THRO UGH FINL AND. 
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happening to pafs by Uleaborg at the fame time, flopped a day, 
that they might obferve fome of the magnetical performances. 
From previous concert one of them was to affume the appearance 
of being affected ; but at the moment when the magnetifer fhould 
feem confident that his art had taken efFedl, he who was to feign 
himfelf afleep, at a fign given him by the other, was to awake 
in furprize, and thus difappoint the credulity of the operator and 
his audience. The experiments accordingly began : one of them 
was unfufceptible of the magnetic impreffion, the other was ac¬ 
tually affedted, and his companion might make what figns he 
pleafed ; he was deaf, incapable of underflanding any thing, and 
in fuch a languid and lethargic Rate, that every adl of volition 
was entirely fufpended. The two gentlemen will probably give 
fome account of their travels, and poffibly confirm the truth of 
my relation of thefe almofl incredible experiments. 
It is to be regretted, that the mefmerians in general have their 
minds fo heated by the extraordinary, I had almofl: faid fuperna- 
tural, afpedt of thofe phenomena, that they fuffer themfelves to 
be fo hurried away by the imagination, as to mount to the fkies 
in order to find the phyfical caufe of thofe effedls among the 
clouds, inflead of confulting and invefligating nature in the prac¬ 
tice of frequent experiments, and with that fobriety of mind 
which ought to be the faithful guide of philofophy in all her en¬ 
quiries into the caufes of things. The imagination, fafeinated 
and enflaved by the charm of fomething preternatural, tries, 
while bewildered with confufed conceptions, to divine the meaning, 
the 
