Part 31

A curious feature in these phenomena is the intimate relation in which sacred and so-called demoniac influences seem to stand with one another. The saints are represented as tempted by evil spirits which yet have no existence except in their own heart, and the possessed, on the other hand, occasionally have pious impulses and holy thoughts. In the former case it is the innate sinfulness of the heart which creates images of demons such as St. Anthony saw in the desert; in the latter case the guardian angels of men are said to come to their rescue. There are even instances on record of men who have wantonly given themselves up to the temporary influence of evil spirits--under the impression that they could thus please God!--as travelers purposely suffer the evil effects of opium or hasheesh in order to test their powers. Thus mysticism finally devised a complete system of angels, saints, and demons, whose varied forms and peculiarities became familiar to votaries at an early period of their lives, and filled their minds with images which afterwards assumed an apparent reality during the state of trance. That the physical condition enters as a powerful element in all these phenomena appears clearly from the fact that whenever women are liable to trances or visions of this kind the latter vary regularly with their state of health, and in the majority of cases cease at a certain age. This fact illustrates in a very characteristic manner the mutual relations between body and soul; the condition of the former is reflected in the soul by sentiment and image, and the soul in precisely the same manner impresses itself upon the body. Generally this is limited to the face, where the features in their expression reproduce more or less faithfully what is going on within; but in exceptional cases the psychical events cause certain mechanical or physical changes in the body which now and then result in actual illness or become even fatal. Experience proves that if the imagination is stimulated to excessive activity, it can produce changes in the nature of the epidermis or even of the mucous membrane, which resemble in everything the symptoms of genuine diseases. There are men who can, by an energetic effort of will, cause red spots, resembling inflammation, to appear in almost every part of the body. In extreme cases this power extends to the production of syncope, in which they become utterly insensible to injuries of any kind, lose all power of motion, and even cease to breathe. St. Augustine mentions a number of such cases. (_De civit. Dei_, l. xiv. ch. 24.) The remarkable power of Colonel Townshend of falling into a state of syncope is too well established to admit of any doubt; he became icy cold and rigid, his heart ceased to beat and his lungs to breathe; the face turned deadly pale, the features grew sharp and pointed, and his eyes remained fixed. By an effort of his own will he could recall himself to life, but one evening, when he tried to repeat the experiment, after having made it in the morning successfully in the presence of three physicians, he failed to awake again. It appeared afterwards that his heart was diseased; he had, however, at the same time, by careful attention and long practice, obtained almost perfect control over that organ. (Cheyne, "Engl. Malady," London, 1733, p. 307.) Indian fakirs have been known to possess a similar power, and have allowed themselves to be buried in air-tight graves, where they have been watched at times for forty days, by military guards, and yet at the expiration of that time have returned to life without apparent injury. A similar power over less vital organs of the body is by no means rare; men are constantly found who can at will conceal their tongue so that even surgeons discover it but with difficulty; others, like Justinus Kerner, can empty their stomachs of their contents as if they were pockets, or contract and enlarge the pupils of the eyes at pleasure. Nor are cases of Indians and negroes rare, who in their despair have died merely because they willed it so. There can be no doubt, therefore, that if mere volition can produce such extraordinary results, still more exceptional effects may be obtained by fervent faith and an excessive stimulation of the whole nervous system, and much that appears either incredible or at least in the highest degree marvelous may find an easy and yet satisfactory explanation.

Genuine stigmatization, that is, the appearance of the five wounds of our Saviour, presents itself ordinarily only after many years of constant meditation of his passion, combined with excessive fasting and other ascetic self-torment. The first stage is apt to be a vision of Christ's suffering, accompanied by the offer of a wreath of flowers or a crown of thorns. If the mystic chooses the former, the result remains within the limits of the general effects of asceticism; should he, however, choose the crown of thorns, the stigmas themselves are apt to appear. This occurs, naturally, only in the very rare cases, where the mystic possesses that exceptional energy and intense plastic power of the imagination which are requisite in order to suspend the natural relations of soul and body. Then the latter, already thoroughly weakened and exhausted, becomes so susceptible to the influence of the soul, that it reproduces, spontaneously and unconsciously, the impressions deeply engraven on the mind, and during the next ecstatic visions the wounds show themselves suddenly. Their appearance is invariably accompanied by violent pain, which seems to radiate, in fiery burning darts from the wounds of the image of Christ. As the minds of mystics differ infinitely in energy of will and clearness of perception, the stigmas also are seen more or less distinctly; and their nature varies from mere reddish points, which become visible on the head, as the effect of a crown of thorns, to real bleeding wounds. The former are apt to disappear as the excitement subsides or the will is weakened; the latter, however, are peculiar in this, that they do not continue to bleed, and yet, also, do not heal up. In women, only, they are apt to break out again at regular intervals, for instance, on Fridays, when the mystic excitement again reaches its highest degree, or at other periods when pressure of blood seeks an outlet through these new openings. As such a state can continue only by means of lengthened inflammation, stigmatization is always accompanied by violent pains and great suffering, especially during the bleeding.

The earliest of all cases of stigmatization--of which nearly seventy are fully authenticated--was that of Francis of Assisi, who, after having spent years in fervent prayer for permission to share the sufferings of the Saviour, at last saw a seraph with six wings descend toward him, and between the wings the form of a crucified person. At the same moment he felt piercing pains, and when he recovered from his trance he found his hands and feet, as well as his side, bleeding as from severe wounds, and strange, dark excrescences, resembling nails, protruding from the wounds in his extremities. As this was the first case of stigmatization known, Francis of Assisi was filled with grave doubts concerning the strange phenomenon, and carefully concealed it from all but his most intimate friends. Still the wounds were seen and felt by Pope Alexander and a number of cardinals during his lifetime, and became an object of careful investigation after his death. (Philalethes' _Divina Comm., Paradiso_, p. 144.) There is but one other case, as fully authenticated, in which a man was thus stigmatized; all other trustworthy instances are related of females. How close the connection is between the will and the appearance of these phenomena may be seen from one of the best-established cases, that of Joanna of Burgos, in Spain, who had shed much blood every week for twenty years in following the recital of the passion of our Saviour. When she was seventy years old, her superiors prevailed upon her, by special arguments, to pray fervently for a suspension of her sufferings. She threw herself down before a crucifix, and remained there a day and a night in incessant prayer; on the next morning the wounds had closed, and never again commenced bleeding. Another evidence of this feature lies in the fact that stigmatization occurs mainly in Italy, the land of imagination, and in Spain, the land of devotion; in Germany only a few cases are known, and not one in the North of Europe and in America.

Among the famous mystics who do not belong as saints or martyrs exclusively to the Church, stand first and foremost Henry Suso, of the "Living Heart," and John Ruysbroek, the so-called Doctor Ecstaticus. The former, who often had trances, and once lay for a long time in syncope, has left behind him some of the most attractive works ever written by religious enthusiasts. He lived in the fourteenth century, and when, two hundred years later, his grave was opened the body was found unchanged, and fervent admirers believed they perceived pleasing odors emanating from the remains. The Dutch divine Ruysbroek was even more renowned by his holy life and admirable writings than by the many marvelous visions which he enjoyed. The same century produced the most famous preacher Germany has probably ever seen, John Capistran, who attracted the masses by the magic power of his individuality and held them spell-bound by his burning eloquence. A native of Capistrano, in the Abruzzi, where he was born in 1385, he became first a lawyer, and gained great distinction as such in Sicily. Unfortunately he was engaged in one of the many petty wars which at that time distracted Italy; was made a prisoner and cast with barbaric cruelty into a foul dungeon. Here he devoted himself to ascetic devotion, and had a vision ordering him to leave the world. When he regained his liberty, at the age of thirty, he entered the order of Franciscan monks, and soon became a preacher of world-wide renown. Traveling through Italy, Hungary, and Germany, he affected his audiences by his mere appearance, and produced truly amazing changes in the hearts of thousands. In Vienna he once preached, in the open air, before an assembly of more than a hundred thousand men; the people listened to him for hours amid loud weeping and sobbing, and great numbers were converted, including several hundred Jews. In Bohemia he induced in like manner eleven thousand Hussites to return to the Catholic Church, among whom were numerous noblemen and ministers. Similar successes were obtained in almost every large town of Germany, till he was recalled to the South, when Germany became indebted to him and to John Corvin for its deliverance from the Turks and the famous victory of Belgrade in 1456. During his whole career he continued to have ecstatic visions, to fall into trances of considerable duration, and to behold stigmas on his body--yet, withal, he remained an eminently practical man, not only converting many thousands from their religious errors, but turning them also from vicious habits and criminal pursuits to a life of virtue. At the same time he rendered signal services to his brethren in mere worldly matters, now pleading and now fighting for them with an energy and a success which alone would secure him a name in history. The ecstatic nature of another mystic, Vincentio Ferrer, produced a singular effect, which has never been noticed except in biblical history. He was a native of Valencia, and, knowing no language but the local dialect of his country, he continued throughout life to preach in his mother tongue--and yet he was understood by all who heard him! This result was at least partially explained by the astounding flexibility of his voice, which at all times adapted itself so completely to his feelings, that its tones found a responsive echo in every heart. In vain did the pope, Benedict XIII., offer him first a bishopric and afterwards a cardinal's hat; the pious monk refused all honors save one, the title of Papal Missionary, and in this capacity he passed through nearly every land in Christendom, preaching and exhorting day and night, exciting everywhere the utmost enthusiasm and converting thousands from their evil ways. His eloquence and fervor were so great that even learned men and fierce warriors declared he spoke with the voice of an angel, and criminals of deepest dye would fall down in the midst of great crowds, confessing their misdeeds and solemnly vowing repentance and amendment.

The greatest of all mystics, however, was the before-mentioned Filippo Neri, a saint of the Catholic Church, whose simple candor and truly Christian humility have procured for him the esteem and the admiration of men of all creeds and all ages. Even as a mere child he was already renowned for his extraordinary gifts as well as for his fervent piety; while still a layman he had numerous visions and trances, and when in his thirtieth year he had prayed for days and nights in the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, his heart became suddenly so enlarged that some of the intercostal muscles gave way, and a great swelling appeared on the outside, which remained there throughout life, although without causing him any pain. His inner fervor was so great as to keep his blood and his whole system continually at fever heat, and although he lived exclusively upon bread, herbs, and olives, he never wore warm clothes, even in the severest winters, always slept with open doors and windows, and preferred walking about with his breast uncovered. During the last ten years of his life his body was no longer able to sustain his ecstatic soul; whenever he attempted to read mass or to preach, his feelings became so excited that his voice failed him, and he fell into a trance of several hours' duration. It was in this condition that he was frequently lifted up, together with the chair on which he sat, to a height of several feet from the ground. What renders these magic phenomena peculiarly interesting, is the fact that Filippo Neri not only attached no special value to them, but actually did his best to conceal them from the eyes of the world. As soon as they began to show themselves, he ceased reading mass in the presence of others, and only allowed his attendant to re-enter his cell when the latter had convinced himself, by peeping through a narrow opening in the door, that the trance was over. When others praised his piety and marveled at these wonders, he invariably smiled and said: "Don't you know that I am nothing but a fool and a dreamer?"

He added that he would infinitely rather do works which should prove his faith than be the recipient of miraculous favors. But his prestige was so great that whenever he was prevailed upon or thought it his duty to exert his influence, it was paramount, and secured to him a powerful control in historical events. Thus it was when Pope Gregory XIV. had excommunicated King Henry IV., and his successor, Clement VIII., continued the fearful punishment in spite of all the entreaties of king and courtiers. Filippo Neri, foreseeing the dangers which were likely to arise from such measures for the Church, and deeply concerned for the welfare of the French people, retired to prayer, inviting the pope's confessor to join him in his devotions. These had been continued for three days without intermission, when at last the saint fell into a trance, and upon re-awaking from it, told his companion: "To-day the pope will send for you to confess him. You will tell him, when his confession is made: 'Father Filippo has directed me to refuse Your Holiness absolution, and ever to confess you again till you have relieved the King of France from excommunication.'" Clement, deeply moved by this message, summoned immediately the council of cardinals, and Henry IV. was once more received into the bosom of the Church. In spite of this great influence, Neri sternly refused all honors and dignities, even the purple, which was offered to him three times, and died in 1595, eighty years old, on the day and at the hour which he had long since foretold. That his visions were accompanied by actual stigmatization has already been mentioned.

Our own continent has had but one great mystic, Rosa of Lima, who is hence known as _primus Americæ meridionalis flos_. She had inherited her peculiar organization from her mother, who had frequently seen visions, and when the child was three years old, changed her name from Isabel to Rosa, because she had seen a rose suspended over the face of her daughter. Much admired on account of her great beauty and rare sweetness, the young girl refused all offers, and preferred, in spite of the remonstrances of friends and of brutal ill-treatment on the part of her brothers, to enter a convent. On her way there, however, she felt her steps suddenly arrested by superior force, and saw in this supernatural interruption a hint that she should leave the world even more completely than she could have done as a nun of the Order of St. Dominick. She built herself, therefore, a little cell in her father's garden, and here led a life of ecstatic asceticism, during which she often remained for days and weeks without food, and became strangely intimate with birds and insects. Whenever she took the eucharist, she felt marvelous happiness and fell into trances; in the intervals, however, she suffered intensely from that depression and utter despair which in such cases are apt to result from powerful reaction. She died quite young, exhausted by her ascetic life and continued excitement, and has ever since been revered as the patron saint of Peru.

THE END.

PROF. SCHELE DE VERE'S WORKS.

WONDERS OF THE DEEP.

By M. SCHELE DE VERE, Professor of the University of Virginia. Third edition, 12mo, cloth, $1.50. Illustrated, cloth, gilt, $2.

CHIEF CONTENTS.

Pearls. Corals. Facts and Fables. Mercury. Oysters. Lighthouses. Odd Fish. Knight in Armor. A Pinch of Salt. A Grain of Sand. The Earth in Trouble.

"One of the freshest, most scientific, and at the same time most popular and delightful books of the kind we have ever read."--_St. John's Telegraph._

"These essays make a valuable addition to the standard literature of the time. The author, who is one of the profoundest scientists of the age and one of the most brilliant essayists of the country has brought from the depths of the ocean vast stores of hidden knowledge.... The charm of the book is the skillful and yet natural way in which plain facts have been put. We were attracted toward them by their freshness, and soon we are following on with intense interest and enthusiasm. The chapters on "Pearls," "Corals," "Mercury," and "A Pinch of Salt," and, in fact, nearly all the others are absorbingly interesting."--_Newark, N. J., Register._

STRAY LEAVES FROM THE BOOK OF NATURE.

New edition, illustrated. 12mo, cloth, $1.50.

"The book is peculiarly fascinating."--_Chicago Journal._

"The entire work is full of charming description and pleasant information."--_Courier-Journal, Louisville._

"This little book will prove of great service to hundreds of readers into whose hands it may fall."--_New Haven Palladium._

"A better work for the young than half the story books published."--_Rural New Yorker._

THE ROMANCE OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

12mo, cloth extra, $1.50.

CONTENTS.

Lo! the Poor Indian. The Hidden River. Our First Romance. A Few Town Names. Kaisers, Kings, and Knights. Lost Towns. Lost Lands.

"We can only repeat that it is intensely interesting, and full of instructive matter that every American should make himself familiar with."--_Toledo Commercial._

"In the selection of early historical curiosities the author has evinced nice taste and tact, and he possesses in an eminent degree the rare and invaluable art of investing the dry details of history with a romantic color and hue."--_American Athenæum._

MODERN MAGIC.

12mo, cloth.

CONTENTS.

Witchcraft. Black and White Magic. Dreams. Visions. Ghosts. Divination. Possession. Magnetism. Miraculous Cases. Mysticism.

--> For sale by all Booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price by

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, Publishers,

_4th Ave. and 23d St., New York._

IN COURSE OF PUBLICATION.

Putnam's Elementary and Advanced Science Series,

_Adapted to the requirements of Students in Science and Art Classes, and Higher and Middle Class Schools._

ELEMENTARY SERIES.

_Printed uniformly in 16mo, fully Illustrated, cloth extra, price, 65 cents each._

1. PRACTICAL PLANE AND SOLID GEOMETRY. By H. Angel, Islington Science School, London.

2. MACHINE CONSTRUCTION AND DRAWING. By E. Tomkins, Queen's College, Liverpool.

3A BUILDING CONSTRUCTION--STONE, BRICK AND SLATE WORK. By R. S. Burn, C.E., Manchester.

3B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION--TIMBER AND IRON WORK. By R. S. Burn, C.E., Manchester.

4. NAVAL ARCHITECTURE--SHIPBUILDING AND LAYING OFF. By S. J. P. Thearle, F.R.S.N.A., London.

5. PURE MATHEMATICS. By Lewis Sergeant, B.A., (Camb.,) London.

6. THEORETICAL MECHANICS. By William Rossiter, F.R.A.S., F.C.S., London.

7. APPLIED MECHANICS. By William Rossiter, F.R.A.S., London.

8. ACOUSTICS, LIGHT AND HEAT. By William Lees, A.M., Lecturer on Physics, Edinburgh.

9. MAGNETISM AND ELECTRICITY. By John Angell, Senior Science Master, Grammar School, Manchester.

10. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. By Dr. W. B. Kemshead, F.R.A.S., Dulwich College, London.

11. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. By W. Marshall Watts, D.Sc., (Lond.,) Grammar School, Giggleswick.

12. GEOLOGY. By. W. S. Davis, LL.D., Derby.

13. MINERALOGY. By J. H. Collins, F.G.S., Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, Falmouth.

14. ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY. By John Angell, Senior Science Master, Grammar School, Manchester.

15. ZOOLOGY. By M. Harbison, Head-Master Model Schools, Newtonards.

16. VEGETABLE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. By J. H. Balfour, M.D., Edinburgh University.

17. SYSTEMATIC AND ECONOMIC BOTANY. By J. H. Balfour, M.D., Edinburgh University.

19. METALLURGY. By John Mayer, F.C.S., Glasgow.

20. NAVIGATION. By Henry Evers, LL.D., Plymouth.

21. NAUTICAL ASTRONOMY. By Henry Evers, LL.D.

22A STEAM AND THE STEAM ENGINE--LAND AND MARINE. By Henry Evers, LL.D., Plymouth.

22B STEAM AND STEAM ENGINE--LOCOMOTIVE. By Henry Evers, LL.D., Plymouth.

23. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. By John Macturk, F.R.G.S.

24. PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY. By John Howard, London.

25. ASTRONOMY. By J. J. Plummer, Observatory, Durham.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

Obvious typographical errors in punctuation and spelling have been corrected without comment. One example of an obvious typographical error is on page 109 where the word "utterred" was changed to "uttered" in the phrase: "... he uttered a piercing cry...."

In addition to obvious errors the following changes have been made:

1. Page 376: The phrase "as early in 1773" was changed to "as early as 1773".

2. Page 119: "cocoa" was changed to "coca" in the phrase, "... opium, betel, hasheesh, and coca...."

3. Page 209: "Aureditated" was changed to "Accredited" to reflect the correct title of Jarvis' book: "Accredited Ghost Stories".

4. Page 211: "Aured." was changed to "Accred." in the phrase, "Accred. Ghost Stories".

5. Page 234: "aids" was changed to "aides" in the phrase, "General d'Espagne roused his aides...."

6. On the ad page, the illustration of a hand symbol has been replaced with "-->".

The spelling of most proper names has been left unchanged with the following exceptions:

1. "Göethe", "Goëthe" and "Goethe" has been standardized to "Goethe".

2. Page 109: "Shilling" was changed to "Stilling" (Jung Stilling, author of "Jenseits" cf. pp. 156, 204, 320).