complete syste ening, often only en. The author 1, because self-inhaving proceeded onvinced of having sidered it a duty ering the passage wimus, stulta est

a certain circum something at least ividual, with other accomplish. Ar etion of the work d of friends; and rary of this place ss of its superin is extended form 3 kind is neces ent matter must

t is superfluous f facts brevity Iliancy and dis as to separate what is merely n in the place hat he may a cise; here have ave introduced many good in endeavour is t ofs for himself ces of histor not, chilled b Neither will ty, or be as

no standard or authority, and is always cautious vilav name deceive him, no dogma confine; nor that life's pres ing crowd change his human nature.'

The phenomena of magnetism are acknowledged to be great importance to anthropology and natural philosoph and even to moral philosophy; they are becoming so history, and even, as the reader will perceive, partly in th mystical olden time.

If the world is a miracle, the history of life is a drean we know not whither it goes, nor do we know its b ginning and end; all humanity plays to a certain extent blind game, and is kept together less by clear knowled than by the instinctive dream-pole. An internal, hidd poet leads them by a secure thread through the labyrint of time and space. Hidden in the breast of man lie t everlasting messengers of Heaven and Hell, who step fort now as glorified spirits to console, now as terrific monste on his path. Hegel said somewhere, "all History is a bo of dreams, a collection of dreams;" and if the dreams h been collected which men had dreamt during a certa period, a true picture of the spirit of the time would ha been given.

By far the greater part of mankind lives on Imaginatio not only the less instructed natural men of feeling, b even those who boast of knowledge and a higher men cultivation. How few, in their feelings and sufferings, their doings and aspirings, raise themselves in the sea of] above the world of Imagination! In the literary hero romance, among the scenes of the stage, there is no m original thought than in the persevering church-go The great mass wishes to be devout, and thinks that glorification of God's name lies in miracles rather than natural action. Dignity, riches, and power, are only much the springs of even great and eminent minds.

Thus mysterious feelings always lead man, like dreamer and somnambulist, through the world, rather t the clear consciousness of open daylight; and as

childhood.

But, now, magnetism gives us infor existence and action of the life of drea of creation, and in general about the of fancy. It is also the best means of which closes the mysteries of antiqui whilst it discloses the similarity and capacity, and shows an accordance of formerly in magic was attributed to to deceit, or to those supernatural w the philosopher could not account, a ternal religion and an inherited faith f Catechism. In fine, Magnetism is meaning of the symbolic enigmas of which were considered quite insoluble, or w ter for the most varied explanations. In the manifold declarations of ecstatic philosophers, which are treasured up by into the mysteries, will now become m means of magnetism. The reader who is convince himself of this, if he will follow wide field of magic, whilst he collects testimony and monuments of all ages. I ceeded in exhausting everything and co away all darkness, bridges and windows w us to new views, which time and the con dexterity of Magnetism will enlighten mo thus, after a real search, according to Olympiodorus, we shall at last attain to heavenly things.

There occur in the history of man great q the world of miracles, on the subject of sophers and the religious have occupied th are miracles in nature and in the mind o the world governed? what was the inspi phets and oracles? Do these go on of then work, or are they governed by supernat does the divinity descend into the heart of

-~, аци the power sports and whime F breaking the sei ty, rich in fancy depth of man' phenomena which enchantment and onders for which nd which an exound not in their ble to give the ncient mysteries ich appeared mat the same manner. seers and mystic persons initiated" re intelligible by so inclined, may. e author on the and compares the he has not suc apletely clearing I appear to lead antly increasing and more, and he command of - knowledge of tions regarding ch both philoselves. What an ? How is n of the proes like clockinfluences ? or does the

in their mind, and worship it, because it is enveloped in sacred obscurity. They only admire nature because the are of opinion that she is an inexplicable enchantment whilst they set but small value on what they consider in telligible. On the other hand, there are even philosopher who admit of no miracle, and who pass their lives in be lieving nothing, not even believing what they see, es pecially if they do not understand it. The most wonderfu point about these is, that their own brain is not a miracl to them!

In nature, as well as in the mind, regular phenomen occur, which are looked upon as wonders only on account o their rarity, and because it is not known how they com about. The best thing that can be said of miracles is th answer given by Christ to Nicodemus :

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest th sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, no whither it goeth."

Like the Fathers in Israel, the new fathers do not willingl take cognizance of things which are not part of their faith and which are out of their horizon, whether temporal o heavenly things be in question. A seeress expresses hersel remarkably well on this point: "If anyone seeks miracles he will find them in everything that would appear ver natural to him, if he had more knowledge of himself, o nature, and of the providence of God. Another, wh thinks highly of his reason, does not admit anything mira culous; he must understand and explain everything by hi reason, even if it cannot be so understood and explained and whenever he fails in this, he contradicts and denies."

It is certainly very difficult always to decide what are natura and what are directly divine operations; and thus one ca understand that most persons unacquainted with the laws o nature call everything a miracle which they cannot measur

educated, certain uncommon phenomen denied. For the knowledge of the reg phenomena is attained not so much found tranquillity, by observation and ence, which require long to strike roo A certain religious sect is of opinion infringe too much on the faith in miracl that by Christ and the apostles we are and wonders, but to the research after is good, and to the active spirit of thinks that a prophetic illumination w the good; that man has no natural impu that where a prognostication appears, ex devotees, it is a false prophesy in league kind of supernatural lightning called en

The reader will in this work be led in land of the marvellous. He will be fait those magical prophecies of the heathe how the demoniacal powers of necroman witchcraft, at different times and amor were brought about. In these days a ki on those hidden performances, which poetical philosophers, "and enthusiast emulously stirring up by Imaginatio Mysticism. Not merely the bare facts v but as much as possible the natura explained, in order that the miraculou oracle be no longer ascribed to the gods found in human nature itself and in its Man possesses a susceptibility depend mental stimulus, from which arises, s innate disposition, a low, imperfect, or e impulse, a higher and more complete proj inspiration. The pathological conditio enchanters and sorcerers may also be e events; they are abnormal, unusual affectic often resemble illumination. Thus the of man arise from the depths of the spir

nuse

by ideas as by p Labourious expe caci to bear fru one must

des without reflectiv referred to sig retaining wh Another se i decide only f se to prophesy, a Ieps among orthod eth evil spirits,Chartment. to the great ill-fam tally informed he en oracles, and the and of Christi

2 different nation d of twilight shin philosophic poet te theologists, a n. Symbolism, ar be here recorde progress of the prophecies of t but the causes inborn attribute nt on natural a metimes, from: en, through divi esving-prophet of the demoniac lained as natur of the mind, whi al mental powe l world, over t

consider supernatural than to ascribe to a fixed law nature. Psychologists have had still less success hithert in explaining the spiritual, than physiologists the natur lightning, which formerly was also ascribed to Jupiter an the symbolic gods. The intensity and vastness of the huma mind are not fathomed by the most faithful observations physiologists; and these psychological wonders are still fr quently enough ascribed to the gods.

The mind of man is simple in its character, like the spirit God and of nature, but manifold are its powers and action And thus the spirit of prophecy pervades all history, an springs from the lawful power of humanity itself, in whic the impulse alone is occasional, proceeding either fro nature or directly by God's choice. One must not b

enamoured of prophecy, either on account of its show for its importance; neither must one undervalue it, for affords always a sort of intimation of truth, and some pro of Divine Providence, which strengthens faith and awaken the hope of a future.

That such revelations and unusual action take place, eve in sleep and in abnormal conditions, is even less to be wor dered at; for the spirit itself has eyes before and behin and sleep is only action checked by the heaviness of th exhausted natural body; for the spirit, freed from th weight, has no peace day or night. The unusually develope powers of the mind do not certainly admit of being s exactly defined in their source and tendency, as is the cas with the elementary powers of nature, with Magnetism an Electricity; yet the strength of the mind is on that accoun no less certain, as is proved by the power of the Word when one can neither weigh nor measure it.

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the sam spirit.

"And there are diversities of operations, but it is th same God which worketh all in all.

"But the manifestation of the spirit is given to ever man to profit withal."-I. Corinthians, xii.