he found the most experienced leaders of the age at the head of armies that had just fanaticism enough to be ferocious, but not enough to render them… - Charles Mackay

Besides the sylphs, gnomes, undines, and salamanders, he acknowledged various ranks and orders of demons.

"An enthusiastic philosopher, of whose name we are not informed, had constructed a very satisfactory theory on some subject or other, and was not a little proud of it. "But the facts, my dear fellow," said his friend, "the facts do not agree with your theory." — "Don't they?" replied the philosopher, shrugging his shoulders, "then, tant pis pour les faits;" — so much the worse for the facts!"

Every age has its peculiar folly — some scheme, project, or phantasy into which it plunges, spurred on either by the love of gain, the necessity of excitement, or the mere force of imitation.