The Phantom World; or, The philosophy of spirits, apparitions, &c, &c.Calmet, Augustin
Religion
The Phantom World; or, The philosophy of spirits, apparitions, &c, &c.
Calmet, Augustin
Apparitions; Demonology; Spirits
I am about to relate some of these spectral apparitions upon which the
reader will pronounce judgment for himself. Pliny[310] the younger
says that there was a very handsome mansion at Athens which was
forsaken on account of a spectre which haunted it. The philosopher
Athenodorus, having arrived in the city, and seeing a board which
informed the public that this house was to be sold at a very low
price, bought it and went to sleep there with his people. As he was
busy reading and writing during the night, he heard on a sudden a
great noise, as if of chains being dragged along, and perceived at the
same time something like a frightful old man loaded with iron chains,
who drew near to him. Athenodorus continuing to write, the spectre
made him a sign to follow him; the philosopher in his turn made signs
to him to wait, and continued to write; at last he took his light and
followed the spectre, who conducted him into the court of the house,
then sank into the ground and disappeared.
Athenodorus, without being frightened, tore up some of the grass to
mark the spot, and on leaving it, went to rest in his room. The next
day he informed the magistrates of what had happened; they came to the
house and searched the spot he designated, and there found the bones
of a human body loaded with chains. They caused him to be properly
buried, and the dwelling house remained quiet.
Lucian[311] relates a very similar story. There was, says he, a house
at Corinth which had belonged to one Eubatides, in the quarter named
Cranaues: a man named Arignotes undertook to pass the night there,
without troubling himself about a spectre which was said to haunt it.
He furnished himself with certain magic books of the Egyptians to
conjure the spectre. Having gone into the house at night with a light,
he began to read quietly in the court. The spectre appeared in a
little while, taking sometimes the shape of a dog, then that of a
bull, and then that of a lion. Arignotes very composedly began to
pronounce certain magical invocations, which he read in his books, and
by their power forced the spectre into a corner of the court, where he
sank into the earth and disappeared.
The next day Arignotes sent for Eubatides, the master of the house,
and having had the ground dug up where the phantom had disappeared,
they found a skeleton, which they had properly interred, and from that
time nothing more was seen or heard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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