thin thread. The ring, bounding
from letter to letter, picks out letters forming hexameters, like
those of Delphi.' This is confusing. Probably the movements of the
table, communicated to the thread, caused the bounds of the ring,
otherwise there was no use in the table moving. At all events the
ring touched THEO (which is not a word that could begin a hexameter)
when they asked who was to succeed Valens. Some one called out
'Theodore' and they pursued the experiment no farther. A number of
Theodores and Theophiles were put to death, but when Theodosius was
joined with Gratian in the Empire, the believers held that the table
had been well inspired. Here there was no chaine, or circle, the
table is not said to lever le pied legerement, as the song advises,
therefore M. de Gasparin rules the case out of court. The object,
however, really was analogous to planchette, Ouija, and other modern
modes of automatic divination. The experiment of Hilarius with the
'confounded little table' led to a massacre of Neoplatonists,
martyrs of Psychical Research! In Hilarius's confession we omit a
set of ritual invocations; as unessential as the mystic rites used
by savages in making curari.

The spiritus percutiens, 'rapping spirit' (?) conjured away by old
Catholic formulae at the benediction of churches, was brought
forward by some of M. de Gasparin's critics. As _his_ tables did
not rap, he had nothing to do with the spiritus percutiens, who
proves, however, that the Church was acquainted with raps, and
explained them by the spiritualistic hypothesis. {317}

A text in Tertullian's Apologetic was also cited. Here tabulae and
capae, 'tables and she-goats,' are said to divine. What have she-
goats to do in the matter? De Morgan wished to read tabulae et
crepae, which he construes 'tables and raps,' but he only finds
crepae in Festus, who says, that goats are called crepae, quod
cruribus crepent, 'because they rattle with their legs'. De
Morgan's guess is ingenious, but lacks confirmation. We are not, so
far, aware of communication with spirits by raps before 856 A.D.

Finally, M. de Gasparin denies that his researches are
'superstitious'. Will can move my limbs, if it also moves my table,
what is there superstitious in that? It is a new fact, that is all.
'Tout est si materiel, si physique dans les experiences des tables.'
It was not so at Toulouse!

Meanwhile M. de Gasparin, firm in his 'Trewth,'--the need of a