VIII THE EVOLUTION OF THEOLOGY 327 



prophets. On the contrary, they fully believe in 

 their sincerity. Mariner tells the story of a 

 young chief, an acquaintance of his, who thought 

 himself possessed by the Atua of a dead woman 

 who had fallen in love with him, and who wished 

 him to die that he might be near her in Bolotoo. 

 And he died accordingly. But the most valuable 

 evidence on this head is contained in what the 

 same authority says about King Finow's son. 

 The previous king, Toogoo Ahoo, had been 

 assassinated by Firiow, and his soul, become an 

 Atua of divine rank in Bolotoo, had been "pleased 

 to visit and inspire Finow's son with what par- 

 ticular object does not appear. 



When this young chief returned to Hapai, Mr. Mariner, who 

 was upon a footing of great friendship with him, one day asked 

 him how he felt himself when the spirit of Toogoo Ahoo visited 

 him ; he replied that he could not well describe his feelings, but 

 the best he could say of it was, that he felt himself all over in a 

 glow of heat and quite restless and uncomfortable, and did not 

 feel his own personal identity, as it were, but seemed to have a 

 mind different from his own natural mind, his thoughts 

 wandering upon strange and unusual subjects, though perfectly 

 sensible of surrounding objects. He next asked him how he 

 knew it was the spirit of Toogoo Ahoo ? His answer was, 

 " There's a fool ! How can I tell you how I knew it? I felt 

 and knew it was so by a kind of consciousness ; my mind told 

 me that it was Toogoo Ahoo " (vol. i. pp. 104, 105). 



Finow's son was evidently made for a theological 

 disputant, and fell back at once on the inexpug- 

 nable stronghold of faith when other evidence 

 was lacking. " There's a fool ! I know it is true, 



