cause, and is told, that one of their body had lately died,
who was the ornament and delight of the whole society. To pass away the
time, he walks into the church, attended by some of the religious, who
shew him the tomb of their deceased brother, and speak feelingly of the
scanty honours they had bestowed on his memory. Suddenly, a voice is
heard, apparently proceeding from the roof of the choir, lamenting the
situation of the deceased in purgatory, and reproaching the brotherhood
with their lukewarmness and want of zeal on his account. The friars, as
soon as their astonishment gave them power to speak, consult together,
and agree to acquaint the rest of the community with this singular
event, so interesting to the whole society.

Monsieur St. Gille, who wished to carry on the deception still farther,
dissuaded them from taking this step; telling them, that they will be
treated by their absent brethren as a set of fools and visionaries. He
recommended to them, however, the immediately calling the whole
community into the church, when the ghost of their departed brother may,
probably, reiterate his complaints. Accordingly, all the friars,
novices, lay-brothers, and even the domestics of the convent, are
immediately summoned and collected together. In a short time, the voice
from the roof renewed its lamentations and reproaches; and the whole
convent fell on their faces, and vowed a solemn reparation. As a first
step, they chaunted a _De Profundis_ in full choir; during the intervals
of which, the ghost occasionally expressed the comfort he received from
their pious exercises and ejaculations on his behalf. When all was over,
the Prior entered into a serious conversation with Monsieur St. Gille;
and, on the strength of what had just passed, sagaciously inveighed
against the absurd incredulity of our modern sceptics, and pretended
philosophers, as to the existence of ghosts or apparitions. Monsieur
St. Gille thought it now high time to undeceive the good fathers. This
purpose, however, he found extremely difficult to effect, till he had
prevailed upon them to return with him into the church, and there be
witnesses of the manner in which he had conducted this ludicrous
deception.

In consequence of these memoirs, presented by the author to the Royal
Academy of Sciences at Paris, in which he communicated to them the
observations that he had collected on the subject of ventriloquism in
general, and those he had made on Mons