Control

An Encyclopaedia of Occultism (1920)

-A spiritualistic term, denoting the spirit who controls the physical organisation of a medium. - (See Spiritualism .) Convulsionaries of St. Medard: During the first half of the eighteenth century there occurred in the cemetery of St. Medard, Paris, an extraordinary outbreak of convulsions and religious extasy, whose victims were the Jansenists, at that time suffering much persecution at the hands of the government and the church. The outbreak commenced with a few isolated cases of miraculous healing. One, Mile. Morsaron, a paralytic, having for her confessor an enthusiastic Jansenist, was recommended by him to seek the tomb of St. Francis de Paris, in the cemetery of St. Medard. When she had repaired thither a few times she recovered her health. The news spread abroad, and other cures followed. Violent convulsions became a feature of the crisis which preceded these cures. At length the healing by Deacon Paris of a more than usually obstinate case, by a crisis of more than ordinary severity, was the signal for a violent outburst of epidemic frenzy. People of both sexes and all ages repaired to the tomb of the holy deacon, where the most appalling scenes were witnessed. People from the provinces helped to swell the ranks, till there was not a vacant foot of ground in the neighbourhood of St. Medard. At length, on January 27th, 1732, the cemetery was closed by order of the king. On its closed gate a wit inscribed the lines : De par le roi défense à Dieu De faire miracle en ce lieu. However the king's ordinance did not put an end to the epidemic, which spread from Paris to many other towns. Ten years after its commencement-in 1741-it seemed to have died away, but in 1759 it burst out in Paris with renewed vigour, accompanied by scenes still more awful. In the following year it disappeared once more, though isolated examples persisted so late as 1787.