the fullest confidence, informed us that the spirit of a friend, whose decease had taken place some months previously, having announced itself in the usual way, and the question having been put, 'When did I last see you in life?' the answer given was inconsistent with the recollection of the interrogator. But, on his subsequently talking over the matter with his family, it was brought to his remembrance that he had seen his deceased friend on the occasion mentioned, and had spoken of it to them at the time, although he had afterwards quite forgotten the circumstance."(Quarterly Review, October 1871, p. 319.)

Another instance, supplied by Mr. Dibdin (op. cit.), affords yet more remarkable evidence to the same effect; especially as being related by a firm believer in the 'diabolical' origin of Table-talking :—A gentleman, who was at the time a believer in the 'spiritual' agency of his table, assured Mr. Dibdin that he had raised a good spirit instead of evil ones-that, namely, of Edward Young, the poet. The 'spirit' having been desired to prove this identity by citing a line of his poetry, the table spelled out, 'Man was not made to question, but adore.' 'Is that in your "Night Thoughts"?' was then asked. 'No.' 'Where is it, then?' The reply was, 'JOB.' Not being familiar with Young's Poems, the questioner did not know what this meant; but the next day he bought a copy of them; and at the end of 'Night Thoughts' he found a paraphrase of the Book of Job, the last line of which is, 'Man was not made to ques·tion, but adore.' Of course he was very much astonished; but not long afterwards he came to Mr. Dibdin, and assured him that he had satisfied himself that the whole thing was a delusion, numerous answers he had obtained being obviously the results of an influence unconsciously exerted on the table by those who had their hands upon it; and when asked by Mr. Dibdin how he accounted for the dictation of the line by the spirit of Young, he very honestly confessed,

'Well, the fact is, I must tell you, that I had the book in my house all the time, although I bought another copy; and I found that I had read it before. My opinion is that it was a latent idea, and that the table brought it out.' (p. 7.)

APPENDIX M.

DIABOLICAL ORIGIN OF TABLE-TURNING.

In his Table-moving Tested, the Rev. N. S. Godfrey began by "tracing the existence of Satanic influence from the time of Moses to the time of Jesus; connecting the 'witch,' the 'familiar spirit,' the spirit of Python, &c. with the Evil Spirit in its actual and separate existence :" and asserting without the least hesitation, that although 'so long as the supernatural gifts of the Spirit remained among men, so long the evil spirits were cast out and their presence detected,' yet that when those miraculous powers were withdrawn, they could no longer be discerned, but have continued to exist to the present time, and make themselves known in these latter times' as the wandering (seducing) spirits,' whose appearance was predicted by St. Paul (1 Tim. iv. 10). That the answers to the 'test questions' were exactly contrary to Mr. Godfrey's ideas of truth, was in his judgment peculiarly convincing; "for if indeed these tables do become possessed "by some of the 'wandering spirits' at the command of the "Devil, it would be most impolitic, and quite at variance with "the subtlety of his character, to scare people at the very "outset." The following answers, therefore, are obviously what Mr. G. expected :—

"I spoke to the table, and said, 'If you move by electricity, stop.' It stopped instantly! I commanded it to go on again, and said, while it was moving, 'If an evil spirit

L

cause you to move, stop.' It moved round without stopping! I again said, 'If there be any evil agency in this, stop.' It went on as before. I was now prepared with an experiment of a far more solemn character. I whispered to the school

master to bring a small Bible, and to lay it on the table when I should tell him. I then caused the table to revolve rapidly, and gave the signal. The Bible was gently laid on the table, and it instantly stopped. We were horror-struck. However, I determined to persevere. I had other books in succession laid on the table, to see whether the fact of a book lying upon it altered any of the conditions under which it revolved. It went round with them without making any difference. I then tried with the Bible four different times, and each time with the same result: it would not move so long as that precious volume lay upon it. . . . I now said, 'If there be a hell, I command you to knock on the floor with this leg (the one next me) twice.' It was motionless. If there be not a hell, knock twice;' no answer. 'If there be a devil, knock twice;' no motion. 'If there be not a devil, knock twice;' to our horror, the leg slowly rose and knocked twice! I then said, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, if there be no devil, knock twice;' it was motionless. This I tried four several times, and each time with the same result." (p. 24.)

It is clear that Mr. Godfrey and his associates, if they had not distinctly anticipated these results, were fully prepared for them. Thus, although he assures his readers that, when the Bible was placed on the table, the emotion in the minds of all the parties was curiosity, and that, if they had a bias, it was against the table stopping, the very fact of the experiment being tried by a man imbued with his prepossessions on the subject of Evil Spirits, Witchcraft, &c., sufficiently indicates what his real state of mind was, although he may not have been himself aware of it. His involuntary muscular actions responded to this, although no voluntary movement would have done so, because he had not consciously

accepted the Idea whose 'physical basis' had been shaping itself in the under-stratum. The experience of everyone must have convinced him that there is often a contrariety between our beliefs as to our own states of mind, and the facts of that state as they afterwards come to be self-revealed to us; and it is a very marked peculiarity of these movements, that they often express more truly what is buried (as it were) in the vaults of our storehouse, than what is displayed in the ware-rooms above.

The Rev. E. Gillson, M.A., a Clergyman of Bath, fully partaking of his predecessor's convictions on the subject of Satanic Agency, and also in the excitement prevailing in many circles at that time on the subject of 'Papal Aggression,' gave the following inter alia as his experiences (TableTalking: Satanic Wonders and Prophetic Signs, 1853):—

"I placed my hand upon the table, and put a variety of questions, all of which were instantly and correctly answered. Various ages were asked, and all correctly told. In reply to trifling questions, possessing no particular interest, the table answered by quietly lifting up the leg and rapping. But in answer to questions of a more exciting character, it would become violently agitated, and sometimes to such a degree that I can only describe the motion by the word frantic. I inquired, 'Are you a departed spirit?' The answer was 'Yes,' indicated by a rap. 'Are you unhappy?' The table answered by a sort of writhing motion (!), which no natural power over it could imitate. It was then asked, 'Shall you be for ever unhappy?' The same kind of writhing motion was returned. 'Do you know Satan?' 'Yes.' 'Is he the Prince of Devils ? 'Yes.' 'Will he be bound?' 'Yes.'

'Will he be cast into the abyss?' 'Yes.' 'Will you be cast in with him?' 'Yes.' 'How long will it be before he is cast out?' He rapped ten. Will wars and commotions intervene ?' The table rocked and reeled backwards and forwards for a length of time, as if it intended a pantomimic

acting of the prophet's predictions (Isaiah xxiv. 20). I then asked Where are Satan's head-quarters? Are they in England?' There was a slight movement. 'Are they in France?' A violent movement. Are they in Spain?' Similar agitation. Are they at Rome?' The table literally seemed frantic. At the close of these experiments, which occupied about two hours, the invisible agent, in answer to some questions about himself, did not agree with what had been said before. I therefore asked, 'Are you the same spirit that was in the table when we began?' 'No.' 'How many spirits have been in the table this evening?' 'Four.' This spirit informed us that he had been an infidel, and had embraced Popery about five years before his death. Amongst other questions, he was asked, 'Do you know the Pope?' The table was violently agitated. I asked, 'How long will Popery continue?' He rapped ten; exactly coinciding with the other spirits' account of the binding of Satan. Many questions were asked, and experiments tried, in order to ascertain whether the results would agree with Mr. Godfrey's; and on every occasion they did, especially that of stopping the movement of the table with the Bible. As we proceeded with our questions, we found an indescribable facility in the conversation, from the extraordinary intelligence and ingenuity displayed in the table (!) E. g.-I inquired if many devils were posted in Bath. He replied by the most extraordinary and rapid knocking of the three feet in succession, round and round, for some time, as if to intimate that they were innumerable!" (Op. cit., pp. 4-8.)

A third Clergyman, the Rev. R. W. Dibdin, M.A., while agreeing with his predecessors in the belief that the movements of the tables are the result of Satanic (or diabolic) agency, differed from them in maintaining 'that devils alone (not departed spirits) are the agents in these cases; and being lying spirits, it is quite credible that, for purposes of their own, they might assume the names of departed men