1755. The inhabitants of the world of spirits have peculiar skill in things of this kind; and if it were permitted them to exercise such magical arts, they could easily induce the minds of men to believe that they were miracles, for these things have an effect upon material and corporeal objects. Hence were the magical practices of the Egyptians; hence the diabolical arts everywhere spoken of [in the Word]; hence false miracles which are of the devil, and which were performed by the Egyptian magicians. The same holds true of many other things, and especially of those illusory visions just mentioned above.