246. There are obsessing spirits without malice, who even have some good, but who have the pride of false knowledge ; they have their own ideas, their systems of- the sciences, social economy, morality, religion, philosophy ; they want their opinion to prevail, and, for that purpose, seek mediums credulous enough to accept them .wkh closed eyes, and whom they fascinate to prevent them from discerning the true from the false. They are the more dangerous because sophisms cost them nothing, and they can gain credit for the most ridiculous extravagances : as they know the pres tige of great names, they do not scruple to borrow the most respected, not even recoiling before the sacrilege of calling themselves Jesus, or the Virgin Mary, or a venerated saint. They seek to dazzle by pompous language, more pretentious than profound, bristling with technical terms, and adorned with the grand words of charity and morality ; they are careful not to give bad advice, because they know they will be re jected : so those whose confidence they abuse defend them against every one, saying, " You can see they say nothing wrong." But morality is to them but a passport ; it is the least of their care ; what they want is to govern, and to impose on others their ideas, how ever unreasonable they may be.
