Excerpt from The Phantom World, Vol. 2 of 2: Or, the Philosophy of Spirits, Apparitions
Every age, every nation, every country, has its prejudices, its maladies, its customs, its inclinations, which characterise it, and which pass away, and succeed one to another; often, that which has appeared admirable at one time, becomes pitiful and ridiculous at another. We have seen that in some ages the attention of all was turned towards a certain kind of devotion, of studies, and of exercises. It is known that, for more than one century, the prevailing taste of Europe was the journey to Jerusalem. Kings, princes, nobles, bishops, ecclesiastics, monks, all pressed thither in crowds. The pilgrimages to Rome were formerly very frequent and very famous. All this is now fallen away. We have seen provinces overrun with flagellants, and now none of them remain, except in the brotherhoods of penitents, which are still found in several parts.
We have seen in more recent times, jumpers and dancers, who, every moment, jumped and danced in the streets, squares, or market places, and even in the churches. The convulsionaries of our own days seem to have revived them; posterity will be surprised at them, as we laugh at them now.
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