perceived as mediocre magic tricks and raised little applause, Phylidor decided to try something else. First failed necromantic session After twelve days of preparation Phylidor invited an audience of 14 men to an evocation of ghosts at 7:00 p.m. on 30 March . The 14 distinguished men did not expect to see real ghosts, but intended to amuse themselves by trying to find out how this magician intended to fool his audience. They agreed to keep their heads clear to witness the evocation as attentively as possible. Royal Theater director Von der Reck was among the 14 men who were welcomed by Phylidor's wife and a little man that she called "Professor", before they were led through small and dark staircases up to the third floor where Phylidor awaited them. Phylidor was dressed in black and led the visitors into a small darkened room with dazzling white walls, in which a rectangular area was fenced off with a construction of slats with a metal hand on each end. In the center of a chalk circle on the floor were a wand and a small lantern on a folded long black cloth. A container with almost burned out coals stood next to it. Phylidor asked the spectators not to speak, move or touch anything since they were surrounded by terrible dangers. He advised them to hold each other's hands and the ones on the end to hold the metal hands in order not to fall over and as a protection against the dangers. Von der Reck asked the man next to him to let go of his hand, because he suspected the metal hands could be used to give them an electric shock. Phylidor then extinguished the lantern, leaving only the very weak light of the coals. Soon thick white odorous smoke started to spread across the room and Phylidor started the ritual. It included some incantations in a dull but commanding voice with the words "Helion, Melion, Tetragrammaton" (as reportedly used by Cagliostro), some French sentences like "Parois. Esprit terrible! Esprit terrible, épargne moi!" and the name of Jehovah mixed in repeatedly. A terrible thunder-like noise filled the room and as Phylidor called out: "Esprit, parois!" (Ghost, appear!), a streak of light appeared on the wall that gradually transformed into the (almost) life-size figure of Voltaire, dressed in white and hovering a foot above the floor. Some spectators complained that