MISCELLANIES. 



535 



inscrutable as the origin of thought 

 and reflection. After the first day, 

 the form of tlie deceased person 

 no more appeared, but in its place, 

 there appeared many other phan- 

 tasms, sometimes representing ac- 

 quaintances, but mostly strangers, 

 those whom I knew were composed 

 of living and deceased persons, but 

 the number of the latter was com- 

 paratively small. I observed the 

 persons with whom I daily con- 

 versed did not appearas phantasms, 

 these representing chiefly persons 

 who lived at some distance from 

 me. I attempted to produce at 

 pleasure phantasms of persons 

 whom I knew, by intensely reflect- 

 ing on their countenance, shape, 

 &c. but distinctly as I called to my 

 lively imagination the respective 

 shades of three of these persons, 

 I still laboured in vain to make 

 them appear to me as phantasms, 

 though I had before involuntarily 

 seen them in that manner, and 

 perceived them some time after, 

 when I least thought of them. The 

 phantoms appeared to me contrary 

 to my inclination, as if they were 

 presented to me from without, like 

 the phenomena of nature, though 

 they existed no where but within 

 my mind. I could at the same 

 time distinguish between phan- 

 tasms and real objects, and the 

 calmness with which I examined 

 them, enabled me to avoid the 

 commission of the smallest mistake. 

 I knew exactly when it only ap- 

 peared to me that the door was 

 opening and a phantasm entering 

 the room, and when it actually 

 opened, and a real person entered. 

 *' These phantasms appeared 

 equallyclearanddistinctat all times 

 and under all circumstances, both 



when I was by myself and when 

 I was in company, and as well in 

 the day as at night, and in my own 

 house as well as abroad ; they 

 were, however, less frequent when 

 1 was in the house of a friend, and 

 rarely appeared to me in the street; 

 when 1 shut my eyes these phan- 

 tasms would sometimes disappear 

 entirely, though there were in- 

 stances when I beheld them with 

 my eyes closed; yet when they dis- 

 appeared on such occasions, they 

 generally re-appeared when I open- 

 ed my eyes. I conversed some- 

 times with my physician and ray 

 wife of the phantasms which at the 

 moment surrounded me; they ap- 

 peared more frequently walking 

 than at rest, nor were they con- 

 stantly present. They frequently 

 did not appear for some time, but 

 always re-appeared for a longer or 

 a shorter period, either singly or 

 in company, the latter, however, 

 being most frequently the case. I 

 generally saw human forms of both 

 sexes, but they usually appeared 

 not to take the smallest notice of 

 each other, moving as in a mar- 

 ket-place, where all are eager to 

 press through the crowd ; at times 

 however, they seemed to be trans- 

 acting business with each other : I al- 

 so saw several times people on horse- 

 back, dogs, and birds. All these 

 phantasms appeared to me in their 

 natural size, and as distinct as if 

 alive, exhibiting different shades 

 of carnation in the uncovered parts 

 as well as in different colours and 

 fashions in their dresses, though 

 the colours seemed somewhat^ 

 paler than in real nature : none of 

 the figures appeared particularly 

 terrible, comical, or disgusting, 

 most of them being of an inUif- 



