The Philosophy of Magic, Prodigies and Apparent Miracles (Paperback)

1847. From the French of Salverte, with notes illustrative, explanatory and critical by Anthony Todd Thomson. Contains discussion relative to the following topics: man is credulous because he is naturally sincere; difference between miracles and prodigies; enumeration and discussion of causes; allegories and fables adopted as real facts; real but rare phenomena held up as prodigies; magic; antiquity and universality of the belief in magic; trial of skill between the Thaumaturgists; errors mingled with the positive truths of science; safeguards of the mystery that surrounded the occult sciences; hieroglyphics; acoustics; optics; and many others.