Universe, there may be many Orders, Modes, and Variations in the Revolutions of Souls, according to the manifold Wisdom of God and what Order of Afcent or Defcent God has prefcrib'd to us, belongs to his fecret Difpenfation, which is hid from us in this Life.

BUT perhaps you may believe that it may be poffible to prove, from the Ghosts and Apparitions of the Dead, that human Souls, when they throw off this Body, immediately affume another, by means of which they fometimes fhew themselves vifible and confpicuous in a human Shape. I must confess, that it never was evident yet to me, nor could I be convinc'd that the *Souls of the Dead ever yet appear'd, or will appear before the Day of Judgment. Genii perhaps, or Dæmons, may have the Power of condenfing the Air, or their proper Vehicles, and forming them into human or brutal Shapes, and may perhaps exercife that Power fometimes, especially among barbarous Nations, or Nations that are half barbarous; but

* See the Words of St. Chryfoftome, Homily xix. on Matth and Homily the laft, concerning Lazarus. Maldonatus upon St. Luke, Chap. xvi. towards the End quotes Tertullian, De Anima, against the Apparitions of the Dead; but I fuppofe he is mistaken, because he quotes not the Chapter. He quotes likewife Athanafius, or the Author, whoever he be, of the Treatife to Antiochus, ix. xi. and xiii. Ifiodor. Lib. viii. Etymol. c. ix. and Theophylact on Matthew viii.

but I believe that this is rarely done among us; and that among a thousand Tales of fuch Apparitions we hardly find one true. These, however, by the vulgar are swallow'd, and the Remembrance of a future Life is renew'd, and their Faith is ftrengthen'd. But the Monks are they who have imported the greatest Cargo of Fables on this Subject, by their own Inventions, or their imaginary Vifions, in order to introduce and confirm the Belief of Purgatory.

BUT let us now, if you please, fuppofe that the Souls of the Dead have aërial Bodies, and have an animal Life. Here many Questions will occur, many Doubts to be clear'd up: First of all, what Region of the Air would you have these new Comers inhabit? the fuperior or the inferior one? If you place them below the Clouds, you then expofe them to all the piercing Extreams of Seafons, and all the intemperature of the Skies, fince they always live in the open Air, defended by no Roofs, by no Houses of any kind whatsoever. When it rains,

when it fnows, when it hails, when it thunders, they ftill lie expos'd to the open Air; and thefe Meteors muft of Neceffity, not only rudely infult their tender Bodies, but ftrike and tranfpierce them through and through; and the Fury of tempestuous Winds must drive and tranfport them like fo many Clouds, into new Habitations. But if you place thefe Souls of the Dead, as

well

well the Evil as the Good, above the Clouds and the Atmosphere of the Earth, you carry them from Hades, into Regions ferene and lucid, of which the impure and wicked Souls are most unworthy, and for which they are most improper: Nor would you, I believe, have these separated from the reft, the Goats from the Sheep before the Day of Judgment. But fo much for the Seats and Stations of the Dead.

THE fecond Query is concerning the Polity of the Dead: For if they have Bodies, and lead an animal Life, 'tis neceffary that there fhould be fome Polity, fome Government among them. Would you then, have them live all in the fame Republick promiscuofly? or would you have them separated and distributed, as they were here on Earth into several Nations, both by their Names and their Manners diftinguish'd? As for example; Would you have the French dwell all together, and separately from the reft? Would you thus have the Spaniards, the Italians, the Germans, the Britons, and all the rest of the Nations upon the Face of the Earth, have their own Seats in the Air, each of them separated from the reft? Would you have each of them likewise have their ancient Government, their own Language, their own Religion, and Cuf toms? These are the Questions that are to be determin'd, and explain'd to the Inquirers. But first of all it will be difficult to fix and

preferve

any

preferve in a fluid Element, the Bounds of the feveral Empires; in an Element where there can be neither Ditches, nor Rivers, nor Fortifications: Nor will the Difficulty be lefs in appointing their Kings; for which of the old ones, the first or the last, will they restore to the Throne? or what royal Pedigree will they prefer to the reft? or, rejecting all antient Titles, fhall they give the Crown to the worthiest? I can easily see that Contentions will arise from hence, and Parties, and Factions, and Wars; but what Manner of fighting, or what Weapons they will use in the Air, I do not yet understand: The Dead certainly can die no more; nor do I know whether they can be wounded.

SOME little Queries likewife arise concerning the Difcourfe and Language of the Dead. Many have invented Dialogues of the Dead; but what Language the Dead make use of, I am yet to learn. You will fay their Mother, or their native Language, the fame that they us'd here on Earth, as the Grecians fpeak Greek, the Latins Latin, and fo for the rest of the Nations: But Times, and People, and Languages, from Age to Age are chang'd. Our modern Romans are very little skill'd in the Language of the antient Latins, nor do the vulgar Italians understand any Latinity whatever: How hall these People hold Difcourfe with their Romulus, or their Numa. The Languages of the Celta and the Scy

thyians, are no more remember'd by those who inhabit the fame Seats in the North and the Weft, that they did. Lastly, what is to be done by us the Inhabitants of this Island, who have had so many Languages and fo many Originals? Shall we fpeak Welsh in our aërial Bodies, or Saxon, or Norman, or as we do at this Day, a Mixture and Compound of them all? If the Life to come were to be regulated at this Rate, I am afraid there would be a Confufion of Tongues more grievous than that of Babel.

WE come into the World, in which we are now, Infants, where by Degrees we learn the Ufe of Speech, inftructed by our Mothers and our Nurses; but in the aërial World I prefume there is no Infancy. They who are Infants when they go out of this, when they enter into that, are mature at once, without any Diftinction of Age. They do not come out from the Womb of their Mother, and gradually, like our little ones, grow up to Youth and Manhood; but as foon as they have a Tafte of aëtherial Air, grow reasonable and polite at once, without any Apprenticeship in learning. These Things I fpeak, not that I mean them, but according to the forefaid Hypothefis: Nor do I fee how the Dead can retain their old Languages, or fwallow down a new at one Draught. But fo much for their Difcourfe.