288 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



grave, he insults religion and common sense, and tampers 

 with the most sacred feelings of his victims. 



" I am, sir, 



" Yours, etc., 



"D. Brewster." 



Here Sir David appeals to religious prejudice, as he had 

 just done in his very weak book in reply to Whewell's 

 " Plurality of Worlds." But his account of the siance and 

 the imputations it cast on both Home and his host, Mr. Cox, 

 were at once answered by that gentleman, who declared that, 

 immediately after the seance^ both Lord Brougham and Sir 

 David had expressed their great astonishment, and that the 

 latter had exclaimed, Sir, this upsets the philosophy of fifty 

 years." A friend of Mr. Cox and of Home — Mr. Coleman — 

 also wrote, reminding Sir David that very shortly afterwards 

 he and Mr. Cox had called upon him to talk over the subject, 

 and that Sir David declared that what he had seen was ** quite 

 unaccountable." Mr. Coleman continues thus : — 



" I then asked him, * Do you, Sir David, think these 

 things were produced by trick ? ' 



** * No, certainly not,' was his reply. 



" * Is it a delusion, think you ? ' 



" * No ; that is out of the question.' 



" ' Then what is it ? ' 

 To which he replied, * I don't know ; but spirit is the 

 last thing I give in to.' " 



To this Sir David replied by a very long letter, denying 

 some things and explaining others. The most important 

 passages are the following : — 



" Mr. Home invited us to examine if there was any 

 machinery about his person^ an examination^ however ^ which we 

 declined to make. When all our hands were upon the table 

 noises were heard — rappings in abundance ; and, finally, 

 when we rose up, the table actually rose, as appeared to 

 me^ from the ground. This result I do not pretend to 

 explain. . . . 



" A small hand-bell, to be rung by the spirits, was placed 



