Paul, who says
that the air is full of spirits of different ranks; some destined to
exist for a time in mortal bodies, from which being emancipated, they
pass and repass between heaven and earth, as agents or messengers in
the service of the deity.
But the worthy little man assumes a bolder tone, when he quotes from
the fathers of the church; such as St. Jerome, who gives it as the
opinion of all the doctors, that the air is filled with powers opposed
to each other; and Lactantius, who says that corrupt and dangerous
spirits wander over the earth, and seek to console themselves for
their own fall by effecting the ruin of the human race; and Clemens
Alexandrinus, who is of opinion that the souls of the blessed have
knowledge of what passes among men, the same as angels have.
I am now alone in my chamber, but these themes have taken such hold of
my imagination, that I cannot sleep. The room in which I sit is just
fitted to foster such a state of mind. The walls are hung with
tapestry, the figures of which are faded, and look like unsubstantial
shapes melting away from sight. Over the fire-place is the portrait of
a lady, who, according to the housekeeper's tradition, pined to death
for the loss of her lover in the battle of Blenheim.
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