56 LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



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 Cel- 

 lini Description and effects of the magic lantern Im- 

 provements upon it Phantasmagoric exhibitions of 

 Philipstall and others Dr. Young's arrangement of 

 lenses, &c., for the Phantasmagoria Improvements 

 suggested Catadioptrical phantasmagoria for producing 

 the pictures from living objects Method of cutting off 

 parts of the figures Kircher's mysterious handwriting on 

 the wall His hollow cylindrical mirror for aerial images 

 Cylindrical mirror for re-forming 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 exercise the spirits which he has him- 

 self 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 systematic plan of imposing upon then- 

 subjects a mode of government which was in 

 perfect accordance with their religious belief : but 

 it will scarcely be believed that the same delusions 

 were practised after the establishment of Chris- 

 tianity, and that even the Catholic sanctuary was 

 often the seat of these unhallowed machinations. 



