Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

ous intellectual operations of the rational Soul or mind.

"According to this view, ideas which were originally considered as the actual forms of objects, were stored up by the memory, and liable to be recalled. This doctrine was probably derived from Aristotle, who had some notion of impressions or images remaining, after the impressing cause had ceased to act, and that these images, even during sleep, were recognised by the intellectual principle of man.

witnesses, if not true), that the figures and colours of a plant may be perfectly represented, and seen in glasses, being by a little heat raised forth of the ashesThen (if this be true) it is not only possible, but rational, that animals, as wells as plants, have their ideas or figures existing after the gross body or parts be de stroyed, and so these apparitions are but only those astral shapes and figures. But also there are shapes and apparitions of men, that must of necessity prove, that these corporeal souls, or astral spirits,

"Such was the metaphysical view entertained for many een-do exist apart, and attend upon, turies respecting ideas, not that or are near the blood or bodies. they were mere states of the im- It is evident that this notion material mind, but that they were of astral spirits was little different absolute forms or images present- from the Lucretian view, that aped to the soul or mind. It was, paritions were films given off from therefore, not a very difficult con- all bodies. But Dr. Webster and jecture, after the memorable ex- other philosophers pushed this periment of Palengenesy, that the doctrine still farther, so as to ren apparition of the rose, which had der it truly pneumatological.— been induced by its saline particles They even had in view the divi being sublimed, was truly the sion which the ancients made of 'proper' idea of the rose, or that the substance of the body, when the apparition, indu induced in a simi- they conferred upon it more souls lar manner after an animal body than one. The views of the Rohad been decomposed, was the mans and Greeks were, that dif proper idea of the animal. These, ferent souls might be possessed by er then, were the external ideas of every individual, asta rational Jobjects, or astral spirits, as they soul derived from the gods, and > were also named, that were well a sentient one originating in the calculated to solve many natural four elements; or that even three i phenomena. For instance, when souls might subsist in one person, it was reported that a shower of in which case different material frogs had taken place, philosophers tenements were allotted to these contended that it was nothing spiritual principles. For the first more than a shower of ideas. soul la mortal or crustaceous body! - Dr. Webster's explanation of was provided for the second soul astral spirits is as follows; If,' says divine ethereal, and duciform orhe, the experiment be certainlydoganization; and for the third can true, that is averred by Borellus, aerial misty or vaporous body. Kircher, Gaffarel, and others, The soul which was attached to (who might be ashamed to affirmbrithe crustaceous system hovered it as their rown trial, or as ocular mabout it after deathzid de

TE

T

[ocr errors]

13

"We

[ocr errors]

We shall now see how much Dr. Webster and others were indebted to the ancients for the view that they took of three essential and distinct parts of man. It is Tomost evident,' says this writer, that there are not only three essential and distinct parts in man, ass the gross body, consisting of earth and water, which at death returns to the earth again; the sensitive and corporeal soul,or astral spirit, consisting of fire and air, that at death wandereth in the air, or near the body; and the immortal and incorporeal soul, that immediately returns to God that gave it: but also, that after death they all three exist separately, the soul in immortality, and the body in the earth, though soon consuming; and the astral spirit, that wanders in the air, and, without doubt, doth make those strange apparitions, motions, and bleedings.'

[ocr errors]

"

"Dr. Webster now illustrates his case by a very striking account of a spectral impression, in which the astral spirit of a murdered man is supposed to have retained all the cogitations impressed upon the mind at the hour of death, along with the faculties of concupiscibility and irascibility, by which it was compelled to seek for its revenge.

"About the year of our Lord 1623 or 24, one Fletcher of Rascal, a town in the North Riding of 4. Yorkshire, near unto the forest of Gantress, a yeoman of good estate, did marry a young lusty woman from Thornton Brigs, who had been formerly kind with one Ralph Raynard, who kept an inn within half-a-mile from Rascal, in the high-road-way betwixt York and Thirske, his sister living with him.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

J

i

"

This Raynard continued in unlawful lust with the said Fletcher's wife, who, not content therewith, conspired the death of Fletcher, one Mark Dunn being made privy, and hired to assist in the murther. Which Raynard and Dunn accomplished upon the May-day, by drowning Fletcher, as they came all three together from a town called Huby: and acquainting the wife with the deed, she gave them a sack therein to convey the body, which they did, and buried it in Raynard's backside or croft, where an old oak-root had been stubbed up, and sowed mustard-seed upon the place, thereby to hide it. So they continued their wicked course of lust and drunkenness, and the neighbours did much wonder at Fletcher's absence; but his wife did excuse it, and said, that he was but gone aside for fear of some writs being served upon him. And so it continued until about the 7th day of July, when Raynard going to Topcliffe fair, and setting up his horse in the stable, the spirit of Fletcher, in his usual shape and habit, did appear unto him, and said-'Oh, Ralph, repent, repent, for my revenge is at hand,' and ever after, until he was put in the gaol, it seemed to stand before him, whereby he became sad and restless; and his own sister overhearing his confession and relation of it to another person, did, through fear of her own life, immediately reveal it to Sir William Sheffield, who lived in Rascal, and was a justice of peace. Whereupon they were all three apprehended and sent to the gaol at York, where they were all three condemned, and so executed accordingly, near to the place where Raynard lived, and where Fletcher

I

was

was buried, the two men being hung up in irons, and the woman buried under the gallows. I have recited the story punctually as a thing that hath been very much fixed in my memory, being then but young; and as a certain truth, I being (with many more) an earwitness of their confessions, and an eye-witness of their executions; and likewise saw Fletcher when he was taken up, where they had buried him in his clothes, which were a green fustian doublet pinkt upon white, gray breeches, and his walk ing boots, and brass spurs without Towels.'

"It was supposed, that while Common-sense and the five subordinate Senses were subject to laws of restraint as in sleep, Fancy was always working day and night, as was evident from our dreams. But the labours of this industrious handmaid were always corrected by the overruling principle of the Soul. The Soul, by means of the faculty of Wit, t,looked into the result of Fancy's labours, and was then enabled to abstract shapes of things,

[ocr errors]

gs, to perceive the forms of individual objects, to anticipate, to compare, to know all universal essences of natures, as well as cause and effect. By the faculty of Reason, she moved from step to step, and in her progress rated objects accordingly. By the faculty of Understanding, she stood fixed on her ground, and apprehended the truth. By the faculty of Opinion, she lightly inclined to any one side of a question. By the faculty of Judgment, she could define any particular principle. By the faculty of Wisdom, she took possession of many truths. Now all this labour the Soul could not accomplish, unless Fancy, her

handmaid, was obedient to the faculty of reason. But Fancy was not always to be thus controlled, the cause of which it will now be necessary to investigate.

"It was next conceived that the blood was subjected to great heat in the heart, where it was purified, and enabled to throw off delicate fumes named Animal-spirits. A set of nerves then formed the medium through which the Animal-spirits were conducted to the brain. They were there apprised by fancy of the forms of all objects, and of their good or ill quality; upon which they returned to the heart, the seat of the affections, with a corresponding report of what was going on. the report was good, it induced love, hope, or joy; if the contrary, hatred, fear, and grief. But, fre'quently, there' was what Burton

[ocr errors]

calls læsa imaginatio, or an ill Imagination or Fancy, which sometimes misconceiving the nature of sensible objects, would send off such a number of spirits to the heart, as to induce this organ to attract to itself more humours in order to bend itself" to some false object of hope, or to avoid some unreasonable cause of fear. When this was the case, melancholic, sanguine, choleric, and other humours too tedious to be mentioned, were drawn into the heart

more animal spirits were concocted by heat, and these, ascending into the brain, perplexed Fancy by their number and diversity. She then became impatient of subordination, and no longer obeyed the faculty of Reason. Falling to work, in the most irregular manner, upon the ideas which Memory had stored up, she would produce the wildest compounds of

sensible

[merged small][ocr errors]

And then came another explanation; the Devil's absolute power. Among the rest, the "foul-fiend" was supposed to " occasionally induce illusion by self transformation, as the following curious story, to be found in Captain Bell's Table-talk of Luther, sufficiently shows:

[ocr errors]

"A gentleman had a fine young wife, who died, and was also buried. Not long after, the gentleman and his servant lying together in one chamber, his dead wife, in the night-time, approached into the chamber, and leaned herself upon the gentleman's bed, like as if she bad been desirous to speak with him. The servant (seeing the same two or three nights, one after another,) asked his master whether he knew, that every night a woman, in white apparel, came into his bed? The gentleman said, No, I sleep soundly, (said he,) and see nothing. When night approached, the gentleman, considering the same, laid waking in bed. Then the woman appeared unto him, and came, hard to his bed-side. The gentleman demanded who she was? She answered, I am your wife. He said, my wife is dead and buried.' She said, True, by reason of your swearing and sins I died; but if you would take me again, and would also abstain from swearing one particular oath, which commonly you use, then would I be your wife again. said, I am content to perform what you desire, Whereupon his

[ocr errors]

dead wife remained with him, ruled his house, laid with him, ate and drank with him, and had children together. Now it fell out, that on a time the gentleman had guests, and his wife after supper was to fetch out of his chest some banquetting stuff; she staying somewhat long, her husband (forgetting himself) was moved thereby to swear his accustomed oath; whereupon the woman vanished that instant. Now seeing she returned not again, they went up into the chamber to see what was become

of her. There they found the gown which she wore, half lying within the chest, and half without; but she was never seen afterwards. This did the devil,'"

[ocr errors]

{

There were many petty Demons, too, who plagued mankind, each in their fashion, Psellus, a clever man in such mysteries, classed these, and named his first class "fiery devils. They wandered, in the region, near the moon, but were restrained from entering into that luminary; they displayed their power in blazing stars, in firedrakes, in counterfeit suns and moons, and in the cuerpo santo, or meteoric lights, which, in vessels at sea, flit from mast to mast, and forebode foul weather. It was supposed that these demons occasionally resided in the furnaces of Hecla, Etna, or Vesuvius.— The second class consisted of aërial devils. They inhabited the atmosphere, causing tempests, thunder, and lightning; rending asunder oaks, firing steeples and houses, smiting men and beasts, showering down, from the skies, stones, wood, and even frogs: He counterfeiting hiff Rsellus speaks with great contempt of this petty instance of malevolence to

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

counterfeiting in the clouds the battles of armies, raising whirlwinds, fires, and corrupting the air, so as to induce plagues.-The third class were terrestrial devils: such as lares, genii, fauns, satyrs, wood-nymphs, foliots, Robin Goodfellows, or trulli.-The fourth class were aqueous devils; as the various descriptions of water-nymphs, of mermen, or of merwomen. The fifth were subterranean devils, better known by the name of dæ mones metallici, metal men, Getuli or Cobali. They preserved treasure in the earth, and prevented it from being suddenly revealed; they were also the cause of horrible earthquakes.-Psellus's sixth class of devils were named luciJugi. They delighted in darkness; they entered into the bowels of men, and tormented those whom they possessed with phrensy and the falling sickness. By this power they were distinguished from earthy and aerial, devils, who could only enter into the human mind, which they either deceived or provoked with unlawful affections."Bred

[ocr errors]

vero od♬ sendi vd bitkisiqi -0916 andaruliznoɔ 9oz botezah

18.-Meteorological Essays and Observations. By J. F. Daniell,

[ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

the various changes observed. He considers our atmosphere to be made up of two distinct atmos pheres common air and aqueous vapour; but subject to an infinity of changes, from variation of temperature, and consequent expansion of volume. There is however an essential difference between the effects of temperature on dry air, and on aqueous vapour. The for mer remains permanently elastic at all known temperatures; whilst the latter becomes condensed into wa ter by the abstraction of a portion of its constituent heat. And as this point of condensation is ever varying (owing to local causes operating on the atmosphere,) there is some justice in considering the aqueous atmosphere as a distinct body from the aerial atmosphere. It is singular, however, that the first law in the production of aqueous vapour should militate against Mr, Daniell's view in excluding chemical agency-the con version of water into invisible vapour by the fixation of caloric (hence termed "latent heat,") and its disengagement, when vapour is again condensed into water, being obviously a chemical, and not a mechanical process, ) 16

is

Mr. D. justly ascribes the great changes induced on our atmosphere to the inequality, of temperature on the Earth's surface. Thus, the vertical rays of the sun in the equatorial regions rarefying, the air, and producing an ascending current towards the upper regions of the atmosphere, it is obvious that its place must be supplied by the rush of an equal volume of air from the polar regions.to in order to maintain the equili brium, the upper strata of warm

Whilst,

air from the tropics will recede .sdolgoqm10)

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »