How, and how often, they have attempted to take control of me and make me their slave, I am unable to recount, for all evil spirits have aimed at this. But when they do not consider the person they are with as a slave, it is because they imagine themselves to be that person, no matter how many are there, so they cannot harbor hatred against themselves. Neither do they know at such a time that the person also is a spirit whose body is joined to his or her spirit. They live in such ignorance so they will not harm people and plunge them to their death. But with me it is different, for they realized they had been separate beings, so they made very many attempts, but in vain. Just now when such spirits were present, I was enabled to make them think that they were me,* which is easily done because they easily absorb portrayals of this kind. Then, while they were of that opinion I was prompted to ask whether they are slaves, or whether I am a slave, or whether a master-to which latter they said yes, thinking me to be themselves. Afterwards they were indignant. 1748, 25 Aug. * So it stands in the Latin, perhaps influenced by French emphatic pronoun moi.