112 On Popul&r Uluftons. 



this plan there is nothing incredible. Reje£l the evidence 

 of others, «^d our own experience, as unnecefTary to in- 

 fluence our belief, and what principle remains to deter- 

 mine us ? 



(U) p. 85. It is aflonifhing to obferve how far human 

 pride has carried its claims to fupernatural influence. 

 Every man, whofe mind was more reftlefs than ufual, 

 believed himfelf to be affifted by a genius, and this word, 

 which at prefent only denotes a certain aftivity of intelledl, 

 fignified, for a long time, the aftion of an invifible and 

 fuperior being. There were geniufes of cities and king- 

 doms, as well as of men. In the laft century, it was very 

 common to fay, when a great man gave way unexpeftedly 

 to oppofition, that his genius was over-awed by that of 

 another. Such exprellions in Clarendon and others of that 

 time, were not figurative, but implyed the fuperior vigour 

 of the imagination, or (in Lord Verulam's language) of the 

 tranfmittcd fpirits, in one perfon over another. Every one 

 knows the noble reply made by the Marechale D'Ancre, 

 on her trial, when flie was accufed of forcery, on account 

 of her influence over the Queen-Mother. The Romans 

 perhaps carried this extravagance beyond all ancient na- 

 tions, in fuppofing a particular divinity to prefide over 

 almoft every natural aftion ; (although our aftrologers are 

 equal with them, in afligning a planet to govern every 

 member of the body) they had however the wonderful 

 good fortune to make their fuperllition inftrumental in 

 preferving order in the ftate, and courage in the army ; 

 an art which has not defcended to their pofterity, although 

 they retain an ample (hare of the mans. For Petronius's 

 Bon Mot refpefting the Neapolitans does not appear unjuft, 

 even at this diftance : noftra regio tarn plena eft numinibus, 

 ut fatilittt foJJU Deum quam bominem invenire. 



(V) p. 86. A very extraordinary hiftory of the rege- 

 neration of a thief, was publiftied, by a g:ave phyfician, in 



the 



