Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

stantly appearing, though varying in its form and situation. It commenced with a number of vertical coruscations from the SE., south, and NW. horizons, darting nearly as high as the zenith. This being discontinued after half an hour, the leg of an arch appeared at ESE., inclining towards the south, which remained nearly unaltered for three quarters of an hour, its light being of a yellow cast and remarkably brilliant. After this an arch was gradually formed by the light extending over to WNW., the brightest portion of it being still that in the eastern quarter. The arch was irregular and sometimes not continuous, but divided into a number of luminous patches like nebula. We also noticed, and now remembered to have done so once before, that there were in some places narrow but long horizontal separations of the light, appearing like so many dark parallel streaks lying over it, which, however, they were not, as the stars were here most plainly visible. The magnetic needle was not affected. This night was one of the clearest we had during the winter, the milky-way appearing unusually bright and well definǝd.

Many strenuous efforts were made by overland, or rather overice excursions, to push discovery in that quarter. Of the peril attending such journeys, an idea may be formed by an extract from one of Capt Lyon's Reports.

"Not knowing on which side of the ships we had arrived, we feared to go to the southward or eastward, and accordingly went as nearly west as possible, in which direction we again crossed tracks. We now wandered amongst the

heavy hummocks of ice without knowing which track to pursue, and, suffering from the cold, fatigue, and anxiety, were soon completely bewildered. Several of our party began to exhibit symptoms of that horrid kind of insensibility which is the prelude to sleep. They all professed extreme willingness to do what they were told in order to keep in exercise, but none obeyed; on the contrary they reeled about like drunken men. The faces of several were severely frost-bitten, and some had, for a considerable time, lost sensation in their fingers and toes; yet they made not the slightest exertion to rub the parts affected, and discontinued their general custom of warning each other on observing a discoloration of the skin. We continued for some time to employ them in building a snowwall, ostensibly as a shelter from the wind, but in reality to give them exercise, for standing still must have proved fatal to men in our circumstances. My attention was particularly directed to Serjeant Spackman, who having been repeately warned that his nose was frozen had paid no attention to it, owing to the state of stupefaction into which he had. fallen. The frost-bite had now extended over one side of his face, which was frozen as hard as a mask, the eye-lids were stiff, and one corner of the upper lip so drawn up as to expose the teeth and gums. My hands being still warm, I was enabled to restore the circulation, after which I used all my endeavours to keep him in motion, but he complained sadly of giddiness and dimness of sight, and was so weak as to be unable to walk of himself. His case was

indeed so alarming, that I expected every moment he would lie down never to rise again. Our prospect now became every moment more gloomy, and it was but too evident that four of our party I could not survive another hour. Mr. Palmer, however, endeavoured with myself to cheer the people, but it was a faint attempt, as we had not a single hope to give them. We had less reason to fear immediate danger to ourselves, in consequence of having fur coats instead of woollen ones. Every piece of ice, or even small rock or stone, was now taken for the ships; and we had great difficulty in preventing the men from running to the different objects which attracted them, and losing themselves in the drift. In this state, while Mr. Palmer was running round us to warm himself, he suddenly pitched on a new beaten track; and as exercise was indispensable, we determined on following it wherever it might lead

us.

Having taken the serjeant under my coat, he recovered a little and we moved onwards, when, only those who have been in a similar state of distress can imagine our joy at finding the path led to the ships, at which we arrived in about ten minutes.

"John Lee had two of his fingers so badly frost-bitten as to lose a good deal of the flesh of the upper ends, and we were for many days in fear he would be obliged to have them amputated. Carr, who had been the most hardy while in the air, fainted twice on coming below; and all had severe frost-bites in different parts of the body, which recovered after the loss of skin usual in those cases."

17.-Sketches of the Philosophy

of Apparitions; or, an Attempt to trace such Illusions to their Physical Causes. By Samuel Hibbert, M. D., F. R. S. E., &c. &c.

In reading a paper on Spectral Impressions to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the author excited so much interest as to have been induced to extend his observations; and in these Sketches he has, first, taken a general view of the particular morbid affections connected with the production of phantasms; secondly, shown that in stories of apparitions, and other supernatural appearances, the ideas rendered so unduly intense as to induce spectral illusions, may be traced to prior impressions and superstitions; and thirdly, endeavoured to trace the laws of the mind which give rise to that undue degree of vividness which renders ideas, or recollected images, so much more strong than actual sensations, as to induce a belief in spectres, &c.

"An interpretation has been attempted of a certain quality of apparitions, which with weak minds has long served to confirm the incessant operation of tutelary genii. In reference, also, to the view which I have taken, that spectral illusions ought to be regarded as nothing more than recollected images of the mind, which have been rendered as intense as actual impressions, the figures of all such phantasms may be indiscriminately referred to the delineations of those enthusiastic declaimers, historians, or poets, who have boldly attempted to supply from their own wild phantasy, the forms which they have supposed to have been im

perfectly

perfectly described in sacred records. From the imagination of ecclesiastical writers; from the stone or carved images of saints and angels which have adorned the walls of religious edifices; or from emblematical pictures or portraits, which might have otherwise met with a popular diffusion, the sensible forms assumed by apparitions of this kind have been derived. By a high-wrought embellishment, they have been as determinately fixed in the mind as any familiar object which may be found in nature. No wonder then, that when, from some morbid state of the system, the superstitious have been rendered liable to spectral impressions, the figures of saints and angels should, above all other shapes, have formed the subject of their waking visions.

"I shall now proceed to the last part of this particular investigation, which is to illustrate from a few well-authenticated apparitions of good spirits, those predisposing causes that have been intimately connected with the production of all such illusions. But I must here repeat the caution, that pathological cases of this kind are, from various causes, difficult to be obtained; the real state of the seer's health being but too frequently deemed unworthy of note, and in some instances purposely withheld.”

Referring to the instances derived from demonology, we will quote the admirable opinions of that old and hardly-enough-esteemed writer, Reginald Scot:

"I, for my own part,' says this writer, do also thinke this argument about the nature and substance of divels and spirits to be difficult, as I am persuaded

that no one author hath in anie certaine or perfect sort hitherto written thereof. In which respect I can neither allow the ungodly and prophane sects and doctrines of the Sadduces and Peripateticks, who denie that there are any divels or spirits at all; nor the fond and superstitious treatises of Plato, Proclus, Plotinus, Porphyrie; nor yet the vaine and absurd opinions of Psellus, Nider, Sprenger, Cumanus, Bodin, Michael, Andræas, Janus Matthæus, Laurentius, Ananias, Iamblicus, &c.; who, with manie others, write so ridiculouslie in these matters, as if they were babes fraied with bugges; some affirming that the soules of the dead become spirits, the good to be angels, the bad to be divels; some that spirits or divels are onelie in this life; some, that they are men; some, that they are women; some, that divels are of such gender that they list themselves; some, that they had no beginning, nor shall have ending, as the Manichies mainteine; some, that they are mortall and die, as Plutarch affirmeth of Pan; some, that they have no bodies at all, but receive bodies according to their phantasies and imaginations; some, that their bodies are given unto them; some, that they make themselves. Some saie they are wind; some, that they are the breath of living creatures; some, that one of them began another; some, that they were created of the least part of the masse, whereof the earth was made; and some, that they are substances betweene God and man, and that some of them are terrestrial, some celestial, some waterie, some airie, some fierie, some starrie, and some of each and every part of the elements, and that they

know

know our thoughts, and carrie our good works and praiers to God, and returne his benefits back unto us, and that they are to be worshipped; wherein they meete and agree jumpe with the papists.'Againe, some saie, that they are meane between terrestrial and celestial bodies, communicating part of each nature; and that although they be eternall, yet they are moved with affections; and as there are birds in the aire, fishes in the water, and wormes in the earth, so in the fourth element, which is the fier, is the habitation of spirits and divels. Some saie they are onelie imaginations in the mind of Tertullian saith they are birds, and flie faster than anie fowle in the aire. Some saie that divels are not, but when they are sent; and therefore are called evil angels. Some thinke that the divel sendeth his angels abrode, and he himself maketh his continuall abode in hell, his mansion place.'

man.

"It was not, however, (adds Dr. H.) until a much later period of Christianity, that more decided doctrines relative to the origin and nature of demons were established. These tenets involved certain very knotty points relative to the fall of those angels, who, for disobedience, had forfeited their high abode in heaven. The Gnostics, of early Christian times, in imitation of a classification of the different orders of spirits by Plato, had attempted a similar arrangement with respect to an hierarchy of angels, the gradation of which stood as follows:-the first and highest order was named seraphim; the second cherubim; the third was the order of thrones; the fourth, of dominions; the fifth, of virtues; the sixth, of powers;

[ocr errors]

the seventh, of principalities; the eighth, of archangels; the ninth, and lowest, of angels. This fable was, in a pointed manner, censured by the apostles; yet still, strange to say, it almost outlived the pneumatologists of the middle ages. These schoolmen, in reference to the account that Lucifer rebelled against heaven, and that Michael, the archangel, warred against him, long agitated the momentous question, What orders of angels fell on this occasion? At length, it became the prevailing opinion that Lucifer was of the order of seraphim. It was also proved, after infinite research, that Agares, Belial, and Barbatos, each of them deposed angels of great rank, had been of the order of virtues; that Bileth, Focalor, and Phoenix, had been of the order of thrones; that Gaap had been of the order of powers; and that Purson had been both of the order of virtues and of thrones, and Murmur, of thrones and of angels. The pretensions of many other noble devils were, likewise, canvassed, and, in an equally satisfactory manner, determined. Afterwards, it became an object of inquiry to learn, How many fallen angels had been engaged in the contest. This was a question of vital importance, which gave rise to the most laborious research, and to a variety of discordant opinions. It was next agitated, Where the battle was fought? in the inferior heaven, in the highest region of the air, in the firmament, or in paradise? how long it lasted? whether, during one second, or moment of time, (punctum temporis) two, three, or four seconds? These were queries of very difficult solution; but the notion which

ultimately

ultimately prevailed was, that the engagement was concluded in exactly three seconds from the date of its commencement; and that while Lucifer, with a number of his followers, fell into hell, the rest were left in the air to tempt man. A still newer question arose out of all these investigations, Whether more angels fell with Lucifer, or remained in heaven with Michael? Learned clerks, however, were inclined to think, that the rebel chief had been beaten by a superior force, and that, consequently, devils of darkness were fewer in number than angels of light.

[ocr errors]

"These discussions, which, during a number of successive centuries, interested the whole of Christendom, too frequently exercised the talents of the most erudite characters in Europe. The last object of demonologists was to collect, in some degree of order, Lucifer's routed forces, and to reorganize them under a decided form of subordination, or government. Hence, extensive districts were given to certain chiefs that fought under this general. There was Zimimar, the lordly monarch of the north,' as Shakspeare styles him, who had his distinct province of devils; there was Gorson, the King of the South; Amaymon, the King of the East; and Goap, the Prince of the West. These sovereigns had many noble spirits subordinate to them, whose various ranks were settled with all the preciseness of heraldic distinction: there were Devil Dukes, Devil Marquises, Devil Counts, Devil Earls, Devil Knights, Devil Presidents, and Devil Prelates. The armed force under Lucifer seems to have comprised nearly twenty

four hundred legions, of which each demon of rank commanded a certain number. Thus, Beleth, whom Scot has described as 'a great king and terrible, riding on a pale horse, before whom go trumpets and all melodious music,' commanded eighty-five legions; Agares, the first duke under the power of the East, commanded thirty-one legions; Leraie, a great marquis, thirty legions; Morax, a great earl and a president, thirtysix legions; Furcas, a knight, twenty legions; and, after the same manner, the forces of the other devil chieftains were enumerated.

"Such were once the notions entertained regarding the history, nature, and ranks of devils. My next object will be to shew, that, with respect to their strange and hideous forms, the apparitions connected with the popular belief on this subject, were derived from the descriptive writings of such demonologists, as either maintained that demons possessed a decided corporeal form, and were mortal, or, that like Milton's spirits, they could assume any sex, and take any shape they chose.

"When, in the middle ages, conjuration was regularly practised in Europe, devils of rank were supposed to appear under decided forms, by which they were as well recognized, as the head of any ancient family would be by his crest and armorial bearings.

Along with their names and characters, were registered such shapes as they were accustomed to adopt. A devil would appear, either like an angel seated in a fiery chariot, or riding on an infernal dragon, and carrying in his right hand a viper; or assuming a lion's head, a goose's feet, and a hare's

« AnteriorContinuar »