DEEAMS AND ILLUSIONS. 283 



readily explained by the well-known interlacing of the 

 nerves, and the action of the hemispheres. 



Supposing that such phenomena occur, as they more 

 readily do, in persons predisposed to nervous affec- 

 tions, although not insane, in times and in a society 

 agitated by religious excitement, or in persons habitu- 

 ally contemplative and occupied with spiritual images 

 and thoughts ; if in moments of ecstatic emotion they 

 should perceive, in addition to the images proper to 

 such conditions, these circling flames, which is very 

 likely to be the case, or the iridescent aureole we have 

 described, they would certainly accept and glorify 

 the heavenly vision revealed to them. The revolution 

 of the bright stars or iridescent band, preceded by the 

 obscurity of vision which accompanies the ordinary 

 ecstatic hallucination, would certainly be ascribed to 

 the saints or angels, and would thus become more 

 supernatural and consonant with the believer's idea 

 of heaven ; and these very subjective sensations might 

 often produce the ecstatic vision, so ready to appear 

 in the morbid conditions which lead to hallucination. 

 According to the process previously described, by 

 which the phenomenon of natural hallucinations is 

 produced by an external stimulus, these luminous 

 phenomena would revive the memory of angelic and 

 saintly forms, of which men were so profoundly con- 

 scious in times of religious excitement, and would be 

 regarded as their external signs, while they would at 

 the same time stimulate the appearance of such 



