On Popular Blufions. 87 



oppreflive dreams of plethoric perfons, on the 

 eve of difeafe, was firfl: publifhed by the Marquis 

 D'Argens, in the Jewifti Letters; a ftriking con- 

 traft to his fcepticifm on fome other points, but 

 an inconfiftence not uncommon with perfons deif- 

 tically inclined. But the fubjedt foon got into dif- 

 ferent hands, for the learned Dom Calmet, well 

 known by his critical differtations on the Bible, 

 publi{hed a hiftory of Vampires, rich in abfurdity, 

 of which the following paffage is a fpecimen, but 

 it is necefiary to add, quoted from Voltaire *. " In 

 " Hungary, two officers, commiflioned by the 

 " Emperor Charles VI. affifted by the bailiff of 

 " the place, and the executioner, went to examine 

 '* a Vampire, who had been dead for fix weeks ^ 

 *' and who fucked the whole neighbourhood. 

 ''They found him- in his coffin, frelh, lively, 

 '' with open eyes, and defiring fomething to eat. 

 " The bailiff paffed fentence. The executioner 

 " tore out the Vampire's heart, after which the 

 *' Vampire eat no more." 



Some queftions, apparently puzzling, occur 

 on the fubjedl: of thofe difliurbances : how could 

 all the inhabitants of confiderable towns be im- 

 pofed on, in a matter fo nearly refpefting the 

 peace and fafety of each individual, as univer- 

 fally to impute adions to fupernatural influence, 

 which perhaps were no more than knavifh ? How 



* Qucft. fur. L'Encyclop. Art. Vampire. 



G 4 could 



