64 EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 



that I — or, if it be thought better to fay, that fome- 

 thing zzx, which, to exprefs myfelf in plain profe, I 

 afually call my foul, pofTelTes, among other natural 

 gifts, if I may fpeak it without boafting, by means of 

 a very fimple operation, the faculty of taking his, her, 

 or its flight out of my body, and of tranfporting itfelf 

 into whatever portion of time and fpace, — in other 

 words, into that part of the univerfe, and in that com- 

 bination of the paft, the prefent, and the future, into 

 which a living creature of my fpecies, according to its 

 nature and kind, may pafs or be admitted. 



I add thefe limitations not merely out of modefty, 

 but becaufe, like the generous and veracious Eucrates 

 in Lucian's Philopfeudes, I would wifh to tell my 

 friends no more than what is true. And I mull there- 

 fore honertly confefs, that the circle, which it is not 

 permitted me to exceed is a confiderably f mailer one 

 than that famous hermetical circle, 

 The centre whereof is everv where, 

 The circumference whereof is no where. 

 Moreover, all elements, at leaft for the prefent, are 

 not indifferent to me ; and I will not deny, that, for 



they term to believe, in fuch exprcflions, (if withal there be a 

 fort ,of meaning in their words,) as oblige us to think, that they 

 admit of 1 know not what kind of an mward organ of belief, or 

 natural inftrument, in certain particularly favoured men, by 

 means whereof a man believes^ in juft the* fame manner as he fees 

 by means of his eyes ; only with this difference, that we, other 

 human beings, only fee vlfille things with our eyes : whereas 

 thofe virtuofi in beliefs by means of their hamelefs organs, believe 

 even incredible things j which undoubtedly gives them a great ad- 

 vantage over us. 



want 



