they had swallowed as such, was of an innoxious or restorative quality. The delusions of the stomach can seldom bear upon our present subject, and are not otherwise connected with supernatural appearances, than as a good dinner and its accompaniments are essential in fitting out a daring Tam O'Shanter, who is fittest to encounter them, when the poet's observation is not unlikely to apply "Inspiring bauld John Barleycorn, What dangers thou canst make us scorn! Wi' usquebae we 'll face the Devil, The swats sae ream'd in Tammie's noddle, Neither has the sense of smell, in its ordinary state, much connexion with our present subject. Mr. Aubrey tells us, indeed, of an apparition, which disappeared with a curious perfume as well as a most melodious twang; and popular belief ascribes to the presence of infernal spirits, a strong relish of the sulphureous element of which they are inhabitants. Such accompaniments, therefore, are usually united with other materials for imposture. If, as a general opinion assures us, which is not positively discountenanced by Dr. Hibbert, by the inhalation of certain gases or poisonous herbs, necromancers can dispose a person to believe he sees phantoms, it is likely that the nostrils are made to inhale such suffumigation, as well as the mouth.* I have now arrived, by a devious path, at the conclusion of this letter, the object of which is to * Most ancient authors, who pretend to treat of the wonders of natural magic, give receipts for calling up phantoms. The lighting lamps fed by peculiar kinds of medicated oil, and the use of suffumigations of strong and deleterious herbs, are the means recommended. From these authorities, perhaps, a professor of legerdemain assured Dr. Alderson, of Hull, that he could compose a preparation of antimony, sulphur, and other drugs, which, when burnt in a confined room, would have the effect of causing the patient to suppose he saw phantoms.→→ See Hibbert on Apparitions p. 120. show from what attributes of our nature, whether mental or corporeal, arises that predisposition to believe in supernatural occurrences. It is, I think, conclusive, that mankind, from a very early period, have their minds prepared for such events by the consciousness of the existence of a spiritual world, inferring in the general proposition the undeniable truth, that each man, from the monarch to the beggar, who has once acted his part on the stage, continues to exist, and may again, even in a disimbodied state, if such is the pleasure of Heaven, for aught that we know to the contrary, be per mitted or ordained to mingle among those who yet remain in the body. The abstract possibility of apparitions must be admitted by every one who believes in a Deity and his superintending omnipotence. But imagination is apt to intrude its explanations and inferences founded on inadequate evidence. Sometimes our violent and inordinate passions, originating in sorrow for our friends, remorse for our crimes, our eagerness of patriotism, or our deep sense of devotion-these or other Violent excitements of a moral character, in the visions of night, or the rapt ecstasy of the day, persuade us that we witness, with our eyes and ears, an actual instance of that supernatural communica tion, the possibility of which cannot be denied. At other times, the corporeal organs impose upon the mind, while the eye and the ear, diseased, deranged, or misled, convey false impressions to the patient. Very often both the mental delusion and the physical deception exist at the same time, and men's belief of the phenomena presented to them, however erroneously, by the senses, is the firmer and more readily granted, that the physical impression corresponded with the mental excitement. So many causes acting thus upon each other in various degrees, or sometimes separately, it must happen early in the infancy of every society. that there should occur many apparently well-authenticated instances of supernatural intercourse, satisfactory enough to authenticate peculiar examples of the general proposition which is impressed upon us by belief of the immortality of the soul. These examples of undeniable apparitions (for they are apprehended to be incontrovertible), fall like the seed of the husbandman, into fertile and prepared soil, and are usually followed by a plentiful crop of superstitious figments, which derive their sources from circumstances and enactments in sacred and profane history, hastily adopted, and prevented from their genuine reading. This shall be the subject of my next letter.. LETTER II. Consequences of the Fall on the communication between Men and the Spiritual World-Effects of the Flood-Wizards of Pharaoh-Text in Exodus against Witches-The word Witch is by some said to mean merely Poisoner-Or if in the Holy Text it also means a Divineress, she must, at any rate, have been a Character very different to be identified with it-The original, Chasaph, said to mean a Person who dealt in Poisons, often a traffic of those who dealt with familiar Spirits-But different from the European Witch of the Middle Ages-Thus a Witch is not accessary to the Temptation of Job-The Witch of the Hebrews probably did not rank higher than a Divining Woman-Yet it was a Crime deserving the Doom of Death, since it inferred the disowning of Jehovah's Supremacy-Other Texts of Scripture, in like manner, refer to something corresponding more with a Fortune-teller or Divining Woman, than what is now called a Witch-Example of the Witch of Endor-Account of her Meeting with Saul-Supposed by some a mere Impostor-By others, a Sorceress powerful enough to raise the Spirit of the Prophet by her own Art-Difficulties attending both Positions-A middle course adopted, supposing that, as in the case of Balak, the Almighty had, by exertion of his Will, substituted Samuel, or a good spirit in his character, for the deception which the Witch intended to produce-Resumption of the Argument, showing that the Witch of Endor signified something very different from the modern ideas of Witchcraft-The Witches mentioned in the New Testament are not less different from modern ideas, than those of the Books of Moses, nor do they appear to have possessed the Power ascribed to Magicians-Articles of Faith which we may gather from Scripture on this Point-That there might be certain Powers permitted by the Almighty to inferior, and even evil Spirits, is possible; and in some Sense, the Gods of the Heathens might be accounted DemonsMore frequently, and in a general Sense, they were but Logs of Wood, without Sense or Power of any Kind, and their Worship founded on Imposture-Opinion that the Oracles were silenced at the Nativity, adopted by Milton-Cases of Demoniacs-The incarnate Possessions probably ceased at the same Time as the Intervention of MiraclesOpinion of the Catholics-Result that Witchcraft, as the Word is interpreted in the Middle Ages, neither occurs under the Mosaic or Gospel Dispensation-It arose in the ignorant Period, when the Christians considered the Gods of the Mahommedan or Heathen Nations as Fiends, and their Priests as Conjurers or Wizards-Instance as to the Saracens, and among the Northern Europeans yet unconverted-The Gods of Mexico and Peru explained on the same SystemAlso the Powahs of North America-Opinion of Mather-Gibb, a supposed Warlock, persecuted by the other Dissenters-Conclusion. WHAT degree of communication might have existed between the human race and the inhabitants of the other world, had our first parents kept the commands of the Creator, can only be a subject of unavailing speculation. We do not, perhaps, presume too much when we suppose, with Milton, that one necessary consequence of eating the "fruit of that forbidden tree," was removing to a wider distance from celestial essences the beings, who, although originally but a little lower than the angels, had, by their own crime, forfeited the gift of immortality, and degraded themselves into an inferior rank in creation. Some communication between the spiritual world, by the union of those termed in Scripture "Sons of God," and the daughters of Adam, still continued after the fall, though their inter-alliance was not approved of by the Ruler of mankind. We are given to understand, darkly indeed, but with as much certainty as we can be entitled to require, that the mixture between the two spècies of created beings was sinful on the part of both, and displeasing to the Almighty. It is probable, also, that the extreme longevity of the antediluvian mortals prevented their feeling sufficiently that they had brought themselves under the banner of Azrael, the angel of death, and removed to too great a distance the period between their crime and its punishment. The date of the avenging Flood gave birth to a race, whose life was gradually shortened, and who, being admitted to slighter and rarer intimacy with beings who possessed a higher rank in creation, assumed, as of course, a lower position in the scale. Accordingly, after this period, we hear no more of those unnatural alliances which preceded the flood, and are given to understand that mankind, dispersing into different parts of the world, separated from each other, and began, in various places, and under separate auspices, to pursue the work of replenishing the world, which had been imposed upon them as an end of their creation. In the mean time, while the Deity was pleased to continue his manifestations to those who were destined to be the fathers of his elect people, we are made to understand that wicked men, it may be by the assistance of fallen angels, were enabled to assert rank with, and attempt to match, the prophets of the God of Israel. The matter must remain uncertain, whether it was by sorcery or legerdemain that the wizards of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, contended with Moses, in the face of the prince and people, changed their rods into serpents, and imitated several of the plagues denounced against the devoted kingdom. Those powers of the Magi, however, whether obtained by supernatural communications, or arising from knowledge of legerdemain and its kindred accomplishments, were openly exhibited; and who can doubt that, though we may be left in some darkness both respecting the extent of their skill and the source from which it was drawn, we are told all which it can be important for us to know? We arrive here at the period when the Almighty chose to take upon himself directly to legislate for his chosen people, without having obtained any accurate knowledge, whether the crime of witchcraft, or the intercourse between the spiritual world and imbodied beings, for evil purposes, either |