was a
scroll of gibberish sewn in an old bag and given to the woman in a freak
by the judge himself when a young scamp on the circuit. But the charm
cured? Certainly; just as mesmerism cures. Fools believed in it. Faith,
that moves mountains, may well cure agues."

Thus I ran on, supporting my views with anecdote and facts, to which Sir
Philip listened with placid gravity.

When I had come to an end he said: "Of mesmerism, as practised in
Europe, I know nothing except by report. I can well understand that
medical men may hesitate to admit it amongst the legitimate resources of
orthodox pathology; because, as I gather from what you and others say
of its practice, it must, at the best, be far too uncertain in its
application to satisfy the requirements of science. Yet an examination
of its pretensions may enable you to perceive the truth that lies hid
in the powers ascribed to witchcraft; benevolence is but a weak agency
compared to malignity; magnetism perverted to evil may solve half the
riddles of sorcery. On this, however, I say no more at present. But
as to that which you appear to reject as the most preposterous and
incredible pretension of the mesmerists, and which you designate by
the word 'clairvoyance,' it is clear to me that you have never yourself
witnessed even those very imperfect exhibitions which you decide at once
to be imposture. I say imperfect, because it is only a limited number of
persons whom the eye or the passes of the mesmerist can effect; and
by such means, unaided by other means, it is rarely indeed that the
magnetic sleep advances beyond the first vague shadowy twilight-dawn of
that condition to which only in its fuller developments I would apply
the name of 'trance.' But still trance is as essential a condition of
being as sleep or as waking, having privileges peculiar to itself. By
means within the range of the science that explores its nature and its
laws, trance, unlike the clairvoyance you describe, is producible in
every human being, however unimpressible to mere mesmerism."

"Producible in every human being! Pardon me if I say that I will give
any enchanter his own terms who will produce that effect upon me."

"Will you? You consent to have the experiment tried on yourself?"

"Consent most readily."

"I will remember that promise. But to return to the subject. By the
word 'trance' I do not mean exclusively the spiritual trance of the
Alexandrian Platonists. There is one kind of tr