SCIENCK USED AS AN INSTRUMENT OF IMPOSTURE. 137 



LETTER IV. 



Science used as an instrument of imposture Deceptions with plane 

 and concave mirrors practised by the ancients The magician's 

 mirror Effects of concave mirrors Aerial Images Images on 

 smoke Combination of mirrors for producing pictures from 

 living objects The mysterious dagger Ancient miracles with 

 concave mirrors Modern necromancy with them, as seen by 

 Cellini Description and effects of the magic lantern Improve- 

 ments upon it Phantasmagoric exhibitions of Philipstal and 

 others Dr. Young's arrangement of Lenses, &c., for the Phan- 

 tasmagoria Improvements suggested Catadioptrical phantas- 

 magoria for producing the pictures from living objects Method 

 of cutting off parts of the figures Kircher's mysterious hand- 

 writing on the wall His holloiv cylindrical mirror for aerial 

 images Cylindrical mirror for reforming distorted pictures 

 Mirrors of variable curvature for producing caricatures. 



IN the preceding observations man appears as the victim 

 of his own delusions as the magician unable to exorcise 

 the spirits which he has himself called into being. We 

 shall now see him the dupe of preconcerted imposture 

 the slave of his own ignorance the prostrate vassal of 

 power and superstition. I have already stated that the 

 monarchs and priests of ancient times carried on a sys- 

 tematic plan of imposing upon their subjects a mode of 

 government which was in perfect accordance with their 

 religious belief : but it will scarcely be believed that the 

 same delusions w^ere practised after the establishment of 

 Christianity, and that even the Catholic sanctuary was 

 often the seat of these unhallowed machinations. Nor 

 was it merely the low and cunning priest who thus sought 

 to extort money and respect from the most ignorant of his 



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