being connected with Freemasonry, it is very possible that they may have
induced some of their victims to enter a lodge, and then or before
tricked them in different ways. Indeed, one of the people attacked
unsuccessfully had, to the writer's knowledge, an absurd idea of the
exclusiveness of Freemasonry, since he objected to the Prince of Wales
making over a poor Freemason's brief (if that be the proper word to use)
for inquiry as to his circumstances to gentlemen who were not Freemasons.
The brief of course contained only the man's name, and a few ornamental
figures: the man was dead and his widow wanted help. It is to be wished
that some scientific Freemason would study the matter; he would see that
the secrecy of Freemasonry, however harmless and venial, affords cover
for blackguard hypnotists of this particular and doubtless rare kind.
This secrecy is of course entirely conventional, and could doubtless be
altered. As elsewhere, the people who take an interest in it are not
always people with broad and scientific minds, and at the close of the
eighteenth century Cagliostro misused it, it is said, for his own
purposes.

The writer regrets that a want of scientific study of the subject (it
must be remembered that books on hypnotism were rare, and research
backward eleven years ago) prevented him from introducing the subject
properly to the wise and good Lord Carnarvon. It must be borne in mind
that for audible thought-transfers to lead not only to apparent
intercourse--the answers being put into the recipient's mouth, as in Mrs.
Godfrey's case--a pretence of something like Freemasonry is needed.

In "Piccadilly" Oliphant describes a cross appearing to the hero, and the
words "live the life" being whispered to him. He then abandons the young
woman he loves to his friend. Such a course of conduct would certainly be
suggested by hypnotists to make a capable man their plaything and tool as