Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/351

 A STRANGE BOOK 335 borg himself, the rigid and frigid, who perambulated Heaven and Hell most placidly, self-complacent, with his full-bottomed wig and his gold-headed cane, like a cold-blooded bailiff taking an inventory — even he fell into trances, sometimes of several days' duration, when in the world of spirits, and at other times his eyes shone like fire,* or he was discovered trembling and ejaculating, and in a great perspiration. And this cold impassibility of Dr. Wilkinson, while possessed by the Spirit, appears the more astonishing, because he is not like his master, an unimpassioned man, with milk or milk and water for blood in his veins; but is, on the contrary, most vehement and fervid, alike in championing his own and in assaulting hostile doctrines. Huxley himself does not strike out harder straight from the shoulder. In suppressing as much as possible his chief natural faculties, he was surely playing an unnatural as well as an illogical part ; and with the loss of nature we expect to find for several days together, when enjoying his spiritual trances. He desired Shearsmith [his landlord at 26 Great Bath Street, Coldbath Fields, where he died] never to disturb him at such times, an in- junction which was necessary, for the look of his face was so pecu- liar on these occasions that Shearsmith sometimes feared he was dead." — Wilkinson's "Biography," p. 239. ' ' One day after dinner the same domestic [his gardener's wife and his housekeeper when he lived near Stockholm] went into his room, and saw his eyes shining with an appearance as of clear fire. She started back, and exclaimed : ' For God's sake what is the matter? You look fearfully!' — 'How then do I look?' said he. She told him what she saw. ' Well, well,' said he, ' fear not ! The Lord has opened my bodily eyes, so that spirits see through them into the world. I shall soon be out of this state, which will not hurt me.' In about half-an-hour the shining appeixrance left his eyes." Ibid, pp. 226, 227. For the trembling and great perspiration, see Ibid. 152, 153.
 * "As we have seen already, he sometimes continued in bed