observed phenomena of both. In this respect, 
 the Materialists and the Immaterialists, or Spiritual- 
 ists, are very much in the same situation ; and both 
 must ultimately rely upon the phenomena of nature, 
 and the common facts of consciousness. But, in all 
 our speculations, we must beware of denouncing, 
 or interdicting, any demonstrated fact however 
 extraordinary or incredible it may, at first sight, 
 appear to be however incompatible with our pre- 
 conceived notions as inconsistent with our ideas 
 of the ordinary laws of nature ; lest, while attempt- 
 ing to exhibit our own wisdom and sagacity, or 
 acuteness of scepticism, we, in the end, only betray 
 our ignorance, presumption, and folly. Qui pauca 
 respiciant de facili pronuntiant. It is the proper 
 business of the true philosopher to observe and 
 record the laws and operations of nature, in the 
 physical and in the moral world, in so far as these 
 are capable of being ascertained by human research : 
 None but fools would pretend to dictate to her what 
 phenomena she shall manifest in all combinations of 
 circumstances, or what laws she shall follow, upon 
 
192 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 every occasion, more especially in the domain of 
 mind. 
 
 Philosophers, so called, and wits, in their own 
 conceit, have combined to denounce and ridicule 
 the phenomena of Clairvoyance, and, in particular, 
 the occasional development of the faculty of divina- 
 tion, without even condescending to a strict and 
 serious investigation of the actual manifestation of 
 the facts. This conduct, we presume to think, is 
 rather unreasonable, and very far from being in- 
 genuous. But, by way of illustration, let us look, 
 for a moment, to an analogous faculty the faculty 
 of Memory. No person, we presume to think, will 
 attempt to deny that mankind possess the power 
 of recalling past impressions of recollecting past 
 events. But if it be possible for the mind to recall 
 what is past, why should it be impossible for it to 
 anticipate the future? Why should the existence 
 of the one faculty be acknowledged, while that of 
 the other is discredited ? That which is past, has 
 no longer any immediately perceptible existence. 
 But the mind, it is admitted, can retrace and recall 
 those past impressions which no longer exist. Why, 
 then, should it not also, in certain circumstances, 
 become capable of foreseeing the future, which does 
 not yet exist ? It is very easy to assert that man 
 possesses a faculty which enables him to recall the 
 past, but no power of foreseeing the future. But 
 this last is just the de quo quceritur ; and to 
 assume the negative is a mere begging of the 
 question. The manifestation of the faculty, in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 193 
 
 this last case, indeed, as in the former, must be 
 proved by actual experience of the fact : But this 
 is all that can be reasonably required. The actual 
 occurrence of the phenomenon precludes all reason- 
 ing in regard to its possibility. The memory itself, 
 we may observe, is stronger or weaker in different 
 individuals. The faculty of foresight, presentiment, 
 or prophecy, is, comparatively, of rare occurrence. 
 But philosophy can assign no satisfactory reason 
 why the latter may not be occasionally manifested 
 in peculiar circumstances ; and, therefore, we are 
 compelled to rest satisfied with the fact, that " coming 
 events" do sometimes " cast their shadows before ;" 
 nor are we bound to account for the occasional mani- 
 festation of this particular faculty, any more than in 
 the case of the exercise of memory. Neither memory 
 nor foresight, indeed, are capable of being adequately 
 explained upon merely physical principles : Both are 
 psychical faculties peculiar to the mind in certain 
 states of the organism ; and there is no necessity 
 for calling in the assistance of angels, or daemons, or 
 other supernatural agencies, either in the one case 
 or in the other. Let us listen to the words of 
 ATHENAGORAS : Et cum suapte vi ac ratione, anima, 
 utpote immortalis, plerumque moveatur et agat in 
 homine, ita utfuturaprcedicat, et rerum prcesentium 
 statuin dirigat aut emendat, hujus sapientice laudem 
 Dcemones sibi lucrantur. The mind, unquestion- 
 ably, has its own laws as well as the body, although 
 both may occasionally act in concert; and so inti- 
 mately are they connected together, that it may 
 VOL. i. R 
 
194 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 appear doubtful, in many cases, what peculiar por- 
 tion of a phenomenon may be due to the predomi- 
 nating influence of the one, and what to the pre- 
 ponderating intervention of the other ; or whether 
 the total result may not be attributable to a certain 
 correspondence and sympathetic harmony between 
 the two as two strings of a musical instrument 
 sound in unison with each other in producing a 
 certain tone. 
 
 In the ancient narratives of psychological facts, 
 too, there may be, and probably is, an occasional 
 admixture of the fabulous with the true ; but modern 
 investigation has abundantly demonstrated that these 
 fables, if fables they be, and not merely a hyperbo- 
 lization of real occurrences, have, for the most part 
 at least, some foundation in reality. Indeed, the 
 fabulous, in such instances, we think, will generally 
 be found to pertain either to the exaggerated state- 
 ment of the occurrences, or to the explanation of 
 certain facts, rather than to the facts themselves. 
 
 But we must now terminate this, perhaps, prema- 
 ture digression, and proceed with our historical nar- 
 rative of the temple-proceedings, and the occurrence 
 of other magical or magnetic phenomena, among the 
 ancient nations of the world. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 195 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 AMONG the Romans, at an early period of their 
 history, we again recognise the same medical treat- 
 ment the temple-sleep (incubatio), and other magi- 
 cal arts and ceremonies as prevailed among the 
 Egyptians and the Greeks. Incubare dicuntur pro- 
 prie hi, qui dormiunt ad redpienda responsa ; wide 
 ille incubat Jovi, id est, dormit in Capitolio, ut re- 
 sponsa possit accipere. (SERVIUS, supra Virgilium.} 
 
 In the history of NUMA, we may trace the early 
 practice of magic at Rome, and particularly in the 
 alleged intercourse of that monarch with the nymph 
 Egeria. PLUTARCH (in NUMA) mentions that, at 
 this time, LAUNUS and Pic us two individuals well 
 skilled in MAGIC came to Italy, and were well 
 received by NUMA. The ancient Etruscans and 
 Sabines seem to have been also well acquainted with 
 MAGIC, in its better sense. The same may be said 
 of the Marsians, according to PLINY. In ancient 
 Rome, we likewise find the occasional occurrence of 
 somnambulistic phenomena and magical practices, 
 interwoven, as elsewhere, with many superstitious 
 practices and ceremonial rites. The Romans always 
 acknowledged the Etruscans to have been their 
 masters in the divine science of medicine and Clair- 
 voyance. 
 
196 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 SPRENGEL (1. 230) observes, that one of the most 
 ancient customs at Rome, for the purpose of avert- 
 ing disease, and the anger of the gods, was to con- 
 sult the oracle in the books of the Sibyls. ENNE- 
 MOSER, however, remarks, that the Sibylline books 
 were only consulted at a later period ; and that, in 
 early times, advice was sought from the Sibyls 
 themselves, not only in the case of diseases, but in 
 regard to other public and private affairs. Little is 
 known, with certainty, in regard to these Sibyls : 
 Even their exact number and names have been sub- 
 jects of controversy ; and there is little doubt that 
 many fables have been intermingled with their his- 
 tory. But the subject is of considerable importance 
 in the annals of MAGIC and ANIMAL MAGNETISM. 
 
 PETRUS PETITUS, in his work upon this subject, 
 describes a Sibyl to be Puella cujus pectus numen 
 recipit ; a definition consistent with the ideas of the 
 times, and with the divine attributes generally 
 ascribed to the particular condition of the prophetic 
 personage. The word itself SYBILL appears to 
 be compounded from */of, God, in the ^Eolic dialect, 
 and /3ewAjj, will or counsel. Others derive it from aiu, 
 agito, and /3tAAo$, plenus full of violent agitation 
 when in the prophetic state. (See G. CR ASSET ; 
 Dissertation sur les Oracles des Sibylles.) The 
 learned upon this subject are not agreed in regard 
 to the exact number of these Sibyls, their age, their 
 native country, or the time in which they lived. 
 We are not aware that it has occurred to any pre- 
 vious author to assign to them an origin similar to 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 197 
 
 that of the Gypsies of more modern times ; whom 
 some learned authors have traced to Egypt and 
 India. 
 
 Some assume the existence of only one ; others, 
 of two, three, or four, or even of ten Sibyls. 
 VARRO (Lib. IX. ad C. Ccesar.) whom ST AUSTIN 
 designated as the most learned and eloquent man 
 among the heathen assumes ten. LACTANTIUS, 
 and the greater number of the Fathers, agree with 
 ST AUSTIN. JULIAN assumes four ; SOLINUS, three. 
 PLINY, too, speaks of three, whose statues were 
 placed in the Capitol, at Rome. The three assumed 
 by SOLINUS are the Delphic, the Erythrean, and 
 the Cumcean. DIODORUS SICULUS speaks of only 
 one, whom he calls Daphne ; by others, she is called 
 Mantho, a daughter of Tiresias. PLATO and CICERO 
 speak of only one : The expressions of PLUTARCH 
 are doubtful. This incongruity in regard to the 
 number of the Sibyls may be explained in the fol- 
 lowing manner. 
 
 Prophecy, Divination, or Soothsaying, constitute 
 but one faculty ; but this faculty may be manifested 
 by different individuals. Hence, the expression the 
 SIBYL may have designated the individual who 
 manifested the faculty at any one particular time, 
 or upon any one particular occasion. Indeed, the 
 precise number of these Sibyls cannot now be deter- 
 mined. We are not warranted in limiting them to 
 two, three, or ten. Writers upon the subject may 
 have spoken only of such as were known to them- 
 selves and their contemporaries. Thus, MARTIAN 
 
198 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 CAPELLA mentions two ; SOLINUS, three ; VARRO, 
 ten. They may all have been right, so far as their 
 individual knowledge extended. PETITUS says : 
 " Prophecy itself, as the counsel of God, is but one ; 
 but this faculty may be exercised by many : Seve- 
 ral may have become celebrated by the display of 
 this gift." In our own times, there is only one 
 Clairvoyance, but many Clairvoyants : Yet, in 
 speaking of any one particular instance of the 
 development of this faculty, we talk of the Clair- 
 voyant. 
 
 The first of VARRO'S ten Sibyls is the Persian, or 
 Chaldean, called Samota. She is said to have been 
 the eldest, and to have composed twenty -four books, 
 in which the advent of JESUS CHRIST, his sufferings, 
 death, and resurrection, were foretold. (CRASSET ; 
 I. c.) The second was the Libyan Sibyl ; the 
 third, the Delphic the DAPHNE of Diodorus, cele- 
 brated by HOMER, and well known by her memor- 
 able oracular responses at Delphi. The fourth, and 
 one of the most famous, was the Cumcean (Sibylla 
 Cumana), born in the Trojan territory ; who came 
 to Italy, and was held in particular estimation by 
 the Romans, who believed that she had predicted 
 the entire destiny of their empire. (PLIN. 34, 5.) 
 Previous to her arrival in Italy, the people had 
 particularly honoured CARMENTA, the mother of 
 Evander, on account of her prophetic powers. 
 (PLINY I. CARMENTA, quam fatiloquam, ante 
 Sibyllas in Italiam adventum, miratce, hce gentes 
 fuerant.) 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 199 
 
 Of this Cumsean Sibyl, many circumstances are 
 related by N^EVIUS, in his African war ; and, also, 
 by Piso, in his Annals. VIRGIL, too, has taken par- 
 ticular notice of this Sibyl. She is said to have 
 promulgated her oracles before the landing of 
 ^SNEAS in Italy ; and she is represented as having 
 dwelt in a large cavern in the neighbourhood of the 
 lake Avernus. She was called the Virgin and 
 Priestess of Apollo. It is said that she frequently 
 wrote her responses upon palm-leaves, and placed 
 them at the entrance of the cavern, whence they 
 were carried by the wind to a considerable distance. 
 When she delivered her responses verbally, she was 
 in a state of the most violent agitation. VIRGIL has 
 given an admirable description of this excited state 
 of the Sibyl a state which has been not unfre- 
 quently witnessed in the case of some of the modern 
 magnetic Somnambulists in their cataleptic crises, 
 but which, in these latter instances, has been found 
 capable of being modified by appropriate treatment. 
 (See VIRGIL ; ^Eneid. Lib. VI., v. 45, &c.) This 
 state, indeed, appears to be of a character similar to 
 the Corybantism described by the Greek writers, 
 and to the divinatio per fur or em, which is by no 
 means of rare occurrence in spasmodic attacks, espe- 
 cially in the case of hysterical females, and in some 
 species of mania. Hence, ARISTOTLE, and others, 
 were induced to consider the prophetic faculty as a 
 peculiar property of the melancholy temperament. 
 
 The fifth Sibyl was the Erythrean, whom some 
 conceive to have been the same as the Persian. 
 
200 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 The sixth was the Samian, of whom ERASTOS- 
 THENES speaks. The seventh, according to VARRO, 
 was Herophile. The eighth was the Hellespontine, 
 who is said to have prophesied in the time of SOLON 
 and CYRUS. The ninth was the Phrygian, who 
 appears to have been the same as the Cumcean. 
 The tenth was the Tiburtina, called also Albunea. 
 who delivered her oracles at Tibur, and was wor- 
 shipped as a goddess. 
 
 For farther information upon this curious sub- 
 ject, we would refer our inquisitive readers to the 
 following works, in which the history of these pro- 
 phetesses is more amply detailed : PLUTARCH ; 
 Lib. Cur nam PYTHIA non amplius reddat oracula. 
 Traite de la Creance des Peres a I' occasion de 
 
 9 
 
 V esprit attribue aux Sibylles, par DAVID BLONDEL. 
 POISSARDUS ; De Sibyllis. 
 
 From these Sibyls emanated the Sibylline books, 
 which, in later times, were consulted in cases of 
 disease, as well as in important affairs of state ; and 
 which were particularly respected at Rome, as the 
 tutelary guardians of their empire. The origin of 
 these books is uncertain. They are said to have 
 been numerous ; but those of a later date were, 
 probably, false and supposititious. It is unneces- 
 sary for us to repeat the well known history of the 
 acquisition of these books by the Romans, of the 
 respect long paid to them, of their careful preserva- 
 tion in the public archives, and of their ultimate 
 fate. 
 
 The residence of the Sibyls was, generally, in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &O. 201 
 
 remote and quiet situations, especially in caverns, 
 in which the country, especially in the neighbour- 
 hood of Rome, abounded. It has been sometimes 
 made a question, whether the entire history of these 
 Sibyls, and their oracles, were not a mere fable ; 
 and many writers have treated the whole subject 
 with incredulity, and even with ridicule. But there 
 is no subject upon the substantial truth of which all 
 ancient authors historians, theologians, orators, 
 philosophers, and poets are more unanimously 
 agreed ; and although some fable may possibly 
 have been permitted to amalgamate with the truth, 
 yet modern research and discovery warrant our 
 belief that their narratives and occasional allusions 
 to this particular topic are substantially founded 
 upon a broad substratum of solid facts. These 
 Sibyls, it would appear like the ancient temple- 
 sleepers, and our modern magnetic Somnambulists 
 and Crisiacs frequently uttered their oracular 
 responses in metaphorical, parabolic, enigmatical, 
 and obscure phraseology either viva voce, or in 
 writing, or merely by signs : Tribus modis futura 
 prcedicit aut voce, aut scriptura, aut signis : 
 
 Horrendas canit ambages, antroque remugit, 
 Obscuris vera involvens. 
 
 SERVIUS ad MARENIS verba. 
 
 Besides a vast number of the ancient Greek and 
 Roman authors who have spoken of the Sibyls, many 
 of the Fathers of the Christian Church have also 
 referred to their history and predictions. Among 
 these last may be mentioned POPE CLEMENT, JUSTIN 
 
202 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 MARTYR, ATHENAGORAS, THEOPHILUS of Antioch, 
 EUSEBIUS, LACTANTIUS, CLEMENT of Alexandria, 
 ST AMBROSE, ST AUSTIN, ST ISIDORE of Seville, &c. 
 The following remarkable passage of ST JUSTIN 
 (Admonitorium ad Grcecos) gives a very curious and 
 apparently accurate description of the somnambu- 
 listic state of the Sibyls : Res multas et magnas 
 recte et vere dicunt, nihil eorum, quce dicunt, intel- 
 ligentes. Sibyllce, enim haudquaquam, sicuti pcetis, 
 etiam postquam pcemata scripsere, facultasfuit cor- 
 rigendi atque expoliendi responsa sua, sed in ipso 
 afflatus tempore sortes ilia explebat, et evanescente 
 instinctu ipso, simul quoque dictorum memoria eva- 
 nuit. At this moment, it would scarcely be possible 
 to give a more accurate description of the modern 
 magnetic Clairvoyants and prophets. 
 
 Several of the early Christian Fathers, indeed, 
 defended the inspiration of the Sibyls ; and their 
 prophetic faculty was commemorated even in the 
 mass for the dead : 
 
 Dies irce, dies ilia 
 Solvet scBclum infavilla; 
 Teste David cum Sibylla. 
 
 A number of other favourable allusions to the 
 prophecies of the Sibyls will be found in CICERO, de 
 Divinatione, Lib. II. ; VIRGIL, Eclog. IV. Tacitus, 
 Lib. XL ; SUETONIUS, in Vespasian and in Livy. 
 Among the Fathers of the Church, previously men- 
 tioned, who have countenanced the Sibyls and their 
 prophecies, we may again notice, more particularly, 
 ST AUSTIN, de Civitate Dei ; Lib. XVIII. c. 23 ; 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 203 
 
 LACTANTIUS, Divin. Institut. Lib. I. JUSTIN MAR- 
 TYR, and CLEMENT of Alexandria. The testimony 
 of CONSTANTINE the Great, upon this subject, is also 
 very important. The inquisitive reader may like- 
 wise consult the following works : E. SCHMIDII, 
 Sibyllina, Wittenb. 1618 ; Gu TRIES, de Sibyllis, 
 &c., 1690 ; GAETANI, de Sibyllis, &c., 1756; 
 POSE us, Sibyllarum Icones, Colon. 1786 ; WAG- 
 NERI, Inquisitio in Oracula Sibyllarum, Tubing. 
 1664; KCERBER, de Sibyllarum fo'6m,Gera9, 1680; 
 MARK, de Sibyllarum Carminibus, Frankf.,1682; 
 Sibyllina Oracula, commentario Galcei, Amster., 
 1689.* 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 IT has been a very common belief, and much 
 insisted upon by many modern, and, especially, by 
 theological writers, that the ancient oracles had 
 entirely ceased upon the advent of JESUS CHRIST ; 
 and that they had never afterwards been resumed. 
 This assumption, however, is sufficiently refuted, 
 upon historical authority, by many of the best in- 
 formed writers upon the subject ; and it is mani- 
 
 * St Thomas is of opinion that the Sibyl ought to be 
 placed in Paradise : Sibylla debet inter personas in fide Christi 
 eyplicite salvatis computari. ST THOM. 22 qucest. 172. 
 
204 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 festly founded upon a mistake, probably originating 
 from the vulgar notion entertained by many of the 
 early Christians, that these institutions were essen- 
 tially connected with Paganism, and utterly opposed 
 to the new faith ; and, moreover, that they had 
 been established and maintained by the Devil, 
 whose empire was presumed to have been utterly 
 annihilated at the coming of our Saviour. But, in 
 reality, this notion of the total cessation of the 
 Oracles, at the period in question, is manifestly 
 incorrect ; and it renders the credibility of the 
 early converts to Christianity extremely suspicious. 
 It is sad to think that so fair a fabric of substan- 
 tial truth should have been sullied, at so early 
 a period, by the impure varnish of falsehood and 
 deception, In point of fact, it has been clearly 
 demonstrated that the Oracles did not cease upon 
 the appearance of JESUS CHRIST ; nor had the 
 Devil anything to do with their responses. In- 
 deed, the continued subsistence of these Oracles, 
 beyond the period in question, may be clearly 
 proved by the most unimpeachable historical evi- 
 dence. PLUTARCH lived after JESUS; and that 
 author expressly mentions that the oracle at Liba- 
 dia, as well as those of TropJionius and Delphi, 
 still flourished in his time. Nay, he tells us that 
 the Temple of Delphi had been repaired, and addi- 
 tions made to it, which rendered it more splendid 
 than ever. SUETONIUS (in Vita Neronis) mentions 
 that the Oracle of Delphi was consulted by NERO. 
 PHILOSTRATUS says of APOLLONIUS who lived 90 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC. &c. 205 
 
 years after CHRIST that he frequented the Oracles 
 of Delphi and Dodona. The Emperor JULIAN sent 
 to consult the Oracle at Delphi. DIONYSIUS mentions 
 that, 230 P. c., AMPHILOCHUS had prophetic dreams. 
 MACROBIUS informs us that, in the times of ARCA- 
 DIUS and HONORIUS, the temples of Heliopolis, in 
 Syria, and that of Fortuna, at Antium, were still 
 in a flourishing condition. At Athens, the temple- 
 sleep is said to have been still in vogue in the fifth 
 century. (See KINDERLING ; Der Somnambulismus 
 unserer Zeit mit der Incubation, oder dem Tempel- 
 scJilaf und Weissagungstraume der alten Heiden 
 verglichen ; 1788 . 
 
 We must be very cautious, indeed, of giving im- 
 plicit credence to all the assertions thrown out, upon 
 this subject, by many of the early Christian authors, 
 whose ardent zeal occasionally betrayed them into 
 statements, in relation to this particular topic, 
 inconsistent with the actual state of things ; and 
 whose narratives, therefore, are not always distin- 
 guished by their critical correctness in regard to 
 matters of fact. The gradual decline and ultimate 
 ruin of the ancient pagan temples may, no doubt, 
 be attributed, in some considerable measure, to the 
 gradual encroachments and final triumph of the new 
 faith and purer doctrines of the Christian converts ; 
 but these events were unquestionably influenced 
 and accelerated by other concomitant causes. 
 
 In Isis Revelata, the reader will find some pas- 
 sages quoted from ancient authors, which manifestly 
 demonstrate a knowledge of the efficacy of the 
 
206 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 magnetic processes, both in the cure of diseases, 
 and in the development of the somnambulistic and 
 ecstatic affections, in early times. We may here 
 add the following passage from APULEIUS, which 
 evidently refers to Somnambulism, and describes the 
 most curious characteristics of that extraordinary 
 affection : Quin et illud mecum reputo, posse 
 animum humanum, et puerilem prcesertim purum 
 simplicemque, sen carminum avocamento, sen odo- 
 rum delineamento, soporari, et ad oblivionem prce- 
 sentium externari, et paulisper, remota corporis 
 memora, redigi ac redire ad naturam suam, quce est 
 immortalis scilicet et divina ; atque ita veluti 
 quodam soporefutura rerum prcesagire. 
 
 It may be observed, however, that, among the 
 Romans, as among the ancient nations generally, 
 all such operations were accounted magical, and 
 that all MAGIC, without distinction, was frequently 
 mixed up and confounded with the unlawful arts of 
 sorcery ; and that laws were enacted, at various 
 times, and in different countries, with a view to 
 repress such abuses. SYLLA decreed the punishment 
 of death against all those individuals, qui susurris 
 magicis hominem occiderent ; qui mala sacrificia 
 fecerint, venenaque amatoria habuerint. Many 
 similar laws were enacted during the time of the 
 emperors ; but it is evident that these laws almost 
 always referred to the vulgar abuses, and not to the 
 legitimate practice of MAGIC, in the better sense of 
 the word. Indeed, in proportion as this science 
 degenerated, it appears to have gradually lapsed 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 207 
 
 into the absurd and forbidden practice of arts always 
 foolish and futile, and, frequently, dangerous. It 
 will be observed, too, that, in these laws, as well as 
 in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the prohi- 
 bition and penalty were principally directed against 
 such persons as were addicted to the use of poison- 
 ous drugs ; so that, although the modern adminis- 
 tration of sulphuric cether and chloroform which 
 are always dangerous, and not unfrequently attended 
 with fatal consequences might be considered as 
 falling under the latter of these enactments, they 
 could not be held to extend to the simple and inno- 
 cuous treatment of the Animal Magnetists. 
 
 The School of the Neo-Platonists at Alexandria 
 may be considered as the connecting link between 
 the ancient and modern theosophistic philosophy. 
 The disciples of that school were well acquainted 
 with the mysteries and oracles of the pagan world 
 they combined, in a very remarkable manner, the 
 mystical theology of the ancient Egyptians with the 
 philosophy of the Greeks, and the divinatory doc- 
 trines of the therapeutic adepts with the searching 
 spirit of metaphysical inquiry. Their writings, too, 
 appear to have been influenced, in a considerable 
 degree, by the early diffusion of the tenets of Chris- 
 tianity, which, however, they did not entirely em- 
 brace. The Neo-Platonists, therefore, became, as 
 it were, the friendly mediators between the ancient 
 heathen philosophers and cosmologists, and the 
 science and faith of the early Christian converts. 
 
 A full and complete history and exposition of the 
 
208 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 various writings and peculiar tenets of the philoso- 
 phers of this school would lead us into an inquiry 
 and discussion much too extensive for the limits we 
 have assigned to this treatise. Our readers, there- 
 fore, must be satisfied with little more than a mere 
 reference to the writings of AMMONIUS SACCHAS, 
 PLOTINUS, PORPHYRY, PROCLUS, IAMBLICHUS, &c., 
 in which the doctrines of the JSeo-Platonist-Pytha- 
 goreans are more completely developed. We may 
 only observe, that these doctrines appear to have 
 been a compound of Zoroastric notions, of the 
 Egyptian mysteries, the Greek philosophy, and the 
 dogmas of Christianity. It must be mentioned, how- 
 ever, in particular, that the philosophers of this 
 school appear to have been most intimately acquaint- 
 ed with all the most remarkable phenomena of Som- 
 nambulism and the Magnetic Clairvoyance, upon 
 which, indeed, many of their distinguishing doctrines 
 and favourite speculations were founded. This last 
 circumstance would appear to have drawn down 
 upon them a very general and indiscriminate charge 
 of mysticism a charge which, at a more recent 
 period, has been equally applied by the ignorant, 
 the sceptical, and the unin quiring, to the modern 
 disciples of MESMER and PUYSEGUR. Many of the 
 doctrines of the Neo-Platonists, however, have found 
 enlightened partisans in all subsequent ages. Of 
 these, in modern times, and in our own country, 
 GALE, GLANVILL, and DR HENRY MORE, are, per- 
 haps, the most distinguished. We shall have occa- 
 sion, by-and-bye, to refer to the character and 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 209 
 
 writings of SWEDENBORG, JACOB BEHMEN, and 
 others, whose speculations were founded upon this 
 species of mystical meditation. In the meantime, 
 however, we may remark, that the works of these 
 authors, and of the other so-called Mystics, cannot 
 be properly comprehended, without some previous 
 acquaintance with the facts referred to, and the 
 relative opinions held by the magnetic philosophers. 
 Upon the early introduction and diffusion of the 
 Christian doctrines, however, every thing that re- 
 lated to the philosophy, as well as to the religion of 
 the pagan world, was rejected by the new converts 
 with violent abhorrence, as heathenish impiety, 
 and was, moreover, presumed to be diametrically 
 opposed to the purer tenets embraced in the new 
 faith. Those phenomena, especially, which were 
 alleged to have been manifested in the ancient 
 Temples of Health, and generally regarded as the 
 offspring of supernatural agency, were now deemed 
 peculiarly obnoxious ; and, consequently, they were 
 zealously anathematised and proscribed by the or- 
 thodox Christians, as the impure and infamous 
 works of the Devil. These phenomena, indeed, 
 were universally acknowledged to be, not only 
 authentic, but miraculous ; but, then, every miracle 
 produced beyond the pale of the Christian Church 
 was accounted satanic or demoniacal. That phe- 
 nomena of such a character could by any possibility 
 be produced by natural causes, no man, in these 
 times, was sufficiently enlightened, or bold enough, 
 to maintain, from the fear of reputed heresy and 
 
 VOL. I. a 
 
210 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 popular vengeance. Nor is this very wonderful, 
 when we advert to the gross ignorance and barbar- 
 ous superstition of the age : For even those praise- 
 worthy researches, which were instituted for the 
 purpose of promoting the more accurate study of 
 nature, were equally subjected to the inquisitorial 
 proscription. The recluse natural philosopher 
 nay, even the sober mathematician were, for a 
 long period, subjected to the serious imputation of 
 devoting themselves to the study and practice of 
 unhallowed arts, by means of an impure compact 
 with the Evil One ; and such individuals, on the 
 discovery of their pursuits, were, not unfrequently, 
 subjected to the severest punishment, or forced 
 to flee for their lives. In short, every species of 
 profane learning was accounted magical or diabo- 
 lical, and was thrust under the ban of a general 
 condemnation. 
 
 In consequence of such false, absurd, and mis- 
 chievous impressions, mankind, even under the 
 liberal dispensation of the Christian Gospel, gra- 
 dually relapsed into a state of almost primeval 
 darkness and utter barbarism. A large proportion 
 of the priesthood became little, if at all, superior in 
 intellectual cultivation to the rude people whom 
 they were appointed to instruct ; and their ortho- 
 doxy became suspected whenever they attempted 
 to elevate themselves above this degrading position, 
 or their inclination prompted them to diverge into 
 the dangerous paths of literature or science. In 
 such a state of matters, opinions prevailed, and 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 211 
 
 actions were sanctioned, during centuries, which 
 were calculated to bring down disgrace upon all 
 religion, and to present a shocking picture of the 
 perverse malignity of human nature. It may be 
 reasonably doubted whether the entire pages of 
 history can exhibit a similar period of human 
 ignorance and depravity to that which obtrudes 
 itself upon our notice in the first ten or twelve cen- 
 turies after the introduction of Christianity into the 
 European community. But we must not anticipate. 
 
 In concluding our observations, however, upon 
 the origin and progress of MAGIC among the 
 ancient nations of the world, we must be permitted 
 to advert, briefly, to a charge which has been 
 occasionally brought against the class of magnetic 
 philosophers to whom we last referred the Neo- 
 Platonists. 
 
 Several authors amongst others, Bishop Lloyd. 
 Kiister, Mosheim, Brucker, &c. have accused these 
 Nee-Platonic philosophers, as well as PHILOSTRATUS. 
 the biographer of APOLLONIUS, of having invented 
 most of the miracles they have ascribed to PYTHA- 
 GORAS, for the purpose of throwing suspicion upon 
 the miracles of our Saviour, and thus diminishing 
 the credit of the Christian gospel. The falsehood 
 and absurdity of this accusation, however, have 
 been completely exposed by MEINERS the learned, 
 accurate, and judicious historian of philosophy, in 
 his History of the Origin, Progress, and Decline of 
 the Sciences in Greece and Rome. The entire his- 
 tory of PYTHAGORAS, as MEINERS has shown, was 
 
212 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 written long before the existence of the Neo-Pla- 
 tonic sect. A critical examination has demonstrated 
 that IAMBLICHUS borrowed his fact's, relative to the 
 life of the philosopher in question, from more ancient 
 authorities ; and even PHILOSTRATUS wrote his Life 
 of APOLLONIUS before AMMONIUS SACCHAS began to 
 teach, and, therefore, previous to the birth of 
 PLOTINUS. The assertion that the philosophers in 
 question entertained the most inveterate hatred 
 against the Christian religion, is equally false and 
 unfounded. Even those among the NEO-PLATO- 
 NISTS who were disposed to controvert some of the 
 doctrines of Christianity, always expressed the 
 highest respect for MOSES and JESUS CHRIST ; and 
 never thought of impeaching their characters, or of 
 denying the reality of their miracles. Finally, 
 within the whole compass of their writings, there 
 does not exist the slightest vestige of a comparison 
 or assimilation of the miracles of PYTHAGORAS with 
 those of the Saviour.* 
 
 * For the benefit of rny readers, I have thought it proper 
 to translate the passage in which MEINERS supports the 
 opinion alluded to in the text, especially as it appears to be 
 opposed to the notions previously current upon the subject : 
 " Before attempting to exercise my critical skill upon 
 PORPHYRIUS and IAMBLICHUS, I must necessarily examine 
 the truth or falsehood of those doubts which many celebrated 
 writers have advanced, in regard to the integrity and sin- 
 cerity of these authors. Bishop LLOYD, KUSTER, MOSHEIM, 
 BRUCKER, and a whole host of blind followers, have enter- 
 tained an opinion that PORPHYRIUS and IAMBLICHUS had 
 invented most of the miracles they have related of PYTHA- 
 GORAS, with a view to cast suspicion upon those of our 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 213 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 It is a wise and beneficent law of nature, that, in 
 the progress of human society and cultivation, error 
 must, sooner or later, give place to truth; and 
 
 Saviour and his disciples. The Neo-Platonists were repre- 
 sented as harbouring the most inveterate hatred of Chris- 
 tianity ; and it was believed, in the teeth of all correct 
 chronology, that even PHILOSTRATUS, who wrote his book 
 before AMMONIUS SACCHAS began to teach, and previous to 
 the birth of PLOTINUS, had been an adjutant of these men, 
 and had described his hero, APOLLONIUS, as a great miracle- 
 monger, in order to place him on a level with the divine 
 founder of our religion. This nearly universal opinion of 
 the invention of miracles by PHILOSTRATUS, PORPHYRY, and 
 IAMBUCHUS, and for the purpose above mentioned, is so 
 inconsistent with the whole history of PYTHAGORAS, APOL- 
 LONIUS, and the Neo-Platonists, and betrays such ignorance 
 or inattention, that I can scarcely comprehend how even 
 moderate scholarship could have fallen into it, adopted it, 
 and allowed it to pass current for such a length of time. I 
 will not even insist upon the fact, that the adversaries of 
 Christianity among the Neo-Platonists, always expressed 
 the utmost respect for MOSES and JESUS CHRIST, and never 
 thought of impeaching the reality of their miracles ; that 
 neither PORPHYRY nor IAMBLICHUS have ever been con- 
 victed of a single fiction, and, finally, that, in their writings, 
 there is not a single trace of a comparison and assimilation 
 of the miracles of PYTHAGORAS with those of our Saviour. 
 But this, I think, they could not and should not have over- 
 looked, that the oldest biographers of PYTHAGORAS related 
 the same miracles which we find in PORPHYRY and IAMBLI- 
 CHUS, that both of these writers have assured us of this, and 
 
214 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 humanity is deeply interested in the overthrow of 
 superstition. But, on the other hand, it is surely 
 ungenerous to insult a system of religion which was 
 entertained by many learned and enlightened men 
 who have gone before us ; a religion, too, which, 
 however imperfect and objectionable, pervaded a 
 large portion of the world during four thousand 
 years. The pagan religion, it is true, was full of 
 superstitions, and every sane man must admit that 
 the Christian scheme is, in every respect, infinitely 
 preferable to that which it superseded. But because 
 the latter is the truest and the best, and founded, 
 as we believe, on divine revelation, still it would be 
 
 that, in the first and second centuries, the very same repre- 
 sentation of PYTHAGORAS prevailed, as that which they have 
 transmitted. The following investigation will convince 
 every one that the very same philosophers who are thus 
 suspected of cunningly devised fictions, not only borrowed 
 all their materials from preceding writers, but gave their 
 narrative, almost throughout, in the veiy words of the 
 authors they transcribed. Both of these philosophers were 
 simple, childish, and thoroughly honest ; and so far from 
 imposing upon their readers by new fables of their own 
 invention, that they have even, in their excerpts, conde- 
 scended to communicate the observations of such persons as 
 believed that the Pythagoreans had attributed many false 
 miracles to their master. Had they been so cunning as is 
 commonly thought, they would assuredly have suppressed 
 such observations, which could only demonstrate their own 
 credulity, and weaken the credibility of their own narratives. 
 " I have no hesitation, therefore, in declaring the whole 
 charge of fabrication brought against PORPHYRY and IAM- 
 BLICHUS, to be false and groundless ; and that I hold the 
 authenticity of the fragments and testimonies of which their 
 biographies are composed, to be as genuine, as I am sceptical 
 in regard to their trustworthiness." 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 215 
 
 unjust to conclude that the former consisted alto- 
 gether of error and impiety. Were this mode of 
 reasoning to prevail, our knowledge of antiquity 
 would be worse than useless ; were it sufficient to 
 be born Christians in order to entitle us to arrogate 
 a superiority over the ancients, we are necessarily 
 led to think that the moderns are far below what 
 they ought to be, in consequence of the divine ori- 
 gin and purer nature of their religious faith. 
 
 But what rational being can believe that the great 
 Creator could have abandoned his creation to itself 
 during four thousand years ? Is it not more natu- 
 ral to conclude, that, if the pagan religion was not 
 more distinguished by its simplicity and its purity, 
 it was because the Deity, in his infinite wisdom and 
 mercy, was pleased to wait until mankind, by con- 
 templation and reflection, had time to elevate them- 
 selves to a purer faith, and, like the Hebrew nation, 
 should come to adore him everywhere in the uni- 
 verse, without confining him to any particular spot ? 
 If, at length, this ancient religion was reformed by 
 MOSES, and still more by JESUS CHRIST, was not 
 this a striking proof that the Supreme Being still 
 watched over the universe, and that the homage 
 offered up to the UNKNOWN GOD had not been 
 addressed to him in vain ? 
 
 Where shall we find more noble expressions of 
 reverence and piety than in the language of the 
 ancients, particularly in the works of the divine 
 PLATO? It is said, indeed, that they worshipped 
 statues; but St Austin has proved the contrary. 
 
216 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 PAUSANIAS has named the artists who made these 
 statues ; and PYTHAGORAS had said : " Lend not 
 your resemblance to God do not represent him in 
 any form." And Apollo is said to have communi- 
 cated his oracles in person ; but this is a mistake. 
 It is not, says PLUTARCH, the voice of Apollo which 
 is heard, nor his words, nor his verses, but those of 
 the Pythoness. In conferring the attribute of divi- 
 nity upon their great men, they may, no doubt, be 
 said to have abused the name of God ; but, in their 
 simplicity, they thought to honour him by compar- 
 ing with him all that they deemed most pure and 
 illustrious upon the earth. Such practices, there- 
 fore, were not absolutely impious or idolatrous : 
 Nature was so profuse and so mysterious in her 
 manifestations, that the ancients may have been led 
 to exalt and to deify the bodies of which it was 
 composed; but the majestic and incomprehensible 
 power of the Creator arid Preserver of all things 
 still governed the world ; and the incense which 
 was burnt on the altars of JUPITER TONANS was 
 always the willing tribute of a profound respect for 
 that invisible and inscrutable Being who presided 
 over the destiny of mortals.* " Who by searching 
 can find out God?" 
 
 After a violent and sanguinary struggle of two 
 or three centuries' duration, Christianity, at length, 
 prevailed over Paganism ; the ancient temples were 
 
 * See Histoire du Somnambulisme ; par AUBIN GAUTHIER. 
 Tome ii., pp. 112, &c. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 217 
 
 overthrown and succeeded by the Christian churches, 
 and MAGIC and MAGNETISM found a refuge in the 
 monasteries, where they continued to flourish under 
 different auspices. Of this fact we have abundant 
 evidence in the writings of the churchmen, and of 
 the monkish annalists. These writings, however, 
 are so numerous, and so prolix, and, in part, so 
 little to be relied upon, that we feel it necessary to 
 restrict ourselves to a comparatively few notices 
 and extracts, which, however, will probably be 
 deemed sufficient for our purpose. 
 
 MARK, a heretic, the disciple of Valentine, also a 
 heretic, instituted a sect, (A.D. 100,) which, from his 
 name, was called the sect of the Marcosites. ST 
 IREN^US, who was elected Bishop of Lyons, wrote 
 against this sect, among whom, it would appear, 
 there were several prophetesses. According to IRE- 
 N^EUS, the following was the method adopted by 
 MARK in conferring the gift of prophecy upon his 
 female disciples : " Behold" said he, " the grace of 
 God descends upon you open your mouth and pro- 
 phesy." And when the woman answered, " / have 
 never prophesied, and I know not how to prophesy;" 
 MARK made certain motions and invocations, by 
 means of which the sister was thrown into a state 
 of stupor. He then said to her : " Open your 
 mouth speak boldly, and you shall prophesy" 
 The sister, then, impressed by his words, felt her 
 head exalted ; her heart palpitated in an extraor- 
 dinary manner. She believed herself inspired ; she 
 ventured to speak, and expressed herself like a per- 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
218^ AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 son in delirium. She said every thing that came 
 into her mind many things void of meaning, but 
 spoken with a tone of assurance, because her spirits 
 were heated. At length, she prophesied as well as 
 any of the prophets of this class. After this, she 
 believed herself to be a real prophetess. 
 
 TERTULLIAN was one of the most able apologists 
 and champions of the Christian religion at the period 
 (A.D. 200), when a person named MONTANUS, a 
 heretic, pretended to be the direct channel through 
 which the Holy Ghost announced the new lights of 
 Christianity. This person, MONTANUS, carried about 
 with him two females, called, respectively, Prisca 
 and Maximilla, both of whom were subject to fits of 
 ecstasy, and predicted future events. Two of the 
 Popes, St Zephirinus and St Victor, convinced by 
 the prophecies of Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla, 
 conferred upon them letters of peace that is, Papal 
 protection. 
 
 At first, TERTULLIAN treated these three person- 
 ages as individuals possessed by the spirit of error ; 
 but soon afterwards, from what he himself saw and 
 heard, this man, the most learned and eminent among 
 the Christians of his age, condescended to receive 
 instruction in the school of a heretic and two repro- 
 bate women. Before he could have taken such a 
 step, he must assuredly have been impressed with a 
 very profound conviction. 
 
 " There is at present amongst us," says TERTUL- 
 LIAN, " a sister who is favoured with the gift of 
 revelation. She receives her revelations," says he, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 219 
 
 " in the church during the celebration of our myste- 
 ries, when she is wrapt in ecstasy. She then con- 
 verses with the angels, and sometimes even with the 
 LORD JESUS CHRIST. In her raptures, she hears 
 and sees the secrets of Heaven ; knows what is con- 
 cealed in the hearts of several persons, and points 
 out salutary remedies to those who have need of 
 them."* 
 
 This, we think, is sufficiently plain ; nor can it be 
 said by any of our sceptics and esprit forts, that 
 these females were trained and endoctrinated by 
 any of the dupes of MESMER. In these women we 
 find the ancient Isis pointing out remedies to the 
 Egyptians the PYTHONESS who prophesied among 
 the Greeks, and all the characteristics of the inspired 
 among the Pagans, who heard divine voices, and 
 conversed with the gods. It would appear, too, that 
 at this period the ecstatic phenomena took place in 
 the churches, as previously in the pagan temples, 
 and that they were accompanied by the same 
 symptoms. 
 
 TERTULLIAN, convinced by the heretics, became 
 the object of the anathemas of all the other orthodox 
 Christians. Pie persisted, nevertheless, courageous- 
 ly, in his reputed error, but which, for him, was the 
 purest truth. " I rejoice," says he, " to find myself 
 more enlightened than ever. None need blush while 
 advancing on the path of perfection. Science has 
 its different periods, and its gradual developments, 
 
 * TERTULLIAN ; De anima. C. 26. 
 
220 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 through which the great Apostle himself had passed. 
 ' When I was but a child,' says ST PAUL, c I spoke 
 as a child, and I thought as a child ; but since I 
 became a man, I have put away all childish things.' " 
 " During the period," says FIRMILIANUS to ST 
 CYPRIAN, " when all the faithful took to flight, in 
 order to avoid the persecution (A. D. 260), a woman 
 suddenly appeared, who fell into fits of ecstasy, and 
 announced herself as a prophetess. She was moved 
 by the impulse of the principal daemons to such a 
 degree, that she did wonderful things, and performed 
 real miracles. She even boasted of being able, at 
 her will, to excite an earthquake. By her boastings 
 and falsehoods, she had contrived to subjugate all 
 the spirits to such a degree, that they obeyed her 
 in all things, and executed all her orders. The evil 
 spirit who possessed her made her walk, during the 
 most rigorous winter, with bare feet, in the midst of 
 ice and snow, unhurt, and without exposing herself 
 to the slightest injury. She seduced one of the 
 priests, called Rusticus, and a deacon. It was soon 
 perceived that there was an evil intercourse between 
 them. In order to exorcise her, an exorcist was 
 chosen, a very trust-worthy man. But, strange to 
 say ! she predicted, a short time previously, that a 
 strange man. an enemy and an infidel tempter, should 
 come to attack her. This woman was so audacious, 
 that she had no fear in profaning the Sacraments 
 in a strange manner, by saying mass herself, and 
 administering baptism. Hence there arose a serious 
 question ; viz., Whether baptism administered by 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 221 
 
 the devil, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost, could be valid ?" * 
 
 M. AERIAL appears to have taken the correct view 
 of this curious case : He considers this pretended 
 prophetess as a woman labouring under hysterical 
 disease. Her intercourse with the priest Rusticus, 
 and the deacon, leave no doubt on the subject. 
 Hysteria had thrown her into a state of ecstasis, 
 which enabled her to foresee the future, and to 
 perform many surprising things. This explains the 
 whole mystery.! We shall probably have occasion, 
 in the sequel, to adduce some additional instances of 
 the occurrence of similar phenomena under analo- 
 gous circumstances. 
 
 We have already observed that the ancient 
 oracles did not cease immediately upon the advent 
 of JESUS CHRIST, but that they were cultivated for 
 a considerable period after that event, as can be 
 proved by the evidence of individuals who saw and 
 frequented them. Their destruction was ultimately 
 brought about by other causes. The spring at 
 Delphi the reputed source of the inspiration of 
 the place is said to have been destroyed by an 
 earthquake, which devastated the neighbouring 
 country ; the other temples are believed to have 
 gradually become, like most human institutions, 
 degenerate and corrupt ; their wealth tempted the 
 cupidity of the neighbouring princes and people ; 
 
 * ST CYPRIAN ; Epist. 75. 
 
 I Reflexions de M. AJBRIAL, in the Biblioth. du Magnet. 
 Anim. I. 5, p. 180. 
 
222 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 and their ultimate abandonment and ruin was 
 accomplished, no doubt, by the rapid advancement 
 of the new faith. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 WE may probably have occasion to recur, in a 
 subsequent part of this treatise, to the opinions of 
 some of the Fathers of the Church, in regard to 
 the phenomena of Somnambulism and Clairvoyance. 
 In the meantime, we shall proceed to inquire into 
 the history of magical science during the middle 
 ages of Europe. 
 
 The study of MAGIC appears to have been culti- 
 vated, at a very early period, among the nations of 
 the Teutonic race. Pliny says of them, Magiam 
 attonite celebrant tantis ceremoniis, ut earn dedisse 
 Persis videre possit ; and, as in the other portions 
 of the world, it was long before the more general 
 pursuits of legitimate science taught mankind to 
 distinguish between the ordinary operations of 
 nature, and the agency of supernatural powers. 
 The almost universally prevalent notion, too, of the 
 existence of angels and devils, and of the continual 
 interference of these intermediate beings in the 
 affairs of this sublunary world, was introduced, or, 
 at least, confirmed and perpetuated among them, 
 as elsewhere, by the Christian religion, and occa- 
 sioned, if not an entire change, at least a consider- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 223 
 
 able modification of their primitive national faith. 
 All the extraordinary phenomena of nature, as well 
 as those abnormal states of the human organism, 
 which their scanty science did not enable them to 
 appreciate or explain, were attributed to the direct 
 and immanent agency of the Divine Being, or of 
 certain subordinate angels or daemons ; a belief 
 which can scarcely be said to have been entirely 
 extirpated even in our own times. 
 
 The Christian religion, it is true, is essentially 
 founded upon the principle of the unity of God, 
 and of his undivided sovereignty throughout the 
 universe of nature. But Christianity, at an early 
 period, had also borrowed from the Jews, as the 
 latter had probably derived from the Chaldeans, 
 or Zoroastric teachers, a personification of the evil 
 principle SATAN, or the Devil ; a notion which, as 
 already observed, the Jews themselves had received 
 from the Eastern MAGI. The introduction of this 
 notion into the popular belief, besides its influence 
 upon religious opinion, occasioned a considerable 
 modification of the theory of MAGIC which thence- 
 forth became completely degraded into a purely 
 diabolical art, and was placed under the auspices of 
 Satan and his emissaries. A mere metaphor thus 
 became elevated into substantial personality, exer- 
 cising a continual and very active interference in 
 human affairs. All the bad actions of mankind, as 
 well as many of the more extraordinary, obscure, and 
 incomprehensible phenomena of nature nay, even 
 the maladies which occasionally afflict humanity. 
 
224 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 and, especially, all anomalous and enigmatical dis- 
 eases were the undoubted result of the malevolent 
 instigation of some diabolical agent : 
 
 Divisum imperium cum Jove Satan habet; 
 
 and Satan appears to have had the better half. 
 
 The doctrine of Devils and Daemons, indeed, was 
 directly countenanced by the early Christian socie- 
 ties, and spread so rapidly and so extensively in 
 the minds of the orthodox believers, that, during 
 many centuries, it was predominantly prevalent as 
 an indispensable article of the common creed of the 
 people ; and it continued to be generally main- 
 tained, throughout the middle ages of Europe, by 
 all the dogmatic sophistries which perverted learn- 
 ing and ingenuity could adduce in its support. So 
 universal did this growing mischief ultimately be- 
 come, towards the conclusion of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, as we shall see by-and-bye, that all Christen- 
 dom was plunged into a state of the most fearful 
 and unexampled alarm ; heresy and MAGIC were 
 accounted inseparable ; fire and sword, at the insti- 
 gation of the clergy, were employed for their extir- 
 pation ; the empire of Satan became firmly esta- 
 blished throughout the European community ; an 
 inveterate mania appears to have seized upon man- 
 kind, and a series of the most barbarous atrocities 
 was perpetrated, under the pretext of religious 
 zeal, which stamped indelible disgrace upon human 
 nature. We shall presently have occasion to direct 
 the attention of our readers to some of the more 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 225 
 
 extraordinary effects of this strange and destructive 
 infatuation. 
 
 It has been already observed, that the idea of 
 the personified principle of evil Satan or the 
 Devil had been transferred from the Jewish to 
 the Christian religion ; and that the former would 
 appear to have borrowed it from the religious 
 creed of the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and the 
 Parsi, during the captivity. Soon after the intro- 
 duction of Christianity, the same doctrine was em- 
 bodied, in a peculiar form, in the Manichaean heresy, 
 in which the good and the evil principles were 
 represented as rival Genii, nearly equal in power 
 and dominion ; struggling for the empire in this 
 sublunary world, and, consequently, existing in a 
 state of continual rivalry and antagonism. It is 
 singular enough that some of our recent Scottish 
 divines amongst others, the late eminent but eccen- 
 tric, and not always very consistent DR CHALMERS 
 appear to have embraced and propagated this 
 most extraordinary doctrine, as reconcileable with 
 the scheme of Christianity. ST PAUL, however, 
 represents this idea in a much more orthodox, 
 rational, and intelligible form, when he contrasts 
 the works of the spirit with those of the flesh. But 
 this is an obscure theological subject; and it is 
 more pertinent to our present purpose to observe 
 that the idea of Satan, or the Devil, came to be 
 employed in explanation of all those extraordinary 
 phenomena which were accounted magical. The 
 Devil, indeed, was generally deemed to be the 
 
226 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 author and patron of all those strange occurrences, 
 which, in consequence of the limited knowledge of 
 the times, could not be adequately explained by 
 any known natural causes. When an individual 
 happened to be attacked by any uncommon and 
 anomalous disease, which exceeded the science and 
 baffled the skill of medical appliance in the ruder 
 stages of society, his condition was ascribed to dia- 
 bolical art and contrivance he was deemed to be 
 possessed by the Devil, or by devils ; for there 
 appears to have been a plurality of these malevo- 
 lent beings in the early popular creed. The appa- 
 rently inexplicable phenomenon of the somnambu- 
 listic or ecstatic states, which appear to have been 
 much more prevalent in ancient than in modern 
 times and which are most frequently the product 
 of an anomalous state of the organism of acute 
 susceptibilities, or of powerful religious impressions 
 were ascribed, sometimes, to the direct agency of 
 the Supreme Being, and, at other times, to the 
 immediate influence of the Devil (Morbus sacer), 
 according to the peculiar characteristic nature of 
 the affection ; but, in both cases, the phenomena 
 themselves were always accounted supernatural. 
 The Devil, indeed, in the creed of the ages to which 
 we refer, appears to have been a much more im- 
 portant personage, and to have exercised a far greater 
 influence upon the affairs of this lower world, than 
 the Deity himself. 
 
 These extraordinary notions, so universally dif- 
 fused, of the continual interference of the Devil in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 227 
 
 the conduct of human affairs, had also a powerful 
 effect in modifying the religious opinions and prac- 
 tice of the Christian divines ; whose duties, instead 
 of consisting, principally, in directing the proper 
 devotional worship of God, and in promoting holi- 
 ness of life and conversation, were converted into a 
 continual warfare against the imaginary artifices of 
 his Satanic Majesty. During the middle ages of 
 Europe, indeed, diabolical influences were all- 
 powerful and all-pervading throughout every class 
 of the people the belief in this incessant satanic 
 agency spread far and wide, like a virulent and 
 incurable epidemy; MAGIC, or the BLACK ART as 
 it came to be denominated after its corruption 
 was the medium through which this infernal science 
 was cultivated and exercised ; even the overseers of 
 the Christian flock were infected with the general 
 moral contagion, or fostered the prevailing mania, 
 probably with the view of increasing their own 
 power and estimation ; although many of them, no 
 doubt, may have been ignorant enough to fall in 
 with the common infatuation. Females especially 
 old women were supposed to be more conversant 
 with the powers, and more accessible to the artifices 
 of the great enemy of Heaven and of the human 
 race ; and, during a very long period, Sorcery and 
 Witchcraft kept mankind in a state of continual 
 agitation and delusion, which, of itself, only tended 
 to increase, to aggravate, to extend and confirm 
 the common mania. When a solitary individual 
 occasionally attempted to stem the torrent of this 
 
228 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 universal epidemy, by the introduction of more 
 rational and humane views of the subject, his exer- 
 tions were speedily paralysed or frustrated by the 
 counteraction of the popular feeling, sanctioned 
 and supported by the authority of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 BEFORE we proceed to give a more particular 
 account of those most extraordinary hallucinations 
 of the human intellect, to which we have alluded in 
 the foregoing chapter, it may, perhaps, be expedient 
 to solicit the particular attention of our readers to 
 a very remarkable state, occasionally manifested in 
 the human organism to which, indeed, we have 
 already made some passing allusions in the previous 
 portion of our treatise. 
 
 In the peculiar state to which we have referred, 
 the internal sensibility especially in individuals 
 labouring under any very violent excitement, or 
 from constitutional causes, or abnormal action of 
 the vital processes appears to overpower the exter- 
 nal senses, and the reasoning faculty, and, as it 
 were, to create a new world for itself. This con- 
 stitutional affection, including something more than 
 is generally comprehended under the category of 
 Imagination, in the ordinary acceptation of the 
 term, may be induced by various causes, and has 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 229 
 
 been, perhaps, most frequently and most powerfully 
 developed by strong religious feelings and devo- 
 tional excitement. The character of this peculiar 
 state of the system was, for a long period, much 
 misunderstood, and its curious characteristic pheno- 
 mena, consequently, were entirely misrepresented. 
 We allude to that extraordinary state of the organ- 
 ism, the manifested symptoms of which have been 
 recently designated by the various appellations of 
 Somnambulism, Ecstasy, Clairvoyance, &c. 
 
 This very remarkable condition of the human 
 organism, which under certain occasional diversi- 
 ties of form or type has been frequently mani- 
 fested among mankind from the beginning of time 
 does not appear to have attracted much of the 
 serious attention of modern philosophers and phy- 
 sicians, but to have been viewed, principally, as a 
 subject for the display of scepticism and ridicule, 
 until a comparatively recent period, when the means 
 were, at length, discovered, and displayed, by which 
 its most interesting phenomena could be developed, 
 in a multiplicity of instances, and almost at plea- 
 sure. These remarkable phenomena, indeed, as we 
 have already observed, are sometimes manifested 
 as the concomitants, or consequences of some other 
 corporeal or mental affections ; they appear to be 
 occasionally employed by nature herself as remedial 
 processes in other constitutional disorders ; and, in 
 recent times, it has been proved that they may be 
 elicited, in susceptible subjects, by various artificial 
 means. From certain peculiarities of idiosyncrasy, 
 
230 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 they are most frequently developed, either naturally 
 or artificially, in the female subject. These pheno- 
 mena were well known, although incorrectly appre- 
 ciated, during the prevalence of the ancient pagan 
 religion ; and they are still far from uncommon, 
 but imperfectly recognised and interpreted, under 
 the modern and purer forms of Christianity. They 
 have been forced, indeed, into the service of every 
 mode of religious worship ; although, in themselves, 
 they have no essential connection with any parti- 
 cular religion ; being the mere manifestation of cer- 
 tain natural phenomena, of which, in certain circum- 
 stances, and in susceptible subjects, devotional 
 excitement may be considered as one of the pro- 
 ductive causes. 
 
 The most distinct allusions to these peculiar states 
 of the human organism occur in the writings of 
 PLATO, and of the later Platonists, which from igno- 
 rance or misapprehension of the particular subject 
 to which they relate, have been generally misunder- 
 stood, and regarded as the mere emanations of a 
 metaphysical mysticism, or poetical rhapsody. In 
 the Epistles of ST PAUL, too, we occasionally meet 
 with passages which cannot be correctly understood, 
 and properly interpreted, without a competent 
 knowledge of those ecstatic states to which they 
 manifestly refer. Let the reader, for example, 
 compare, in particular, the igptuxf/* TOP wotrtrov ms 
 StavoiMs of PLATO'S Ion, and the explanation of the 
 ecstatic discourses of the Manticks, in the TIMJEUS 
 of the same philosopher, with the gifts described in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 231 
 
 ST PAUL'S Epistle to the Corinthians. Some even 
 of the Christian sectaries, indeed, differed in their 
 explanations of these prophetic manifestations, al- 
 though all agreed in ascribing them to superna- 
 tural causes. The Apostle imputed them to the 
 immediate agency of the divine spirit the Iv^yily 
 the demoniacal visionaries, on the other hand, were 
 eyegyovwiioi. Natural and artificial means, however, 
 were occasionally employed, with a view to produce 
 ecstatic states such as fumigations still retained 
 in the Roman Catholic ritual and mysterious pre- 
 paratory ceremonies as in the case of the ancient 
 Pagan Oracles and Temple-worship. These ecstatic 
 states, however, still continued to be ascribed by 
 some to a divine influence, and, by others, to demo- 
 niacal agency opinions which have not entirely 
 ceased to be held even in the present times, as we 
 shall have occasion to show in the farther progress 
 of our researches. 
 
 It has been frequently maintained, as we formerly 
 observed, that the Pagan Oracles ceased after the 
 Advent of JESUS CHRIST. But this has been shown 
 to be a manifest error. The prophetic annuncia- 
 tions of these Oracles, too, we may add, are referred 
 to by several of the primitive Fathers of the Chris- 
 tian Church by JUSTIN MARTYR, EUSEBIUS, LAC- 
 TANTIUS, JEROME, AMBROSE, AUGUSTIN, CLEMENT 
 of Alexandria, &c. IREN^US, as we have seen, 
 associated with certain ecstatic females, whom he 
 commanded to prophesy. MONTANUS, the reputed 
 heretic, and his disciples, accounted divination among 
 
232 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 the number of the divine gifts, in which opinion he 
 professed to follow ST PAUL. TERTULLIAN enter- 
 tained the same belief, and has recorded instances 
 of the fact. 
 
 We might easily quote a variety of similar in- 
 stances of the same phenomena, which occurred in 
 different circumstances, and at various periods of 
 time ; but this is probably unnecessary, and would 
 be tedious ; and, besides, we shall have occasion to 
 refer to various examples of a similar character in 
 the farther progress of our inquiry. Enough has 
 been said in the meantime, and sufficient examples 
 have been already adduced, to afford a demonstra- 
 tion of the existence of the fact in question, during 
 the periods to which we have referred. 
 
 The Emperor CONSTANTINE the Great to whom 
 Christianity lies under such weighty obligations for 
 the effective countenance he bestowed upon it during 
 its early development and progress was also one 
 of the most zealous advocates for the reality of the 
 gift of prophecy, as for all the other essential tenets 
 of the new faith. 
 
 But we must now proceed to commemorate the 
 manifestation of similar phenomena, and the conse- 
 quent existence of a similar belief, among the inha- 
 bitants of modern Europe. The result of our inves- 
 tigation, it is thought, will demonstrate the univer- 
 sality of the conviction, founded upon a very general 
 acquaintance with the relative facts. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 AMONG the Celtic tribes, embracing the Gauls 
 and Cumbrians, a state of things very similar to 
 that which we have been hitherto contemplating, 
 making all due allowance for the respective states 
 of mental culture and civilisation, appears to have 
 generally prevailed. The Celts, according to the 
 researches of recent inquirers (See GRIMM'S Mytho- 
 logy], appear to have, at one period, possessed a very 
 extensive European territory ; but they were sub- 
 sequently driven to the eastward by the Teutonic 
 and other northern tribes. All of these races the 
 Gauls, the Spaniards, in part, the Britons and the 
 Belgians, we should comprehend under one class, 
 and shall, therefore, proceed to inquire into the state 
 of matters among them, in relation to the subject of 
 our investigation. 
 
 Some writers have assumed the hypothesis that 
 all of these tribes had derived their notions of 
 MAGIC from the Romans. But this hypothesis 
 manifestly appears to be founded on a mistake ; 
 for it is pretty certain that all of these nations had 
 their own religious and magical usages anterior to 
 the period of the Roman irruption. (See GRIMM.) 
 These usages were not even intermingled with those 
 of the Romans, but retained their own original cha- 
 
 VOL. i. u 
 
234 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC. &c. 
 
 racter. Indeed, the originality, authenticity, and 
 antiquity of the northern mythology, and its affinity 
 with that of Germany, have been fully demonstrated 
 by the learned researches of GRIMM. Certain ana- 
 logous religious usages, indeed, have been found to 
 pervade all ancient and rude nations. PLINY and 
 TACITUS have described some of those which were 
 prevalent among the Germans ; but the latter had 
 no Greek or Roman Temples dedicated to Apollo, 
 JEsculapius, &c. ; and the names of their gods, men- 
 tioned by TACITUS, are not German, but Roman, 
 adapted to the language and notions of his country- 
 men, and transferred to the German divinities, who 
 were worshipped in their sacred groves under Ger- 
 man names and German attributes. 
 
 The Celtic chiefs and rulers were called Druids. 
 Like the MAGI among the Eastern nations, they 
 were the legislators, judges, priests, and prophets 
 among the people. POMPONIUS ascribes a high 
 degree of acquirement to these Druids, embracing 
 physical science, and religious and moral culture. 
 One of the most important tenets which they are 
 said to have most strenuously inculcated among 
 the people, was that of the immortality of the soul. 
 At a later period, indeed, these Druids appear to 
 have stood in higher estimation in Britain than in 
 Gaul. 
 
 We have already alluded to the apparent simi- 
 larity between the character and duties of these 
 Druids and those of the ancient MAGI, among the 
 Egyptians and other Eastern nations ; and there 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 235 
 
 would appear to have been even a considerable 
 analogy between their sacred ceremonies and ob- 
 servances. Both had the charge of the government 
 and education of the people, in the most extensive 
 sense of the expressions. Their principal doctrines 
 were entrusted only to the previously initiated ; 
 and they communicated their instructions in sacred 
 groves, situated in remote and solitary localities. 
 When performing his religious duties, the Druid, 
 like the Egyptian priest, was clothed with a white 
 garment. The Druids were also physicians : They 
 cured diseases by means of magical rites and cere- 
 monies ; and, professing an habitual intercourse 
 with the gods, they exercised the gift of prophecy. 
 Their women, too, called Alrunes, like the Pytho- 
 nesses in the Egyptian and Greek temples, were 
 famous for their soothsaying and medical skill. 
 Their therapeutic knowledge and practice, indeed, 
 was in such repute, that even the Roman Emperor, 
 AURELIAN, is said to have consulted them in his 
 own case. (Vopiscus ; Aurelian ; c. 44.) They 
 were also acquainted with the means of producing 
 the ecstatic affections ; and, as one of their principal 
 medical appliances, they made use of the missletoe, 
 which they gathered at stated times, and with cer- 
 tain solemn ceremonies, and considered it as a 
 special gift of Heaven. Nihil habent Druidce ita 
 suos appellant Magos visco et arbore, in qua 
 gignitur (si modo sit robur) sacratius. Jam per 
 se roborum eligunt lucos, nee ulla sacra sine ea 
 fronde conficiunt. 
 
236 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 It was chiefly under such sacred trees that the 
 ancient Germans offered up their holy sacrifices, 
 and their inspired Bards uttered their prophecies. 
 Moreover, it is remarkable that, as in ancient times, 
 the medical art in France continued, down to a late 
 period, to be combined with the priestly office. 
 Many of the hospitals, in that country, had a cleri- 
 cal origin : They were, for a long time, superin- 
 tended by ecclesiastics, who were, at the same time, 
 physicians. 
 
 POMPONIUS (De Situ Orbis; Lib. III. c. 6.) re- 
 lates a singular story concerning the priestesses in 
 the island of Sena, near the coast of Brittany. This 
 island, he says, was much celebrated on account of 
 an oracle sacred to a Gallic divinity. The Priest- 
 esses who presided over it, nine in number, and 
 who made a vow of perpetual virginity, were called 
 Gallicenes. They were held to be gifted with pecu- 
 liar endowments ; viz., that of being capable of 
 exciting storms by means of their magical incanta- 
 tions ; of assuming the form of any animal they 
 pleased ; of curing diseases that were incurable by 
 others ; of a knoivledge of future events, and of the 
 gift of prophecy. They were devoted chiefly to 
 the service of seafaring persons, when consulted 
 by them. PLINY (XXX. 1.) says of the Druids in 
 Gaul and Britain, that they prophesied, and aired 
 
 As the Greeks had their Pythonesses, and the 
 Romans their Sibyls, so had the Germans certain 
 vaticinating females, whose counsels were followed 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 237 
 
 upon all important occasions, and whose responses 
 were considered infallible. (TACITUS ; De Morib. 
 German.} These Prophetesses were called by the 
 generic name of Alrunes an appellation denoting 
 much, or universal knowledge. For this reason, 
 their advice was anxiously sought upon all occa- 
 sions of importance or difficulty. For farther and 
 more minute particulars in regard to these Gallic 
 and German priestesses, we must, for the sake of 
 brevity, refer our readers to the works we have so 
 frequently quoted : PLINY, TACITUS, and GRIMM'S 
 German Mythology. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 IN order to avoid prolixity and a multiplicity of 
 references, we shall pass over a variety of other 
 facts and illustrations relative to the existence of 
 the practice of magical arts, and to the occasional 
 manifestation of the gifts of foresight and vaticina- 
 tion among the early inhabitants of Europe, as well 
 as among the other nations of the early world. So 
 general, indeed, has been the belief in the univer- 
 sality of these practices, throughout all ages, that 
 even the sceptical CICERO himself was forced to ac- 
 knowledge the fact: Gentem quidem nullam video, 
 neque tarn humanam atque doctam,neque tarn imma- 
 nem tamque barbaram, quce non significarifutura, et a 
 
238 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 quibusdam intellegi prcedicique posse censeat. This 
 is a fact, indeed, which is not only demonstrated by 
 history, in all ages of the world, and accredited by 
 many of the wisest, and best, and most learned of 
 men, as well as by the mass of the people, but 
 which the philosopher, upon due investigation, may 
 discover to be founded upon certain physiological 
 and psychological principles deducible from the 
 nature and faculties of the human constitution. 
 
 We should, probably, be deemed guilty of an 
 unpardonable omission, however, were we to pass 
 over, in total silence, that peculiar and very re- 
 markable modification of the affection in question, 
 which has long been known in the Highlands of 
 Scotland, although not confined to that locality, 
 under the denomination of the Second Sight; of 
 which an interesting and apparently authentic 
 account was long ago communicated to the pub- 
 lic by Mr MARTIN, whose statements have been 
 amply corroborated by subsequent and competent 
 authorities. 
 
 This phenomenon, of the reality of which, as 
 confirmed by the most unimpeachable testimony, 
 and supported by the evidence of living witnesses, 
 there cannot be a reasonable doubt, we hold to be 
 a species, or variety, of the somnambulistic or 
 ecstatic affection, as must, we think, appear mani- 
 fest from the numerous examples which have been 
 already adduced. 
 
 " At the sight of a vision," says Mr MARTIN, 
 " the eyelids of the person are erected, and the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 239 
 
 eyes continue staring until the object vanish." 
 MARTIN tells us that he himself witnessed the fact 
 more than once. " There is one," says he, " in 
 Skye, of whom his acquaintance observed, that 
 when he sees a vision, the inner part of his eyelids 
 turn so far upwards, that, after the object disap- 
 pears, he must draw them down with his fingers, 
 and sometimes employs others to draw them down, 
 which he finds the much easier way." " The seer 
 knows neither the object, time, nor place of a 
 vision, before it appears ; and the same object is 
 often seen by different persons, living at a consi- 
 derable distance from one another." This last is a 
 phenomenon by no means unfrequent in the ecstatic 
 affections, as well as in the artificial states induced 
 by the magnetic processes ; and it has been gene- 
 rally ascribed to a magnetic, sympathetic, or 
 spiritual connection subsisting between the parties. 
 (See the opinion of M. VIREY, upon this subject, as 
 quoted in Isis Revelata ; vol. ii. p. 50, &c.) We 
 shall see, in the sequel of this treatise, that several 
 individuals nay, whole communities have occa- 
 sionally been, simultaneously, or consecutively, af- 
 fected in this manner ; the somnambulistic states 
 may become epidemical or infectious. 
 
 " All those," continues Mr MARTIN, " who have 
 the Second Sight, do not always see those visions 
 at once, though they be together at the time. But 
 if one who has this faculty designedly touch his fel- 
 low-seer at the instant of a vision's appearing, then 
 the second seer sees it as well as the first ; and this 
 
240 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 is sometimes discerned by those who are near them 
 on such occasions." This is what the Mesmerists 
 call the magnetic infection by contact. " Children, 
 horses, and cows, see the second sight, as well as 
 men and women advanced in years. That children 
 see it, is plain from their crying aloud at the very 
 instant that a corpse, or any other vision, appears 
 to an ordinary seer. I was present in a house 
 where a child cried out of a sudden, and being 
 asked the reason of it, he answered, that he had 
 seen a great white thing lying on the board which 
 was in the room : But he was not believed until a 
 seer, who was present, told them that the child was 
 in the right ; for, said he, I saw a corpse and the 
 shroud about it; and the board will be used as 
 part of a coffin, or some way employed about a 
 corpse ; and accordingly, it was made into a coffin 
 for one who was in perfect health at the time of the 
 vision." 
 
 " That horses see it, is likewise plain, from their 
 violent and sudden starting, when the rider or seer 
 in company with him sees a vision of any kind, by 
 night or by day. It is observable of the horse, 
 that he will not go forward that way, until he has 
 been led about at some distance from the common 
 road, and that he is in a sweat." * 
 
 " That cows see the second sight, appears from 
 
 * The author can corroborate this fact, in part, by an 
 occurrence which happened to a servant of his, while driving 
 a horse and small carriage, one evening, in the Highlands of 
 Scotland. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 241 
 
 this, that when a woman is milking a cow, and then 
 happens to see the second sight, the cow runs away 
 in a great fright at the same time, and will not be 
 pacified for some time after." 
 
 In answer to the sceptical objection that " the 
 Seers are impostors, and the people who believe 
 them are credulous, and easily imposed upon," Mr 
 Martin states, that " the Seers are generally illi- 
 terate and well-meaning people, and altogether void 
 of design ; nor could I ever learn that any one of 
 them made the least gain by it ; neither is it reput- 
 able among them to have that faculty. Besides, the 
 people of the isles are not so credulous as to believe 
 implicitly, before the thing foretold is accomplished; 
 but when it actually comes to pass afterwards, it is 
 not in their power to deny it, without offering 
 violence to their senses and reason. Besides, if 
 the Seers were desirous, can it be reasonable to 
 imagine that all the islanders, who have not the 
 second sight, should combine together, and offer 
 violence to their understandings and senses, to force 
 themselves to believe a lie from age to age ? There 
 are several persons among them, whose birth and 
 education raise them above the suspicion of con- 
 curring with an imposture, merely to gratify an 
 illiterate and contemptible sort of persons ; nor can 
 a reasonable man believe that children, horses, and 
 cows, could be pre-engaged in a combination to 
 persuade the world of the reality of the second 
 sight.' 1 
 
 " Such as deny these visions give their assent to 
 
 VOL. I. X 
 
242 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 several strange passages in history upon the authen- 
 ticity aforesaid of historians that lived several cen- 
 turies before our time : and yet they deny the 
 people of this generation the liberty to believe 
 their intimate friends and acquaintance, men of pro- 
 bity and unquestionable reputation, and of whose 
 veracity they have greater certainty than we can 
 have of any ancient historian." 
 
 The instances which have been recorded of the 
 manifestation of this faculty of second sight are so 
 exceedingly numerous, that to insert one-tenth, or 
 even one-twentieth part of the best authenticated of 
 them in these pages, would occupy a vast deal more 
 room than we can aiford. We must, therefore, 
 merely refer our readers to the interesting treatises 
 of Mr MARTIN, and of some other authors, upon 
 this curious subject, intimately connected, as they 
 are, with the object of our present researches. One 
 additional case, however, we must be permitted to 
 give at full length, as it is rather striking in itself, 
 and appears, moreover, to illustrate a particular 
 and rather important principle in Magic and Ani- 
 mal Magnetism. 
 
 " A woman of Stormbay in Lewis," says Mr 
 MARTIN, " had a maid who saw visions, and often 
 fell into a swoon. Her mistress was very much 
 concerned about her, but could not find out any 
 means to prevent her seeing these things. At last, 
 she resolved to pour some of the water used in 
 baptism on her maid's face, believing that this 
 would prevent her from seeing any more sights of 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 243 
 
 this kind. And, accordingly, she carried her maid 
 with her next Lord's day, and both of them sat 
 near the basin in which the water stood ; and, after 
 baptism, before the minister had concluded the last 
 prayer, she put her hand in the basin, took up as 
 much water as she could, and threw it on the maid's 
 face ; at which strange action the minister and the 
 congregation were equally surprised. After prayer, 
 the minister inquired of the woman the meaning of 
 such an unbecoming and distracted action. She 
 told him it was to prevent her maid's seeing visions ; 
 and it fell out accordingly, for, from that time, she 
 never once saw a vision of any kind." 
 
 Does not the foregoing case bear some analogy 
 to the Roman Catholic ritual of exorcism, and to 
 some of the occasional processes of Animal Mag- 
 netism ? 
 
 In order to obviate the prevalent objections of 
 deception and satanic influences in the case of these 
 curious psychological phenomena of the second 
 sight, Mr MARTIN communicates some letters on 
 the subject, addressed to Mr JOHN AUBREY, F.R.S., 
 from which we must be permitted the liberty of 
 extracting the following observations : 
 
 " It (the second sight) is a thing very trouble- 
 some to those who have it, and would be glad to be 
 rid of it. For, if the object be a thing that is ter- 
 rible, they are seen to sweat and tremble, and shriek 
 at the apparition. At other times, they laugh, and 
 tell the thing cheerfully, just according as the thing 
 is pleasant or astonishing. 2. Sure it is, that the 
 
244 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 persons that have a sense of God and religion, and 
 may be presumed to be godly, are known to have 
 this faculty. This evidently appears in that they 
 are troubled for having it, judging it a sin that it 
 came from the Devil, and not from God ; earnestly 
 desiring and wishing to be rid of it, if possible ; and 
 to that effect, have made application to their minis- 
 ter, to pray to God for them that they might be 
 exonered from that burden. They have suppli- 
 cated the Presbytery, who judicially appointed 
 public prayers to be made in several churches, and 
 a sermon preached to that purpose, in their own 
 parish church, by their minister; and they have 
 compeared before the pulpit, after sermon, making 
 confession openly of that sin, with deep sense, on 
 their knees, renounced any such gift or faculty 
 which they had to God's dishonour, and earnestly 
 implored the minister to pray for them, and this 
 their recantation recorded ; and, after this, they 
 were never troubled with such a sight any more." 
 
 We might easily quote a vast variety of other 
 instances of the manifestation of this peculiar phe- 
 nomenon of the second sight or the excitement 
 of the internal instinct of presentiment, upon various 
 occasions ; but those few we have already adduced 
 appear to be quite sufficient for our purpose, and 
 the facts are already sufficiently known. 
 
 It is a great mistake, however, to suppose that 
 the phenomena in question are confined to the High- 
 lands and Islands of Scotland. We have already 
 had occasion to observe, that the desire and disposi- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 245 
 
 tion to penetrate into futurity are deeply implanted 
 in human nature ; but the relative endowment, like 
 all the other faculties of the human soul, is possessed 
 by different individuals in different degrees. We 
 formerly referred to many instances of the develop- 
 ment and exercise of this peculiar faculty amongst 
 the primitive nations of the earth in the early 
 Eastern sages, and also among the Greeks and 
 the Romans. The same natural phenomena have 
 been manifested, although, perhaps, more rarely, in 
 all countries, in modern times ; and they have also 
 sometimes been excited by artificial means, as shall 
 be shown hereafter. The peculiar characteristic fea- 
 ture of the second sight, and similar affections, is this, 
 that they intrude unexpectedly, and without solicita- 
 tion on the part of the individual ; nay, sometimes, in 
 spite of his repugnance to any such intrusion. This 
 particular modification of the ecstatic affection, how- 
 ever, is not restricted, as some suppose, to any one 
 age, or any one country. We shall have opportu- 
 nities, in the sequel, of referring to many instances 
 of the manifestation of similar phenomena occurring 
 in various circumstances. In the meantime, we shall 
 restrict ourselves to a very few of those we find 
 recorded. 
 
 DIEMENBROCK, in his Treatise De Peste, relates 
 the story of DIMMERUS DE RAET, who, being at 
 Delft when the pestilence was raging in that town, 
 sent his wife away, for safety, to a place thirty miles 
 off ; and when the doctor went to visit the gentle- 
 man of the house, as soon as he came in, the old 
 
246 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 char-woman, who washed the clothes, fell a-weep- 
 ing, and when asked why, she answered, " My 
 mistress is now dead I saw her apparition but just 
 now, without a head ; " and she added, that it was 
 usual with her, when a friend of hers died, to see 
 their apparition in the same manner. The lady died 
 at that very time. 
 
 In Spain, there is a class of persons called Salu- 
 dadores, who possess a similar faculty. There is 
 said to have been a Portuguese Dominican friar, 
 belonging to Queen Catherine Dowager's chapel, 
 who had the faculty of second sight. We have 
 already had occasion to speak of a similar gift of 
 divination, as manifested by the inhabitants of the 
 northern regions of Europe ; and Professor KIESER 
 of Jena, in his Archivfilr den thierischen Magnetis- 
 mus, vols. 6 & 8, has adduced a number of cases of the 
 manifestation of the same faculty, which occurred at 
 different times in Germany and other countries. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE introduction of Christianity among the na- 
 tions of Europe occasioned an important modifica- 
 tion, both in the belief of the people in regard to 
 the nature of these apparently supernatural powers, 
 and also in the manifestations of the phenomena 
 themselves. In the pagan world, these manifesta- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 247 
 
 tions were generally believed to result from a cer- 
 tain sympathetic connection, or harmony, subsisting 
 between mankind and certain superior beneficent or 
 malevolent beings daemons, elves, fairies, &c. In 
 those early times, indeed, there was no such abso- 
 lute separation of the sensible and supersensible 
 worlds, as was subsequently implied in the Christian 
 distinctions between heaven and earth, the temporal 
 and the eternal, the spiritual and the corporeal 
 natures. Spirits and daemons were considered as 
 beings belonging to the sphere of the actual terres- 
 trial existence : Heaven or hell had nothing to do 
 with the business of their mission upon earth, They 
 were, in fact, the tutelary spirits, the beneficent 
 genii, or the playful tormentors of the human race 
 beings who occasionally held familiar intercourse 
 with the children of this world, sometimes adminis- 
 tering advice and warning, divulging secret things, 
 and laying open the mysteries of the future. No 
 definite distinction was made in the case of an extra- 
 ordinary occurrence, whether it proceeded from 
 some strange external influence, or was the natural 
 result of certain physical, physiological, or psychical 
 causes. 
 
 In Christianity, on the other hand, Spirits were 
 accounted beings of an absolutely different substance 
 and nature, descending or ascending from another 
 sphere of existence, for the express purpose of exer- 
 cising a preternatural influence over the destiny of 
 mortals ; and this influence appeared so much the 
 
248 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 more formidable, as it was believed to proceed from 
 a different a supersensible world. 
 
 Among the Greeks and Romans, accordingly, 
 MAGIC had, originally, a totally different character 
 from that which it afterwards assumed in the Jewish- 
 Christian creed. The magical arts, among the 
 former, were not ascribed to the influence of infernal 
 powers of darkness, as in the Christian scheme, but 
 to beings who enjoyed an intimate and confidential 
 intercourse with other beings of a still superior 
 order. But mistaken views of Christianity after- 
 wards led to a totally different state of opinion, in 
 regard to the relation of mankind towards the spi- 
 ritual world ; and those extraordinary psychological 
 phenomena, which occasionally present themselves 
 in the human organism, were now ascribed, accord- 
 ing to the differences of manifestation, sometimes 
 to the immediate action of the Deity, and, more 
 frequently, to that of the Prince of Darkness the 
 work of God, or that of the Devil. 
 
 There is no blessing, indeed, conferred by the 
 Deity upon his creatures, which, in consequence of 
 the perversity of human nature, has not its esta- 
 blished counterpart; or which, by its abuse, may 
 not be converted into a curse. The Christian reve- 
 lation is, unquestionably, the most precious boon 
 which has been conferred by God upon mankind 
 a gift the best calculated to enlighten the reason, to 
 regulate the conduct, and to ennoble the heart in 
 short, to promote the best interests of man in this 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 249 
 
 world, and to fit and prepare him for a better and 
 a more exalted state of existence. But mankind 
 are prone to corrupt and pervert the very best of 
 blessings ; and, accordingly, the most valuable dis- 
 pensations and endowments of Providence are con- 
 tinually exposed to error and abuse. That holy 
 religion which, in its original purity, was so well 
 calculated to guide the understanding, and to 
 elevate the spiritual and moral character of the 
 species, was gradually subjected to the grossest 
 perversion; and, in process of time, the kingdom 
 of God was delivered over to the dominion of Satan. 
 MAGIC, which originally was, in reality, the sacred 
 science of antiquity, embracing, however imper- 
 fectly, both spiritual and temporal knowledge, was 
 degraded from its throne, and made subservient to 
 the vilest and most diabolical purposes. Such mon- 
 strous aberrations, as we shall see, subsequently 
 became the fertile source of many serious evils. 
 Were we called upon to point out the most brutally 
 barbarous period in the entire annals of the semi- 
 civilised world, we should be disposed to fix upon 
 the first centuries which succeeded the general 
 introduction of Christianity into Europe. That 
 purest, and most holy, and most spiritual of all 
 religions, gradually became degraded, by its igno- 
 rant votaries, into a system of dark and unintelli- 
 gible doctrines, and of silly and superstitious cere- 
 monial observances derived, for the most part, 
 from the ancient pagan worship, but divested of 
 their original significance; the meaning of which, 
 
250 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 indeed if they really had any intelligible import 
 could be known only to a few ; and which the igno- 
 rant vulgar could only regard with feelings of 
 superstitious awe ; while the most vain and puerile 
 devices were invented, with a view to secure the 
 approbation and favour of the Deity, and to avert 
 the malignant artifices of Satan. The reign of the 
 Devil, indeed, may be said to have been, henceforth, 
 firmly established upon the earth ; and every con- 
 ceivable method was adopted for the purpose of 
 securing the neutrality, obtaining the assistance, or 
 of averting the enmity of that powerful, ubiquitous, 
 and anomalous being. 
 
 The early corruption of the Christian religion 
 had, likewise, the effect of banishing all rational 
 learning and philosophy, which were, thenceforth, 
 held to be incompatible with the new faith of 
 poisoning the morals of the people by the universal 
 diffusion of an empty and debasing superstition 
 and of ultimately plunging mankind into an all- 
 absorbing vortex of folly, wickedness, and brutality. 
 Persons of all ranks were involved in the general 
 corruption : The God of nature and of revelation 
 no longer presided over the government of the uni- 
 verse. The infernal powers had absolute dominion 
 upon earth, for weal or for woe ; and they culti- 
 vated the most familiar intercourse with the inhabi- 
 tants of this sublunary world. An excited imagina- 
 tion, indeed, formed a world for itself, and peopled 
 it with a fanciful multiplicity of demons and other 
 supernatural beings, whose influence was believed 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 251 
 
 to be continually exercised over the minds and 
 actions of mankind ; and this unnatural and most 
 preposterous belief overpowered the universal reason 
 of the human race produced a general epidemic 
 mania ultimately gave rise to all those strange 
 psychical hallucinations which we find recorded in 
 the annals of witchcraft, and led to a long-protracted 
 series of the most cruel and barbarous persecutions 
 which have thrown disgrace upon human nature. 
 A vast number of wretched creatures, labouring 
 under the common delusion, either voluntarily con- 
 fessed, or were tortured into a confession of having 
 been guilty of the most abominable, and even 
 impossible crimes, and suffered the most cruel 
 punishments for their imaginary offences ; while 
 the most learned theologians, physicians, statesmen, 
 and jurists, did not hesitate to prostitute their 
 talents in attempting to demonstrate, not the possi- 
 bility merely, but the actual reality of these most 
 absurd and fantastic chimeras. 
 
 The author has no intention of entering into any 
 very minute chronological history of these strange 
 diabolical transactions; but would beg leave to 
 refer his inquisitive readers to the Malleus Malefi- 
 carum, and to the numerous other well known 
 treatises, which have been published, at various 
 periods, upon this very curious and most extraor- 
 dinary subject, including, of course, the learned 
 work of our own wise Sovereign, James the First of 
 England. We feel it necessary, however, to wander 
 some little way into the history of these remark- 
 
252 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 able matters, with the view of pointing out the 
 actual connection of the phenomena of alleged 
 witchcraft with the principles at present under our 
 investigation.* 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE word witch is probably derived from the 
 Teutonic wissen to know. In the old JNorse, a 
 witch was denominated Haegse, which signifies 
 wisdom. (See OLAUS WORMIUS, in Lexico Runi- 
 co.} This last appellation was subsequently con- 
 verted into Hexe, in the modern German.f 
 
 * Soon after the appearance of his Revelata, some years 
 ago, an elaborate review of that publication made its 
 appearance in the first number of a west-country periodi- 
 cal, which speedily came to a natural death. In that paper, 
 the Wise Man of the West, by an extremely ludicrous 
 blunder, attempted to cast ridicule upon the author for his 
 supposed belief in witchcraft ; the facetious writer of the 
 article being evidently incapable of discriminating between 
 a belief of the reality of certain psychical states, and a belief 
 othe reality of the objects represented in the hallucinations 
 which have their origin in the particular affection. Ne sutor 
 ultra crepidam. 
 
 t In ancient Germany, the female Druids were called 
 Alrunes, and, subsequently, Feas, or fairies. TACITUS, pro- 
 bably by mistake, calls them Deas. The word Fea, or F*e, 
 appears to have been derived from the Greek (paa, to speak, 
 whence are also derived (pans and <pT>?, oracle or sooth- 
 sayer in Latin, Vates. 
 
 The word WITCH Stria, Striga, Venefica was used, in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 253 
 
 After the introduction of Christianity, the word, 
 as well as the individual to whom it was applied, 
 came into bad repute, in consequence of the general 
 opinion that the knowledge and the power them- 
 selves were unlawfully derived from the Devil. 
 The old Celtic appellation Alrune was the most 
 ancient and most general name given to the Ger- 
 man prophetesses. The word has much the same 
 signification as witch, and might be received either 
 in a good or in a bad sense. Indeed, the primitive 
 meaning of these appellations was nearly iden- 
 tical with those of Magicians, Diviners, Mantics, 
 
 early times, to denote a female supposed to be acquainted 
 with the real or presumed influence of certain mineral or 
 herbaceous substances, or their compounds, upon the human 
 organism, and was employed in much the same sense as 
 herbaria or (poi^oocc^r^toc. It is a mistake to consider the 
 word Witch, even in its modern acceptation, as equivalent to 
 those of Prophetess, or Soothsayer. The word Witch, in 
 the Bible, evidently embraces the character of a poisoner 
 Venefica. The corresponding Hebrew expression is obscure, 
 and has been manifestly misinterpreted. 
 
 Superstition, we may observe, consists not so much in 
 the belief of extraordinary facts without probable grounds 
 this is mere credulity as in ascribing these real or supposi- 
 titious facts to erroneous, frequently absurd or supernatural 
 causes. For example in ancient times, two armies engaged 
 in battle ; the leader of one of these armies received, as he 
 thought, an omen of victory; the victory was obtained, 
 and ascribed to the omen the omen to some supernatural 
 influence. The same principle applies, even in modern 
 times, to a superstitious husbandman, in relation to his crops, 
 or his cattle. Superstition, therefore, may be a weakness, 
 but it cannot be accounted a crime. It arises from ignor- 
 ance of the laws of causality, or from a defect of reasoning 
 power. 
 
254 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 Soothsayers, Prophets, &c., amongst other nations. 
 CICERO says : Sagce a sagiendo dictce, quia mult a 
 scire volunt. SAGIRE ENIM SENTIRE ACUTE EST. 
 (De Divinatione, Lib. I.) This is exceedingly well 
 expressed ; for, as we shall by-and-bye have occa- 
 sion to show, the prophecies of these Seers, or 
 Alrunes, or by whatever other name they may be 
 designated, appear to have been immediately de- 
 rived rather from an internal presentiment a 
 subjective feeling than from any previously ac- 
 quired knowledge of external nature, or from mere 
 calculation of consequences. From Haegse pro- 
 bably comes the English word Hag, which was 
 used by Shakspeare, and others, as synonymous 
 with Witch. 
 
 We have already observed, that, upon the intro- 
 duction of Christianity, these prophets the females, 
 in particular, who appear to have been pretty 
 numerous throughout the north of Europe, under 
 the pagan worship along with every thing apper- 
 taining to Paganism in so far as it was deemed 
 incompatible with the new faith fell into disrepute. 
 These prophets, prophetesses, and wonder-workers, 
 indeed, came to be very generally denounced by 
 the converts to the new faith, as individuals who 
 were supposed to be engaged in an unhallowed 
 league with Satan and his evil spirits ; and thus it 
 happened that phenomena purely psychical, although 
 certainly of an abnormal description, became asso- 
 ciated with religious faith ; and the monstrous doc- 
 trine of actual bodily possession by the Devil or his 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 255 
 
 daemons, ultimately engendered an universal mania 
 throughout Europe. The persecutions which en- 
 sued, in consequence of these perverted notions, 
 were of a truly diabolical character. Individuals 
 either previously insane, or thrown into a state of 
 insanity, or, at least, of ecstatic feeling, by the 
 accusation of having committed grievous, or even 
 impossible crimes, were first inhumanly tortured, 
 and afterwards subjected to an ignominious and 
 cruel death, for having the misfortune of being 
 afflicted with the common mania : For affections of 
 this nature are known to be epidemical and exceed- 
 ingly infectious. The persecutors, it would appear, 
 were frequently as much under the influence of 
 witchcraft as their miserable victims, and both 
 stood more in need of the physician than of the 
 faggot. Neither rank nor learning, however, 
 afforded any effectual guarantee against the conse- 
 quences of the epidemic belief. Royal and noble 
 personages, statesmen, ecclesiastics, lawyers, and 
 physicians, were equally convinced of the reality of 
 the phenomena of witchcraft, and of the influential 
 agency of Satan in their production ; while many 
 of these accredited phenomena were of a description 
 so ludicrously absurd as to set even the most ordi- 
 nary endowment of common sense at defiance. All 
 the most monstrously incredible stories of witchcraft 
 and sorcery were attested by historians with the most 
 scrupulous, or rather unscrupulous diligence; and 
 grave philosophers demonstrated their authenticity 
 by the most rigorous processes of scholastic logic ; 
 
256 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 while " holy men gave scripture for the facts." 
 The promiscuous vulgar could not resist such authen- 
 tic narratives and cogent reasonings, backed by 
 scriptural authority ; and even the most enlightened 
 men of the times were incapable of dispelling the 
 universal delusion a delusion which, even after the 
 Reformation, was equally prevalent in Protestant 
 and in Roman Catholic communities. Scepticism 
 upon this point, indeed, ultimately became heresy 
 the reputed witch was also a heretic; and the 
 Bible was liberally quoted by the blind zealots of 
 both persuasions, in confirmation of the orthodox 
 opinion. This diabolical infatuation continued to 
 prevail for a long period. So late as the year 
 1780, a witch was actually tried, condemned, and 
 executed at Glarus, in Switzerland. 
 
 In the year 1484, the regular form of process 
 against individuals accused of witchcraft was intro- 
 duced into the states of Germany, and certain other 
 countries, by a bull of Pope Innocent VIII. ; and 
 in 1489, a publication appeared, under authoritative 
 sanction, with the title Malleus Maleficarum (the 
 Witch-hammer), which was long held in estimation, 
 as containing the authentic code of criminal proce- 
 dure in cases of witchcraft. This most extraordi- 
 nary specimen of philosophical tact, legal acumen, 
 and learned subtlety, prescribed, in minute terms, 
 the rules for the detection and punishment of the 
 alleged crime. Not only were many natural 
 diseases, and abnormal states of the organism, 
 included under the category of diabolical posses- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 257 
 
 sion ; but accidental, perhaps congenital, marks 
 upon the body of the suspected person, were ascribed 
 to the same cause. 
 
 It is really painful to prosecute our researches 
 into a subject so revolting to the feelings of huma- 
 nity, either in an intellectual, a religious, or a moral 
 point of view, especially as the facts themselves, 
 which constituted a foundation for the belief in ques- 
 tion, can now be satisfactorily explained upon natu- 
 ral principles, in consequence of the experimental 
 investigations of the modern expositors of the theory 
 and practice of Animal Magnetism. But in order to 
 bring tinder the eye of the reader the whole extent 
 and bearings of this particular branch of the subject 
 we have undertaken to develope in all its relations, 
 it becomes almost necessary that we should enter a 
 little farther into the history of this strange, cruel, 
 and calamitous hallucination, with the view of point- 
 ing out, in a more special manner, its analogy with 
 those other psychical manifestations, which have 
 presented themselves to our notice at different pe- 
 riods of time throughout all ages, and which are 
 recorded on almost every page of the annals of the 
 world.* 
 
 * For a more intimate view of the symptoms and criteria 
 of Witchcraft, and of the character of the proceedings against 
 the unfortunate individuals who were accused of this chime- 
 rical crime, the reader, should his leisure permit, may con- 
 sult the numerous documentary accounts of the Witch-trials. 
 A great deal of curious and useful information upon this 
 subject may also be obtained by referring to the following 
 works: WIERUS, De PrcBstigiis Dcemonnm ; REGINALD 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
258 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 No country, indeed, can be said to have entirely 
 escaped from the curse of these infamous and infa- 
 tuated prosecutions. Catholics and Protestants vied 
 with each other in this cruel and unhallowed war- 
 fare ; neither rank, sex, nor age was exempted from 
 the risk of this general prosecution ; and the whole 
 European world was subjected to the terrors of the 
 criminal imputation, and the consequent mental and 
 bodily torture. It has been calculated that several 
 hundred thousand individuals fell a sacrifice to the 
 general infatuation; and all these horrors flowed 
 from the imaginary dominion of his Satanic Majesty 
 over the souls and bodies of Christian people, under 
 the pastoral superintendence of Christian clergy ! 
 
 We formerly observed that the actual existence 
 of such a personage as the Devil, was not originally 
 a Jewish, but a Zoroastric notion a Chaldean or 
 Babylonish hallucination which had been borrowed 
 by that people (the Jews), and transferred into their 
 religious code, at or after their captivity and exile. 
 Even the doctrine of good and bad angels, and their 
 continual interference in the affairs of this sublunary 
 sphere, appears to have been derived from the same 
 source. Ideas of this nature, however, besides being 
 unwarranted, are calculated to pervert religion, and 
 
 SCOTT, Discovery of Witchcraft; Jo. BODINUS, De Mago- 
 rum Demonomania ; BALTH. BECKER, The World Bewitch- 
 ed; FRED. SPEE, Cautio Criminalis, &c. J. REICHEN, 
 Kurze Lehrsatze von dem Laster der Zauberei, &c. CHRIS- 
 TIAN THOMASIUS, De Crimine Magice; TARTARETTI, Del 
 Congressu notturno delle Lamie, &c. There are many well- 
 known English works on the same subject. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 259 
 
 to embarrass and distort the minds of mankind. 
 Upon this subject, there occurs the following curious 
 and remarkable passage in T. BURNET'S Archceolog. 
 Philos., p. 68: Facile credo, plures esse naturas 
 invisibiles in rerum universitate, sed harum omnium 
 familiam quis nobis enarrabit ? Et gradus, et cog- 
 nationes, et discrimina, et singularum munera 
 quid agunt, quce loca habitant? Harum rerum 
 notitiam semper ambimt ingenium humanum, nun- 
 quam attigit. Juvat interea, non diffiteor, quando- 
 cunque in animo tanquam in tabula, majoris et 
 melioris mundi imaginem contemplari, ne mens assue- 
 facta hodiernce vitce minutiis se contrahat minus, et 
 tota subsidat in pusillas cogitationes. Sed veritati 
 interea vigilandum est^modusque servandus, ut certa 
 ab incertis, diem a node distinguamus. 
 
 The maniacal belief, however, in the arbitrary 
 empire of Satan, and his angels or emissaries, upon 
 earth, and in the reality of diabolical witchcraft, con- 
 tinued to prevail, in a greater or less degree, through- 
 out the whole European community, down to a re- 
 cent period, although the progress of science and 
 civilisation gradually contributed to soften down 
 some of its harsher features, and to diminish the 
 rigour of its unhallowed convictions. Religion, too, 
 has assumed a milder and more grateful form ; and 
 the metaphorical notion of the Devil himself, in the 
 conceptions of mankind, instead of being clothed 
 with a frightful personality, and exhibited as a bug- 
 bear to mankind, is generally admitted, by all cul- 
 tivated minds, to represent merely the evil and per- 
 
260 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 verse dispositions which deform the nature of man, 
 or the diseases, moral or physical, by which human 
 beings may be afflicted. 
 
 In the earlier periods of Christianity, as in the 
 infancy of human society, little distinction was made 
 between the natural and the supernatural. The 
 laws by which, under the Supreme Being, this uni- 
 verse is governed, had not yet been carefully and 
 scientifically investigated, and to the rude and 
 untutored mind, every uncommon occurrence was 
 represented as magical, or supernatural, and con- 
 sequently attributed to divine or daamoniacal influ- 
 ence. Almost every thing, in short, was a miracle 
 to the people ; and every individual, according to 
 his natural ingenuity, or capricious fancy, attempted 
 to explain the particular phenomena in his own way. 
 Hence the diversity of religions, and the multiplicity 
 of popular deities in the pagan creed. 
 
 The general diffusion of Christianity, however, 
 introduced a new feature into the theory of daemon- 
 ology. As the God of the Jews and Christians was 
 the only true God, the false gods of the pagan 
 world were declared to be the Devil and his emis- 
 saries the arch-enemies of the orthodox faith, and 
 the authors of all the evil, doctrinal or practical, 
 which exists, or is supposed to exist, in the uni- 
 verse. " The daemons," says TATIAN (Orat. ad 
 Grcec.), " are the founders of all false religions ; 
 and to gratify their pride, they cause themselves to 
 be worshipped as gods by the heathen." The Devil 
 himself he designated as vgaroloyos Saipuv the chief 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 261 
 
 of the daemons. (See MEYER'S Historia Diaboli, 
 sen de Diaboli Malorumque Spirituum Existentia. 
 Tubingen, 1780.) These daemons, indeed, were the 
 reputed authors of all those false miracles, which 
 were supposed to be wrought for the purpose of 
 promoting and confirming the pagan worship ; and 
 they were also believed, of course, to have been 
 the patrons of the heathen oracles, and of all magi- 
 cal arts. According to the same representations, 
 they constantly endeavoured to injure mankind in 
 every possible way, by introducing plagues, famine, 
 diseases, &c., among the people. (ORIGEN. Advers. 
 Celsum., viii. 31.) From their nature, too, they 
 were believed to be capable of affecting the souls, 
 as well as the bodies of men. (TERTULLIAN.) 
 JUSTIN expressly says that they (the daemons) 
 entertain the most deadly hatred against the Chris- 
 tians, because they will not flatter or worship them ; 
 and, also, because they were enabled to put them 
 to flight in the name of JESUS, and by the power of 
 the Holy Cross. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 IN proportion to the number of Christian priests 
 and ascetics, the supposititious power of the Devil, 
 and of his subordinate angels, or daemons, increased 
 and preponderated. In these times, indeed, and 
 during a long subsequent period, the Devil played 
 
262 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 a most conspicuous and most influential part upon 
 the theatre of the world ; and the utmost science, 
 power, and skill of the Christian priesthood, were 
 strenuously exerted to counteract his designs, and 
 to neutralise the effects of his artifices. The miracles 
 performed by this infamous and ubiquitous being 
 were as much a matter of faith as those of God and 
 our Saviour ; and hence it happened that many 
 individuals deemed it more expedient to enter into 
 a secret alliance with Satan, than to expose them- 
 selves to his resentment and persecution ; and, 
 besides, such a compact was believed to enable 
 them to exercise a magical power over others, and 
 to gratify their most wicked and abominable pas- 
 sions with secrecy, success, and impunity. The 
 belief in the actual existence of such imaginary, 
 infamous, and unhallowed compacts, prevailed down 
 to. at least, the seventeenth century. So late as 
 the year 1659, a celebrated Professor of the Uni- 
 versity of Jena, in Germany, composed and pub- 
 lished a learned treatise De Nefando Lamiarum 
 cum Diabolo Coitu. Nay, even in our own times, 
 have we not heard a popular clergyman denouncing 
 from the pulpit the diabolical practice of Animal 
 Magnetism, which he, in his simplicity, no doubt, 
 appears to have considered homogeneous with witch- 
 craft?* 
 
 In the dark times to which we have referred, 
 there were, it is true, a few of the more enlightened 
 
 * See Mesmerism and its Opponents, by the Rev. GEORGE 
 SANDBY Jim., M.A. London, 1844. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 263 
 
 ecclesiastical dignitaries who set themselves in oppo- 
 sition to this deeply rooted and widely spread cre- 
 dulity and madness ; but the influence of their 
 exertions proved entirely inadequate to stem the 
 overwhelming torrent of ignorant superstition and 
 delusion. The general ignorance and laxity of 
 morals appears to have attained its acme in the 
 ninth and tenth centuries, when the most impudent 
 and nefarious contempt of all law and order became 
 conspicuous ; every species of wickedness was in the 
 ascendant, and the gross barbarism and immorality 
 of the priesthood, and, consequently, the wretched 
 discipline of the church, afforded free scope for the 
 most depraved and debasing licentiousness. Even 
 when the temporal sword of justice was uplifted, it sel- 
 dom fell upon the heads of the most noxious offenders; 
 and the forms of legal procedure in these rude and 
 dark times, were ill adapted for the due investiga- 
 tion and ultimate suppression of those clamant evils, 
 which had been suffered to become so deeply rooted, 
 and so universally diffused throughout the Chris- 
 tian community. The scanty knowledge and defec- 
 tive policy of the age were insufficient to supply 
 the constituted authorities with the requisite means 
 of detection and punishment. At that period, 
 indeed, science was at the lowest ebb. Every 
 thing that appeared to deviate from the ordinary 
 routine of life, or to transcend the rude acquire- 
 ments of the people, was included in the category 
 of Magic. The man who had acquired a little more 
 learning and skill than his illiterate neighbours 
 
264 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 the classical scholar, the mathematician, the philo- 
 sopher laid himself open to the imputation of cul- 
 tivating the magical arts ; nay, even one of the 
 Popes one of the reputed successors of St Peter 
 in the apostolical chair (SYLVESTER II.) did not 
 escape the imputation of being indebted for his 
 elevation to the supremacy to the aid of the Black 
 Art. 
 
 The sovereignty of his Satanic Majesty appears 
 to have attained its culminating point about the 
 period of which we have just spoken. In the 
 llth and 12th centuries, however, several influ- 
 ential events occurred the Crusades amongst 
 others which tended to produce a greater diffu- 
 sion of knowledge, and to ameliorate the scientific, 
 and even the religious aspect of the European 
 world. The throne of Satan was shaken, although 
 not entirely subverted, by the power of more liberal 
 and enlightened opinion ; and the influence of learn- 
 ing and wit contributed greatly especially among 
 the better educated classes towards diminishing 
 the terrors occasioned by the common belief in 
 daemonology and witchcraft. It has been fre- 
 quently observed by very eminent authorities, that 
 " there is but one step from the sublime to the ridi- 
 culous ; " and the truth of this observation is con- 
 firmed by the circumstances which occurred about 
 the period we have just mentioned. The Deril, 
 whose very name had previously inspired such 
 reverential awe and apprehension, and whose power 
 and influence throughout the universe had been 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 265 
 
 contemplated with such violent dread and terror, 
 now began to he sported in fables, sung in ballads, 
 and exhibited in spiritual comedies, for the amuse- 
 ment and edification of the populace, frequently as 
 the harlequin, the clown, or the knave of the drama. 
 But this degradation was not of long continuance. 
 In the 13th century, another change appears to 
 have come over the spirit of the times; the foul 
 fiend seems to have been again restored, in a great 
 measure, to his former dignity, power, and estima- 
 tion. Witchcraft, too, as an almost necessary con- 
 sequence, once more appeared in the ascendant, and 
 was besides associated with a variety of religious 
 heresies, which about this period sprang up in the 
 Christian church, and appeared to threaten the 
 destruction of the hierarchy. The general epidemic 
 insanity now broke out afresh, and raged more 
 violently than ever. Scarcely an individual existed 
 who was not, in the popular estimation, either a 
 witch, or bewitched. Moreover, witchcraft speedily 
 became heresy, and heresy was accounted either 
 the parent or the offspring of witchcraft. The dia- 
 bolical tribunals were again placed in full occupa- 
 tion ; and the fires enkindled by the fervour of an 
 extravagant religious zeal, again tortured and con- 
 sumed their thousands of miserable victims. 
 
 It were an useless waste of time, and too large a 
 demand upon the patience of our readers, were 
 we to attempt to enumerate, much more were we 
 to subject to criticism, the multitude of volumes of 
 learned absurdity, ^rhich were published about this 
 
 VOL. i. z 
 
266 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 period, throughout Europe, by otherwise eminent 
 individuals, in defence of the phenomena of witch- 
 craft and diabolical possession, and of the ignorant 
 and infamous prosecutions of those unfortunate 
 wretches who were believed to have entered into 
 a compact with the Evil One. We may observe, 
 however, that as the crime of witchcraft was held 
 to be of a spiritual nature, the jurisdiction, in such 
 cases, was conceived to be most appropriately placed 
 in the hands of a spiritual, i. e., an ecclesiastical 
 court. Hence the institution of that notorious 
 tribunal, the Inquisition. 
 
 In proportion to the number and virulence of 
 the prosecutions for heresy, witchcraft, &c., these 
 fictitious and imaginary crimes increased and mul- 
 tiplied to an enormous extent. During the pre- 
 valence of the monastic life indeed, enthusiasm, 
 fanaticism, and asceticism, became epidemic and con- 
 tagious ; psychical disorganization, in one form or 
 another, was almost universaly diffused ; a morbid 
 state of feeling was engendered and propagated; and 
 feverish visions, and fantastic notions of angels, 
 saints, devils, and demons, became a common 
 mania. According to the historians of that un- 
 happy period (RAYNALD, AIMERICUS,PARAM, &c. ; 
 See HAUBER'S Bibliotheca Magica, and the nu- 
 merous other works on Daemonology and Witch- 
 craft) these intellectual and moral aberrations had 
 already attained a very general extension. Thus, 
 for example, a nun of the name of Marcella was 
 very much persecuted by the Devil she was pro- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 267 
 
 bably labouring under hysteria; but the angel 
 GABRIEL brought her a piece of wood from Para- 
 dise, the smell of which drove the Devil out of her. 
 The Archbishop EDMUND of Canterbury was also 
 the object of grievous diabolical persecution ; but 
 he was also relieved by the vision of a child, with 
 the inscription on his forehead: JESUS NAZAR. 
 Rex Judceorum. A number of similar relations 
 may be gathered from the monkish records of those 
 times. It is remarkable that the visions of saints 
 and angels are said to have been generally ac- 
 companied with a peculiarly pious odour hence, 
 probably, the odour of sanctity ; while those of 
 beasts and devils, on the other hand, emitted a 
 most unsavoury and offensive smell, denoting their 
 apostacy. 
 
 The prevalence of sorcery and witchcraft, at 
 this period, and the activity displayed in the dis- 
 covery, prosecution, and punishment of these 
 abominations, appear from the accounts given by 
 RAYNALD, who assures us that, particularly in 
 Germany and Italy, such a multitude of indivi- 
 duals had been seduced into these crimes, that the 
 whole earth would have been overspread and de- 
 vastated by the Devil, if, in these countries, nearly 
 thirty thousand heretics had not been publicly 
 burnt alive. 
 
 From this period, indeed, heresy and sorcery 
 became intimately connected ; the merely alleged 
 vision of a devil was equivalent to actual converse 
 with evil spirits, and was equally regarded as a 
 
268 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 renunciation of the Christian faith. Upon this 
 subject, RAYNALD has the following remarkable 
 and decisive passage : Valde rationabiliter posset 
 ecclesia statuere, quod talia facientes, etsi non 
 haberent error em fidei in intellectu, sifacerent hcec 
 prcecise propter aliquod pactum cum dcemone ha- 
 bitum, velut hceretici punirenter ; et forsitan ex- 
 pediret, ut propter gravitatem poence, homines a ta- 
 libus arcerentur. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE belief in witchcraft and sorcery, with its 
 concomitant persecutions, appears to have attained 
 its full maturity in the 14th and 15th centuries. 
 During these ages, indeed, ignorance and supersti- 
 tion brought many miserable victims to the altar of 
 his Satanic Majesty ; and the mistaken zeal result- 
 ing from a barbarous and illiterate state of society, 
 carried a vast number of wretched and insane indi- 
 viduals, of both sexes, to the stake. Heresy and 
 witchcraft abounded in various forms and degrees ; 
 the imputation was easy, the vindication difficult ; 
 an accusation founded upon mere suspicion, or 
 arising from petty malice, became magnified into a 
 serious charge, which was followed by a judicial 
 process, conducted by ignorant and prejudiced 
 inquisitors ; and the whole aifair generally ter- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 269 
 
 minated in inhuman torture and merciless execu- 
 tion ; and these consequences ensued, whether the 
 party accused admitted or denied the crime laid to 
 his charge. In the first case, he was found guilty 
 on his own confession ; in the second, he was held 
 to be an obstinate and incurable heretic. 
 
 In an intellectual age like the present, it is almost 
 impossible to conceive the utter degradation, the 
 vulgar ignorance, and the monstrous depravity of 
 the times we are now describing. Never was the 
 obscuration of the mental faculties so complete and 
 so general never were the spirit of observation, 
 and the consequent knowledge of the operations of 
 nature, at so low an ebb never were the depraved 
 dispositions of mankind more conspicuously deve- 
 loped, than in the 14th and 15th centuries and 
 these were the palmy days of the undisputed domi- 
 nation of the priesthood. The entire European world 
 was delivered over to the merciless and uncontrolled 
 influence of Satan and his infernal emissaries, and 
 the whole earth was converted into a hell. Many 
 volumes might be filled with an enumeration of the 
 multitude of disgusting enormities, and sanguinary 
 crimes, which were perpetrated in those times under 
 the cloak of religious zeal, during this truly cala- 
 mitous period of history. Our limits will not permit 
 us to enlarge upon this most unpleasant subject ; 
 but we may refer our inquisitive readers to the fol- 
 lowing treatises : TIEDEMANN; Disputatio de quces- 
 tione, qucefuerit artium Magicarum origo. Marb. 
 1784. Malleus Maleficarum, by STRINGER and 
 
270 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 others ; HORST'S Treatises on Dcemonology, &c. 
 DR FRANCIS HUTCHINSON'S Historical Essay con- 
 cerning Witchcraft, &c. 
 
 Pope John XXII., in a bull of 1317, makes a 
 bitter complaint that several of his courtiers, nay, 
 even his own physician, had given themselves up to 
 the Devil, and that they confined evil spirits in 
 rings, mirrors, and magic circles, in order to enable 
 them to operate far and near upon their fellow 
 mortals Magicis artibus horrenda maleficia, incan- 
 tationes et convocationes dcemonum ; and that his 
 enemies had not hesitated to make use of these 
 means in order to deprive himself of life. The bull 
 in question contains the commission to the judges 
 appointed to investigate these crimes ; and it is like- 
 wise declared that these sorcerers made use of small 
 images and mirrors, in their magical conjurations : 
 Conflari imagines plumbeas vel etiam lapideas fabri- 
 carunt, malignos spiritus invocarunt, utper eos contra 
 salutem hominum molirentur, aut eos interimendo 
 violentia carminis, &c. Ten years later, the same 
 Pope still complained of the unhallowed addiction 
 of mankind to the unlawful arts of sorcery. " So 
 deep was the darkness," says he, " that several 
 persons, solo nomine Christianos (Christians only 
 in name) abandon the true light, make a compact 
 with hell, and force the demons to comply with 
 their illicit demands." Dcemones nempe immolant, 
 hos adorant, fabricant imagines vel speculum, vel 
 phialam, magice dcemones illibi alligantur. Ab his 
 petunt responsa, recipiunt, et pro implendis pravis 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 271 
 
 suis desideriis auxilia postulant. (See RAYNALD, 
 HORST, TIEDEMANN ; MEIERS, Historische Verglei- 
 chung des Mittelalters, &c.) 
 
 These offensive superstitious practices prevailed 
 so extensively throughout Europe, that the French 
 Sorbonne, at the instigation of the enlightened Chan- 
 cellor GERSON, in the year 1398, issued a publica- 
 tion containing twenty-seven articles against sor- 
 cery, and the superstitious use of images in mirrors 
 and in stone; and also against the invocation of 
 demons and spirits, with a view to enlighten and 
 calm the people. GERSON'S own treatise is entitled, 
 De erroribus circa artem magicam. At Langres, 
 too, a special synod was held, in 1404, chiefly for 
 the purpose of arresting the progress of sorcery. 
 
 In the 15th century, the belief in witchcraft and 
 sorcery may be said to have at length reached its 
 climax. In this age, however, and for a long period 
 thereafter, it is remarkable that females chiefly 
 became obnoxious to the charge of practising these 
 crimes ; and that the regular form of process against 
 the persons accused or suspected of such practices 
 was authoritatively introduced by the famous bull 
 of Pope Innocent VIII., to which we have already 
 alluded. This notable bull was subsequently forti- 
 fied by the publication of the no less celebrated 
 Malleus Maleficarum, It may seem proper that 
 we should give our readers some short account of 
 the nature and objects of this memorable Popish 
 bull, and of the subsequent and relative publication 
 referred to. Both of these constitute important do- 
 
272 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 cuments towards illustrating the history and aspect 
 of the times in which they appeared. 
 
 The following are the principal contents of the 
 Papal bull, issued by Pope Innocent VIII. in the 
 first year of his pontificate. His holiness commences 
 by expressing his sorrow and regret at learning 
 that, in several parts of Germany, some of which 
 are pointed out by name, many individuals of both 
 sexes, heedless of the salvation of their own souls, 
 have renounced the Catholic faith, mingle with 
 da?mons and lecherous devils (incubus et succubus 
 abuti,} and by means of their aid, make use of 
 various magical artifices and devilish contrivances, 
 torment men and animals, work a great deal of 
 mischief, destroy the fertility of the earth itself 
 vineyards, gardens, and meadows ; render men 
 impotent and women unfruitful (ne actus conjugates 
 reddere valeant) ; and practise many other infamous 
 vices (quamplurima nefanda excessus et crimina). 
 His holiness, therefore, by virtue of this bull, con- 
 ferred upon three commissioned ecclesiastics full 
 powers to preach the word of God in those parts, 
 to search for heretics, to prosecute them with 
 excommunication, censure and punishment, inter- 
 dict and suspension, or other more efficacious means, 
 (ac etiamformidabiliores sententias,) without appeal. 
 He orders his venerable brother, the Bishop of 
 Strasburgh, to publish the contents of this mandate, 
 either by himself, or by another, as often as he 
 shall be required to do so by the Inquisitors, inti- 
 mating, at the same time, that he will not permit 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 273 
 
 the contents of the said apostolic epistle to be 
 evaded, violated, contradicted, or set at nought by 
 any individuals, whatever offices, dignities, rank, or 
 privileges they might enjoy. The epistle concludes 
 with this solemn warning and anathema : Si quis 
 autem hcec attentare prcesumpserit, indignationem 
 omnipotentis Dei ac beatorum Petri et Pauli apos- 
 tolorum ejus se noverit incursurum. This celebrated 
 Papal bull will be found, printed after the original, 
 in HAUBER'S Bibliotheca Magica, and in HORST'S 
 Demonomagie. 
 
 This supreme apostolical authority conferred upon 
 the Inquisitors an easy and an irresponsible task ; 
 for whatever measures their judgment or their 
 caprice might prompt them to pursue, they were 
 liable to no contradiction or opposition from any 
 quarter. Their jurisdiction, indeed, was absolute 
 and unlimited ; and from their decisions there was 
 no appeal. Hitherto, indeed, the people had fully 
 acknowledged the supreme authority of the Roman 
 Pontiff in matters of faith alone ; consequently, not 
 in the case of ordinary criminals, such as the witches 
 and sorcerers were alleged to be. But, now, sor- 
 cery was to be accounted heresy : The two offences 
 were associated together, and blended into one and 
 the same crime, and placed exclusively under the 
 jurisdiction of the ecclesiastial power. The process 
 against witches and sorcerers had not previously 
 been formally authorised; and the judges them- 
 selves, in such cases, might have been summoned to 
 appear, and answer for their conduct, before a 
 
274 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 higher tribunal ; as actually happened in the case 
 of the Parliament of Paris and the Judges of Arras. 
 In short, the ultimate decision had previously lain 
 in the hands of the temporal power. But, hence- 
 forth, heresy and sorcery were merged together, 
 as one and the same crime : The unbeliever was a 
 sorcerer, and the sorcerer, or even the person 
 reputed to be bewitched, was an unbeliever, and in 
 alliance with the Devil. Nay, even to intimate a 
 doubt in regard to the reality of witchcraft, was 
 sufficient to subject the unfortunate sceptic to the 
 suspicion of patronising diabolical arts. The Pope 
 had ruled it so, and his holiness was infallible. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE Malleus Maleficarum a production to which 
 we have already adverted was written in support 
 of the Papal bull of Innocent VIII., and in further- 
 ance of its objects, by three ecclesiastics, who were 
 appointed by his holiness as the inquisitors for 
 carrying its enactments into effect. These were 
 SPRENGER, GREMPER, and HENRICUS JNSTITOR all 
 three accounted learned men in their day and gene- 
 ration. They were expressly denominated Inquisi- 
 tores hereticce pravitatis ; and they were armed, as 
 we have seen, with very ample and stringent powers 
 for the execution of their delegated task. Other 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 275 
 
 ecclesiastics are said to have assisted in the compo- 
 sition of this remarkable work ; and several lay wri- 
 ters are also quoted as authorities for many of the 
 alleged facts. The Papal bull was prefixed to the 
 work, along with the solemn approbation and sanc- 
 tion of the theological faculty of Cologne. The 
 authors of this learned production even contrived 
 to obtain a diploma from the Emperor Maximilian, 
 although himself a sceptic in regard to the matter 
 of sorcery. The Malleus Maleficarum, thus sanc- 
 tioned and patronised by ecclesiastical and secular 
 authority, became thenceforth the great and infalli- 
 ble code of witchcraft ; and, as may easily be be- 
 lieved, from the barbarous spirit of the age, com- 
 bined with the ignorance and intolerance of the 
 Church, its requirements were enforced in a most 
 arbitrary and capricious manner by the judges 
 appointed to carry its legal processes into execu- 
 tion ; while against their proceedings, however irre- 
 gular or iniquitous, there was no appeal either to 
 the supreme spiritual or temporal jurisdiction. The 
 many enormities which must naturally have ensued 
 from such opinions, fortified with such plenary 
 powers, in these days of intellectual darkness and 
 ignorance, may be easily conceived. It would be 
 tedious, as well as disgusting, to enter into the 
 detail of particular instances of gross abuse. One 
 circumstance, however, we deem deserving of espe- 
 cial notice, and that is, that even at this early period 
 the female sex was considered to be much more 
 addicted to the crime of witchcraft than the male 
 
276 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 a distinction which, as we shall probably have occa- 
 sion to observe hereafter, is common to the manifes- 
 tation of all those psychical phenomena which have 
 their origin in an inordinate excitement of the sen- 
 sitive faculties. We shall also pass over the different 
 species of alleged witchcraft, along with their various 
 modes of manifestation, with the single exception 
 alleged to have been exhibited in various instances, 
 of the presentiment and prophecy of future events, 
 and the discovery of hidden things a faculty which 
 was frequently exhibited by the accused, and which 
 has been demonstrated to have been very generally 
 developed in many similar abnormal states of the 
 organism. In short, it would appear that the repu- 
 ted witches, in general, were in fact individuals 
 labouring under some particular form of the som- 
 nambulistic or ecstatic affection ; an affection which 
 frequently takes its form and direction from the 
 peculiar character of the times, and to which the 
 female sex are more particularly liable; and, to 
 use the language of the Marquis de Puysegur, 
 these females might probably be pretty correctly 
 designated as Somnambules desordonnees ; they 
 exhibited phenomena of very much the same cha- 
 racter with those which are occasionally manifested 
 by the natural and magnetic Somnambulists. But 
 the witch-persecutors were by no means skilled in 
 psychology ; and to them the Devil was the active 
 promoter of all such manifestations. 
 
 Upon this branch of our subject, we may only 
 observe farther, that most of the characteristic feats 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 277 
 
 attributed to witchcraft are absolute physical impos- 
 sibilities, diametrically opposed to the most simple 
 and obvious laws of nature, and could never have 
 been credited by any individual of common sense in 
 an enlightened age, and possessing the most ele- 
 mentary knowledge of natural science. But in the 
 times of which we are now speaking, all inquiry 
 into the laws of nature was itself accounted impious 
 and heretical ; and any individual who attempted to 
 cultivate such studies was deemed an atheist, and 
 was, moreover, presumed to have sold himself to 
 Satan. 
 
 Nor was sophistry awanting to confirm the 
 reality of these monstrous hallucinations. When 
 any one, more sagacious than his neighbours, at- 
 tempted to object to some of the feats alleged to 
 have been performed by the individuals accused of 
 witchcraft, on the ground of the impossibility of the 
 fact, he was immediately met and refuted by an 
 allusion to some of the fictions of the heathen poets. 
 Thus, to prove the possibility of the trasformation 
 of men into beasts, it was seriously alleged that the 
 soldiers of ULYSSES were changed by CIRCE into 
 hogs, and those of DIOMED into birds : IPHIGENIA 
 was changed into a doe, and LYCAON was trans- 
 formed by JUPITER into a wolf. Nay, even an occa- 
 sional scrap of Scripture was not wanting to con- 
 found the sceptics. Thus, when any one was bold 
 enough to ascribe the alleged fact of the witches 
 flying through the air to mere imagination, this 
 opinion was said to be diametrically opposed to the 
 
278 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 word of God. " Did not the Devil/' it was said, 
 " carry our LORD JESUS CHRIST to the pinnacle 
 of the Temple, and show him all the kingdoms 
 of the world ? And did not a good angel take 
 HABAKKUK by the hair of the head, and carry 
 him through the air?" To such convincing argu- 
 ments the general ignorance and dread of heresy 
 could make no reply. A similar argument was 
 employed in the case, already referred to, of the 
 alleged transformation of men into animals. It was 
 heresy to disbelieve the possibility of the fact. 
 " Was not NEBUCHADNEZZAR changed into an ox, 
 and did he not eat grass?" For all the other mani- 
 fold absurdities involved in the barbarous belief of 
 witchcraft, the author must refer his curiously in- 
 quisitive readers to the Papal bull itself, and to the 
 relative' documents ; which, as already mentioned, 
 they will find, at large, in the works of HAUBER 
 and HORST ; and to that most extraordinary com- 
 pound of perverted labour, learning, and ingenuity, 
 the Malleus Maleficarum. 
 
 The prosecutions for witchcraft and sorcery, al- 
 though not originally introduced, were greatly in- 
 creased in number and severity, as may easily be 
 conceived, in consequence of this Papal bull of 
 INNOCENT VIII. The minds of the whole people, 
 throughout Europe, became violently excited, and 
 a general chronic mania appears to have seized 
 upon persons of all ranks and creeds, Catholics and 
 Protestants, which was not extirpated for centuries, 
 and which has even transmitted some relics of its 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 279 
 
 former prevalence down to our own times. The 
 chief cause of this extraordinary intellectual aber- 
 ration unquestionably lay in the extreme ignorance 
 of the people, and in the universal diffusion of a 
 peculiar religious creed, common to Catholics and 
 Protestants the belief in an overruling and all- 
 pervading demoniacal agency, whereby the Devil 
 personally, or through his emissaries was con- 
 ceived to exercise dominion over the affairs of this 
 world, equal to, if not surpassing, that of the Deity 
 himself. 
 
 It may be observed that, when a particular 
 religious creed has once been generally adopted, 
 and extensively propagated, whether true or false, 
 it is calculated to exercise a deep and permanent 
 influence on the minds and actions of mankind ; 
 and the falsehood of its tenets, whether inherent or 
 superinduced, can only be separated from the truth, 
 after a lapse of time, by the slow and silent opera- 
 tion of advancing knowledge and civilization. A 
 long period, indeed, must necessarily elapse, before 
 the voices of the more rational and more enlight- 
 ened among the members of the community can 
 even obtain a hearing amidst the general ignor- 
 ance and barbarism ; and their more intelligent 
 notions exert their due influence in correcting the 
 dangerous errors which may have become deeply 
 rooted in the minds of their fellow citizens. The 
 pure and exalted doctrines of JESUS found little 
 favour in the stubborn and prejudiced minds of the 
 Jews; and many serious obstacles retarded the 
 
280 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 reformation of our Christian religion. We must 
 recollect, moreover, that, in the times of which we 
 now speak, learning and philosophy were at a low 
 ebb, and that the belief in the reality of witchcraft 
 and sorcery had been suffered to become part and 
 parcel of the religious creed of the people, and of 
 the law of the land that it even insinuated itself 
 into the minds of many men of a superior order of 
 intellect; and, moreover, that this strange belief 
 had been stamped with the seal of orthodoxy by 
 the highest ecclesiastical authority in Christendom. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 WE shall not run the risk of exhausting the 
 patience of our readers, by attempting to enumer- 
 ate the manifold remaining absurdities, which were 
 gravely authenticated, and almost universally ac- 
 cepted as incontrovertible facts, in the course of 
 the numerous trials of witches and sorcerers in the 
 times to which we have already alluded ; but shall 
 merely refer the curious in such matters to the 
 more remarkable of these cases ; to the narratives 
 of the witch-court held at ARRAS, in France, in the 
 year 1459 ; that of KIOGE, in Denmark ; that of 
 MOHRA, in Sweden, 1670 ; that of WARBOIS, in 
 England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; the 
 trials of the Renfrewshire witches, in Scotland ; the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 281 
 
 trial of the nun, MARIA RENATA, at Wurgburg, in 
 Germany, 1749, &c. In all of these cases, the 
 phenomena described appear to be of a similar 
 character, proceeding, no doubt, from some modifi- 
 cation of the somnambulistic or ecstatic affection, 
 and generally attributed, according to the current 
 notions of the times, either to diabolical possession, 
 or, occasionally, to imposture. To us, in this more 
 enlightened age, it appears altogether marvellous 
 that such monstrous absurdities, as are gravely 
 authenticated as clear and incontrovertible facts, in 
 these judicial proceedings, should have been seri- 
 ously accredited by any individuals endowed with the 
 smallest particle of reason or of common sense : and 
 we can ascribe the circumstance only to the general 
 epidemical infatuation. In regard to these alleged 
 facts ex uno disce omnes one remarkable example 
 may suffice for all. In the year 1303, a Bishop of 
 Coventry, at Rome, was accused of certain grievous 
 heretical crimes, inferring an addiction to the arts 
 of sorcery, and, amongst others, Quod Diabolo 
 homagiumfecerat, et eumfuerat osculatus in tergo; 
 and the same extraordinary accusation was made 
 in the case of several other reputed witches of both 
 sexes. 
 
 We may perceive, indeed, from the accounts 
 transmitted to us, in regard to the alleged posses- 
 sion, as it was then called, of a vast number of indi- 
 viduals, particularly females, and, more especially, 
 of those addicted to monastic or conventual life, 
 that this possession, as it was called, was nothing 
 
 VOL. i. 2 A 
 
282 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 else than hysterical or convulsive disease, induced 
 by habits and pursuits resulting from seclusion from 
 active life ; and that the individuals, thus affected, 
 would have been much more appropriately con- 
 signed to the care of the physician, than to that of 
 the theologian. But in these days, physic was, 
 probably, no farther advanced than theology. The 
 sentiment of religion itself, indeed, when incessantly 
 and exclusively cultivated in an ascetic form, is 
 itself a fertile source of such sensitive disorders. 
 The Roman Catholic system, with its mystical doc- 
 trines, its various superstitious rites, ceremonies, 
 fasts, penances, and other religious observances, 
 was particularly calculated to engender these affec- 
 tions, especially in susceptible constitutions ; and, 
 accordingly, they appear to have prevailed very 
 extensively under that establishment. They were 
 encouraged by the priesthood, who considered them 
 as marks of divine grace ; and, in consequence of 
 their infectious character, they were, riot unfre- 
 quently, found to pervade an entire community. 
 These remarkable states, which, in several instances, 
 appeared in an epidemic form, were, in reality, a 
 specific variety of the somnambulistic or ecstatic 
 affection. They were generally considered to be 
 either of a divine or of a diabolical origin, according 
 to the characteristic features of the phenomena. 
 The former were always believed to be caused by 
 celestial influences, and to them was ascribed an an- 
 gelic origin and character : The latter were held to 
 be the consequence of satanic possession, and were 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 283 
 
 to be cured or alleviated only by means of the 
 Roman Catholic ritual of exorcism. In the instruc- 
 tions given for the exercise of this ritual, the symp- 
 toms of the affection are minutely described, and 
 the formal methods of exorcism are particulary laid 
 down for the direction of the priesthood. It is re- 
 markable that, in the cases of possession referred 
 to, the symptoms of the affection itself, as well as 
 the phenomena observed apart from the purely 
 religious manifestations are pretty nearly the 
 same with those which have been frequently re- 
 ported as having occurred in the ancient and 
 modern somnambulism ecstasy, clairvoyance, the 
 gift of prophecy, &c. Exorcism itself, indeed, ap- 
 pears to have been merely a modification of what 
 is now called the Magnetic or Mesmeric treatment, 
 although, perhaps, not quite so scientific in its prin- 
 ciples, nor always so successful in practice. The 
 power of exorcism was believed, in former times, to 
 be exclusively appropriated to the clergy of the 
 Roman Catholic Church ; the Protestants, being 
 heretics, were, by the Romanists, held to be totally 
 incapable of duly exercising the rite. To this day, 
 we believe, the magnetic operation, when performed 
 by a Protestant, is accounted diabolical by the 
 Romish church, as being, in their estimation, an 
 impious profanation of a Catholic solemnity. The 
 absurd opinions held both by the Roman Catholic 
 and the Protestant exorcists, in regard to the nature 
 of the affection in which the ritual of exorcism was 
 employed, occasionally elicited the most amusing 
 
284 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC. &c. 
 
 exclamations from their patients. Thus, when, 
 upon one occasion, a celebrated Protestant theolo- 
 gian was attempting to exorcise the Devil out of the 
 body of a female, on his pronouncing the words : 
 " Spirit ! thou who art naught, I command thee to 
 depart out of the body of this woman ; " the patient 
 exclaimed, with the coolest irony : " Nay, this is 
 the silliest thing I ever heard in my life." But 
 such an exclamation, in such circumstances, would, 
 no doubt, be attributed to the perverseness of the 
 possessing devil. 
 
 We may here, perhaps, appropriately refer to 
 the following very judicious observations of an emi- 
 nent modern divine, on the belief of witchcraft and 
 sorcery, formerly so prevalent amongst all ranks of 
 the people throughout Europe, and venture to call 
 the attention of our readers to the particular case 
 by which these observations appear to have been 
 suggested : 
 
 " Witchcraft," says the Rev. Mr Scott, " has always 
 been discredited, and has disappeared, in proportion 
 as knowledge, philosophy, and religion have ex- 
 tended their influence. Ignorance of the laws, and 
 of the causes of the various phenomena of nature in 
 general, as well as of the human frame in particular, 
 must have operated in a twofold way in favour of a 
 belief in witchcraft. It would enable those who had 
 obtained a more extensive knowledge of those laws 
 and causes than others, to do things, to exhibit 
 facts, which the ignorant would deem marvellous 
 and supernatural ; and it would dispose the latter 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 285 
 
 to believe the pretences of impostors, and both inca- 
 pacitate and indispose us to detect them. How 
 easily could any one who is well acquainted with 
 the principles and facts of chemistry, electricity, 
 and galvanism, and is able to experiment dexter- 
 ously in these sciences, have astonished those who 
 lived in the ages when witchcraft, in all its absurdi- 
 ties, was believed. Some who, at that time, excelled 
 in the knowledge of the works and laws of nature, 
 were, on that very account, accused of witchcraft 
 such as ZOROASTER, PYTHAGORAS, ROGER BACON, 
 ALBERTUS MAGNUS, RIPLEY, and others. During 
 these ages, too, sound accurate learning was in a 
 low state ; biblical criticism, especially, was almost 
 totally neglected. And hence some passages of 
 Scripture, improperly translated, or misunderstood, 
 were perverted, and rendered a foundation for a 
 faith in witchcraft, while men's general belief and 
 ideas of the existence of spirits, and of their inter- 
 course with our world, were perverted by supersti- 
 tion to subserve its purposes." * 
 
 The same very intelligent author presents us with 
 the following case of a supposed demoniacal pos- 
 session : 
 
 " One of the most remarkable eases of this sort," 
 says Dr SCOTT, " as far as my knowledge extends, 
 is that recorded by Mr JAMES HEATON, and en- 
 titled, The Extraordinary Affliction and Gracious 
 
 * The Existence of Evil Spirits proved, &c. By WALTER 
 SCOTT. London. 1848. 
 
286 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 Relief of a Little Boy, supposed to be the Effects of 
 Spiritual Agency, carefully examined and faithfully 
 narrated.* 
 
 " This account is certainly a very astonishing one. 
 I have no suspicion of the integrity and good inten- 
 tions of the narrator, and of his sincere wish to dis- 
 cover and narrate the truth. Still, I can have little 
 doubt that it was a case of epilepsy, united, perhaps, 
 with some other disorders. And it is well if there 
 was not something of craft and management in the 
 boy, and in some of his friends. And from the 
 account which Mr Heaton himself gives, this was 
 the opinion of some of the medical men who at- 
 tended him.f I have myself seen a decided case 
 of epilepsy, in which there was no suspicion of 
 any agency of evil spirits ; and yet all the symp- 
 toms of this boy's case, as it regards staring, grin- 
 ning, gnashing with the teeth, attempting to bite, 
 almost supernatural strength, so that it required 
 four persons to hold him, and frightful cries 
 were exhibited. What might have taken place 
 with regard to leaping, and dancing, and answering 
 questions proposed to him, on the supposition that 
 
 * The author has been unsuccessful in his attempts to pro- 
 cure a copy of this curious tract, and must, therefore, take 
 its contents on the report of Dr Scott, of whose perfect accu- 
 racy, however, no doubt can be entertained. 
 
 f We confess that we should not be disposed to place 
 much reliance upon the opinions of most medical men in a 
 case of this nature. Might not the supposed craft be, in 
 reality, one of the symptoms of the disorder ? And do not 
 lunatics frequently exhibit the same symptoms ? 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 287 
 
 he was possessed, I cannot say, for he was always 
 held during the fits when I saw him. But certainly 
 his looks and cries, and motions, were sufficiently 
 fiendish. No attempts were made to exorcise him, 
 for no one thought he was possessed. Prayer was 
 certainly made to God for him. both by himself (for 
 he was a pious young man) and others proper 
 medical means were used and, at last, I think after 
 the lapse of a year or two, he got permanently well 
 (after some returns of the fits, as in the case of John 
 Evans), and continues so to this day. I cannot avoid 
 the suspicion, that if he had thought he was under 
 the influence of an evil spirit, and had fallen into the 
 hands of those who believed in possessions, almost 
 every symptom which was exhibited in the case of 
 John Evans might have been found or produced in 
 him; and had the same means been used to dis- 
 possess the supposed daemon, joined with similar 
 perseverance and devotional exercises, it might have 
 been supposed that his recovery was owing to a 
 special interposition of divine power in answer to 
 prayer. 
 
 " Some circumstances in the account of Mr H. 
 are of such a nature as to excite a suspicion that 
 the good friends, who were so laudably concerned 
 for his recovery, were rather credulous, and that 
 the boy was not free from craft. I shall give one 
 paragraph of the account, as an illustration of what 
 I mean : His attention and ghastly look were gene- 
 rally directed to those who gave out a hymn or 
 
288 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 prayer. But as he dreaded adjuration more than 
 any thing else, the person who adjured shared most 
 of his resentment. Iliad frequently proved that Tie 
 was sensible of what I said to him in thought only, 
 without the motion of my lips or eyes, or any visible 
 indication of my meaning whatever. I this morning 
 tried it again. Some of the brethren observed that 
 his attention was directed to me more than to those 
 who were praying, and wondered what could be the 
 cause. I was then mentally adjuring the evil spirit, 
 and he knew it, felt it, and resented it. This was 
 an astonishing fact ; and wishing others might try 
 and witness the experiment as well as myself, I 
 whispered into Mr C.'s ear, ' Adjure in your own 
 mind, and watch the effect.' He did so ; and when 
 he saw how the evil spirit, in a moment, resented it, 
 through the boy, in his astonishment he lifted up- 
 ward his hand and eyes. This attracted the notice 
 
 of Mrs J. Kennard, T. Sibley, and the Rev. Mr . 
 
 In whispers they inquired, ' What is that?' In 
 whispers they were informed. They all tried it, 
 and they all proved it, to their utter astonishment, 
 that the evil spirit knew as well, and felt as much, 
 what was mentally addressed to him, as what was 
 spoken aloud. The moment one of them addressed 
 the dcemon mentally, the demoniac fastened his eyes 
 upon him, and grinned and growled, and would 
 sometimes spit on him if he could. In whatever 
 situation the man stood who did this, whether at his 
 head or feet, right hand or left, he would instantly 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 289 
 
 stare him horribly in the face, and by various ges- 
 tures and struggles to bite or get at him, show how 
 he felt, dreaded, and hated the mental stroke" 
 
 The foregoing narrative brings out, very distinctly, 
 some exceedingly curious facts, but exhibits, at the 
 same time, small progress in the knowledge and 
 treatment of such abnormal manifestations ; and 
 much, indeed, yet remains to be learnt upon this 
 interesting subject, upon which it is rather strange 
 that we should have obtained so very little informa- 
 tion from professional physicians in modern times. 
 Indeed the Church, from the earliest period, appears 
 to have appropriated all such enigmatical cases to 
 itself, and to have used them for its own particular 
 purposes. Hence the epithet, Morbus sacer. It 
 is to the Animal Magnetists, unquestionably, that 
 we have recently become indebted for all that we 
 really know in regard to these curious phenomena, 
 which have been so frequently developed, both natu- 
 rally and artificially, in ancient as well as in modern 
 times. But the Church appears to be not a little 
 jealous of the inroads of profane science upon what 
 she had long been accustomed to consider as her 
 proper and exclusive domain. 
 
 VOL. i. 2s 
 
290 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 IN a preceding chapter, we noticed the prevalent 
 opinion that miracles, so called, had ceased after the 
 crucifixion of Jesus Christ, or, at least, after the 
 death of his Apostles. This opinion, however, is 
 not warranted by the facts of history ; nor does it 
 derive any authority from the express declarations 
 of the Saviour himself. So far from this, JESUS 
 declared that miracles should still be performed by 
 his Apostles and worshippers ; and he expressly 
 refers to faith as the operative principle in the pro- 
 duction of the phenomena. 
 
 The Roman Emperor CONSTANTINE lived three 
 hundred years after JESUS, and exhibited a lively 
 zeal in the propagation of Christianity, and in the 
 demolition of the pagan temples. According to the 
 testimony of EUSEBIUS, this emperor caused the 
 demolition of a temple in Cilicia, which was much 
 frequented by persons who came to adore the pre- 
 siding daemon, and obtain relief from their respec- 
 tive complaints. In fact, the daemon, in such cases, 
 was an entirely fictitious personage ; it was not the 
 daemon but the priests who operated the cure, by 
 means of some processes analogous to the magnetic : 
 The patients were set asleep, dreamt, and were ulti- 
 mately cured. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 291 
 
 This fact is confirmed by ORIGEN, who tells us 
 that the cures performed, in dreams, by ^Esculapius, 
 existed in his time, in full vigour ; that is to say, 
 long after the introduction of Christianity. (ORIGEN. 
 contra Celsum.) IAMBLICHUS, who lived after Con- 
 stantine, tells us that the Temple of J^SCULAPIUS 
 still produced oracles and curative dreams ; and he 
 adds : Multa quotidie similia fiunt supra orationem 
 rationemque humanam. (!AMBLICH. de Myst.) 
 
 Under the Emperor JULIAN, magnetism had lost 
 none of its efficacy. This emperor himself informs 
 us that, when sick, he had frequently been cured 
 by remedies pointed out by ^ESCULAPIUS, and he 
 appeals to Jupiter, as a witness to the facts. (Me 
 scepius sanavit ^Esculapius indicatis remediis, at- 
 que testis horum est Jupiter. ST CYRILLUS, inJu- 
 lianum, lib. 7.) In the reign of Valentinian, in 
 the Western Empire, during the fourth century, 
 oracles in dreams were still in full credit, as we are 
 informed by EUNAPIUS, who wrote in those times, 
 (in Oedesio.) 
 
 Under the Emperor VALENS, Magnetism was 
 confounded with the magical arts, and was, there- 
 fore, exposed to persecution. AMMIANUS MARCEL- 
 LINUS informs us that this emperor caused to be 
 put to death an old woman, who was accustomed to 
 cure intermittent fevers by pronouncing some harm- 
 less words. She was sent for, with the knowledge 
 of VALENS himself, to cure the daughter of this 
 emperor. This simple woman actually restored the 
 girl's health, and, for her reward, the emperor 
 
292 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 caused her to be put to death, as a criminal. (Aii- 
 MIAN. MARCELL., Lib. 29.) We may recollect the 
 story of the Athenian woman, whom her country- 
 men condemned to death for performing cures with- 
 out employing any medicine. In both of these 
 cases, we may assume that some magnetic pro- 
 cesses were employed, without the parties being 
 cognisant of the principle. 
 
 APULEIUS informs us that the ancient physicians 
 were acquainted with the efficacy of words and 
 verses in the cure of wounds, and made use of them 
 without reserve, as Ulysses is represented to have 
 done by Homer ; and the author adds, that nothing 
 which operates as a remedy, or solace to the sick, 
 can be regarded as criminal. (APUL., Apologia, 
 Lib. 1.) And this humane principle had already 
 been consecrated by a solemn enactment of Con- 
 stantine, by which, occult remedies, when found to 
 be useful, may be said to have been legalised. (See 
 Cod. Theodosianus, Lib. IX., Tit. 16., L. 3, de Ma- 
 leficiis et Mathemat.) The Emperor JUSTINIAN 
 deemed this law worthy of being preserved in his 
 code. This law, however, was subsequently abroga- 
 ted by the pious and feeble Leo VI., who, although 
 a profound enemy of the art of divination, left be- 
 hind him no less than seventeen predictions on the 
 fate of Constantinople. 
 
 We may here observe, what may be easily con-' 
 ceived, that in these cures, the efficacy does not 
 reside in the mere words, but in the intention with 
 which they are pronounced. The magnetists hold 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 293 
 
 it as a fundamental principle, that the intention of 
 doing good is the very soul of their art. The verbal 
 formulae are merely the accessories, which ignor- 
 ance, quackery, and superstition have elevated into 
 real causes. 
 
 This doctrine has been clearly announced by ST 
 AUSTIN, in his treatise De Doctrina Christiana, 
 Lib. 2 : " When it is uncertain," he says, " whence 
 the virtue of a remedy proceeds, every thing de- 
 pends upon the intention we have in making use of 
 it." 
 
 CHARLES VALLE, a famous French physician, 
 cured his epileptic patients by insufflation into their 
 ears, without pronouncing a word. DEGOUST, a 
 judge at Nismes, was in the daily practice of 
 curing fever patients by the use of friction on the 
 arms. At first, he used amulets also, but after- 
 wards gave them up, and cured by means of friction 
 alone. 
 
 Under the Emperor VALENS and his successor, 
 Christianity spread throughout the whole of the 
 Roman empire; and we hear no more of the 
 temples of ^Esculapius, of Isis, and of Serapis ; but, 
 as we shall presently see, the magnetic practices did 
 not desert them, when consecrated to a different 
 worship. Magnetism, for a time, took refuge 
 among the tombs and relics of the saints ; the 
 pernoctations continued under the same forms, and 
 with the same success. This change appears to 
 have taken place in the fourth and fifth centuries. 
 
 Christianity had spread throughout the whole 
 
294 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 provinces of the Roman empire, and the temples of 
 the false deities had been either demolished, or con- 
 verted into Christian churches. Had magnetism 
 been a mere product of the ancient heathen wor- 
 ship, it would naturally have disappeared when its 
 causes ceased to operate; but if dependent upon 
 natural laws, and inherent in the constitution of 
 the species, it must still have continued under 
 every form of religious worship, under Christianity 
 as under Paganism. This last, in reality, we find 
 ^to have been the case. On the general diffusion of 
 the Christian faith, we see it transferred ifco the 
 priests of the triumphant religion, especially among 
 the monks, as previously among the pagan priest- 
 hood. The churches succeeded the ancient temples, 
 in which last the traditions and processes of mag- 
 netism had been preserved. The same customs of 
 pernoctation, the same dreams, the same visions, 
 and the same cures. 
 
 But the best blessings of Providence are liable to 
 abuse in human hands. It was not long before a 
 traffic was established in the merits of particular 
 Saints a speculation was made in regard to the 
 advantages which might be derived from the greater 
 or less celebrity of their patrons as in the case of 
 the ancient temples and the number of miracles 
 was enormously increased. Pretended relics were 
 carefully collected ; particular miracles were per- 
 formed in a particular church, in a particular cha- 
 pel, which had not occurred in another ; they had 
 their saints for different diseases, as we have bark 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 295 
 
 for fever, and ipecacuanha for dysentery. Every 
 event was transformed into a miracle. The reporters 
 of these occurrences made little or no discrimination ; 
 on the contrary, they believed they were labouring 
 for the glory of the saints, when multiplying the 
 number of their miracles ; and in this number they 
 have included a multitude of cures which are evi- 
 dently due to magnetism. MELCHIOR CANO, a Spa- 
 nish dominican, and Professor of Theology at Sala- 
 manca, complains of these extravagances in the fol- 
 lowing terms : Ecclesice Christi hi vehementer in- 
 commodant, qui res divorum prceclare gestas, non 
 se putant egregie exposituros, nisi eas fictis et reve- 
 lationibuset miraculis adornarint. (De Locis Theol. 
 lib. ii. cap. 6.) 
 
 Indeed, these pious personages have multiplied 
 their miracles to such an extent, that, to use the 
 expression of Bayle, one might ask which is the 
 greater miracle the interruption, or the ordinary 
 course of nature. 
 
 This assertion, that the Christian monks and 
 ecclesiastics had succeeded the Druids, and the an- 
 cient priests of the heathen gods, in the study and 
 practice of the ordinary and the occult medicine, 
 besides a multiplicity of other evidence, is confirmed 
 by the Annales de Paris. We learn from that work 
 that the Canons of Notre Dame took charge of the 
 sick, and cured their diseases and infirmities by 
 means of natural remedies. Their school of medi- 
 cine was in the neighbourhood of their church, in 
 the street dc la Boucherie. Afterwards they ob- 
 
296 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 tained permission to erect, in their vicinity, a Hotel 
 de Charite, which, at first, took the name of Hotel 
 de Dieu. and afterwards became abbreviated into 
 Hotel Dieu. 
 
 SAINT BASIL the Great, and ST GREGORY, prac- 
 tised medicine, as did also a number of other eccle- 
 siastics, and, in France, the Royal Physicians were 
 generally selected from that class. 
 
 Thus it is clear, that medicine was studied and 
 practised in the Christian churches and monasteries, 
 no doubt because the priests found this usage esta- 
 blished in the pagan temples which they superseded ; 
 and, in these temples, the idolatrous priests fre- 
 quently resorted to magnetism. It is curious enough , 
 however, that these practices did not exist in the 
 Christian churches so long as the worship of Isis, 
 SERAPIS, ^ESCULAPIUS, &c., subsisted, but were only 
 introduced after the latter had fallen into disuse. 
 
 SAINT AUSTIN gives us the following description 
 of the state of ecstasis : " When the attention of 
 the mind is entirely diverted from the bodily sensa- 
 tions, this is what we call ecstasis. In this state, 
 although the eyes may be open, all the objects which 
 are present are not perceived ; voices are not heard ; 
 all the attention of the mind is fixed upon the images 
 of bodies by a species of spiritual or intellectual 
 vision, in which it is concentrated on incorporeal 
 things which are not presented in any substantial 
 image." (St Aug. de Genes, lib. 12, cap. 11.) This 
 author afterwards refers to the following somnam- 
 bulistic vision : " A young man was sick, and in 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 297 
 
 great pain, but in the midst of his dreadful suffer- 
 ings he was carried off into an ecstasy, and deprived 
 of the use of all his senses. He could not be aroused 
 when pinched or shaken. When he at length came 
 to himself, he said that he frequently saw two per- 
 sons, the one young, the other old, from whom he 
 affirmed that he had seen and heard most astonish- 
 ing things. Amongst others, he said that in one of 
 his ecstasies he had seen the joys of Paradise, and 
 the blessed playing upon musical instruments in the 
 midst of a brilliant light, and the torments of the 
 damned in thick darkness. 
 
 " The two persons, whom he frequently saw, 
 advised him to take a sea-bath up to the middle, 
 and told him that his pains would then cease. The 
 young man took the advice he had received in his 
 dream, and was effectually cured." (Sx AUG., ibid. 
 c. 17.) A similar case is related by ^ELIAN, in his 
 Varice Historice, &c. The circumstances occurred 
 in the person of the celebrated ASPASIA, who subse- 
 quently became Queen of Persia. 
 
 " In her youth," says ^ELIAN, " ASPASIA had a 
 tumour on the face, which extended below the chin, 
 and produced a most disagreeable effect. Her father 
 consulted a physician, who offered to cure her for a 
 considerable sum of money. But the father could 
 not afford to pay this sum, and the physician refu- 
 sed his assistance. ASPASIA retired, and wept at her 
 misfortune ; but presently she fell into a profound 
 sleep, and, in her dream, there appeared to her a 
 dove, which soon assumed the form of a woman, and 
 
298 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 said to her, ' Be of good courage despise physi- 
 cians and their medicines. Pulverise one of the 
 crowns of roses which adorn the statue of Venus, 
 which are at present withered, and apply this powder 
 of roses to the tumour.' The young girl availed 
 herself of the prescription, and the tumour was 
 dissipated." 
 
 This was manifestly nothing else than a somnam- 
 bulistic play of the imagination of ASPASIA, which 
 pointed out a remedy for her tumour ; as, in the 
 preceding vision, it was the imagination of the 
 young man which revealed to him, in somnambul- 
 ism, the sea-bath which was to cure him. 
 
 We might quote a vast variety of cases of a simi- 
 lar description, but it appears to us to be unneces- 
 sary. In the meantime, we shall merely refer our 
 readers to the works of the early Fathers of the 
 Church, and, particularly, to the collection of the 
 Bollandists. 
 
 We may conclude this chapter with the observa- 
 tion, that this occult, hypnoscopic science, now called 
 Animal Magnetism, has always had its partisans 
 and its enemies. The clergy, especially, have 
 generally opposed it with great obstinacy, whether 
 with the view of monopolising the exclusive practice 
 of the art, or for the purpose, in certain circum- 
 stances, of converting the phenomena into miracles. 
 The subject, however, is now becoming more exten- 
 sively cultivated, and the minds of mankind more 
 open to rational conviction and just appreciation of 
 the facts. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 AT this stage of our investigation, it may, per- 
 haps, be proper to exhibit a few instances of histo- 
 rical personages, whose character and actions exhi- 
 bited, during life, a decided preponderance of the 
 ecstatic affections, and whose whole conduct has 
 been generally ascribed to insanity or deception. 
 It is necessary, however, for the conviction of such 
 of our readers as may be sceptical upon the entire 
 subject, that these examples should be such as are 
 capable of being supported by adequate and unex- 
 ceptionable documentary evidence ; and this, in the 
 following instances, we shall endeavour to supply. 
 
 One of the most remarkable instances upon 
 record of this constitutional tendency to the ecstatic 
 affections in active life, is that which is exhibited to 
 our view in the history of JOAN OF ARC, the Maid 
 of Orleans. This case, indeed, is so much the more 
 remarkable, as it displays not only all the most 
 prominent characteristics of the visionary state, but, 
 also, as it manifests the successful operation of this 
 apparently congenital idiosyncrasy in the most 
 important affairs of active life, and in a female sub- 
 ject. 
 
 The history of the achievements of this singular 
 personage are well known ; and exhibit all the traits 
 
300 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 of a fabulous narrative. DELAVERDY, however, 
 carefully examined the original acts of process in 
 the archives at Paris, in the case of JOAN, and has 
 presented us with a narrative of the circumstances 
 of her life, in the very words of the Maid herself. 
 (See Notices des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque du 
 Roi.) 
 
 " Since my thirteenth year," said the heroine, 
 " I heard a voice in my father's garden, at Dom- 
 remy. I heard it from the right side, near the 
 church, and it was accompanied with great bright- 
 ness. At first, I was afraid of it ; but I soon became 
 aware that it was the voice of an angel, who has 
 ever since watched well over me, and taught me to 
 conduct myself with propriety, and to attend the 
 church. 
 
 " Five years afterwards, while I was tending my 
 father's flocks, this voice said to me : ' God has 
 great compassion for the French nation, and that I 
 ought to get ready and go to its rescue.' When I 
 began to weep at this, the voice said to me : ' Go to 
 Vancouleurs, and you will find a captain there, who 
 will conduct you, without hindrance, to the King.' 
 Since that time, I have acted according to the reve- 
 lations I have received, and the apparitions I have 
 seen ; and even on my trial, I speak only according 
 to that which is revealed to me." 
 
 JOAN predicted many events with great accuracy. 
 Thus, she told the King that she should raise the 
 siege of Orleans ; and farther, that, in the course 
 of seven years, the English should be driven out of 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 301 
 
 France. She also announced to the King that she 
 should take him to Rheims in order to be crowned. 
 All these prophecies were fulfilled. In other spe- 
 cial circumstances, also, her predictions were equally 
 accurate. 
 
 At the siege of Orleans, it was resolved to attack 
 the tete-du-pont, which was occupied by the English 
 troops. JOAN assured her friends that it would be 
 taken, and that, at the commencement of night, 
 they should enter the town by the bridge. She 
 ordered all to be in readiness at the proper time, 
 and requested her confessor to remain near her on 
 the following day. " For," said she, " I shall have 
 more to do than ever, and to-morrow my blood 
 shall flow near my breast." Next day, the tete-du- 
 pont was assaulted; in the afternoon, JOAN was 
 wounded by an arrow under the neck, near the 
 shoulder. 
 
 Towards the evening, DUNOIS perceived that his 
 troops were exhausted, and having lost all hopes of 
 victory for this day, he resolved to cause a retreat 
 to be sounded. At this moment, JOAN, who had 
 got her wound dressed, returned to the field, and 
 urgently requested him to wait a few minutes. 
 When he consented to this, she mounted her horse, 
 and hastened to a vineyard in the neighbourhood, 
 where she remained alone, for a short while, in 
 prayer. She then rode back, hastened to the ditch 
 of the hostile rampart, seized her standard, and 
 swung it round, exclaiming, " To my standard ! to 
 my standard ! " The French soldiers flew to her 
 
302 AN HISTORY OP MAGIC, &c. 
 
 assistance, and fought with renovated courage. 
 The English, on the other hand, wavered, and 
 seemed dismayed. The rampart was gained ; the 
 tete-du-pont was no longer defended, and it was, 
 consequently, taken by the French. The latter 
 rushed over the bridge towards Orleans, during the 
 night, as JOAN had foretold. 
 
 At the siege ot Gergeau, JOAN advised an assault. 
 She said to the Duke of Alengon : " Forwards, 
 Duke, to the assault ! " The Duke thought it was 
 yet too soon for an attack, but JOAN replied : " Do 
 not hesitate ; this is God's own hour. We must act 
 when God wills, for then God will act with us." 
 
 During the assault, she said suddenly to him : 
 " Ah, noble Duke ! you are afraid. Are you not 
 aware that I promised your wife to bring you back 
 safe and sound ?" Soon afterwards, she had a good 
 opportunity of fulfilling her promise. She advised 
 him to leave the place upon which he then stood. 
 Scarcely had DULUDE, who had just arrived, taken 
 up this particular position, when he was killed on 
 the spot. The Duke of Alengon. when he perceived 
 what had happened, was filled with astonishment 
 and fear, and, from that time, he admired still more 
 all that JOAN did or said. 
 
 After the conquest of Baugency, the French army 
 was opposed to the English near Janville and Patai. 
 Several of the French generals felt some alarm on 
 account of the great numerical superiority of the 
 English army, and gave their advice against risk- 
 ing an action. The Duke of Alencon asked JOAN, 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 303 
 
 in presence of the Constable DUNOIS and the other 
 generals, what ought to be done. She asked, in a 
 loud voice, " Have you good spurs ? " " Must we 
 fly, then?" said the generals. "Not so," said the 
 Maid, " but the English will not defend themselves 
 we shall beat them ; we shall require to use our 
 spurs, in order to overtake them. To-day, the 
 King will gain a greater victory than ever, and all 
 shall be ours : So said my counsellor." In reality, 
 the English were beaten without trouble, and many 
 were killed and made prisoners. Even TALBOT 
 himself was taken. (June, 1429.) 
 
 It sometimes happened that what she announced, 
 as revealed to her by God, was not immediately 
 believed. Upon such occasions, she would retire 
 into solitude, pray to God, and complain to him 
 that no credit was given to her words. After her 
 prayers, she maintained that she frequently heard 
 a voice, which said to her, " Child of God, go, go, 
 go I shall assist you." " When I hear this voice," 
 said she, " I am in so great a rapture, that I should 
 wish to remain always in that state." Whilst utter- 
 ing these words, her countenance beamed with joy, 
 and she raised her eyes to heaven. She acknow- 
 ledged to Captain DAULON that her council told her 
 every thing that she ought to do. This council, 
 she said, consisted of three members ; one of whom 
 was always with her, another went and came by 
 turns, and the third was the individual with whom 
 the two others consulted. (She believed that her 
 council consisted of an angel and two saints.) DAU- 
 
304 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 LON urgently importuned her to procure him an 
 opportunity of seeing this council ; but she answered 
 him by saying that he was not yet worthy, nor 
 sufficiently virtuous. For this reason, he spoke no 
 more to her upon this subject. 
 
 JOAN was a simple girl, brought up in the country, 
 and quite ignorant. " I understand neither A nor 
 B," said she to the plenipotentiaries who were sent 
 by the King to Poictiers for the purpose of examin- 
 ing her. She could not write her name, but signed 
 with a cross. She had made a vow of perpetual 
 chastity, and had never undergone any of the pecu- 
 liarities of her sex. 
 
 It is remarkable that the prophetic faculty of the 
 Maid of Orleans ceased after she had fulfilled her 
 mission by conducting the King to Rheims. From 
 that period, she wished to retire into solitude, and 
 was unwillingly persuaded to remain any longer 
 with the army. Her subsequent fate is well known. 
 Taken prisoner by the enemies of her country, and 
 subjected to the most shameful indignities, she ter- 
 minated her brilliant career of heroism and clair- 
 voyance by a cruel and ignominious death at the 
 stake. But the memory of this remarkable person- 
 age although in one instance profaned by obscene 
 ribaldry and diabolical malignity has been em- 
 balmed and consecrated by some of the noblest 
 eiforts of poetical genius.* 
 
 * See SOUTHEY'S poem, and SCHILLER'S drama. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 305 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 IN his very interesting and instructive work on 
 Vital Magnetism, the learned and ingenious Dr 
 PASSAVANT of Frankfort has associated with that of 
 JOAN OF ARC the memory of another female clair- 
 voyante of a somewhat different character that of 
 ST HILDEGARDIS, a contemplative seer whose his- 
 tory is, perhaps, in some of its circumstances, still 
 more intimately connected with the doctrine of 
 Animal Magnetism. 
 
 In her eighth year, St HILDEGARDIS was placed 
 under the charge of a pious lady, who brought her 
 up in the greatest simplicity, and taught her nothing 
 but the Psalter. All external accomplishments were 
 utterly neglected in her education. In her book, 
 entitled Scivias, she says : " When I attained the 
 age of forty-two years and seven months, a fiery 
 light from the opened heavens penetrated the whole 
 of my brain, and inflamed my whole heart and 
 breast, like a flame which does not burn, but 
 warms; or like the sun, which warms an object 
 upon which he throws his rays. And, on a sud- 
 den, I received the gift of understanding and inter- 
 preting the Scriptures, namely, the Psalter, the 
 Gospels, and other books, both of the Old and New 
 
 VOL. i. 2 c 
 
306 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 Testaments." But, says her biographer, whatever 
 was deficient in the external faculties was supplied 
 by the spirit of internal truth and power; and 
 while the body was wasting, the zeal of the spirit 
 increased. She was commanded, by an internal 
 voice, to communicate her visions. The Pope, Eu- 
 gene III., the pupil and friend of Bernard of 
 Clairveaux, urged by the latter, sent several per- 
 sons to the place of her residence, in order to collect 
 more particular accounts of the seer. He himself 
 was so impressed by her writings, that he read 
 them to those in his neighbourhood. 
 
 It is remarkable, that before she went into the 
 convent of St Robert, near Bingen, she fell into a 
 state of complete catalepsy. She lay like a stone 
 in bed, says the narrator, without being capable of 
 the slightest motion. The Abbot, who heard this, 
 but did not believe it, went to visit her, and, it is 
 said, when he attempted, with all his strength, to 
 raise her head, or to move it from one side to the 
 other, and could not succeed, he was astonished at 
 the wonderful phenomenon, and acknowledged that 
 it did not proceed from any human suffering, but 
 from a divine rapture (divina correptio). 
 
 After many negotiations for the purpose of having 
 her removed to the place she had determined in 
 spirit (the convent of St Robert, near Bingen), the 
 Abbot went to the afflicted patient, and commanded 
 her, in the name of God, to arise and repair to the 
 place which Heaven had appointed for her resi- 
 dence. HILDEGARDIS immediately rose up, as if 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 307 
 
 she had never been sick, to the astonishment and 
 admiration of all present. 
 
 In regard to her visions, she wrote thus to the 
 monk WIBERT OF GEMBLACH : " God works as he 
 will, to the glory of his own name, not to that of 
 the earthly creature. I have a constant anxiety ; 
 but I raise my hands to God, and, like a feather 
 which has no weight, and is driven hither and 
 thither by the wind, I am supported by Him alone. 
 What I see, I cannot know with certainty, so long 
 as I am engaged in bodily occupations, and my soul 
 is blind (i. e. without spiritual vision) ; for in both 
 consists all human weakness. Ever since my child- 
 hood, when my bones, nerves, and arteries were not 
 yet completely formed, I have had such visions, up 
 to the present time, when I am seventy years old. 
 My soul becomes elevated, according as God will, 
 in these visions, up to the very heighth of the fir- 
 mament, and to all mundane spheres (in vicissitu- 
 dinem diversi aeris) ; and it extends itself over 
 various nations, although these may be in distant 
 regions and places. These things, however, I do 
 not perceive with my outward eyes, nor hear with 
 my external ears, nor through the thoughts of my 
 heart (cogitationibus cordis mei), nor by means of 
 any comparison of my five senses ; but in my soul 
 alone, with open eyes, without falling into ecstasy ; 
 for I see them in my waking state, by day and by 
 night." 
 
 In another part of the same work, (S. HILDE- 
 GARDIS Epistolarum Liber. Colonise, 1567) she 
 
308 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 says of herself : " In the third year of my life, 
 I beheld such a light, that my soul trembled. But 
 on account of my childhood, I was unable to com- 
 municate any thing about it. In my eighth year, 
 I was brought into a spiritual intercourse with 
 God, and up to my fifteenth year, I saw much, and 
 related some of it in my simplicity, so that those 
 who listened to me were astonished, considering 
 whence and from whom these visions came. At 
 that time, I was myself astonished that, while I 
 saw internally, and in spirit, I possessed also an 
 external faculty of vision; and as I heard no- 
 thing of" this in the case of other persons, I con- 
 cealed my internal visions as much as I could. 
 Many external things, too, remained unknown to 
 me, in consequence of my continual infirmity, which 
 has afflicted me from my mother's milk until now, 
 and which has wasted my body and consumed my 
 strength. Thus exhausted, I once asked my nurse 
 whether she saw any thing beyond external objects. 
 She answered no, because she saw nothing. I was 
 then seized with great fear, and did not venture to 
 communicate this to any one; but while I spoke 
 much, I also talked of future events. When I was 
 powerfully affected by these visions, I said things 
 which appeared quite strange to those who heard 
 me ; and when at length this faculty of vision be- 
 came somewhat diminished, during which I behaved 
 more in the manner of a child, than according to 
 the years of my age, I blushed much, and began to 
 weep ; and, frequently, I would rather have been 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 309 
 
 silent, had I been permitted. But from the fear of 
 men, I did not venture to tell any one how I saw. 
 However, a noble lady, to whose charge I was 
 intrusted, observed this, and mentioned it to a man 
 with whom she was acquainted. After the death of 
 this lady, I continued to be a seer until the fortieth 
 year of my life. I was then impelled, by a strong 
 impression in a vision, to a public declaration of 
 what I had seen and heard ; but I blushed, and was 
 afraid to tell that which I had so long concealed. 
 My nerves, which had been weak from my infancy, 
 then became strong. I communicated all this to a 
 monk, my confessor, a man of a kindly disposition. 
 He listened with pleasure to my wonderful relations, 
 and advised me to write them down and keep them 
 secret, until he should be able to ascertain how and 
 whence they came. When he at length discovered 
 that they were from God, he communicated them 
 to his superior ; and, from this time, he laboured 
 along with me, with great zeal, in these matters. 
 
 " In these visions, I comprehend the writings of 
 the Prophets, the Evangelists, and other holy phi- 
 losophers, without any human instruction. I ex- 
 plained some things out of these books, at a time 
 when I had scarcely a knowledge of the letters, so 
 far as the unlearned lady had taught me. I also 
 sang a hymn in honour of God and the saints, with- 
 out having been taught by any one ; for I had never 
 learnt any song whatever. 
 
 " These things having come to the knowledge of 
 the church at Mentz, and been spoken of there, they 
 
310 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 said it was all from God, and through the same 
 faculty which had formerly inspired the prophets. 
 Thereupon, my writings were brought to the Pope 
 Eugene, when he was at Treves, who caused them 
 to be read before many persons, and also read them 
 himself. He sent me a letter, and requested me to 
 write down my visions more exactly." 
 
 From all parts of Germany and France, indivi- 
 duals flocked to her for advice and comfort. Her 
 biographer relates, that " for the good of souls, she 
 read to them certain passages of Scripture, and 
 expounded them. Many received advice from her 
 in regard to their bodily ailments, and several had 
 their diseases mitigated by her holy prayers. In 
 consequence of her prophetic spirit, she knew the 
 thoughts and dispositions of others, and reproved 
 some who came to her with perverted and frivolous 
 minds, merely from motives of curiosity. As many 
 of these persons could not resist the spirit which 
 spoke out of her, they were in consequence affected 
 and reformed. The Jews, who engaged in conver- 
 sation with her, she encouraged, by her pious admo- 
 nitions, to turn aside from the law, and to embrace 
 the faith in Christ. The nuns who attended her, she 
 admonished and reproved with maternal love, as 
 often as quarrels, love of the world, or negligence of 
 their duties, were exhibited among them. She pene- 
 trated into their will, their thoughts, so thoroughly, 
 that she was enabled, even during divine service, to 
 give each a particular blessing, according to their 
 several dispositions and requirements ; for she fore- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 311 
 
 saw, in spirit, the lives and conduct of mankind, 
 and, of some, even the termination of their present 
 temporal existence, and, according to their inward 
 state, the reward or punishment of their souls. But 
 these high secrets she confided to none, excepting 
 only to the man to whom she communicated every 
 thing, even the most hidden thoughts of her mind. 
 And in all her conduct, she held fast the highest of 
 all virtues, humility. 
 
 As in the case of HILDEGARDIS, a higher spiritual 
 power was manifested in her knowledge, so was there 
 also in her influence upon persons and things ; and, 
 therefore, her contemporaries generally ascribed to 
 her miraculous powers. We shall here take the 
 liberty of quoting the words of her biographer : 
 
 " The gift of curing diseases was so powerfully 
 manifested in this holy virgin, that scarcely a patient 
 resorted to her without being restored to health. 
 This is proved by the following examples. A girl 
 of the name of Hildegardis had been suffering from 
 a tertian fever, of which she could not be cured by 
 any effort of medical skill. She, therefore, prayed 
 for assistance from the holy virgin. The latter, 
 according to the words of the Lord : i They shall 
 lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall be 
 whole :' laid hers, with blessing and prayer, upon 
 the maiden, and thus cured her of the fever. A 
 lay brother, RORICUS, who lived in a monastery, 
 also suffered severely from intermittent fever. 
 When he heard of the miracle performed on the 
 maid, he went, with humility and reverence, to the 
 
312 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 saint, and received the blessing, by which the fever 
 was cured. A maid, BERTHA, suffered from a 
 swelling of the throat and breast, so that she could 
 neither eat nor drink, nor even swallow her own 
 spittle. HILDEGARDIS marked the suffering parts 
 with the sign of the cross, and thereby restored her 
 health. A man from Suabia came to her, whose 
 whole body was swollen. She allowed the man to 
 remain several days with her, and having touched 
 the patient with her hands, and pronounced a bless- 
 ing, she, by the grace of God, restored his previous 
 health. A child, seven months old, suffering from 
 convulsions, was brought to her by its nurse, and 
 cured in the same manner. 
 
 " Her sanative powers, however, were not con- 
 fined to those who were near her, but extended 
 even to persons at a distance. ARNOLD VON WAICK- 
 ERNHEIM, whom she had previously known, had 
 such a violent pain in the throat, that he could not 
 easily quit his residence. As he was unable, there- 
 fore, to go to her, he awaited, in faith, the assist- 
 ance of her prayers. HILDEGARDIS, trusting to the 
 mercy of God, consecrated water, sent it to her 
 friend to drink, and he was relieved from his pain. 
 
 " The daughter of a lady of Bingen, HAZECHA 
 by name, was deprived of speech for three days. 
 The mother hastened to the holy virgin to request 
 her assistance. The latter gave her nothing but 
 some water, which she herself had consecrated. 
 After drinking it, the patient recovered her speech 
 and her strength. The same lady gave to a sick 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 313 
 
 youth, who was believed to be near the point of 
 death, the remainder of the consecrated water to 
 drink, and washed his face with a part of it, where- 
 upon the patient recovered." 
 
 HILDEGARDIS appears to have also possessed the 
 faculty which, in later times, has been occasionally 
 observed in ecstatics, of appearing to persons at a 
 distance. " But what shall we say to this fact," 
 asks her biographer, " that the virgin, in times of 
 great trouble, warned, by her apparition, such 
 persons as had her image present to them in their 
 prayers?" 
 
 A young man, EDERICK RUDOLPH, once passed a 
 night in a small village, and when he went to bed, 
 he besought the joint prayers of the holy Virgin ; 
 that is, probably, he had a lively impression of her 
 in his thoughts. Upon this, she appeared to him in 
 a vision, in the same dress which she usually wore, 
 and revealed to him that, if he did not speedily 
 remove from thence, his life would be in dan- 
 ger from the enemies who were in pursuit of him. 
 He immediately left the place, along with some of 
 his companions. Those who remained behind were 
 surprised and overpowered by their enemies, and 
 acknowledged that they had acted foolishly in dis- 
 regarding the warning of the vision. The bio- 
 grapher of the saint relates several other cases in 
 which HILDEGARDIS is said to have appeared to 
 distant patients, who had her in their thoughts, and 
 to have cured them. 
 
 But the contents of her visions related not only 
 
 VOL. T. 2 D 
 
314 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 to the fate of individuals, as proved by the pre- 
 ceding examples, but, in a still greater degree, to 
 events of more general concern, particularly, to 
 those great commotions, to which, according to her, 
 the Church was destined to be exposed. On this 
 account, she became, during a long series of years, 
 the oracle of the princes and bishops. 
 
 Born in the year 1098, HILDEGARDIS died on the 
 17th of September 1179, as she had long before 
 predicted to her fellow-inmates in the convent. 
 Endowed with great spiritual activity, she almost 
 constantly laboured under severe bodily infirmities, 
 which she bore, however, with the most exemplary 
 fortitude, patience, meekness, and resignation to 
 the divine will. We may observe that the lives of 
 ST THERESA, and of several other female saints, 
 recorded in the early history of the Christian 
 Church, present many points of similarity to that 
 of ST HILDEGARDIS. 
 
 There are many individuals, we doubt not, who 
 will be prepared to meet the facts related in the 
 foregoing narrative with a smile of incredulity, 
 perhaps of contempt, believing their own contracted 
 minds to constitute the only true standard of the 
 possibilities of nature and of providence. Such 
 persons must be left to the enjoyment of their pre- 
 sumed omniscience. Indeed, to attempt to reason 
 with individuals of this description, would, probably, 
 be a vain and supererogatory task. We must, 
 therefore, just leave these facts to make their own 
 impression upon such minds as are capable of com- 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC. &c. 315 
 
 prehending them, giving to the evidence such 
 weight as it may, upon due consideration, appear 
 to deserve. But we cannot listen to any argument 
 from limited understandings founded upon preju- 
 dice and the presumed impossibility of the facts 
 themselves ; nor can we accept of ridicule, however 
 ingenious and plausible, as a substitute for solid and 
 substantial reasoning. Ignorance is, perhaps, as 
 frequently displayed in the unreasonable rejection, 
 as in the too hasty admission of alleged facts. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 IN commemorating those historical personages 
 who. at various times, have manifested an uncom- 
 mon endowment of the natural or constitutional 
 clairvoyance, we must not omit to notice the phe- 
 nomena presented to us in the person and fortunes 
 of FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS, the Jewish warrior and his- 
 torian. The whole of the transactions of this extra- 
 ordinary personage, indeed, especially during his 
 intercourse with the Emperors Vespasian and Titus, 
 exhibit all the essential characteristics of the mag- 
 netic idiosyncrasy. It appears certain, indeed, that 
 JOSEPHUS, like SOCRATES and several other eminent 
 men whom we have already mentioned, was a natu- 
 ral or habitual crisiac, and possessed the faculty of 
 predicting future events. Thus, amongst other 
 
316 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 prophetic intimations, he foretold, as we shall see, 
 that Vespasian would succeed to the empire. 
 
 JOSEPHUS, after having fought valiantly against 
 the Romans, refused to surrender to them after the 
 capture of the important town of Jotapat. In order 
 to secure himself from danger, he descended into a 
 well, which communicated, by a lateral aperture, 
 with a spacious cavern, where he found about forty 
 others of the bravest among the Jews, who had 
 taken refuge in it. But he was soon betrayed, and 
 his retreat discovered. 
 
 Vespasian, who had occasion to know the courage 
 of Josephus, was desirous of saving him. He pro- 
 posed a surrender, which the Jewish leader twice 
 refused. But his resolution, at length, having been 
 somewhat shaken by Nicanor, his former friend, 
 and one of the principal chiefs of the Roman army, 
 whom Vespasian had sent to reason with him upon 
 the subject ; he began to reflect on the dreams he 
 had previously had, in which God had revealed to 
 him both the misfortunes which should attend the 
 Jews, and the ultimate triumph of the Romans ; 
 for he understood perfectly the interpretation of 
 dreams, and penetrated all that was obscure in the 
 divine responses. Indeed, he was conversant with 
 the Sacred Scriptures, and the books of the pro- 
 phets : For he was himself a priest, and sprung 
 from the sacerdotal race. At length, as if full of 
 inspiration, and fixing his mind upon the horrible 
 pictures presented to him in his last dreams, he 
 secretly addressed his prayers to God : " Supreme 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 317 
 
 Creator," said he, " since thou hast been pleased 
 to abandon the Jewish nation ; since thou hast 
 chosen my spirit to predict the future, I yield to 
 the Romans, and I shall live. I take thee to wit- 
 ness that I shall not go over to them as a traitor, 
 but as thy servant." De Bello Judaico ; Lib. Hi. 
 c. 14. 
 
 We learn from this passage that Josephus was a 
 crisiac, and that he foresaw the future in his dreams. 
 Indeed, he appears to have had a presentiment of 
 the defeat of the Jews, and the ultimate victory of 
 the Romans ; and he considered himself called upon 
 to carry to the latter the substance of the oracles 
 he had received in his dreams, without incurring 
 the imputation of treason ; and this induced him to 
 surrender. 
 
 But he found great opposition to his project on 
 the part of his companions in misfortune. They 
 declared that they would rather die than surrender ; 
 nay, they even proposed to immolate Josephus, and 
 then to kill themselves. Josephus attempted, in 
 vain, to dissuade them from carrying this project 
 into execution : They listened only to the counsels 
 of their despair. Already were their swords up- 
 lifted over the head of their leader, when, by a 
 sudden inspiration, he declared to them that he 
 adhered to their project ; but he thought that a 
 reciprocal death ought to terminate their lives ; 
 that the lot should determine, successively, who 
 should give and who should receive death, until all 
 had perished ; that, by this means, no one should 
 
318 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 escape, and yet all should avoid the reproach of 
 having laid violent hands on himself. 
 
 This proposition was eagerly accepted. The lots 
 were drawn, and they all perished by the hands of 
 their associates, with the exception of Josephus and 
 one of his companions, whom he persuaded to live, 
 after having promised to preserve and protect him. 
 
 Nothing can be more extraordinary than this 
 prevision of Josephus, which gave him the presenti- 
 ment that the lot should not fall upon himself, but 
 that he should escape it. It appears to have been 
 a sudden spark of spiritual illumination which sug- 
 gested to him the drawing of lots, and, at the same 
 time, the certainty that the lot should not fall upon 
 himself. He says of himself, indeed, that while 
 communing with his companions, he felt himself, as 
 it were, full of the divinity : Quasi Deo plenus. 
 
 Josephus lived a long time after Jesus Christ ; 
 and, being a Jew, he was consequently regarded as 
 an enemy to the Christian faith. In the career of 
 Josephus, therefore, we can hardly adopt the pre- 
 sumption of any direct interference of the Deity. 
 What, then, was the cause of his prophetic power ? 
 Was it not the same as that of the prevision of all 
 other crisiacs that internal instinct which informs 
 the somnambulists, the sibyls, the enthusiasts of all 
 
 Josephus ultimately went over to the Romans, 
 and soon found a friend and protector in the person 
 of Titus, the son and successor of Vespasian. It 
 was the intention of the latter to send Josephus to 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 319 
 
 Nero, the reigning emperor. Josephus, however, 
 having been apprised of this intention, demanded 
 an audience from Vespasian, in order to make him 
 aware of some matters which he could not reveal to 
 any other individual. This audience was conceded 
 to him in the presence of Titus, and of two of the 
 friends of Vespasian. " You wish to send me to 
 Nero," said Josephus ; " and wherefore send me 
 there, seeing that he, and those who shall succeed 
 previous to you, have so little time to live? It is 
 you alone whom I ought to regard as emperor, and 
 Titus, your son, after you, because you will both be 
 elevated to the imperial throne. It is on the part 
 of God that I speak. Until then, let me be shut up 
 in a close prison, in order that I may be punished 
 as an impostor, if I shall be found to have abused 
 the name of God, and imposed upon your cre- 
 dulity." 
 
 Vespasian at first believed that Josephus only 
 spoke to him in this manner from fear, and for the 
 purpose of conciliating his favour. But he soon 
 altered his opinion, when he found that all that 
 Josephus had previously foretold had actually come 
 to pass, in particular, his prediction relative to the 
 fate of Jotapat. Vespasian, too, secretly inquired 
 of the other prisoners whether these facts were 
 true, and he was assured that all was correct. Ves- 
 pasian, however, caused Josephus to be strictly 
 watched, while, at the same time, he treated him 
 with great kindness, and Titus subsequently became 
 his intimate friend and patron. 
 
320 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 The prophecy of Josephus, in regard to the for- 
 tunes of Vespasian, made a great sensation at the 
 time, and was noticed by several contemporary 
 authors in particular, by Dion Cassius, and by 
 Suetonius. Subsequently, Josephus himself obtain- 
 ed the honours of a Roman citizen, and had an annual 
 pension bestowed upon him during his life. After 
 the death of Vespasian, he continued to enjoy the 
 favour and friendship of Titus, and even of his suc- 
 cessor Domitian. See the work of Josephus, De 
 Bello Judaico, and other contemporary authorities. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 IN the preceding short chapter, we may appear 
 to have in some measure diverged from the regular 
 current of our narrative, and must now resume the 
 more legitimate order of our history, by reverting 
 to the period when the ideas of the pagan world 
 became essentially modified by the doctrines and 
 worship of Christianity. 
 
 For several ages after the fall of Paganism, 
 indeed, little change was manifested in the religious 
 or philosophical opinions of mankind, if we except 
 the important introduction of the purer idea of only 
 one God, and of one Saviour, Jesus Christ. The 
 ancient notions in regard to magic and sorcery still 
 continued to occupy the minds of mankind ; the 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 321 
 
 doctrine of evil spirits devils and daemons was 
 still maintained, and their influence even exagger- 
 ated ; the sciences, as they were then called, of 
 Geomancy , Hy dromancy, Pyromancy, Necromancy, 
 &c. were still held in estimation by all ranks of the 
 people ; the fortune-tellers, the astrologers, the 
 genethliad or horoscopi, were in high repute, and 
 the authenticity of their respective sciences proved 
 from Scripture ; and even the mathematician was 
 associated with the magician and the conjuror. He 
 who presumed to study the Hebrew language was 
 accounted a Jew, consequently an enemy to Chris- 
 tianity ; the classical scholar was more than sus- 
 pected of being a Pagan and a Polytheist. 
 
 In times of intellectual darkness and ignorance, 
 indeed as the author has elsewhere observed the 
 ways of providence, in the administration of the 
 affairs of the universe, were very imperfectly under- 
 stood. Far from having any notion that the ordi- 
 nary government of this sublunary world is carried 
 on by means of general laws or secondary causes 
 established by the great Creator of all things 
 from the beginning of time ; every remarkable, 
 every unusual event, was considered to be beyond 
 the limits of the operation of nature, and directly 
 attributed to an immediate mysterious interposition 
 of the Deity. Even the wise, and otherwise en- 
 lightened Athenians to whom literature, philoso- 
 phy, and the fine arts are under such infinite obli- 
 gations even the enlightened Athenians, under 
 their polytheistic system, had an utter aversion to 
 
 VOL. i. 2 E 
 
322 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &C. 
 
 all those philosophers who attempted to account for 
 any of the phenomena of nature by means of gene- 
 ral laws. The fate of SOCRATES is well known. 
 Even among the inhabitants of that, in other 
 respects, most intelligent nation, an eclipse was 
 generally considered to be a prognostic of some 
 grievous impending calamity, occasioned by the 
 anger of the gods. ANAXAGORAS, one of their 
 most famous philosophers, was accused of atheism, 
 imprisoned and persecuted (like GALILEO, in modern 
 times), for attempting to explain the eclipse of the 
 moon by natural causes ; and PROTAGORAS, another 
 of their wise men, was subsequently banished from 
 Athens for maintaining similar heretical doctrines. 
 
 Even in more familiar instances, and in much 
 more recent times, occurrences of far easier expla- 
 nation were generally held to be naturally impos- 
 sible; and, consequently, they were attributed, as 
 usual, in those times, to an infamous compact with 
 the Evil One. When the first German printers 
 carried their books to Paris for sale, so supernatu- 
 ral did this rapid multiplication of copies appear, in 
 comparison with the tedious process of manuscript 
 labour, that these ingenious tradesmen were actually 
 condemned to be buried alive, as sorcerers, and only 
 escaped the cruel and barbarous punishment by a 
 precipitate flight. Hence, probably, the well-known 
 fiction of the Devil and Doctor FAUSTUS. In a 
 treatise written in French, about the year 1260, 
 the author, after stating that the magnetic needle 
 might be highly useful at sea, observes, that " no 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 323 
 
 master-mariner dares to use it lest he should fall 
 under the suspicion of being a magician ; nor would 
 the sailors even venture themselves out to sea under 
 his command, if he took with him an instrument 
 which carried so great an appearance of being con- 
 structed under the influence of some infernal spirit." 
 
 But to come still closer to our own case during 
 the 15th and 16th centuries, and even at a later 
 period, the belief in sorcery and witchcraft, as we 
 have already seen, was so universally prevalent 
 amongst all ranks, learned and unlearned, that to 
 express a doubt of their reality was sufficient to 
 draw down upon the unfortunate sceptic a heavy 
 charge of impiety and atheism ; and the preamble 
 to a statute of Henry VIII. of England, in the year 
 1511 , actually sets forth " that smiths, weavers, 
 and women " rather a singular association of per- 
 sonages " boldly and accustomably take upon 
 them great cures, and things of great difficulty, in 
 which they partly use sorcery and witchcraft." 
 This is, probably, the first interdict, or injunction, 
 fulminated, in modern times, against the practice, 
 rude as it may have been, of Animal Magnetism. 
 
 Even at the present day, however, in this age 
 of intellect and reason, we are by no means cer- 
 tain that this belief in the occasional production 
 and cure of diseases, through the influence of super- 
 natural agency, is yet entirely extinct ; nor that 
 those ingenious and inquisitive individuals, who have 
 endeavoured to investigate and illustrate the magne- 
 tic doctrines and practice, have entirely escaped the 
 
324 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 suspicion of having some underhand dealings with the 
 ugly old gentleman in black. Do we not still hear 
 of certain hysterical, epileptic, and other spasmodic 
 complaints, which are vulgarly ascribed to demon- 
 iacal possession, and are cured either by the imme- 
 diate interposition of the Deity, or by soliciting the 
 aid of the Devil ? What was the meaning of the 
 morbus sacer of the ancients? And upon what prin- 
 ciple, even at the present day, do the Roman 
 Catholic priests, and even some of the Protestant 
 clergy, proceed in their solemn exorcisms?* 
 
 Now, an acquaintance with the curious disco- 
 veries of Animal Magnetism, as we shall see in the 
 sequel, has this amongst its other advantages, that 
 it tends to dissipate all this antique mist of an 
 ignorant and mischievous superstition, to dispel 
 vulgar prejudices, and to give freedom to the mind ; 
 while it also rescues us from the awkward alterna- 
 tive of rejecting facts for the reality of which there 
 
 * HIPPOCRATES, the Coryphseus of the ancient physi- 
 cians, has left us a special treatise upon the Morbus Sacer, 
 which he holds to be " nowise more divine, nor more sacred 
 than other diseases." And this notion of its divinity he 
 ascribes to the inability of physicians to comprehend its 
 nature, and to the simplicity of the mode by which it is 
 cured. 
 
 We may take this opportunity of observing, that the en- 
 tire works of HIPPOCRATES have been recently translated 
 into English by Dr FRANCIS ADAMS of Banchory, one of 
 the most learned, if not the most learned physician of whom 
 our country can at present boast. It appears to us that his 
 brethren are much indebted to this gentleman for his eluci- 
 dations of ancient medicine. 
 
AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c 325 
 
 exists the most ample and unimpeachable evidence, 
 and thus rendering all human testimony suspicious 
 by explaining the whole of the phenomena upon 
 simple and intelligible principles; in like manner as 
 the modern discoveries of chemistry and astronomy 
 have annihilated the vain notions, and fanciful pur- 
 suits of the alchymists and astrologers of a former 
 age. Let us recollect that, in the words of our 
 great poet 
 
 u Miracles arc ceased, 
 
 And therefore we must needs admit the means 
 How things are perfected." 
 
 We have now brought down our inquiry into the 
 interesting facts we have undertaken to investigate, 
 to a period at which a mighty revolution began to 
 influence the sentiments of mankind in regard to 
 religious belief, science, and civil polity ; and it shall 
 henceforward be our business to trace the manifes- 
 tations of the same phenomena among mankind, 
 during the farther progress of society and civili- 
 sation. If, throughout the whole course of this 
 tedious, perhaps, but certainly most interesting in- 
 vestigation, it shall appear that the phenomena 
 alluded to have continually forced themselves into 
 notice, although in somewhat different forms and 
 aspects, under every change of religious, social, 
 and political institutions, we shall, assuredly, have 
 good reason to conclude that there are certain per- 
 manent and indestructible elements in the nature 
 and constitution of the species to which the mani- 
 festations in question must necessarily be referred. 
 
 VOL. i. 2 F 
 
326 AN HISTORY OF MAGIC, &c. 
 
 And holding, as we do, that there is no original 
 element in nature which has been created without 
 its special uses in the mundane economy and the 
 contemplation of an all-wise creative Providence, 
 we may be permitted to investigate the nature and 
 properties of these several influences, and to point 
 out the apparent purposes to which they appear to 
 have been made subservient in the general economy 
 of the universe, without exposing ourselves to an 
 irrational charge of heresy or impiety. To use the 
 words of ST AUSTIN err are possum, hcereticus esse 
 nolo. We shall be satisfied if the views we may be 
 enabled to suggest shall be found to have a ten- 
 dency to dispel some erroneous conceptions upon 
 this curious but obscure subject, and, in any degree, 
 to promote the best interests of humanity. But, 
 above all, we must endeavour, so far as in our 
 power, to present a complete view of the facts, in 
 so far as this object can be accomplished ; and thus 
 enable every intelligent and candid reader to form 
 a sound opinion upon this interesting and much 
 controverted subject. 
 
 END OF VOLUME FIRST. 
 
 PRATED BV JOHN HUGHKS, 3 THISTLE STREET, EDINBURGH. 
 
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