[Greek: "Ta taes manteias hae mallon manias ephtheggeto
hraemata."]

In another place of Plutarch (tom. ii., p. 414. E.) we have [Greek:
eggastrimuthoi] and [Greek: puthones] used as synonymous words to
express persons into whose bodies the god might be supposed to enter,
"using their {235} bodies and voices as instruments." The only word in
that passage which appears to hint at what we call ventriloquism is
[Greek: hupophtheggesthai].

I have very little doubt that amongst the various tricks of ancient
divination ventriloquism found a place; but I cannot give that direct
evidence which MR. SANSOM asks for. I think it very likely that "_the
wizards that peep and mutter_" (Isa. viii. 19.) were of this class; but
it is not clear that the [Hebrew: 'obot]--the [Greek eggastrimuthoi] of
the LXX.--were so. The English version has "them that have familiar
spirits." The Hebrew word signifies _bottles_; and this may mean no more
than that the spirit of divination was contained in the person's body as
in a bottle, "using his body and his voice as instruments," as in the
place of Plutarch quoted above. We have something like this, Acts, xix.
15., where "the evil spirit answered," no doubt in the voice of the
demoniac, "Jesus I know," &c. Michaelis (Suppl., p. 39.) gives a
different meaning and etymology to [Hebrew: 'obot]. He derives it from
the Arabic, which signifies (1) _rediit_, (2) _occidit_ sol, (3) _noctu
venit_ or _noctu aliquid fecit_. The first and third of these meanings
will make it applicable to the [Greek: nekromanteia] (of which the witch
of Endor was a practitioner), which was carried on at night. See Hor.
_Sat._ I. ix.

I do not think that the damsel mentioned Acts, xvi. 16. was a