“And don’t you see that it would be impossible to discern a ghost-seer
from a lunatic?”
The Duke started up: “How, from a lunatic?”
“Undoubtedly. The characteristic of lunacy consists in mistaking mere
objects of the imagination for real substances, existing without
ourselves, the original cause of which is a convulsion of the vessels of
our brain, which are put out of their equilibrium. This suspension of
the equilibrium can arise either from weakness of nerves, or from too
strong a pressure of the blood towards the head, and mere phantoms of
our imagination then appear to us, even while awake, to be real objects
without ourselves. Although such an image should be but faint at first,
yet the consternation at such an apparition, so contrary to the natural
order of things, would soon excite the attention, and impart to the
phantom a vivacity that would not suffer the deluded person to doubt its
reality. It is therefore very natural; for the visionary fancies he sees
and hears very plainly, what no person besides him perceives, or
imagines he sees such phantoms appear and disappear suddenly, when they
are gamboling only before _one_ sense that of _sight_, without being
perceived through another sense; for example, that of _feeling_, and
therefore appear to be penetrable. The distemper of the visionary does
not affect the understanding immediately, but only the senses; in
consequence of which the unhappy wretch cannot remove the delusion by
arguments of reason, because the real or supposed perception through the
senses, always antecedes the judgment of the understanding, and
possesses an immediate evidence which surpasses all reflection. For
which reason I can blame no person who treats the ghost-seers as
candidates for the lunatic hospital, instead of looking upon them as
people belonging, partly, to another world.”
“Marquis, Marquis!” the Duke said, smiling, “you use the ghost-seers
very ill. I should leave them entirely at your mercy, if the Irishman
had not promised to communicate to me a criterion by which one can
discern real apparitions from vain phantoms of the imagination.”
“It is a pity he has only promised it, it being probable that this
promise will not be performed with greater punctuality than the rest of
his engagements.”
“The event will prove how much you wrong him.”
“But what would you say, if I could prove that he can communicate to you
no criterion of that nature?”
“If you could do this---”
“Nothing is easier. The criterion whereby a real apparition of a ghost
could be discerned from an illusion, must be either external or
internal: that is, you must be able to ascertain the presence of a
ghost, either by means of your senses, or by conclusions deduced from
the impression your mind receives. Don’t you think so?”
“It would be much safer if these two criterions co-existed.”
“It would be sufficient if only one of these two criterions were
possible. However, you shall soon be convinced that neither can be
proved. Whatever you perceive, or suppose you perceive by means of your
senses, in case of an apparition, is either a real material object,
whereby perhaps an impostor, perhaps nature, who is so inexhaustable in
her effects, or an accidental meeting of uncommon incidents surprises
you; or it is an object that exists no where but in your heated
imagination; what you perceive through your senses never can be the
spirit himself, because spirits are incorporeal beings, and therefore
neither can be seen, heard, nor felt; it is, consequently, evident that
no external criterion of the reality of an apparition can exist.”
“This, I think, cannot be disputed.”
“But there exists perhaps an internal criterion. In order to decide this
question, let us consider what passes in the human mind when a ghost
appears. First of all, a lively idea of the presence of a ghost takes
place, and sensations of terror, astonishment and awe arise---however,
this idea and these sensations may be nothing else but the consequence
of an uncommon, though natural external impression of a feverish fancy,
and consequently never can be indubitable proofs of the presence of
spirits. But perhaps the presence of spirits is ascertained by the
co-existence of certain extraordinary notions, sensations, and
cognitions! This too cannot be, for we must be convinced that they could
not arise in our soul in a natural manner, if we shall be able to
ascertain their having been produced by the influence of a spirit. In
that case it would be requisite we should know the whole store of our
clear and obscure ideas, all their reciprocal relations, and all
possible compositions which our imagination can form of them,
a knowledge that is reserved only for the omniscient Ruler of the world.
If we happen sometimes, in our dreams, to have the most wonderful
visions, to reason in the most sensible manner, to discover new truths,
and to predict incidents which afterwards really happen; why should not
the same faculty of the soul which produces such uncommon effects in our
dreams, surprise us sometimes with similar operations while we are
awake, when it is agitated in a violent manner? In short, my friend,
there exists neither an internal nor an external criterion whereby we
could ascertain the reality of an apparition.”
“O how insufficient is human reason!” the Duke groaned, “how ambiguous
the faculty through which we fancy we resemble the Godhead, and that
guides us much unsafer than instinct directs brutes. But a short time
since I thought it to be consonant with reason to believe in apparitions
of ghosts, and now I am convinced of the contrary. Your arguments have
pulled down what those of the Irishman have constructed, and thus I am
constantly driven from one belief to the opposite one. Where shall I
find, at length, a fixed point to rest upon? O! how happy is he, who
undisturbed by the restless instinct of thinking, and of investigating
the nature of things, rests in the lap of faith!”
(_To be continued._)
* * * * *