An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692Thacher, James
Philosophy
An Essay on Demonology, Ghosts and Apparitions, and Popular Superstitions: Also, an Account of the Witchcraft Delusion at Salem, in 1692
Thacher, James
Superstition; Witchcraft; Witchcraft -- Massachusetts -- Salem
'It was nearly a month after the last occurrence, that Mrs B. was
preparing for bed at about eleven o'clock at night, and after somewhat
a fatiguing day, and sitting before the dressing glass occupied in
arranging her hair. She describes her state of mind at the time as
listless and drowsy, but fully awake; indeed her fingers were in
active motion among the papillotes, when she was suddenly startled by
seeing in the mirror the figure of a near relative (at the time in
Scotland) over her left shoulder; her eyes meeting his in the glass.
The figure was enveloped in grave clothes, closely pinned as is usual
with corpses round the head and under the chin. Though the eyes were
open, the features were solemn and rigid. The dress was decidedly a
_shroud_, as Mrs B. remarked even the punctured pattern worked in a
peculiar manner round the edges of that garment. Mrs B. describes
herself as sensible of a feeling like fascination, compelling her for
a time to gaze on this melancholy apparition, which was as distinct
and vivid as any reflected reality could be; the light of the candles
on the dressing table appearing to shine fully upon it. After a few
minutes she turned round to look for the reality of the form over her
shoulder. It was not, however, visible; and had also disappeared from
the glass when she looked in that direction again. Coupled with the
previous illusions I related to you, this last apparition becomes more
interesting than it would be alone. In the first place, its melancholy
and indeed horrible character, distinguishes it from the others, but
brings it still nearer the ordinary stories of supernatural
visitation. At the same time the possible continuance of such spectral
appearances is highly disagreeable, however firm the lady's nerves,
and however sound her philosophy. 2d. The mind in this case seems not
to have had the remotest influence in raising or dissipating the
illusion. Mrs B. is convinced there was no train of thought previously
passing through her mind, likely to have the slightest association
with the idea of the relative, whose form she suddenly saw with all
the distinctness of reality. 3d. The former illusions might be
supposed ideas of sensation, sounds, or pictures reproduced, with
extraordinary vividness in the same shape and character, in which they
had been perceived by and stored up in the mind. But in this last case
there is a new combination of ideas which never entered the mind in
connexion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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