THE PHENOMENA, &C, 687 



ticularly enjoined her to keep the secret from her sister, who would certainly 

 have burnt this deed, had she known it was in his possession, and again 

 requests her to place it within my hands. I took the deed from the hand 

 of this woman, and I had no sooner obtained possession of it and put it into 

 my pocket, when the countenance of my patient was lighted up with ani- 

 mation and delight. I went out a few minutes afterwards, taking the usual 

 precautions, and I have not yet told him what he has done.* 



I will not add any reflections concerning the fact I have just communi- 

 cated ; they must naturally crowd upon your mind. Here is an individual 

 compelled to give me a deed, the most valuable article of which he is pos- 

 sessed, and that because / wished, with all my soul, to render him happy : he 

 procured the means to enable me to effect this, as you must know that, 

 according to the terms of the deed, the person holding possession of it, 

 becomes the guardian of the old woman's son. I do not know whether it is 

 possible to desire to do evil as well as to do good, in a similar circumstance ; 

 should that be the case, how much misery would arise from the power of 

 animal magnetism, if made use of by wicked persons ! I have not yet been 

 able to solve this question, namely, whether one can wish evil to ensue, as 

 well as good: My uneasiness has been considerably increased upon this 

 subject in consequence of the remarks made by those persons who have 

 witnessed the above-mentioned fact. The greatest misfortunes, they assert, 

 may spring from the power obtained through Animal Magnetism over the 

 minds of rich persons. A villain may, they add, penetrate into the secrets 

 of families, abuse the confidence of his friends, and revenge himself with 

 impunity. My only answer is that I was incapable of solving this problem 

 myself, for it is impossible, said T, to wish evil and good at the same time. 

 If I wish to obtain information by putting indiscreet questions, my con- 

 science tells me I am doing wrong, and the answers that would then be 

 returned, would not bring me to a satisfactory conclusion. All I could do 

 was to ask my patients (in a state of magnetic crisis) what they thought 

 upon this subject, and all of them assured me, that when in this state they 

 retained their full reason and power of discrimination, and that they would 

 soon perceive any bad intentions ; that their health would immediately suffer, 

 and that they would awake at the very moment. I cannot, however, place 

 much confidence in the solution of this difficulty, and unless I am borne out 

 in my conjectures by experiments made by other persons, I shall continue 

 to feel great uneasiness as to the abuse that may be made of the most 

 wonderful and useful science that ever existed. 



However, it will be with this, as with Gunpowder, which in the hands of 

 villains is used for every base purpose, but in the hands of good men is 

 only employed for beneficial effects. There is, moreover, this advantage in 

 Animal Magnetism ; a person cannot be taken by surprise : you cannot be 

 magnetized against your will, and the confidence placed in the man who 

 magnetizes must always be a preliminary to the relief he is to experience. 



LE MARQUIS DE PUYSEGUR. 



* It was only on the following day that, rinding him worse than before, and 

 extremely low spirited, and as he told me that his sorrow arose from the un- 

 easiness he experienced concerning the deed, and that he had been looking for 

 it during the whole day, I informed him in what manner he had disposed of it : 

 he felt great pleasure on learning this circumstance, and having again been 

 magnetized for two hours, he is now quite well again. 



