visit to an English gentleman, Sir William Sacheverill, who had a
commission from the English Court of Admiralty, to give his best
trial to find out gold or money, or any other thing of note, in one
of the ships of the Spanish armada, that was blown up in the bay of
Topper-Mory, in the Sound of Mull. And having condescended upon the
number of men that were to go with me, one of the number was a
handsome boy that waited upon my own person; and, about an hour
before I made sail, a woman, that was also one of my own servants,
spoke to one of the seamen, and bade him dissuade me to take that boy
along with me, or if I did, I should not bring him back alive; the
seaman answered, he had not confidence to tell me such unwarrantable
trifles. I took my voyage, and sailed the length of Topper-Mory; and
having stayed two or three nights with that liberal and ingenuous
gentleman, who himself had collected many observations of the Second
Sight in the Isle of Man, and compared his notes and mine together, I
then took leave of him. In the mean time, my boy grew sick of a
vehement bloody flux,--the winds turn'd cross, that I could neither
sail nor row,--the boy died with me the eleventh night from his
decumbiture,--the next morning the wind made fair, and the seaman to
whom the matter was foretold, related the whole story when he saw it
verified. I carried the boy's corps aboard with me, and after my
arrival, and his burial, I called suddenly for the woman, and asked
at her what warrant she had to foretell the boy's death; she said,
that she had no other warrant but that she saw, two days before I
took my voyage, the boy walking with me in the fields, sewed up in
his winding sheets from top to toe, and that she had never seen this
in others, but she found that they shortly thereafter died; and
therefore concluded that he would die too, and that shortly.
The third instance was thus. Duncan Campbell, brother-german to
Archibald Campbell of Invera, a gentleman of singular piety and
considerable knowledge, especially in Divinity, told me a strange
thing of himself. That he was at a time in Kintyre, having then some
employment there, and one morning walking in the fields, he saw a
dozen of men carrying a bier, and knew them all but one, and when he
looked again, all was vanished. The very next day, the same company
came the same way, carrying a bier, and he going to meet them, found
that they were but eleven in number, and that himself was the
twelfth, though he did not notice it before; and it is to be
observed, that this gentleman never saw any thing of this kind before
or after, till his dying day. Moreover, that he was of such solid
judgment and devote conversation, that his report deserves an
unquestionable credit.
The fourth instance I had, to my great grief, from one John M'Donald,
a servant of Lauchlan M'Lean of Coll, who was then newly returned
from Holland, having the charge of a captain. This gentleman came one
afternoon abroad to his past-time in the fields, and this John
M'Donald meets him, and saw his clothes shining like the skins of
fishes, and his periwig all wet, though indeed the day was very fair;
whereupon he told privately, even then, to one of Coll's gentlemen,
that he feared he should be drowned. This gentleman was Charles
M'Lean, who gave me account of it. The event followed about a year
thereafter, for the Laird of Coll was drowned in the water of Lochy
in Lochaber. I examined both Charles M'Lean and John M'Donald, and
found, that the prediction was as he told me; and the said M'Donald
could produce no other warrant, than that he found such signs
frequently before to forgo the like events. This man indeed was known
to have many visions of this kind, but he was none of the strictest
life.
The fifth instance is strange, and yet of certain truth, and known to
the whole inhabitants of the Island of Eigg, lying in the latitude of
56 degrees 20 minutes; and longitude 14 degrees. There was a tenant
in this island, a native, that was a follower of the Captain of
Clanrannold, that lived in a town called Kildonan, the year of God
eighty-five, who told publicly to the whole inhabitants, upon the
Lord's day, after divine service, performed by Father O'Rain, then
priest of that place, that they should all flit out of that Isle, and
plant themselves some where else; because that people of strange and
different habits, and arms, were to come to the Isle, and to use all
acts of hostility, as killing, burning, tirling, and deforcing of
women; finally, to discharge all that the hands of an enemy could do;
but what they were, or whence they came, he could not tell. At the
first there was no regard had to his words; but frequently
thereafter, he begged of them to notice what he said, otherwise they
should repent it, when they could not help it; which took such an
impression upon some of his near acquaintance, as that severals of
them transported themselves and their families, even then; some to
the Isle of Cannay, some to the Isle of Rum. Fourteen days before the
enemy came thither, under the command of one Major Ferguson and
Captain Pottinger, whilst there was no word of their coming, or any
fear of them conceived. In the month of June 1689, this man fell
sick, and Father O'Rain came to see him, in order to give him the
benefit of absolution and extreme unction, attended with several
inhabitants of the Isle, who, in the first place, narrowly questioned
him before his friends, and begged of him to recant his former folly
and his vain prediction; to whom he answered, that they should find
very shortly the truth of what he had spoken, and so he died. And
within 14 or 15 days thereafter, I was eye witness (being then
prisoner with Captain Pottinger), to the truth of what he did
foretel; and being before-hand well instructed of all that he said, I
did admire to see it particularly verified, especially that of the
different habits and arms, some being clad with red coats, some with
white coats and grenadier caps, some armed with sword and pike, and
some with sword and musket. Though I could give many more proofs, as
unquestionable as these, yet I think what is said, is sufficient to
prove the being of such a thing as the same in hand; and I cannot but
wonder, that men of knowledge and experience should be so shy to
believe that there may be visions of this kind administered by good
or bad angels; there being nothing more certain, than that good
angels suggested visions to the prophets of the Lord, before the
coming of Christ in the flesh, and particularly to the apostle St
John, after the ascension of our Lord; likewise that evil angels
presented visions, as well as audible voices, to the 450 false
prophets of Ahab; the 400 prophets of the Groves, is as little to be
doubted; it being as easy, if not easier, to work upon the sight, as
well as upon the hearing. We know but too well, that necromancers and
magicians themselves, have not only seen the shapes and forms of
things, but likewise have allowed others to see the same, who had no
skill of their art. A precedent for which, is the Witch of Endor.
I remember, about 23 years ago, there was an old woman in my parish,
in the Isle of Teree, whom I heard was accustomed to give responses,
and likewise averred, that she had died and been in heaven, but
allowed to come back again. And because she could not come to church,
I was at the pains to give her a visit, attended with two or three of
the most intelligent of my parish. I questioned her first whether she
said she was in heaven; and she freely confessed she was, and that
she had seen Jesus Christ, but not God the Father, or the Holy Ghost;
that she was kindly entertained with meat and drink, and that she had
seen her daughter there, who died about a year before;--that her
daughter told her, though she was allowed to go there, that she
behooved to come back and serve out her prentiship on earth, but
would shortly be called for, and remain there for ever. She could
very hardly be put out of this opinion, till I enquired more narrowly
of her children, if she fell at any time in a syncope; which they
told me she did, and continued for a whole night, so that they
thought that she was truly dead; and this is the time she alleged she
was in heaven. The devil took an advantage in the ecstasy to present
to her fancy a map of heaven, as if it had been a rich earthly
kingdom, abounding with meat, drink, gold, and silver. By the
blessing of God, I prevailed with her to be persuaded that this was
but a vision presented to her fancy by the devil, the father of lies;
and that she might deprehend the falsehood of it from this one head,
that she imagined her body was there, as well as her soul, and that
she did eat and drink, and was warmed, while, as her own children,
and the neighbours that watched her, did see, and did handle her body
several times that night, so that it could not be with her in heaven.
I did further examine her what warrant she had for the responses she
gave, which were found very often true, even in future contingent
events. She freely confessed, that her father upon his death-bed,
taught her a charm, compiled of barbarous words, and some
unintelligible terms, which had the virtue, when repeated, to
present, some few hours after the proposition of a question, the
answer of the same in live images before her eyes, or upon the wall;
but the images were not tractable, which she found by putting too her
hand, but could find nothing. I do not think fit to insert the charm,
knowing that severals might be inclined to make an unwarrantable
trial of it. This poor woman was got reclaimed, and was taught fully
the danger and vanity of her practice, and died peaceably about a
year after, in extreme old age.
I know assuredly, that Janet Douglas, that was first a dumbie, yet
spoke thereafter, who had given many responses by signs and words,
and foretold many future events, being examined by Mr Gray, one of
the ministers of the city of Glasgow, denied any explicitor implicit
paction, and declared freely, that the answers of the questions
proponed to her were represented by a vision in lively images,
representing the persons concerned, and acting the thing, before her
eyes. This Mr Gray exchanged several discourses in write with Sir
James Turner, concerning her.
By this time, you may see that this theme deserves the consideration
of the learned: _First_, to enquire how much of this may come from a
natural constitution and temperament, when confounded with a flatuous
or melancholic distemper; and what influence an external agent,
namely, an angel, good or bad, may have upon the organ of the eye and
the fancy, and how far the medium between the organ of the eye and an
object visible, may be disposed for their purpose, namely, the air
and light; and what connexion may be found betwixt the
representations made to the eye or fancy, and the future contingent
events that experience teaches do follow thereupon: as for example, a
man is seen bleeding, or sewed up in his winding sheets, who is
shortly to be wounded, or assuredly to die.
As for the first, all the learned physicians of the world know too
well by experience what great labour they have to cure the deceptions
of the fancy, especially in hypochondriac diseases; nay, patients
cannot be persuaded but they see men, women, fowls, and four-footed
beasts, walking abroad or in their chambers. Seldom it is, that a man
passes any great and turbulent fever, without the trouble of some
such representations. It is memorable, that a gentleman, that had
been a great proficient in physic himself, imagined at length that
there was a quick frog in his belly; and after he had travelled over
a good part of Italy, and consulted with the doctors of Padua, yet
could not be cured, or dissuaded. He came at length to the learned
physician Platerus, in Bazil, who told him, that a frog by certain
experience is known not to live above three years, so that his
distemper continuing longer than three years, could not be caused by
the frog, that could not live so long. Moreover, that his stomach
would strangle the frog, and that the frog could not live any
considerable time out of its own element, the water; so that the
properest and most specific medicines being made use of, it were a
shame for him to be so obstinate. At last he was persuaded, and his
fancy satisfied. This story is no less renowned of what befell
Andreas Osiander, a man learned in most languages. When he was a
young man, and being troubled with a quartan ague, a little before
the fit he could not be persuaded that he was in the house at all,
but that he was in a wood, and much molested with wild beasts and
serpents of all kinds; neither could he be prevailed with that this
was false, till Facius Cardanus was called for to him, who cured him
for the time, so that he knew his friends that were sitting beside
him, and the chamber to be his own chamber; but after Facius had left
him, he was troubled with the same opinion and distemper, even till
the ague had quiet him. I have myself seen a neighbour of my own, and
my parishioner too, John M'Phale, that lived to the age of fourscore
years, a man that was truly very sagacious by nature; and though his
sight was much decayed, the seat of his judgment was nothing touched;
and as he grew weaker, merely by old age, without any remarkable
distemper, I made frequent visits to him. One day as I was coming
away from him, he told me he had something of consequence to ask at
me, and desired all to remove except his wife and another gentleman,
that was a friend of his. This done, Sir, says he, I desire to know
by what warrant or commission so many of my friends, that are dead
long ago, are allowed to come and discourse with me, and drink before
me, and yet are not so civil as give me a tasting of it? I told him,
that it was only the trouble of his fancy, and his frequent thinking
of the world to come and his friends that were gone before him; and
he replied to me very smartly, Sir, says he, I perceive it is the
work of the fancy, for since I cannot see yourself, (for only by your
voice I know you) how could I see them? It was strange that he saw
them the very mean time that others were in the house with him, and
asked several questions at them, but got no answer. And, for all
this, the seat of his wit was as entire as ever: moreover, this
trouble left him a little before he died.
Many such illusions are reported of eremites, caused merely by the
confusion of the brains, bred by their fasting and unwholesome food,
which I shall not trouble the reader with.
If you will ask how cometh this to pass, take notice of the following
method, which I humbly offer to your consideration. Advert, in the
_first_ place, that visible ideas, or species, are emitted from every
visible object to the organ of the eye; representing the figure and
colour of the object, and bearing along with it the proportion of the
distance, for sure the objects enter not the eye, nor the interjacent
distant tract of ground; and a third thing different from the eye and
the object, and the distant ground, must inform the eye. These
species are conveyed to the brain by the optic nerve, and are laid up
in the magazine of the memory, otherwise we should not remember the
object any longer than it is in our presence; and a remembering of
these objects is nothing else but the fancies reviewing, or more
properly the soul of man, by the fancy reviewing of these intentional
species formerly received from the visible object unto the organ of
the eye, and reconducted unto the seat of the memory. Now, when the
brain is in a serene temper, these species are in their integrity,
and keep their rank and file as they were received; but when the
brain is filled with gross and flatuous vapours, and the spirits and
humour enraged, these ideas are sometimes multiplied as an army, by
mist; sometimes magnified, sometimes misplaced, sometimes confounded
by other species of different objects, perhaps by half and half, so
that the fancy has two for one, one bigger than two of itself, and
sometimes the half of one and the half of another, represented in
one; and this deception is not only incident to the fancy, but even
to the external senses, particularly the seeing and hearing; for the
visus, or seeing, is nothing else but the transition of the
intentional species through the crystalline humour to the retiform
coat of the eye, and judged by the common sense, and conveyed by the
optic nerve to the fancy.
Of this we have a clear demonstration from the representation of
external objects through a crystal in glass, upon any lucid, smooth,
and solid reflectant, placed before the glass in a dark chamber,
which is one of the noblest experiments in the whole optics.
Now, if these species formerly received and laid up in the brain,
will be reversed back from the same to the retiform coat and
crystalline humour as formerly, these is in effect a lively seeing
and perception of the object represented by these species, as if, _de
novo_, the object had been placed before the eye; for the organ of
the eye had no more of it before, than now it has; just so with the
hearing, it is nothing else but the receiving of the audible species
to that part of the ear that is accommodated for hearing, so that
when the species are retracted from the brain to their proper organs,
for example, the ear and the eye, hearing and seeing are perfected,
as if the objects had been present to influence the organs _de novo_.
And it is not to be thought that this is a singular opinion, for
Cardanus, an eminent author of great and universal learning and
experience, maintains this reversion of the species, and attributes
his own vision of trees, wild beasts, men, cities, and instructed
battles, musical and martial instruments, from the fourth to the
seventh year of his age, to the species of the objects he had seen
formerly, now retracted to the organ of the eye, and cites Averroes,
an author of greater renown for the same opinion. _See Cardanus de
subtilitate rerum pagina trecentesima prima._
And it seems truly to be founded upon relevant grounds. I have
observed a sick person, that complained of great pain and molestation
in his head, and particularly of piping and sweating in his ears,
which seems to have been caused by the species of piping and singing
which he had formerly heard, but were now, through the plethory of
his head, forced out of the brain to the organ of the ear, through
the same nerves by which they were received formerly; and why may not
the same befall the visible species as well as the audible? which
seems to be confirmed by the optic experiment. Take a sheet of
painted paper and fix it in your window, looking steadfastly to it
for a considerable time, for example, some few minutes, then close
your eyes very strait, and place a sheet of clean paper before your
eyes, and open your eyes suddenly, you will see the painting almost
as lively as they were in the painted sheet with the lively colours.
This compression of the eyes by consent, causes a compression of the
whole brain, which forces back the visible species of the painted
sheet to the organ of the eye, through the optic nerve, which will
presently vanish, if the reflectant did not help to preserve them.
You may see then how much of these representations may be within
ourselves, abstracting from any external agent or object without the
eye, to influence the same.
The second thing that comes under consideration is, the influence and
operation of external agents, namely, an angel, good or bad. It is
not to be denied, but good angels may help and dispose all our
faculties, excite, elevate, and set them upon edge and action;
likewise, that evil angels may perturb, confound, and hurt, our
external and internal senses, (when permitted) particularly by
stirring the spirits, humours, and vapours, which of themselves, when
so stirred, help to make many shapes and representations, either
regular or irregular, (as has been formerly observed) and withal,
they can colorate external objects far beyond any painter, insensibly
to the beholder, _repente applicando activa passivis_; and that they
can alter the medium interposed between our senses and the objects,
by making it grosser or thinner, opaque or lucid, is a thing not to
be questioned. For a clear proof of this I hope any rational man will
allow me.
That even the evil angels, who were created in a degree above us,
must have a more penetrating wit than ours is, and having experienced
from their creation, to this very day, and can be present to every
experiment found out, or that is committed to writing by the art of
man; and withal, being not subject to oblivion as man is, (for they
have no material faculty to be obliterated), I say any rational man
will allow me, that they can do as much, and beyond what the art of
man is able to do; but so it is, that painters can make one object
more pleasant than another, distorted and worse favoured than
another,--that any smoke may engross the air,--that a cloud removed
on or off the face of the sun, give way to the beams of it to
illuminate the air, or to eclipse its light,--that vapours and
exhalations, from sea and land, multiply and magnify objects,
misshapes and distorts them, and makes them of diverse figures, all
in an instant, which is observable in hot summer days, especially in
the end of the canicular days, for you may readily see about three or
four in the afternoon, the same hills (providing they are situated at
a considerable distance from you) to be of diverse shapes, forms, and
figures, changing very suddenly from one shape to another, for
example, from a globe to a pyramid, from a pyramid to a quadrangular
figure, &c. All which our ordinary multiplying, magnifying, and
distorting glasses, produce. Moreover, that physicians can administer
such medicines as may provoke a man to madness and rage, yea, to
fantastic or hypochondriac fits; so also medicines that move pleasant
and unpleasant dreams, by exciting the melancholic or sanguine
humours, raging or peaceable dreams, by moving the choleric or
phlegmatic humour.
How much more can the prince of the air do, and his retinue, who is
better seen in the nature of the elements and their compounds; who
is better seen in the nature of trees, plants, minerals, stones, the
secret qualities of springs and fountains, rivers and lochs, and the
influence of celestial bodies, &c. and who is better seen in the
constitution of every man, his customs and inclinations, and his
present state and bygone circumstances; I say, in all these, he is
better seen than any man, and can accommodate them to his purpose
beyond the greatest virtuoses.
Let us therefore consider, that an evil angel being permitted
thereunto, can muster in our brain the latent intentional species of
external absent objects, and can present the same to the fancy in the
methods best fitting his purpose, and not only so in time of our
sleep, (for then indeed the fancy sticks with more tenacity to what
it apprehends), but also when we are not sleeping, he can deduce
these species by forcing them out of the rooms or cells of the brain,
to the organ of the eye and ear, and so of necessity a man either
sitting or going in the high-way, will hear and see such things as
these species do represent; and seeing that naturally it may be done,
as would appear from what is above spoken from the strength and force
of medicines to operate upon the spirits and humours of man to work
strange things, why may not a good or bad angel excite nature to it?
or by an immediate impulse force these material qualities to the
organs of the external senses, as well as they can move their
vehicles, which are the spirits and humours.