if in this state, he should be able to pinch his harp, for he had brought with him from Russia, a celestial, or otherwise called, an angelic harp; but possessed, himself, of very little proficiency in the use of it. He answered, "yes!" and I placed it before him, and he pinched it divinely we should say, but with delighting effect; such as in his ordinary state, he had never been able to accomplish before, nor, do I believe, since. I then thought of asking him, if he should be able to write? And he answered, "yes!" and I contrived to place a desk before him with paper, and gave him a pen him a pen in his hand; and although most awkwardly placed, in regard to our purpose, he wrote, Il dolce magnatismo O caro Baldvino Che'l sol ente divino Pe'l ben commun creo. and here seeming to suspend, I offered to take the pen from him; but he was exceedingly disturbed by it, and wrote again in haste, Quei ruscelli, quei cardellini Sono fuggiti tutti Sol la Fortuna bella Come lucente stella Fida campagna è quà Quei cari augellini. and then offered to me his pen. I took it, and asked him, if another time we might repeat the experiment? And he replying affirmatively, I awakened him. Upon seeing what he had written with his own hand, he was quite grave. It is my own hand, he said; but had no trace in h his mind of having thought or wrote. He said he had seen delightful things; that he had been in a state of beatitude, never known to him before; and that he was very sorry ever to have been awakened. The poetry, he said, appeared to announce more. We were happy to have had this proof of the practicability of writing in the magnetic sleep, and of being able thus to record the eccentric flights of the soul. We very readily agreed to try the field again. E February 12, 1795. SECOND SITTING. We tried again. I magnetised, and the Poet being almost instantly absorbed in sleep, I asked him-"Is there any continuation of the poetry begun, but interrupted, in our first sitting, on the subject of magnetism? And he taking the pen, which I presented to his hand he wrote, Il dolce magnatismo O caro Baldvino Che 'l sol ente divino Questo è forse l'unico Baldvin, perdonami Questo dolce amplesso Il cielo influì Ove io stesso sono Fra mille sentieri Di teneri piaceri Che Natura dettò and laid down his pen, and I awakened him. He was extremely sorry again to have been awakened, for he had been extasied, he said, with still more delighting visions; and when he read what he had wrote, he exclaimed, Giusto Dio, è la pura verita! Se ho da scrivere così, ne scriverò dell' altro. We would converse freely, and without reserve, about what had taken place. That the Arab should be informed in the magnetic sleep, of things that were passing, at the same instant of time, in countries very distant, and of facts concerning the parentage of families, whereof he had never before heard the name, was of a nature to fill us with wonder and surprise. The fact was, however, in evidence, and not to be accounted for by any human device. I had been witness to many such instances, in cases of malady especially, wherein the patient, in like manner, had informed us of the method of cure to be observed in his own disease, and of the medicine fitting to operate the effect; things, whereof he had no knowledge, or conception, in his ordinary state, and of which, in the expected result, none ever failed. Then, to what cause attribute these wonderful exploits; this universality of knowledge, this benignity of power? Shall we ask, unto what cause? Unto whom then is universality of might, majesty, dominion. February 19, 1795. THIRD SITTING. Ат a neighbour's house, where little respect was, ostentatiously, had to topics of this sort; we were notwithstanding forward enough to assert our discoveries in magnetism. Unwilling as they were, however, to admit of our facts; as ready were they, on the other hand, to acknowledge an existence of reasonable ground for enquiry, in the various, but incontestable affections of the soul. We were led by our conversation to the great question of its essence and immortality. As to the immortality of the soul as a spiritual essence? it appeared to me, I said, a self-evident proposition! for to come to man, it must have existed before him. It must have existed in all its prerogatives, or being communicated to man, having no prerogatives; to what end? and as it existed before man, with all its prerogatives, why is it not to exist after him, with all its prerogatives? the question is clear! the principle of life is immortal, but whether this principle of life in man, or the soul of man, shall preserve, after its separation from the earthly form, an individual existence, as in life; or be confounded, as a drop of water returned to the sea, or the human body returned to dust, is confounded with its original mass; is a question of much higher importance; depending upon the judgment of the Almighty, as to the worthiness, or unworthiness of our actions in this life but I say, yes!-and happy the man who shall only strive to deserve it. : The company found these opinions so novel, as they were pleased to say, and so persuasive, as to make them anxious to see |