this plan there is nothing incredible. Reject the evidence of others, and our own experience, as unnecessary to influence our belief, and what principle remains to deter

mine us?

(U) p. 85. It is aftonishing to obferve how far human pride has carried its claims to fupernatural influence. Every man, whofe mind was more reftlefs than ufual, believed himself to be affifted by a genius, and this word, which at present only denotes a certain activity of intellect, fignified, for a long time, the action of an invifible and fuperior being. There were geniuses of cities and kingdoms, as well as of men. In the last century, it was very common to say, when a great man gave way unexpectedly to oppofition, that his genius was over-awed by that of another. Such expreffions in Clarendon and others of that time, were not figurative, but, implyed the fuperior vigour of the imagination, or (in Lord Verulam's language) of the tranfmitted fpirits, in one perfon over another. Every one knows the noble reply made by the Marechale D'Ancre, on her trial, when the was accused of forcery, on account of her influence over the Queen-Mother. The Romans perhaps carried this extravagance beyond all ancient naions, in fuppofing a particular divinity to prefide over almost every natural action; (althongh our astrologers are equal with them, in affigning a planet to govern every member of the body) they had however the wonderful good fortune to make their fuperftition inftrumental in preferving order in the ftate, and courage in the army; an art which has not defcended to their pofterity, although they retain an ample share of the means. For Petronius's Bon Mot refpecting the Neapolitans does not appear unjust, even at this diftance: noftra regio tam plena eft numinibus, ut facilius poffis Deum quam hominem invenire.

(V) p. 86. A very extraordinary hiftory of the regeneration of a thief, was published, by a grave physician, in

the

the Mifcellanea Curiofa. A malefactor was executed, of whofe body the doctor got poffeffion for the purpose of diffection. After difpofing of the other parts of the body, he ordered his Affiftant to pulverize part of the cranium, which was a remedy at that time admitted in difpenfatories. The powder was left in paper, on the table of the museum, where the affiftant flept. About midnight, he was awaked by a noife in the room, which obliged him to rife immediately: the noise continued about the table, without any vifible agent, and at length he traced it to the powder, in the midft of which he now beheld, to his unfpeakable difmay, a fmall head with open eyes ftaring at him; presently two branches appeared, which formed into the arms and hands; then the ribs became visible, which were foon clothed with mufcles and integuments; next, the lower extremities fprouted out, and when they appeared perfect, the puppet, (for his fize was fmall) reared himself on his feet; inftantly his clothes came upon him, and he appeared in the very cloak he wore at his execution. The affrighted fpectator, who stood hitherto mumbling his prayers with great application, now thought of nothing but making his escape from the revived ruffian; but this was impoffible; for the apparition planted himself in his way, and after divers fierce looks and threatening geftures-opened the door and went out. No doubt the powder was miffing next day.

This story was published by a fociety under the imperial protection, during the age of Louis XIV.

(X) p. 85. The most curious hypothefis on this fubject is that of Marcus Marci, worthy to rank with the dwa of Democritus, and Dr. More's Immaterial Extenfum. Marci was a phyfician and imperial counsellor at Prague, who held that ideas are fubftantial, and may inhere in the conftituent atoms of their fubject, although its organization be destroyed. Thus fpectres and redivivi were explained, without any other difficulty than that of believing VOL. III.

I

the

the theory. It was a question among philofophers of the laft century, how the raining of frogs could be explained; for that frogs were rained nobody prefumed to doubt, before Rhedi. Marci roundly affirmed that the ideas of frogs were brought down by the rain, and that they put on a covering of mud, after their descent. This rain of ideas is a thought that would have been much celebrated in a poet. Sterne has hit on fomething like it, but the congelation of words, which furnishes the fubject of two very amusing papers in the Tatler, is a stretch of fancy capable of making any poet's fortune. What additional reason, fince the time of Cicero, for that obfervation, nihil tam abfurdé dici poffit, quod non dicatur ab aliquo philofophorum! That fingular and beautiful appearance, the Fata Morgana, was a happy confirmation of Marci's hypothefis. He fuppofed it to confift of the ideas of dead animals.

Dr. King, in his ufeful Tranfactions, takes notice of a shower of fishes, in Kent, recorded in No. 243 of the Philofophical Tranfactions.

(Y) p. 103. When this paragraph was written, the author did not expect to find his fentiments fo speedily confirmed, by the public performance of a folemn exorcism, in one of the first cities of this kingdom. On the thirteenth of June, 1788, George Lukins of Yatton in Somersetshire, was exorcifed in the temple church, at Bristol, and delivered from the poffeffion of feven devils, by the efforts of feven clergymen. An account of his deliverance was published in feveral of the public papers, authenticated by the Rev. Mr. Eafterbrook, vicar of the temple church in Bristol, from which I extract a few particulars.

Lukins was first attacked by a kind of epileptic fit, when he was going about acting Chriftmas plays, or mummeries this he afcribed to a blow given by an invisible hand. He was afterwards feized by fits, during which, he declared with a roaring voice that he was the devil, and fung different fongs in a variety of keys. The fits always

began

began and ended with a strong agitation of the right hand. He frequently uttered dreadful execrations during the fits. The whole duration of his disorder was eighteen years.

At length, viz. in June 1788, he declared that he was poffeffed by feven devils, and could only be freed by the prayers (in faith) of seven clergymen. Accordingly the requifite force was fummoned, and the patient fung, swore, laughed, and barked, and treated the company with a ludicrous parody on the Te Deum. These astonishing fymptoms refifted both hymns and prayers, till a small, faint voice admonished the minifters to adjure. The fpirits, after fome murmuring, yielded to the adjuration, and the happy patient returned thanks for his wonderful cure. It is remarkable, that during this folemn mockery, the fiend fwore by his infernal den," that he would not quit his patient; an oath, I believe, no where to be found but in the Pilgrim's Progrefs, from which Lukins probably got it.

Very foon after the first relation of this ftory was published, a perfon, well acquainted with Lukins, took the trouble of undeceiving the public with regard to his pretended diforder, in a plain, fenfible narrative of his conduct. He afferts that Lukins's first seizure was nothing else than a fit of drunkennefs; that he always foretold his fits, and remained fenfible during their continuance; that he frequently faw Lukins in his fits," in every one of which, except in finging, he performed not more than most "active young people can easily do;" that he was detected in an impofture with refpect to the clenching of his hands; that after money had been collected for him, he got very fuddenly well; that he never had any fits while he was in St. George's Hofpital, in London; nor when vifitors were excluded from his lodgings, by defire of the author of the Narrative; and that he was particularly careful never to hurt himself by his exertions during the paroxyfm.

Is it for the credit of this philofophical age, that fo bungling an impofture fhould deceive feven clergymen

into a public act of exorcifm? This would not have paffed even on the authors of the Malleus Maleficarum, for they required figns of fupernatural agency, fuch as the fufpenfion of the poffeffed in the air, without any visible fupport, or the use of different languages, unknown to the demoniac in his natural state.

Manferunt, hodieque manent veftigia ruris.

LETTER ON ATTRACTION and REPULSION; communicated by Dr. PERCIVAL, October 11, 1786.

I

DEAR SIR,

SHALL think myfelf honoured by your communication of the following experiments and obfervations to the Manchester Literary Society, if you think them worth their attention.

THE waving motion of oil and water contained in a glass fufpended and vibrated in ftrings, may be accounted for without confidering any repulfion or difference of gravity between the two fluids. To prove whether a greater difference of specific weight would increase the motion, I tried quickfilver and water, and found that in this cafe no waving motion was perceptible. I then tried milk and water,

whose