,transcriber's note3 ,the spelling peculiarities of the original have been retained in this etext4 ,,thaumaturgia1 ,,or ,,elucidations ,,of ,,the ,,marvellous4 ,,by ,,an ,,oxonian4 #ahce ,bombastes kept the devil's bird1 ,shut in the pommel of his sword1 ,and taught him all the cunning pranks1 ,of past and future mountebanks4 ,hudibras4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,demonology--,the ,devil1 a most unaccountable personage--,who is he8--,his predilection for old women--,traditions concerning evil spirits c4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,magic and ,magical rites4 ,jewish magi4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,on the several kinds of magic4 ,augury1 or divinations drawn from the flight and feeding of birds4 ,aruspices1 or divinations drawn from brute or human sacrifices4 ,divisions of divination by the ancients--prodigies1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,history of ,oracles--,the principal oracles of antiquity4 ,the oracle of ,jupiter ,hammon4 ,the oracle of ,delphos1 or ,pythian ,apollo4 ,ceremonies practised on consulting oracles4 ,oracles often equivocal and obscure4 ,urim and ,thummim4 ,reputation of oracles1 how lost4 ,cessation of oracles4 ,had demons any share in the oracles8 ,of oracles1 the artifices of priests of false divinities4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,british ,druids1 or magi--,origin of fairies--,ancient superstitions--,their skill in medicine1 etc4 ,the ,british magi4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,aesculapian mysteries1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,inferior deities attending mankind from their birth to their decease4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,judicial astrology--,its chemical application to the prolongation of life and health--,alchymical delusions4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,alchymical and astrological chimera4 ,the ,horoscope1 a tale of the stars4 ,the ,fated ,parricide2 an oriental tale of the stars4 ,application of astrology to the prolongation of life1 etc4 ,advertisement4 ,spring4 ,summer4 influences of1 ,autumn4 the winter quarter4 _/ ,,chapter ,x4 ,oneirocritical presentiment1 illustrating the cause1 effects1 principal phenomena1 and definition of dreams1 etc4 ,cause of ,dreams4 ,poetical illustrations of the effects of the imagination in dreams4 ,principal phenomena in dreaming4 ,definition of dreams4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,on ,incubation1 or the art of healing by visionary divination4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,on amulets1 charms1 talismans--,philters1 their origin and imaginary efficacy1 etc4 ,amulets used by the common people4 ,eccentricities1 caprices1 and effects1 of the imagination4 ,doctrine of ,effluvia--,miraculous cures by means of charms1 amulets1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,on talismans--some curious natural ones1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,on the medicinal powers attributed to music by the ancients4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,presages1 prodigies1 presentiments1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,phenomena of meteors1 optic delusions1 spectra1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,elucidation of some ancient prodigies4 ,magical pretensions of certain herbs1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,the practice of ,obeah1 or negro witchcraft--charms--their knowledge of vegetable poison--secret poisoning4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,on the origin and superstitious influence of rings4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,celestial influences--omens--climacterics--predomi nations4--,lucky and unlucky days4--,empirics1 etc4 ,absurdities of ,paracelsus1 and ,van ,helmont4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,modern empiricism4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,the ,rosicrucians or ,theosophists4 ,,thaumaturgia1 ,,or ,,elucidations ,,of ,,the ,,marvellous4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,demonology--,,the ,,devil1 ,a ,,most ,,unaccountable ,,personage--,,who ,,is ,,he8--,,his ,,predilection ,,for ,,old ,,women--,,traditions ,,concerning ,,evil ,,spirits1 ,c4 ,children and old women have been accustomed to hear so many frightful things of the cloven-footed potentate1 and have formed such diabolical ideas of his satanic majesty1 exhibiting him in so many horrible and monstrous shapes1 that really it were enough to frighten ,beelzebub himself1 were he by any accident to meet his prototype in the dark1 dressed up in the several figures in which imagination has embodied him4 ,and as regards men themselves1 it might be presumed that the devil could not by any means terrify them half so much1 were they actually to meet and converse with him face to face3 so true it is that his satanic majesty is not near so black as he is painted4 ,however useful the undertaking might prove1 to give a true history of this tyrant of the air1 this ,god of the world1 this terror and overseer of mankind1 it is not our intention to become the devil's biographer1 notwithstanding the facility with which the materials might be collected4 ,of the devil's origin1 and the first rise of his family1 we have sufficient authority on record2 and1 as regards his dealings1 he has certainly always acted in the dark2 though many of his doings both moral1 political1 ecclesiastical1 and empirical1 have left such strong impressions behind them1 as to mark their importance in some transactions1 even at the present period of the christian world4 ,these discussions1 however1 we shall leave in the hands of their respective champions1 in order to take1 as we proceed1 a cursory view of some of the diableries with which mankind1 in imitation of this great master1 has been infected1 from the first ages of the world4 ,the ,greeks1 and after them the ,romans1 conferred the appellation of ,demon upon certain genii1 or spirits1 who made themselves visible to men with the intention of either serving them as friends1 or doing them an injury as enemies4 ,the followers of ,plato distinguished between their gods--or ,dei ,majorum ,gentium2 their demons1 or those beings which were not dissimilar in their general character to the good and bad angels of ,christian belief1--and their heroes4 ,the ,jews and the early christians restricted the name of ,demon to beings of a malignant nature1 or to devils properly so called2 and it is to the early notions entertained by this people1 that the outlines of later systems of demonology are to be traced4 ,it is a question1 we believe1 not yet set at rest by the learned in these sort of matters1 whether the word devil be singular or plural1 that is to say1 whether it be the name of a personage so called1 standing by himself1 or a noun of multitude4 ,if it be singular1 and used only personal as a proper name1 it consequently implies one imperial devil1 monarch or king of the whole clan of hell1 justly distinguished by the term ,,devil1 or as our northern neighbours call him the muckle horned deil1 and poetically1 after ,burns auld ,clootie1 ,nick1 or ,hornie1 or1 according to others1 in a broader set form of speech1 the devil in hell1 that is1 the devil of a devil1 or in scriptural phraseology1 the great red dragon1 the ,devil or ,satan4 ,but we shall not cavil on this mighty potentate's name2 much less dispute his identity1 notwithstanding the doubt that has been broached1 whether the said devil be a real or an imaginary personage1 in the shape1 form1 and with the faculties that have been so miraculously ascribed to him2 for ,if it should so fall out1 as who can tell1 ,but there may be a ,god1 a heav'n and hell8 ,mankind had best consider well1--for fear ,it be too late when their mistakes appear4 ,the devil has always1 it would seem1 been particularly partial to old women2 the most ugly and hideous of whom he has invariably selected to do his bidding4 ,mother ,shipton1 for instance1 our famous old ,english witch1 of whom so many funny stories are still told1 is evidently very much wronged in her picture1 if she was not of the most terrible aspect imaginable2 and1 if it be true1 ,merlin1 the famous ,welch fortune-teller1 was a most frightful figure4 ,if we credit another story1 he was begotten by old nick himself4 ,to return1 however1 to the devil's agents being so infernally ugly1 it need merely be remarked1 that from time immemorial1 he has invariably preferred such rational creatures as most belied the human form divine4 ,the sybils1 of whom so many strange prophetic things are recorded1 are all1 if the ,italian poets are to be credited1 represented as very old women2 and as if ugliness were the ne plus ultra of beauty in old age1 they have given them all the hideousness of the devil himself4 ,it will be seen1 despite of all that has been said to the disadvantage of the devil1 that he has very much improved in his management of worldly affairs2 so much so1 that1 instead of an administration of witches1 wizzards1 magicians1 diviners1 astrologers1 quack doctors1 pettifogging lawyers1 and boroughmongers1 he has selected some of the wisest men as well as greatest fools of the day to carry his plans into effect4 ,his satanic majesty seems also to have considerably improved in his taste2 owing1 no doubt1 to the present improving state of society1 and the universal diffusion of useful knowledge4 ,indeed1 we no longer hear of cloven-footed devils1 only in a metaphorical sense--fire and brimstone are extinct or nearly so2 the embers of hell and eternal damnation are chiefly kept alive and blown up by ultras among the sectaries who are invariably the promoters of religious fanaticism4 ,beauty1 wit1 address1 with the less shackled in mind1 have superseded all that was frightful1 and terrible1 odious1 ugly1 and deformed4 ,this subject is poetically and more beautifully illustrated in the following demonological stanzas1 which are so appropriate to the occasion1 that we cannot resist quoting them as a further prelude to our subjects3 ,when the devil for weighty despatches ,wanted messengers cunning and bold1 ,he pass'd by the beautiful faces ,and picked out the ugly and old4 ,of these he made warlocks and witches ,to run of his errands by night1 ,till the over-wrought hag-ridden wretches ,were as fit as the devil to fright4 ,but whoever has been his adviser1 ,as his kingdom increases in growth1 ,he now takes his measures much wiser1 ,and trafics with beauty and youth4 ,disguis'd in the wanton and witty1 ,he haunts both the church and the court2 ,and sometimes he visits the city1 ,where all the best christians resort4 ,thus dress'd up in full masquerade1 ,he the bolder can range up and down ,for he better can drive on his trade1 ,in any one's name than his own4 ,to be brief1 the devil1 it appears1 is by far too cunning still for mankind1 and continues to manage things in his own way1 in spite of bishops1 priests1 laymen1 and new churches4 ,he governs the vices and propensities of men by methods peculiarly his own2 though every crime or extortion1 subterfuge or design1 whether it be upon the purse or the person1 will not make a man a devil2 it must nevertheless be confessed1 that every crime1 be its magnitude or complexion what it may1 puts the criminal1 in some measure1 into the devil's power1 and gives him an ascendancy and even a title to the delinquent1 whom he ever afterwards treats in a very magisterial manner4 ,we are told that every man has his attendant evil genius1 or tutelary spirit1 to execute the orders of the master demon--that the attending evil angel sees every move we make upon the board2 witnesses all our actions1 and permits us to do mischief1 and every thing that is pernicious to ourselves2--that1 on the contrary1 our good spirit1 actuated by more benevolent motives1 is always accessary to our good actions1 and reluctant to those that are bad4 ,if this be the case1 it may be fairly asked1 how does it happen that those two contending spirits do not quarrel and give each other black eyes and broken heads during their rivalship for pre-eminence8 ,and why does the evil tempting spirit so often prevail8 ,instead of literally answering these difficult questions1 it may be resolved into a good argument1 as an excellent allegory to represent the struggle in the mind of man between good and evil inclinations4 ,but to take them as they actually are1 and merely to talk by way of natural consequence--for to argue from nature is certainly the best way to get to the bottom of the devil's story1--if there are good and evil spirits attending us1 that is to say1 a good angel and a devil1 then it is no unjust reproach to say1 when people follow the dictates of the latter1 that the devil's in them1 or that they are devils6 or1 to carry the simile a point farther1 that as the generality1 and by far the greatest number of people follow and obey the evil spirit and not the good one1 and that the power predominating is allowed to be the nominating power1 it must then of course be allowed that the greater part of mankind have the devil in them1 which brings us to the conclusion of our argument2 and in support of which the following stanzas come happily to our recollection4 ,to persons and places he sends his disguises1 ,and dresses up all his banditti1 ,who1 as pickpockets flock to country assizes1 ,crowd up to the court and the city4 ,they're at every elbow1 and every ear1 ,and ready at every call1 ,sir2 ,the vigilant scout1 plants his agents about1 ,and has something to do with us all1 ,sir4 ,in some he has part1 and some he has whole1 ,and of some1 7like the ,vicar of ,baddow7 ,it can neither be said they have body or soul2 ,and only are devils in shadow4 ,the pretty and witty are devils in masque2 ,the beauties are mere apparitions2 ,the homely alone by their faces are known1 ,and the good by their ugly conditions4 ,the beaux walk about like the shadows of men1 ,and wherever he leads them they follow2 ,but tak'em1 and shak'em1 there's not one in ten ,but's as light as a feather1 and hollow4 ,thus all his affairs he drives on in disguise1 ,and he tickles mankind with a feather1 ,creeps in at one's ear1 and looks out at our eyes1 ,and jumbles our senses together4 ,he raises the vapours and prompts the desires1 ,and to ev'ry dark deed holds the candle2 ,the passions inflames and the appetite fires1 ,and takes every thing by the handle4 ,thus he walks up and down in complete masquerade ,and with every company mixes2 ,sells in every shop1 works at every trade1 ,and ev'ry thing doubtful perplexes4 ,the ,jewish traditions concerning evil spirits are various1 some of which are founded on ,scripture1 some borrowed from the opinions of the ,pagans1 some are fables of their own invention1 and some are allegorical4 ,the demons of the ,jews were considered either as the distant progeny of ,adam or ,eve1 resulting from an improper intercourse with supernatural beings1 or of ,cain4 ,as the doctrine1 however1 was extremely revolting to some few of the early ,christians1 they maintained that demons were the souls of departed human beings1 who were still permitted to interfere in the affairs of the ,earth1 either to assist their friends or to persecute their enemies4 ,but this doctrine did not obtain4 ,about two centuries and a half ago an attempt1 in a condensed form1 was made1 to give the various opinions entertained of demons at an early date of the christian era2 and it was not until a much later period of ,christianity1 that a more decided doctrine relative to their origin and nature was established4 ,these tenets involved certain very knotty points respecting the fall of those angels1 who1 for disobedience1 had forfeited their high abode in ,heaven4 ,the gnostics of early christian times1 in imitation of a classification of the different orders of spirits by ,plato1 had attempted a similar arrangement with respect to an hierarchy of angels1 the gradation of which stood as follows4 ,the first1 and highest order1 was named ,,seraphins2 the second1 ,,cherubins2 the third was the order of ,,thrones2 the fourth1 of ,,dominions2 the fifth1 of ,,virtues2 the sixth1 of ,,powers2 the seventh1 of ,,principalities2 the eighth1 of ,,archangels2 the ninth1 and lowest1 of ,,angels4 ,this fable was1 in a pointed manner1 censured by the ,apostles3 yet strange to say1 it almost outlived the pneumatologists of the middle ages4 ,these schoolmen1 in reference to the account that ,lucifer rebelled against heaven1 and that ,michael the archangel warred against him1 long agitated the momentous question1 what order of angels fell on the occasion4 ,at length it became the prevailing opinion that ,lucifer was of the order of ,seraphins4 ,it was also proved after infinite research1 that ,agares1 ,belial1 and ,barbatos1 each of them deposed angels of great rank1 had been of the order of ,virtues2 that ,beleth1 ,focalor1 and ,phoenix1 had been of the order of ,thrones2 that ,gaap had been of the order of ,powers1 and ,virtues2 and ,murmur of ,thrones and ,angels4 ,the pretensions of many noble devils were1 likewise1 canvassed1 and1 in an equally satisfactory manner1 determined2 a multiplicity of incidents connected therewith were arranged1 which previously had been matter of considerable doubt and debate4 ,these sovereign devils1 to each of whom was assigned a certain district1 had many noble spirits subordinate to them whose various ranks and precedence were settled with all the preciseness of heraldic distinction3--there were1 for instance1 devil-dukes2 devil-marquises2 devil-earls2 devil-knights2 devil-presidents1 devil-archbishops1 and bishops2 prelates2 and1 without question1 devil-physicians1 and apothecaries4 ,in the middle ages1 when conjuration had attained a certain pitch of perfection1 and was regularly practised in ,europe1 devils of distinction were supposed to make their appearance under decided forms1 by which they were as well recognised1 as the head of any ancient family would be by his crest and armorial bearings4 ,the shapes they were accustomed to adopt were registered among their names and characters4 ,although the leading tenets of ,demonology may be traced to the ,jews and early ,christians1 yet they were matured by our early communications with the ,moors of ,spain1 who were the chief philosophers of the dark ages1 and between whom and the natives of ,france and ,italy1 a great communication existed4 ,toledo1 ,seville and ,salamanca1 became the greatest schools of magic4 ,at the latter city predilections on the black art from a consistent regard to the solemnity of the subject were delivered within the walls of a vast and gloomy cavern4 ,the schoolmen taught that all knowledge might be obtained from the assistance of the fallen angels4 ,they were skilled in the abstract sciences1 in the knowledge of precious stones1 in alchymy1 in the various languages of mankind and of the lower animals2 in the ,belles-,lettres1 ,moral ,philosophy1 ,pneumatology1 ,divinity1 ,magic1 ,history1 and ,prophecy4 ,they could controul the winds and waters1 and the stellar influences4 ,they could cause earthquakes1 induce diseases or cure them1 accomplish all vast mechanical undertakings1 and release souls out of ,purgatory4 ,they could influence the passions of the mind1 procure the reconciliation of friends or of foes1 engender mutual discord1 induce mania1 melancholy1 or direct the force and objects of human affection4 ,such was the ,demonology taught by its orthodox professors4 ,yet other systems of it were devised1 which had their origin in the causes attending the propagation of christianity2 for it must have been a work of much time to eradicate the almost universal belief in the pagan deities1 which had become so numerous as to fill every creek and corner of the universe with fabulous beings4 ,many learned men1 indeed1 were induced to side with the popular opinion on the subject1 and did nothing more than endeavour to unite it with their acknowledged systems of ,demonology4 ,they taught that the objects of heathen reverence were fallen angels in league with the ,prince of ,darkness1 who1 until the appearance of our ,saviour1 had been allowed to range on the earth uncontrolled1 and to involve the world in spiritual darkness and delusion4 ,according to the various ranks which these spirits held in the vast kingdom of ,lucifer1 they were suffered1 in their degraded state1 to take up their abode in the air1 in mountains1 in springs1 or in seas4 ,but although the various attributes ascribed to the ,greek and ,roman deities1 were1 by the early teachers of christianity1 considered in the humble light of demoniacal delusions1 yet1 for many centuries they possessed great influence over the minds of the vulgar4 ,the notion of every man being attended by an evil genius was abandoned much earlier than the far more agreeable part of the same doctrine which taught that1 as an antidote to their influence1 each individual was also accompanied by a benignant spirit4 ,the ministration of angels1 says a writer in the ,athenian ,oracle1 is certain2 but the manner how1 is the knot to be untied4 ,it was an opinion of the early philosophers that not only kingdoms#a had their tutelary guardians1 but that every person had his particular genius or good spirit1 to protect and admonish him through the medium of dreams and visions4 ,such were the objects of superstitious reverence derived from the ,pantheons of ,greece and ,rome1 the whole synod of which was supposed to consist of demons1 who were still actively bestirring themselves to delude mankind4 ,but in the west of ,europe1 a host of other demons1 far more formidable1 were brought into play1 who had their origin in ,celtic1 ,teutonic1 and even in ,eastern fables2 and as their existence1 as well as influence1 was boldly asserted1 not only by the early christians1 but even by the reformers1 it was long before the rites to which they were accustomed were totally eradicated4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,thus the ,penates1 or household gods presided over new-born infants4 ,every thing had its guardian or peculiar genius3 cities1 groves1 fountains1 hills1 were all provided with keepers of this kind1 and to each man was allotted no less than two--one good1 the other bad 7,hor4 ,lib4 ,,ii4 ,epist4 #b47 who attended him from the cradle to the grave4 ,the ,greeks called them demons4 ,they were named ,praenestites1 from their superintending human affairs4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,magic ,,and ,,magical ,,rites1 ,c4 ,few subjects present to a philosophic eye more matter of curious1 important and instructive research than the natural history of religion4 ,some sort of religious service has been found to prevail in all ages and nations1 from the most rude and barbarous periods of human society1 to those of cultivation and refinement4 ,in these periods are to be traced specimens strongly marked with exertions of the feelings1 and faculties of men in every situation almost that can be supposed4 ,it is from the contemplation of these exertions that we learn what sort of creature man is2 that we discover the extent of his powers1 and the tendency of his desires3 and that we become acquainted with the force of culture and civilization upon him1 by comparing the degrees of improvement he has attained in the various stages of society through which he has passed4 ,it seems to be a principle established by experience1 that mankind in general have at no time been able1 by the operation of their own mutual powers1 to ascend in their inquiries to the great comprehensive foundation of true religion1--the knowledge of a first cause4 ,this idea is too grand1 too distinct1 or too refined for the generality of the human race4 ,they are surrounded by sensible objects1 and strongly attached to them2 they are in a great measure unaccustomed to the most simple and obvious degrees of abstraction1 and they can scarcely conceive anything to have a real existence that may not become an object of their senses4 ,possessed of such sentiments and views1 they are fully prepared in embracing all the follies and absurdities of superstition4 ,they worship every thing they either love or fear1 in order to procure the continuance of favours enjoyed1 or to avert that resentment they may have reason to dread4 ,as their knowledge of nature is altogether imperfect1 and as many events every moment present themselves1 upon which they can form no theoretical conclusion1 they fly for satisfaction to the most simple1 but most ineffectual of all solutions--the agency of invisible beings1 with which1 in their opinion1 all nature is filled4 ,hence the rise of ,polytheism and local deities1 which have overspread the face of the earth1 under the different titles of guardian gods or tutelary saints4 ,hence magnificent temples and splendid statues have been erected to aid the imagination of votaries1 and to realize objects of worship1 which1 though supposed to be always hovering around1 seldom condescend to become visible4 ,after obtaining some information concerning present objects1 the next cause of solicitude and inquiry to the mind of man1 is to penetrate a little into the secrets of futurity4 ,the same tutelary gods who bestowed their care1 and exerted their powers to procure present pleasure and happiness for mankind1 were supposed not averse to grant them1 in this respect also1 a little indulgence4 ,hence the famous oracular responses of antiquity2 hence the long train of conjurers1 fortune-tellers1 astrologers1 necromancers1 magicians1 wizards1 and witches1 that have been found in all places and at all times2 nor have superior knowledge and civilization been sufficient to extirpate such characters1 by demonstrating the futility and absurdity of their views4 ,among the ancients1 this superstition was a great engine of state4 ,the respect paid to omens1 auguries and oracles1 was profound and universal2 and the persons in power monopolized the privilege of consulting and interpreting them4 ,they joined the people in expressing their veneration2 but there is little reason to doubt that they conducted the responses in such a manner as best suited the purposes of government4 ,on this account1 it would not be difficult for the oracle to emit predictions1 which1 to all those unacquainted with the secret1 would appear altogether astonishing and unaccountable4 ,it would seem that this principle alone is sufficient to explain all the phenomena of ancient oracles4 ,though devination has long ceased to be an instrument of government1 abundance of designing persons have not been wanting in latter ages1 who found much interest in taking advantage of the weakness or credulity of their fellow creatures4 ,against this pestilent and abandoned race of men1 most civilized countries have enacted penal laws4 ,but what rendered such persons peculiarly detestable in modern times1 was the communication which they were supposed to hold with the devil1 to whom they sold themselves1 and from whom1 in return1 they derived their information4 ,and by this principle the penal statutes1 instead of extirpating1 inflamed the evil4 ,they alarmed the imaginations of the people2 they tempted them to impute the cause of their misfortunes and disappointment to the malice or resentment of their neighbours2 they induced them to trust to their suspicions1 much more than to their reason2 and they multiplied witches and wizards1 by putting into possession of every foolish informer the means of punishment4 ,in several countries of ,europe1 these statutes still subsist2 they were not abolished in ,britain till a period still at no great distance4 ,since the abolition of persecution1 the faith of witchcraft has disappeared even among the vulgar4 ,it was long found inconsistent with any considerable progress in philosophy4 ,for these reasons we read1 with some degree of astonishment1 a treatise on this exploded subject1 by a philosopher1 an eminent physician1 a privy counseller of the then ,empress ,queen1 and a professor in the university of ,vienna4 ,it was long doubted whether the professor was in earnest1 but the world was at length forced to admit1 that the great ,antonius de ,haen certainly believed in witchcraft1 and reckoned the knowledge of it1 in treating a disease1 of great importance to a physician--to the acquisition of which useful knowledge1 he dedicated a great part of his time4 ,in the year #ageh1 three old women1 condemned to death for witchcraft1 were brought by order of the ,empress from ,croatia to ,vienna1 to undergo an examination1 with regard to the equity of the sentence pronounced against them4 ,the question was not whether the crime existed2 the only object of inquiry respected the justice of its application4 ,the author1 and the illustrious van ,swieten1 were appointed to make the investigation4 ,after reading over the depositions1 produced on the trials with the greatest care1 and interrogating the culprits themselves most vigorously by means of a ,croatian interpreter1 these great physicians discovered that the three old women were not witches1 and prevailed with the ,empress to send them home in safety4 ,it was this circumstance that induced de ,haen to write on magic4 ,that some judgment may be formed of de ,haen's very extraordinary and curious production written in the latter part of the eighteenth century1 we shall here furnish our readers with an abstract of its principles and reasoning1 to which we shall subjoin some remarks4 ,by the crime of magic1 the author informs us1 he means any improper communication between men and evil spirits1 whether it be called theurgy1 soothsaying1 necromancy1 chiromancy1 incantation or witchcraft4 ,he proposes to prove1 in the first place1 that such a communication does actually exist4 ,he quotes the ,egyptian magicians1 the witch of ,endor1 the possessions mentioned in the ,new ,testament1 and many more exceptionable authorities from the fathers1 and canons of the church4 ,he is positive the incantations of the ,egyptian magicians were real operations of infernal agents1 and that the accounts of them1 delivered by ,moses1 can admit no other construction4 ,may not the sincere believer in the divine authority of the scriptures reasonably hesitate concerning this conclusion8 ,or rather1 does not such an interpretation justly expose revelation to reproach8 ,the plain dictates of the best philosophy are1 that nothing is more simple1 regular1 and uniform than the ordinary course of nature2 and that this course can neither be suspended nor altered1 but by its author1 nor can by him be permitted to be interrupted by any inferior being1 unless for the most important reasons4 ,it does not appear what good end could be gained1 on the part of ,providence1 by the permission of these magical enchantments1 supposing them supernatural2 and if we imagine the ,devil to have acted spontaneously1 with a view to support his power and influence1 he most manifestly erred in his design4 ,nothing could be more impolitic than his appearance in a field of combat1 where he well knew he must sustain an ignominious defeat4 ,or if he worked effectually to support the power and influence of his servants the magicians1 he should have counteracted1 not repeated1 the miraculous exhibitions of ,moses4 ,that the magicians possessed no power sufficient for this purpose is obvious1 from their not exerting it4 ,that ,pharoah expected no such exertion from them is evident from his never requesting it1 and from his application to ,moses and ,aaron4 ,the truth seems to be1 that ,pharoah conceived ,moses and ,aaron to be magicians like his own4 ,he wished to support the character of the latter2 and he concluded this would be effectually done1 if they could only furnish a pretence for affirming that they had performed every wonder accomplished by the former4 ,without some such supposition of collusion1 two of the miracles attempted by the magicians are perfectly absurd and contradictory4 ,they pretended to turn water into blood1 when there was not one drop of water in all the land of ,egypt1 which ,aaron had not previously converted into that substance4 ,they pretended to send frogs over the land of ,egypt1 when every corner of it was swarming with that loathsome reptile4 ,it is further remarkable that1 with the three first only of ,moses's miracles they proposed to vie2 on the appearance of the fourth1 they fairly resigned the contest1 and acknowledged very honestly that the hand of ,god was visible in the miracles of ,moses2--a plain confession that no supernatural power operated in their own4 ,de ,haen considers the case of the witch of ,endor as an authority still more direct4 ,he maintains that ,samuel was actually called up1 either under corporeal or fantastic form1 and foretold ,saul the fate of his engagements with the ,philistines4 ,let us attend to the circumstances of the story1 and examine whether it is absolutely necessary to have recourse to this supernatural hypothesis4 ,the mind of ,saul was distracted and agitated beyond measure by the most critical and alarming situation of his affairs2 his distress was so great that1 forgetting his dignity and safety1 he dismissed his attendants1 laid aside his royal robes1 was unable to eat bread1 and1 dressed like the meanest of his people1 he took his journey to the abode of the conjurer4 ,in this state of mind1 prepared for imposition1 he arrives during the night at her residence4 ,he prevails with her1 by much solicitation1 and probably by ample rewards1 to call up ,samuel4 ,to discompose still further the disordered mind of ,saul1 she announces the pretended approach of the apparition by a loud acclamation1 tells the king she knew him1 which till now she affected not to do1 and describes the resurrection of the prophet1 under the awful semblance of ,god's rising out of the earth4 ,during all this time the king had seen nothing extraordinary1 either because he was not allowed light sufficient for that purpose1 or was not admitted within the sphere of vision4 ,he entreats an account of the personage who approached1 and the conjurer describes the well-known appearance of ,samuel4 ,the prophet sternly challenges the king for disturbing his repose1 tells him that ,david was intended to be ,king of ,israel1 that himself would be defeated by the ,philistines1 and that he and his sons would fall in battle4 ,the king enters into no conversation with the apparition2 but unable any longer to support his agitation1 drops lifeless on the ground4 ,the conjurer returns to ,saul1 presses him to take some food which she had prepared4 ,he at last complies2 and having finished his repast1 departs with his servants before the morning4 ,the whole of this scene1 it is evident1 passed in darkness4 ,it does not appear that ,saul ever saw the prophet2 and it surely required no supernatural intelligence to communicate all the information he obtained4 ,this would readily be suggested by the despondency of the king1 the strength of his enemies1 and the disposition of the whole people of the ,jews alienated from him1 and inclined towards his successor4 ,the witch of ,endor1 therefore1 might be a common fortune-teller1 and her case exhibits no direct proof of supernatural possession4 ,we do not pretend to account so easily for many of the possessions recorded in the ,new ,testament1 though few of these only are applicable to the case of sorcery4 ,we are well aware1 that several writers of eminence1 who cannot be supposed to entertain the least unfavourable sentiments of revelation1 have undertaken to explain these possessions1 without having recourse to any thing supernatural1 by representing them as figurative descriptions of particular and local diseases4 ,we mean not to adopt1 or defend the views of such authors1 though we may perhaps be allowed to observe that1 were their opinions supported in a satisfactory manner1 christianity would lose nothing by the attempt4 ,it would be exempted1 by this means1 from a little cavilling and ridicule1 to which some of its enemies reckon it at present exposed1 and the design could not in the least derogate from its divinity1 as the instantaneous cure of a distemper cannot be considered less miraculous than the expulsion of the devil4 ,at any rate1 these possessions are all extraordinary2 appeared on some most extraordinary occasion2 and from them1 therefore1 no general conclusion can be drawn to the ordinary cases of common life4 ,we shall now translate a specimen of de ,haen's#b authorities1 extracted from the fathers4 ,the following from ,jerome will need no comment4 ,this father1 in his life of ,st4 ,hilario the hermit1 relates that a young man of the town of ,gaza in ,syria1 fell deeply in love with a pious virgin in the neighbourhood4 ,he attacked her with looks1 whispers1 professions1 caresses1 and all those arguments which usually conquer yielding virginity2 but finding them all ineffectual1 he resolved to repair to ,memphis1 the residence of many eminent conjurers1 and implore their magic aid4 ,he remained there for a year1 till he was fully instructed in the art4 ,he then returned home1 exulting in his acquisitions1 and feasting his imagination with the luscious scenes he was now confident of realizing4 ,all he had to do was to lodge secretly some hard words and uncouth figures1 engraved on a plate of brass1 below the threshold of the door of the house in which the lady lived4 ,she became perfectly furious1 she tore her hair1 gnashed her teeth1 and repeated incessantly the name of the youth1 who had been drawn from her presence by the violence of her despairing passion4 ,in this situation she was conducted by her relations to the cell of old ,hilario4 ,the devil that possessed her1 in consequence of the charm1 began immediately to howl1 and to confess the truth4 ,i have suffered violence1 said he2 ,i have been forced hither against my inclination4 ,how happy was ,i at ,memphis1 amusing my friends with visions6 ,o the pains1 the tortures which ,i suffer6 ,you command me to dislodge1 and ,i am detained fast by the charm below the threshold4 ,i cannot depart1 unless the young man dismiss me4 ,so cautious1 however1 was the saint1 that he would not permit the magic figures to be searched for1 till he had released the virgin1 for fear he should seem to have intercourse with incantations in performing the cure or to believe that a devil could even speak truth4 ,he observed only that demons are always liars1 and cunning to deceive4 ,de ,haen imputes to the power of magic the miracles1#c as they are called1 of the famous ,apollonius ,thyanaeus4 ,he seems to entertain no scruple about their authority4 ,as several of the enemies of revelation have held forth ,thyanaeus as a rival of ,jesus ,christ1 a specimen of his performances may amuse our readers4 ,during an assembly of the people at ,ephesus1 a great flight of birds approached from a neighbouring wood2 one bird led all the rest4 ,there is nothing wonderful1 says ,thyanaeus1 to the astonished people1 in this appearance4 ,a boy passing along a particular street has carelessly scattered in it some corn which he carried2 one bird has tasted the food1 and generously calls the rest to partake the repast4 ,the hearers repaired to the spot1 and found the information true4 ,being called to allay a pestilence which raged at ,ephesus1 he ordered an old beggar to be burned under the stones near the temple of ,hercules1 as an enemy to the gods4 ,he commanded the people again to remove the stones1 that they might see what sort of animal had been put to death4 ,they found not a man1 but a dog4 ,the plague1 however1 ceased4 ,a married woman of rank being dead1 was carried out to be burned in an open litter1 followed by her husband dissolved in tears4 ,apollonius approaching1 requests him to stop the procession1 and he would put an end to his grief4 ,he asked the name of the woman1 touched her1 and muttered over her some words4 ,she immediately revived1 began to speak1 and returned again to her own house4 ,fleury1 who relates the miracle1 remarks that some people doubted whether the woman had been really dead1 as they had observed something like breath issue from her mouth4 ,others imagined she had been seized only with a tedious faint1 and that the operation of the cold dews and damps upon her body might naturally recover her4 ,on ,fleury's remark de ,haen most sagely observes1 that the persons who observed the woman breathing could not surely have suppressed the joyful news1 and would certainly have stopped the procession before the philosopher arrived4 ,de ,haen's second attempt is to recite all the objections that have been made against sorcery1 and to subjoin to each a distinct refutation4 ,there is nothing in this part of the work that merits any attention4 ,he concludes in these words3 ,i may then with confidence affirm1 that the art of magic most certainly exists4 ,history1 sacred and prophane2 authority human and divine2 experiments the most unquestionable and unexceptionable1 all concur to demonstrate its reality4 ,the last part of de ,haen's work relates to the discovering and treating of magical diseases1 to explain which seems to have been the chief purpose of the author in composing his book4 ,much caution1 he observes1 and attention are necessary on this head2 and the physician should not readily admit the imputation of witchcraft4 ,no absence of the ordinary symptoms1 no uncommon alteration of the course of the distemper1 are sufficient to infer this conclusion1 because these may arise from unknown natural causes4 ,what then are the marks of certain incantations8 ,de ,haen holds the following to be indisputable3 if1 in any uncommon disease1 there shall be found1 in the stuffing of the cushions1 or cielings of the room in which the patient lies1 in the feather or the chaff of his bed1 about the door1 or under the threshold of his house1 any strange characters1 images1 bones1 hair1 seeds1 or roots of plants2 and if upon the removal of these1 or upon conveying the patient into another apartment1 he shall suddenly recover2 or if the patient himself1 or his friends1 shall be so wicked as to call a wizzard to their aid1 by whom the malady shall be removed2 or if insects and animals which do not lodge in the human body2 if stones1 metals1 glass1 knives1 plaited hair1 pieces of pitch1 be ejected from particular parts of the body1 of greater size1 and weight and figure1 than could be supposed to make their way through these parts1 without much greater demolition and delaceration of the passages2 in all these cases1 the disease is unquestionably magical4 ,the author proceeds to enquire whether the physician may presume to remove the instruments of incantation in order to relieve the patient without incurring the accusation of impiety by interfering with the implements and furniture of the devil2 and concludes very formally that1 after approaching them with all due ceremony and respect1 after imploring with suitable devotion and ardour1 the protection and direction of heaven in such a perilous undertaking1 he may attempt to intermeddle1 and may occasionally expect a successful issue4 ,such are the views1 reasonings1 and conclusions of1 at the time1 one of the first physicians and philosophers of ,germany2--views and reasonings which would have been received with eagerness and applause two hundred years ago1 but which the philosophy and improvements of later times seem to have banished to the abodes of ignorance and barbarity4 ,the origin of almost all our knowledge may be traced to the earlier periods of antiquity4 ,this is peculiarly the case with respect to the arts denominated magical4 ,there were few ancient nations1 however barbarous1 which could not furnish many individuals to whose spells and enchantments the power of nature and the material world were supposed to be subjected4 ,the ,chaldeans1 the ,egyptians1 and indeed all the oriental nations were accustomed to refer all natural effects1 for which they could not account to the agency of demons1 who were believed to preside over herbs1 trees1 rivers1 mountains1 and animals4 ,every member of the human body was under their power1 and all corporeal diseases were produced by their malignity4 ,for instance1 if any happened to be affected with a fever1 little anxiety was manifested to discover its cause1 or to adopt rational measures for its cure2 it must no doubt have been occasioned by some evil spirit residing in the body1 or influencing1 in some mysterious way1 the fortunes of the sufferer4 ,that influence could be counteracted only by certain magical rites2 hence the observance of those rites soon obtained a permanent establishment in the ,east4 ,even at the present day1 many uncivilized people hold that all nature is filled with genii1 of which some exercise a beneficent1 and others a destructive power4 ,all evils with which man is afflicted1 are considered the work of these imaginary beings1 whose favour must he propitiated by sacrifices1 incantations1 and songs4 ,if the ,greenlander be unsuccessful in fishing1 the ,huron in hunting1 or in war2 if even the scarcely half reasoning ,hottentot finds every thing is not right in his mind1 body1 or fortune1 no time must be lost before the spirit be invoked4 ,after the removal of some present evil1 the next strongest desire in the human mind is the attainment of some future good4 ,this good is often beyond the power1 and still oftener beyond the inclination of man to bestow2 it must therefore be sought from beings which are supposed to possess considerable influence over human affairs1 and which being elevated above the baser passions of our nature1 were thought to regard with peculiar favour all who acknowledged their power1 or invoked their aid3 hence the numerous rites which have1 in all ages and countries1 been observed in consulting superior intelligences1 and the equally numerous modes in which their pleasure has been communicated to mortals4 ,the ,chaldean magi were chiefly founded on astrology1 and were much conversant with certain animals1 metals and plants1 which they employed in all their incantations2 the virtue of which was derived from stellar influence4 ,great attention was always paid to the positions and the configurations presented by the celestial sphere2 and it was only at favourable seasons that the solemn rites were celebrated4 ,those rites were accompanied with many peculiar and fantastic gestures1 by leaping1 clapping of hands1 prostrations1 loud cries1 and not unfrequently with unintelligible exclamations4 ,sacrifices1 and burnt offerings were used to propitiate superior powers2 but our knowledge of the magical rites exercised by certain oriental nations1 the ,jews only excepted1 is extremely limited4 ,all the books professedly written on the subject1 have been1 swept away by the torrent of time4 ,we learn1 however1 that the professors among the ,chaldeans were generally divided into three classes2 the ,ascaphim1 or charmers1 whose office it was to remove present1 and to avert future contingent evils2 to construct talismans1 etc4 ,the ,mecaschephim1 or magicians1 properly so called1 who were conversant with the occult powers of nature1 and the supernatural world2 and the chasdim1 or astrologers1 who constituted by far the most numerous and respectable class4 ,and from the assembly of the wise men on the occasion of the extraordinary dream of ,nebuchadnezzar1 it would appear that ,babylon had also her oneirocritici1 or interpreters of dreams--a species of diviners indeed1 to which almost every nation of antiquity gave birth4 ,like the ,chaldean astrologers1 the ,persian magi1 from whom our word magic is derived1 belong to the priesthood4 ,but the worship of the gods was not their chief occupation2 they were also great proficients in the arts4 ,they joined to the worship of the gods1 and to the profession of medicine and natural magic1 a pretended familiarity with superior powers1 from which they boasted of deriving all their knowledge4 ,like ,plato1 who probably imbibed many of their notions1 they taught that demons hold a middle rank between gods and men2 that they 7the demons7 presided not only over divinations1 auguries1 conjurations1 oracles1 and every species of magic1 but also over sacrifices1 and prayer1 which in behalf of men is thus presented1 and rendered acceptable to the gods4 ,indeed1 the austerity of their lives#d was well calculated to strengthen the impression which their cunning had already made on the multitude1 and to prepare the way for whatever impostures they might afterwards practise4 ,we are less acquainted with ,indian magic than with that practised by any other ,eastern nations4 ,it may1 however1 be reasonably enough inferred that it was very similar to that for which the magi in general were held in such high estimation3 although they were excluded1 as beings of too sacred a nature1 from the ordinary occurrences of life4 ,their ,brahmins1 or ,gymnosophists1 were regarded with as much reverence as the magi1 and probably were more worthy of it4 ,some of them dwelt in woods1 and others in the immediate vicinity of cities4 ,their skill in medicine was great2 the care which they took in educating youth1 in familiarizing it with generous and virtuous sentiments1 did them peculiar honour2 and their maxims and discourses1 as recorded by historians1 prove that they were much accustomed to profound reflection on the principles of civil polity1 morality1 religion and philosophy4 ,,jewish ,,magi4 ,of the magi of the ,jews1 it is proved by ,lightfoot1#e that after their return from ,babylon1 having entirely forsaken idolatry1 and being no longer favoured with the gift of prophecy1 they gradually abandoned themselves1 before the coming of our ,saviour1 to sorcery and divination4 ,the ,talmud1 still regarded with a reverence bordering on idolatry1 abounds with instructions for the due observance of superstitious rites4 ,after their city and temple were destroyed1 many ,jewish impostors were highly esteemed for their pretended skill in magic2 and under pretence of interpreting dreams1 they met with daily opportunities of practising the most shameful frauds4 ,many ,rabbins were quite as well versed in the school of ,zoroaster1 as in that of ,moses4 ,they prescribed all kinds of conjuration1 some for the cure of wounds1 some against the dreaded bite of serpents1 and others against thefts and enchantments4 ,their divinations were founded on the influence of the stars1 and on the operations of spirits1 they did not1 indeed1 like the ,chaldean magi1 regard the heavenly bodies as gods and genii1 but they ascribed to them a great power over the actions and opinions of men4 ,the magical rites of the ,jews were1 and indeed are still1 chiefly performed on various important occasions1 as on the birth of a child1 marriages1 etc4 ,on such occasions the evil spirits are supposed to be more than usually active in their malignity1 which can only be counteracted by certain enchantments4#f ,they believe that ,lilis will cause all their male children to die on the eighth day after their birth2 girls on the twenty-first4#g ,the following are the means adopted by the ,german ,jews to avert this calamity4 ,they draw arrows in circular lines with chalk or charcoal on the four walls of the room in which the accouchement takes place1 and write upon each arrow3 ,adam1 ,eve6 make ,lilis go away6 ,they write also on certain parts of the room the name of the three angels who preside over medicine1 ,senai1 ,sansenai and ,sanmangelof1 after the manner taught them by ,lilis herself when she entertained the hope of causing all the ,jews to be drowned in the ,red ,sea4 ,josephus1 the historian of the ,jews1 does not allow to magic so ancient an origin among them1 as many ,jewish writers do4 ,he makes ,solomon the first who practised an art which is so powerful against demons2 and the knowledge of which1 he asserts1 was communicated to that prince by immediate inspiration4 ,the latter1 continues this historian1 invented and transmitted to posterity in his writings1 certain incantations for the cure of diseases1 and for the expulsion and perpetual banishment of wicked spirits from the bodies of the possessed4 ,it consisted1 according to his description1 in the use of a certain root1 which was sealed up1 and held under the nose of the person possessed2 the name of ,solomon1 with the words prescribed by him1 was then pronounced1 and the demon forced immediately to retire4 ,he does not even hesitate to assert1 that he himself has been an eye witness of such an effect produced on a person named ,eleazer1 in the presence of the ,emperor ,vespasian and his sons4 ,nor will this relation surprise us1 when we consider the rooted malignity entertained by the ,jews to the christian religion1 and this writer's attempt to appreciate the miracles of our ,saviour1 by ascribing them to magical influence1 and by representing them as easy of accomplishment to all acquainted with the occult sciences4 ,innumerable are the devices contained in the ,cabala for averting possible evils1 as the plague1 disease1 and sudden death4 ,it directs how to select and combine some passages of scripture1 which are believed both to render supernatural beings visible1 and to produce many wonderful and surprising effects4 ,the most famous wonders have been accomplished by means of the name of ,god4 ,the sacred word ,jehovah is1 when read with points1 multiplied by the ,jewish doctors into twelve1 forty-two1 and seventy-two letters1 of which words are composed that are thought to possess miraculous energy4 ,by these1 say they1 ,moses slew the ,egyptians2 by these ,israel was preserved from the destroying angel of the wilderness2 by these ,elijah separated the waters of the river1 to open a passage for himself and ,elisha1 and by these it has been as daringly and impudently asserted1 that our blessed ,saviour1 the eternal ,son of ,god1 cast out evil spirits4 ,the name of the devil is likewise used in their magical devices4 ,the five ,hebrew letters of which that name#h is composed1 exactly constitute the number #cfd1 one less than the days of the whole year4 ,they pretended that1 owing to the wonderful virtue of the number comprised in the name of ,satan1 he is prevented from accusing them for an equal number of days3 hence the stratagem before alluded to1 for depriving the devil of the power of doing them any harm on the only day on which that power is granted to him4 ,in allusion to the cabalists1 ,pliny says1 ,there is another sect of magicians of which ,moses and ,latopea1 ,jews1 were the first authors4 ,it was the prevailing opinion among the ,hebrews1 that the ,cabala was delivered by ,god to ,moses1 and thence through a succession of ages1 even to the times of ,ezra1 preserved by tradition only1 without the help of writing1 in the same manner as the doctrine of ,pythagoras was delivered by ,archippus and ,lysiades1 who kept schools at ,thebes in ,greece1 where the scholars learned all their master's precepts by heart1 and employed their memories instead of books4 ,so certain ,jews1 despising letters1 placed all their learning in memory1 observation1 and verbal tradition2 whence it was called by them ,cabala1 that is1 a receiving from one to another by the ear an art said to be very ancient and only known to the christians in later times4 ,the ,jews divided the ,cabala into three parts2 the first containing the knowledge of ,bresith1 which they call also cosmology1 the object of which is to teach and explain the force and efficacy of things created1 natural or celestial2 expounding also the laws and mysteries of the ,bible according to philosophical reasons1 which on that account differs little from natural magic1 a science in which ,king ,solomon is said to have excelled4 ,we find1 therefore1 in the sacred histories of the ,jews1 that he was wont to discourse from the cedar of the forests of ,lebanon to the low hyssop of the valley2 as also of cattle1 birds1 reptiles1 and fish1 all which contain within themselves a kind of magical virtue4 ,moses also1 in his expositions upon the ,pentateuch1 and most of the ,talmudists1 have followed the rules of the same art4 ,the other division of the ,cabala contains the knowledge of things more sublime1 as of divine and angelical powers1 the contemplation of sacred names and characters2 being a certain kind of symbolical theology1 in which the letters1 figures1 numbers1 names1 points1 lines1 accents1 etc4 are esteemed to contain the significations of most profound things and wonderful mysteries4 ,this part again is twofold--,authmantick1 handling the nature of angels1 the powers1 names1 characters of spirits and souls departed--and ,theomantick1 which searches into the mysteries of the ,divine ,majesty1 his emanations1 his names1 and ,pentacula1 which he who attains to is supposed to be endowed with most wonderful power4 ,it was1 they say1 by virtue of this art1 that ,moses wrought so many miracles2 that ,joshua commanded the sun to stand still2 that ,elias called down fire from heaven2 that ,daniel the prophet muzzled the lions' mouths2 and that the three children sang in the fiery furnace4 ,and1 what is more1 the perfidious and unbelieving ,jews1 did not stick to aver1 that our ,saviour himself wrought all his miracles by virtue of this art1 and that he discovered several of its secrets1 containing a variety of charms against devils1 and also1 as ,josephus writes1 against diseases4 ,as for my part1 says ,cornelius ,agrippa1 in allusion to this subject1 ,i do not doubt but that ,god revealed many things to ,moses and the prophets1 which were contained under the covert of the words of the law1 which were not to be communicated to the profane vulgar3 so for this art1 which the ,jews so much boast of1 which ,i have with great labour and diligence searched into1 ,i must acknowledge it to be a mere rhapsody of superstition1 and nothing but a kind of theurgic magic before spoken of4 ,for if1 as the ,jews contend1 coming from ,god1 it did any way conduce to perfection of life1 salvation of men1 truth of understanding1 certainly that spirit of truth1 which having forsaken the synagogue1 is now come to teach us all truth1 had never concealed it all this while from the church1 which certainly knows all those things that are of ,god2 whose grace1 baptism1 and other sacraments of salvation1 are perfectly revealed in all languages2--for every language is alike1 so that there be the same piety2 neither is there any other name in heaven or on earth1 by which we can be saved1 but only the name of ,jesus4 ,therefore the ,jews1 most skilful in divine names1 after the coming of ,christ1 were able to do nothing1 in comparison of their forefathers3--the ,cabala of the ,jews1 therefore1 is nothing else1 but a most pernicious superstition1 the which by collecting1 dividing1 and changing several names1 words1 and letters1 dispersed up and down in the bible1 at their own good will and pleasure1 and making one thing out of another1 they dissolve the members of truth1 raising up sentences1 inductions1 and parables of their own1 apply thereto the oracles of divine scripture to them1 defaming the scriptures1 and affirming their fragments to consist of them1 blaspheme the word of ,god by their wrested suppositions of words1 syllables1 letters and numbers2 endeavouring to prop up their villainous inventions1 by arguments drawn from their own delusions4 ,,footnotes3 #b ,antonio de ,haen1 ,s4,c4,r4,a4 ,majestate a consiliis anticis1 et ,archiatri1 medicinae in alma et antiquissimo universitate professoris primarij1 plurium eruditorium societatem socii1 de magia liber4 #hvo4 ,vienna4 #c ,many significations have been attached to the word miracle1 both by the ancients and moderns4 ,with us a miracle is the suspension or violation of the laws of nature2 and a miracle1 which can be explained upon physical principles1 ceases to be such4 ,whatever surpassed their comprehension was regarded by the ancients as a miracle1 and every extraordinary degree of information attained by an individual1 as well as any unlooked-for occurrence1 was referred to some peculiar interposition of the deity4 ,hence among the ancients1 the followers of different divinities1 far from denying the miracles performed by their opponents1 admitted their reality1 but endeavoured to surpass them2 and thus in the life of ,zoroaster1 we find that able innovator frequently entering the lists with hostile enchanters1 admitting but exceeding the wonderful works they performed2 and thus also when the thirst of power1 or of distinction1 divided the sacerdotal colleges1 similar trials of skill would ensue1 the successful combatant being considered to derive his knowledge from the more powerful god4 ,that the science on which each party depended was derived from experimental physics1 may be proved4 #a4 by the conduct of the ,thaumaturgists1 or wonder-workers3 #b4 from what they themselves had said concerning magic2 the genii invoked by the magicians1 sometimes denoting physical or chemical agents employed1 sometimes men who cultivated the science4 #d ,all the three orders of ,magi enumerated by ,porphyry1 abstained from wine and women1 and the first of these orders from animal food4 #e ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bhg4 #f ,see ,tobit4 chap4 viii4 v4 #b and #b4 #g ,elias1 as quoted by ,becker4 #h ,there is no mention made of the word ,devil in the ,old ,testament1 but only of ,satan3 nor do we meet with it in any of the heathen authors who say anything about the devil in the signification attached to it among christians2 that is1 as a creature revolted from ,god4 ,their theology went no farther than to evil genii1 or demons1 who harassed and persecuted mankind1 though we are still aware that many curious nick-names are given to the prince of darkness both by ancient and modern writers4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,on ,,the ,,several ,,kinds ,,of ,,magic4 ,the pretended art of producing1 by the assistance of words and ceremonies1 such events as are above the natural power of men1 was of several kinds1 and chiefly consisted in invoking the good and benevolent1 or the wicked and malignant spirits4 ,the first1 which was called ,theurgia1 was adopted by the wisest of the ,pagan world1 who esteemed this as much as they despised the latter1 which they called ,goetia4 ,theurgia was by the philosophers accounted a divine art1 which only served to raise the mind to higher perfection1 and to exalt the soul to a greater degree of purity2 and they who by means of this kind of magic1 were imagined to arrive at what is called intuition1 wherein they enjoyed an intimate intercourse with the deity1 were believed to be invested with divine power2 so that it was imagined nothing was impossible for them to perform2 all who made profession of this kind of magic aspired to this state of perfection4 ,the priest1 who was of this order1 was to be a man of unblemished morals1 and all who joined with him were bound to a strict purity of life4 ,they were to abstain from women1 and from animal food2 and were forbid to defile themselves by the touch of a dead body4 ,nothing was to be forgotten in their rites and ceremonies2 the least omission or mistake1 rendered all their art ineffectual3 so that this was a constant excuse for their not performing all that was required of them1 though as their sole employment 7after having arrived to a certain degree of perfection1 by fasting1 prayer1 and other methods of purification7 was the study of universal nature1 they might gain such an insight into physical causes1 as would enable them to perform actions1 that should fill the vulgar with astonishment2 and it is hardly to be doubted1 but this was all the knowledge that many of them aspired to4 ,in this sort of magic1 ,hermes ,tresmegistus and ,zoroaster excelled1 and indeed it gained great reputation among the ,egyptians1 ,chaldeans1 ,persians1 ,indians and ,jews4 ,in times of ignorance1 a piece of clock-work1 or some other curious machine1 was sufficient to entitle the inventor to the works of magic2 and some have even asserted1 that the ,egyptian magic1 rendered so famous by the writings of the ancients1 consisted only in discoveries drawn from the mathematics1 and natural philosophy1 since those ,greek philosophers who travelled into ,egypt1 in order to obtain a knowledge of the ,egyptian sciences1 returned with only a knowledge of nature and religion1 and some rational ideas of their ancient symbols4 ,but it can hardly be doubted1 that magic in its grossest and most ridiculous sense was practised in ,egypt1 at least among some of the vulgar1 long before ,pythagoras or ,empedocles travelled into that country4 ,the ,egyptians had been very early accustomed to vary the signification of their symbols1 by adding to them several plants1 ears of corn1 or blades of grass1 to express the different employments of husbandry2 but understanding no longer their meaning nor the words that had been made use of on these occasions1 which were equally unintelligible1 the vulgar might mistake these for so many mysterious practices observed by their fathers2 and hence they might conceive the notion1 that a conjunction of plants1 even without being made use of as a remedy1 might be of efficacy to preserve or procure health4 ,of these1 adds the ,abb ,pluche1 they made a collection1 and an art by which they pretended to procure the blessings1 and provide against the evils of life4 ,by the assistance of these1 men even attempted to hurt their enemies2 and indeed the knowledge of poisonous or useful simples1 might on particular occasions give sufficient weight to their empty curses and innovations4 ,but these magic incantations1 so contrary to humanity1 were detested1 and punished by almost all nations2 nor could they be tolerated in any4 ,pliny1 after mentioning an herb1 the throwing of which into an army1 it was said1 was sufficient to put it to the route1 asks1 where was this herb when ,rome was so distressed by the ,cambri and ,teutones8 ,why did not the ,persians make use of it when ,lucullus cut their troops to pieces8 ,but amongst all the incantations of magic1 the most solemn1 as well as the most frequent1 was that of calling up the spirits of the dead2 this indeed was the very acm of their art2 and the reader cannot be displeased with having this mystery here elucidated4 ,an affection for the body of a person1 who in his life time was beloved1 induced the first natives to inter the dead in a decent manner1 and to add to this melancholy instance of esteem1 those wishes which had a particular regard to their new state of existence4 ,the place of burial1 conformable to the custom of characterising all beloved places1 or those distinguished by a memorable event1 was pointed out by a large stone or pillar raised upon it4 ,to this place families1 and when the concern was general1 multitudes repaired every year1 when1 upon this stone1 were made libations of wine1 oil1 honey1 and flour2 and here they sacrificed and ate in common1 having first made a trench in which they burnt the entrails of the victim into which the libation and the blood were made to flow4 ,they began with thanking ,god with having given them life1 and providing them necessary food2 and then praised him for the good examples they had been favoured with4 ,from these melancholy rites were banished all licentiousness and levity1 and while other customs changed1 these continued the same4 ,they roasted the flesh of the victim they had offered1 and eat it in common1 discoursing on the virtues of him they came to lament4 ,all other feasts were distinguished by names suitable to the ceremonies that attended them4 ,these funeral meetings were simply called the manes1 that is1 the assembly4 ,thus the manes and the dead were words that became synonimous4 ,in these meetings1 they imagined that they renewed their alliance with the deceased1 who1 they supposed1 had still a regard for the concerns of their country and family1 and who1 as affectionate spirits1 could do no less than inform them of whatever was necessary for them to know4 ,thus1 the funerals of the dead were at last converted into methods of divination1 and an innocent institution of one of the grossest pieces of folly and superstition4 ,but they did not stop here2 they became so extravagantly credulous1 as to believe that the phantom drank the libations that had been poured forth1 while the relations were feasting on the rest of the sacrifice round the pit3 and from hence they became apprehensive lest the rest of the dead should promiscuously throng about this spot to get a share of the repast they were supposed to be so fond of1 and leave nothing for the dear spirit for whom the feast was intended4 ,they then made two pits or ditches1 into one of which they put wine1 honey1 water1 and flour1 to employ the generality of the dead2 and in the other they poured the blood of the victim2 when sitting down on the brink1 they kept off1 by the sight of their swords1 the crowd of dead who had no concern in their affairs1 while they called him by name1 whom they had a mind to cheer and consult1 and desired him to draw near4#i ,the questions made by the living were very intelligible2 but the answers of the dead were not so easily understood2 the priests1 therefore1 and the magicians made it their business to explain them4 ,they retired into deep caves1 where the darkness and silence resembled the state of death1 and there fasted1 and lay upon the skins of the beasts they had sacrificed1 and then gave for answer the dreams which most affected them2 or opened a certain book appointed for that purpose1 and gave the first sentence that offered4#aj ,at other times the priest1 or any person who came to consult1 took care at his going out of the cave1 to listen to the first words he should hear1 and these were to be his answer4 ,and though they had not the most remote relation to the mutter in question1 they were twisted so many ways1 and their sense so violently wrested1 that they made them signify almost anything they pleased4 ,at other times they had recourse to a number of tickets1 on which were some words or verses1 and these being thrown into an urn1 the first that was taken out was delivered to the family4#aa ,health1 prosperity in worldly affairs1 and all that was intermixed in the good or evil of this world were regulated by the responses or signs which these equivocal1 not to say less than absurd1 means afforded1 of prying into the womb of future events4 ,,augury1 ,,or ,,divinations ,,drawn ,,from ,,the ,,flight ,,and ,,feeding ,,op ,,birds4 ,the superstitious fondness of mankind for searching into futurity has given rise to an infinite variety of extravagant follies4 ,the ,romans1 who were remarkably fertile in these sorts of demonological inventions1 suggested numerous ways of divination4 ,with them all ,nature had a voice1 and the most senseless beings1 and most trivial things1 the most trifling incidents1 became presages of future events2 which introduced ceremonies founded on a mistaken knowledge of antiquity1 the most childish and ridiculous1 and which were performed with all the air of solemnity and sanctity of devotion4 ,augury1 or divinations founded on the flight of birds1 were not only considered by the ,egyptians as the symbols of the winds1 but good and bad omens of every kind were founded or rather derived from the flying of the feathered tribe4 ,the birds at this time had become wonderfully wise2 and an owl1 to whom1 for reasons not precisely known1 light is not so agreeable as darkness1 could not pass by the windows of a sick person in the night1 where the creature was not offended by the glimmerings of a light or candle1 but his hooting must be considered as prophesying1 that the life of the poor man was nearly wound up4 ,amongst the ,romans1 these auguries were taken usually upon an eminence3 after the month of ,march they were prohibited in consequence of the moulting season having commenced2 nor were they permitted at the waning of the moon1 nor at any time in the afternoon1 or when the air was the least ruffled by winds or clouds4 ,the feeding of the sacred chickens1 and the manner of their taking the corn that was offered to them1 was the most common method of taking the augury4 ,observations were also made on the chattering or singing of birds1 the hooting of crows1 pies1 owls1 etc41 and from the running of beasts1 as heifers1 asses1 rams1 hares1 wolves1 foxes1 weasels and mice1 when these appeared in uncommon places1 crossed the way1 or ran to the right or left4 ,they also pretended to draw a good or bad omen from the most trifling actions or occurrences of life1 as sneezing1 stumbling1 starting1 numbness of the little finger1 the tingling of the ear1 the spilling of salt upon the table1 or the wine upon one's clothes1 the accidental meeting of a bitch with whelp1 etc4 ,it was also the business of the augur to interpret dreams1 oracles1 and prodigies4 ,nothing can be so surprising than to find so wise and valorous a people as the ,romans addicted to such childish fooleries4 ,scipio1 ,augustus1 and many others1 without any fatal consequences1 despised the sacred chickens1 and other arts of divination3 but when the generals had miscarried in any enterprise1 the people laid the whole blame on the negligence with which these oracles had been consulted3 and if an unfortunate general had neglected to consult them1 the blame of miscarriage was thrown upon him who had preferred his own forecast to that of the fowls2 while those who made these kinds of predictions a subject of raillery1 were accounted impious and profane4 ,thus they construed1 as a punishment of the gods1 the defeat of ,claudius ,pulcher2 who1 when the sacred chickens refused to eat what was set before them1 ordered them to be thrown into the sea2 ,if they won't eat1 said he1 they shall drink4 ,,aruspices1 ,,or ,,divinations ,,drawn ,,from ,,brute1 ,,or ,,human ,,sacrifices4 ,in the earliest ages of the world1 a sense of piety and a regard to decency had introduced the custom of never sacrificing to ,him1 whence all blessings emanated1 any but the soundest1 the most healthy1 fat and beautiful animals2 which were always examined with the closest and most exact attention4 ,this ceremonial1 which doubtless had its origin in gratitude1 or in some ideas of fitness and propriety1 at length1 degenerated into trifling niceties and superstitious ceremonies4 ,and it having been once imagined that no favour was to be looked for from the gods1 when the victim was imperfect1 the idea of perfection was united with abundance of trivial circumstances4 ,the entrails were examined with peculiar care1 and if the whole was without blemish1 their duties were fulfilled2 under an assurance that they had engaged the gods to be on their side1 they engaged in war1 and in the most hazardous undertakings1 with such a confidence of success1 as had the greatest tendency to procure it4 ,all the motions of the victims that were led to the altar1 were considered as so many prophecies4 ,if the victim advanced with an easy and natural air1 in a straight line1 and without offering any resistance1--if he made no extraordinary bellowing when he received the blow1--if he did not get loose from the person who led him to the sacrifice1 it was deemed a certain prognostic of an easy and flowing success4 ,the victim was knocked down1 but before its belly was ripped open1 one of the lobes of the liver was allotted to those who offered the sacrifice1 and the other to the enemies of the state4 ,that which was neither blemished nor withered1 of a bright red1 and neither smaller nor larger than it ought to be1 prognosticated great prosperity to those for whom it was set apart2 that which was livid1 small or corrupted1 presaged the most fatal mischiefs4 ,the next thing to be considered was the heart1 which was also examined with the utmost care1 as was the spleen1 the gall1 and the lungs2 and if any of these were let fall1 if they smelt rank or were bloated1 livid or withered1 it presaged nothing but misfortunes4 ,after the examination of the entrails was over1 the fire was kindled1 and from this also they drew several presages4 ,if the flame was clear1 if it mounted up without dividing1 and went not out till the victim was entirely consumed1 this was a proof that the sacrifice was accepted2 but if they found it difficult to kindle the fire1 if the flame divided1 if it played around instead of taking bold of the victim1 if it burnt ill1 or went out1 it was a bad omen4 ,the business1 however1 of the ,aruspices was not confined to the altars and sacrifices1 they had an equal right to explain all other portents4 ,the ,senate frequently consulted them on the most extraordinary prodigies4 ,the college of the ,aruspices1 as well as those of the other religious orders1 had their registers and records1 such as memorials of thunder and lightning1#ab the ,tuscan histories1#ac etc4 ,,divisions ,,op ,,divination ,,by ,,the ,,ancients--,,prodigies1 ,,etc4 ,divination was divided by the ancients into artificial and natural4 ,the first is conducted by reasoning upon certain external signs1 considered as indications of futurity2 the other consists in that which presages things from a mere internal sense1 and persuasion of the mind1 without any assistance of signs2 and is of two kinds1 the one from nature1 and the other by influx4 ,the first supposes that the soul1 collected within itself1 and not diffused or divided among the organs of the body1 has from its own nature and essence1 some fore-knowledge of future things2 witness1 for instance1 what is seen in dreams1 ecstasies1 and on the confines of death4 ,the second supposes the soul after the manner of a mirror to receive some secondary illumination from the presence of ,god and other spirits4 ,artificial divination is also of two kinds3 the one argues from natural causes1 as in the predictions of physicians relative to the event of diseases1 from the tongue1 pulse1 etc4 ,the second the consequence of experiments and observations arbitrarily instituted1 and is mostly superstitious4 ,the systems of divination reduceable under these heads are almost incalculable4 ,among these were the ,augurs or those who drew their knowledge of futurity from the flight1 and various other actions of birds2 the ,aruspices1 from the entrails of beasts2 palmestry or the lines of the hands2 points marked at random2 numbers1 names1 the motions of a scene1 the air1 fire1 the ,praenestine1 ,homerian1 and ,virgilian lots1 dreams1 etc4 ,whoever reads the ,roman historians#ad must be surprised at the number of prodigies which are constantly recorded1 and which frequently filled the people with the most dreadful apprehensions4 ,it must be confessed1 that some of these seem altogether supernatural2 while much the greater part only consist of some of the uncommon productions of nature1 which superstition always attributed to a superior cause1 and represented as the prognostication of some impending misfortunes4 ,of this class may be reckoned the appearance of two suns1 the nights illuminated by rays of light1 the views of fighting armies1 swords1 and spears1 darting through the air2 showers of milk1 of blood1 of stones1 of ashes1 of frogs1 beasts with two heads1 or infants who had some feature resembling those of the brute creation4 ,these were all dreadful prodigies1 which filled the people with inexpressible astonishment1 and the ,roman ,empire with an extreme perplexity2 and whatever unhappy circumstance followed upon these1 was sure to be either caused or predicted by them4#ae ,,footnotes3 #i ,homer gives the same account of those ceremonies1 when ,ulysses raised the soul of ,tiresias2 and the same usages are found in the poem of ,silius ,italicus4 ,and to these ceremonies the scriptures frequently allude1 when the ,israelites are forbid to assemble upon high places4 #aj ,the magical slumbers produced in the cave of ,trophonius are justly ascribed to medicated beverages4 ,here1 the votary if he escaped with life1 had his health irreparably injured1 and the whole class of artificial dreams and visions1 the effect of some powerful narcotic acting upon the body after the mind had been predisposed for a certain train of ideas4 #aa ,the sortes praenestinae were famous among the ,greeks4 ,the method by which these lots were conducted was to put so many letters or even whole words1 into an urn2 to shake them together1 and throw them out2 and whatever should chance to be made out in the arrangement of these letters or words1 composed the answer of the oracle4 ,the ancients also made use of dice1 drawing tickets1 etc41 in casting or deciding results4 ,in the ,old ,testament we meet with many standing and perpetual laws1 and a number of particular commands1 prescribing and regulating the use of them4 ,we are informed by the ,scripture that when a successor to ,judas in the apostolate was to be chosen1 the lot fell on ,st4 ,mathias4 ,and the garment or coat without a seam of our ,saviour was lotted for by the ,jews4 ,in ,cicero's time this mode of divination was at a very low ebb4 ,the sortes ,homericae and sortes ,virgilianae which succeeded the sortes ,praenestinae1 gave rise to the same means used among christians of casually opening the sacred books for directions in important circumstances2 to learn the consequence of events and what they had to fear among their rulers4 #ab ,kennet's ,roman ,antiquities1 ,lib4 ,,xi1 ,c4 #d4 #ac ,romulus1 who founded the institution of the ,aruspices1 borrowed it from the ,tuscans1 to whom the ,senate afterwards sent twelve of the sons of the principal nobility to be instructed in these mysteries1 and the other ceremonies of their religion4 ,the origin of this act among the people of ,tuscany1 is related by ,cicero in the following manner3 ,a peasant1 says he1 ploughing in the field1 his ploughshare running pretty deep in the earth1 turned up a clod1 from whence sprung a child1 who taught him and the other ,tuscans the art of divination4 7,cicero1 ,de ,divinat4 l4 #b47 ,this fable1 undoubtedly means no more1 than that this child1 said to spring from the clod of earth1 was a youth of a very mean and obscure birth1 but it is not known whether he was the author of it1 or whether he learnt it of the ,greeks or any other nations4 #ad ,particularly ,livy1 ,dionysius of ,halicarnassus1 ,pliny1 and ,valerius ,maximus4 #ae ,nothing is more easy than to account for these productions1 which have no relation to any events that may happen to follow them4 ,the appearance of two suns has frequently happened in ,england1 as well as in other places1 and is only caused by the clouds being placed in such a situation1 as to reflect the image of that luminary2 nocturnal fires1 enflamed spears1 fighting armies1 were no more than what we call the ,aurora ,borealis or northern lights1 or ignited vapours floating in the air2 showers of stones1 of ashes1 or of fire1 were no other than the effects of the eruptions of some volcano at a considerable distance2 showers of milk were caused by some quality in the air1 condensing1 and giving a whitish colour to the water2 and those of blood are now well known to be only the red spots left upon the earth1 on stones and leaves of trees1 by the butterflies which hatch in hot and stormy weather4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,history ,,of ,,oracles--,,the ,,principal ,,oracles ,,of ,,antiquity4 ,few superstitions have been so famous1 and so seductive to the minds of men during a number of ages1 as oracles4 ,in treaties of peace or truces1 the ,greeks never forgot to stipulate for the liberty of resorting to oracles4 ,no colony undertook new settlements1 no war was declared1 no important affair begun1 without first consulting the oracles4 ,the most renowned oracles were those of ,delphos1 ,dodona1 ,trophonius1 ,jupiter ,hammon1 and the ,clarian ,apollo4 ,some have attributed the oracles of ,dodona to oaks1 others to pigeons4 ,the opinion of those pigeon-prophetesses was introduced by the equivocation of a ,thessalian word1 which signified both a pigeon and a woman2 and gave room to the fable1 that two pigeons having taken wing from ,thebes1 one of them fled into ,lybia1 where it occasioned the establishing of the oracle of ,jupiter ,hammon2 and the other1 having stopped in the oaks of the forest of ,dodona1 informed the inhabitants of the neighbouring parts1 that it was ,jupiter's intention there should be an oracle in that place4 ,herodotus has thus explained the fable3 there were formerly two ,priestesses of ,thebes1 who were carried off by ,phenecian merchants4 ,she that was sold into ,greece1 settled in the forest of ,dodona1 where great numbers of the ancient inhabitants of ,greece went to gather acorns4 ,she there erected a little chapel at the foot of an oak1 in honour of the same ,jupiter1 whose priestess she had been2 and here it was this ancient oracle was established1 which in after times became so famous4 ,the manner of delivering the oracles of ,dodona was very singular4 ,there were a great number of kettles suspended from trees near a copper statue1 which was also suspended with a hunch of rods in its hand4 ,when the wind happened to put it in motion1 it struck the first kettle1 which communicating its motion to the next1 all of them tingled1 and produced a certain sound which continued for a long time2 after which the oracle spoke4 ,,the ,,oracle ,,op ,,jupiter ,,hammon4 ,this oracle1 which was in the desert1 in the midst of the burning sands of ,africa1 declared to ,alexander that ,jupiter was his father4 ,after several questions1 having asked if the death of his father was suddenly revenged1 the oracle answered1 that the death of ,philip was revenged1 but that the father of ,alexander was immortal4 ,this oracle gave occasion to ,lucan to put great sentiments in the mouth of ,cato4 ,after the battle of ,pharsalia1 when ,cesar began to be master of the world4 ,labrenus said to ,cato3 ,as we have now so good an opportunity of consulting so celebrated an oracle1 let us know from it how to regulate our conduct during this war4 ,the gods will not declare themselves more willingly for any one than ,cato4 ,you have always been befriended by the gods1 and may therefore have the confidence to converse with ,jupiter4 ,inform yourselves of the destiny of the tyrant and the fate of our country2 whether we are to preserve our liberty1 or to lose the fruit of the war2 and you may learn too what that virtue is to which you have been elevated1 and what its reward4 ,cato1 full of the divinity that was within him1 returned to ,labrenus an answer worthy of an oracle3 ,on what account1 ,labrenus1 would you have me consult ,jupiter8 ,shall ,i ask him whether it be better to lose life than liberty8 ,whether life be a real good8 ,we have within us1 ,labrenus1 an oracle that can answer all these questions4 ,nothing happens but by the order of ,god4 ,let us not require of him to repeat to us what he has sufficiently engraved in our hearts4 ,truth has not withdrawn into those deserts2 it is not graved on those sands4 ,the abode of ,god is in heaven1 in the earth1 in the sea1 and in virtuous hearts4 ,god speaks to us by all that we see1 by all that surrounds us4 ,let the inconstant and those that are subject to waver1 according to events1 have recourse to oracles4 ,for my part1 ,i find in nature every thing that can inspire the most constant resolution4 ,the dastard1 as well as the brave1 cannot avoid death4 ,jupiter cannot tell us more4 ,cato thus spoke1 and quitted the country without consulting the oracle4 ,,the ,,oracle ,,of ,,delphos1 ,,or ,,pythian ,,apollo4 ,diodorus ,siculus1 ,plutarch1 and several other authors relate1 that a herd of goats discovered the oracle of ,delphos1 or of the ,pythian ,apollo4 ,when a goat happened to come near enough the cavern to breathe air that passed out of it1 she returned skipping and bounding about1 and her voice articulated some extraordinary sounds2 which having been observed by the keepers1 they went to look in1 and were seized with a fury which made them jump about1 and foretel future events4 ,coretas1 as ,plutarch tells1 was the name of the goat-herd who discovered the oracle4 ,one of the guardians of ,demetrius1 coming too near the mouth of the cavern1 was suffocated by the force of the exhalations1 and died suddenly4 ,the orifice or vent-hole of the cave was covered with a tripod consecrated to ,apollo1 on which the priestesses1 called ,pythonesses1#af sat1 to fill themselves with the prophetic vapour1 and to conceive the spirit of divination1 with the fervor that made them know futurity1 and foretel it in ,greek hexameters4 ,plutarch says1 that1 on the cessation of oracles1 a ,pythoness was so excessively tormented by the vapour1 and suffered such violent convulsions1 that all the priests ran away1 and she died soon after4 ,,ceremonies ,,practised ,,on ,,consulting ,,oracles4 ,pausanias describes the ceremonies that were practiced for consulting the oracle of ,trophonius4 ,every man that went down into his cave1 never laughed his whole life after4 ,this gave occasion to the proverbial saying concerning those of a melancholy air3 ,he has consulted ,trophonius4 ,plato relates1 that the two brothers1 ,agamedes and ,trophonius1 having built the temple of ,apollo1 and asked the god for a reward what he thought of most advantage to men1 both died in the night that succeeded their prayer4 ,pausanias gives us a quite different account4 ,in the palace there built for the ,king ,hyrieus1 they so laid a stone1 that it might be taken away1 and in the night they crept in through the hole they had thus contrived1 to steal the king's treasures4 ,the king observing the quantity of his gold diminished1 though no locks nor seals had been broken open1 fixed traps about his coffers1 and ,agamedes being caught in one of them1 ,trophonius cut off his head to prevent his discovering him4 ,trophonius having disappeared that moment1 it was given out that the earth had swallowed him on the same spot2 and impious superstition went so far as to place this wicked wretch in the rank of the gods1 and to consult his oracle with ceremonies equally painful and mysterious4 ,tacitus thus speaks of the oracle of the ,clarian ,apollo3 ,germanicus went to consult the oracle of ,claros4 ,it is not a woman that delivers the oracle there1 as at ,delphos1 but a man chosen out of certain families1 and always of ,miletum4 ,it is sufficient to tell him the number and names of those who come to consult him2 whereupon he retires into a grot1 and having taken some water out of a well that lies hid in it1 he answers you in verses to whatever you have thought of1 though this man is often very ignorant4 ,dion ,cassius explains the manner in which the oracle of ,nymphoea1 in ,epirus1 delivered its responses4 ,the party that consulted took incense1 and having prayed1 threw the incense into the fire1 the flame pursued and consumed it4 ,but if the affair was not to succeed1 the incense did not come near the fire1 or if it fell into the flame1 it started out and fled4 ,it so happened for prognosticating futurity1 in regard to every thing that was asked1 except death and marriage1 about which it was not allowed to ask any questions4 ,those who consulted the oracle of ,amphiarus1 lay on the skins of victims1 and received the answer of the oracle in a dream4 ,virgil attests the same thing of the oracle of ,faunus in ,italy4 ,a governor of ,cilicia1 who gave little credit to oracles1 and who was always surrounded by unbelieving ,epicureans sent a letter sealed with his signet to the oracle of ,mopsus1 requiring one of those answers that were received in a dream4 ,the messenger charged with the letter brought it back in the same condition1 not having been opened2 and informed him1 that he had seen in a dream a very well made man1 who said to him ',black' without the addition of even another word4 ,then the governor opening the letter1 assured the company1 that he wanted to know of the divinity1 whether he should sacrifice a white or black bull4 ,in the temple of the goddess of ,syria1 when the statue of ,apollo was inclined to deliver oracles1 it deviated1 moved1 and was full of agitations on its pedestals4 ,then the priests carrying it on their shoulders1 it pushed and turned them on all sides1 and the high-priest1 interrogating it on all sorts of affairs1 if it refused its consent1 it drove the priests back2 if otherwise1 it made them advance4 ,suetonius says1 that1 some months before the birth of ,augustus1 an oracle was current1 importing1 that nature was labouring at the production of a king1 who would be master of the ,roman ,empire2 that the ,senate in great consternation1 had forbid the rearing of any male children who should be born that year1 but that the senators whose wives were pregnant1 found means to hinder the inscribing of the decree in the public registers4 ,it seems that the prediction1 of which ,augustus was only the type1 regarded the birth of ,jesus ,christ1 the spiritual king of the whole world2 or that the wicked spirit was willing1 by suggesting this rigorous decree to the ,senate1 to depose ,herod2 and by this example1 to involve the ,messiah in the massacre that was made by his orders of all the children of two years and under4 ,the whole world was then full of the coming of the ,messiah4 ,we see by ,virgil's fourth eclogue1 that he applies to the son of the ,consul ,asinius ,pollio the prophecies which1 from the ,jews1 had then passed into foreign nations4 ,this child the object of ,virgil's flattery1 died the ninth day after he was born4 ,tacitus1 ,suetonius1 and ,josephus1 applied to ,vespasian the prophecies that regarded the ,messiah4 ,,oracles ,,often ,,equivocal ,,and ,,obscure4 ,the oracles1 were often very equivocal1 or so obscure that their signification was not understood but after the event4 ,a few examples1 out of a great many1 will be sufficient4 ,croesus1 having received from the ,pythoness1 this answer1 that by passing the river ,halys1 he would destroy a great empire1 he understood it to be the empire of his enemy1 whereas he destroyed his own4 ,the oracle consulted by ,pyrrhus1 gave him an answer1 which might be equally understood of the victory of ,pyrrhus1 and the victory of the ,romans his enemies4 ,aio te ,aeacida1 ,romanos vincere posse4 ,the equivocation lies in the construction of the ,latin tongue1 which cannot be rendered in ,english4 ,the ,pythoness advises ,croesus to guard against the mule4#ag ,the king of ,lydia understood nothing of the oracle1 which denoted ,cyrus descended from two different nations1 from the ,medes by ,mandana his mother1 the daughter of ,astyages2 and by the ,persians by his father ,cambyses1 whose race was by far less grand and illustrious4 ,nero had for answer from the oracle of ,delphos1 that seventy-three might prove fatal to him1 he believed he was safe from all danger till age1 but1 finding himself deserted by every one1 and hearing ,galba proclaimed emperor1 who was seventy-three years of age1 he was sensible of the deceit of the oracle4 ,st4 ,jerome observes1 that1 if the devils speak any truth1 by whatever accident they always join lies to it and use such ambiguous expressions1 that they may be equally applied to contrary events4 ,,urim ,,and ,,thummim4 ,whilst the false oracles of demons deceived the idolatrous nations1 truth had retired from among the chosen people of ,god4 ,the septuagint have interpreted ,urim and ,thummim1 manifestation and truth1 ,greek3 daelosin is alaetheian2 which expresses how different those divine oracles were from the false and equivocal demons4 ,it is said1 in the ,book of ,numbers1 that ,eleazar1 the successor of ,aaron1 shall interrogate ,urim in form1 and that a resolution shall be taken according to the answer given4 ,the ,ephod applied to the chest of the sacerdotal vestments of the high-priest1 was a piece of stuff covered with twelve precious stones1 on which the names of the twelve tribes were engraved4 ,it was not allowed to consult the ,lord by ,urim and ,thummim1 but for the king1 the president of the sanhedrim1 the general of the army1 and other public persons1 and on affairs that regarded the general interest of the nation4 ,if the affair was to succeed1 the stones of the ephod emitted a sparkling light1 or the high-priest inspired predicted the success4 ,josephus1 who was born thirty-nine years after ,christ1 says that it was then two hundred years since the stones of the ephod had given an answer to consultations by their extraordinary lustre4 ,the ,scriptures only inform us1 that ,urim and ,thummim were something that ,moses had put in the high-priest's breast-plate4 ,some ,rabbins by rash conjectures1 have believed that they were two small statues hidden within the breast-plate2 others1 the ineffable name of ,god1 graved in a mysterious-manner4 ,without designing to discern what has not been explained to us1 we should understand by ,urim and ,thummim1 the divine inspiration annexed to the consecrated breast-plate4 ,several passages of ,scripture leave room to believe1 that an articulate voice came forth from the propitiatory1 or holy of holies1 beyond the veil of the tabernacle1 and that this voice was heard by the high-priest4 ,if the ,urim and ,thummim did not make answer1 it was a sign of ,god's anger4 ,saul abandoned by the spirit of the ,lord1 consulted it in vain1 and obtained no sort of answer4 ,it appears by some passages of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 that in the time of ,christ1 the exercise of the chief-priesthood1 was still attended with the gift of prophecy4 ,,reputation ,,of ,,oracles1 ,,how ,,lost4 ,when men began to be better instructed by the lights philosophy had introduced into the world1 the false oracles insensibly lost their credit4 ,chrysippus filled an entire volume with false or doubtful oracles4 ,oenomanus1#ah to be revenged of some oracle that had deceived him1 made a compilation of oracles1 to shew their absurdity and vanity4 ,but ,oenomanus is still more out of humour with the oracle for the answer which ,apollo gave the ,athenians1 when ,xerxes was about to attack ,greece with all the strength of ,asia4 ,the ,pythian declared1 that ,minerva1 the protectress of ,athens1 had endeavoured in vain to appease the wrath of ,jupiter2 yet that ,jupiter1 in complaisance with his daughter1 was willing the ,athenians should secure themselves within wooden walls2 and that ,salamis should behold the loss of a great many children1 dead to their mothers1 either when ,ceres was spread abroad1 or gathered together4 ,at this ,oenomanus loses all patience with the ,delphian ,god3 ,this contest1 exclaims he1 between father and daughter1 is very becoming the deities6 ,it is excellent that there should be contrary inclinations and interests in heaven6 ,poor wizzard1 thou art ignorant who the children are that shall see ,salamis perish2 whether ,greeks or ,persians4 ,it is certain they must either be one or the other2 but thou needest not have told so openly that thou knowest not what4 ,thou concealest the time of the battle under these fine poetical expressions 'either when ,ceres is spread abroad1 or gathered together3' and thou wouldst cajole us with such pompous language6 who knows not that if there be a sea-fight1 it must either be in seed-time or harvest8 ,it is certain it cannot be in winter4 ,let things go how they will1 thou wilt secure thyself by this ,jupiter whom ,minerva is endeavouring to appease4 ,if the ,greeks lose the battle1 ,jupiter proved inexorable to the last2 if they gain it1 why then ,minerva at length prevailed4#ai ,eusebius has preserved some fragments of this criticism on oracles by ,oenomanus4 ,i might1 says ,origen1 have recourse to the authority of ,aristotle1 and the ,peripatetics1 to make the ,pythoness much suspected4 ,i might extract from the writings of ,epicurus and his sectators an abundance of things to discredit oracles2 and ,i might shew that the ,greeks themselves made no great account of them4 ,the reputation of oracles was greatly lessened when they became an artifice of politics4 ,themistocles1 with a design of engaging the ,athenians to quit ,athens1 in order to be in a better condition to resist ,xerxes1 made the ,pythoness deliver an oracle1 commanding them to take refuge in wooden walls4 ,demosthenes said1 that the ,pythoness philippised1 to signify that she was gained over by ,philip's presents4 ,,cessation ,,of ,,oracles4 ,the cessation of oracles is attested by several prophane authors1 as ,strabo1 ,juvenal1 ,lucien4 ,lucan1 and others1 ,plutarch accounts for the cause of it1 either that the benefits of the gods are not eternal1 as themselves are2 or that the genii who presided over oracles1 are subject to death2 or that the exhalations of the earth had been exhausted4 ,it appears that the last reason had been alleged in the time of ,cicero1 who ridicules it in his second book of ,divination1 as if the spirit of prophecy1 supposed to be excited by subterranean effluvia1 had evaporated by length of time1 as wine or pickle by being kept is lost4 ,suidas1 ,nicephorus1 and ,cedrenus relate1 that ,augustus having consulted the oracle of ,delphos1 could obtain no other answer but this3 'the ,hebrew child whom all the gods obey1 drives me hence1 and sends me back to hell3 get out of this temple without speaking one word4' ,suidas adds1 that ,augustus dedicated an altar in the ,capitol1 with the following inscription3 ,to the eldest ,son of ,god4 ,notwithstanding these testimonies1 the answer of the oracle of ,delphos to ,augustus seems very suspicious4 ,cedrenus cites ,eusebius for this oracle1 which is not now found in his works2 and ,augustus' peregrination into ,greece was eighteen years before the birth of ,christ4 ,suidas and ,cedrenus give an account also of an ancient oracle delivered to ,thules1 a king of ,egypt1 which they say is well authenticated4 ,this king having consulted the oracle of ,seraphis1 to know if there ever was1 or would be1 one so great as himself1 received this answer3--,first1 ,god1 next the word1 and the spirit with them4 ,they are equally eternal1 and make but one whose power will never end4 ,but thou1 mortal1 go hence1 and think that the end of man's life is uncertain4 ,van ,dale1 in his ,treatise of oracles1 does not believe that they ceased at the coming of ,christ4 ,he relates several examples of oracles consulted till the death of ,theodosius the ,great4 ,he quotes the laws of the ,emperors ,theodosius1 ,gratian1 and ,valentinian1 against those who consulted oracles1 as a certain proof that the superstition of oracles still existed in the time of those emperors4 ,,had ,,demons ,,any ,,share ,,in ,,the ,,oracles8 ,the opinion of those who believe that the demons had no share in the oracles1 and that the coming of the ,messiah made no change in them3 and the contrary opinion of those who pretend that the incarnation of the word imposed a general silence on oracles1 should be equally rejected4 ,the reasons appear from what has been said1 and therefore two sorts of oracles ought to be distinguished1 the one dictated by the spirits of darkness1 who deceived men by their obscure and doubtful answers1 the other the pure artifice and deceit of the priests of false divinities4#bj ,as to the oracles given out by demons1 the reign of ,satan was destroyed by the coming of the ,saviour2 truth shut the mouth of falsehood2 but ,satan continued his old craft among idolaters4 ,all the devils were not forced to silence at the same time by the coming of the ,messiah2 it was on particular occasions that the truth of christianity1 and the virtue of ,christians imposed silence on the devils4 ,st4 ,athanasius tells the pagans1 they have been witnesses themselves that the sign of the cross puts the devils to flight1 silences oracles1 and dissipates enchantments4 ,this power of silencing oracles1 and putting the devils to flight1 is also attested by ,arnobius1 ,lactantius1 ,prudentius1 ,minutius1 ,felix1 and several others4 ,their testimony is a certain proof that the coming of the ,messiah had not imposed a general silence on oracles4 ,the ,emperor ,julian1 called the ,apostate1 consulting the oracle of ,apollo1 in the suburbs of ,antioch1 the devil could make him no other answer1 than that the body of ,st4 ,babylas1 buried in the neighbourhood1 imposed silence on him4 ,the ,emperor1 transported with rage and vexation1 resolved to revenge his gods1 by eluding a solemn prediction of ,christ4 ,he ordered the ,jews to rebuild the temple of ,jerusalem2 but in beginning to dig the foundations1 balls of fire burst out1 and consumed the artificers1 their tools and materials4 ,these facts are attested by ,ammianus ,marcellinus1 a pagan1 and the emperor's historian2 and by ,st4 ,chrysostom1 ,st4 ,gregory ,nazianzen1 and ,theodoret1 ,sozomen and ,socrates1 in their ecclesiastical histories4 ,the sophist ,libanius1 who was an enemy of the ,christians1 confessed also that ,st4 ,babylas had silenced the oracle of ,apollo1 in the suburbs of ,antioch4 ,plutarch relates that the pilot ,thamus heard a voice in the air1 crying out3--,the great ,pan is dead3 whereupon ,eusebius observes1 that the deaths of the demons were frequent in the reign of ,tiberius1 when ,christ drove out the wicked spirits4 ,the same judgments may be passed on oracles as on possessions4 ,it was on particular occasions1 by the divine permission1 that the ,christians cast out devils1 or silenced oracles1 in the presence and even by the confession of the pagans themselves4 ,and thus it is we should1 it seems1 understand the passages of ,st4 ,jerom1 ,eusebius1 ,cyril1 ,theodoret1 ,prudentius1 and other authors1 who said1 that the coming of ,christ had imposed silence on the oracles4 ,,of ,,oracles1 ,,the ,,artifices ,,op ,,priests ,,op ,,false ,,divinities4 ,as regards the second sort of oracles1 which were pure artifices and cheats of the priests of false divinities1 and which probably exceeded the numbers of those that immediately proceed from demons1 they did not cease till idolatry was abolished1 though they had lost their credit for a considerable time before the coming of ,christ4 ,it was concerning this more common and general sort of oracles that ,minutius ,felix said1 they began to discontinue their responses1 according as men began to be more polite4 ,but1 howsoever decried oracles were1 impostors always found dupes2 the grossest cheats having never failed4 ,daniel discovered the imposture of the priests of ,bel1 who had a private way of getting into the temple1 to take away the offered meats1 and made the king believe that the idol consumed them4 ,mundus1 being in love with ,paulina1 the eldest of the priestesses of ,isis1 went and told her that the god ,anubis1 being passionately fond of her1 commanded her to give him a meeting4 ,she was afterwards shut up in a dark room1 where her lover ,mundus 7whom she believed to be the god ,anubis17 was concealed4 ,this imposture having been discovered1 ,tiberius ordered those detestable priests and priestesses to be crucified1 and with them ,iolea ,mundus's free woman1 who had conducted the whole intrigue4 ,he also commanded the temple of ,isis to be levelled with the ground1 her statue to be thrown into the ,tiber1 and1 as to ,mundus1 he contented himself with sending him into banishment4 ,theophilus1 ,bishop of ,alexandria1 not only destroyed the temples of the gods1 but discovered the cheats of the priests1 by shewing that the statues1 some of which were of brass1 and others of wood1 were hollow within1 and led into dark passages made in the wall4 ,lucius in discovering the impostures of the false prophet ,alexander1 says1 that the oracles were chiefly afraid of the subtilties of the ,epicureans and ,christians4 ,the false prophet ,alexander sometimes feigned himself seized with a divine fury1 and by means of the herb sopewort1 which he chewed1 frothed at the mouth in so extraordinary a manner1 that the ignorant people attributed it to the power of the god he was possessed by4 ,he had long before prepared the head of a dragon made of linen1 which opened and shut its mouth by means of a horses hair4 ,he went by night to a place where the foundations of a temple were digging1 and having found water1 either of a spring or rain that had settled there1 he hid in it a goose egg1 in which he had inclosed a little serpent that had just been hatched4 ,the next day1 very early in the morning1 he came quite naked into the street1 having only a scarf about his middle1 holding in his hand a scythe1 and tossing about his hair as the priests of ,cybele2 then getting on the top of a high altar1 he said that the place was happy to be honoured by the birth of a god4 ,afterwards running down to the place where he had hid the goose egg1 and going into the water1 he began to sing the praises of ,apollo and ,aesculapius1 and to invite the latter to come and shew himself to men2 with these words he dips a bowl into the water and takes out a mysterious egg1 which had a god enclosed in it1 and when he held it in his hand1 he began to say that he held ,aesculapius1 whilst all were eager to have a sight of this fine mystery1 he broke the egg1 and the little serpent starting out1 twisted itself about his fingers4 ,these examples shew clearly1 that both ,christians and pagans were so far agreed as to treat the greater number of oracles as purely human impostures4 ,from the very nature of things1 much that now serves for amusement must formerly have been appropriated to a higher destination4 ,ventriloquism may be quoted as a case in point1 affording a ready and plausible solution of the oracular stones and oaks1 of the reply which the seer ,nessus addressed to ,pythagoras1 7,jamblichus1 ,vit4 ,pyth4 xxxiii47 and of the tree which at the command of the ,gymnosophists1 of upper ,egypt1 spoke to ,apollonius1 ,the voice1 says ,philostratus 7,vit4 ,ap4 xi4 #e7 was distinct but weak1 and similar to the voice of a woman4 ,but the oracles1 at least if we ascend to their origin1 were not altogether impostures4 ,the pretended interpreters of the decrees of destiny were frequently plunged into a sort of delirium1 and when inhaling the fumes of some intoxicating drug or powerful gas or vapour1 or drinking some beverage which produced a temporary suspension of the reason1 the mind of the enquirer was predisposed to feverish dreams3#ba if priestcraft were concerned in the interpretation of such dreams1 or eliciting senses from the wild effusions of the disordered brain of the ,pythoness1 ,science presided over the investigation of the causes of this phrenzy1 and the advantages which the ,thaumaturgists might derive from it4 ,jamblicus states 7de ,mysterius ,c4 xxix7 that for obtaining a revelation from the ,deity in a dream1 the youngest and most simple creatures were the most proper for succeeding3 they were prepared for it by magical invocations and fumigations of particular perfumes4 ,porphyry declares that these proceedings had an influence on the imagination2 ,jamblicus that they rendered them more worthy of the inspiration of the ,deity4 ,,footnotes3 #af ,the responses here were delivered by a young priestess called ,pythia or ,phoebas1 placed on a tripos1 or stool with three feet1 called also cortina1 from the skin of the serpent ,python with which it was covered1 it is uncertain after what manner these oracles were delivered1 though ,cicero supposes the ,pythoness was inspired1 or rather intoxicated by certain vapours which ascended from the cave4 ,some say that the ,pythoness being once debauched1 the oracles were afterwards delivered by an old woman in the dress of a young maid4 #ag ,this answer of the oracle brings to our recollection the equally remarkable injunction of a modern seer to ,sir ,william ,windham1 which is related in the memoirs of ,bishop ,newton4 ,in his younger years1 when ,sir ,william was abroad upon his travels1 and was at ,venice1 there was a noted fortune-teller1 to whom great numbers resorted1 and he among the rest2 and the fortune-teller told him1 that he must beware of a white horse4 ,after his return to ,england1 as he was walking by ,charing-,cross1 he saw a crowd of people coming out and going in to a house1 and inquired what was the meaning of it1 was informed that ,duncan ,campbell1 the dumb fortune-teller lived there4 ,his curiosity also led him in1 and ,duncan ,campbell likewise told him that he must beware of a white horse4 ,it was somewhat extraordinary that two fortune-tellers1 one at ,venice and the other in ,london1 without any communication1 and at some distance of time1 should both happen to hit upon the same thing1 and to give the very same warning4 ,some years afterwards1 when he was taken up in #agae1 and committed to the ,tower upon suspicion of treasonable practices1 which never appeared1 his friends said to him that his fortune wan now fulfilled1 the ,hanover ,house was the white horse whereof he was admonished to beware4 ,but some time after this1 he had a fall from a white horse1 and received a blow by which he lost the sight of one of his eyes4 #ah ,when we come to consult thee1 says he to ,apollo1 if thou seest what is in the womb of futurity1 why dost thou use expressions which will not be understood8 ,if thou dost1 thou takest pleasure in abusing us3 if thou dost not1 be informed of us1 and learn to speak more clearly4 ,i tell thee1 that if thou intendest an equivoque1 the ,greek word whereby thou affirmest that ,croesus should overthrow a great empire1 was ill-chosen2 and that it could signify nothing but ,croesus conquering ,cyrus4 ,if things must necessarily come to pass1 why dost thou amuse us with thy ambiguities8 ,what dost thou1 wretch as thou art1 at ,delphi1 employed in muttering idle prophecies6--,see ,demonologia1 or ,natural ,knowledge revealed p4 #afb4 #ai ,see ,demonologia1 p1 #afc4 #bj ,among the more learned1 it is a pretty general opinion that all the oracles were mere cheats and impostures2 calculated either to serve the avaricious ends of the heathenish priests1 or the political views of the princes4 ,bayle positively asserts1 that they were mere human artifices1 in which the devil had no hand4 ,in this opinion he is strongly supported by ,van ,dale1 a ,dutch physician1 and ,m4 ,fontenelle1 who have expressly written on the subject4--,vide ,demonologia1 op4 citat4 p4 #aei4 #ba ,we learn from ,herodotus 7iv4 #ge7 that the ,scythians and ,tartars intoxicated themselves by inhaling the vapour of a species of hemp thrown upon red hot stones4 ,and the odour of the seeds of henbane alone1 when its power is augmented by heat1 produces a choleric and quarrelsome disposition1 in those who inhale the vapour arising from them in this state4 ,and in the ,dictionnaire de ,mdecine1 7de l',encyclopdie ,mthodique1 vii1 art4 ,jusquiaume7 instances are quoted1 the most remarkable of which is1 that if a married pair who1 though living in perfect harmony every where else1 could never remain for a few hours in the room where they worked without quarrelling4 ,the apartment of course was thought to be bewitched1 until it was discovered that a considerable quantity of seeds of henbane were deposited near the stove1 which was the cause of their daily dissensions1 the removal of which put an end to their bickerings4 ,the same effects that were produced by draughts and fumigations would follow from the application of liniments1 of ,magical ,unctions1 acting through the absorbent system1 as if they had been introduced into the stomach3 allusions to these ointments are constantly recurring in ancient authors4 ,philostratus1 in his life of ,apollonius 7iii4 #e7 states that the bodies of his companions1 before being admitted to the mysteries of the ,indian sages1 were rubbed over with so active an oil1 that it appeared as if they were bathed with fire4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,british ,,druids1 ,,or ,,magi--,,origin ,,of ,,fairies--,,ancient ,,superstitions----,,their ,,skill ,,in ,,medecine1 ,c4 ,the ,british ,druids1 like the ,indian ,gymnosophists1 or the ,persian ,magi1 had two sets of doctrines2 the first for the initiated2 the second for the people4 ,that there is one ,god the creator of heaven and earth1 was a secret doctrine of the ,brachmans4 ,and the nature and perfection of the deity were among the druidical arcana4 ,among the sublimer tenets of the druidical priesthood1 we have every where apparent proofs of their polytheism3 and the grossness of their religious ideas1 as represented by some writers1 is very inconsistent with that divine philosophy which has been considered as a part of their character4 ,these1 however1 were popular divinities which the ,druids ostensibly worshipped1 and popular notions which they ostensibly adopted1 in conformity with the prejudices of the vulgar4 ,the ,druids well knew that the common people were no philosophers4 ,there is reason also1 to think that a great part of the idolatries were not sanctioned by the ,druids1 but afterwards introduced by the ,phoenician colony4 ,but it would be impossible to say how far the primitive ,druids accommodated themselves to vulgar superstition1 or to separate their exterior doctrines and ceremonies from the fables and absurd rites of subsequent times4 ,it would be vain to attempt to enumerate their gods3 in the eye of the vulgar they defied everything around them4 ,they worshipped the spirits of the mountains1 the vallies1 and the rivers4 ,every rock and every spring were either the instruments or the objects of admiration4 ,the moonlight vallies of ,danmonium were filled with the fairy people1 and its numerous rivers were the resort of genii4 ,the fiction of fairies is supposed to have been brought1 with other extravagancies of a like nature from the ,eastern nations1 whilst the ,europeans and ,christians were engaged in the holy war3 such at least is the notion of an ingenious writer1 who thus expresses himself3 ,nor were the monstrous embellishments of enchantments the invention of romancers1 but formed upon ,eastern tales1 brought thence by travellers from their crusades and pilgrimages1 which indeed1 have a cast peculiar to the wild imagination of the ,eastern people4#bb ,that fairies1 in particular1 came from the ,east1 we are assured by that learned orientalist1 ,m4 ,herbelot1 who tells us that the ,persians called the fairies ,peri1 and the ,arabs ,genies1 that according3 to the ,eastern fiction1 there is a certain country inhabited by fairies1 called ,gennistan1 which answers to our fairy-land4#bc ,mr4 ,martin1 in his observations on ,spencer's ,fairy ,queen1 is decided in his opinion1 that the fairies came from the ,east2 but he justly remarks1 that they were introduced into the country long before the period of the crusades4 ,the race of fairies1 he informs us1 was established in ,europe in very early times1 but1 not universally4 ,the fairies were confined to the north of ,europe--to the ultima ,thule--to the ,british isles--to the divisis orbe ,britannis4 ,they were unknown at this remote era to the ,gauls or the ,germans3 and they were probably familiar to the vallies of ,scotland and ,danmonium1 when ,gaul and ,germany were yet unpeopled either by real or imaginary beings4 ,the belief indeed1 of such invisible agents assigned to different parts of nature1 prevails at this very day in ,scotland1 ,devonshire and ,cornwall1 regularly transmitted from the remotest antiquity to the present times1 and totally unconnected with the spurious romance of the crusader or the pilgrim4 ,hence those superstitious notions now existing in our western villages1 where the spriggian#bd are still believed to delude benighted travellers1 to discover hidden treasures1 to influence the weather1 and to raise the winds4 ,this1 says ,warton1 strengthens the hypotheses of the northern1 parts of ,europe being peopled by colonies from the east6 ,the inhabitants of ,shetland and the ,isles pour libations of milk or beer through a holed-stone1 in honour of the spirit ,brownie2 and it is probable the ,danmonii were accustomed to sacrifice to the same spirit1 since the ,cornish and the ,devonians on the border of ,cornwall1 invoke to this day the spirit ,brownie1 on the swarming of their bees4 ,with respect to rivers1 it is a certain fact that the primitive ,britons paid them divine honours2 even now1 in many parts of ,devonshire and ,cornwall1 the vulgar may be said to worship brooks and wells1 to which they resort at stated periods1 performing various ceremonies in honour of those consecrated waters3 and the ,highlanders1 to this day1 talk with great respect of the genius of the sea2 never bathe in a fountain1 lest the elegant spirit that resides in it should be offended and remove2 and mention not the water of rivers without prefixing to it the name of excellent2 and in one of the western islands the inhabitants retained the custom1 to the close of the last century1 of making an annual sacrifice to the genius of the ocean4 ,that at this day the inhabitants of ,india deify their principal rivers is a well known fact2 the waters of the ,ganges possess an uncommon sanctity2 and the modern ,arabians1 like the ,ishmaelites of old1 concur with the ,danmonii in their reverence of springs and fountains4 ,even the names of the ,arabian and ,danmonian wells have a striking correspondence4 ,we have the singing-well2 or the white-fountain1 and there are springs with similar names in the deserts of ,arabia4 ,perhaps the veneration of the ,danmonii for fountains and rivers may be accepted as no trivial proof1 to be thrown into the mass of circumstantial evidence1 in favour of their ,eastern original4 ,that the ,arabs in their thirsty deserts1 should even adore their wells of springing water1 need not excite our surprise1 but we may justly wonder at the inhabitants of ,devonshire and ,cornwall thus worshipping the gods of numerous rivers1 and never failing brooks1 familiar to every part of ,danmonium4 ,the principal times of devotion among the ,druids were either mid-day or midnight4 ,the officiating ,druid was cloathed in a white garment that swept the ground2 on his head1 he wore the tiara2 he had the anguinum or serpent's egg1 as the ensign of his order2 his temples were encircled with a wreath of oak-leaves1 and he waved in his hand the magic rod4 ,as regards the ,druid sacrifice there are vague and contradictory representations4 ,it is certain1 however1 that they offered human victims to their gods4 ,they taught that the punishment of the wicked might be obliterated by sacrifices to ,baal4#be ,the sacrifice of the black sheep1 therefore1 was offered up for the souls of the departed1 and various species of charms exhibited4 ,traces of the holy fires1 and fire worship of the ,druids#bf may be observed in several customs1 both of the ,devonians and the ,cornish2 but in ,ireland may still be seen the holy fires in all their solemnity4 ,the ,irish call the month of ,may ,bel-tine1 or fire of ,belus2 and the first of ,may ,lubel-tine1 or the day of ,belus's fire4 ,in an old ,irish glossary1 it is mentioned that the ,druids of ,ireland used to light two solemn fires every year1 through which all four-footed beasts were driven1 as a preservative against contagious distempers4 ,the ,irish have this custom at the present moment1 they kindle the fire in the milking yards2 men1 women1 and children pass through or leap over it1 and their cattle are driven through the flames of the burning straw1 on the first of ,may2 and in the month of ,november1 they have also their fire feasts when1 according to the custom of the ,danmonians1 as well as the ,irish ,druids1 the hills were enveloped in flame4 ,previously to this solemnity 7on the eve of ,november7 the fire in every private house was extinguished2 hither1 then1 the people were obliged to resort1 in order to rekindle it4 ,the ancient ,persians named the month of ,november1 ,adur or fire ,adur1 according to ,richardson was the angel presiding over that element1 in consequence of which1 on the ninth1 his name-day1 the country blazed all around with flaming piles1 whilst the magi1 by the injunction of ,zoroaster1 visited with great solemnity all the temples of fire throughout the empire2 which1 on this occasion1 were adorned and illuminated in a most splendid manner4 ,hence our ,british illuminations in ,november had probably their origin4 ,it was at this season that ,baal ,samham called the souls to judgment1 which1 according to their deserts1 were assigned to re-enter the bodies of men or brutes1 and to be happy or miserable during their next abode on the earth4 ,the primitive ,christians1 attached to their pagan ceremonies1 placed the feast of ,all-,souls on the la ,samon1 or the second of ,november4 ,even now the peasants in ,ireland assemble on the vigil of la ,samon with sticks and clubs1 going from house to house1 collecting money1 bread-cake1 butter1 cheese1 eggs1 etc41 for the feast2 repeating verses in honour of the solemnity1 and calling for the black sheep4 ,candles are sent from house to house and lighted up on the ,samon4 7,the next day47 ,every house abounds in the best viands the master can afford2 apples and nuts are eaten in great plenty2 the nutshells are burnt1 and from the ashes many things are foretold4 ,hempseed is sown by the maidens1 who believe that1 if they look back1 they shall see the apparition of their intended husbands4 ,the girls make various efforts to read their destiny2 they hang a smock before the fire at the close of the feast1 and sit up all night concealed in one corner of the room1 expecting the apparition of the lover to come down the chimney and turn the shimee3 they throw a ball of yarn out of the window1 and wind it on the reel within1 convinced that if they repeat the ,paternoster backwards1 and look at the ball of yarn without1 they shall then also see his apparition4 ,those who celebrate this feast have numerous other rites derived from the ,pagans4 ,they dip for apples in a tub of water1 and endeavour to bring up one with their mouths2 they catch at an apple when stuck on at one of the end of a kind of hanging beam1 at the other extremity of which is fixed a lighted candle1 and that with their mouths only1 whilst it is in a circular motion1 having their hands tied behind their backs4#bg ,,the ,,british ,,magi4 ,the ,druids1 who were the magi of the ,britons1 had an infinite number of rites in common with the ,persians4 ,one of the chief functions of the ,eastern magi1 was divination2 and ,pomponius ,mela tells us1 that our ,druids possessed the same art4 ,there was a solemn rite of divination among the ,druids from the fall of the victim and convulsions of his limbs1 or the nature and position of his entrails4 ,but the ,british priests had various kinds of divination4 ,by the number of criminal causes1 and by the increase or diminution of their own order1 they predicted fertility or scarcity4 ,from the neighing or prancing of white horses1 harnessed to a consecrated chariot--from the turnings and windings of a hare let loose from the bosom of the diviner 7with a variety of other ominous appearances or exhibitions7 they pretended to determine the events of futurity4#bh ,of all creatures the serpent exercised1 in the most curious manner1 the invention of the ,druids4 ,to the famous anguinum they attributed high virtues4 ,the anguinum or serpent's egg1 was a congeries of small snakes rolled together1 and incrusted with a shell1 formed by the saliva or viscous gum1 or froth of the mother serpent4 ,this egg1 it seems was tossed into the air1 by the hissings of its dam1 and before it fell again to the earth 7where it would be defiled7 it was to be received in the sagus or sacred vestment4 ,the person who caught the egg was to make his escape on horseback1 since the serpent pursues the ravisher of its young1 even to the brink of the next river4 ,pliny1 from whom this account is taken 7lib4 #bi4 ,c4 #c47 proceeds with an enumeration of other absurdities relating to the anguinum4 ,this anguinum is in ,british called ,glain-neider1 or the serpent of glass2 and the same superstitious reverence which the ,danmonii universally paid to the anguinum1 is still discoverable in some parts of ,cornwall4 ,mr4 ,llhuyd informs us that the ,cornish retain a variety of charms1 and have still towards the ,land's-,end1 the amulets of ,maen-,magal and ,glain-neider1 which latter they call ,melprer1 and have a charm for the snake to make it1 when they find one asleep1 and stick a hazel wand in the centre of her spirae1 or coils4 ,we are informed by ,cambden that1 in most parts of ,wales1 and throughout all ,scotland and ,cornwall1 it is an opinion of the vulgar1 that about midsummer-eve 7though in the time they do not all agree7 the snakes meet in companies1 and that by joining heads together and hissing1 a kind of bubble is formed1 which the rest1 by continual hissing1 blow on till it passes quite through the body1 when it immediately hardens1 and resembles a glass-ring1 which whoever finds shall prosper in all his undertakings4 ,the rings thus generated are called ,gleiner-nadroeth1 or snake-stones4 ,they are small glass amulets1 commonly about half as wide as our finger rings1 but much thicker1 of a green colour usually1 though sometimes blue1 and waved with red and white4 ,carew says1 that the country people1 in ,cornwall1 have a persuasion that the snake's breathing upon a hazel wand produces a stone ring of blue colour1 in which there appears the yellow figure of a snake1 and that beasts bit and envenomed1 being given some water to drink wherein this stone has been infused1 will perfectly recover the poison4#bi ,from the animal1 the ,druids passed to the vegetable world2 and these also displayed their powers1 whilst by the charms of the misletoe1 the selago1 and the samopis1 they prevented or repelled diseases4 ,from the undulation or bubbling of water stirred by an oak branch1 or magic wand1 they foretold events that were to come4 ,the superstition of the ,druids is even now retained in the western counties4 ,to this day1 the ,cornish have been accustomed to consult their famous well at ,madem1 or rather the spirit of the well1 respecting their future destiny4 ,hither1 says ,borlase1 come the uneasy1 impatient1 and superstitious1 and by dropping pins#cj or pebbles into the water1 and by shaking the ground round the spring1 so as to raise bubbles from the bottom1 at a certain time of the year1 moon and day1 endeavour to remove their uneasiness2 yet the supposed responses serve equally to encrease the gloom of the melancholy1 the suspicions of the jealous1 and the passion of the enamoured4 ,the ,castalian fountain1 and many others among the ,grecians were supposed to be of a prophetic nature4 ,by dipping a fair mirror into a well1 the ,patraeans of ,greece received1 as they supposed1 some notice of ensuing sickness or health from the various figures pourtrayed upon the surface4 ,the people of ,laconia cast into a pool1 sacred to ,juno1 cakes of bread corn3 if the cakes sunk1 good was portended2 if they swam1 something dreadful was to ensue4 ,sometimes the superstitious threw three stones into the water1 and formed their conclusions from the several turns they made in sinking4 ,the ,druids were likewise able to communicate1 by consecration1 the most portentous virtues to rocks and stones1 which could determine the succession of princes or the fate of empires4 ,to the ,rocking or ,logan stone1 several of which remain still in ,devonshire and ,cornwall1 in particular1 they had recourse to confirm their authority1 either as prophets or judges1 pretending that its motion was miraculous4 ,these religious rites were celebrated in consecrated places and temples1 in the midst of groves4 ,the mysterious silence of an ancient wood diffuses even a shade of horror over minds that are yet superior to superstitious credulity4 ,their temple was seldom any other than a wide circle of rocks perpendicularly raised4 ,an artificial pile of large flat stone usually composed the altar2 and the whole religious mountain was usually enclosed by a low mound1 to prevent the intrusion of the profane4 ,there was something in the ,druidical species of heathenism1 exclaims ,mr4 ,whitaker1 in a style truly oriental1 that was well calculated to arrest the attention and impress the mind4 ,the rudely majestic circle of stones in their temples1 the enormous ,cromlech1 the massy ,logan1 the huge ,carnedde1 and the magnificent amphitheatre of woods1 would all very strongly lay hold upon that religious thoughtfulness of soul1 which has ever been so natural to man1 amid all the wrecks of humanity--the monument of his former perfection6 ,that ,druidism1 as existing originally in ,devonshire and ,cornwall1 was immediately transported1 in all its purity and perfection1 from the ,east1 seems extremely probable4 ,among the sacred rites of the ,druids there were none more celebrated than that they used of the misletoe of the oak4 ,they believed this tree was chosen by ,god himself4 ,the misletoe was what they found but seldom3 whenever1 therefore1 they met with it1 they fetched it with great ceremony1 and did it on the sixth day of the moon1 with which day they began both their months and their years4 ,they gave a name to this shrub1 denoting that it had the virtue of curing all diseases4 ,they sacrificed victims to it1 believing that1 by its virtue1 the barren were made fruitful4 ,they looked upon it likewise as a preservative against all poisons4 ,thus do several nations of the world place their religion in the observation of trifles4 ,the ,druids were also extremely superstitious in relation to the herb selago1 which they reckoned a preservative against sore eyes1 and almost all misfortunes4 ,another herb called samotis1 which they imagined had a virtue to prevent diseases among cattle1 they were very ceremonious about gathering4 ,the person was obliged to be clad in white1 and was not suffered to handle it2 and the ceremony was preceded by a sacrifice of bread and wine4 ,the ,druids had another superstition amongst them1 in regard to their serpents' eggs1 which they supposed were formed of the saliva of many of those creatures1 at a certain time of the moon3 these they looked upon as a sure prognostic of getting the better of their enemies4 ,these1 with many other ridiculous fooleries1 were imposed upon the credulous people1 as they were very much attached to divination4 ,the ,druids regarded the misletoe as an antidote against all poisons1 and they preserved their selago against all misfortunes4 ,the ,persians had the same confidence in the efficacy of several herbs1 and used them in a similar manner4 ,the ,druids cut their misletoe with a golden hook1 and the ,persians cut the twigs of ,ghez1 or haulm1 called bursam1 with a peculiar sort of concentrated knife4 ,the candidates for the ,british throne had recourse to the fatal stone to determine their pretensions2 and on similar occasions the ,persians had recourse to the ,artizoe4 ,from every view of the ,druid religion1 ,mr4 ,polwhele concludes that it derived its origin from the ,persian magi4 ,dr4 ,borlasse has drawn a long and elaborate parallel between the ,druids and ,persians1 where he has plainly proved that they resembled each other1 as strictly as possible1 in every particular of religion4#ca ,,footnotes3 #bb ,supplement to the translated preface to ,jarvis's ,don ,quixote4 #bc ,that the ,druids worshipped rocks1 stones1 and fountains1 and imagined them inhabited1 and actuated by divine intelligences of a lower rank1 may plainly be inferred from their stone monuments4 ,these inferior deities the ,cornish call spriggian1 or spirits1 which answer to genii or fairies2 and the vulgar in ,cornwall still discourse of them1 as of real beings4 #bd ,see ,macpherson's ,introduction to the history of great ,britain and ,ireland4 #be ,this idol1 which is called by the ,septuagint1 ,baal1 is mentioned in other parts of scripture by other names4 ,to understand what this god was1 we may observe1 that the deities of the ,greeks and ,romans come from the ,east2 and it is a tradition among the ancient and modern heathens that this idol was an obscure deity1 which may plead excuse for not translating some passages concerning it2 and this is agreeable to ,hosea 7ix4 #aj74 ,they went out into ,baal ,pheor1 and separated themselves to their shame4 ,and it is the opinion of ,jerome1 who quotes it from an ancient tradition of the ,jews1 that ,baal ,pheor is the ,priapus of the ,greeks and ,romans2 and if you look into the vulgar latin 7#a ,kings xv4 #ac47 we shall find it thus rendered1 and ,asa1 the ,king removed ,maacha1 his mother from being queen1 that she might no longer be high ,priestess in the sacrifices of ,priapus4 ,and he destroyed the grove she had consecrated1 and broke the most filthy idol1 and burnt it at the brook ,kedron4 ,dr4 ,cumberland inserts1 that the import of the word ,peor1 or ,baal ,pheor1 is he that shews boastingly or publicly1 his nakedness4 ,women to avoid barrenness1 were to sit on this filthy image1 as the source of fruitfulness2 for which ,lactantius and ,augustine justly deride the heathens4 #bf ,there was an awful mysteriousness in the original ,druid sacrifice4 ,descanting upon the human sacrifices of various countries1 ,mr4 ,bryant informs us1 that among the nations of ,canaan1 the victims were chosen in a peculiar manner2 their own children1 and whatsoever was nearest and dearest to them1 were thought the most worthy offerings to their gods6 ,the ,carthagenians1 who were a colony from ,tyre1 carried with them the religion of their mother country and instituted the same worship in the parts where they were seated4 ,parents offered up their own children as dearest to themselves1 and therefore the more acceptable to the deity3 they sacrificed the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul1 ,the ,druids1 no doubt1 were actuated with the same views4 #bg ,there is no sort of doubt that ,baal and ,fire were principal objects of the ceremonies and adoration of the ,druids4 ,the principal season of these1 and of their feasts in honour of ,baal1 was new year's day1 when the sun began visibly to return towards us2 the custom is not yet at an end1 the country people still burning out the old year and welcoming in the new by fires lighted on the top of hills1 and other high places4 ,the next season was the month of ,may1 when the fruits of the earth began1 in the ,eastern countries1 to be gathered1 and the first fruits of them consecrated to ,baal1 or to the ,sun1 whose benign influence had ripened them2 and one is almost persuaded that the dance round the ,may pole1 in that month1 is a faint image of the rites observed on such occasions4 ,the next great festival was on the #bast of ,june1 when the sun1 being in ,cancer1 first appears to go backwards and leave us4 ,on this occasion the ,baalim used to call the people together1 and to light fires on high places1 and to cause their sons1 and their daughters1 and their cattle to pass through the fire1 calling upon ,baal to bless them1 and not forsake them4 #bh ,in ,devonshire and ,cornwall it is still considered ominous if a hare crosses a person on the road4 #bi ,see ,carew's ,survey of ,cornwall1 p4 #bb4 ,mr4 ,carew had a stone-ring of this kind in his possession1 and the person who gave it to him avowed1 that he himself saw a part of the stick sticking in it1--but ,penes authorem sit fides1 says ,mr4 ,carew4 #cj ,the same superstition still exists in ,devonshire4 #ca ,see account of ,druidism in ,polewhele's ,historical ,views of ,devonshire1 vol4 #a4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,aesculapian ,,mysteries1 ,c4 ,apollo is said to have been one of the most gentle1 and at the same time1 as may be inferred from his numerous issue1 one of the most gallant of the heathen deities4 ,the first and most noted of his sons was ,aesculapius1 whom he had by the nymph ,coronis4 ,some say that ,apollo1 on account of her infidelity1 shot his mother when big with child with him2 but repenting the fact1 saved the infant1 and gave him to ,chiron to be instructed in physic4#cb ,others report1 that as ,king ,phlegyas1 her father was carrying her with him into ,peloponnesus1 her pains surprised her on the confines of ,epidauria where1 to conceal her shame1 she exposed the infant on a mountain4 ,the truth1 however is1 that this ,aesculapius was a poor infant cast away1 a dropt child1 laid in a wood near ,epidaurus1 by his unnatural parents1 who were afterwards ashamed to own him2 he was shortly afterwards found by some huntsmen1 who1 seeing a lighted flame or glory surrounding his head1 looked upon it as a prognostic of the child's future glory4 ,the infant was delivered by them to a nurse named ,trigo1 but the poets say he was suckled by a goat4 ,he studied physic under ,chiron the centaur1 by whose care he made such progress in the medical art1 as gained him so high a reputation that he was even reported to have raised the dead4 ,his first cures were wrought upon ,ascles1 ,king of ,epidaurus1 and ,aunes1 ,king of ,daunia1 which last was troubled with sore eyes4 ,in short1 his success was so great1 that ,pluto1 seeing the number of his ghosts daily decrease1 complained to ,jupiter1 who killed him with his thunderbolts4 ,such was his proficiency in medical skill1 that he was generally esteemed the god of physic4 ,in the city of ,tetrapolis1 which belonged to the ,ionians1 ,aesculapius had a temple full of rare cures1 dedicated to him by those who ascribed their recovery to him2 and its walls were covered and hung with memorials of the miracles he had performed4 ,cicero reckons up three of the names of ,aesculapius4 ,the first the son of ,apollo1 worshipped in ,arcadia1 who invented the probe and bandages for wounds2 the second the brother of ,mercury1 killed by lightning2 and the third the son of ,arsippus ,arsione1 who first taught the art of tooth-drawing and purging4 ,others make ,aesculapius an ,egyptian1 ,king of ,memphis1 antecedent by a thousand years to the ,aesculapius of the ,greeks4 ,the ,romans numbered him among the ,dii ,adcititii1 of such as were raised to heaven by their merit1 as ,hercules1 ,castor and ,pollux4 ,the ,greeks received their knowledge of ,aesculapius from the ,phoenicians and ,egyptians4 ,his chief temples were at ,pergamus1 ,smyrna1 and ,trica1 a city of ,ionia1 and the isle of ,coos1 or ,cos2 in which all votive tablets were hung up1#cc shewing the diseases cured by his assistance3 but his most famous shrine was at ,epidaurus1 where every five years in the spring1 solemn games were instituted to him nine days after the ,isthmian games at ,corinth4 ,it was by accident that the ,romans became acquainted with ,aesculapius4 ,a plague happened in ,italy1 the oracle was consulted1 and the reply was that they should fetch the god ,esculapius from ,epidaurus4 ,an embassy was appointed of ten senators1 at the head of whom was ,q4 ,ogulnius4 ,these deputies1 on their arrival1 visiting the temple of the god1 a huge serpent came from under the altar1 and crossing the city1 went directly to their ship1 and lay down in the cabin of ,ogulnius2#cd upon which they set sail immediately1 and arriving in the ,tiber1 the serpent quitted the ship1 and retired to a little island opposite to the city1 where a temple was erected to the god1 and the pestilence ceased4 ,the animals sacrificed to ,aesculapius were the goat2 some say on account of his having been nursed by this animal2 others because this creature is unhealthy1 as labouring under a perpetual fever4 ,the dog and the cock were sacrificed to him1 on account of their fidelity and vigilance2 the raven was also devoted to him for its forecast1 and being skilled in divination4 ,authors are not agreed as to his being the inventor of physic1 some affirming he perfected that part only which relates to the regimen of the sick4 ,the origin of this fable is as follows3--the public sign or symbol exposed by the ,egyptians in their assemblies1 to warn the people to mark the depth of the inundation of the ,nile1 in order to regulate their ploughing accordingly1 was the figure of a man with a dog's head1 carrying a pole with serpents twisted round it1 to which they gave the name of ,anubis1#ce ,thaaut1#cf and ,aesculapius4#cg ,in process of time1 they made use of this representation for a real king1 who by the study of physic1 sought the preservation of his subjects4 ,thus the dog and the serpents became the characteristics of ,aesculapius amongst the ,romans and ,greeks1 who were entirely strangers to the original meaning of these hieroglyphics4 ,aesculapius was represented as an old man1 with a long beard1 crowned with a branch of bay tree2 in his hands was a staff full of knots1 about which a serpent had twisted itself3 at his feet stood an owl or a dog--characteristics of the qualities of a good physician1 who must be as cunning as a serpent1 as vigilant as a dog1 as cunning and experienced as an old bashaw1 to handle a thing so difficult as physic4 ,at ,epidaurus his statue was of gold and ivory1#ch seated on a throne of the same materials1 with a long beard1 having a knotty stick in one hand1 the other entwined with a serpent1 and a dog lying at his feet4 ,the ,phliasians depicted him as beardless1 and the ,romans crowned him with a laurel1 to denote his descent from ,apollo4 ,the knots in his staff signify the difficulties that occur in the study of medicine4 ,he had by his wife ,epione two sons1 ,machaon and ,podalirius1 both skilled in surgery1 and who are mentioned by ,homer as having been present at the siege of ,troy1 and who were very serviceable to the ,greeks4 ,he had also two daughters1 called ,hygiaea and ,jaso4 ,,footnotes3 #cb ,ovid1 who relates the story of ,coronis in his fanciful way1 tells us that ,corvus1 or the raven1 who discovered her armour1 had by ,apollo1 his feathers changed from black to white4 #cc ,from these tablets1 or votive inscriptions1 ,hippocrates is said to have collected his aphorisms4 #cd ,the ,romans who sent for ,aesculapius from ,epidaurus1 when their city was troubled with the plague1 say1 that the serpent that was worshipped there for him followed the ambassadors of its own accord to the ship that transported it to ,rome1 where it was placed in a temple built in the isle called ,tiberina4 ,in this temple the sick people were wont to lie1 and when they found themselves no better1 they reviled ,aesculapius3 so impatiently ungrateful and peevish were often the afflicted1 that they made no scruple to reproach the very god who administered to their maladies4 #ce ,from ,hannobeach1 which1 in the ,phoenician language1 signifies the barker1 or warner1 ,anubis4 #cf ,this word signifies the dog4 #cg ,from ,aeish1 man1 and caleph1 dog1 comes ,aescaleph1 the man-dog1 or ,aesculapius4 #ch ,this image was the work of ,thrasymedes1 the son of ,arignotus1 a native of ,paros4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,inferior ,,deities ,,attending ,,mankind ,,prom ,,their ,,birth ,,to ,,their ,,decease4 ,it would be almost an endless task to enter into a detail of all the inferior deities of the ,greeks and ,romans2 our object being to refer to such only as preside over the health of the human race1 every part and parcel of whom had their presiding genius4--,during pregnancy1 the tutelar powers were the god ,pelumnus1#ci and the goddesses ,intercedonia1#dj and ,deverra4#da ,the import of these words seems to point out the necessity of warmth and cleanliness to ladies in this condition4 ,besides the superior goddesses ,jemo-,lucien1 ,diana ,hythia1 and ,latona1 who all presided at the birth1 there were the goddesses ,egeria1#db ,prosa1#dc and ,manageneta1#dd who with the ,dii ,nixii1#de had all the care of women in labour4 ,to children1 ,janus performed the office of door-keeper or midwife2 and in this quality was assisted by the goddess ,opis or ,ops2#df ,cuma rocked the cradle1 while ,carmenta sung their destiny2 ,levana lifted them up from the ground2#dg and ,vegetanus took care of them when they cried2 ,rumina#dh watched them while they suckled2 ,polina furnished them with drink2 and ,edura with food or nourishment2 ,osslago knit their bones2 and ,carna#di strengthened their constitutions4 ,nudina#ej was the goddess of children's purification2 ,stilinus or ,statanus instructed them to walk1 and kept them from falling2 ,fabulina learnt them to prattle2 the goddess ,paventia preserved them from frights2#ea and ,camaena taught them to sing4 ,nor was the infant1 when grown to riper years1 left without his protectors2 ,juventas was the god of youth2 ,agenoria excited men to action2 and the goddesses ,stimula and ,strenua inspired courage and vivacity2 ,horta#eb inspired the fame or love of glory2 and ,sentra gave them the sentiments of probity and justice2 ,quies was the goddesses of repose or ease1#ec and ,indolena1 or laziness1 was deified by the name of ,murcia2#ed ,vacua protected the idle2 ,adeona and ,abeona1 secured people in going abroad and returning2#ee and ,vibilia1 if they wandered1 was so kind as to put them in the right way2 ,fessonia refreshed the weary and fatigued2 and ,meditrina healed the sickly2#ef ,vitula was the goddess of mirth and frolic2#eg ,volupia the goddess who bestowed pleasure2#eh ,orbona was addressed1 that parents might not love their offspring2 ,pellonia averted mischief and danger2 and ,numeria taught people to cast and keep accounts2 ,angerona cured the anguish or sorrow of the mind2#ei ,haeres ,martia secured heirs the estates they expected2 and ,stata or ,statua ,mater1 secured the forum or market place from fire2 even the thieves had a protectress in ,laverna2#fj ,averruncus prevented sudden misfortunes2 and ,conius was always disposed to give good advice to such as wanted it2 ,volumnus inspired men with a disposition to do well2 and ,honorus raised them to preferment and honours4 ,nor was the marriage state without its peculiar defenders4 ,five deities were esteemed so necessary1 that no marriages were solemnized without asking their favours2 these were ,jupiter-,perfectus1 or the ,adult1 ,juno1 ,venus1 ,suadela1#fa and ,diana4 ,jugatinus tied the nuptial knot2 ,domiducus ushered the bride home2 ,domitius took care to keep her there1 and prevent her gadding abroad2 ,maturna preserved the conjugal union entire2 ,virginensis#fb loosed the bridle zone or girdle2 ,viriplaca was a propitious goddess1 ready to reconcile the married couple in case of any accidental difference4 ,matuta was the patroness of matrons1 no maid being suffered to enter her temple4 ,the married was always held to be the only honourable state for woman1 during the times of pagan antiquity4 ,the goddess ,vacuna1#fc is mentioned by ,horace 7,lib4 #a4 ,epist4 ,x4 #di47 as having her temple at ,rome2 the rustics celebrated her festival in ,december1 after the harvest was got in 7,ovid4 ,fast4 ,lib4 ,,xi74 ,the ancients assigned the particular parts of the body to particular deities2 the head was sacred to ,jupiter2 the breast to ,neptune2 the waist to ,mars2 the forehead to ,genius2 the eye-brows to ,juno1 the eyes to ,cupid2 the ears to ,memory2 the right hand to ,fides or ,veritas2 the back to ,pluto2 the knees to ,misericordia or mercy2 the legs to ,mercury2 the feet to ,thetis2 and the fingers to ,minerva4#fd ,the goddess who presided over funerals was ,libitina1#fe whose temple at ,rome1 the undertakers furnished with all the necessaries for the interment of the poor or rich2 all dead bodies were carried through the ,porto ,libitina2 and the ,rationes ,libitinae mentioned by ,suetonius1 very nearly answer to our bills of mortality4 ,,footnotes3 #ci ,either from pilum1 a pestle2 or from pello1 to drive away2 because he procured a safe delivery4 #dj ,she taught the art of cutting wood with a hatchet to make fires4 #da ,the inventress of brooms4 #db ,from casting out the birth4 #dc ,aulus ,gellius4 #dd ,aelian4 #de ,from erritor1 to struggle4 ,see ,ausonius1 ,idyll #ab4 #df ,some make her the same with ,rhea or ,vesta4 #dg ,among the ,romans the midwife always laid the child on the ground1 and the father or somebody appointed1 lifted it up2 hence the expression of tollere liberos1 to educate children4 #dh ,this goddess had a temple at ,rome1 and her offerings were milk4 #di ,on the ,kalends of ,june1 sacrifices were offered to ,carna1 of bacon and bean flour cakes2 whence they were called ,fabariae4 #ej ,boys were named always on the ninth day after the birth1 and girls on the eighth4 #ea ,from ,pavorema vertendo4 #eb ,she had a temple at ,home which always stood open4 #ec ,she had a temple without the walls4 #ed ,murcia had her temple on ,mount ,aventine4 #ee ,from abeo1 to go away2 and adeo1 to come4 #ef ,the festival of this goddess was in ,september1 when the ,romans drank new wine mixed with old1 by way of physic4 #eg ,from vitulo1 to leap or advance4 #eh ,from voluptas1 pleasure4 #ei ,in a great murrain which destroyed their cattle1 the ,romans invoked this goddess1 and she removed the plague4 #fj ,the image was a head without a body4 ,horace mentions her 7,lib4 #a4 ,epist4 ,,xvi4 #fj74 ,she had a temple without the walls1 which gave the name to the ,porta ,lavernalis4 #fa ,the goddess of eloquence1 or persuasion1 who had always a great hand in the success of courtship4 #fb ,she was also called ,cinxia ,juno4 #fc ,she was an old ,sabine deity4 ,some make her the same with ,ceres2 but ,varro imagines her to be the goddess of victory4 #fd ,from this distribution arose1 perhaps1 the scheme of our modern astrologers1 who assign the different parts of the body to the different constellations1 or signs of ,zodiac3 as the head to ,aries1 the neck to ,taurus1 the shoulders to ,gemini1 the heart to ,cancer1 the breast to ,leo1 and so on4 ,the pretended issues of astrology have been always inseparable from stellar influence1 and the zodiac has ever been the fruitful source of its solemn delusions4 #fe ,some confound this goddess with ,proserpine1 others with ,venus4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,judicial ,,astrology--,,its ,,chemical ,,application ,,to ,,the ,,prolongation ,,of ,,life ,,and ,,health--,,alchymical ,,delusions4 ,the study of astrology1 so flattering to human curiosity got into favour with mankind at a very early period1--especially with the weak and ignorant4 ,the first account1 of it we meet with is in ,chaldea2 and at ,rome it was known by the name of the ,babylonish calculation1 against which ,horace very wisely cautioned his readers4#ff ,it was doubtless the first method of divination1 and probably prepared the mind of man for all the various methods since employed of searching into futurity2 a brief view therefore of the rise of this pretended science cannot he improper in this place1 especially as the history of these absurdities is the best method of confuting them4 ,others have ascribed the invention of this deception to the ,arabs2--be this as it may1 ,judicial ,astrology#fg has been too much used by the priests and physicians of all nations to encrease their own power and emolument4 ,they maintain that the heavens are one great book1 in which ,god has written the history of the world2 and in which every man may read his own fortune and the transactions of his time4 ,in this department of astrology 7judicial7 we meet with all the idle conceits about the horary reign of planets1 the doctrine of horoscopes1 the distribution of the houses1 the calculation of nativities1 fortunes1 lucky and unlucky hours1 and other ominous fatalities4 ,they assert that it had its rise from the same hands as astronomy itself2--that while the ancient ,assyrians1 whose serene unclouded sky favoured their celestial1 observations1 were intent on tracing the paths and periods of the heavenly bodies1 they discovered a constant settled relation or analogy between them and things below2 hence they were led to conclude these to be the fates or destinies 7,parcae7 so much talked of1 which preside at our birth1 and dispose of our future state4 ,the ,egyptians1 who derived their astrological superstitions from the ,chaldeans1 becoming ignorant of the astronomical hieroglyphics1 by degrees looked upon the names of the signs as expressing certain powers with which they were invested1 and as indications of their several offices4 ,the sun1 on account of its splendour and enlivening influence1 was imagined to be the great mover of nature2 the moon held the second rank of powers1 and each sign and constellation a certain share in the government of the world4 ,the ram1 7,aries symbol3 ,aries7 had a strong influence over the young of the flocks and herds2 the balance1 7,libra symbol3 ,libra7 could inspire nothing but inclinations to good order and justice2 and the scorpion1 7,scorpio symbol3 ,scorpio7 to excite only evil dispositions4 ,in short1 each sign produced the good or evil intimated by its name4 ,thus1 if a child happened to be born at the instant when the first star of the ram rose above the horizon1 7when1 in order to give this nonsense the air of a science1 the star was supposed to have its greatest influence17 he would be rich in cattle2 and he who should enter the world under the crab1 would meet with nothing but disappointments1 and all his affairs go backwards and downwards4 ,the people were to be happy whose king entered the world under the sign ,libra2 but completely wretched if he should light under the horrid sign scorpion4 ,persons born under capricorn 7symbol3 ,capricorn7 especially if the sun at the same time ascended the horizon1 were sure to meet with success1 and rise upwards like the wild goat and the sun which then ascends for six months together4 ,the lion1 7,leo symbol3 ,leo7 was to produce heroes2 and the virgin 7,virgo symbol3 ,virgo7 with her ear of corn to inspire chastity1 and to unite virtue with abundance4 ,could anything he more extravagant and ridiculous6 ,the case was exactly the same with respect to the planets1 whose influence is only founded on the wild supposition of their being the habitations of the pretended deities1 whose names they bear1 and the fabulous characters the poets have given them4 ,thus1 to ,saturn1 symbol3 ,saturn1 they gave languid and even destructive influences1 for no other reason but because they had been pleased to make this planet the residence of ,saturn1 who was painted with grey hairs and a scythe4 ,to ,jupiter symbol3 ,jupiter they gave the power of bestowing crowns and distributing long life1 wealth1 and grandeur1 merely because it bears the name of the father of life4 ,mars symbol3 ,mars was supposed to inspire a strong inclination for war1 because it was believed to be the residence of the god of war4 ,venus symbol3 ,venus had the power of rendering men voluptuous and fond of pleasure1 because they had been pleased to give it the name of one who by some was thought to be the mother of pleasure4 ,mercury symbol3 ,mercury1 though almost always invisible1 would never have been thought to superintend the property of states1 and the affairs of wit and commerce1 had not men1 without the least reason1 given it the name of one who was supposed to be the inventor of civil polity4 ,according to ,astrologers1 the power of the ascending planet is greatly increased by that of an ascending sign2 then the benign influences are all united1 and fall together on the head of all the happy infants who at that moment enter the world2 yet can anything be more contrary to experience1 which shews us1 that the characters and events produced by persons born under the same aspect of the stars1 are so far from being alike1 that they are directly opposite4 ,what completes the ridicule1 says the ,abb ,la ,pluche1 to whom we are obliged for these judicious observations1 is1 that what astronomers call the first degree of the ram1 the balance1 or of sagitarius1 is no longer the first sign1 which gives fruitfulness to the flocks1 inspires men with a love of justice1 or forms the hero4 ,it has been found that all the celestial signs have1 by degrees1 receded from the vernal equinox1 and drawn back to the ,east3 notwithstanding this1 the point of the zodiac that cuts the equator is still called the first degree of the ram1 though the first star of the ram be thirty degrees beyond it1 and all the other signs in the same proportion4 ,when1 therefore1 any one is said to be born under the first degree of the ram1 it was in reality one of the degrees of pisces that then came above the horizon3 and when another is said to be born with a royal soul and heroic disposition1 because at his birth the planet ,jupiter ascended the horizon1 in conjunction with the first star of sagitary1 ,jupiter was indeed at that time in conjunction with a star thirty degrees eastward of sagitary1 and in good truth it was the pernicious scorpion that presided at the birth of this happy1 this incomparable child4 ,and so it would1 as ,shakspeare says1 if my mother's cat had kittened4 ,this1 says our sagacious bard1 is the excellent foppery of the world1 that when we are sick in fortune1 7after the surfeit of our own behaviour7 we make guilt of our disasters1 the sun1 the moon1 and the stars2 as if we were villains by necessity2 fools1 by heavenly compulsion2 knaves1 thieves1 and treachers1 7traitors7 by spherical predominance2 drunkards1 liars1 and adulterers1 by an enforced obedience of planetary influence2 and all that we are evil in by a divine thrusting on2 an admirable evasion of a whoremaster to lay his goatish tricks to the charge of a star6 ,my father compounded with my mother under the dragon's tail2 and my nativity was under ,ursa major2 so that it follows ,i am rough and treacherous4--,tut6 ,i should have been that ,i am1 had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkled at my bastardizing4 ,thus it is evident1 that astrology is built upon no principles1 that it is founded on fables1 and on influences void of reality4 ,yet absurd as it is1 and even was1 it obtained credit2 and the more it spread1 the greater injury was done to the cause of virtue4 ,instead of the exercise of prudence and wise precautions1 it substituted superstitious forms and childish practices2 it enervated the courage of the brave by apprehensions grounded on puns1 and encouraged the wicked1 by making them lay to the charge of a planet those evils which only proceeded from their own depravity4 ,but not content with such absurdities1 which destroyed the very idea of liberty1 they asserted that these stars1 which had not the least connection with mankind1 governed all the parts of the human body1 and ridiculously affirmed that the ram presided over the head1 the bull over the gullet1 the twins over the breast1 the scorpion over the entrails1 the fishes over the feet1 etc4 ,the juggles of astrology have been admirably ridiculed by ,butler in the following lines3 ,some by the nose with fumes trepan 'em1 ,as ,dunstan did the devil's grannam2 ,others1 with characters and words1 ,catch 'em1 as men in nets do birds2 ,and some with symbols1 signs1 and tricks1 ,engrav'd in planetary nicks1 ,with their own influence will fetch 'em ,down from their orbs1 arrest and catch 'em2 ,make 'em depose and answer to ,all questions1 ere they let them go4 ,bombastus kept a devil's bird ,shut in the pummel of his sword1 ,and taught him all the cunning pranks ,of past and future mountebanks4 ,hudibras1 part ii4 canto #c4 ,by means of the zodiac1 astrologers pretended to account for the various disorders of the body1 which were supposed to be in a good or had disposition1 according to the different aspects#fh of these signs4 ,to mention only one instance1 they pretended that great caution ought to be used in taking medicine under ,taurus1 or the bull2 because1 as this animal chews his cud1 the person would not be able to keep it in his stomach4 ,each hour of the day had also its presiding star4 ,the number seven1 as being that of the planets1 became of mighty consequence4 ,the seven days in the week1--a period of time handed down by tradition1 happened to correspond with the number of the planets3 and therefore they gave the name of a planet to each day2 and from thence some days in the week were considered more fortunate or unlucky than the rest2 and hence seven times seven1 called the climacterical period of hours1 days1 or years1 were thought extremely dangerous1 and to have a surprising effect on private persons1 the fortunes of princes1 and the government of states4 ,thus the mind of man became distressed by imaginary evils1 and the approach of these moments1 in themselves as harmless as the rest of their lives1 has by the strength of the imagination1 brought on the most fatal effects4 ,nay1 the influence of the planets were extended to the bowels of the earth1 where they were supposed to produce metals4 ,from hence it appears that when superstition and folly are once on foot1 there is no setting hounds to their progress4 ,gold1 as a matter of course1 must be the production of the sun1 and the conformity in point of colour1 brightness1 and value1 was a sensible proof of it4 ,by the same mode of reasoning1 the moon produced all the silver1 to which it was related by colour2 ,mars1 all the iron1 which ought to be the favourite metal of the god of war4 ,venus presided over copper1 which she might be well supposed to produce1 since it was found in abundance in the isle of ,cyprus1 the supposed favourite residence of this goddess4 ,in the same strain1 the other planets presided over the other metals4 ,the languid ,saturn domineered over the lead mines1 and ,mercury1 on account of his activity1 had the superintendency of quicksilver2 while it was the province of ,jupiter to preside over tin1 as this was the only metal left him1 it would appear1 a kind of ,hobson's choice4 ,this will explain the manner in which the metals obtained the names of the planets2 and from this opinion1 that each planet engendered its own peculiar metal1 they at length formed an idea that1 as one planet was more powerful than another1 the metal produced by the weakest was converted into another by the predominating influence of a stronger orb4 ,lead1 though really a metal1 and as perfect in its kind as any of the rest1 was considered only half a metal1 which1 in consequence of the languid influences of old ,saturn1 was left imperfect2 and1 therefore1 under the auspices of ,jupiter1 it was converted into tin2 under that of ,venus1 into copper3 and at last into gold1 under some particular aspects of the sun4 ,from hence1 at length1 arose the extravagant opinion of the alchymists1 who1 with amazing sagacity1 endeavoured to find out means for hastening these changes or transmutations1 which1 as they conceived1 the planets performed too slowly4 ,the world1 however1 became at length convinced that the art of the alchymist was as ineffectual as the influences of the planets1 which1 in a long succession of ages1 had never been known to change a mine of lead to that of tin or any other metal4#fi ,the first author we are acquainted with who talks of making gold by the transmutation of one metal1 by means of an alcahest#gj into another1 is ,zozimus the ,pomopolite1 who lived about the commencement of the fifth century1 and who has a treatise express upon it1 called1 ,the divine art of making gold and silver1 in manuscript1 and is1 as formerly1 in the library of the ,king of ,france4 ,as regards the universal medicine1 said to depend on alchemical research1 we discover no earlier or plainer traces than in this author1 and in ,aeneas ,gazeus1 another ,greek writer1 towards the close of the same century2#ga nor among the physicians and materialists1 from ,moses to ,geber the ,arab1#gb who is supposed to have lived in the seventh century4 ,in that author's work1 entitled the ,philosopher's stone1 mention is made of medicine that cures all leprous diseases4 ,this passage1 some authors suppose1 to have given the first hint of the matter1 though ,geber himself1 perhaps1 meant no such thing2 for1 by attending to the ,arabic style and diction of this author1 which abounds in allegory1 it is highly probable that by man he means gold1 and by leprous1 or other diseases1 the other metals1 which1 with relation to gold1 are all impure4 ,the origin and antiquity of alchymy have been much controverted4 ,if any credit may be placed on legend and tradition1 it must be as old as the flood--nay1 ,adam himself is represented to have been an alchymist4 ,a great part1 not only of the heathen mythology1 but of the ,jewish ,scriptures1 are supposed to refer to it4 ,thus1 ,suidas#gc will have the fable of the philosopher's stone to be alluded to in the fable of the ,argonauts2 and others find it in the book of ,moses1 as well as in other remote places4 ,but1 if the era of the art be examined by the test of history1 it will lose much of its fancied antiquity4 ,the manner in which ,suidas accounts for the total silence of alchymy among the old writers is1 that ,dioclesian procured all the books of the ancient ,egyptians to be burnt2 and that it was in these the great mysteries of chemistry were contained4#gd ,kercher asserts1 that the theory of the philosopher's stone is delivered at large in the table of ,hermes1 and the ancient ,egyptians were not ignorant of the art1 but declined to prosecute it4 ,,footnotes3 #ff ------ nec ,babylonios ,tentaris numeros4--,lib1 #a4 ad ,,xi4 ,that is1 consult not the tables of planetary calculations used by astrologers of ,babylonish origin4 #fg ,this conjectural science is divided into natural and judicial4 ,the first is confined to the study of exploring natural effects1 as change of weather1 winds and storms--hurricanes1 thunder1 floods1 earthquakes1 and the like4 ,in this sense it is admitted to be a part of natural philosophy4 ,it was under this view that ,mr4 ,good1 ,mr4 ,boyle1 and ,dr4 ,mead pleaded for its use4 ,the first endeavours to account for the diversity of seasons from the situations1 habitudes1 and motions of the planets2 and to explain an infinity of phenomena by the contemplation of the stars4 ,the honourable ,mr4 ,boyle admitted1 that all physical bodies are influenced by the heavenly bodies2 and the doctor's opinion1 in his treatise concerning the power of the sun and moon1 etc4 is in favour of the doctrine4 ,but these predictions and influence are ridiculed1 and entirely exploded by the most esteemed modern philosophers1 of which the reader may have a learned specimen in ,rohault's ,tract4 ,physic4 pt4 ,,ii4 c #bg4 #fh ,by aspect is to be understood an angle formed by the rays of two planets meeting on the earth1 able to execute some natural power or influence4 #fi ,those who wish to read a curious monument of the follies of the alchymists1 may consult the diary of ,elias ,ashmole1 who is rather the historian of this vain science1 than an adept4 ,it may amuse literary leisure to turn over his quarto volume1 in which he has collected the works of several ,english alchymists1 to which he has subjoined his commentary4 ,it affords curious specimens of ,rosicrucian mysteries2 and he relates stories1 which vie for the miraculous1 with the wildest fancies of ,arabian invention4 #gj ,alcahest1 in chemistry1 7an obsolete term17 means a most pure and universal menstruum or dissolvent1 with which some chemists have pretended to resolve all bodies into their first elements1 and perform other extraordinary and unaccountable operations4 #ga ,in this writer we find the following passage3 ,such as are skilled in the ways of nature1 can take2 silver and tin1 and changing their nature1 can turn them into gold4 ,he also tells us that he was wont to call himself a gold-melter and a chemist4 #gb ,the principal ,authors on alchymy are ,geber1 the ,arab1 ,friar ,bacon1 ,sully1 ,john and ,isaac ,hallendus1 ,basil ,valentine1 ,paracelsus1 ,van ,zuchter1 and ,sendirogius4 #gc ,corringius calls this statement in question1 and asks how ,suidas1 who lived but five hundred yours between them1 should know what happened eight hundred years before him8 ,to which ,borrichius the ,dane1 answers1 that he had learnt it of ,eudemus1 ,helladius1 ,zozimus1 ,pamphilius1 and others1 as ,suidas himself relates4 #gd ,it does not appear that the ,egyptians transmuted gold2 they had ways of separating it from all kinds of bodies1 from the very mud of the ,nile1 and stones of all kinds3 but1 adds ,kercher1 these secrets were never written down1 or made public1 but confined to the royal family1 and handed down traditionally from father to son4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,alchymical ,,and ,,astrological ,,chimera4 ,having so far explained the fragile basis on which human knowledge may be said to have depended1 during the obscurity and barbarity of the middle ages1 when the progress of true knowledge was obstructed by the most absurd fancies1 and puerile conceits3 when conjectures1 caprices1 and dreams supplied the place of the most useful sciences1 and of the most important truths1 the subsequent illustrative reflections may serve as a guide to direct the attention of the reader to other delusions1 which arose out of the general chaos4 ,chemistry1 a science so essentially requisite to explain the phenomena of known and unknown substances1 was studied chiefly by jugglers and fanatics2--their systems1 replete with metaphysical nonsense1 and composed of the most crude and heterogeneous materials1 served rather to nourish superstition than to establish facts1 and illustrate useful truths4 ,universal remedies1 in various forms1 met with strenuous advocates and deluded consumers4 ,the path of accurate observation and experiment was forsaken3 instead of penetrating into the mysterious recesses of nature1 they bewildered themselves in the labyrinth of fanciful speculation2 they overstepped the bounds of good sense1 modesty1 and truth2 and the blind led the blind4 ,the prolongation of life too was no longer sought for in a manner agreeable to the dictates of nature2 even this interesting branch of human pursuits was rendered subservient to chemistry1 or rather to the confused system of alchymy4 ,original matter was considered as the elementary cause of all beings1 by which they expected literally to work miracles1 to transmute the base into noble metals1 to metamorphose man in his animal state by chemical processes1 to render him more durable1 and to secure him against early decline and dissolution4 ,millions of vessels1 retorts1 and phials1 were either exposed to the action of the most violent artificial heat1 or to the natural warmth of the sun2 or else they were buried in some dunghill or other fetid mass1 for the purpose of attracting this original matter1 or obtaining it from putrescible substances4 ,as the metal called gold always bore the highest value1 these crude philosophers concluded1 from a ridiculous analogy1 that its value with respect to the preservation of health and the cure of diseases1 must likewise surpass that of all other remedies4 ,the nugatory art of dissolving it1 so as to render it potable1 and to prevent it from again being converted into metal1 employed a multitude of busy idiots1 not only in concealed corners1 but in the splendid laboratories of the great4 ,sovereigns1 magistrates1 counsellors1 and impostors1 struck with the common frenzy1 entered into friendship and alliance1 formed private fraternities1 and sometimes proceeded to such a pitch of extravagance1 as to involve themselves and their posterity in ruinous debts4 ,the real object of many was1 doubtless1 to gratify their avarice and desire of aggrandisement3 although this sinister motive was concealed under the specious pretext of searching for a remedy that should serve as a tincture of life1 both for the healthy and diseased1 yet some among these whimsical mortals were actuated by more honourable motives1 zealous only for the interest of truth1 and the well-being of their fellow creatures4 ,the common people1 in some countries1 particularly ,italy1 ,germany1 and ,france often denied themselves the common necessaries of life1 to save as much as would purchase a few drops of the tincture of gold1 which was offered for sale by some superstitious or fraudulent chemist3 and so thoroughly persuaded were they of the efficacy of this remedy1 that it afforded them in every instance the most confident and only hope of recovery4 ,these beneficial effects were positively promised1 but were looked for in vain4 ,all subduing death would not submit to be bribed with gold1 and disease refused to hold any intercourse with that powerful deity1 who presides over the industry and commerce of all nations4 ,as1 however1 these diversified and almost numberless experiments were frequently productive of useful inventions in arts and manufactures2 and1 as many chemical remedies of real value were thereby accidentally discovered1 great and almost general attention to those bold projectors was constantly kept alive and excited4 ,indeed1 we are indebted to their curious observations1 or rather perhaps to chance1 for several valuable medicines1 the excellence of which cannot be disputed1 but which1 nevertheless1 require more precaution in their use and application1 and more perspicuity and diligence in investigating their nature and properties than the original preparers of such articles were able or willing to afford4 ,all their endeavours to prolong life1 by artificial means1 could not be attended with beneficial effects2 and the application of the remedies thus contrived1 must necessarily1 in many cases1 have proved detrimental to the health of the patient4 ,in proof of this assertion1 it will be sufficient to give a slight sketch of the different views and opinions of the gold-makers1 ,rosicrucians1 manufacturers of astralian salts1 drops of life1 and tinctures of gold1 hunters after the philosopher's stone1 and other equally absurd chimera4 ,some of these extravagant enthusiasts fancied that life resembled a flame1 from which the body derived warmth1 spirit1 and animation4 ,they endeavoured to cherish and increase the flame1 and supplied the body with materials to feed it1 as we pour oil into a burning lamp4 ,others imagined they had discovered something invisible and incorporeal in the air1 that important medium which supports the life of man4 ,they pretended to catch1 refine1 reduce1 and materialize this indefinable something1 so that it might be swallowed in the form of powders1 and drops2 that1 by its penetrating powers1 it might insinuate itself into the whole animal frame1 invigorate1 and consequently qualify it for a longer duration4 ,others again were foolish enough to indulge a notion that they could divest themselves of the properties of matter during this life2 that in this manner they might be defended against the gradual approaches of dissolution1 to which every animal body is subject3 and that thus fortified1 without quitting their terrestrial tabernacle1 they could associate at pleasure with the inhabitants of the spiritual world4 ,the sacred volume itself was interpreted and commented upon by alchymists1 with a view to render it subservient to their intended designs4 ,indisputable historical facts1 recorded in this invaluable book1 were treated by them as hieroglyphical symbols of chemical processes3 and the fundamental truths of the christian religion were applied1 in a wanton and blasphemous manner1 to the purposes of making gold1 and distilling the elixir of life4 ,the world of spirits was also invaded1 and summoned1 as it were1 to contribute to the prolongation of human life4 ,spirits were supposed to have the dominion of air1 fire1 earth1 and water2 they were divided into distinct classes1 and particular services ascribed to each4 ,the malevolent spirits were opposed and counteracted by various means of prevention3 the good and tutelary were obliged to submit to n sort of gentle1 involuntary servitude4 ,from invisible beings were expected and demanded visible means of assistance--riches1 health1 friends1 and long life4 ,thus the poor spirits were profanely maltreated1 nay1 sometimes severely punished1 and even miserably flogged in effigy1 when they betrayed symptoms of disaffection1 or want of implicit fealty4 ,as men had thus1 in their weakness and folly1 forsaken the bounds of this terrestrial sphere1 it will easily be believed1 that1 with the help of an exuberant imagination1 they would make a transition to the higher regions--to the celestial bodies and the stars to which1 indeed1 they ascribed no less a power than that of deciding the destinies of men1 and which1 consequently1 must have had a considerable share in shortening or prolonging the duration of human life--every nation or kingdom was subjected to the dominion of its particular planet the time of whose government was determined2 and a number of ascendant powers were fictitiously contrived1 with a view to reduce1 under its influence1 every thing which was produced and born under its administration4 ,the professors of astrology appeared as the confidents of these invisible rulers1 and the interpreters of their will2 they were well versed in the art of giving a respectable appearance to this usurped dignity4 ,provided they could but ascertain the hour and minute of a person's birth1 they confidently took upon themselves to predict his mental capacities1 future vicissitudes of life1 and the diseases he would be visited with1 together with the circumstances1 the day and hour of his death4#ge ,not only the common people1 but persons of the highest rank and stations1 nay1 even men the most distinguished for their rank and abilities1 did homage to those gods of their idolatry1 and lived in continual dread of their occult powers4 ,with anxious countenance and attentive ears1 they listened to the cantrip effusions of these pretended oracles1 which prognosticated the bright or gloomy days of futurity4 ,even physicians were solicitous to qualify themselves for appointments no less lucrative than respectable3--they forgot1 over the dazzling hoards of ,mammon1 that they are peculiarly and professedly the pupils of nature4--,the curious student in the universities found everywhere public lecturers1 who undertook to instruct him in the profound arts of divination1 chiromancy1 and the cabala4 ,among other instances1 the following anecdote is related of the noted ,thurneisen1 who1 in the seventeenth century1 was invested1 at ,berlin1 with the respectable offices of printer to the court1 bookseller1 almanack-maker1 astrologer1 chemist1 and first physician4 ,messengers daily arrived from the most respectable houses in ,germany1 ,poland1 ,hungary1 ,denmark1 and even from ,england1 for the purpose of consulting him respecting the future fortunes#gf of their new-born infants1 acquainting him with the hour of the nativity1 and soliciting his advice and directions as to their management4 ,many volumes of this singular correspondence are still preserved in the royal library at ,berlin4 ,the business of this fortunate adept increased so rapidly1 that he found it necessary to employ a number of subaltern assistants1 who1 together with their master1 realized considerable fortunes4 ,he died in high reputation and favour with his superstitious contemporaries4 ,the famous ,melancthon was a believer in judicial astrology1 and an interpreter of dreams4 ,richelieu and ,mazarin were so superstitious as to employ and pension ,morin1 another pretender to astrology1 who cast the nativities of these two able politicians4 ,nor was ,tacitus himself1 who generally appears superior to superstition1 untainted with this folly1 as may be seen from his twenty-second chapter of the sixth book of his ,annals4 ,in the time of the civil wars1 astrology was in high repute4 ,the royalists and the rebels had their astrologers as well as their soldiers2 and the predictions of the former had a great influence over the latter4 ,when ,charles the first was imprisoned1 ,lilly1 the famous astrologer1 was consulted for the hour that should favour his escape2 and in ,burnet's ,history of his own ,times1 there is a story which strongly proves how much ,charles ,,ii was bigotted to judicial astrology1 a man1 though a king1 whose mind was by no means unenlightened4 ,the most respectable characters of the age1 ,sir ,william ,dugdale1 ,elias ,ashmole1#gg ,dr4 ,grew1 and others1 were members of the astrological club4 ,congreve's character of ,foresight1 in ,love for ,love1 was then no uncommon person1 though the humour1 now1 is scarcely intelligible4 ,dryden cast the nativities of his sons2 and what is remarkable1 his prediction relating to his son ,charles1 was accomplished4 ,the incident being of so late a date1 one might hope that it would have been cleared up2 but1 if it be a fact1 it must be allowed that it forms a rational exultation for its irrational adepts4 ,astrologers were frequently1 as may easily be understood1 put to their wit's end when their predictions did not come to pass4 ,great winds were foretold1 by one of the craft1 about the year #aehf4 ,no unusual storms1 however1 happened4 ,bodin1 to save the reputation of the art1 applied it as a figure to some revolutions in the state1 of which there were instances enough at that time4 ,at the commencement of the #ahth century1 the ,illuminati1 a sect of astrologers1 had excited considerable sensation on the continent4 ,blending philosophy with enthusiasm1 and uniting to a knowledge of every chemical process a profound acquaintance with astronomy1 their influence over the superstitious feelings of the people was prodigious2 and in many instances the infatuation was attended with fatal consequences4 ,we shall relate the following1 as nearer home than many now before us4 ,,the ,,horoscope1 ,a ,,tale ,,of ,,the ,,stars4 ,on the summit of ,st4 ,vincent's rocks1 in the neighbourhood of ,clifton1 looking on the ,avon1 as it rolls its lazy courses towards the ,bristol ,channel1 stands an edifice1 known by the name of ,cooke's ,folly4 ,it consists of a single round tower1 and appears at a distance rather as the remnant of some extensive building1 than a complete and perfect edifice1 as it now exists4 ,it was built more than two centuries ago1 by a man named ,maurice ,cooke2 not1 indeed1 as a strong hold from the arms of a mortal enemy1 but as a refuge from the evils of destiny4 ,he was the proprietor of extensive estates in the neighbourhood2 and while his lady was pregnant with her first child1 as she was one evening walking in their domains1 she encountered a strange looking gipsey1 who1 pestering her for alms1 received but a small sum4 ,the man turned over the coin in his hand1 and implored a larger gift4 ,that1 said the lady1 will buy you food for the present4 ,lady1 said the gipsey1 it is not food for the wretched body that ,i require2 the herbs of the field1 and the waters of the ditch1 are good enough for that4 ,i asked your alms for higher purposes4 ,do not distrust me1 if my bearing be prouder than my garments2 do not doubt the strength of my sunken eye1 when ,i tell you that ,i can read the skies as they relate to the fate of men4 ,not more familiar is his hornbook to the scholar1 than are the heavens to my knowledge4 ,what1 thou art an astrologer8--,aye1 lady6 my fathers were so before me1 even in the times when our people had a home amidst the pyramids of the mighty--in the times when you are told the mightier prophets of the ,israelites put the soothsayers of ,egypt to confusion2 idle tales6 but if true1 all reckless now4 ,judah's scattered sons are now desolate as ourselves2 but they bend and bow to the laws and ways of other land--we remain in the stern stedfastness of our own4 ,if then1 returned the lady1 ,i give thee more money1 how will it be applied8 ,that is not a courteous question1 but ,i will answer it4 ,the most cunning craftsman cannot work without his tools1 and some of mine are broken1 which ,i seek to repair3 another crown will be enough4 ,the lady put the required sum into his hand1 and at the same time intimated a desire to have a specimen of his art4 ,oh6 to what purpose should that be8 why1 why seek to know the course of futurity8 destiny runs on in a sweeping and resistless tide4 ,enquire not what rocks await your bark3 the knowledge cannot avail you1 for caution is useless against stern necessity4--,truly1 you are not likely to get rich by your trade1 if you thus deter customers4--,it is not for wealth ,i labour3 ,i am alone on the earth1 and have none to love4 ,i will not mix with the world lest ,i should learn to hate4 ,this present is nothing to me4 ,it is in communion with the spirits who have lived in the times that are past1 and with the stars--those historians of the times to come--that ,i feel aught of joy4 ,fools sometimes demand the exertions of my powers1 and sometimes ,i gratify their childish curiosity4 --,notwithstanding ,i lie under the imputation of folly1 ,i will beg that you predict unto me the fate of the child which ,i shall bear4--,well1 you have obliged me1 and ,i will comply4 ,note the precious moment at which it enters the world1 and soon after you shall see me again4 ,within a week the birth of an heir awoke the clamorous joy of the vassals1 and summoned the strange gipsey to ascertain the necessary points4 ,these learned1 he returned home2 and the next day presented ,sir ,maurice with a scroll1 containing the following lines3 ,twenty times shall ,avon's tide ,in chains of glistening ice be tied-- ,twenty times the woods of ,leigh ,shall wave their brunches merril ,in spring burst forth in mantle gay1 ,and dance in summer's scorching ray3 ,twenty times shall autumn's frown1 ,wither all their green to brown-- ,and still the child of yesterday ,shall laugh the happy hour away4 ,that period past1 another sun ,shall not his annual journey run1 ,before a secret silent foe1 ,shall strike that boy a deadly blow4 ,such1 and sure his fate shall be3 ,seek not to change his destiny4 ,the knight read it2 and in that age1 when astrology was considered a science as unerring as holy prophecies1 it would have been little less than infidelity to have doubted the truth of the prediction4 ,sir ,maurice1 however1 was wise enough to withhold the paper from his lady2 and in answer to her inquiries1 continually asserted that the gipsey was an impostor1 and that the object of his assuming the character was merely to increase her alms4 ,the fated child grew in health and beauty2 and as we are the most usually the more strongly attached to pleasures in proportion to the brevity of continuance1 so did the melancholy fate of his son more firmly fix him in the heart of ,sir ,maurice4 ,often did the wondering lady observe the countenance of her husband with surprise1 as watching the endearing sportiveness of the boy1 his countenance1 at first brightened by the smile of paternal love1 gradually darkened to deepest grief1 till unable to suppress his tears1 he would cover the child with caresses1 and rush from the room4 ,to all inquiries1 ,sir ,maurice was silent1 or returned evasive answers4 ,we shall pass over the infancy of young ,walter1 and resume the narrative at the period in which he entered into his twentieth year4 ,his mother was now dead1 and had left two other children1 both girls1 who1 however1 shared little of their father's love1 which was almost exclusively fixed on ,walter1 and appeared to encrease in strength as the fatal time grew near4 ,it is not to be supposed that he took no precaution against the predicted event4 ,sometimes hope suggested that a mistake might have been made in the horoscope1 or that the astrologer might have overlooked some sign which made the circumstance conditional2 and in unison with the latter idea he determined to erect a strong building1 where1 during the year in which his doom was to be consumated1 ,walter might remain in solitude4 ,he accordingly gave directions for raising a single tower1 peculiarly formed to prevent ingress1 except by permission of its inhabitants4 ,the purpose of this strange building1 however1 he kept secret2 and his neighbours1 after numerous vain conjectures1 gave it the name of ,cooke's ,folly4 ,walter1 himself1 was kept entirely ignorant of the subject1 and all his inquiries were answered with tears4 ,at length the tower was completed1 and furnished with all things necessary for comfort and convenience2 and on the eve of ,walter's completing his twentieth year1 ,sir ,maurice shewed him the gipsey's scroll1 and begged him to make use of the retreat prepared for him till the year expired4 ,walter at first treated the matter lightly1 laughed at the prophecy1 and declared he would not lose a year's liberty if all the astrologers in the world were to croak their ridiculous prophecies against him4 ,seeing1 however1 his father so earnestly bent on the matter1 his resolution began to give way1 and at length he consented to the arrangement4 ,at six the following morning1 therefore1 ,walter entered the tower1 which he fastened within as strongly as iron burs would admit1 and which was secured outside in a manner equally firm4 ,he took possession of his voluntary prison with melancholy feelings1 rather occasioned by the loss of present pleasure1 than the fear of future pain4 ,he sighed as he looked upon the wide domain before him1 and thought how sad would it be to hear the joyous horn summoning his companions to the chase1 and find himself prevented from attending it--to hear the winter wind howling round his tower1 and rushing between the rocks beneath him1 and miss the cheerful song and merry jest1 which were wont to make even the blast a pleasant sound4 ,certainly his time passed as pleasantly as circumstances permitted4 ,he drew up in a basket1 at his meal hours1 every luxury which the season produced4 ,his father and sisters daily conversed with him from below1 for a considerable time2 and the morris-dancers often raised his laughter by their grotesque movements4 ,weeks and months thus passed1 and ,walter still was well and cheerful4 ,his own and his sisters' hopes grew more lively1 but the anxiety of ,sir ,maurice increased4 ,the day drew near which was to restore his son to his arms in confident security1 or to fulfil the prediction which left him without an heir to his name and honours4 ,on the preceding afternoon ,walter continually endeavoured to cheer his parent1 by speaking of what he would do on the morrow2 desired his sisters to send round to all their friends1 that he might stretch his limbs once more in the merry dance2 and continued to talk of the future with much confidence1 that even ,sir ,maurice caught a spark of hope from the fiery spirits of the youth4 ,as the night drew on1 and his sisters were about to leave him1 promising to wake him at six by a song1 in answer to their usual inquiry if he wanted anything more that night1 ,nothing1 said he1 and yet the night feels chilly1 and ,i have little fuel left--send me one more faggot4 ,this was sent him1 and as he drew it up1 ,this1 said he1 is the last time ,i shall have to dip for my wants1 like an old woman for water3 thank ,god6 for it is wearisome work to the arm4 ,sir ,maurice still lingered under the window in conversation with his son1 who at length complained of being cold and drowsy4 ,mark1 said he1 as he closed the window1 mark father1 ,mars1 the star of my fate1 looks smilingly to-night1 all will be well4 ,sir ,maurice looked up--a dark cloud spot suddenly crossed the planet1 and he shuddered at the omen4 ,the anxious father could not leave the spot4 ,sleep he knew it was vain to court1 and he therefore determined to remain where he was4 ,the reflexions that occupied his mind continually varied3 at one time he painted to himself the proud career of his high spirited boy1 known and admired among the mighty of his time2 a moment after he saw the prediction verified1 and the child of his love lying in the tomb4 ,who can conceive his feelings as hour dragged after hour1 while he walked to and fro1 watching the blaze of the fire in the tower1 as it brightened and sunk again--now pacing the court with hasty steps1 and now praying fervently for the preservation of his son8 ,the hour came4 ,the cathedral bell struck heavy on the father's heart1 which was not to be lightened by the cheerful voices of his daughters1 who came running full of hope to the foot of the tower4 ,they looked up1 but ,walter was not there2--they called his name1 he answered not4 ,nay1 said the youngest1 this is only a jest2 he thinks to frighten us1 but ,i know he is safe4 ,a servant had brought a ladder1 which he ascended1 and he looked in at the window4 ,sir ,maurice stood immoveable and silent4--,he looked up1 and the man answered the anxious expression of his eyes4 ,he is asleep1 said he4 ,he is dead6 murmured the father4 ,the servant broke a pane of glass in the window1 and opening the casement1 entered the room4 ,the father1 changing his gloomy stedfastness for frenzied anxiety1 rushed up the ladder4 ,the servant had thrown aside the curtains and the clothes1 and displayed to the eyes of ,sir ,maurice1 his son lying dead1 a serpent twined round his arm1 and his throat covered with blood4 ,the reptile had crept up the faggot last sent him1 and fulfilled the prophecy4 ,to this happy effort of the imagination in favour of prying into futurity1 may be added1 with the same intention4 ,,the ,,fated ,,parricide2 ,,an ,,oriental ,,tale ,,of ,,the ,,stars4 ,ibrahim was universally celebrated for his riches and magnificence4 ,his armies were formidable1 his victories splendid1 and his treasury inexhaustible4 ,he enjoyed1 moreover1 what was ten thousand times more solid and more valuable than riches--the love and veneration of his subjects2 and he had a beautiful young wife1 in whose endearing tenderness alone he could find happiness--if happiness could be found on earth4 ,all these advantages entitled ,ibrahim to the appellation of the ,solomon of his age2 and yet ,ibrahim was not happy4 ,a son was wanting to crown his felicity4 ,in vain did a heart formed for all the charities of the wedded state1 endeavour to supply the refusal of nature1 by the adoption of a son2 in vain did gratitude endeavour to deceive his heart1 by caresses which any other would have thought to be the natural effusions of filial sensibility1 of filial piety and affection2 that heart incessantly perceived a solitude within itself4 ,even the consolatory visions of hope began to grow less frequent1 when heaven at last heard his prayers1 ,alas6 in the very instant that ,fortune gratifies our fondest wishes1 she often betrays us2 and her smiles are a thousand times more fatal than her frowns4 ,the birth of the prince was celebrated throughout the empire by the customary public demonstrations of joy4 ,the felicity of ,ibrahim was complete4 ,he was perpetually revolving in his mind the sentiments and hopes which the nation would form of the royal infant4 ,scarce was he born1 when paternal solicitude embraced1 as it were1 his whole life4 ,impatient to know his destiny1 that solicitude plunged into futurity1 determined1 if possible1 to wrest from time1 the secrets of which he was the hoary-headed guardian4 ,in ,ibrahim's dominions were some sages particularly honoured with the confidence of heaven4 ,he commanded them to consult the stars1 and to report their answer4 ,tremble1 said the sages2 thou unfortunate father1 tremble6 ,never before have the skies presented such inauspicious omens4 ,let him fly2 let this son1 too dear to you1 fly2 let him avoid1 if possible1 the meeting with any savage beasts4 ,his seventh year is the fatal one2 and if he should happen then1 to escape the misfortune that hangs over him1 ah6 do not wish him to live4 ,his father1 his very father1 will not be able to escape from the hand of a parricide4 ,this answer threw the sultan into the deepest consternation4 ,he did not sink1 however1 into absolute despondency2 his courage soon revived4 ,he determined to take all the precautions which paternal tenderness could suggest1 to defeat the prediction of the astrologers4 ,he1 therefore1 caused a kind of subterranean palace to be made on the summit of a lofty mountain4 ,the labour and expense of the excavation was prodigious4 ,extensive walks were formed1 with a variety of apartments1 in which every thing was provided that could contribute to the conveniences1 and even the luxuries of life4 ,in this magnificent cavern1 ,ibrahim1 as it were1 inhumed his son1 together with his governess1 of whose care1 and fidelity he had no doubt4 ,provisions were constantly carried thither at stated periods4 ,the king forgot not a single day to visit the mountain that contained his beloved treasure1 and to be satisfied of his safety with his own eyes4 ,with what delight did he behold the growing beauties of his son6 ,with what pleasure and rapture did he listen to his sprightly saillies of wit1 his smart repartees1 and those pretty nothings which a father1 in particular1 is fond to recollect and to repeat2 at which the most rigid gravity may smile1 and which are worth all the understanding of riper years4 ,he was perpetually counting the hours and minutes that he had to spend with his son2 and he incessantly reproached himself1 for not seeing him more frequently4 ,shah ,abbas1 for such was his name1 at length reached his seventh year1 that fatal year1 which ,ibrahim would fain have delayed1 even at the expense of his crown4 ,he would never leave his son a minute4 ,but1 alas6 is it possible to escape our destiny8 ,summoned one day to his palace by affairs of the most pressing exigency1 he left the mountain with extreme reluctance4 ,never had ,shah ,abbas appeared wore amiable in his father's eyes1 never had ,ibrahim appeared more affectionate to his son6 ,each was tormented by an uneasy sensation1 an unaccountable presentiment that they were to meet there no more6 ,some robbers were hunting wild beasts3 the ardour of the pursuit brought them to this mountain4 ,a lion that fled from them1 perceived the subterraneous passage1 and took refuge in it4 ,the robbers1 who durst not follow him1 waited1 however1 for the sequel of this adventure4 ,on a sudden1 they heard a violent scream1 and presently all was silent4 ,this silence suggested to them1 that the cavern now contained1 not a living creature1 but the lion4 ,they threw down a quantity of stones1 which soon put an end to the existence of the formidable animal4 ,they then descended into the cavern1 securing themselves from all further danger from the lion by cutting off his head4 ,wandering through every part of this subterraneous palace1 they were astonished at the prodigious riches which they beheld4 ,they perceived a slaughtered woman3 this was the prince's governess4 ,by her side lay a child covered with blood1 who shewed1 however1 some signs of life4 ,they examined his wounds3 they found not one of them dangerous4 ,the captain of these banditti1 after stripping the cavern of its valuable contents1 dressed the young prince's wounds himself1 and effected a cure4 ,the growing qualities of ,shah ,abbas endeared him to the chief1 who adopted him as his son1 and distinguished him as such by all the tenderness of a paternal heart4 ,some years had elapsed since ,ibrahim had first deplored the loss of a son1 who1 having been constantly ignorant of the name and titles of his father1 had been unable to explain his origin to the robbers1 was soon to become their chief4 ,such were the unaccountable caprices of fortune1 which led to the completion of the prophecy1 that had destined him to become one day a parricide4 ,ibrahim was wont to divert his grief by the pleasures of the chase2 and this exercise soon became almost his only occupation4 ,one evening that he had strayed1 with a very slender escort1 into the defiles of a very solitary mountain1 a troop of robbers rushed upon him4 ,the combat for sometime was furious4 ,an arrow pierced the king2 it excited the spirit of vengeance in his attendants1 and they fought1 determined to conquer or die4 ,they were soon victorious4 ,the murderer was taken1 and conducted to the metropolis1 that he might undergo the punishment due to his crime4 ,ibrahim1 on the bed of death1 summoned the astrologers to attend him1 and thus addressed them3 ,i was to have perished1 you told me1 by the hand of a son2 but it is the hand of a robber that has inflicted the blow4--,sire1 answered the sages1 forbear to seek an explanation4 ,the robber444 ,they proceed no further4 ,the young robber appears1 and relates his history4 ,ibrahim1 while he bowed in submission to ,god1 and adored ,his inscrutable decrees1 blessed ,him also for having restored his son2 and the tears which he saw flow from the eyes of ,shah ,abbas1 were a consolation in his dying moments4 ,,application ,,of ,,astrology ,,to ,,the ,,prolongation ,,of ,,life1 ,c4 ,astrology was also made subservient to the means of prolonging human life2 but how an art which determines the fate of mortals1 and ascertains the impassable limits of the grave1 could consistently be made subservient to such a purpose1 we are rather at a loss to conceive1 unless accounted for as follows4 ,the teachers of divination maintained1 that not only men1 but all natural bodies1 plants1 animals1 nay even whole countries1 including every place and family1 were under the government of some particular planet4 ,as soon as the masters of the occult science had discovered by their tables1 under what constellation the misfortune or distemper of any person originated1 nothing farther was required1 than that he should remove to a dwelling ruled by an opposite planet1 and confine himself exclusively to such articles of food and drink as were under the influence of a different star4 ,in this artificial manner they contrived to form a system1 or peculiar classification of planets1 namely1 ,lunar1 ,solar1 ,mercurial and the like--and hence arose a confused map of dictated rules1 which1 when considered with reference to the purposes of health1 cleanliness1 exercise etc4 form remarkable contrasts to those of the ,greeks4 ,but this preventive and repulsive method was not merely confined to persons who suffered under some bodily disorder3 even individuals1 who enjoyed a good state of health1 if an unlucky constellation happened to forebode a severe disease1 or any other misfortune1 were directed to choose a place of residence influenced by a more friendly star--or to adopt such aliment only1 as being under the auspices of a propitious star1 might counteract the malignant influence of its antagonist4 ,it was also pretty generally believed and maintained1 that a sort of intimate relation or sympathy subsisted between metals and plants3 hence the names of the latter were given to the former1 in order to denote this supposed connexion and affinity4 ,the corresponding metals were melted into a common mass1 under a certain planet1 and were formed into small medals1 or coins1 with the firm persuasion1 that he who carried such a piece about his person1 might confidently expect the whole favour and protection of the planet1 thus represented4#gh ,thus we perceive how easy the transition is from one degree of folly to another2 and this may help to account for the shocking delusions practised in the manufacturing and wearing of metallic amulets of a peculiar mould1 to which were attributed1 by a sort of magic influence1 the power and protection of the respective planet3 these charms were thought to possess virtue sufficient to overrule the bad effects presaged by an unlucky hour of birth1 to promote to places of honour and profit1 and to be of potent efficacy in matters of commerce and matrimony4 ,the ,german soldiers1 in the dark and superstitious ages1 believed that if the figure of ,mars1 cast and engraved under the sign of the ,scorpion1 were worn about the neck1 it would render them invulnerable1 and insure success to their military enterprises--hence the reason why amulets were then found upon every soldier1 either killed in battle or taken prisoner4 ,we shall so far conclude these observations on the chimera of astrology and medicine with the following remarks in the words of ,chamber against ,knight's work1#gi which defends this fanciful science1 if science it may be called4 ,it demonstrates nothing while it defends every thing4 ,it confutes1 according to ,knight's own ideas3 it alleges a few scattered facts in favour of astrological productions1 which may be picked up in that immensity of fabling which disgraces history4 ,he strenuously denies1 or ridicules1 what the greatest writers have said of this fanciful art1 while he lays great stress on some passages from obscure authors1 or what is worse1 from authors of no authority4--,the most pleasant part1 however1 is at the close where he defends the art from the objections of ,mr4 ,chamber by recrimination4 ,chamber had enriched himself by medical practice1 and when he charges the astrologers by merely aiming to gain a few beggarly pence1 ,sir ,christopher catches fire1 and shews by his quotations1 that if we are to despise an art by its professors attempting to subsist1 or for the objections which may be raised against its vital principles1 we ought by this argument most heartily to despise the medical science1 and medical men2 he gives all here he can collect against physic and physicians1 and from the confessions of ,galen and ,hippocrates1 ,avicenna and ,agrippa1 medicine is made to appear a vainer science than even astrology itself4 ,lilly's opinions1 and his pretended science1 were such favourites of the age1 that the learned ,gataker#hj wrote professedly against this popular delusion4 ,at the head of his star-expounding friends1 ,lilly not only formally replied to1 but persecuted ,gataker annually in his predictions1 and even struck at his ghost1 when beyond the grave4 ,gataker died in ,july #afed1 and ,lilly1 having written in his almanack for that year1 for the month of ,august1 the following barbarous latin line-- ,hoc in tumbo1 jacet presbyter et nebulo6 ,here in this tomb lies a presbyter and a knave1 had the impudence to assert1 that he had predicted ,gataker's death6 ,but the truth is1 it was an empty epitaph to the ,lodgings to let3 it stood empty1 reader1 for the first passenger that the immortal ferryman should carry over the ,styx4 ,but hear that arch imposter ,old ,patridge of more modern date whose gulleries appear to have no end4 ,the practice of astrology is divided into speculative and theoretical4 7,astronomy and judicial astrology74 ,the first teaches us how to know the stars and planets1 and to find their places and motions4 ,the second directs us to the knowledge of the influence and operations of the stars and planets upon sublunary bodies1 and without this last the former is of little use4 ,astronomy cannot direct and inform us of the secret influences and operations of the stars and planets1 without the assistance of' the most sublime art of astrology4 ,for astronomy is conversant about the subject of this art1 and doth furnish the astrologer with matter whereon to exercise his judgment1 but astrology disposes this matter into predictions1 or rational conjectures1 as time and occasion require4 ,the practice again is subdivided into two parts1 or quadripartite1 as ,ptolomy 7lib4 #b7 declares3 the first considers the general state of the world1 and from eclipses and comets1 great conjunctions1 annual revolutions1 quarterly ingressions and lunations1 also the rising1 culminating1 and setting of the fixed stars1 together with the configurations of the planets both to the sun and among themselves1 judgment is deduced1 and the astrologer doth frame his annual predictions of all sensitive and vegetative things lying in the air1 earth1 or water2 of plague1 plenty1 dearth1 mutations of the air1 wars1 peace1 and other general accidents of countries1 provinces1 cities1 etc4 ,the second of these subdivided parts1 in particular1 respects only the private state of every single man and woman1 which must be performed from the scheme of the nativity1 the knowledge of which is of most excellent use to all persons4 ,therefore let the nativities of children be diligently observed for the future1 that is to say1 the day1 hour1 and minute of birth as near as can be1 which will be of use to the astrological physician1 for the most principal conjecture of the malignity of the disease1 whether it be curable1 or shall end with death1 depends upon the knowledge of the nativity2 and very rarely any disease invades a person1 but some unfortunate direction of the luminaries or ascendant to the body1 or beams of malignant planets preceded the same1 or did then operate1 or at least some evil revolution1 profection or transit1 which cannot be discovered by any other way but by astrology4 ,moreover1 it would be convenient that the true time of the first falling sick be observed precisely1 and by that1 together with the nativity1 be judiciously compared1 the physician shall gain more credit than by all his other skill2 and herein1 the astrologer's foresight shall often contradict the judgment of the physician2 for when the astrologer foretells a phlegmatic man1 that at such a time he shall be afflicted with a choleric disease1 the doctor will perceive by his physical symptoms1 the astrologer1 from his knowledge in more secret causes of nature1 hath excelled him in his art4 ,now if ,god ,almighty do not countermand or check the ordinary course of nature1 or the matter of elementary bodies here below be not unproportionable1 and thereby unapt to receive their impressions1 there is no reason why1 in a natural and physical necessity1 astrological predictions should not succeed and take effect1 and by how much the knowledge which we have by the known causes is more demonstrative and infallible than that which we have either by signs or effects1 so much by this companion doth ,astrology appear worthy to be preferred before ,physic4 ,cardan1 who was an excellent physician saith3 ,if by the art of ,astrology he had not better attained to the knowledge of his diseases1 than the physician that would have administered to him by his skill1 he had been assuredly cured by death1 rather than preserved alive by physic4 7,vide his ,comment4 upon ,ptol4 ,quidrepart47 ,from hence it appears it is necessary that the physician should be skilful in astrology1 but on the contrary1 ex quovis legno non fit ,mercurius1 every astrologer cannot be a physician2 if the nativity be but precisely known1 or if1 but tempus ablatum or suppositum1 and withal some notable accidents of sickness1 danger of drowning1 peril by fire1 marriage1 or other1 the like accidents may be foreseen4 ,the astrologers were a set of cunning1 equivocal rogues2 the more cautious of whom only uttered their prognostications in obscure and ambiguous language1 which might be applied to all things1 times1 princes1 and nations whatever4 ,an almanack maker1 a ,spanish friar1 predicted1 in clear and precise words1 the death of ,henry the ,fourth of ,france2 and ,pierese1 though he had no faith in star-gazing1 yet1 alarmed at whatever menaced the life of a beloved sovereign1 consulted with some of the king's friends1 and had the ,spanish almanack laid before his ,majesty1 who courteously thanked them for their solicitude1 but utterly slighted the prediction3 the event occurred1 and in the following year1 the ,spanish ,lilly spread his own fame in an new almanack4 ,this prediction of the friar1 was the result either of his being acquainted with the plot1 or from his being made an instrument for the purposes of those who were4 ,cornelius ,agrippa rightly designates astrologers a perverse and preposterous generation of men1 who profess to know future things1 but in the meantime are altogether ignorant of past and present2 and undertaking to tell all people most obscure and hidden secrets abroad1 at the same time1 know not what happens in their own houses4 ,but this ,agrippa1 for profound ,and solid lying1 was renown'd3 ,the ,anthroposophus1 and ,floud1 ,and ,jacob ,behmen1 understood2 ,knew many an amulet and charm ,that would do neither good nor harm4 ,he understood the speech of birds ,as well as they themselves do words2 ,could tell what subtlest parrots mean ,that speak and think contrary1 clean2 ,what member 'tis of whom they talk1 ,why they cry1 rope and--walk1 knave1 walk4 ,he could foretell whatever was ,by consequence to come to pass2 ,as death of great men1 alterations1 ,diseases1 battles1 inundations3 ,all this without th' eclipse o' th' sun1 ,or dreadful comet1 he hath done ,by inward light1 a way as good1 ,and easy to be understood3 ,but with more lucky hit than those ,that use to make the stars depose ,as if they were consenting to ,all mischief in the world men do3 ,or like the devil1 did tempt and sway 'em ,to rogueries1 and then betray 'em4 ,we shall conclude our astrological strictures with the following advertisement1 which affords as fine a satirical specimen of quackery as is to be met with4 ,it is extracted from poor ,robin's almanack for #aggc2 and may not be without its use1 to many at the present day4 ,we will vouch for it being harmless1 but as we are not in the secret of all that it contains1 our readers must endeavour to get the information that may be wanted1 on certain important points1 from other quarters4 ,it will shew1 however1 that the almanack astrologers did not live upon the best terms1 but like their predecessors1 were constantly abusing and attacking each other4 ,,advertisement4 ,the best time to cut hair4 ,how moles and dreams are to be interpreted4 ,when most proper season to bleed4 ,under what aspect of the moon best to draw teeth1 and cut corns4 ,pairing of nails1 on what day unlucky4 ,what the kindest sign to graft or inoculate in2 to open bee-hives1 and kill swine4 ,how many hours boiling my ,lady ,kent's pudding requires4 ,with other notable questions1 fully and faithfully resolved1 by me ,sylvester ,patridge1 student in physic and astrology1 near the ,gun in ,moorfields4 ,of whom likewise may be had1 at reasonable rates1 trusses1 antidotes1 elixirs1 love-powders4 ,washes for freckles1 plumpers1 glass-eyes1 false calves and noses1 ivory-jaws1 and a new receipt to turn red hair into black4 ,old ,robin's almanack was evidently the best of the time1 and free from all the astrological cant with which ,patridge's ,merlinus ,liberatus was filled2 against which ,poor ,robin did not a little declaim4 ,the motto to his title runs thus3-- ,we use no weather-wise predictions ,nor any such-like airy fictions2 ,but 7which we think is much the best7 ,write the plain truth1 or crack a jest3 ,and 7without any further pretence7 ,confess we write1 and think of the pence3 ,for that's the aim of all who write1 ,profit to gain1 mixed with delight4 ,poor old ,robin attacked the astrologers of his day with no little vehemence3 ,how different a task is it1 says he1 for man to behave so in this world as to please all the people that inhabit it6 ,a man who makes use of his best endeavours to please every body is sure to please but very few1 and by that means displease a great many2 which may very possibly be the case with poor ,robin this year4 ,but 7be that as it will7 old ,bob is sometimes well pleased1 when rogues1 prick-eared coxcombs1 fools1 and such like1 are the most displeased at him3 be it therefore known1 that it is only men of sense and integrity1 7whether they have much money or no money7 that he has any1 7the least7 regard for3 ,i see very plainly1 that an humble man is 7generally7 accounted base2 if otherwise1 he is esteemed proud2 a bold look is looked upon as impudence2 if modest1 7then to be sure7 he must be hypocritical2 if his behaviour is grave1 it is owing to a sullenness of temper2 if affable1 he is but little regarded2 if strictly just1 then cruel must be his character2 but1 if merciful and forbearing1 then 7of consequence7 a silly1 sheepish-headed fool6 ,now1 ,i challenge all the ,,ass-,,trologers and ,,conjurers1 throughout the whole kingdom1 to demonstrate that all the whimsey-headed opinions which different men retain of different actions1 together with their being so vastly different at different times1 one from another2 ,i say1 ,i call upon them ,,all to prove1 that they are 7wholly7 owing to the ,,starry influences6 ,there being1 7,i believe7 in general as many different ideas and conceptions in the mind of mankind1 as there are variety of complexions and countenances4 ,his observations on the four unequal quarters of the year1 as he terms them1 are no less satirical1 humorous1 and full of truth1 and so much in opposition with others of the trade1 that poor old ,robin1 in good sense and trite remarks1 carries away the palm from all his predecessors and contemporaries2 indeed1 he is so little of an astrologer1 that1 instead of consulting the angles1 aspects1 conjunctions and trines1 of the planets1 he is vulgar enough to attach more importance to the substantials and doings of this nether world4 ,we present our readers with the following as a specimen1 which1 though in his usual way1 a little rough-mouthed1 occasionally is free from that almanack-cant which characterises the vocations of his fellow-labourers in the same field4 ,,spring1 which1 being the most delightful season in the whole year1 as it comes the next after a long and cold winter makes it as welcome as it is delightful2 for now the lengthening days afford full time for every body but drunkards and watchmen to finish their respective day's works by day-light1 besides some time to spare to walk abroad1 to see the fine new livery with which ,dame ,flora has now decked out ,mother ,earth4 ,in the opening of the ,spring1 when all nature begins to recover herself1 the same animal pleasure which makes the bird sing1 and the whole brute creation rejoice1 rises very sensibly in the hearts of mankind4 ,this quarter will bring whole shoals of mackerel1 and plenty of green pease2 likewise gooseberries1 cherries1 cheese-cakes1 and custards4 ,but1 let us now moralize1--and improve these vernal delights into real virtue2 and1 when we find within ourselves a secret satisfaction arising from the beauties of the creation1 may we consider to whom we stand indebted for all these various gratifications and entertainments of sense2 who it is that opens thus his hand1 and fills the world with good6 ,but so soon as this quarter is ended2 i4e4 there1 or then1 or thereabout1 for in this case a day or two can break no great squares--,i say this quarter 7as usual7 will be followed by the ,,summer1 when1 and at which time the days will have attained their greatest1 and consequently the nights the shortest lengths4 ,june1 in which month this quarter is said to begin1 will retain some likeness1 if not exhibit the perfections of the ,spring2 but the two next succeeding months will perhaps have less vigour1 but a greater degree of heat2 for1 as they pass on1 they will be ripening the fruits of the earth2 whilst the ,dog star is shooting his rays amongst1 the industrious farmer will have business enough upon his hands3 for now he expects to be reaping and gathering together the returns of his labour2 but then he must expect1 nevertheless1 to bear the heat and burthen of the day4 ,this quarter very justly represents a man in the full vigour of health and strength2 the beauty of the ,spring is gone6 ,the strength of ,summer is of short continuance6 ,it will very soon be succeeded by ,autumn3 thus1 and thus 7,o reader7 do then consider1 hast thou seen the seasons1 two1 three1 or four times return in regular succession3 remember that the time is coming1 when all opportunities of this sort will be for ever hid from thine eyes3 remember if forty years have passed thee1 ,i say1 ,i would have thee remember1 that thy spring is gone1 thy summer almost spent6 ,have then1 therefore1 a very serious retrospective view of thy past1 and1 7if it please ,god7 a fixed resolution to amend thy prolonged life3 then being now arrived almost on the eve of ,,autumn which begins this year 7as usual7 when1 or then1 or thereabouts1 the time the ,summer quarter ends--namely1 when the nights begin to grow longer and the days shorter3 this is the time when the barns are filled with wheat1 which soon must be thrashed out1 in order to be sowed again4 ,this also is the time when the orchards abound with fruits of the kind1 and consequently the properest time to make cider4 ,lamentable now must be the case of those poor women who1 in this quarter1 happen to long for green pease or strawberries2 for ,i dare assure them1 upon the honest word of an astrologer1 that they can get none on this side of next ,easter4 ,some now-abouts under the notion of soldiers1 shall sally out at night upon ,pullen1 or perhaps lie in embuscade for a rope of onions1 as if they were ,welsh freebooters4 ,loss of time and money may be recovered by industry3 but to be a fool-born1 or a rogue in nature1 are diseases incurable4 ,remember that in any quarter of the year1 this is almost always a certain presage of a wedding1 when all parties are agreed1 and the parson in readiness2 and then you must be sure to have money in readiness too1 or your intended marriage may happen to prove a miscarriage4 ,but those who are able to pay for tying the knot1 when it is fairly tied1 may go home to dinner and be merry2 go to the tavern and be merry2 go to supper and be merry2 rise next morning and be merry3 and let the world know1 that a married life is a plentiful life1 when people have good estates2 a fruitful life when they have many children2 and an happy life1 when man and wife love each other as they ought to do1 and never quarrel nor disagree4 ,,of ,,the ,,winter ,,quarter4 ,but now comes on the cold1 dirty1 dithering1 pouting1 rainy1 shivering1 freezing1 blowing1 stormy1 blustering1 cruel quarter called winter2 the very thoughts of it are enough to fright one2 but that it very luckily happens to be introduced 7this year7 by a good1 fat merry ,christmas3 yet it is the last and worse1 and very much resembles extreme old age accompanied by poverty2 this quarter is also pretty much like ,pharoah's lean kine2 for it generally 7we find7 eats up and devours most of the produce of the preceding seasons3 now the sun entering the southern tropic1 affords us the least share of his light1 and consequently the longest long nights3 yet1 nevertheless1 in this uncomfortable quarter1 you may possibly pick up some crumbs of comfort1 provided you have good health1 good store of the ready ,rhino1 a good wife1 and other good things about you3 and especially a good conscience3 for then the starry influences must necessarily appear very benign1 notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather2 for in such cases there will be frequent conjunctions of sirloins and ribs of beef2 aspects of legs and shoulders of mutton1 with refrenations of loins of veal1 shining near the watery triplicity of plumb-porridge--together with trine and sextile of minced pies2 collared brawn from the ,ursus major1 and sturgeon from ,pisces--all for the honour of ,christmas3 and ,i think it is a much pleasanter sight than a ,covent-,garden comedy1 to see a dozen or two of husbandmen1 farmers1 and honest tenants1 at a nobleman's table 7who never raised their rents7 worry a sirloin1 and hew down1 7,i mean cut up7 a goose like a log3 while a good ,cheshire cheese1 and plenty of nappy ale1 and strong ,march beer1 washes down the merry goblets1 sets all their wit afloat1 and sends them to their respective homes1 as happy as kings4 ,and now1 kind loving readers1 every one1 ,god send y'a good new-year1 when the old one 's gone4 ,,footnotes3 #ge ,the following prediction1 and the verification of it are of so recent a date1 that we cannot resist giving it a place in our pages4 ,in the account of the late ,captain ,flinder's voyage of discovery1 is the melancholy relation of the loss of the master1 ,mr4 ,thistle1 with seven others1 in a boat1 on the inhospitable shores of ,terra ,australia4 ,to this narrative1 the following note is subjoined1 which we shall here quote in ,captain ,flinder's own words3 ,this evening1 ,mr4 ,fowler1 the lieutenant1 told me a circumstance which ,i thought very extraordinary1 and it afterwards proved to be more so4 ,while we were lying at ,spithead1 ,mr4 ,thistle was one day waiting on shore1 and having nothing else to do1 went to a certain old man1 named ,pine1 to have his fortune told4 ,the cunning man informed him that he was going on a long voyage1 and that the ship1 on arriving at her destination1 would be joined by another vessel4 ,that such was intended1 he might have learnt privately2 but he added that ,mr4 ,thistle would be lost before the other vessel joined4 ,as to the manner of his loss the magician refused to give any information4 ,my boat's crew1 hearing what ,mr4 ,thistle said1 went to consult the wise man1 and after the prefatory information of a long voyage1 they were told that they would be shipwrecked1 but not in the ship they were going out in2 whether they would escape and return to ,england1 he was not permitted to reveal4 ,this tale ,mr4 ,thistle often told at the mess-table2 and ,i remarked1 with some pain1 in a future part of the voyage1 that every time my boat's crew went to embark in the ,lady ,nelson1 there was some degree of apprehension amongst them1 that the time of the predicted shipwreck was arrived4 ,i make no comment1 7says ,capt4 ,flinders17 upon this story1 but to recommend a commander1 if possible1 to prevent any of his crew from consulting fortune-tellers4--,it should be observed that1 strange as it may appear1 every particular of these predictions came exactly to pass1 for the master and his boat's crew were lost before the ,investigator was joined by the ,lady ,nelson1 from ,port-,jackson2 and when the former ship was condemned1 the people embarked with their commander on board the ,porpoise1 which was wrecked on a coral reef1 and nine of the crew were lost4 #gf ,in #afgj1 the passion for horoscopes and expounding the stars1 prevailed in ,france among the first rank4 ,the new-born child was usually presented naked to the astrologer1 who read the first lineaments in its forehead1 and the transverse lines in its hands1 and thence wrote down its future destiny4 ,catherine de ,mdicis carried ,henry ,,iv1 when a child1 to old ,nostradamus1 who antiquaries esteem more for his ,chronicle of ,provence than for his vaticinating powers4 ,the sight of the revered seer1 with a heard which streamed like a meteor in the air1 terrified the future hero1 who dreaded a whipping from so grave a personage4 #gg ,the ,chaldean ,sages were nearly put to the route by a quarto pack of artillery1 fired on them by ,mr4 ,john ,chamber1 in #afia4 ,apollo did not use ,marsyas more inhumanly than his scourging pen this mystical race2 and his personalities made them sorely feel it4 ,however1 a ,norwich knight1 the very ,quixote of ,astrology1 arrayed in the enchanted armour of his occult authors1 encountered this pagan in a most stately carousal4 ,he came forth with ,a ,defence of ,judicial ,astrologye1 in answer to a treatise lately published by ,mr4 ,john ,chamber4 ,by ,christopher ,knight4 ,printed at ,cambridge1 #afic4 #gh ,vide ,amulets passim4 #gi ,lilly's work1 a voluminous quarto monument of the folly of the age1 was sold originally for four guineas2 it is entitled ,christian ,astrology1 modestly treated1 in three books1 by ,william ,lilly1 student in ,astrology1 #bnd4 edition #afei4 ,every page is embellished with a horoscope which1 sitting on the pretending tripod1 he explains with the utmost facility4 ,there is also a portrait of this arch rogue and star-gazer1 an admirable illustration for ,lavater4 ,as to ,lilly's great skill in prophecy1 there goes a pleasant story related by a kinsman of ,dr4 ,case1 his successor--namely--that a person wanting to consult him on a certain point coming to his house one morning1 ,lilly himself going to the door1 saw a piece of filthy carrion which some one1 who had more wit than manners1 had left there3 and being much offended at its unsightly appearance wished heartily he did but know who had treated him in that manner by leaving such an unwelcome legacy1 as it were1 in his very teeth1 that he might punish them accordingly2 which his customer observing when the conjurer demanded his business1 ,nothing at all1 said he1 for ,i'm sure if you can't find out who has defiled your own door1 it is impossible you should discover anything relating to me1 and with this caustic remark he left him4 #hj ,the ,reverend and learned ,thomas ,gataker1 with whom ,lilly was engaged in a dispute1 in his ,annotations on the tenth chapter of ,jeremiah and #ajth verse1 called him a blind buzzard1 and ,lilly reflected again on his antagonist in his ,annus ,tenebrosus4 ,mr4 ,gataker's reply was entitled ,thomas ,gataker1 ,b4,d4 his ,vindication of the annotation by him published upon these words1 thus saith the ,lord1 7,jer4 x4 #b7 against the scurrilous aspersions of that grand impostor ,william ,lilly2 as also against the various expositions of two of his advocates ,mr4 ,john ,swan1 and another by him cited but not named4 ,together with the ,annotations themselves1 wherein the pretended grounds of judiciary astrology1 and the scripture proofs produced to it1 are discussed and refuted4 ,london1 #afec1 in #dth part #aib4 ,our author making animadversions on this piece in his ,english ,merlin1 #afed produced a third piece from ,mr4 ,gataker1 called a ,discourse apologetical1 wherein ,lilly's lewd1 and loud lies in his ,merlin or ,pasquil for #afed1 are clearly laid open2 his shameless desertion of his own cause further discovered1 his abominable slanders fully refuted1 and his malicious and murtherous mind1 inciting to a general massacre of ,god's ministers1 from his own pen1 evidently known1 etc4 ,london #afed4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,oneirocritical ,,presentiment1 ,,illustrating ,,the ,,cause1 ,,effects1 ,,principal ,,phenomena1 ,,and ,,definition ,,of ,,dreams1 ,,etc4 ,as we shall have to speak of the art practised through the medium1 termed incubation1 of curing diseases1 it may be proper to say something previously on the interpretation of dreams through whose agency these events were said to be realized4 ,oneirocritics1 or interpreters of dreams1 were called conjecturers1 a very fit and proper name for these worldly wise men1 according to the following lines1 translated from ,euripides-- ,he that conjectures least amiss ,of all1 the best of prophets is4 ,to the delusion of dreams not a few of the ancient philosophers lent themselves4 ,among these were ,democritus1 ,aristotle1 and his follower ,themistius1 ,siresius the ,platonic2 who so far relied on dreams which some accident or other brought about1 that they thence endeavoured to persuade men there are no dreams but what are founded on realities4 ,for1 say they1 as the celestial influences produce various forms and changes in corporeal matter1 so out of certain influences1 predominating over the power of the fancy1 the impression of visions is made1 being consentaneous1 through the disposition of the heavens1 to the effect produced2 more especially in dreams1 because the mind1 being then at liberty from all corporeal cares and exercises1 more freely receives the divine influences3 it happens1 therefore that many things are revealed to them that are asleep1 which are concealed from them that are awake4 ,with these and such reasons it is pretended that much is communicated through the medium of dreams3 ,when soft sleep the body lays at ease1 ,and from the heavy mass the fancy frees1 ,whate'er it is in which we take delight1 ,and think of most by day we dream at night4 ,the transition from sleep is very natural to that of dreams1 the wonderful and mysterious phenomena of that state1 the ideal transactions and vain illusions of the mind4 ,according to ,wolfius1 an eminent philosopher of ,silesia1 every dream originates in some sensation1 and is continued by the succession of phantoms2 but no phantasm can arise in the mind without some previous sensation4 ,and yet it is not easy to confirm this by experience1 it being often difficult to distinguish those slight sensations1 which give rise to dreams1 from phantasms1 or objects of imagination4#ha ,the series of phantasms which thus constitute a dream1 seems to be accounted for by the law of the imagination1 or association of ideas2 though it may be very difficult to assign the cause of every minute difference1 not only in different subjects1 but in the same1 at different times1 and in different circumstances4 ,and hence ,m4 ,formey1 who adopts the opinion of ,wolfius1 concludes1 that those dreams are supernatural1 which either do not begin by sensation1 or are not continued by the law of imagination4#hb ,the opinion is as old as ,aristotle1 who asserted1 that a dream is only the ,greek3 ,phantasma or appearance of things1 excited in the mind1 and remaining after the objects are removed4#hc ,the opinion of ,lucretius1 translated in our motto1 was likewise that of ,tully4#hd ,locke also traces the origin of dreams to previous sensations4 ,the dreams of sleeping men1 says this profound philosopher1 are all made up of the waking man's ideas1 though for the most part oddly put together4#he ,and ,dr4 ,hartley1 who explains all the phenomena of the imagination by his theory of vibrations and associations1 says1 that dreams are nothing but the imaginations or reveries of sleeping men1 and that they are deducible from three causes--viz1 the impressions and ideas lately received1 and particularly those of the preceding day1 the state of the body1 more especially of the stomach and brain1 and association4#hf ,macrobius mentions five sorts of dreams4 #ast4 vision--#bnd4 a discovery of something between sleeping and waking--#crd4 a suggestion cast into our fancy1 called by ,cicero1 visum1--#dth4 an ordinary dream--and fifth1 a divine apparition or revelation in our sleep2 such as were the dreams of the prophets1 and of ,joseph1 as also of the ,eastern ,magi4 ,,cause ,,of ,,dreams4 ,avicen makes the cause of dreams to be an ultimate intelligence moving the moon in the midst of that light with which the fancies of men are illuminated while they sleep4 ,aristotle refers the cause of them to common sense1 but placed in the fancy4 ,averroes1 an ,arabian physician1 places it in the imagination2 ,democritus ascribes it to little images1 or representations1 separated from the things themselves2 ,plato among the specific and concrete notions of the soul2 ,albertus to the superior influences1 which continually flow from the sky1 through many specific channels4 ,some physicians attribute the cause of dreams to vapours and humours1 and the affections and cares of persons predominant when awake2 for1 say they1 by reason of the abundance of vapours1 which are exhaled in consequence of immoderate feeding1 the brain is so stuffed by it1 that monsters and strange chimera are formed1 of which the most inordinate eaters and drinkers furnish us with sufficient instances4 ,some dreams1 they assert1 are governed partly by the temperature of the body1 and partly by the humour which mostly abounds in it2 to which may be added the apprehensions which have preceded the day before2 and which are often remarked in dogs1 and other animals1 which bark and make a noise in their sleep4 ,dreams1 they observe1 proceed from the humours and temperature of the body2 we see the choleric dreams of fire1 combats1 yellow colours1 etc4 the phlegmatic of water baths1 of sailing on the sea2 the melancholies of thick fumes1 deserts1 fantasies1 hideous faces1 etc4 they that have the hinder part of their brain clogged1 with viscous humours1 called by physicians ,ephialtes incubus1 dream that they are suffocated4 ,and those who have the orifice of their stomach loaded with malignant humours1 are affrighted with strange visions1 by reason of those venemous vapours that mount to the brain and distemper it4 ,,poetical ,,illustrations ,,of ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,the ,,imagination ,,in ,,dreams4 ,were we to enter more profoundly into the mysterious phenomena of dreams1 our present lucubrations might become too abstruse2 and1 after all1 no philosophical nor satisfactory account can be given of them4 ,such of our readers therefore1 as may wish for a more minute inquiry into the opinions above stated1 we beg leave to refer to the respective authors whom we have already quoted4 ,the reader1 who is fond to find amusement even in a serious subject1 from the scenes of nocturnal imagination1 will be glad1 perhaps for a moment1 to be transported into the regions of poetic fancy4 ,and here we find that the fancy is not more sportive in dreams1 than are the poets in their descriptions of her nocturnal vagaries4 ,on the effects of the imagination in dreams1 the following effusion1 put into the mouth of the volatile ,mercurio1 is an admirable illustration3-- ,o1 then ,i see1 ,queen ,mab has been with you4 ,she is the fancy's midwife1 and she comes ,in shape no bigger than an agate stone ,on the fore-finger of an ,alderman1 ,drawn with a team of little atomies1 ,athwart men's noses as they lie asleep3 ,her waggon spokes made of long spinners' legs2 ,the cover of the wings of grasshoppers2 ,the traces of the smallest spider's web2 ,the collars of the moonshine's watery beams2 ,her whip of cricket's bone2 the lash of film2 ,her waggoner1 a small grey coated gnat1 ,not half so big as a round little worm1 ,prickt from the lazy finger of a maid4 ,her chariot is an empty hazel nut1 ,made by the joiner squirril1 old grub1 ,time out of mind the fairies' coachmakers3 ,and in this state she gallops night by night1 ,thro' lovers' brains1 and then they dream of love2 ,on courtiers' knees1 that dream on curtsies strait2 ,o'er lawyers' fingers1 who strait dream on fees2 ,o'er ladies lips1 who strait on kisses dream1 ,which oft the angry ,mab with blisters plague1 ,because their breath with sweetmeats tainted are4 ,sometimes she gallops o'er a lawyer's nose1 ,and then dreams he of smelling out a suit1 ,and sometimes comes she with a tithe-pig tail1 ,tickling the parson as he lies asleep2 ,then dreams he of another benefice2 ,sometimes she driveth o'er a soldier's neck ,and then he dreams of cutting foreign throats1 ,of breaches1 ambuscades1 ,spanish blades1 ,of healths fire fathom deep2 and then anon ,drums in his ears1 at which he starts and wakes1 ,and being thus frighted1 swears a pray'r or two1 ,and sleeps again4 ,lucretius1 and ,petronius in his poem on the vanity of dreams1 had preceded our immortal bard in a description of the effects of dreams on different kinds of persons4 ,both the passages here alluded to1 only serve to shew the vast superiority of ,shakspeare's boundless genius3 their sense is thus admirably expressed by ,stepney3 ,at dead of night imperial reason sleeps1 ,and fancy with her train1 her revels keeps2 ,then airy phantoms a mix'd scene display1 ,of what we heard1 or saw1 or wish'd by day2 ,for memory those images retains ,which passion form'd1 and still the strongest reigns4 ,huntsmen renew the chase they lately run1 ,and generals fight again their battles won4 ,spectres and fairies haunt the murderer's dreams2 ,grants and disgraces are the courtier's themes4 ,the miser spies a thief1 or a new hoard2 ,the cit's a knight2 the sycophant a lord1 ,thus fancy's in the wild distraction lost1 ,with what we most abhor1 or covet most4 ,honours and state before this phantom fall2 ,for sleep1 like death1 its image1 equals all4 ,chaucer in his tale of the ,cock and ,fox1 has a fine description1 thus versified by ,dryden3-- ,dreams are but interludes which fancy makes3 ,when monarch reason sleeps1 this mimic wakes2 ,compounds a medley of disjointed things1 ,a court of coblers and a mob of kings3 ,light fumes are merry1 grosser fumes are sad3 ,both are the reasonable soul run mad2 ,and many monstrous forms in sleep we see1 ,that neither were1 or are1 or e'er can be4 ,sometimes forgotten things1 long cast behind1 ,rush forward in the brain1 and come to mind4 ,the nurse's legends are for truth received1 ,and the man dreams but what the boy believed1 ,sometimes we but rehearse a former play1 ,the night restores our actions done by day2 ,as hounds in sleep will open for their prey4 ,in short1 the farce of dreams is of a piece ,in chimeras all2 and more absurd or less4 ,shakspeare again3-- ,i talk of dreams1 ,which are the children of an idle brain1 ,begot of nothing but vain phantasy1 ,which is as thin of substance as the air1 ,and more inconsistant than the wind4 ,nor must ,milton be omitted-- ,in the soul ,are many lesser faculties1 that serve ,reason as chief2 among these ,fancy next ,her office holds2 of all external things1 ,which the five watchful senses represent1 ,she forms imaginations1 airy shapes1 ,which reason joining1 or disjoining1 frames1 ,and all that we affirm1 or what deny1 or call ,our knowledge or opinion2 then retires ,into her private cell1 when nature rests4 ,oft in her absence mimic fancy wakes1 ,to imitate her2 but misjoining shapes1 ,wild works produces oft1 but most in dreams ,ill matching words or deeds1 long past or tale4 ,,principal ,,phenomena ,,in ,,dreaming4 ,from these practical descriptions let us proceed to take a view of the principal phenomena in dreaming4 ,and first1 ,mr4 ,locke's beautiful modes of which will greatly illustrate the preceding observations4 ,when the mind1 says ,locke1 turns its view inward upon itself1 and contemplates its own actions1 thinking is the first that occurs4 ,in it the mind observes a great variety of modifications1 and from thence receives distinct ideas4 ,thus the perception1 which actually accompanies1 and is annexed to any impression on the body1 made by an external object1 being distinct from all other modifications of thinking1 furnishes the mind with a distinct idea which we call sensation2 which is1 as it were1 the actual entrance of an idea into the understanding by the senses4 ,the same idea1 when it occurs again without the operation of the like object on the external sensory1 is remembrance3 if it be sought after by the mind1 and with pain and endeavour found1 and brought again in view1 it is recollection3 if it be held there long under consideration1 it is contemplation2 when ideas float in our mind without any reflexion or regard of the understanding1 it is that which the ,french call rverie2#hg our language has scarce a name for it4 ,when the ideas that offer themselves 7for as ,i have observed in another place1 while we are awake1 there will always be a train of ideas succeeding one another in our minds7 are taken notice of1 and1 as it were1 registered in the memory1 it is attention2 when the mind1 with great earnestness1 and of choice1 fixes its view on any idea1 considers it on all sides1 and will not be called off by the ordinary solicitations of other ideas1 it is what we call intention or study4 ,sleep without dreaming is rest from all these3 and dreaming itself1 is the having of ideas 7while the outward senses are stopped1 so that they receive not outward objects with their usual quickness7 in the mind1 not suggested by any external objects1 or known occasion1 nor under any choice or conduct of the understanding at all1 and whether that which we call ecstasy1 be not dreaming with the eyes open1 ,i leave to be examined4 ,dr4 ,beattie1 in his ,dissertations moral and critical1 has an ingenious essay on this subject1 in which he attempts to ascertain1 not so much the efficient as the final causes of the phenomenon1 and to obviate those superstitions in regard to it1 which have sometimes troubled weak minds4 ,he labours1 with great earnestness1 to shew1 that dreams may be of use in the way of physical admonition3 that persons1 who attend to them with this view1 may make important discoveries with regard to their health2 that they may be serviceable as the means of moral improvement2 that1 by attending to them1 we may discern our predominant passions1 and receive good hints for the regulation of them2 that they may have been intended by ,providence to serve as an amusement to the mental powers2 and that dreaming is not universal1 because1 probably1 all constitutions do not require such intellectual amusement4 ,in observations of this kind1 we may discover the ingenuity of fancy and the sagacity of conjecture4 ,we may find amusement in the arguments1 but we look in vain for satisfaction4 ,nature1 certainly1 does nothing in vain1 yet we are far from thinking1 that man is able1 in every case1 to discover her intentions4 ,final causes1 perhaps1 ought never to be the subject of human speculation1 but when they are plain and obvious4 ,to substitute vain conjectures1 instead of the designs of ,providence1 on subjects where those designs are beyond our reach1 serves only to furnish matter for the cavils of the sceptical1 and the sneers of the licentious4 ,among the many striking phenomena in our dreams1 it may be observed1 that1 while they last1 the memory seems to lie wholly torpid1 and the understanding to be employed only about such objects as are then presented1 without comparing the present with the past4 ,when we sleep1 we often converse with a friend who is either absent or dead1 without remembering that the grave or the ocean is between us4 ,we float1 like a feather1 upon the wind2 for we find ourselves this moment in ,england1 and the next in ,india1 without reflecting that the laws of nature are suspended1 or inquiring how the scene could have been so suddenly shifted before us4 ,we are familiar with prodigies2 we accommodate ourselves to every event1 however romantic2 and we not only reason1 but act upon principles1 which are in the highest degree absurd and extravagant4 ,our dreams1 moreover1 are so far from being the effect of a voluntary effort1 that we neither know of what we shall dream1 or whether we shall dream at all4 ,but sleep is not the only time in which strange and unconnected objects involve our ideas in confusion4 ,besides the rveries of the day1 already spoken of1 we have1 in a moral view1 our waking-dreams1 which are not less chimerical1 and impossible to be realized1 than the imaginations of the night4 ,night visions may befriend---- ,our waking dreams are fatal4 ,how ,i dreamt ,of things impossible 7could sleep do more87 ,of joys perpetual in perpetual change6 ,of stable pleasures on the tossing wave6 ,eternal sunshine in the storms of life6 ,how richly were my noon-tide trances hung1 ,with gorgeous tapestries of pictur'd joys6 ,till at deaths' toll1---- ,starting ,i woke1 and found myself undone4 ,many of the fabulous stories of ghosts or apparitions have originated unquestionably in dreams4 ,there are times of slumber when we are sensible of being asleep4 ,when the thoughts are much troubled1 says ,hobbes1 and when a person sleeps without the circumstance of going to bed1 or pulling off his clothes1 as when he nods in his chair1 it is very difficult to distinguish a dream from a reality4 ,on the contrary1 he that composes himself to sleep1 in case of any uncouth or absurd fancy1 easily suspects it to have been a dream4#hh ,on this principle1 ,hobbes has ingeniously accounted for the spectre which is said to have appeared to ,brutus2 and the well-known story told by ,clarendon1 of the apparition of the duke of ,buckingham's father will admit of a similar solution4 ,there was no man at that time in the kingdom so much the topic of conversation as the duke2 and1 from the corruptness of his character1 he was very likely to fall a sacrifice to the corruptness of the times4 ,sir ,george ,villiers is said to have appeared to the man at midnight--there is therefore the greatest probability that the man was asleep2 and the dream affrighting him1 made a strong impression1 and was likely to be repeated4 ,history furnishes us with numerous instances of a forecast having been communicated through the medium of dreams1 some of which are so extraordinary as almost to shake our belief that the hand of ,providence is not sometimes evident through their instrumentality4 ,cicero1 in his first book on ,divination1 tells us1 that ,heraclides1 a clever man1 and who had been a disciple of ,plato1 writes that the mother of ,phalaris saw in a dream the statues of the gods which she had consecrated in the house of her son2 and among other things1 it appeared to her1 that from a cup which ,mercury held in his hand1 he had spilled some blood from it1 and that the blood had scarcely touched the ground1 than rising up in large bubbles it filled the whole house4 ,this dream of the mother was afterwards but too truly verified in the cruelty of the son4 ,cyrus dreamt that seeing the sun at his feet1 he made three different unsuccessful attempts to lay his hand upon it1 at each of which it evaded him4 ,the ,persian ,magi who interpreted this dream told him that these three attempts to seize the sun signified that he would reign thirty years4 ,this prediction was verified3 he died at the age of seventy1 having begun to reign when he was forty years old4 ,there is doubtless1 says ,cicero1 something even among barbarians which marks that they possess the gift of presentiment and divination4 ,the ,indian ,calanus mounting the flaming faggot on which he was about to be burnt1 exclaimed ,o what a fine exit from life1 when my body1 like that of ,hercules1 shall be consumed by the fire1 my spirit will freely enjoy the light4 ,and ,alexander having asked if he had anything to say1 he replied1 ,yes1 ,i shall soon see you1 which happened as he foretold1 ,alexander having died a few days afterwards at ,babylon4 ,xenophon1 an ardent disciple of ,socrates1 relates that in the war which he made in favour of young ,cyrus1 he had some dreams which were followed by the most miraculous events4 ,shall we say that ,xenophon does not speak truth1 or is too extravagant8 ,what6 so great a personage1 and so divine a spirit as ,aristotle1 can he be deceived8 ,or does he wish to deceive others1 when he tells us of ,eudemus of ,cyprus1 one of his friends1 wishing to go into ,macedonia1 passed by ,pheres1 a celebrated town in ,thessaly1 which at that time was under the dominion of the tyrant ,alexander2 and that having fallen very sick1 he saw in a dream a very handsome young man1 who told him that he would cure him1 and that the tyrant ,alexander would shortly die1 but as to himself1 he would return home at the end of five years4 ,aristotle remarks that the two first predictions were1 indeed1 soon accomplished2 that ,eudemus recovered1 and that the tyrant was killed by his wife's brothers2 but that at the expiration of five years1 the time at which it was hoped ,eudemus1 according to the dream1 was to return to ,sicily1 his native country1 news were received that he had been killed in a combat near ,syracuse2 which gave rise to another interpretation of the dream1 namely1 that1 when the spirit or soul of ,eudemus left his body1 it went thence straight to his own house4--,a cup of massy gold having been stolen from the temple of ,hercules1 this god appeared in a dream to ,sophocles three consecutive times1 and pointed out the thief to him2 who was put to the torture1 confessed the delinquency1 and gave up the cup4 ,the temple afterwards received the name of ,hercules ,indicator4 ,an endless variety of similar instances1 both from ancient and modern history1 might be adduced of the singularity of dreams1 as well as their instrumentality in revealing secrets which1 without such agency1 had lain for ever in oblivion2 these1 however1 are sufficient for our purpose here2 and the occurrence of one of a very recent date1 connected with the discovery of the body of the murdered ,maria ,martin1 in the red barn1 is still fresh in the recollection of our readers4 ,that there is a ridiculous infatuation attached by some people to dreams1 which have no meaning1 and which are the offsprings of the day's thoughts1 even among persons whose education should inform them better1 particularly among the fair sex1 cannot be denied2 indeed1 a conversation seldom passes among them1 but some inconsistent dream or other1 form a leading feature of their gossip2 and doubtless is with them an hysterical symptom4 ,sometimes in our sleeping dreams1 we imagine ourselves involved in inextricable woe1 and enjoy at waking1 the ecstasy of a deliverance from it4 ,and such a deliverance1 says ,dr4 ,beattie1 will every good man meet with at last1 when he is taken away from the evils of life1 and awakes in the regions of everlasting light and peace2 looking back upon the world and its troubles1 with a surprise and satisfaction similar in kind 7though far higher in degree7 to that which we now feel1 when we escape from a terrifying dream1 and open our eyes to the sweet serenity of a summer morning4 ,sometimes1 in our dreams1 we imagine scenes of pure and unutterable joy2 and how much do we regret at waking1 that the heavenly vision is no more6 ,but what must the raptures of the good man be1 when he enters the regions of immortality1 and beholds the radiant fields of permanent delight6 ,the idea of such a happy death1 such a sweet transition1 from the dreams of earth to the realities of heaven1 is thus beautifully described by ,dryden1 in his poem entitled ,eleonora3 ,she passed serenely1 with a single breath2 ,this moment perfect health1 the next was death2 ,one sigh did her eternal bliss assure2 ,so little penance needs when souls are pure4 ,as gentle dreams our waking thoughts pursue2 ,or1 one dream past1 we slide into a new2 ,so close they follow and such wild order keep1 ,we think ourselves awake and are asleep2 ,so softly death succeeded life in her3 ,she did but dream of heaven and she was there4 ,,definition ,,of ,,dreams4 ,dreams are vagaries of the imagination1 and in most instances proceed from external sensations4 ,they take place only when our sleep is unsound1 in which case the brain and nervous system are capable of performing certain motions4 ,we seldom dream during the first hours of sleep2 perhaps because the nervous fluid is then too much exhausted2 but dreams mostly occur towards the morning1 when this fluid has been1 in some measure1 restored4 ,every thing capable of interrupting the tranquillity of mind and body1 may produce dreams2 such are the various kinds of grief and sorrow1 exertions of the mind1 affections and passions1 crude and undigested food1 a hard and inconvenient posture of the body4 ,those ideas which have lately occupied our minds or made a lively impression upon us1 generally constitute the principal subject of a dream1 and more or less employ our imagination1 when we are asleep4 ,animals are likewise apt to dream1 though seldom2 and even men living temperately1 and enjoying a perfect state of health1 are seldom disturbed with this play of the fancy4 ,and1 indeed1 there are examples of lively and spirited persons who never dream at all4 ,the great physiologist ,haller considers dreaming as a symptom of disease1 or as a stimulating cause1 by which the perfect tranquillity of the sensorium is interrupted4 ,hence1 that sleep is the most refreshing1 which is undisturbed by dreams1 or1 at least1 when we have the distinct recollection of them4 ,most of our dreams are then nothing more than sports of the fancy1 and derive their origin chiefly from external impressions2 almost every thing we see and hear1 when awake1 leads our imagination to collateral notions or representations1 which1 in a manner1 spontaneously1 and without the least effort1 associate with external sensations4 ,the place where a person whom we love formerly resided1 a dress similar to that which we have seen her wear1 or the objects that employed her attention1 no sooner catch our eye1 than she immediately occupies our mind4 ,and1 though these images associating with external sensations1 do not arrive at complete consciousness within the power of imagination1 yet even in their latent state they may become very strong and permanent4 ,cicero furnishes us with a story of two ,arcadians1 who1 travelling together1 arrived at ,megara1 a city of ,greece1 between ,athens and ,corinth1 where one of them lodged in a friend's house1 and the other at an inn4 ,after supper1 the person who lodged at the private house went to bed1 and falling asleep1 dreamed that his friend at the inn appeared to him and begged his assistance1 because the innkeeper was going to kill him4 ,the man immediately got out of bed much frightened at the dream2 but recovering himself1 and falling asleep again1 his friend appeared to him a second time1 and desired that1 as he would not assist him in time1 he would take care at least not to let his death go unpunished2 that the innkeeper having murdered him had thrown his body into a cart and covered it with dung2 he therefore begged that he would be at the city gate in the morning1 before the cart was out2 struck with this new dream1 he went early to the gate1 saw the cart1 and asked the driver what was in it2 the driver immediately fled1 the dead body was taken out of the cart1 and the innkeeper apprehended and executed4 ,it is very frequently observed1 that in a dream a series of representations is suddenly interrupted1 and another series of a very different kind occupies its place4 ,this happens as soon as an idea associates itself2 which1 from whatever cause1 is more interesting than that immediately preceding4 ,the last then becomes the prevailing one1 and determines the association4 ,yet1 by this too1 the imagination is frequently reconducted to the former series4 ,the interruption in the course of the preceding occurrences is remarked1 and the power of abstracting similarities is in search of the cause of this irregularity4 ,hence1 in such cases1 there usually happens some unfortunate event or other1 which occasions the interruption of the story4 ,the representing power may again suddenly conduct us to another series of ideas1 and thus the imagination may be led by the subreasoning power before defined1 from one scene to another4 ,of this kind1 for instance1 is the following remarkable dream1 as related and explained in the works of professor ,maas of ,halle3 ,i dreamed once1 says he that the ,pope visited me4 ,he commanded me to open my desk1 and carefully examined all the papers it contained4 ,while he was thus employed1 a very sparkling diamond fell out of his triple crown into my desk1 of which1 however1 neither of us took any notice4 ,as soon as the ,pope had withdrawn1 ,i retired to bed1 but was soon obliged to rise1 on account of a thick smoke1 the cause of which ,i had yet to learn4 ,upon examination ,i discovered1 that the diamond had set fire to the papers in my desk1 and burnt them to ashes4 ,on account of the peculiar circumstances by which this dream was occasioned1 it deserves the following short analysis4 ,on the preceding evening1 says professor ,maas1 ,i was visited by a friend with whom ,i had a lively conversation1 upon ,joseph ,i,ind's suppression of monasteries and convents4 ,with this idea1 though ,i did not become conscious of it in my dream1 was associated the visit which the ,pope publicly paid the ,emperor ,joseph at ,vienna1 in consequence of the measures taken against the clergy2 and with this again was combined1 however faintly1 the representation of the visit1 which had been paid me by my friend4 ,these two events were1 by the subreasoning faculty1 compounded into one1 according to the established rule--that things which agree in their parts1 also correspond as to the whole2--hence the ,pope's visit1 was changed into a visit made to me4 ,the subreasoning faculty then1 in order to account for this extraordinary visit1 fixed upon that which was the most important object in my room1 namely1 the desk1 or rather the papers contained in it4 ,that a diamond fell out of the triple crown was a collateral association1 which was owing merely to the representation of the desk4 ,some days before when opening the desk1 ,i had broken the glass of my watch1 which ,i held in my hand1 and the fragments fell among the papers4 ,hence no farther attention was paid to the diamond1 being a representation of a collateral series of things4 ,but afterwards the representation of the sparkling stones was again excited1 and became the prevailing idea2 hence it determined the succeeding association4 ,on account of its similarity1 it excited1 the representation of fire1 with which it was confounded2 hence arose fire and smoke4--,but1 in the event1 the writings only were burnt1 not the desk itself2 to which1 being of comparatively less value1 the attention was not at all directed4 ,it is farther observable1 that there are in the human mind certain obscure representations1 and that it is necessary to be convinced of the reality of these images1 if we are desirous of perceiving the connexion1 which subsists among the operations of the imagination4 ,of the numerous phenomena1 founded on obscure ideas1 and which consequently prove their existence1 we shall only remark the following4 ,it is a well known fact1 that many dreams originate in the impressions made in the body during sleep2 and they consist of analogous images or such as are associated with sensations that would arise from these impressions1 during a waking state4 ,hence1 for instance1 if our legs are placed in a perpendicular posture1 we are often terrified by a dream that implies the imminent danger of falling from a steep rock or precipice4 ,the mind must represent to itself these external impressions in a lively manner1 otherwise no ideal picture could be thus excited2 but1 as we do not become at all conscious of them1 they are but faintly and obscurely represented4 ,if we make a resolution to rise earlier in the morning than usual2 and if we impress the determination on our mind1 immediately before going to rest1 we are almost certain to succeed4 ,now it is self-evident that this success cannot be ascribed to the efforts of the body1 but altogether to the mind1 which probably1 during sleep perceives and computes the duration of time1 so that it makes an impression on the body1 which enables us to awake at an appointed hour4 ,yet all this takes place1 without our consciousness1 and the representations remain obscure4 ,many productions of art are so complicated1 that a variety of simple conceptions are requisite to lay the foundation of them2 yet the artist is almost entirely unconscious of these individual notions4 ,thus a person performs a piece of music1 without being obliged to reflect1 in a conscious manner1 on the signification of the notes1 their value1 and the order of the fingers he must observe2 nay even without clearly distinguishing the strings of the harp1 or the keys of the harpsichord4 ,we cannot attribute this to the mechanism of the body1 which might gradually accustom itself to the accurate placing of the fingers4 ,this could be applied only where we place a piece of music1 frequently practised2 but it is totally inapplicable to a new piece1 which is played by the professor with equal facility1 though he has never seen it before4 ,in the latter case there must arise1 necessarily1 an ideal representation1 or an act of judgment1 previous to every motion of the finger4 ,these arguments1 we trust1 are sufficient1 to evince the occurrence of these obscure notions and representations1 from which all our dreams originate4 ,before1 however1 we close this subject1 we shall relate the following extraordinary dream of the celebrated ,galileo1 who at a very advanced age had lost his sight4 ,in one of his walks over a beautiful plain1 conducted by his pupil ,troicelli1 the venerable sage related the following dream to him4 ,once1 said he1 my eyes permitted me to enjoy the charms of these fields4 ,but now1 since their light is extinguished1 these pleasures are lost to me for ever4 ,heaven justly inflicts the punishment which was predicted to me many years ago4 ,when in prison1 and impatiently languishing for liberty1 ,i began to be discontented with the ways of ,providence2 ,copernicus appeared to me in a dream2 his celestial spirit conducted me over luminous stars1 and1 in a threatening voice1 reprehended me for having murmured against him1 at whose fiat all these worlds had proceeded from nothing4 ',a time shall come 7said he7 when thine eyes shall refuse to assist thee in contemplating these wonders4' ,we shall now proceed to notice the subject of dreams in another point of view--that is1 as being employed as a medium of divination in the cure of diseases1 in which the fancies of the brain appear1 in reality1 to as little advantage as they do with reference to any other considerations in which such pretended omens exist4 ,,footnotes3 #ha ,wolfius1 ,psychol4 ,empir4 ,sect4 #abc4 #hb ,mm4 de l'acad4 de ,berlin1 tom4 ii4 p4 #caf4 #hc ,arist4 de insomn4 cap #c4 #hd ,quae in vita usurpant homines1 cogitant1 curant1 vident quaeque agunt vigilantes1 agitantque1 ea cuique in somno accidunt4 ,de ,div4 #he ,essay on ,human ,understanding1 book1 chap4 i4 sect #ag4 #hf ,obs1 on ,man1 vol4 #a1 sect4 #e4 #hg ,there is a phenomenon in the mind1 which1 though it happen to us while we are perfectly awake1 yet approaches the nearest to sleep of any ,i know4 ,it is called the ,reverie1 or1 as some term it1 the brown study1 a sort of middle state between waking and sleeping2 in which1 though our eyes are open1 our senses seem to be entirely shut up1 and we are quite insensible of every thing about us1 yet we are all the while engaged in a musing indolence of thought1 or a supine and lolling kind of roving from one fairy scene to another1 without any self-command2 from which1 if any noise or accident rouse us1 we wake as from a real dream1 and are often as much at a loss to tell how our thoughts were employed1 as if we had waked from the soundest sleep4 ,this is frequently called dreaming1 sometimes absence1 a thing often observed in lovers and people of a melancholy or indeed speculative turn4--,fordyce's ,dialogues concerning education1 vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #bee4 #hh ,leviathan1 part4 #a4 c4 #a4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,on ,,incubation2 ,,or ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,healing ,,by ,,visionary ,,divination4 ,medicine unquestionably ranks among the most ancient of all human sciences4 ,in the infant state of society1 when simplicity of manners characterised the pursuits of mankind1 medical assistance was little wanted2 but when the nature of man degenerated1 and vice and luxury corrupted his habits of innocence and temperance1 diseases sprung up which those aids alone could check or eradicate4 ,the knowledge of them at first could not fail to be empirical and precarious4 ,the sick were placed in the high ways1 that travellers and passers by might assist them with their counsel2 and at length the priesthood appropriated this privilege exclusively to themselves4 ,it was not merely the sacerdotal dignity which rendered them objects of awe and reverence to the illiterate multitude2 the priests were regarded as the depositaries of science and learning2 and proved themselves as skilful as they were successful1 in cementing their influence by those arts which were best calculated to inflame the prejudices of the vulgar in their favour4 ,it is the work of ages to wean men and nations from popular illusions1 and the deep-rooted opinions transmitted from sire to son3 it cannot therefore surprise us1 that even when the intellectual energy of ,greece was signalizing itself by efforts which have commanded the admiration of after ages1 it should still remain a popular dogma in medicine that persons labouring under bodily infirmity1 might be thrown into a state of charmed torpor1 in which1 though destitute of any previous medical knowledge1 they would be enabled to ascertain the nature of their malady1 as well as of the diseases of others1 and devise the means of their cure4 ,upon this dogma was founded the mystery of incubations1 or the art of healing by visionary divination4 ,it is not our object here to discuss whether a man can be capable of divination3 such a power1 however1 was assigned to him1 not only by the vulgar1 but by the greater number of the philosophical sects of antiquity2 and it does appear to savour a little of temerity1 that ,epicurus and the cynics should have ventured to reject a belief so universally and strenuously maintained1 and resting on an infinity of traditions and accounts of prophets1 in whom ,greece had abounded from her earliest times1 and of whose divine gift of prophecy the firmest conviction was currently entertained4 ,aeschylus1 ,plutarch1 ,apuleius1 and other ,greek authors1 bear ample testimony of this persuasion1 and tell us that by uncommon and irregular motions of the body intoxicating vapours1 or certain holy ejaculations1 men might be thrown into an enchanted trance2 in which1 being in a state between sleeping and waking1 they were unsusceptible of external impressions and obtaining a glimpse of futurity1 were gifted with the power of prophecy4 ,here their allusion1 however1 only concerns the celebrated divinations of the ,pythia4#hi ,we must therefore1 probe somewhat deeper1 in order to illustrate that species of divination which was the result of dreams1 and a source of divination on the nature of diseases and their remedies4 ,this kind of superstition was in no less acceptation than the former among the ancients1 whose temples were constantly crowded with the sick1 and reverberated with their supplications for divinatory dreams1 which were regarded as an immediate gift from the gods4 ,indeed1 the celestial origin of dreams was universally admitted by the nations of antiquity1 and thence also their efficacy as oracles4 ,nothing could be more natural than such an idea4 ,from the crude and imperfect notions which long prevailed with respect to the soul1 it was scarcely possible for them to ascribe the impressions1 which their memory retained of the creation of their fancy during their slumbers1 to the instrumentality of their own conceits2 they could not fail therefore to impute them to the interposition of some foreign agent1 and to whom more naturally could they refer them than to a divinity8 ,when awake1 they imagined themselves always attended by the gods in person1 and ascribed every thought1 and resolved every appearance or accident1 which deviated from the common course of nature1 to the immediate influence of a superintending deity4 ,it was under such impressions that so many nations originally rested their belief in divinatory dreams4 ,the records of antiquity therefore abound in instances 7for the greater part of an early date7 where the actions of men have been the result of a dream1 whose conceit was entirely at variance with the real state of their affairs4 ,it was not long before the diversity of dreams awakened their attention3 some were connected and simple1 others were obscure1 and made up of curious fancies1 though not incapable of being resolved by the windings and turnings of allegory4 ,it was no unnatural transition from the received belief in dreams1 to the idea that they might become the medium of seeking instruction from the gods3 hence the institution of oracles1 whose responses were given in dreams2 and the addition of sleeping chambers to many temples1 such as those in ,epidaurus and at ,oropos4 ,here it was1 that after pious ceremonies and prayers1 men laid themselves down in expectation of dreams2 when the expectation was realized1 though the dream proved ever so confused or intricate1 the dreamer always succeeded in reconciling it to his circumstances3 his own belief and priestly wiles1 readily effected the solution4 ,the conceit of dreams1 according to the votary's wishes1 was so powerfully promoted by the preparatory initiation he had undergone1 that it would have been somewhat extraordinary had he been altogether disappointed4 ,he was generally anxious to increase the fame of his divinity by his dream1 and possessed a high veneration and deep impression of the miracles which that divinity had wrought4 ,with these predispositions he resorted to the temple1 where he had a whole day before him to ponder on his malady1 and on every sort of remedy that might have been suggested to him2 how natural was it1 therefore1 for his busy imagination to fix1 in his sleep1 upon one particular remedy more forcibly than upon another8 ,add to this1 the solemn lonely hour of night was the appointed hour for his sleep1 which was preceded by prayer and other inspiring ceremonies1 that would naturally elevate his devotion to the highest pitch4 ,he had also previously perambulated the temple1 and with a full heart surveyed the offerings of those whose sickness had departed from them4 ,if all these preparations were unavailing1 the officiants of the temple had still means in reserve1 by which the credulous should be thrown into that bodily state which was indispensable to the divinatory sleep3 of these1 succeeding instances will be hereafter produced4 ,in those days1 there were however1 some men from whom the somniferous faculty was withheld3 they were1 therefore1 admonished to repeat their prayers and oblations1 in order to win the divinity's favour3 and the ultimate and customary resort was1 if success did not crown his perseverance1 to pronounce it a token1 that such patients were an eyesore to the divinity4 ,from this divinatory sleep1 arose the vulgar expressions in ,greece ,greek3 enkoimasdai1 and ,greek3 enkoimaesis#ij ,the latin terms are incubare and incubatio an exact translation of the ,greek words4 ,it appears1 therefore1 that the ,romans and ,greeks were equally acquainted with the institution2 though we find but very little mention made of it by the ,latin writers1 yet this is no argument against its prevalence among the ,romans1 as we are left with as scanty accounts of many other superstitions which were in vogue amongst them4 ,it is highly probable that it was not by any means so popular in ,rome as in ,greece2 and the cause of this may1 perhaps1 be found in the reflecting disposition and sober character of the haughty ,roman1 to which the light and volatile temperament of the ,grecian1 formed so striking a contrast4 ,that incubation was a ready means of diving into the future1 needs no demonstration4 ,although its practice was chiefly resorted to in cases where medical aid was desired1 it was still made use of in every other case1 in which the ancient oracles were consulted4 ,whether it arose in ,greece1 or migrated thither from the ,east1 is a point with which the ancients have left us unacquainted1 though they advert to its prevalence amongst those who were called barbarians4 ,strabo has several instances of it1 and particularly mentions a place in the ,caspian sea1 where such an oracle existed2#ia he also relates1 in his celebrated account of ,moses1 that this law-giver laid it down1 in common with the priests of ,esculapius1 that to those who led a chaste and virtuous life the deity would vouchsafe prophetical visions in his sanctuary2 but to those who were of idle and impure habits1 they would be denied4#ib ,pomponius ,mela even mentions a savage nation1 in the interior of ,africa1 who laid themselves down to sleep on the grave-stones of their ancestors1 and looked upon the dreams they had on those spots as oracles from the dead4#ic ,we shall see1 hereafter1 that this superstition was equally indigenous among the ,egyptians4 ,although it be doubtful whether the ,greeks owed this species of divination to their own invention or not1 its existence may at least be traced as far as the earliest ages of their history2 notwithstanding no positive mention of it has been made either by ,homer or the authors following him4 ,the oracular power of dreams1 and the sanctuaries where they are supposed to be dispersed1 have been diffusely treated of in the compilations of ,van ,dale and other learned writers4 ,these species of oracles were in high estimation1 even in the most enlightened and flourishing periods of ,greece2 it is somewhat singular1 however1 that no people cherished them more devoutly than the ,spartans1 who depended altogether upon oracles in their weightiest affairs of state4 ,of all the civilized nations of ,greece1 ,sparta always approved herself the most superstitious2 her advancement was rather the effect of her policy1 than of any stimulus given to her civilization by science4 ,this consideration will enable us to account for the powerful influence which1 even in the latest stages of ,lacedemonian story1 attached to the responses of ,passiphae1 a local goddess of ,thalame1 but little known beyond the confines of ,laconia4 ,the extent of their influence is particularly evident in the history of ,agis and ,cleomenes4#id ,the greater part of these somnambulistic oracles were ascribed to persons who had distinguished themselves as great dreamers when on earth4 ,in old times there was a description of prophets who pretended to prepare themselves for the foreboding of future events through the medium of sacred dreams4 ,they were classed under the appellation of ,greek3 ,oneiroploi1 to which rank the most celebrated ,vates of the heroic age belonged4 ,in this way it was that a sacred spot was dedicated to ,calchus1 whence he gave his responses in dreams after his decease3 this spot lay in ,daunia1 on the coast of the ,adriatic4 ,the supplicant's offices began with the offering up of a ram1 on whose skin he laid himself down1 and in this situation1 received the instruction he sought for4#ie ,amphilocus1 a contemporary soothsayer1 who accompanied the ,epigoni in the first ,theban war1 had a similar oracle at ,mallos1 in ,cilicia1 which ,pausanias asserts1 even at the close of the second century1 to have been the most credible of his age2 it is also mentioned by ,dion ,cassius1 in his history of ,commodus4#if ,the most famous1 however1 of this class of oracles1 was that of ,amphiaraus1 the father of ,amphilocus1 which was one of the five principal oracles of ,greece2 he had signalized himself as a sapient soothsayer in the first ,theban war2 and his oracle was situated at ,oropos1 on the borders of ,boetia and ,attica4 ,of all others this deserves our most particular attention1 as it was resorted to more frequently in cases of infirmity and disease1 than in any other circumstances4 ,his responses were always delivered in dreams1 in whose interpretation1 as he was the first to possess that faculty4 ,pausanias says he received divine honours4 ,those who repaired to ,amphiaraus's oracle to supplicate his aid1 laid themselves down in the manner we have just related1 after several preparatory lustrations and sacrifices1 on the skin of a ram slain in honour of the god1 and awaited the dreams1 which were to unfold the means of their different cures4 ,lustrations and sacrifices were not1 however1 the only preparatives for inducing the visionary disposition4 ,the priests subjected the patients to various others1 which ,philostratus affirms#ig to have been very instrumental towards rendering the sleeper's mind clear and unclouded4 ,part of these preparatives consisted in one day's abstinence from eating1 and three1 nay1 even in some cases1 fifteen days' abstinence from wine1 the common beverage of the ,greeks4 ,this was the practice also with other oracles2 nor were the priests in the meantime insensible to their own interests on these occasions2 for those who were cured by ,amphiaraus's revelations were permitted to bathe in the sacred waters of a fountain1 into which they were enjoined to cast pieces of gold and silver1 which were destined1 most probably1 to sweeten the labours of his officiants4 ,the oracles1 whose intervention was principally or altogether sought for the healing of the sick by means of divination founded on dreams1 were scattered over ,greece1 ,italy1 ,egypt1 and other countries4 ,as regards those of ,egypt1 it may be remarked1 that although many of the ,egyptians believed there were thirty-six demons1 or aerial deities1 each of whom had the care of a certain portion of the human frame1 and when that portion was diseased1 would heal it on the patient's earnest prayer1 yet a variety of their oracles1 such as those of ,serapis1 ,isis1 and ,phthas1 the ,hephaestos of the ,greeks1 appertained to the class1 which is the present object of our inquiry4 ,the oracle ,serapis was situated near ,canopus2 it was visited with the highest veneration by the wealthiest and most illustrious ,egyptians1 and contained ample records of miraculous cures which that god had performed on sleepers4#ih ,isis1 it is said1 effected similar cures in her lifetime1 whence it became her office1 in her after state of deification1 to reveal in dreams the most efficacious remedies to the sick4 ,indeed the healing powers of this goddess were such1 that1 as we are told by ,diodorus1#ii the remedies she prescribed never failed of their effect1 and that convalescents were daily seen returning from her temple1 many of whom had been abandoned as incurable by the physicians4 ,the third oracle of the sick was consecrated to ,phthas1 and lay near ,memphis1 but it is seldom mentioned by the ancients4#ajj ,in ,italy there existed two oracles1 whose responses were imparted in dreams1 before the worship of ,esculapius was introduced from ,greece4 ,one of them only belongs to this place1 that of the physician ,podalirus1 in ,daunia1#aja which is mentioned by ,lycophron4#ajb ,subsequently it is well known incubation was practised after the ,grecian form in the ,roman temple of ,aesculapius on the ,insula ,tiberina4#ajc ,this description of oracles abounded throughout ,greece2 the most memorable of which was that on the ,asiatic coast1 between ,trattis and ,nyssa1 which is more particularly described by ,strabo than any other4 ,not far from the town of ,nyssa1 says he1 there is a place called ,charaka1 where we find a grove and temple sacred to ,pluto and ,proserpine1 and close to the grove a subterraneous cave1 of a most extraordinary nature4 ,it is related of it1 that diseased persons1 who have faith in the remedies predicted by those deities1 are accustomed to resort to it and pass some time with experienced priests1 who reside near the cave4 ,these priests lay themselves down to sleep in the cave1 and afterwards order such medicine as have been revealed to them there1 to be furnished to their patients in the temple4 ,they frequently conduct the sick themselves into the cave1 where they remain for several days together1 without touching a morsel of food2 nor are the profane withheld from a participation in the divinatory sleep1 though this is not permitted otherwise than under the controul1 and with the sacred sanction1 of the priests4 ,there is1 however1 nothing more surprising about this place than that it is esteemed noxious and fatal to the healthy4#ajd ,this last remark of our geographer1 proves how jealous the priestly physicians were of their medical monopoly1 and how fearful lest the saner part of mankind should detect and expose the pretended virtues of their medical sanctuary4 ,we have hitherto mentioned the name of ,aesculapius but casually1 though there was no god of antiquity more celebrated for curing every species of malady by the incubatory process4 ,he was particularly designated by the ,greeks as the sender of dreams1 ,greek3 ,oneiropompon2 nor could any other deity boast of so great a number of those oracles4 ,the most distinguished of these was the oracle of ,epidaurus1 in the ,argivian territory2 from which spot his worship extended over a great proportion of the old world2--hither1 as being the place of his birth and the site of his richest temple1 crowds of sick persons constantly repaired in quest of dreams4 ,the success attending them was diligently set forth on every wall of the temple2 where the tabulae votivae recorded the names of those who had been healed1 the nature of their maladies1 and the cure which the god prescribed4 ,similar circumstances are related of his ,temple at ,triccae1 in ,thessaly1 where ,esculapius was held in great veneration at a very early period2 there appears also to have been another such temple either at or near ,athens1#aje where we must look for the scene of the ridiculous cure which ,aristophanes makes ,aesculapius to perform on the blind god of riches4 ,though there is undoubtedly a rich vein of the burlesque in the ,plutus of the ,grecian dramatist1 yet we may gather much concerning our present subject from the scene in which the slave1 who had attended ,plutus in the ,temple1 relates the whole process of his master's wife4 ,here also the night was the chosen period of incubation4 ,before the signal for sleep was given1 the officiants of the temple extinguished all the lights in the sick men's chamber2 thus involving them in a solemn stillness and obscurity highly favourable to the work in hand1 but in a particular manner to the subterfuge of the priests1 who enacted the nocturnal apparition of ,aesculapius to his sick client4 ,this passage in ,plutus is certainly the earliest circumstantial relation we possess of the practice of this species of incubation4#ajf ,the license permitted to ,grecian comedy was such as to authorise the ridicule and contempt of the most popular deities2 we are not1 therefore to conclude from the scenes that there were many unbelievers1 or that this ancient system of cure had sunk into disrepute3 for the history of our comedian's great contemporary1 ,hippocrates1 informs us1 that at this very time the temple of ,aesculapius at ,cos abounded in tablets1 on which the sick attested the remedies that had been revealed to them during incubation1 and that he himself was highly indebted to them for much of his medical knowledge4 ,were it not authenticated by the most undeniable testimonies1 it would appear incredible that the impostures of the disciples of ,aesculapius1 and the common faith in his regenerative powers1 should have survived with equal potency and acceptation during the ages immediately succeeding the ,christian era4 ,it must not however1 be forgotten1 that these were the times also1 when an infinity of superstitious of every description disgraced the ,roman world2 although it would have appeared a necessary consequence1 that their prevalency should have been checked by the increasing determination of learning and science4 ,if at this period the number of dreaming patients had fallen off at ,cos and ,epidaurus1 the deficiency was amply compensated by the growing popularity of ,aesculapius's shrines at ,rome1 ,pergamus1 ,alaea1 ,mallos1 and other places1 where the ancient rituals were faithfully preserved4 ,the highest magistrates in the ,roman states not only countenanced1 but patronised the superstition2 ,marcus ,aurelius1 by the friendship with which he honoured the ,paphlagonian imposter ,alexander1 and ,caracalla1 by the journey he undertook to ,pergamus1 to obtain the cure of a disease which inflicted him4 ,this ,alexander1 the ,cagliostro of his age1 whose memoirs have been handed down to us by ,lucian1 made shift to father a new species of juggling upon the ancient process of incubation3 for he pretends that it was necessary for him to sleep for a night in the sealed scrips which contain the queries he was to have resolved for those who visited his oracle4#ajg ,during this interval he dexterously opened the scrips1 and sealed them up again2 pretending that the responses which he delivered to the querists in the morning1 had been revealed to him by the deity in a dream4 ,the priests of ,aesculapius possessed a never failing source of information on the recipes or votive tablets with which these temples abounded4 ,these were sometimes engraven on pillars1 as at ,epidaurus2 of which ,pausanias says there were six remaining in his time1 and besides these1 one in particular removed from the rest1 on which it was recorded that ,hippolytus had sacrificed twenty horses1 in return for his having been restored to life by him4 ,five memorials only of this kind have reached the present age4 ,one of them is to be found in the beginning of ,galen's fifth book de ,compos1 medic43 it is taken from the temple of ,phthas1 near ,memphis1 and is the least interesting of the whole4 ,its subject is the use of the ,diktamnus1 borrowed from ,heras of ,cappadocia1 a medical writer1 frequently quoted by ,galen4 ,the remaining four are much more important3 they were engraven on a marble slab1#ajh of later date at ,rome1 and are thought1 with much probability1 to have belonged to the ,aesculapian temple in the ,insula ,tiberina4 ,the present translation1 in which some errors either of the artist or copyist are rectified1 is extracted from the first volume of ,gruter's ,corp4 ,inscriptionum4 ,the narrations are perspicuous and laconic4 #a4 ,in these latter days1 a certain blind man1 by name ,caius1 had this oracle vouchsafed to him--'that he should draw near to the altar after the manner of one who could see2 then walk from right to left1 lay the five fingers of his right hand on the altar1 then raise up his hand and place it on his eyes4' ,and behold6 the multitude saw the blind man open his eyes1 and they rejoiced1 such splendid miracles should signalize the reign of our ,emperor ,antoninus4 #b4 ,to ,lucius1 who was so wasted away by pains in his side1 that all doubted of his recovery1 the god gave this response3 ',approach thou the altar2 take ashes from it1 mix them up with wine and then lay thyself on thy sore side4' ,and the man recovered1 and openly returned thanks to the god amidst the congratulations of the people4 #c4 ,to ,julian who spitted blood1 and was given over by every one1 the god granted this response3 ',draw near1 take pine apples from off the altar1 and eat them with wine for three days4 ,and the man got well1 and came and gave thanks in the presence of the people4 #d4 ,a blind soldier1 ,valerius ,asper by name1 received this answer from the god3 that he should mix the blood of a white cock with milk1 make an eye ointment therewith1 and rub his eyes with it for three days4 ,and lo6 the blind recovered his sight1 and came1 and publicly gave thanks to the god4 ,the success with which the ,priests of ,aesculapius carried on their impostures1 and the popularity which their dexterous management1 no less than the vulgar credulity obtained for them1 will cease to surprise us on maturer consideration4 ,it could not be a difficult task for them to give the minds of their patients whatever bias was best adapted to their purposes4 ,these credulous beings passed several days and nights in the temple1 and their imagination could not fail to be powerfully impressed with what was diligently told them of the prescriptions and cures of ,aesculapius2 nor to retain during their slumbers many lively impressions of their meditations by day2 their priestly nurses too were neither so blind to their own interests1 nor so careless of their reputations as to omit the prescribing of such modes of diet and medical remedies as were calculated to appease their patients' sufferings4 ,besides which1 however delusive and empirical their outward ceremonials and bold pretensions might have been1 we should remember1 that priests1 having some acquaintance with the science of medicine1 were generally selected to officiate on those spots where the incubitary process#aji was the order of the day4 ,to this acquaintance were added the results of daily experience1 and the frequent opportunities which the incessant demands of the infirm upon their skill afforded them of correcting previous errors and improving their practical knowledge3 of gradually ascertaining the various kinds and appearances of human disorders2 and of digesting such data as would enable them1 with the least possible chance of failure1 to prescribe the modes of cure and treatment suitable to the various stages and species of the applicant's maladies4 ,with such means1 it would have been not a little singular if the priests of ,aesculapius had failed in converting the popular veneration to his credit and their own emolument4 ,,footnotes3 #hi ,the ,priestess of ,apollo1 by whom he delivered oracles4 ,she was called ,pythia from the god himself1 who was styled ,apollo ,pythius1 from his slaying the serpent ,python4 ,the ,priestess was to be a pure virgin4 ,she sat on the covercle or lid of a brazen vessel1 mounted on a tripod1 and thence1 after a violent enthusiasm1 she delivered his oracles2 i4e4 she rehearsed a few ambiguous and obscure verses1 which were taken for oracles4 #ij ,these words are but ill explained by the best ,greek ,lexicographers4 ,servius ad ,virg41 ,aen4 vii4 #hh1 says3 ,incubare dicuntur proprie hic1 qui dormiunt accipienda responsa4 ,tertullian de ,anima1 ,c4 #di1 thence calls them ,incubatores fanorum4 #ia ,lib4 ,,xi4 p4 #ajh4 ,paris1 fol4 #afbj4 #ib ,ibid4 lib4 ,,xvi4 p4 #gfa4 #ic ,de situ orbis1 lib4 ,i4 cap4 #a4 #id ,plutarch apud ,agis et ,cleomen4 ,cicero 7de ,div4 #a4 c4 #dh7 probably alludes to this oracle1 when he says1 that the ,ephori of ,sparta were accustomed to sleep in the temple of ,pasiphae on state emergencies4 ,there was a similar oracle in the neighbourhood of ,thalame1 not fur from ,aetylum1 sacred to ,ino4 #ie ,strabo1 lib4 ,,vi4 p1 #bhd4 #if ,pausanias1 #a1 #ce4 #ig ,de vita ,apoll4 ,thyan1 #aa4 #cg4 #ih ,strabo1 lib4 xvii4 p4 #hja4 ,anian4 ,exped4 ,alex1 vii4 #f4 #ii ,in ,egypt lib4 ,i1 #be4 #ajj ,galen de comp4 ,med4 p4 ,gen v4 #b4 #aja ,podalirius and ,machaon1 the two sons of ,esculapius4 ,the state of medicine at the time of the ,trojan war was very imperfect1 as we find exemplified by these two acting as surgeons general to the ,grecian army4 ,their simple practice consisted chiefly in extracting darts or arrows1 in staunching blood by some infusion of bitter herbs1 and sometimes they added charms or incantations2 which seemed to be a poetical way of hinting1 that frequently wounds were healed or diseases cured in a manner unaccountable by any known properties they could discover either in the effects of their rude remedies1 or in the then known powers of the human body to relieve itself4 ,in ,homer's description of the wound which ,ulysses1 when young1 received in his thigh from the tusk of an enraged wild boar1 the infusion of blood was stopped by divine incantations and divine songs1 and some sort of bandage which must have acted by pressure4 ,if any virtue could have acted as a charm1 the very verse that describes the wound might have as good a right to such a claim as any other2 but1 in what manner the surgeons of ancient ,greece1 before the discovery of the circulation of the blood1 might apply bandages for the purposes here mentioned1 is not easily explained2 though doubtless these bandages must have acted like a tourniquet1 which is now the most effectual remedy for compressing a wounded artery1 and thereby stopping an hemorrhage4 #ajb ,alexand4 #ajej4 #ajc ,suet4 ,claid4 c4 #bh4 #ajd ,strabo4 lib4 xiii4 ,pausan4 lib4 ii4 #aje ,scholia ad ,plut4 v4 #fba #ajf ,aristoph1 ,plut act4 ii1 sc4 #f1 and iii4 sc #b4 #ajg ,luciani1 oper4 t4 ii4 ed ,reitzii4 #ajh ,it is often called by antiquaries ,tabella ,marmorea apud ,maffaeos1 as it was first preserved in the collection4 #aji ,it is somewhat singular1 that ,cicero's treatise on divination1 as well as the works of ,hippocrates and ,galen1 should be so destitute of information on the subject of a mode of cure which was of such long standing1 and so universally esteemed4 ,from the two last1 one should at least have expected something more satisfactory3 ,cos being the birthplace of the one1 and ,pergamus of the other4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,on ,,amulets1 ,,charms1 ,,talismans--,,philters1 ,,their ,,origin ,,and ,,imaginary ,,efficacy1 ,,etc4 ,amulets are certain substances worn about the neck or other parts of the body1 under the superstitious impression of preventing diseases1 of curing1 or removing them4 ,the origin of amulets may be traced to the most remote ages of mankind4 ,in our researches to discover and fix the period when remedies were first employed for the alleviation of bodily suffering1 we are soon lost in conjecture or involved in fable4 ,we are unable1 indeed1 to reach the period in any country1 when the inhabitants were destitute of medical resources1 and even among the most uncultivated tribes we find medicine cherished as a blessing and practised as an art4 ,the feelings of the sufferer1 and the anxiety of those about him1 must1 in the rudest state of society1 have incited a spirit of industry and research to procure ease1 the modification of heat and cold1 of moisture and dryness2 and the regulation and change of diet and habit1 must intuitively have suggested themselves for the relief of pain2 and when these resources failed1 charms1 amulets1 and incantations1 were the natural expedients of the barbarians1 ever more inclined to indulge the delusive hope of superstition than to listen to the voice of sober reason4 ,traces of amulets may be discovered in very early history1 though ,dr4 ,warburton is evidently in error when he fixes the origin of these magical instruments to the age of the ,ptolomies1 which was not more than three hundred years before ,christ4 ,this assertion is refuted by ,galen1 who informs us the ,egyptian ,king ,nechepsus1 who lived #fcj years before ,christ1 had written1 that a green jasper cut into the form of a dragon surrounded with rays1 if applied externally1 would strengthen the stomach and organs of digestion4 ,this opinion1 moreover1 is supported by scripture3 for what were the earrings which ,jacob buried under the oak of ,sechem1 as related in ,genesis1 but amulets4 ,and ,josephus in his antiquities of the ,jews1#aaj informs us that ,solomon discovered a plant efficacious in the cure of epilepsy1 and that he employed the aid of a charm1 for the purposes of assisting its virtues4 ,the root of the herb was concealed in a ring1 which was applied to the nostrils of the demoniac2 and ,josephus remarks that he saw himself a ,jewish priest practise the art of ,solomon with complete success in the presence of the ,emperor ,vespasian1 his sons and the tribunes of the ,roman army4 ,from this art of ,solomon1 exhibited through the medium of a ring or seal1 we have the ,eastern stories which celebrate the seal of ,solomon1 and record the potency of his sway over the various orders of demons or of genii1 who were supposed to be the invincible tormentors or benefactors of the human race4 ,nor were such means confined to dark and barbarous ages4 ,theophrastus pronounced ,pericles to be insane in consequence of seeing him with an amulet suspended from his neck4 ,and in the declining era of the ,roman ,empire1 we find this superstitious custom so general that the ,emperor ,caracalla was induced to make a public edict1 ordering1 that no man should wear any superstitious amulets about his person4 ,all remedies working as it were sympathetically1 and plainly unequal to the effect1 may be termed amulets2 whether used at a distance by another person1 or carried immediately about the patient4 ,by the ,jews1 amulets were called kamea1 and by the ,greeks phylacteries4 ,the latins called them amuleta or ligatura2 the catholics agnus dei1 or consecrated relics2 and the natives of ,guinea fetishes4 ,various kinds of substances are employed by different people1 and which they venerate and suppose capable of preserving them from danger and infection1 as well as to remove disease when present4 ,plutarch says of ,pericles1 an ,athenian general1 that when a friend come to see him1 and inquired after his health he reached out his hand and shewed him his amulet2 by which he meant to intimate the truth of his illness1 and1 at the same time1 the confidence he placed in these popular remedies4 ,amulets are still prevalent in catholic countries at the present day2 the ,spaniards and ,portuguese maintain their popularity4 ,among the ,jews they are equally venerated4 ,indeed1 there are few instances of ancient superstition some portion of which has not been preserved1 and not unfrequently have they been adopted by men of otherwise good understanding1 who plead in excuse1 that they are innoxious1 cost little1 and if they can do no good1 they can do no harm4 ,lord ,bacon1 whom no one can suspect of ignorance1 says1 that if a man wear a bone ring or a planet seal1 strongly believing1 by that means1 that he might obtain his mistress1 and that it would preserve him unhurt at sea1 or in a battle1 it would probably make him more active and less timid2 as the audacity they might inspire would conquer and bind weaker minds in the execution of a peculiar duty4 ,,amulets ,,used ,,by ,,the ,,common ,,people4 ,a variety of things are worn about the person by the common people for the cure of ague2 and1 upon whatever principle it may be accounted for1 whether by the imagination or a natural termination of the disease1 many have apparently been cured by them1 where the ,peruvian bark1 the boasted specific1 had previously failed4 ,dr4 ,willis says that charms resisting agues have often been applied to the wrist with success4 ,,abracadabra1 written in a peculiar manner1 that is1 in the form of a cone1 it is said1 has cured the ague2 the herb lunaria1 gathered by moon-light1 has1 on some high authorities1 performed surprising cures4 ,perhaps it was gathered during the invocating influence of the following charm1 which may be found in the #abth book1 chap4 ,,xiv4 p4 #agg of ,scot's discovery of witchcraft1 which is headed thus3-- ,another charme that witches use at the gathering of their medicinal herbs4 ,haile be thou holy herbe1 ,growing in the ground4 ,and in the mount ,calvaire ,first wert thou found4 ,thou art good for many a sore1 ,and healest many a wound1 ,in the name of sweet ,jesus ,i take thee from the ground4 ,we are told that ,naaman was cured by dipping seven times in the river ,jordan4 ,certain formalities were also performed at the pool of ,bethesda4 ,dr4 ,chamberlayne's anodyne necklaces1 were1 for a length of time1 objects of the most anxious maternal solicitude1 until their occult virtues became lost by the reverence for them being destroyed2 and those which succeeded them have long since run their race or nearly so4 ,the grey limewort was at one time supposed to have been a specific in hydrophobia--that it not only cured those labouring under this disorder1 but by carrying it about the person1 it was reputed to possess the extraordinary power of preventing mad dogs from biting them4 ,calvert paid devotions to ,st4 ,hubert for the recovery of his son1 who was cured by this means4 ,the son also performed the necessary rites at the shrine1 and was cured not only of the hydrophobia but of the worser phrensy with which his father had instilled him4 ,cramp-rings were also used2 and eelskins to this day are tied round the legs as a preventive of this spasmodic affection2 and by laying sticks across the floor1 on going to bed1 cramp has also been prevented4 ,numerous are the charms and incantations used at the present day for the removal of warts1 many cases of which are not a little surprising4 ,and we are told by ,lord ,verulam1 who is allowed to have been as great a genius as this country ever produced1 that1 when he was at ,paris1 he had above a hundred warts on his hands2 and that the ,english ambassador's lady1 then at court1 and a woman far above superstition1 removed them all by only rubbing them with the fat side of the rind of a piece of bacon1 which they afterwards nailed to a post1 with the fat side towards the south4 ,in five weeks1 says my ,lord1 they were all removed4 ,the following are his ,lordship's observations1 in his own words1 relative to the power of amulets4 ,after deep metaphysical observations on nature1 and arguing in mitigation of sorcery1 witchcraft1 and divination1 effects that far outstrip the belief in amulets1 he observes ,we should not reject all of this kind1 because it is not known how far those contributing to superstition1 depend on natural causes4 ,charms have not the power from contract with evil spirits1 but proceed wholly from strengthening the imagination3 in the same manner that images and their influence1 have prevailed on religion1 being called from a different way of use and application1 sigils1 incantations1 and spells4 ,,eccentricities1 ,,caprices1 ,,and ,,effects1 ,,of ,,the ,,imagination4 ,a certain writer1 apologizing for the irregularities of great genii1 delivers himself as follows3 ,the gifts of imagination bring the heaviest task upon1 the vigilance of reason2 and to bear those faculties with unerring rectitude or invariable propriety1 requires a degree of firmness and of cool attention1 which does not always attend the higher gifts of the mind4 ,yet1 difficult as nature herself seems to have reduced the task of regularity to genius1 it is the supreme consolation of dullness1 to seize upon those excesses1 which are the overflowings of faculties they never enjoyed4#aaa ,are not the gifts of imagination mistaken here for the strength of passions8 ,doubtless1 where strong passions accompany great parts1 as perhaps they often do1 the imagination may encrease their force and activity3 but1 where passions are calm and gentle1 imagination of itself should seem to have no conflict but speculatively with reason4 ,there1 indeed1 it wages an eternal war2 and1 if not contracted and strictly regulated1 it will carry the patient into endless extravagancies4 ,the term patient is here properly used1 because men1 under the influence of imagination1 are most truly distempered4 ,the degree of this distemper will be in proportion to the prevalence of imagination over reason1 and1 according to this proportion1 amount to more or less of the whimsical2 but when reason shall become1 as it were1 extinct1 and imagination govern alone1 then the distemper will be madness under the wildest and most fantastic modes4 ,thus1 one of those invalids1 perhaps1 shall be all sorrow for having been most unjustly deprived of the crown2 though his vocation1 poor man6 be that of a school-master4 ,another1 like ,horace's madman1 is all joy2 and it may seem even cruelty to cure him4 ,the operations and caprices of the imagination are various and endless2 and1 as they cannot be reduced to regularity or system1 so it is highly improbable that any certain method of cure should ever be found out for them4 ,it has generally been thought1 that matter of fact might most successfully be opposed to the delusions of imagination1 as being proof to the senses1 and carrying conviction unavoidably to the understanding2 but we rather suspect1 that the understanding or reasoning faculty1 has little to do in all these cases3 at least so it should seem from the two following facts1 which are by no means badly attested4 ,fienus1 in his curious little book1 de ,viribus ,imaginationis1 records from ,donatus the case of a man1 who fancied his body encreased to such a size1 that he durst not attempt to pass through the door of his chamber4 ,the physician believing that nothing could more effectually cure this error of imagination1 than to shew that the thing could actually be done1 caused the patient to be thrust forcibly through it3 who1 struck with horror1 and falling suddenly into agonies1 complained of being crushed to pieces1 and expired soon after4#aab ,the other case1 as related by ,van ,swieten1 in his commentaries upon ,boerhaave1 is that of a learned man1 who had studied1 till be fancied his legs to be of glass3 in consequence of which he durst not attempt to stir1 but was constantly under anxiety about them4 ,his maid bringing one day some wood to the fire1 threw it carelessly down2 and was severely reprimanded by her master1 who was terrified not a little for his legs of glass4 ,the surly wench1 out of all patience with his megrims1 as she called them1 gave him a blow with a log upon the parts affected2 which so enraged him1 that he instantly rose up1 and from that moment recovered the use of his legs4--,was reason concerned any more here2 or was it not rather one blind impulse acting against another8 ,imagination has1 unquestionably1 a most powerful effect upon the mind1 and in all these miraculous cures1 is by far the strongest ingredient4 ,dr4 ,strother says1 ,the influence of the mind and passions works upon the mind and body in sensible operations like a medicine1 and is of far the greater force than exercise4 ,the countenance betrays a good or wicked intention2 and that good or wicked intention will produce in different persons a strength to encounter1 or a weakness to yield to the preponderating side4 ,dr4 ,brown says1 ,our looks discover our passions1 there being mystically in our faces certain characters1 which carry in them the motto of our souls1 and1 therefore1 probably work secret effects in other parts4 ,this idea is beautifully illustrated by ,garth in his ,dispensatory1 in the following lines3-- ,thus paler looks impetuous rage proclaim1 ,and chilly virgins redden into flame4 ,see envy oft transformed in wan disguise1 ,and mirth sits gay and smiling in the eyes1 ,oft our complexions do the soul declare1 ,and tell what passions in the features are4 ,hence 'tis we look the wond'rous cause to find1 ,how body acts upon impassive mind4 ,on the power and pleasure of the imagination1 from the pleasures and pains it administers here below1 ,addison concludes that ,god1 who knows all the ways of afflicting us1 may so transport us hereafter with such beautiful and glorious visions1 or torment us with such hideous and ghastly spectres1 as might even of themselves suffice to make up the entire heaven or hell of any future being4 ,,doctrine ,,of ,,effluvia--,,miraculous ,,cures ,,by ,,means ,,of ,,charms1 ,,amulets1 ,,etc4 ,dr4 ,willis1 in his ,treatise on nervous disorders1 does not hesitate to recommend amulets in epileptic disorders4 ,take1 says he1 some fresh peony roots1 cut them into square bits1 and hang them round the neck1 changing them as often as they dry4 ,it is not improbable that the hint was taken from this circumstance for the anodyne necklaces1 which1 some time ago1 were in such repute1 as the ,doctor1 some little way further on1 prescribes the same root for the looseness1 fevers1 and convulsions of children1 during the time of teething1 mixed1 to make it appear more miraculous1 with some elk's hoof4 ,st4 ,vitus's dance is said to have been cured by the afflicted person paying a visit to the tomb of the saint1 near ,ulm1 every ,may4 ,indeed1 there is no little reason in this assertion2 for exercise and change of air will change many obstinate diseases4 ,the bite of the tarantula is cured by music2 and this only by certain tunes4 ,turner1 whose ideas are so extravagantly absurd1 where he asserts1 that the symptoms of hydrophobia may not appear for forty years after the bite of the dog1 and who maintains that the slaver or breath of such a dog is infectious2 and that men bitten by mad dogs1 will bite like dogs again1 and die mad2 although he laughs at the anodyne necklaces1 argues much in the same manner4 ,it is not1 indeed1 so very strange that the effluvia from external medicines entering our bodies1 should effect such considerable changes1 when we see the efficient cause of apoplexy1 epilepsy1 hysterics1 plague1 and a number of other disorders1 consists1 as it were1 in imperceptible vapours4--,blood-stone 7,lapis ,aetites7 fastened to the arm by some secret means1 is said to prevent abortion4 ,sydenham1 in the iliac passion1 orders a live kitten to be constantly applied to the abdomen2 others have used pigeons split alive1 applied to the soles of the feet1 with success1 in pestilential fevers and convulsions4 ,it was doubtless the impression that relief might be obtained by external agents1 that the court of king ,david advised him to seek a young virgin1 in order that a portion of the natural heat might be communicated to his body1 and give strength to the decay of nature4 ,take the heart and liver of the fish and make a smoke1 and the devil shall smell it and flee away4 ,during the plague at ,marseilles1 which ,belort attributed to the larvae of worms infecting the saliva1 food1 and chyle2 and which1 he says1 were hatched by the stomach1 took their passage into the blood1 at a certain size1 hindering the circulation1 affecting the juices and solid parts4 ,he advised amulets of mercury to be worn in bags suspended at the chest and nostrils1 either as a safeguard1 or as means of cure2 by which method1 through the admissiveness of the pores1 effluvia specially destructive of all venomous insects1 were received into the blood4 ,an illustrious prince1 ,belort says1 by wearing such an amulet1 escaped the small-pox4 ,clognini1 an ,italian physician1 ordered two or three drachms of crude mercury to be worn as a defensive against the jaundice2 and also as a preservative against the noxious vapours of inclement seasons3 ,it breaks1 he observes1 and conquers the different figured seeds of pestilential distempers floating in the air2 or else1 mixing with the air1 kills them where hatched4 ,by others1 the power of mercury1 in these cases1 has been ascribed to an elective faculty given out by the warmth of the body1 which draws out the contagious particles4 ,for1 according to this entertained notion1 all bodies are continually emitting effluvia1 more or less1 around them1 and some whether they are internal or external4 ,the ,bath waters1 for instance1 change the colour of silver in the pocket of those who use them4 ,mercury produces the same effect2 ,tartar emetic1 rubbed on the pit of the stomach1 produces vomiting4 ,yawning and laughing are infectious2 so are fear and shame4 ,the sight of sour things1 or even the idea of them1 will set the teeth on edge4 ,small-pox1 itch1 and other diseases1 are contagious2 if so1 say they1 mercurial amulets bid fair to destroy the germ of some complaints when used only as an external application1 either by manual attrition1 or worn as an amulet4 ,but medicated or not1 all amulets are precarious and uncertain1 and in the cure of diseases are1 by no means1 to be trusted to4 ,the ,barbary ,moors1 and generally throughout the ,mahommedan dominions1 the people are strikingly attached to charms1 to which1 and nature1 they leave the cure of almost every disorder2 and this is the most strongly impressed upon them from their belief in predestination1 which1 according to their creed1 stipulates the evil a man is to suffer1 as well as the length of time it is ordained he should live upon the land of his forefathers2 consequently they imagine that any interference from secondary means would avail them nothing1 an opinion said to have been entertained by ,william ,,iii1 but one by no means calculated for nations1 liberty1 and commerce2 upon the principle that when the one was entrenched upon1 men would probably be more sudden in their revenge1 and dislike physic and occupation2 and when actuated with religious enthusiasm1 nothing could stand them in any service4 ,the opinion of an old navy surgeon1#aac on the subject1 is worth recording here4 ,a long and intense passion on one object1 whether of pride1 love1 fear1 anger1 or envy1 we see have brought on some universal tremors2 on others1 convulsions1 madness1 melancholy1 consumption1 hectics1 or such a chronical disorder as has wasted their flesh1 or their strength1 as certainly as the taking in of any poisonous drugs would have done4 ,anything frightful1 sudden1 or surprising1 upon soft1 timorous natures1 not only shews itself in the continuance1 but produces sometimes very troublesome consequences--for instance1 a parliamentary fright will make even grown men bewray themselves1 scare them out of their wits1 turn the hair grey4 ,surprise removes the hooping cough2 looking from precipices or seeing wheels turn swiftly will give giddiness4 ,shall then these little accidents1 or the passions1 7from caprice or humour1 perhaps17 produce those effects1 and not be able to do anything by amulets8 ,no2 as the spirits1 in many cases1 resort in plenty1 we find where the fancy determines1 giving joy and gladness to the heart1 strength and fleetness to the limbs1 and violent palpitations4 ,to amulets1 under strong imagination1 is carried with more force to a distempered part1 and1 under these circumstances1 its natural powers exert better to a discussion4 ,the cures compassed in this manner1 says our author1 are not more admirable than many of the distempers themselves4 ,who can apprehend by what impenetrable method the bite of a mad dog1 or tarantula1 can produce these symptoms8 ,the touch of a torpedo numbness8 ,if they are allowed to do these1 doubtless they may the other2 and not by miracles1 which ,spinoza denies the possibility of1 but by natural and regular causes1 though inscrutable to us4 ,the best way1 therefore1 in using amulets1 must be in squaring them to the imagination of patients3 let the newness and surprise exceed the invention1 and keep up the humour by a long scroll of cures and vouchers2 by these and such means1 many distempers have been cured4 ,quacks again1 according to their boldness and way of addressing 7velvet and infallibility particularly7 command success by striking the fancies of an audience4 ,if a few1 more sensible than the rest1 see the doctor's miscarriages1 and are not easily gulled at first sight1 yet1 when they see a man is never ashamed1 in time1 jump in to his assistance4 ,there is much truth and pertinence in some of the above remarks1 and they apply nearly to the general practice of the present day4 ,the farces and whims of people require often as much discrimination on the part of the physician as the disease itself4 ,those who know best how to flatter such caprices1 are frequently the best paid for their trouble4 ,nervous diseases are always in season1 and it is here that some professional dexterity is pardonable4 ,nature1 when uninterrupted1 will often do more than art2 but our inability upon all occasions to appreciate the efforts of nature in the cure of diseases1 must always render our notion1 with respect to the powers faith1 liable to numerous errors and deceptions4 ,there is1 in fact1 nothing more natural1 and at the same time more erroneous1 than to lay the cure of a disease to the door of the last medicine that had been prescribed4 ,by these means the advocates of amulets and charms1 have ever been enabled to appeal to the testimony of what they are pleased to call experience in justification of their pretensions1 and egregious superstitions2 and cases which1 in truth1 ought to have been classed1 or rather designated1 as lucky escapes1 have been triumphantly pulled off as skilful cures2 and thus1 medicines and medical practitioners1 have alike received the meed of unmerited praise1 or the stigma of unjust censure4 ,of all branches of human science1 medicine is one of the most interesting to mankind3 and1 accordingly as it is erroneously or judiciously cultivated1 is evidently conducive to the prejudice or welfare of the public4 ,of how great consequence is it1 then1 that our endeavours should be exerted in stemming the propagation of errors1 whether arising from ignorance1 or prompted by motives of base cupidity1 in giving assistance to the disseminations of useful truths1 and to the perfection of ingenious discoveries4 ,,footnotes3 #aaj ,lib4 viii4 chap4 #b4 #e4 #aaa ,langhorne's ,life of ,mr4 ,collins #aab ,reverii ,praxis ,medica1 p4 #ahh4 #aac ,john ,ailkin1 author of the ,navy ,surgeon1 #agdb4 ,sec ,demonologia1 p4 #fd et seg4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,on ,,talismans--,,some ,,curious1 ,,natural ,,ones1 ,,etc4 ,the ,egyptian amulets are not so ancient as the ,babylonian talismans1 but in their uses they were exactly similar4 ,some little figures1 supposed to have been intended as charms1 have been found on several mummies1 which1 at various times1 have been brought to ,europe4 ,plutarch informs us that the soldiers wore rings1 on which the representation of an insect resembling our beetle1 was inscribed2 and we learn from ,aelian1 that the judges had always suspended round their necks a small figure of ,truth formed of emeralds4 ,the superstitious belief in the virtues of talismans is yet far from being extinct1 the ,copths1 the ,arabians1 the ,syrians1 and1 indeed1 almost all the inhabitants of ,asia1 west of the ,ganges1 whether ,christians or mahometans1 still use them against possible evils4 ,there is little distinction between talismans1 amulets and the gree-grees of the ,africans as regards their pretended efficacy2 though there is some in their external configuration4 ,magical figures1 engraven or cut under superstitious observances of the characterisms and configurations of the heavens1 are called talismans2 to which astrologers1 hermetical philosophers1 and other adepts1 attribute wonderful virtues1 particularly that of calling down celestial influences4#aad ,the talismans of the ,samothracians1 so famous of old1 were pieces of iron formed into certain images1 and set in rings4 ,they were reputed as preservatives against all kinds of evils4 ,there were other talismans taken from vegetables1 and others from minerals4 ,three kinds of talismans were usually distinguished #ast4 the astronomical known by the signs or constellations of the heavens engraven upon them1 with other figures1 and some unintelligible characters2 #bnd4 the magical1 bearing very extraordinary figures1 with superstitious words and names of angels unheard of2 #crd4 the mixt talismans1 which consist of signs and barbarous words2 but without any superstitious ones1 or names of angels4 ,it has been asserted and maintained by some ,rabins1 that the brazen serpent raised by ,moses in the wilderness1 for the destruction of the serpents that annoyed the ,israelites1 was properly a talisman4 ,all the miraculous things wrought by ,apollonius ,tyanaeus are attributed to the virtue and influence of talismans2 and that wizard1 as he is called1 is even said to be the inventor of them4 ,some authors take several ,runic medals1--medals1 at least1 whose inscriptions are in the ,runic characters1--for talismans1 it being notorious that the northern nations1 in their heathen state1 were much devoted to them1 ,m4 ,keder1 however has shown1 that the medals here spoken of are quite other things than talismans4 ,it appears from the ,evangelists#aae that1 when ,st4 ,paul1 after he had been shipwrecked1 and escaped to the island of ,malta1 a viper fastened on his hand as he was laying a bundle of sticks1 he had gathered1 on the fire2 and that1 by a miracle1 and to the great astonishment of the spectators1 inhabitants of the island1 he not only suffered no harm1 but also cured1 by the divine power1 the chief of the island1 and a great number of others1 of very dangerous maladies4 ,there remain still in that island1 as so many trophies gained by the ,apostle over that venemous beast1 a great many small stones representing the eyes and tongues of serpents1 and considered for several centuries past1 as powerful amulets against different sorts of distempers and poisons4 ,as the virtue of these stones is still much boasted of by the ,maltese1 and as some1 on the contrary1 maintain that they are the petrified teeth of a fish called lamia1 it will not be irrelevant here to relate some observations from the best authors on this interesting subject1 so much to our purpose4 ,it is said that those eyes and tongues of serpents are only found by the ,maltese when they dig into the earth1 which is whitish throughout the island1 or draw up stone1 especially about the cave of ,st4 ,paul4 ,this stone is so soft1 that1 like clay1 it may be cut through with any sharp instrument1 and made to receive easily different figures1 for building the walls of their houses and ramparts2 but1 when it has been imbibed with a sufficient quantity of rain or well water1 it changes into a flint that resists the cutting of the sharpest instrument3 whence the houses that are built of it in the two cities1 appear as hewn out of one solid rock1 and become harder1 the more they are exposed to the inclemencies of the weather4 ,this hardness may1 with good reason1 be ascribed to the salt of nitre1 which contracts a certain viscidity from the rain wherewith it is mixed1 and which easily penetrates into these stones1 because their substance is spongy and cretaceous1 and adheres to the tongue as hartshorn4 ,it is in these stones that not only the eyes and tongues of serpents are found1 but also their viscera and other parts3 as lungs1 liver1 heart1 spleen1 ribs1 and so resembling life1 and with such natural colours1 that one may well doubt whether they are the work of nature or art2 the figure of the eyes and tongues is very different4 ,some are elliptic1 but1 for the greater part round3 some represent an hemisphere1 others a segment1 others an hyperbola4 ,the glossopetrae are naturally of a conic figure1 representing acute1 obtuse1 regular1 and irregular cones4 ,they are also of different colours1 especially the eyes2 for some of them are of an ash-colour1 others liver colour1 some brown1 others blackish2 but these1 as most rare1 are most esteemed4 ,bracelets are frequently made of them and set in gold3 some representing an entire eye with a white pupil1 and these are the most beautiful4 ,several are likewise found of an orange colour4 ,the virtues attributed by the ,maltese to those eyes and tongues1 and to the white earth which is found in the island1 particularly in ,st4 ,paul's cave1 and which is kept for use by the apothecaries1 as the ,american bole1 are very singular2 for they reckon them not only a preservative against all sorts of poison1 and an efficacious remedy for those who have taken poison1 but also good in a number of diseases4 ,they are taken internally1 infused in water1 wine1 or in any other convenient liquor2 or let to lie for some hours in vessels made of the white earth2 or the white earth is taken itself dissolved in those liquors4 ,the eyes set as precious stones in rings1 and so as to touch immediately the flesh1 are worn by the inhabitants on the fingers2 but the tongues are fastened about the arm1 or suspended from the neck4 ,paul ,bucconi1 a ,sicilian nobleman1 treated this notion of the eyes and tongues of serpents as a mere vulgar error2 and maintains that they either constitute a particular species of stone produced in the earth1 or in the stones of the island of ,malta1 as in their matrix2 or that they are nothing more than the petrified teeth of some marine fish2 which is also the opinion of ,fabius ,columna1 ,nicholas ,steno and other physicians and anatomists4 ,it seems to this noble author that the glossopetrae should be classed in the animal kingdom1 because1 being burnt1 they are changed into cinders as bones1 before they are reduced into a calx or ashes1 whilst calcined stones are immediately reduced into a calx4 ,he further says1 that the roots of the glossopetrae are often found broken in different ways1 which is an evident argument that they have not been produced by nature1 in the place they are digged out of1 because nature forms other fossils1 figured entirely in their matrix1 without any hurt or mutilation4 ,add to this1 that the substance is different in different parts of the glossopetrae2 solid at the point1 less solid at the root1 compact at the surface1 porous and fibrous in the interior3 besides1 the polished surface1 contrary to the custom of nature1 which forms no stone1 whether common or precious1 is polished2 and1 lastly1 the figure that varies different ways1 as well as the size1 being found great1 broad1 triangular1 narrow1 small1 very small1 pyramidal1 straight1 curved before1 behind1 to the right and to the left1 in form of a saw with small teeth1 furnished with great jags or notches1 and frequently absolutely pyramidal without notches2 all these particulars favour his opinion4 ,but1 as he thence believes he has proved that the glossopetrae should not be classed amongst stones1 so also what he has said may prove that they are the natural teeth of those fishes1 which are called1 by lithographers1 lamia1 aquila1 requiem1 7shark7 etc4 and therefore there scarce remains any reason for a further doubt on this head4 ,there are representations of curiosities1 which we shall give an account of from the ,ephemerides of the ,curious4 ,it is customary to see at ,batavia1 in the island of ,java1 the figure of serpents impressed on the shells of eggs1 ,andrew ,cleyerus1 a naturalist of considerable note1 says1 that when he was at ,batavia in #afgi1 he had seen himself1 on the #adth of ,september1 an egg newly laid by a hen1 of the ordinary size1 but representing very exactly1 towards the summit of the other part of the shell1 the figure of a serpent and all its parts1 not only the lineaments of the serpent were marked on the surface1 but the three dimensions of the body were as sensible as if they had been engraved by an able sculptor1 or impressed on wax1 plaister or some other like matter4 ,one could see very plainly the head1 ears1 and a cloven tongue starting out of the throat2 the eyes were sparkling and resplendent1 and represented so perfectly the interior and exterior of the parts of the eye1 with their natural colours1 that they seemed to behold with astonishment the eyes even of the spectators4 ,to account for this phenomenon1 it may be supposed that1 the hen being near laying1 a serpent presented itself to her sight1 and that her imagination1 struck thereby1 impressed the figure of the serpent on the egg that was ready to press out of the ovarium4 ,an egg equally wonderful1 was laid by a hen at ,rome on the #adth4 of ,december1 #afhj4 ,the famous comet that appeared then on the head of ,andromeda1 with other stars1 were seen represented on its shell4 ,sebastian ,scheffer says1 that he had seen an egg with the representation of an eclipse on it4 ,signor ,magliabecchi1 in his letter to the academy of the ,curious1 on the #bjth4 of ,october #afhb1 has these words2 ,last month ,i had sent me from ,rome1 a drawing of an egg found at ,tivoli1 with the impression of the sun and the transparent comet with a twisted tail4 ,there are also representations of ,indian nuts1 or small cocos1 with the head of an ape4 ,the nut has been exactly engraved in the ,ephemerides of the ,curious1 both as to size and form1 and covered with its shell1 as expressed there by cyphers and other figures which represent the same nut stripped of its covering1 and exhibiting the head of an ape4 ,this nut seems pretty much like the foreign fruit described by ,clusius1 ,exoticorum lib4 a1 which ,john ,bauhin 7,hist4 ,plant4 ,universal ,lib4 #c7 retaining the description of ,clusius1 calls1 a nut resembling the areca1 and which ,c4 ,bauhin 7,pinac4 lib4 ,,ii1 sect4 #f7 calls1 the fruit of the fourteenth of ,palm-tree1 that bears nuts1 or a foreign fruit of the same sort as the areca4 ,this fruit with its shell1 is1 as ,clusius says1 an inch and a half in length1 but is somewhat more than an inch thick4 ,its shell or membraneous covering1 is about the thickness of the blade of a knife1 and outwardly of an ash colour mixed with brown4 ,clusius was in the right to say1 that the shell of this nut was formed of several fibrous parts1 but those fibres resemble rather those of the shell of a coco1 than the fibrous parts of the back of the areca nut4 ,he1 moreover1 has very properly observed1 that this shell is armed1 at its lower part1 with a double calyx and that the opposite part terminates in a point2 but it is necessary to observe1 that this point is not formed by the prolongation of the shell1 as the figure he has given of it seems to specify2 but that from the middle of the upper part of the fruit1 there juts out a sort of small needle4 ,the shell being taken off1 the nut is found to be hard1 ligneous1 oblong1 of unequal surface1 furrowed1 and of a chesnut yellow4 ,one of its extremities is roundish1 and the other1 by the reunion and prolongation of three sorts of tubercles1 terminates in a point2 those protuberances being so formed1 that the middlemost placed between the two others1 has the appearance of a nose1 and the two lateral protuberances resemble flat lips4 ,on each side of that which forms what we call the nose1 a small hole or nook is perceived1 capable of containing a pea2 but does not penetrate deep1 and is surrounded with black filaments1 sometimes like eye-brows and eyelashes1 so that the nut on that side resembles an ape or a hare4 ,this lusus naturae1 or sport of nature1 has a very pretty effect1 but is oftener found in stones than other substances4 ,a great variety of such rare and singular productions of nature may be seen at the ,british ,museum3 but nothing can be more extraordinary in this respect than what is related concerning the agate of ,pyrrhus1 which represented1 naturally1 ,apollo holding a lyre1 with the nine muses distinguished each by their attributes4 ,in all probability1 there is great exaggeration in this fact1 for we see nothing of the kind that comes near this perfection4 ,however1 it is said1 that1 at ,pisa1 in the church of ,st4 ,john1 there is seen1 on a stone1 an old hermit perfectly painted by nature1 sitting near a rivulet1 and holding a bell in his hand2 and that1 in the temple of ,st4 ,sophia1 at ,constantinople1 there is to be seen1 on a white sacred marble1 an image of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 cloaked with a camel's skin1 but so far defective that nature has given him but one foot4 ,there is an instance in the ,mercury of ,france1 for ,july #agcj1 of some curious sports of nature on insects4 ,the rector of ,st4 ,james at ,land1 within a league of ,rennes1 found in the month of ,march1 #agcj1 in the church-yard1 a species of butterfly1 about two inches long1 and half-an-inch broad1 having on its head the figure of a death's-head1 of the length of one nail1 and perfectly imitating those that are represented on the church ornaments which are used for the office of the dead4 ,two large wings were spotted like a pall1 and the whole body covered with a down1 or black hair1 diversified with black and yellow1 bearing some resemblance to yellow4 ,these freaks of nature are equally extended to animate as to inanimate bodies2 and the human species1 as well as the brute creation1 affords numerous specimens1 not only of redundance and deficiency in her work1 but a variety of other phenomena not well understood4 ,the march of intellect1 however1 it is to be hoped1 will be as successful in this instance1 as in obliterating the hobgoblins of astrologers and quacks who so long have ruled the destiny and health of their less sagacious fellow-creatures2--and when the public shall become persuaded of the advantages which science may derive from occurrences similar to those we shall enumerate in the next chapter1 it will be more disposed to offer them to the consideration of scientific men4 ,,footnotes3 #aad ,the author of a book1 entitled ,talismans justifis pronounces a talisman to be the seal1 figure1 character1 or image of a heavenly sign1 constellation or planet1 engraven on a sympathetic stone1 or on a metal corresponding to the star1 etc4 in order to receive its influences4 #aae ,acts of the ,apostles1 chap4 xxviii4 v4 #c4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,on ,,the ,,medicinal ,,powers ,,attributed ,,to ,,music ,,by ,,the ,,ancients4 ,the power of music over the human mind1 as well as its influence on the animal creation1 has been variously attested2 and its curative virtues have been no less extolled by the ancients4#aaf ,martianus ,capella assures us1 that fevers were removed by songs1 and that ,asclepiades cured deafness by the sound of the trumpet4 ,wonderful indeed6 that the same noise which would occasion deafness in some1 should be a specific for it in others6 ,it is making the viper cure its own bite4 ,but1 perhaps ,asclepiades was the inventor of the acousticon1 or ear-trumpet1 which has been thought a modern discovery2 or of the speaking-trumpet1 which is a kind of cure for distant deafness4 ,these would be admirable proofs of musical power6#aag ,we have the testimony of ,plutarch1 and several other ancient writers1 that ,thaletas the ,cretan1 delivered the ,lacedemonians from the pestilence by the sweetness of his lyre4 ,xenocrates1 as ,martianus ,capella further informs us1 employed the sound of instruments in the cure of maniacs2 and ,apollonius ,dyscolus1 in his fabulous history 7,historia ,commentitia7 tells us1 from ,theophrastus's ,treatise upon ,enthusiasm1 that music is a sovereign remedy for a dejection of spirits1 and disordered mind2 and that the sound of the flute will cure epilepsy and the sciatic gout4 ,athenaeus quotes the same passage from ,theophrastus1 with this additional circumstance1 that1 as to the second of these disorders1 to render the cure more certain1 the flute should play in the ,phrygian mode4 ,but ,aulus ,gellius1 who mentions this remedy1 seems to administer it in a very different manner1 by prescribing to the flute-player a soft and gentle strain1 si modulis lenibus says he1 tibicen incinet3 for the ,phrygian mode was remarkably vehement and furious4 ,this is what ,coelius ,aurelianus calls loca dolentia decantare1 enchanting the disordered places4 ,he even tells us how the enchantment is brought about upon these occasions1 in saying that the pain is relieved by causing a vibration of the fibres of the afflicted part4 ,galen speaks seriously of playing the flute on the suffering part1 upon the principle1 we suppose1 of a medicated vapour bath4 ,the sound of the flute was likewise a specific for the bite of a viper1 according to ,theophrastus and ,democritus1 whose authority ,aulus ,gellius gives for his belief of the fact4 ,but there is nothing more extraordinary among the virtues attributed to music by the ancients1 than what ,aristotle relates in its supposed power of softening the rigour of punishment4 ,the ,tyrhenians1 says he1 never scourge their slaves1 but by the sound of flutes1 looking upon it as an instance of humanity to give some counterpoise to pain1 and thinking by such a diversion to lessen the sum total of the punishment4 ,to this account may be added a passage from ,jul4 ,pallus1 by which we learn1 that in the triremes1 or vessels with three banks of oars1 there was always a tibicen1 or flute-player1 not only to mark the time1 or cadence for each stroke of the oar1 but to sooth and cheer the rowers by the sweetness of the melody4 ,and from this custom ,quintilian took occasion to say1 that music is the gift of nature1 to enable us the more patiently to support toil and labour4#aah ,these are the principal passages which antiquity furnishes1 relative to the medicinal effects of music2 in considering which1 reliance is placed on the judgment of ,m4 ,burette1 whose opinions will come with the more weight1 as he had not only long made the music of the ancients his particular study1 but was a physician by profession4 ,this writer1 in a dissertation on the subject1 has examined and discussed many of the stories above related1 concerning the effects of music in the cure of diseases4 ,he allows it to be possible1 and even probable1 that music1 by reiterated strokes and vibrations given to the nerves1 fibres1 and animal spirits1 may be of use in the cure of certain diseases2 yet he by no means supposes that the music of the ancients possessed this power in a greater degree than the modern music1 but rather that a very coarse and vulgar music is as likely to operate effectually on such occasions as the most refined and perfect4 ,the savages of ,america pretend to perform these cures by the music and jargon of their imperfect instruments2 and in ,apulia1 where the bite of the tarantula is pretended to be cured by music1 which excites a desire to dance1 it is by an ordinary tune1 very coarsely performed4#aai ,baglivi refines on the doctrine of effluvia1 by ascribing his cures of the bite of the tarantula to the peculiar undulation any instrument or tune makes by its strokes in the air2 which1 vibrating upon the external parts of the patient1 is communicated to the whole nervous system1 and produces that happy alteration in the solids and fluids which so effectually contributes to the cure4 ,the contraction of the solids1 he says1 impresses new mathematical motions and directions to the fluids2 in one or both of which is seated all distempers1 and without any other help than a continuance of faith1 will alter their quality2 a philosophy as wonderful and intricate as the nature of the poison it is intended to expel2 but which1 however1 supplies this observation1 that1 if the particles of sound can do so much1 the effluvia of amulets may do more4 ,credulity must be very strong in those who believe it possible for music to drive away the pestilence4 ,antiquity1 however1 as mentioned above1 relates that ,thaletas1 a famous lyric poet1 contemporary with ,solon1 was gifted with this power2 but it is impossible to render the fact credible1 without qualifying it by several circumstances omitted in the relation4 ,in the first place1 it is certain1 that this poet was received among the ,lacedemonians during the plague1 by command of an oracle3 that by virtue of this mission1 all the poetry of the hymns which he sung1 must have consisted of prayers and supplications1 in order to avert the anger of the gods against the people1 whom he exhorted to sacrifices1 expiations1 purifications1 and many other acts of devotion1 which1 however superstitious1 could not fail to agitate the minds of the multitude1 and to produce nearly the same effects as public fasts1 and1 in catholic countries1 processions1 as at present1 in times of danger1 by exalting the courage1 and by animating hope4 ,the disease having1 probably1 reached its highest pitch of malignity when the musician arrived1 must afterwards have become less contagious by degrees2 till1 at length1 ceasing of itself1 by the air wafting away the seeds of infection1 and recovering its former purity1 the extirpation of the disease was attributed by the people to the music of ,thaletas1 who had been thought the sole mediator1 to whom they owed their happy deliverance4 ,this is exactly what ,plutarch means1 who tells the story2 and what ,homer meant1 in attributing the curation of the plague among the ,greeks1 at the siege of ,troy1 to music3 ,with hymns divine the joyous banquet ends1 ,the ,poeans lengthen'd till the sun descends3 ,the ,greeks restor'd1 the grateful notes prolong2 ,apollo listens and approves the song4#abj ,for the poet in these lines seems only to say1 that ,apollo was rendered favourable1 and had delivered the ,greeks from the scourge with which they were attacked1 in consequence of ,chriseis having been restored to her father1 and of sacrifices and offerings4 ,m4 ,burette thinks it easy to conceive1 that music may be really efficacious in relieving1 if not in removing1 the pains of sciatica2 and that independent of the greater or less skill of the musician4 ,he supposes this may be effected in two different ways3 first1 by flattering the ear1 and diverting the attention2 and1 secondly1 by occasioning oscillations and vibrations of the nerves1 which may1 perhaps1 give motions to the humours1 and remove the obstructions which occasion this disorder4 ,in this manner the action of musical sounds upon the fibres of the brain and animal spirits1 may sometimes soften and alleviate the sufferings of epileptics and lunatics1 and calm even the most violent fits of these two cruel disorders4 ,and if antiquity affords examples of this power1 we can oppose to them some of the same kind said to have been effected by music1 not of the most exquisite sort4 ,for not only ,m4 ,burette1 but many modern philosophers1 physicians1 and anatomists1 as well as ancient poets and historians1 have believed1 that music has the power of affecting1 not only the mind1 but the nervous system1 in such a manner as will give a temporary relief in certain diseases1 and1 at length1 even operate a radical cure4 ,in the ,memoirs of the ,academy of ,sciences for #agjg and #agjh1 we meet with many accounts of diseases1 which1 after having resisted and baffled all the most efficacious remedies in common use1 had1 at length1 given way to the soft impressions of harmony4 ,m4 de ,mairan1 in the ,memoirs of the same ,academy1 #agcg1 reasons upon the medicinal powers of music in the following manner3--,it is from the mechanical and involuntary connexion between the organ of hearing1 and the consonances excited in the outward air1 joined to the rapid communication of the vibrations of this organ to the whole nervous system1 that we owe the cure of spasmodic disorders1 and of fevers attended with a delirium and convulsions1 of which our ,memoirs furnish many examples4 ,the late learned ,dr4 ,branchini1 professor of physic at ,udine1 collected all the passages preserved in ancient authors1 relative to the medicinal application of music1 by ,asclepiades2 and it appears from this work that it was used as a remedy by the ancient ,egyptians1 ,hebrews1 ,greeks1 and ,romans1 not only in acute1 but chronical disorders4 ,this writer gives several cases within his own knowledge1 in which music has been efficacious2 but the consideration as well as the honour of these1 more properly belong to modern than to ancient music4 ,music1 of all arts1 gives the most universal pleasure1 and pleases longest and oftenest4 ,infants are charmed with the melody of sounds1 and old age is animated by enlivening notes4 ,the ,arcadian shepherds drew pleasure from their reeds2 the solitude of ,achilles was cheered by his lyre2 the ,english peasant delights in his pipe and tabor2 the mellifluous notes of the flute solace many an idle hour2 and the charming of snakes and other venomous reptiles1 by the power of music1 is well attested among the ,indians4 ,music and the sounds of instruments1 says ,vigneul de ,marville1 contribute to the health of the body and mind2 they assist the circulation of the blood1 they dissipate vapours1 and open the vessels1 so that the action of perspiration is freer4 ,the same author tells a story of a person of distinction1 who assured him1 that once being suddenly seized with a violent illness1 instead of a consultation of physicians1 he immediately called a band of musicians1 and their violins acted so well upon his inside1 that his bowels became perfectly in tune1 and in a few hours were harmoniously becalmed4 ,farinelli1 the famous singer1 was sent for to ,madrid to try the effect of his magical voice on the king of ,spain4 ,his ,majesty was absorbed in the deepest melancholy2 nothing could excite an emotion in him2 he lived in a state of total oblivion of life2 he sat in a darkened chamber1 entirely given up to the most distressing kind of madness4 ,the physicians at first ordered ,farinelli to sing in an outer room2 and for the first day or two this was done1 without producing any effect on the royal patient4 ,at length it was observed1 that the king1 awakening from his stupor1 seemed to listen2 on the next day tears were seen starting from his eyes3 the day after he ordered the door of his chamber to be left open1 and at length the perturbed spirit entirely left our modern ,saul1 and the medicinal music of ,farinelli effected what medicine itself had denied4 ,after food1 says ,sir ,william ,jones1#aba when the operations of digestion and absorption gives so much employment to the vessels1 that a temporary state of mental repose1 especially in hot climates1 must be found essential to health1 it seems reasonable to believe that a few agreeable airs1 either heard or played without effort1 must have all the good effects of sleep1 and none of its disadvantages2 putting1 as ,milton says1 'the soul in tune' for any subsequent exertion2 an experiment often made by myself4 ,i have been assured by a credible witness1 that two wild antelopes often used to come from their woods to the place where a more savage beast1 ,serajuddaulah1 entertained himself with concerts1 and that they listened to the strains with the appearance of pleasure1 till the monster1 in whose soul there was no music1 shot one of them to display his archery4 ,a learned native told ,sir ,william ,jones that he had frequently seen the most venomous snakes leave their holes upon hearing tunes on a flute1 which1 as he supposed1 gave them peculiar delight4 ,of the surprising effects of music1 the two following instances1 with which we shall close these remarks1 are related in the history of the ,royal ,academy of ,society of ,paris4 ,a famous musician1 and great composer was taken ill of a fever1 which assumed the continued form1 with a gradual increase of the symptoms4 ,on the second day he fell into a very violent delirium1 almost constantly accompanied by cries1 tears1 terrors1 and a perpetual watchfulness4 ,the third day of his delirium one of those natural instincts1 which make1 as it is said1 sick animals seek out for the herbs that are proper to their case1 set him upon desiring earnestly to hear a little concert in his chamber4 ,his physician could hardly be prevailed upon to consent to it4 ,on hearing the first modulations1 the air of his countenance became serene1 his eyes sparkled with a joyful alacrity1 his convulsions absolutely ceased1 he shed tears of pleasure1 and was then possessed for music with a sensibility he never before had1 nor after1 when he was recovered4 ,he had no fever during the whole concert1 but1 when it was over1 he relapsed into his former condition4 ,the fever and delirium were always suspended during the concert1 and music was become so necessary to the patient1 that at night he obliged a female relation who sometimes sat up with him1 to sing and even to dance1 and who1 being much afflicted1 was put to great difficulty to gratify him4 ,one night1 among others1 he had none but his nurse to attend him1 who could sing nothing better than some wretched country ballads4 ,he was satisfied to put up with that1 and he even found some benefit from it4 ,at last ten days of music cured him entirely1 without other assistance than of being let blood in the foot1 which was the second bleeding that was prescribed for him1 and was followed by a copious evacuation4 ,this account was communicated to the ,academy by ,m4 ,dodart1 who had it well authenticated4 ,the second instance of the extraordinary effect of music is related of a dancing-master of ,alais1 in the province of ,languedoc4 ,being once over-fatigued in ,carnival time by the exercise of his profession1 he was seized with a violent fever1 and on the fourth or fifth day1 fell into a lethargy1 which continued upon him for a considerable time4 ,on recovering he was attacked with a furious and mute delirium1 wherein he made continual efforts to jump out of bed1 threatened1 with a shaking head and angry countenance1 those who attended him1 and even all that were present2 and he besides obstinately refused1 though without speaking a word1 all the remedies that were presented to him4 ,one of the assistants bethought himself that music perhaps might compose a disordered imagination4 ,he accordingly proposed it to his physician1 who did not disapprove the thought1 but feared with good reason the ridicule of the execution which might still have been infinitely greater1 if the patient should happen to die under the operation of such a remedy4 ,a friend of the dancing master1 who seemed to disregard the caution of the physician1 and who could play on the violin1 seeing that of the patient hanging up in the chamber1 laid hold of it1 and played directly for him the air most familiar to him4 ,he was cried out against more than the patient who lay in bed1 confined in a straight jacket2 and some were ready to make him desist2 when the patient1 immediately sitting up as a man agreeably surprised1 attempted to caper with his arms in unison with the music2 and on his arms being held1 he evinced1 by the motion of his head1 the pleasure he felt4 ,sensible1 however1 of the effects of the violin1 he was suffered by degrees to yield to the movement he was desirous to perform1--when1 strange as it may appear1 his furious fits abated4 ,in short1 in the space of a quarter of an hour1 the patient fell into a profound sleep1 and a salutary crisis in the interim rescued him from all danger4 ,,footnotes3 #aaf ,dr4 ,burney's ,history of ,music4 #aag ,it has been asserted by several moderns1 that deaf people can hear best in a great noise2 perhaps to prove that ,greek noise could do nothing which the modern cannot operate as effectually3 and ,dr4 ,willis in particular tells us of a lady who could hear only while a drum was beating1 in so much that her husband1 the account says1 hired a drummer as her servant1 in order to enjoy the pleasures of her conversation4 #aah ,many of the ancients speak of music as a recipe for every kind of malady1 and it is probable that the ,latin was praecinere1 to charm away pain1 incantare to enchant1 and our own word incantation1 came from the medical use of song4 #aai ,m4 ,burette1 with ,dr4 ,mead1 ,baglivi1 and all the learned of their time throughout ,europe1 seem to have entertained no doubt of this fact1 which1 however1 philosophical and curious enquirers have since found to be built upon fraud and fallacy4 ,vide ,serrao1 della ,tarantula o vero falangio di ,puglia4 #abj ,pope's translation of the ,iliad1 ,book #a4 #aba ,see a curious ,dissertation on the musical modes of the ,hindoos by ,sir ,w4 ,jones4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,presages1 ,,prodiges1 ,,presentiments1 ,,etc4 ,the common opinion of comets being the presages of evil is an old pagan superstition1 introduced and entertained among ,christians by their prejudice for antiquity2 and which ,mr4 ,bayle says is a remnant of pagan superstition1 conveyed from father to son1 ever since the first conversion from paganism2 as well because it has taken deep root in the minds of men1 as because ,christians1 generally speaking1 are as far gone in the folly of finding presages in every thing1 as infidels themselves4 ,it may be easily conceived how the pagans might be brought stedfastly to believe that comets1 eclipses1 and thunderstorms1 were the forerunners of calamities1 when man's strong inclination for the marvellous is considered1 and his insatiable curiosity for prying into future events1 or what is to come to pass4 ,this desire of peeping into futurity1 as has already been shown1 has given birth to a thousand different kinds of divination1 all alike whimsical and impertinent1 which in the hands of the more expert and cunning have been made most important and mysterious tools4 ,when any one has been rogue enough to think of making a penny of the simplicity of his neighbours1 and has had the ingenuity to invent something to amuse1 the pretended faculty of foretelling things to come1 has always been one of the readiest projects4 ,from hence always the assumption of judiciary astrology4 ,those who first began to consult the motions of the heavens1 had no other design in view1 than the enriching their minds with so noble a knowledge2 and as they had their genius bent on the pursuit of useful knowledge1 they never dreamed of converting astrology or a knowledge of the stars to the purpose of picking the pockets of the credulous and ignorant1 of whose blind side advantage was taken by these sideral sages to turn them to account by making them believe that the doctrine of the stars comprehended the knowledge of all things that were1 or are1 or ever shall be2 so that every one1 for his money1 might come to them and have their fortune told4 ,the better to gull the world1 the ,star-gazers assert that the heavens are the book in which ,god has written the destiny of all things2 and that it is only necessary to learn to read this book1 which is simply the construction of the stars1 to be able to know the whole history of what is to come to pass4 ,very learned men1 ,origen and ,plotinus among the rest1 were let into the secret1 and grew so fond of it1 that the former1#abb willing to support his opinion by something very solid1 catches at the authority of an ,apocryphal book1 ascribed to the patriarch ,joseph1 where ,jacob is introduced speaking to his twelve sons3 ,i have read in the register of heaven what shall happen to you and your children4#abc ,but comets were the staple commodity that turned principally to account4 ,in compliance1 however1 with the impressions of fear which the strangeness and excessive length of these stars made upon mankind1 the ,astrologers did not hesitate to pronounce them of a malign tendency2 and the more so when they found they had1 by this means1 made themselves in some degree necessary1 in consequence of the impatient applications that were made to them as from the mouth of an oracle1 what particular disaster such and such a comet portended4 ,eclipses furnished more frequent occasions for the exercise of their talent4 ,from this worthy precedent of ,judicial ,astrology1 others took the hint and invented new modes of divination1 such as ,geomancy1 ,chiromancy1 ,onomancy1 and the like2 till the world by degrees became so overrun with superstition1 that the least trifle was converted into a presage or presentiment2 and the more so when this kind of knowledge became the business of religion2 and when the substance of divine worship consisted in the ordinances of ,augurs who1 to make themselves necessary in the world1 were obliged to keep up and quicken men's apprehensions of the wrath of ,god1 took special care to cultivate comets1 and bring it into a proverb1 that so many comets so many calamities4 ,they knew1 as ,livy expresses it1 that it was best to fish in troubled waters1 where1 speaking of a contagious distemper1 which1 from the country villages1 spread over the city1 occasioned by an extraordinary drought in the year of ,rome #cbf1 he observes how1 at last1 it infected the mind1#abd by the management of those who lived in the superstition of the people2 so that nothing was to be seen or heard except some new fangled ceremony or other in every corner4 ,the devil1 as ,bayle says1 who had a hopeful game on't1 and saw superstition the surest way to get himself worshipped under the name of the false gods1 in a hundred various ways1 all criminal and abominable in the sight of the sovereign ,lord of heaven and earth1 never failed1 on the appearance of any rare meteor1 or uncommon star1 to exert his imposing arts1 and make idolaters believe1 they were the signs of divine wrath1 and that they were all undone unless they appeased their gods by sacrifices of men and brute beasts4 ,politicians have also lent a helping hand to give presages a reputation1 as an excellent scheme1 either to intimidate the people1 or to raise their drooping spirits4 ,had the ,roman soldiers been free thinkers1 ,drusus1 the son of ,tiberius1 had not been so fortunate as to quell a desperate mutiny among the legions of ,pannonia1 who utterly refused to obey his commands2 but an eclipse1 which critically intervened1 broke their refractory spirits to such a degree1 that ,drusus1 who managed their panic fear with great dexterity and address1 did what he liked with them4 ,an eclipse of the moon put the army of ,alexander the ,great into such a consternation1 some days before the battle of ,arbela1 that the soldiers1 under the impression that heaven was against them1 were very reluctant to advance2 and their devotion turning to downright disobedience1 ,alexander commanded the ,egyptian astrologers1 who were the deepest versed in the mystery of the stars1 to give their opinions of this eclipse in the presence of all the officers of his army4 ,without giving themselves much trouble to explain the physical cause which it was their interest to conceal from the people1 the wise men declared that the sun was on the side of the ,grecians1 and the moon for the ,persians2 and that this planet was never in an eclipse1 but it threatened them with some mighty disaster3 of this they quoted several ancient examples among the kings of ,persia1 who1 after an eclipse1 had always found their gods unpropitious in the day of battle4 ,nothing1 says ,quintus ,curtius1#abe is so effectual as superstition for keeping the vulgar under4 ,be they ever so unruly and inconstant1 if once their minds are possessed with the vain visions of religion1 they are all obedience to the soothsayer1 whatever becomes of the general4 ,the answer of the ,egyptian astrologers being circulated among the soldiers1 restored their confidence and their courage4 ,on another occasion ,alexander1 just before he passed the river ,granicus1 observing the circumstance of time1 which was the month ,desius1 reckoned unfortunate to the ,macedonians from all antiquity1 it made the soldiers melancholy2 he immediately ordered this dangerous month to be called by the name of that which preceded it1 well knowing what power and influence vain religious scruples have over little and ignorant minds4 ,he sent private orders to ,aristander his chief soothsayer1 just offering up a sacrifice for a happy passage1 to write on the liver of the victim with a liquor prepared for that purpose1 that the gods had granted the victory to ,alexander4 ,the notice of this miracle filled the men with invincible ardour2 and now they rent the air with acclamations1 exclaiming that the day was their own1 since the gods had vouchsafed them such plain demonstrations of their favour4 ,the history1 indeed1 of this mighty conqueror1 affords more such examples of artifice1 though he always affected to conquer by mere dint of bravery4 ,but what is still more extraordinary1 this very hero1 who palmed so often such tricks upon others1 was himself caught in his turn1 as being well as exceedingly superstitious by fits4 ,we say nothing of ,themistocles1#abf who1 in the war between ,xerxes and the ,athenians1 despairing to prevail upon his countrymen by force of reasoning to quit their city1 and betake themselves to sea1 set all the engines of religion to work2 forged oracles1 and procured the priests to circulate among the people1 that ,minerva had fled from ,athens1 and had taken the way which led to the port4 ,philip of ,macedon1 whose talent lay in conquering his enemies by good intelligence1 purchased at any price1 had as many oracles at command as he pleased2 and hence ,demosthenes justly suspecting too good an understanding between ,philip and the ,delphian priestess1 rallied her with so much acrimony upon her partiality to that prince4 ,it is equally obvious how the same reasons of state1 which kept up the popular superstition for other prodigies1 should take care to encourage it with regard to comets and other celestial appearances4 ,panegyrists have also done their parts to promote the superstition of presages1 as well as the flattering of poets and orators4 ,when a hero is to be found and extolled1 they exclaim1 that all nature adores him2 that she exerts her utmost powers to serve him2 that she mourns at his misfortunes1 promises him long before hand to the world2 and when the world1 by its sins1 is unworthy to possess him longer1 heaven1 which calls him home1 hangs out new lights1 etc4 ,with this hyperbole ,m4 ,balzac regaled ,cardinal ,richelieu1 adding1 that to form such a minister1 universal nature was on the stretch2 ,god gives him first by promise1 and makes him the expectation of ages4 ,for this he was attacked by the critics1 but he defended himself2 alleging1 that other panegyrics had gone some notes higher3 he1 for example1 among the ancients1 who said of certain great souls that all the orders of heaven were called together to fancy a fine destiny for them1 and that illustrious nation who wrote that the eternal mind was wrapt in deep contemplation1 and big with the vast design1 when it conceived such a genius as ,cardinal ,hippolito d',este4 ,why could not this same writer have thought of one example more1 such as that of the priest who told the ,emperor ,constantine that divine ,providence1 not content with qualifying him for the empire of the world1 had formed virtues in his soul1 which should entitle him to reign in heaven with his only son4 ,thus have flatterers seized the most surprising natural effects to enhance their hero's glory1 and make their court to great men4 ,the poets of the time of ,augustus vied with each other in persuading the world that the murder of ,julius ,caesar was the cause of all the prodigies that followed4 ,horace1 for instance1 in one of his odes1 attempts to prove that the overflowings of rivers were reckoned among bad presages2 and pretends that the ,tiber had not committed all those ravages1 but in complaisance to his wife ,ilia1 who was bent on the death of his kinsman ,caesar2 and that all the other calamities which subsequently afflicted or threatened the ,roman empire1 were the consequences of his assassination4 ,if ,virgil may be credited1#abg the sun was so troubled at the death of ,caesar that it went into deep mourning1 and so obscured his beams1 that the world was alarmed lest it never should appear again4 ,in the mean time1 no sooner was the comet observed1 which followed this murder1 than another set of flatterers pretended that it was ,caesar's soul received into the order of the ,gods2 and they dedicated a temple#abh to the comet1 and set up the image of ,caesar with a star on his forehead4 ,it appears from the sermons of the ancient fathers1 that the ,christians of that time believed they gave great relief to the moon in an eclipse1 by raising hideous shouts to the skies1 which they imagined recovered her out of her fainting fit1 and without which she must inevitably have expired4 ,st4 ,ambrose1 the author of the #baeth sermon de tempore1 bound up with those of ,st4 ,austin1 and ,st4 ,eloy1 ,bishop of ,noyon1 declaim particularly against this abuse4 ,it appears also from the ,homilies of ,st4 ,chrysostom1 ,st4 ,basil1 ,st4 ,austin1 and others1 that the ,christians of their days drew several kinds of presages from persons sneezing at critical times2 from meeting a cat1 a dog1 or an ill-looking 7squinting7 woman1 a maiden1 one blind of an eye1 or a cripple2 on being caught by the cloak on stepping out of a door1 or from a sudden catch in one's joint or limb4 ,st4 ,eloy tells his people plainly1 that whoever pays attention to what he meets at his first going out or coming in1 or to any particular voice1 or to the chirping of a bird1 is so far a ,pagan4 ,indeed1 all these1 and innumerable others of the same description of superstitious among ,christians1 are remnants of ancient paganism2 as they have been denounced by the censures of popes1 provincial councils1 synodical decrees1 and other grave authorities4 ,and1 though there were not such a cloud of witnesses1 there would be no difficulty in proving the disease of pagan origin4 ,for1 independent of those who preached the gospel of our ,saviour1 having never promulgated such notions1 we learn from several ancient authorities1 that the ,gentiles had all these superstitions in the highest regard4 ,it was one general opinion among them1 that the eclipses of the moon were the consequence of certain magic words by which sorcerers could wrench her from the skies1 and drag her near enough the earth to cast a frothy spittle on their herbs--one of the principal ingredients in their incantations4 ,to rescue the moon from the supposed torture she was in1 and to frustrate the charm1 it was necessary to prevent her from hearing the magic words1 by drowning in noise and hideous outcries1 for which purpose the people used to assemble during an eclipse of the moon with rough music1 such as frying pans1 brazen vessels1 old tin kettles1 etc4 ,according to ,pietro della ,voile1 the ,persians keep up the same ridiculous ceremony to this day4 ,it is likewise1 according to ,tavernier1 observed in the kingdom of ,tunquin1 where they imagine the moon to be1 at that time1 struggling with a dragon4 ,it is to the same source that we owe the imaginary raging heat of the dog-star--the pretended presages of several evils ascribed to eclipses1 and all the allusions of astrology4 ,in a treatise written by ,abogard1 ,bishop of ,lyons1 in #hcc1 composed to undeceive a world of people1 who were persuaded that there were enchanters who could command thunder1 and hail1 and tempest1 to destroy the fruits of the earth2 and that they drove a great trade by this mystery with the people of a certain country called ,magonia1 who came once a year1 sailing in large fleets through the air1 to freight with the blighted corn1 for which they paid down ready money to the enchanters4 ,so little was this matter doubted1 that one day the bishop had enough to do to save three men and a woman from being stoned to death1 the people insisting they had just fallen overboard from one of these arial ships4 ,we do not here examine whether1 in those days1 the people literally were more superstitious and credulous than in the days of paganism4 ,it is enough to say1 that they were of very easy belief2 and hence men began to write their histories in the style of romance1 mixing up a thousand fables with the deeds of great men1 such as ,roland1 nephew to ,charlemagne2 which so suited the taste of the age1 that no book would afterwards go down in any other style--witness1 for instance1 the ,manual of ,devotions by ,james de ,voragine1 archbishop of ,genoa1 composed towards the latter end of the thirteenth century2 and in which ,melchior ,canus1 a learned ,spanish bishop1 is so scandalized in his eleventh book of ,common ,places4 ,another doctor of divinity1#abi speaking of the depraved state of the times1 says1 ,it was the error1 or rather folly1 of some of the ancients1 to think1 that in writing the actions of illustrious men1 the style must sink1 unless they mixed up with it the ornaments1 for so they called them1 of poetical fiction1 or something of this sort2 and1 consequently1 thus blended truth with fable4 ,this being the prevailing fashion of the times1 we are inclined to believe1 that in the histories of the crusades1 many apocryphal subjects are introduced1 which ought1 consequently1 to be read cum grano salis4 ,this is decidedly the opinion of ,pere ,maimbourg1#acj who1 after the relation of the battle of ,iconium1 won by ,frederick of ,barbarossa1 #aaij1 says1 ,what was chiefly wonderful after this battle1 was the conqueror's sustaining little or no loss1 which most people ascribed to the particular protection of ,st4 ,victor and ,st4 ,george1 names oftenest invoked in the ,christian army1 which many of them said they saw engaging at the head of the squadrons4 ,whether in reality there might be something in it extraordinary1 which has often happened1 as the ,scriptures inform us2 or whether1 by often hearing of celestial squadrons appearing at the battle of ,antioch in the first crusade1 warm imaginations possessed with the belief1 and penetrated with these ideas1 formed new apparitions of their own1 but sure it is1 that one ,louie ,helfenstein1 a gentleman of reputation1 and far from a visionary1 affirmed to the emperor1 on his oath1 and on the vow of a pilgrim devoted to the holy sepulchre and the crusade1 that he often saw ,st4 ,george charge at the head of the squadrons1 and put the enemy to flight2 which was afterwards confirmed by the ,turks themselves1 owning that they saw some troops in white charge in the first ranks in the ,christian army1 though there were really none of that livery4 ,no one1 ,i know1 is bound 7continues ,p4 ,maimbourg7 to believe visions of this kind1 subject for the most part to notorious illusion3 but ,i know too1 that an historian is not of his own authority1 to reject them1 especially when supported by such remarkable testimony4 ,and though he be at liberty to believe or not1 yet he has no regret1 by suppressing them1 to deprive the reader of his liberty1 when he meets with passages of this kind1 of judging as he thinks fit4 ,this reflection 7says ,bayle7 from so celebrated an historian1 not suspected of favouring the ,hugonot incredulity1 is a strong presumption on my side4 ,the abuse of presentiments has been carried to the very ,scriptures4 ,we are told1 that the manner of ,tamerlane giving his blessing to his two sons1 by bowing down the head of the elder1 and chucking the youngest under the chin1 was a presage of the elevation of the latter in prejudice to the former1 was grounded on the #dhth chapter of ,genesis1 where ,jacob is represented laying his right hand on the head of the younger1 forseeing by inspiration that he would be the greater of the two4 ,meanwhile there is a difference between the two benedictions4 ,the ,tartar1 wholly destitute of the knowledge of future events1 did not diversify the motion of his hands1 on purpose to establish a presage2 and ,god never vouchsafing this knowledge to infidels1 did not guide his hands in a particular manner to form a presage of what should befal his children2--whereas ,jacob1 on the contrary1 filled with the spirit of prophecy1 whereby he saw the fortunes of his children1 directed his words and actions according to this knowledge2 by which means both became presages4 ,presages1 presentiments1 and prodigies1 might be multiplied ad infinitum4 ,whoever reads the ,roman historians will be surprised at their number1 and which frequently filled the people with the most dreadful apprehensions4 ,it must be confessed1 that some of these seem altogether supernatural2 while much the greater part only consist of some of the uncommon productions of nature1 which superstition always attributed to a superior cause1 and represented as the prognostications of some impending misfortunes4 ,of this class may be reckoned the appearance of two suns2#aca the nights illuminated by rays of light2 the views of fighting armies2 swords and spears darting through the air2 showers of milk1 of blood1 of stones1 of ashes1 or of fire2 and the birth of monsters1 of children1 or of beasts who had two heads2 or of infants who had some feature resembling those of the brute creation4 ,these were all dreadful prodigies which filled the people with inexpressible astonishment1 and the whole ,roman empire with an extreme perplexity2 and whatever unhappy event followed1 repentance was sure to be either caused or predicted by them4 ,,footnotes3 #abb ,euseb4 ,praep4 ,evang4 l4 #f4 c4 #i4 #abc ,legi in tabulis coeli quaecunque contingent vobis et ,feliis vestris4 #abd ,nec corpora modo affecta tabo1 sed animos quoque multiplex religio1 et pleraque externa invasit1 novos ritus sacrificando vaticinandoque1 inferentibus in domos1 quibus quaestui sunt capti superstitione animi4 ,l4 #d1 dec4 #a4 #abe ,tacit1 ,annal4 lib4 #a1 et ib4 #d1 cap4 #aj4 #abf ,plutarch in his life4 #abg ,georg4 l4 #a4 #abh ,suetonius in vita ,caesaris4 #abi ,petseus1 in ,galfredo ,monimetensi4 #acj ,hist4 ,crusade1 l4 #e4 #aca ,nothing is more easy than to account for these productions1 which have no relation to any events1 no more than comets1 that may happen to follow them4 ,the appearance of two suns has frequently happened in ,england1 as well as in other places1 and is only caused by the clouds being placed in such a situation as to reflect the image of that luminary2 nocturnal fires1 inflamed spears1 fighting armies1 were no more than what we call aurora borealis1 northern lights1 or inflamed vapours floating in the air2 showers of stones1 of ashes1 or of fire1 were no other than the effects of the eruptions of some volcano at a considerable distance4 ,showers of milk were only caused by some quality in the air condensing and giving a whitish colour to the water1 etc4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,phenomena ,,of ,,meteors1 ,,optic ,,delusions1 ,,spectra1 ,,etc4 ,the meteors known to the ancients were called ,greek3 ,lampdes ,pithoi ,bolides1 ,faces1 ,globi1 etc4 from particular differences in their shape and appearance1 and sometimes under the general term of comets4 ,in the ,philosophical ,transactions1 they are called1 indiscriminately1 fire-balls1 or fiery meteors2 and names of similar import have been applied to them in the different languages of ,europe4 ,the most material circumstances observed of such meteors may be brought under the following heads3 #a4 ,their general appearance4 #b4 ,their path4 #c4 ,their shape or figure4 #d4 ,their light and colour4 #e4 ,their height4 #f4 ,the noise with which they are accompanied4 #g4 ,their fire4 #h4 ,duration1 #i4 ,their velocity4 ,under these different heads meteors have been investigated by the scrutinizing of philosophy1 and many superstitious notions1 long entertained concerning them1 entirely exploded4 ,meteoric phenomena1 it has been demonstrated1 all proceed from one common cause--irregularity in the density of the atmosphere4 ,when the atmospheric fluid is homogenous and of equal density1 the rays of light pass without obstruction or alteration in their shape or direction2 but when they enter from a rarer into a denser medium1 they are refracted or bent out of their course2 and this with greater or less effect according to the different degrees of density in the media1 or the deviation of the ray from the perpendicular4 ,if the second medium be very dense in proportion1 the ray will be both refracted and reflected2 and the object from which it proceeds1 will assume a variety of grotesque and extraordinary shapes1 and it will sometimes appear as in a reflection from a concave mirror1 dilated in size1 and changed in situation4 ,the following striking effects are known to proceed from this simple cause4 ,the first is the mirage1 seen in the desert of ,africa4 ,m4 ,monge1 a member of the ,national ,institute1 accompanied the ,french army into ,egypt4 ,in the desert1 between ,alexandria and ,cairo1 the mirage of the blue sky was inverted1 and so mingled with the sand below1 as to impart to the desolate and arid wilderness an appearance of the most rich and beautiful country4 ,they saw1 in all directions1 green islands1 surrounded with extensive lakes of pure and transparent water4 ,nothing could be conceived more lovely and picturesque than this landscape4 ,on the tranquil surface of the lakes1 the trees and houses1 with which the islands were covered1 were strongly reflected with vivid hues1 and the party hastened forward to enjoy the cool refreshments of shade and stream1 which these populous villages preferred to them4 ,when they arrived1 the lake1 on whose bosom they floated1 the trees1 among whose foliage they were embowered1 and the people who stood on the shore inviting their approach1 had all vanished1 and nothing remained but an uniform and irksome desert of sand and sky1 with a few naked huts and ragged shrubs4 ,had they not been undeceived by their nearer approach1 there was not a man in the ,french army who would not have sworn1 that the visionary trees and lakes had a real existence in the midst of the desert4 ,the same appearance precisely was observed by ,dr4 ,clarke at ,raschid1 or ,rosetta4 ,the city seemed surrounded by a beautiful sheet of water1 and so certain was his ,greek interpreter1 who was acquainted with the country1 of this fact1 that he was quite indignant at an ,arab1 who attempted to explain to him1 that it was a mere optical delusion4 ,at length1 they reached ,rosetta in about two hours1 without meeting any water2 and1 on looking back on the sand they had just crossed1 it seemed to them1 as if they had just waded through a vast blue lake4 ,a similar deception takes place in northern climates4 ,cities1 battlements1 houses1 and all the accompaniments of populous places1 are seen in desolate regions1 where life goes out1 and where human foot has never trod4 ,when approached they vanish1 and nothing remains but a rugged rock1 or a misshapen iceberg4 ,captain ,scoresby1 in his voyage to the arctic regions1 on the coast of ,east ,greenland1 constantly saw those visionary cities1 and gives some highly curious plates of the appearances they presented4 ,they resembled the real cities seen on the coast of ,holland1 where towers1 and battlements1 and spires1 bosomed high in tufted trees1 rise on the level horizon1 and are seen floating on the surface of the sea4 ,among the optic deceptions noticed by ,captain ,scoresby1 was one of a very singular nature4 ,his ship had been separated by the ice1 from that of his father for some time2 and he was looking for her every day1 with great anxiety4 ,at length1 one evening1 to his utter astonishment1 he saw her suspended in the air in an inverted position1 traced on the horizon in the clearest colours1 and with the most distinct and perfect representation4 ,he sailed in the direction in which he saw this visionary phenomenon1 and actually found his father's vessel by its indication4 ,he was divided from him by immense masses of icebergs1 and at such a distance that it was quite impossible to have seen the ship in her actual situation1 or seen her at all1 if her spectrum1 or image1 had not been thus raised several degrees above the horizon into the sky1 by this most extraordinary refraction1 in the same manner as the sun is often seen1 after he is known to have set1 and actually sunk far below the line of direct vision4 ,the ,fata ,morgana are further illustrations of this optic delusion4 ,this phenomenon is seen at the ,pharo of ,messina1 in ,sicily1 under certain circumstances4 ,the spectator must stand with his back to the east1 on an elevated place behind the city1 commanding a view of the bay1 and having the mountains1 like a wall1 opposite to him1 to darken the back ground of the picture2 no wind must be abroad to ruffle the surface of the sea2 and the waters must be pressed up by currents1 as they sometimes are1 to a considerable height in the middle of the strait1 and present a slight convex surface4 ,when all these circumstances occur1 as soon as the sun rises over the heights of the ,calabrian shore1 and makes an angle of #de with the horizon1 all the objects on the shore at ,reggio are transferred to the middle of the strait1 and seen distinctly on the surface of the water1 forming an immoveable landscape of rocks1 trees1 and houses1 and a moveable one of men1 horses1 and cattle2 these are formed into a thousand separate compartments1 presenting most beautiful and ever varying pictures of animate and inanimate nature1 on the swelling surface of the water1 broken by the currents1 present separate plates of convex mirrors to reflect them2 they then as suddenly disappear1 as the broad aquatic mirror of the current passes on4 ,sometimes the atmosphere is so dense that the objects are seen1 like ,captain ,scoresby's ship1 snatched up into the regions of the air1 thirty or forty feet above the level of the sea2 and in cloudy weather1 nearer to the surface1 bordered with vivid prismatic colours4 ,sometimes colonades of temples and churches1 with cross-crowned spires1 are all represented as floating on the sea1 and by a sudden change of representation1 the pillars are curved into arcades1 and the crosses are bent into crescents1 and all the edifices of the floating city undergo the most extraordinary and fantastic mutations4 ,all these images are so distinct1 and produce objects seemingly as palpable as they are visible1 as sensible to touch as to sight1 that the people of the country are firmly persuaded of their reality4 ,they consider the edifices as the enchanted palaces of the fairy ,morgana1 and the moving objects as living things which inhabit them4 ,whenever the optic phenomenon occurs1 they meet together in crowds1 with an intense curiosity1 mixed with awe and apprehension1 which is not removed by an acquaintance with those natural causes1 by which ,mr4 ,swinburn and other foreign travellers1 who have witnessed the scene1 are able to account for it4 ,the lakes of ,ireland are equally susceptible of producing those vivid delusions1 and the imagination of the people1 as lively as that of the ,sicilians1 clothes them with an equal reality4 ,there is scarcely a loch in that country1 in which the remains of cities have not been at various times discovered2 and many men have been met with who would solemnly swear they saw1 and who no doubt did see1 representations of them in certain states of the atmosphere4 ,the most celebrated is that which occurs on the lake of ,killarney4 ,this romantic sheet of water is bounded on one side by a semi-circle of rugged mountains1 and on the other by a flat morass1 and the vapour generated in the mass1 and broken by the mountains1 continually represent the most fantastic objects2 and often those on shore are transferred to the water1 like the ,fata ,morgana4 ,many of the rocks are distinguished for their marked and lengthened echoes1 and the structure1 which in acoustics reflects sounds to the ear1 from a point from whence they did not come1 reflects images on the eye1 from a place very different from where the objects stood which produced them4 ,frequently men riding along shore1 are seen as if they were moving across the lake1 and this has given rise to the story of ,o',donougho4 ,this celebrated chieftain was1 according to the tradition of the country1 endued with the gift of magic2 and1 on one occasion1 his lady requested him to change his shape1 that she might see a proof of it4 ,he complied1 on condition that she would not be terrified1 as such an effect on her must prove fatal to him4 ,her mind failed her1 however1 in the experiment1 and at the sight of some horrible figure he assumed1 she shrieked1 and he disappeared through the window of his castle1 which overhung the lake4 ,from that time he continues an enchanted being1 condemned to ride a horse1 shod with silver1 over the surface of the lake1 till his horse's shoes are worn out4 ,on every ,may morning he is visible1 and crowds assemble on the shore to see him4 ,many affirm they have seen him2 and one person relates many particulars of his apparition1 that the deception must have proceeded from some real object1 a man riding along shore1 and transferred to the middle of the water1 by the optic delusion of the ,fata ,morgana4 ,but perhaps the most wonderful1 and apparently preternatural effect arising from this cause1 is the spectre of the ,hartz ,mountains in ,hanover4 ,there is one particular hill1 called the ,brocken1 in which he appears1 terrifying the credulous1 and gratifying the curious to a very high degree4 ,the most distinct and interesting account is given by ,mr4 ,hawe1 who himself was a witness to it4 ,he had climbed to the top of the mountain thirty times1 and had been disappointed1 but he persevered1 and was at length highly gratified4 ,the sun rose about four o'clock in a serene sky1 free from clouds1 and its rays passed without obstruction1 over another mountain1 called the ,heinschoe4 ,about a quarter past five he looked round to see if the sky was clear1 and if there was any chance of his witnessing what he so ardently wished1 when suddenly he saw the ,achtermanshoe1 a human figure of monstrous size turned towards him1 and glaring at him4 ,while gazing on this gigantic spectre with wonder mixed with an irrepressible feeling of awe and apprehension1 a sudden gust of wind nearly carried off his own hat1 and he clapped his hand to his head to detain it1 when to his great delight the colossal spectre did the same4 ,he then changed his body into a variety of attitudes1 all which the figure exactly imitated1 but at length suddenly vanished without any apparent cause1 and again as suddenly appeared4 ,he called the landlord of the inn1 who had accompanied him1 to stand beside him1 and in a little time two correspondent figures1 of dilated size1 appeared on the opposite mountain4 ,they saluted them in various ways by different movements of their bodies1 all which the giants returned with perfect politeness1 and then vanished4 ,a traveller now joined ,mr4 ,hawe and the innkeeper1 and they kept steadily looking for their aerial friends1 when they suddenly appeared again three in number1 who all performed exactly the same movements as their correspondent spectators4 ,having continued thus for some time1 appearing and disappearing alternately1 sometimes faintly1 and sometimes more distinct1 they at length faded away not again to return4 ,they proved1 however1 that the preternatural spectre1 which had so long filled the country with awe and terror1 was no unreal being1 still less an existence whose appearance suspended the ordinary laws of ,god and ,nature2 that1 on the contrary1 it was the simple production of a common cause1 exhibited in an unusual manner1 but as regular an effect1 and as easy to be accounted for1 as the reflection of a face in a looking glass4 ,this constitution of the atmosphere1 and its capability of dilating objects1 and altering their position by reflection and refraction1 will easily account for many phenomena which have been considered miraculous and preternatural in early ages1 by the ignorant2 and in our own1 by the weak and superstitious4 ,such was probably the origin of the crosses seen by ,constantine and ,constantius in the first ages of ,christianity1 and such was that of the cross which appeared in the sky in ,france1 to which so many bore attestation4 ,a large cross of wood1 painted red1 had been erected beside the church1 as a part of the ceremony they were performing4 ,in the winter1 when the air is most frequently condensed by cold1 and its different strata of various degrees of tenacity1 on a clear evening after rain1 when particles of humidity1 still floating in the air gives it greater power of reflection and refraction1 when the sun was setting1 and his horizontal beams found most favourable to produce meteoric phenomena1 the spectrum of this wooden cross was cast on the concave surface of some atmospheric mirror1 and so reflected back to the eyes of the spectators from an opposite place1 retaining exactly the same shape and proportions1 but dilated in size1 and changed in position2 and it was moreover tinged with red1 the very colour of the object of which it was the reflected image4 ,this delusive appearance continued till the sun was so far sunk below the horizon1 as to afford no more light to illumine the object1 and the image ceased when the rays were no longer distinctly reflected4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,elucidation ,,of ,,some ,,ancient ,,prodigies4 ,many of the prodigies recorded by the ancients1 admit of a natural explanation2 and an attentive examination will show that a small number of causes1 which may be discerned and developed1 will serve for the explanation of nearly the whole of them4 ,there are two reasons for our believing accounts of prodigies3-- #a4 ,the number and agreement of these accounts1 and the confidence to which the observers and witnesses are entitled4 #b4 ,the possibility of dissipating what is wonderful1 by ascertaining any one of the principal causes which might have given to a natural fact a tinge of the marvellous4 ,now1 as regards the first reason1 the ancients have recorded various occurrences3 for instance1 a shower of quicksilver at ,rome is mentioned by ,dion ,cassius1 in the year #aig of our era1 and a similar event is related under the reign of ,aurelian4 ,if we attend to phenomena taking place in our time1 such as a shower of blood1 tremendous hail stones weighing a pound each1 and containing a stone within them2 showers of frogs1 and other almost unaccountable occurrences1 we must consign them to1 the annals in which science has inserted the facts1 she has recognized as such1 without as yet pretending to explain them4 ,respecting the second reason1 the deceptive appearance which nature sometimes assumes1 the exaggeration1 almost unavoidable1 by partially informed observers1 of the details of a phenomenon1 or its duration2 improper1 ill-understood1 or badly translated expressions1 figurative language1 and a practical style2 erroneous explanations of emblematical representations2 apologues and allegories adopted as real facts4 ,such are the causes1 which1 singly or together1 have frequently swollen with prodigious fictions the page of history2 and it is by carefully removing this envelope1 that elucidations must be sought of what has hitherto been improperly and disdainfully rejected4 ,a few examples will illustrate these several positions4 ,the river ,adonis being impregnated1 during certain seasons1 with volumes of dust raised from the red soil of that part of ,mount ,libanus near which it flows1 gave rise to the fable of the periodical effusion of the blood of ,adonis4 ,there is a rock near the ,island of ,corfu1 which bears the resemblance of a ship under sail3 the ancients adapted the story to the phenomenon1 and recognised in it the ,phenician ship1 in which ,ulysses returned to his country1 converted into stone by ,neptune1 for having carried away the slayer of his son ,polyphemus4 ,a more extensive acquaintance with the ocean1 has shown that this appearance is not unique2 a similar one on the coast of ,patagonia1 has more than once deceived both ,french and ,english navigators2 and rock ,dunder1 in the ,west ,indies1 bears a resemblance1 at a distance equally illusive4 ,there is another recorded by ,captain ,hardy1 in his recent travels in ,mexico1 near the shore of ,california2 and the story of the flying ,dutchman1 is founded on a similar appearance at the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 connected with a tradition which has been long current there among the ,dutch colonists4 ,another instance is afforded by the chimaera1 the solution of which enigma1 as given by ,ovid1 is so fully substantiated by the very intelligent ,british officer who surveyed the ,caramania a few years since4 ,scylla the sea monster1 which devoured six of the rowers of ,ulysses1 ,m4 ,salverte1 a recent compiler on the marvellous1 is tempted to regard as an overgrown polypus magnified by the optical power of poetry1 though we are disposed to give the credit to an alligator1 or its mate1 a crocodile2 and this occurrence is not so fictitiously represented1 as it is supposed to be4 ,,magical ,,pretensions ,,of ,,certain ,,herbs1 ,,etc4 ,in the enumeration of plants possessing magical properties1 ,pliny mentions those which1 according to ,pythagoras1 have the property of concealing water4 ,elsewhere1 without having resource to magic1 he assigns to hemp an analogous quality4 ,according to him1 the juice of this plant poured into water becomes suddenly inspissated and congealed4 ,it is probable enough1 that he indicated a species of mallow1 the hemp-leaved marsh-mallow1 of which the mucilaginous juice produces this effect to a certain point1 and an effect which may also be obtained from every vegetable as rich in mucilage4 ,of vegetable productions1 many produce intoxicating effects1 such as berries of the night-shade1#acb scammony1 and various species of fungi4 ,these unquestionably have been made subservient to demonological purposes1 which1 with the ignorant1 have passed off for supernatural agency4 ,the priests1 to whom the little comparative learning of the dark ages attached1 knew well how to impose upon the credulous3 but imposition was not always their object2 an extent of benevolence prevailed which contemplated the relief of their fellow creatures afflicted with sickness4 ,it was maintained by the ,egyptians that1 besides the gods1 there were many demons which communicated with mortals1 and which were often rendered visible by certain ceremonies and songs2 that genii exercised an habitual and powerful influence over every particle of matter2 that thirty-six of these beings presided over the various members of the human body2 and thus1 by magical incantations1 it might be strengthened1 or debilitated1 afflicted with1 or delivered from disease4 ,thus1 in every case of sickness1 the spirit presiding over the afflicted part1 was first duly invoked4 ,but the magicians did not trust solely to their vain invocations2 they were well acquainted with the virtues of certain herbs1 which they wisely employed in their attempts at healing4 ,these herbs were greatly esteemed3 such1 for instance1 as the cynocephalia1 or1 as the ,egyptians themselves termed the asyrites1#acc which was used as a preventive against witchcraft2 and the nepenthes which ,helen presented in a potion to ,menelaus1 and which was believed to be powerful in banishing sadness1 and in restoring the mind to its accustomed1 or even to greater1 cheerfulness1 were of ,egyptian growth4 ,but whatever may be the virtues of such herbs1 they were used rather for their magical1 than for their medicinal qualities2 every cure was cunningly ascribed to the presiding demons1 with which not a few boasted that they were1 by means of their art1 intimately connected4 ,there can be no question1 as attested by the earliest records1 that the ancients were in possession of many potent remedies4 ,melampus of ,argos1 the most ancient ,greek physician with whom we are acquainted1 is reputed to have cured one of the ,argonauts of barrenness1 by exhibiting the rust of iron dissolved in wine1 for the space of ten days4 ,the same physician used hellebore as a purgative on the daughters of ,king ,proteus1 who were labouring under hypochondriasis or melancholy4 ,bleeding was also a remedy of very early origin1 and said to have been first suggested by the hypopotamus or sea horse1 which at a certain time of the year was observed to cast itself on the sea shore1 and to wound itself among the rocks or stones1 to relieve its plethora4 ,podalerius1 on his return from the ,trojan war1 cured the daughter of ,damaethus1 who had fallen from a height1 by bleeding her in both arms4 ,opium1 the concrete juice of the poppy1 was known in the earliest ages2 and probably it was opium that ,helen mixed with wine1 and gave to the guests of ,menelaus1 under the expressive name of ,nepenthe1 to drown their cares1 and encrease their hilarity4 ,this conjecture1 in a considerable degree1 is supported from the fact1 that ,homer's ,nepenthe was procured from the ,egyptian ,thebes1 whence the tincture of opium1 according to the nomenclature of the pharmacopeia about fifty years ago1 and still known by this name in the older writers2 and1 if ,dr4 ,darwin may be credited1 the ,cumaean ,sybil never sat on the portending tripod without first swallowing a few drops of juice of the cherry-laurel4 ,there is every reason to believe that the ,pagan priesthood were under the influence of some narcotic preparation during the display of their oracular power1 but the effects produced would seem rather to resemble those of opium1 or perhaps of stramonium1 than of prussic acid1 which the cherry-laurel water is known to contain4 ,the priests of the ,american ,indians1 says ,monardur1 whenever they were consulted by the chief gentlemen1 or caciques1 as they are called1 took certain leaves of the tobacco1 and cast them into the fire1 and then received the smoke thus produced by them into their mouths1 which caused them to fall upon the ground4 ,after having remained in this position for some time in a state of stupor1 they recovered1 and delivered the answers1 which they pretended to have received during the supposed intercourse with the world of spirits4 ,the narcotic1 or sedative influence of the garden radish1 was known in the earliest times4 ,in the fables of antiquity we read1 that1 after the death of ,adonis1 ,venus1 to console herself1 and repress her desires1 lay down upon a bed of lettuces4 ,the sea onion1 or squill1 was administered by the ,egyptians1 in cases of dropsy1 under the mystic title of the eye of ,typhon4 ,the practices of incision and scarification1 were employed in the ,greek camp at the siege of ,troy2 and the application of spirits to wounds1 was likewise understood2 for we find ,nestor applying a poultice compounded of cheese1 onion1 and meal1 mixed up with the wine of ,pramnos1 to the wounds of ,machaon4 ,to bring some inactive substance into repute1 as promising some extraordinary1 nay1 wonderful medicinal properties1 requires only the sanction of a few great names2 and when once established on such a basis1 ingenuity1 argument1 and even experiment1 may open their otherwise powerful batteries in vain4 ,in this manner all the quack medicines1 ever held in any estimation1 got into repute4 ,and the same vulgar prejudice1 which induces people to retain an accustomed remedy upon bare assertion and presumption1 either of ignorance or partiality1 will1 in like manner1 oppose the introduction of any innovation in practice with asperity1 and not unfrequently with a quantum sufficit of scrutiny and abuse1 unless1 indeed1 it be supported by authorities of still greater weight and consideration4 ,the history of many articles of diet1 as well as medicine1 amply prove how much their reputation and fate have depended upon some authority or other4 ,ipecacuanha had been imported into ,england for many years1 before ,helvetius1 under the patronage of ,louis ,,xiv1 succeeded in introducing it into practice in ,france2 and1 to the ,queen of ,charles ,,ii41 we are indebted for the introduction of that popular beverage1 tea1 into ,england4 ,tobacco has suffered as many variable vicissitudes in its fame and character4 ,it has been successively opposed and commended by physicians1 condemned and praised by priests and kings1 and proscribed and protected by governments1 until1 at length1 this once insignificant production of a little island1 has succeeded in propagating itself through every climate and country4 ,nor is the history of the potatoe less remarkable or less strikingly illustrative of the imperious influence of authority4 ,this valuable plant1 for upwards of two centuries1 received an unprecedented opposition from vulgar prejudice1 which all the philosophy of the age was unable to dissipate1 until ,louis ,,xiv4 wore a bunch of the flowers of the potatoe1 in the midst of his court1 on a day of mirth and festivity4 ,the people then1 for the first time1 obsequiously acknowledged its utility1 and began to express their astonishment at the apathy which had so long prevailed with regard to its general cultivation4 ,another instance may be furnished of overbearing authority1 in giving celebrity to a medicine1 or in depriving it of that reputation to which its virtues entitle it1 is seen in the history of the ,peruvian bark4 ,this famed medicine was imported into ,spain by the ,jesuits1 where it remained seven years1 before a trial was given to it4 ,a ,spanish priest was the first to whom it was administered1 in the year #afci1 and even then its use was extremely limited2 and it would undoubtedly have sunk into oblivion1 but for the supreme power of the church of ,rome1 under whose protecting auspices it gained a temporary triumph over the passions and prejudices which opposed its introduction4 ,pope ,innocent ,x4 at the intercession of the ,cardinal de ,lugo1 who was formerly a ,spanish ,jesuit1 ordered the bark to be duly examined1 and on the favourable report1 which was the result of this examination1 it immediately rose into high favour and celebrity4 ,the root of the male fern1 a nostrum for the cure of the tape worm1 was secretly retailed by ,madame ,noufleur4 ,this secret was purchased by ,louis ,,xv4 for a considerable sum of money4 ,it was not until this event that the physicans discovered1 that the same remedy had been administered in the same complaint by ,galen4 ,the history of popular remedies in the cure of gout1 is equally illustrative of this subject4 ,the ,duke of ,portland's celebrated powder was nothing less than the deacintaureon of ,caelius ,aurelianus1 or the antidotus et duobus centaurae generibus of ,aetius1 the receipt for which1 a friend of his grace brought with him from ,switzerland1 into which country1 in all likelihood1 it had been introduced by the early medical writers1 who had transcribed it from the ,greek volumes1 soon after their arrival into the western part of ,europe4#acd ,the active ingredient of a no less celebrated preparation for the same complaint1 the ,eau mdicinale de ,husson1 a medicine brought into fashion by ,m4 de ,husson1 a military officer in the service of ,louis ,,xvi has been discovered to be the meadow saffron4 ,upon searching after and trying the properties of this herb1 it was observed that similar effects in the cure of the gout were ascribed to a certain plant1 called hermodaclyllus1 by ,oribasius 7an eminent physician of the #dth century7 and ,aetius1 who flourished at ,alexandria towards the end of the #eth century1 but more particularly by ,alexander of ,tralles1 a physician of ,asia ,minor1 whose prescription consisted of hermodaclyllus1 ginger1 pepper1 cummin seed1 aniseed1 and scammony1 which he says will enable those who take it to walk immediately4 ,on an inquiry being immediately set on foot for the discovery of this unknown plant1 a specimen of it was procured at ,constantinople1 and it actually did turn out to be a species of meadow saffron1 the colchicum autumnale of ,linnaeus4 ,the celebrated fever powder of ,dr4 ,james was evidently not his original composition1 but an ,italian nostrum1 invented by a person of the name of ,lisle2 a receipt for the preparation of which is to be found at length in ,colborne's complete ,english ,dispensary for the year #agef4 ,the various secret preparations of opium which have been extolled as the discovery of modern days1 may be recognised in the works of ancient authors4 ,the use of prussic acid in the cure of consumptions1 lately suggested by ,m4 ,magendie1 at ,paris1 is little more than the revival of the ,dutch practice in this disorder2 for ,linnaeus informs us1 that distilled laurel water was frequently used in the cure of pulmonary consumption4#ace ,we shall conclude these observations with a few remarks on what are termed patent medicines1 nostrums1 or quack medicines1 and their boasted pretensions in general4 ,there is1 in fact1 but one state of perfect health1 yet the deviations from this state1 and the general species of diseases are almost infinite4 ,hence it will easily be understood1 that in the classes of medical remedies1 there must likewise he a great variety1 and that some of them are even of opposite tendencies4 ,such are both the warm and cold bath considered as medical remedies4 ,though opposite to each other in their sensible effects1 each of them manifests its medical virtues1 yet only in such a state of the body as will admit of using it with advantage4 ,from these premises1 it is evident that an universal remedy1 or one that possesses healing powers for the cure of all diseases1 is1 in fact1 a non-entity1 a mere delusion1 the existence of which is physically impossible1 as the mere idea of such a thing involves a contradiction4 ,how1 for instance1 can it he conceived1 that the same remedy should be capable of restoring the tone of the muscular fibres1 when they are relaxed1 and also have the power of relaxing them when they are too rigid2 that it should coagulate the fluids when in a state of resolution1 and again attenuate them when they are too viscid2 that it should moderate the nerves when in a state of preturnatural sensibility1 and likewise restore them to their proper degree of irritability when they are in a contrary state4 ,the belief in an universal remedy has long been abandoned1 even among the vulgar1 and long exploded in those classes of society1 which are not influenced by prejudice1 or tinctured with fanaticism4 ,it is1 however1 sincerely to be regretted1 that the daily press continues to be inundated with advertisements2 and that the lower1 and less informed class of the community1 are still imposed upon by a set of privileged impostors1 who frequently puzzle the intelligent to decide1 whether the impudence or the industry with which they endeavour to establish the reputation of their respective poisons1 be the most prominent feature in their character4 ,in illustration of this last observation1 it may further be observed1 that most of the nostrums advertised as cough drops1 etc41 are preparations of opium1 similar1 but inferior1 to the well-known paregoric elixir of the shops1 but disguised and rendered more deleterious by the addition of heating and aromatic gums4 ,the injury which may be occasioned by the indiscriminate employment of such medicines might be very serious and irremediable1 as is well known to every person possessing the smallest portion of medical knowledge4 ,the boasted1 though groundless pretensions of certain illiterate empirics to cure diseases which have eluded the skill and penetration of the faculty1 is another absurdity into which people of good common sense have been most woefully entrapped4 ,the lessons of experience ought to prove the most useful1 as purchased at the greatest trouble and expense2 but if people choose to run over a precipice with their eyes open1 they leave themselves nothing to regret1 and the public less to lament1 by their fall4 ,it was justly observed by the sagacious and intelligent ,bacon1 that a reflecting physician is not directed by the opinion which the multitude entertain of a favourite remedy1 but that be must be guided by a sound judgment2 and consequently1 he is led to make very important distinctions between those things which only by their name pass for medical remedies1 and others1 which in reality possess healing powers4 ,we avail ourselves of the quotation1 as it indirectly censures the conduct of certain medical practitioners1 who do not scruple to recommend what are vulgarly called patent and other quack preparations1 the composition of which is carefully concealed from the public4 ,having acquired their unmerited reputation by mere chance1 and being supported by the most refined artifices1 in order to delude the unwary1 we are unable to come at the evidence of perhaps nine tenths of those who have experienced their fatal effects1 and who are now no longer in a situation to complain4 ,from universal remedies or panaceas1 to nostrums and specifics1 such1 for instance1 as pretend to cure the same disease in every patient1 is easy and natural4 ,with the latter also1 impositions of a dangerous tendency are often practised4 ,it may be asked how far they are practicably admissible1 and in what cases they are wholly unavailing8 ,the answer is not difficult4 ,in those diseases1 which in every instance depend upon the same cause1 as in agues1 the small-pox1 measles1 and many other contagious distempers1 the possibility of specifics1 in a limited sense1 may be rationally1 though hypothetically admitted4 ,but in either maladies1 the causes of which depend on a variety of other concurrent circumstances1 and the cure of which in different individuals1 frequently requires very opposite remedies1 as in dropsy1 various species of colds1 the almost infinite variety of consumptions1 etc4 a specific remedy is an imposition upon the common sense of mankind4 ,those who are but imperfectly acquainted with the various causes from which the same disorder originates in different individuals1 can never entertain such a vulgar and dangerous notion4 ,they will easily perceive1 how much depends upon ascertaining with precision1 the seat and cause of the complaint1 before any medicine can be presented with safety or advantage3--even life and death are1 we are sorry to add1 too often decided by the first steps4 ,different constitutions1 different symptoms1 and stages of disease1 all require more or less a separate consideration4 ,what is more natural than to place confidence in a remedy1 which has been known to afford relief to others in the same kind of disposition8 ,the patient anxiously enquires after a person who has been afflicted with the same malady2 he is eager to know the remedy that has been used with success2 his friend or neighbour imparts to him the wished for intelligence2 he is determined to give the medicine a fair trial1 and takes it with confidence4 ,from what has been stated1 it will not be difficult to conceive1 that if his case does not exactly correspond with that of his friend1 any chance remedy may prove extremely dangerous1 if not fatal4 ,hence it becomes evident1 that the results are not to be depended upon1 nor the chance risked4 ,the physician is obliged to employ all his sagacity1 supported by his own experience1 as well as by that of his predecessors2 and yet he is often under the necessity of discovering1 from the progress of the disease1 what he could not derive from the minutest research4 ,how then can it be expected1 that a novice in the art of healing should be more successful1 when the whole of his method of cure is either the impulse of the moment1 or the effect of his own credulity8 ,it may be therefore truly said1 that life and death are frequently entrusted to chance6 ,the late ,dr4 ,huxham1 a physician of some eminence in his day1 when speaking of ,asclepiades1 the ,roman empiric1 says3 ,this man from a declaimer turned physician1 and set himself up to oppose all the physicians of his time2 and the novelty of the thing bore him out1 as it frequently doth the quacks of the present time2 and ever will while the majority of the world are fools4 ,in another place1 he curiously contrasts the too timid practice of some regular physicians1 with the hazardous treatment1 which is the leading feature of quacks3 ,the timid1 low1 insipid practice with some1 is almost as dangerous as the bold1 unwarranted empiricism of others2 time and opportunity1 never to be regained1 are often lost by the former2 while with the latter1 by a bold push1 you are sent off the stage in a moment4 ,from what has been said1 it may confidently be asserted1 that a universal remedy still remains as great a desideratum as the philosopher's stone2 and either can only obtain credit with the weak-minded1 the credulous1 or the fanatic4 ,one of the most unfortunate circumstances in the history of such medicines1 is the insinuating and dangerous method1 by which they are puffed into notice4 ,and as we have little of the beneficial effects which they daily must produce1 by being promiscuously applied1 people attend only to the extraordinary instances1 perhaps not one in fifty1 where they have afforded a temporary or apparent relief4 ,it is well known1 that the more powerful a remedy is1 the more permanent and dangerous must be its effects on the constitution2 especially if it be introduced like many patent medicines1 by an almost indefinite encrease of the dose4 ,there is another consideration1 not apt to strike those who are unacquainted with the laws of the animal economy4 ,when it is intended to bring about any remarkable change in the system of an organized body1 such means are obliged to be employed as may contribute to produce that change without affecting too violently the living powers1 or without carrying their action to an improper length4 ,indeed1 the patient may be gradually habituated to almost any stimulus1 but at the expence of a paralytic stroke on an impaired constitution4 ,such are among the melancholy effects of imposture and credulity6 ,were it possible1 says a learned authority1 to collect all the cases of sacrifices to the mysterious infatuation1 it is probable that their number would exceed the enormous havoc made by gunpowder or the sword4 ,another reputable writer makes the following terse remark on this subject3 ,as matters stand at present1 says he1 it is easier to cheat a man out of his life1 than of a shilling3 and almost impossible either to detect or punish the offender4 ,notwithstanding this1 people still shut their eyes1 and take every thing upon trust1 that is administered by any pretender to medicine1 without daring to ask him a reason for any part of his conduct4 ,implicit faith1 every where else the object of ridicule1 is still sacred here4 ,,footnotes3 #acb ,the berries of the belladonna or deadly nightshade1 produce1 when eaten1 a furious madness1 followed by sleep1 which lasts for twenty-four hours4 ,such drugs as produce mental stupefaction1 without impairing the physical powers1 may have given rise to the accounts of men being transformed into brutes1 so frequent in what are denominated the fabulous writers1 while the evanescent but exquisite joys of an opposite description1 an anticipation of what implicit obedience would ensure them for ever1 produced blind1 furious1 devoted adherents to any philosophical speculator1 who would venture to try so desperate an experiment4 #acc ,the ,rowan tree or ,mountain ash1 is used by the ,scottish peasantry with the same view2 and a small twig of it is sewed up in the cow's tail1 to preserve the animal and its produce from the influence of witches and warlocks4 #acd ,see ,pharmacologia1 by ,dr4 ,paris4 #ace ,vide ,amenetates ,academicae1 vol4 #d4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,practice ,,of ,,obeah1 ,,or ,,negro ,,witchcraft--,,charms--,,their ,,knowledge ,,op ,,vegetable ,,poisons--,,secret ,,poisoning4 ,obeah1 a pretended sort of witchcraft1 arising from a superstitious credulity1 prevailing among the negroes1 has ever been considered as a most dangerous practice1 to suppress which1 in our ,west ,india colonies1 the severest laws have been enacted4 ,the ,obeah is considered as a potent and most irresistible spell1 withering and paralyzing1 by indiscribable terrors and unusual sensations1 the devoted victim4 ,one negro who desires to be revenged on another1 and is afraid to make an open and manly attack on his adversary1 has usually recourse to this practice4 ,like the witches' cauldron in ,macbeth1 it is a combination of many strange and ominous things4 ,earth gathered from a grave1 human blood1 a piece of wood fastened in the shape of a coffin1 the feathers of the carion crow1 a snake or alligator's tooth1 pieces of egg-shell1 and other nameless ingredients1 compose the fatal mixture4 ,the whole of these articles may not be considered as absolutely necessary to complete the charm1 but two or three are at least indispensable4#acf ,it will of course be conceived1 that the practice of ,,obeah can have little effect1 unless a negro is conscious that it is practised upon him1 or thinks so2#acg for1 as the whole evil consists in the terrors of a superstitious imagination1 it is of little consequence whether it be practised or not1 if he only imagines that it is4 ,but if the charm fails to take hold of the mind of the proscribed person1 another and more certain expedient is resorted to--the secretly administering of poison to him4 ,this saves the reputation of the sorcerer1 and effects the purpose he had in view4 ,an ,,obeah man or woman 7for it is practised by both sexes7 is a very dangerous person on a plantation2 and the practice of it is made felony by law1 punishable with death where poison has been administered1 and with transportation where only the charm has been used4 ,but numbers have1 and may be swept off1 by its infatuation1 before the crime is detected2 for1 strange as it may appear1 so much do the negroes stand in awe of those ,obeah professors1 so much do they dread their malice and their power1 that1 though knowing the havoc they have made1 and are still making1 they are afraid to discover them to the whites2 and1 others perhaps1 are in league with them for sinister purposes of mischief and revenge4 ,a negro1 under the infatuation of ,obeah1 can only be cured of his terrors by being made a ,christian3 refuse him this boon1 and he sinks a martyr to imagined evils4 ,a negro1 in short1 considers himself as no longer under the influence of this sorcery when he becomes a christian4 ,and instances are known of negroes1 who1 being reduced by the fatal influence of ,obeah to the lowest state of dejection and debility1 from which there were little hopes of recovery1 have been surprisingly and rapidly restored to health and cheerfulness by being baptized christians4 ,the negroes believe also in apparitions1 and stand in great dread of them1 conceiving that they forbode death1 or some other great evil1 to those whom they visit2 in short1 that the spirits of the dead come upon the earth to be revenged on those who did them evil when in life4 ,thus we see1 that not only from the remotest antiquity1 but even among slaves and barbarians1 the belief in supernatural agencies has been a popular creed1 not1 in fact1 confined to any distant race or tribe of people2 and1 what is still more surprising1 there is a singular and most remarkable identity in the notion or conception of their infernal ministry4 ,in the ,british ,west ,indies1 the negroes of the windward coast are called ,mandingoes1 a name which is here taken as descriptive of a peculiar race or nation4 ,there seems reason1 however1 to believe1 that a ,mandingo or ,mandinga-man1 is properly the same with an ,obi-man4 ,a late traveller in ,brazil gives us the following anecdotes of the ,mandinga and ,mandingueiro of the negroes in that country4 ,one day1 says ,mr4 ,koster1 the old man 7a negro named ,apollinario7 came to me with a face of dismay1 to show me a ball of leaves1 tied up with a plant called cypo1 which he had found under a couple of boards1 upon which he slept1 in an out-house4 ,the ball was about the size of an apple4 ,i could not imagine what had caused his alarm1 until he said that it was ,mandinga which had been set for the purpose of killing him2 and he bitterly bewailed his fate1 that at his age1 any one should wish to hasten his death1 and to carry him from this world1 before our lady thought fit to send him4 ,i knew that two of the black women were at variance1 and suspicion fell upon one of them1 who was acquainted with the old ,mandingueiro of ,engenho ,velho2 therefore she was sent for4 ,i judged that the ,mandinga was not set for ,apollonario1 but for the negress whose business it was to sweep the out-house4 ,i threatened to confine the suspected woman at ,gara unless she discovered the whole affair4 ,she said the ,mandinga was placed there to make one of the negresses dislike her fellow-slaves1 and prefer her to the other4 ,the ball of ,mandinga was formed of five or six kinds of leaves of trees1 among which was the pomegranate leaf2 there were likewise two or three bits of rag1 each of a peculiar kind2 ashes1 which were the bones of some animals2 and there might be other ingredients besides1 but these were what ,i could recognize4 ,this woman either could not from ignorance1 or would not give any information respecting the several things of which the ball was composed4 ,i made this serious matter of the ,mandinga1 from knowing the faith which not only many of the negroes have in it1 but also some of the mulatto people4 ,there is another name for this kind of charm2 it is called feitio1 and the initiated are called feitieros2 of these there was formerly one at the plantation of ,st4 ,joam1 who became so much dreaded1 that his master sold him to be sent to ,maranham4 ,speaking of the green-beads 7contas verdas7 which are another object of superstition in ,south ,america1 and of the reliance placed upon them by the ,valentoens1 a lawless description of persons among the colonists of ,brazil2 the same author gives us this further view of the ,mandingueiros and their charms4 ,these men1 says he1 wore on their necks strings of green beads1 which had either come from the coast of ,africa1 bearing the wonderful property of conveying in safety their possessors through all descriptions of perils1 or were charmed by the ,mandingueiros1 ,african sorcerers1 who had been brought over to the ,brazils as slaves1 and in secret continued the prohibited practice of imparting this virtue to them4 ,vincente had been acquainted with some of the men1 and was firmly persuaded of the virtues of the green beads4 ,when ,i expressed my doubts of the efficacy of the beads1 against a musket ball well directed1 his anger rose2 but there was pity mingled with it4 ,labat brings these stones from the ,orellana1 or river of the ,amazons4 ,i was informed1 says our author1 that ,contas verdas came from ,africa2 but some have found their way from the ,orellana1 and been put into requisition by the ,mandingueiros4 ,mr4 ,southey has also given an account of the green stones of the ,amazons1 in his history of ,brazil1 vol4 #a4 p4 #ajg4 ,in another place1 some traveller presents us with the ,mandingueiros in the new character of charmer of snakes4 ,the ,mandingueiros are famous1 among other feats1 for handling poisonous snakes1 and can1 by particular noises or tunes1 call those reptiles from their holes1 and make them assemble around them4 ,these sorcerers profess to render innoxious the bites of snakes1 to persons who submit to their charms and ceremonies4 ,one of the modes which is adopted for this purpose1 is that of allowing a tame snake to crawl over the head1 face1 and shoulders of the person who is to be curado do cobras1 cured of snakes1 as they term it4 ,the owner of the snake repeats a certain number of words during the operation1 of which1 the meaning1 if they contain any1 is only known to the initiated4 ,the rattle-snake is said to be1 above all other species1 the most susceptible of attention to the tunes of the ,mandingueiros4 ,the above accounts ,i should not have related upon the authority of one or two authors1 ,i have heard them repeated by several individuals1 and even some men of education have spoken of the reputed efficacy of the tame snakes of the ,mandingueiros1 as if they were somewhat staggered in their belief of it4 ,these men do certainly play strange tricks and very dexterously4 ,the same writer also observes1 ,one of the negroes whom ,i had hired with the plantation of ,jaguaribi1 had one leg much thicker than the other4 ,this was occasioned1 as he told me1 by the bite of a rattlesnake2 he said he had been cured from the bites of snakes by a certain curador de cobra1 or ,mandingueiro1 and had therefore not died2 but that as the 'moon was strong1' he had not escaped receiving some injury from the bite4 ,beaver1 in his ,african ,memoranda1 says1 ,there is another sort of people who travel about in the country1 called ,mandingo-men1 7these are ,mahommedans27 they do not work2 they go from place to place1 and when they find any chiefs or people1 whom they think they can make anything of1 they take up their abode sometime with them1 and make gree-grees1 and sometimes cast seed from them for which they make them pay4 ,on this1 and other occasion1 the word gree-gree is applied to a house whence oracles are delivered3 but it is also used for a charm or obi4 ,they themselves1 7the natives of the coast7 says the author1 last quoted1 always wear gree-grees1 or charms1 which they purchase of the ,mandingoes1 to guard them against the effects of certain arms1 or of poison1 and on which they place the utmost reliance4 ,they have one against poison2 another against a musket2 another against a sword2 and another against a knife2 and1 indeed1 against almost every thing that they think can hurt them4 ,mandingo priest1 or gris gris merchant1 that is1 a seller of charms1 which carried about a person1 secure the wearer from any evils1--such as poison1 murder1 witchcraft1 etc4 ,to this priest ,i had made some handsome presents1 and he1 in return1 gave me twelve gris gris1 and assured me that they would inevitably secure me from all danger1 at the same time he gave me directions how to dispose of them4 ,some were to be carried about my person2 one secretly placed over each archway2 another kept under my pillow1 and another under the door of the house ,i was then building4 ,the ,byugas hold these people in great reverence1 and say that they 'talk with ,god4' ,mr4 ,long1 in his history of the ,west ,indies1 states that1 under the general name of ,obi-men is also included the class of ,myal men1 or those who1 by means of a narcotic poison1 made with the juice of an herb 7said to be the branched ,calalue1 a species of solanum7 which occasions a trance of a certain duration1 endeavour to convince the deluded spectators of their power to reanimate dead bodies4 ,additional particulars of this superstition preserved by ,labat1 ,edwards1 and others1 are to be joined with those now produced2#ach but after all1 the questions to be solved are1 whether ,obi1 ,mandinga1 and gree gree1 are usually words of similar import1 and whether those who are conversant in them are all alike1 priests of one system of religious faith and worship1 or whether the one does not belong to the worship of a good power1 and the other to that of an evil one4 ,it is remarkable1 that while the ,etymology of ,obi has been sought in the names of ancient deities of ,egypt1 and in that of the serpent in the language of the coast1 the actual name of the evil deity or ,devil1 in the same language1 appears to have escaped attention4 ,that name is written by ,mr4 ,edwards1 ,obboney2 and the bearer of it is described as a malicious deity1 the author of all evil1 the inflictor of perpetual diseases1 and whose anger is to be appeased only by human sacrifices4 ,this evil deity is the ,satan of our own faith2 and it is the worship of ,satan which1 in all parts of the world constitutes the essence of sorcery4 ,if this name of ,obboney has any relation to the ,ob of ,egypt1 and if the ,ob1 both anciently in ,egypt1 and to this day in the west of ,africa1 signifies a serpent1 what does this discover to our view1 but that ,satan has the name of serpent among the ,negro nations as well as among those of ,europe8 ,as to how it has happened that the serpent1 which1 in some systems1 is the emblem of the good spirit1 is in others the emblem of the evil one1 that is a topic which belongs to a more extensive enquiry4 ,this is enough for our present satisfaction to remember that the profession of1 and belief in sorcery or witchcraft1 supposes the existence of two deities1 the one1 the author of good1 and the other the author of evil2 the one worshipped by good men for good things1 and for good purposes3 and the other by bad men for bad things and purposes2 and that this worship is sorcery and the worshippers sorcerers4 ,it will be seen above1 that since ,african charms are to prevent evil1 and others to procure it1 the first belong to the worship1 and are derived from the power1 of the good spirit2 and the second are from the opposite source4 ,it is to be concluded1 then1 that the superstition of ,obi is no other than the practice of1 and belief in the worship of ,obboney or ,oboni1 the evil deity of the ,africans1 the serpent of ,africa and of ,europe1 and the old serpent and ,satan of the scriptures2 and that the witchcraft of the negroes is evidently the same with our own4 ,it might indeed be further shown1 that the latter have their temporary transformations of men into alligators1 wolves1 and the like1 as the ,french have their loups-garoux1 the ,germans their war-wolves1 wolf-men1 and the rest4#aci ,the negroes practising obeah are acquainted with some very powerful vegetable poisons1 which they use on these occasions1 and by which they acquire much extensive credit4 ,their fetiches are their household gods1 or domestic divinities2 one of whom is supposed to preside over a whole province1 and one over every family4 ,this idol is a tree1 the head of an ape1 a bird1 or any such thing1 as their fancy may suggest4 ,the negroes have long been held famous in the act of secret or slow poisoning4 ,if doubts and difficulties envelope the discovery of poisons1 whose distinguishing character is the rapidity of these effects1 how much greater must be the uncertainty when we are required to ascertain the administrations of what are called slow poisons4 ,this subject1 indeed1 is so closely entwined with popular superstitions1 that it is difficult to separate truth from falsehood4 ,in ,italy1 for example1 it was formerly said1 that poisons were made to destroy life at any stated period--from a few hows to a year4 ,this1 however1 turns out to be a mere fiction2 and1 it is well understood1 that we know of no substances that will produce death at a determinate epoch4 ,the following case of the late ,prince ,charles of ,augustenburgh1 nevertheless1 shows that the idea of slow poison is still very prevalent1 even among the physicians of continental ,europe4 ,prince ,charles of ,augustenburgh1 ,crown ,prince of ,sweden1 and the predecessor of ,bernadotte1 in that station1 fell dead from his horse on the #bbnd of ,may1 #ahaj1 while reviewing troops in ,scania4 ,his death1 during that stormy period of public affairs1 excited great attention1 and an opinion soon spread abroad that he had been poisoned4 ,the king ordered a judicial investigation2 and it appeared that ,dr4 ,rossi1 the physician of the late ,prince1 had1 without directions1 proceeded to inspect the body twenty-four hours after death2 that he had performed this operation with great negligence1 omitting many things which the law presented1 which the assisting physicians proposed1 and which were essential to render it satisfactory2 and finally1 that the coats of the stomach1 instead of being preserved and submitted to chemical analysis were1 according to his own acknowledgment1 thrown away4 ,the royal tribunal adjudged him to be deprived of his appointment1 and to be banished from the kingdom4 ,this decision would not of course1 diminish the suspicion already excited2 and among other physicians1 who were consulted on the case1 ,m4 ,lodin1 professor of ,medicine at ,lynkoping1 presented two memoirs1 in which he stated it as his opinion1 that a slow poison of a vegetable nature1 and probably analogous to the aqua tofania1 had been administered to the ,prince1 and that this had caused the apopletic fit of which he died4 ,his reasons were3 #a4 ,that the ,prince had always enjoyed good health previous to his arrival in ,sweden1 and1 indeed1 had not been ill1 until after eating a cold pie at an inn1 in ,italy4 ,he was shortly after seized with violent vomiting1 while the rest of the company experienced no ill effects4 #b4 ,the ,prince was naturally very temperate4 #c4 ,ever since he arrived in ,sweden he had experienced a loss of appetite1 with cholic and diarrhoea2 and #d4 ,that on dissection1 the spleen was found of a black colour and in a state of decomposition1 and the liver indurated and dark coloured4 ,whilst during life he had experienced no symptoms corresponding to these appearances4 ,dr4 ,lodin confessed1 however1 that he was unacquainted with the effects that indicate the administration of a slow poison1 but thought the previous symptoms were such as might be expected from it4 ,for the credit of the profession1 this conjectural opinion met with decided reprobation from other medical men4 ,it appeared that the ,prince had1 for several days previously1 been subject to giddiness and pain in the head1 and that all the symptoms were readily referable to a simple case of apoplexy1 while the appearances on dissection showed that rapid tendency to putrefaction1 which is frequently observed in similar cases4 ,the public are highly indebted to professor ,beckman for a very elaborate article1 in which he has concentrated nearly all that is known concerning secret poisoning4 ,of this we shall here present our readers with an abstract1 as peculiarly adapted to the demonology of medicine1 aided with some facts from other sources4 ,professor ,beckman considers it unquestionable1 that the ancients were acquainted with this kind of poison1 and thinks that it may be proved from the testimony of ,plutarch1 ,quintilian1 and other respectable authors4 ,the former states that a slow poison1 which occasioned heat1 a cough1 spitting of blood1 a consumption1 and weakness of intellect1 was administered to ,aratus of ,sicyon4 ,theophrastus speaks of a poison prepared from aconite1 which could be moderated in such a manner as to have effect in two or three months1 or at the end of a year or two years2 and he also relates1 that ,thrasyas had discovered a method of preparing from other plants a poison which1 given in small doses1 occasioned a certain but easy death1 without any pain1 and which could be kept back for a long time without causing weakness or corruption4 ,the last poison was much used at ,rome1 about two hundred years before the christian era4 ,at a later period1 a female named ,locusta1 was the agent in preparing these poisons1 and she destroyed1 in this way1 at the instigation of ,nero1 ,britannicus1 son of ,agrippina4 ,the ,carthagenians seem also to have been acquainted with this act of diabolical poisoning2 and they are said1 on the authority of ,aulus ,gellius1 to have administered some to ,regulus1 the ,roman general4 ,contemporary writers1 however1 it must be added1 do not mention this4 ,the principal poisons known to the ancients were prepared from plants1 and particularly aconite1 hemlock1 and poppy1 or from animal substances2 and among the latter none is more remarkable than that obtained from the sea-hare 7,lepus marinus or ,apylsia depilans of the system of nature74 ,with this1 ,titus is said to have been dispatched by ,domitian4 ,they do not seem to have been acquainted with the common mineral poisons4 ,in the year #afei1 during the pontificate of ,alexander ,,vii1 it was observed at ,rome1 that many young women became widows1 and that many husbands died when they became disagreeable to their wives4 ,the government used great vigilance to detect the poisoners1 and suspicion at length fell upon a society of young wives1 whose president appeared to be an old woman1 who pretended to foretel future events1 and who had often predicted very exactly the death of many persons4 ,by means of a crafty female their practices were detected2 the whole society were arrested and put to the torture1 and the old woman1 whose name was ,spara1 and four others1 were publicly hanged4 ,this ,spara was a ,sicilian1 and is said to have acquired her knowledge from ,tofania at ,palermo4 ,tophania1 or ,tofania1 was an infamous woman1 who resided first at ,palermo and afterwards at ,naples4 ,she sold the poison which from her acquired the name of ,aqua della ,toffana 7it was also called ,acquetta di ,napoli1 or ,acquetta alone71 but she distributed her preparation by way of charity to such wives as wished to have other husbands4 ,from four to six drops were sufficient to destroy a man2 and it was asserted1 that the dose could be so proportioned as to operate in a certain time4 ,labat says1 that ,tofania distributed her poison in small glass phials1 with this inscription--,manna of ,st4 ,nicholas of ,bavi1 and ornamented with the image of the saint4 ,she lived to a great age1 but was at last dragged from a monastery1 in which she had taken refuge1 and put to the torture1 when she confessed her crimes and was strangled4 ,in no country1 however1 has the art of poisoning excited more attention than it did in ,france1 about the year #afgj4 ,margaret d',aubray1 wife of the ,marquis de ,brinvillier1 was the principal agent in this horrible business4 ,a needy adventurer1 named ,godin de ,st4 ,croix1 had formed an acquaintance with the ,marquis during their campaigns in the ,netherlands--became at ,paris a constant visitor at his house1 where in a short time he found means to insinuate himself into the good graces of the ,marchioness4 ,it was not long before this ,marquis died2 not1 however1 until their joint fortune was dissipated4 ,her conduct1 in openly carrying on this amour1 induced her father to have ,st4 ,croix arrested and sent to the ,bastile4 ,here he got acquainted with an ,italian1 of the name of ,exili1 from whom he learnt the art of preparing poisons4 ,after a year's imprisonment ,st4 ,croix was released1 when he flew to the ,marchioness and instructed her in the art1 in order that she might employ it in bettering the circumstances of both4 ,she assumed the appearance of a nun1 distributed food to the poor1 nursed the sick in the ,htel ,dieu1 and tried the strength of her poisons1 undetected1 on these hapless wretches4 ,she bribed one ,chausse1 ,st4 ,croix's servant1 to poison her own father1 after introducing him into his service1 and also her brother1 and endeavoured to poison her sister4 ,a suspicion arose that they had been poisoned1 and the bodies were opened1 but no detection followed at this time4 ,their villainous practices were brought to light in the following manner3--,st4 ,croix1 when preparing poison1 was accustomed to wear a glass mask2 but1 as this happened once to drop off by accident1 he was suffocated and found dead in his laboratory4 ,government caused the effects of this man1 who had no family1 to be examined1 and a list of them to be made out4 ,on searching them1 there was found a small box1 to which ,st4 ,croix had affixed a written paper containing a request1 that after his death it might be delivered to the ,marchioness de ,brinvillier1 who resides in the street ,neuve ,st4 ,paul1 as every thing it contains concerns her1 and belongs to her alone2 and as1 besides1 there is nothing in it that can be of use to any person except her2 and in case she shall be dead before me1 to burn it1 and every thing it contains2 without opening or altering any thing2 and in order that no one may plead ignorance1 ,i swear by ,god1 whom ,i adore1 and all that is most sacred1 that ,i advance nothing but what is true4 ,and if my intentions1 just and reasonable as they are1 be thwarted in this point1 ,i charge their consciences with it1 both in this world and the next1 in order that ,i may unload mine1 protesting that this is my last will4 ,done at ,paris1 this #beth ,may1 in the afternoon1 #afgb4 ,de ,sainte ,croix ,nothing could he a greater inducement to have it opened1 than this singular petition1 and that being done1 there was found in it a great abundance of poisons of every kind1 with labels1 on which their effects proved1 by experiments on animals1 were marked4 ,the principal poison1 however1 was corrosive sublimate4 ,when the ,marchioness heard of the death of her lover and instructor1 she was desirous to have the casket1 and endeavoured to get possession of it by bribing the officers of justice2 but as she failed in this1 she quitted the kingdom4 ,la ,chausse1 however1 continued at ,paris1 laid claim to the property of ,st4 ,croix1 was seized and imprisoned1 confessed more acts of villainy than was suspected1 and was in consequence broke alive upon the wheel1 in #afgc1--,the ,marchioness fled to ,england1 and from thence to ,liege1 where she took refuge in a convent4 ,desgrais1 an officer of justice1 was dispatched in pursuit of her1 and having assumed the dress of an ,abb1 contrived to entice her from this privileged place4 ,among her effects at the convent there was found a confession1 and a complete catalogue of all her crimes1 in her own hand-writing4 ,she was taken to ,paris1 convicted1 and on the #afth of ,july1 #afgf1 publicly beheaded1 and afterwards burnt4 ,the practice of poisoning was not1 however1 suppressed by this execution1 and it was asserted1 that confessions of a suspicious nature were constantly made to the priests4 ,a court for watching1 searching after1 and punishing prisoners was at length established in #afig1 under the title of chambre de poison1 or chambre ardente4 ,this was shortly used as a state engine1 against those who were obnoxious to the court1 and the names of individuals of the first rank1 both male and female1 were prejudiced4 ,two females1 la ,vigreux and la ,voison were burnt alive1 by order of this court1 in ,february1 #afhj4 ,but it was abolished in the same year4 ,professor ,beckman relates the following1 as communicated to him by ,linnaeus3 ,charles ,,xi1 ,king of ,sweden1 having ruined several noble families by seizing on their property1 and having1 after that1 made a journey to ,torneo1 he fell into a consumptive disorder1 which no medicine could cure4 ,one day he asked his physician in a very earnest manner what was the cause of his illness4 ,the physician replied1 ',your ,majesty has been loaded with too many maledictions4'--',yes1' returned the king1 ',i wish to ,god that the reduction of the nobilities' estates had not taken place1 and that ,i had never undertaken a journey to ,torneo4' ,after his death his intestines were found to be full of small ulcers4 ,there has been a great diversity of opinions as to the nature of these poisons4 ,that prepared by ,tofania appears to have been a clear insipid water1 and the sale of aqua fortis was for a long time forbidden in ,rome1 because it was considered the principal ingredient4 ,this1 however1 is not probable4 ,in ,paris1 the famous poudre de succession 7also a secret poison7 was at one time supposed to consist of diamond dust1 powdered exceedingly fine2 and at another time1 to contain sugar of lead as the principal ingredient4 ,haller was of this last opinion4 ,in the casket of ,st4 ,croix were found sublimate1 opium1 regulus of antimony1 vitriol1 and a large quantity of poison ready prepared1 the principal ingredients of which the physicians were not able to detect4 ,garelli1 physician to ,charles ,,vi1 ,king of the ,two ,sicilies1 at the time when ,tofania was arrested1 wrote to the celebrated ,hoffman1 that the ,aqua ,tofania was nothing else than crystallized arsenic1 dissolved in a large quantity of water by decoction1 with the addition1 7but for what purpose we know not7 of the herb ,cymbalaria1 7probably the ,antirrhinum ,cymbalaria74 ,and this information he observes1 was communicated to him by his imperial majesty himself1 to whom the judicial procedure1 confirmed by the confession of the criminal1 was transmitted4 ,but it was objected to this opinion1 that it differed from the ordinary effects of arsenic1 in never betraying itself by any particular action on the human body4 ,the ,abb ,gagliani1 on the other hand1 asserts that it is a mixture of opium and cantharides1 and that the liquor obtained from its composition1 is as limpid as rock water1 and without taste4 ,its effects are slow1 and almost imperceptible4 ,beckman appears to favour this idea1 and suggests that a similar poison is used in the ,east1 under the name of powst1 being water that had stood a night over the juice of poppies4 ,it is given to princes1 whom it is wished to despatch privately2 and produces loss of strength and understanding1 so that they die in the end1 torpid and insensible4#adj ,the following extract will show that secret poisoning has penetrated into the forests of ,america4 ,the celebrated chief1 ,blackbird of the ,omawhaws1 gained great reputation as a medicine man2 his adversaries fell rapidly before his potent spells4 ,his medicine was arsenic1 furnished him for this purpose by the villainy of the traders4#ada ,,footnotes3 #acf ,various etymologies have been suggested for the word obi4 ,mr4 ,long1 in a paper transmitted several years since1 by the agents of ,jamaica to the ,lords of the ,committee of ,privy ,council1 and by the latter subjoined to the report on the slave trade1 expresses himself on this subject as follows3 ,from the learned ,mr4 ,bryant's commentary on the word ,,oph1 we obtain a very probable etymology of the term2 'a serpent1' in the ,egyptian language1 was called ,aub or ,ob4 ',obion1' is still the ,egyptian name of a serpent4' ',moses1 in the name of ,god1 forbids the ,israelites to inquire of the demon ,ob1 which is translated in our ,bible1 charmer or wizzard1 ,divinator aut sorcilegus4' ,the woman of ,endor is called ,oub or ,ob1 translated ,pythonissa2 and ,oubaois 7he cites ,horus ,apollo7 was the name of the ,basilisk or royal serpent1 emblem of the sun1 and an ancient oracular deity of ,africa4 ,their etymology1 if admitted1 connects the modern superstitions of the west of ,africa1 with the ancient ones of the east of that continent1 from which source they have also been spread in ,europe4 ,they are humble parts of the great system which is adorned with the fables of ,osiris and ,isis2 and they comprise not only the ,obi of ,africa1 but the witchcraft of our own country4 ,that superstition is every where connected with the worship of the serpent1 and with the moon and the cat4 ,skulls and teeth of cats are among the principal ingredients of the ,african charms or ,obies4 #acg ,mr4 ,long gives the following account of the furniture of the house of an ,obi-woman1 or ,african witch in ,jamaica3 ,the whole inside of the roof1 7which was of thatch7 and every crevice of the walls were stuck with the implements of her trade1 consisting of rags1 feathers1 bones of cats1 and a thousand other articles4 ,examining further1 a large earthen pot or jar1 close covered1 contained a prodigious quantity of round balls of earth or clay1 of various dimensions1 large and small1 whitened on the outside1 and variously compounded1 some with hair and rags1 or feathers of all sorts1 and strongly bound with twine3 others blended with the upper section of the skulls of cats1 or set round with cats' teeth and claws1 or with human or dogs' teeth1 and some glass beads of different colours4 ,there were also a great many egg-shells filled with a viscous or gummy substance1 the qualities of which were neglected to be examined2 and many little bags filled with a variety of articles1 the particulars of which cannot1 at this distance of time1 be recollected4 ,shakespeare and ,dryden1 have left us poetical accounts of the composition of ,european ,obies or charms1 with which1 and with more historical descriptions1 the above may be compared4 ,the midnight hours of the professors of ,obi1 are also to be compared with the witches of ,europe4 ,obi1 therefore1 is the serpent-worship4 ,the ,pythoness1 at ,delphos1 was an ,obi-woman4 ,with the serpent-worship is joined that of the sun and moon1 as the governors of the visible world1 and emblems of the male and female nature of the godhead2 and to the cat1 on account of her nocturnal prowlings1 is ascribed a mysterious relationship to the moon4 ,the dog and the wolf1 doubtless for the same reason1 are similarly circumstanced4 #ach ,the superstition of ,obi was never generally remarked upon in the ,british ,west ,indies till the year #agfj1 when1 after an insurrection in ,jamaica1 of the ,coromantyn or ,gold ,coast negroes1 it was found that it had been made an instrument for promoting that disturbance4 ,an old ,coromantyn negro1 the chief instigator and oracle of the insurgents of the parish of ,st4 ,mary1 in which the insurrection broke out1 who had administered the ,fetiche or solemn oath to the conspirators1 and furnished them with a magical preparation1 which was to make them invulnerable1 was at that time apprehended and punished1 and a law was enacted for the suppression of the practice1 under which several examples were made1 but without effecting for many years1 any diminution of the evil sought to be remedied4 #aci ,in ,kosters's travels in ,brazil1 we read of a negro who was reported by one of his fellows to become occasionally lobas homen or wolf-man4 ,i asked him1 said the author1 to explain2 when he said1 that the man was at times transformed into an animal1 of the size of a calf with the figure of a dog2 and in the ,african memoranda is an account of a negro who professed and even believed to have the power of transforming himself into an alligator1 in which state he devoured men4 ,upon being questioned by ,captain ,beaver1 he answered1 ,i can change myself into an alligator1 and have often done it4 ,but though these may be genuine ,african superstitions1 and not such as have been introduced by the ,portuguese1 yet it is certain there is no part of ,europe to which they do not equally belong4 #adj ,beckman1 vol #a1 p4 #gd to #ajc4 #ada ,see ,major ,long's expedition1 vol4 #a4 p4 #bbf4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,on ,,the ,,origin ,,and ,,superstitious ,,influence ,,op ,,rings4 ,the ancient magicians1 among other pretended extraordinary powers of accomplishing wonderful things by their superior knowledge of the secret powers of nature1 of the virtues of plants and minerals1 and of the motions and influence of the stars1 attached no small degree of mystic importance to rings1 the origin of which1 their matter and uses1 together with the supposed virtues of the stones set in them1 afford a subject squaring so much with our design1 and so deserving of notice from the curious1 that no apology need be made for discoursing on them4 ,according to the accounts of the heathen mythologists1 ,prometheus1 who1 in the first times1 had discovered a great number of secrets1 having been delivered from the charms1 by which he was fastened to mount ,caucasus for stealing fire from heaven1 in memory or acknowledgment of the favour he received from ,jupiter1 made himself of one of those chains1 a ring1 in whose collet he represented the figure of part of the rock where he had been detained--or rather1 as ,pliny says1 set it in a bit of the same rock1 and put it on his finger4 ,this was the first ring and the first stone4 ,but we otherwise learn1 that the use of rings is very ancient1 and the ,egyptians were the first inventors of them2 which seems confirmed by the person of ,joseph1 who1 as we read 7,genesis1 chap1 xi47 for having interpreted ,pharoah's dream1 received not only his liberty1 but was rewarded with his prince's ring1 a collar of gold1 and the superintendancy of ,egypt4 ,josephus1 in the third book of ,jewish antiquities says1 the ,israelites had the use of them after passing the ,red ,sea1 because ,moses at his return from ,mount ,sinai1 found that they had forged the golden calf from their wives' rings1 enriched with precious stones4 ,the same ,moses1 upwards of #djj years before the wars of ,troy1 permitted the priests he had established1 the use of gold rings1 enriched with precious stones4 ,the high priest wore upon his ephod1 which was a kind of camail1 rich rings1 that served as clasps2 a large emerald was set and engraved with mysterious names4 ,the ring he wore on his finger was of inestimable value and celestial virtue4 ,had not ,aaron1 the high priest of the ,hebrews1 a ring on his finger1 whereof the diamond1 by its virtues1 operated prodigious things8 ,for it changed its vivid lustre into a dark colour1 when the ,hebrews were to be punished by death for their sins4 ,when they were to fall by the sword it appeared of a blood colour2 if they were innocent it sparkled as usual4 ,it is observable that the ancient ,hebrews used rings even in the time of the wars of ,troy4 ,queen ,jezebel1 to destroy ,nabath1 as it is related in the first ,book of ,kings1 made use of the ring of ,ahab1 ,king of the ,israelites1 her husband1 to seal the counterfeit letters that ordered the death of that unfortunate man4 ,did not ,judah1 as mentioned in the #chth chapter of ,genesis1 abuse his daughter-in-law1 ,thamar1 who had disguised herself1 by giving her his ring and bracelets1 as a pledge of the faith he had promised her8 ,though ,homer is silent in regard to rings1 both in his ,iliad and ,odyssey1 they were1 notwithstanding1 used in the time of the ,greeks and ,trojans2 and from them they were received by several other nations4 ,the ,lacedemonians1 as related by ,alexander1 ab4 ,alexandro1 pursuant to the orders of their king1 ,lycurgus1 had only iron rings1 despising those of gold2 either their king was thereby willing to retrench luxury1 or to prohibit the use of them4 ,the ring was reputed1 by some nations1 a symbol of liberality1 esteem1 and friendship1 particularly among the ,persians1 none being permitted to wear any1 except they were given by the king himself4 ,this is what may also be remarked in the person of ,apollonius ,thyaneus1 as a token of singular esteem and liberality1 received one from the great ,iarchas1 prince of the ,gymnosophists1 who were the ancient priests of ,india and dwelt in forests1 as our ancient bards and druids1 where they applied themselves to the study of wisdom1 and to the speculation of the heaven and stars4 ,this philosopher1 by the means of that ring1 learned every day the secrets of nature4 ,though the ring found by ,gyges1 shepherd to the ,king of ,lydia1 has more of fable than of truth in it1 it will not1 however1 be amiss1 to relate what is said concerning ,herodotus1 ,coelius1 after ,plato and ,cicero1 in the third book of his ,offices4 ,this ,gyges1 after a great flood1 passed into a very deep cavity in the earth1 where having found in the belly of a brazen horse1 with a large aperture in it1 a human body of enormous size1 he pulled from off one of the fingers a ring of surprising virtue2 for the stone on the collet rendered him who wore it invisible1 when the collet was turned towards the palm of the hand1 so that the party could see1 without being seen1 all manner of persons and things4 ,gyges1 having made trial of its efficacy1 bethought himself that it would be a means for ascending the throne of ,lydia1 and for gaining the ,queen by it4 ,he succeeded in his designs1 having killed ,candaules1 her husband4 ,the dead body this ring belonged to was that of an ancient ,brahman1 who1 in his time1 was chief of that sect4 ,the rings of the ancients often served for seals4 ,alexander the ,great1 after the death and defeat of ,darius1 used his ring for sealing the letters he sent into ,asia1 and his own for those he sent to ,europe4 ,it is customary in ,rome for the bridegroom to send the bride1 before marriage1 a ring of iron1 without either stone or collet1 to denote how lasting their union ought to be1 and the frugality they were to observe together2 but luxury herein soon gained ground1 and there was a necessity for moderating it4 ,caius ,marius did not wear one of gold till his third consulship2 and ,tiberius1 as ,suetonius says1 made some regulations in the authority of wearing rings2 for1 besides the liberty of birth1 he required a considerable revenue1 both on the father and grandfather's side4 ,in a ,polyglot dictionary1 published in the year #afbe1 by ,john ,minshew1 our attention was attracted by the following observations1 under the article ,,ringfinger4--,vetus versiculus singulis digitis ,annulum trebuens ,miles4 ,mercator4 ,stultus4 ,maritus4 ,amator4 ,pollici adscribitur ,militi1 seu ,doctor4 ,mercatorem pollice secundum1 stultorum1 tertium4 ,nuptorum vel studiosorum quartum4 ,amatorum ultimum4 ,by which it appears1 that the fingers on which annuli were anciently worn were directed by the calling1 or peculiarity of the party4 ,were it ,a soldier1 or doctor1 to him was assigned the thumb4 ,a sailor1 the finger next the thumb4 ,a fool1 the middle finger4 ,a married or diligent person1 the fourth or ring finger4 ,a lover1 the last or little finger4 ,the medicinal or curative power of rings are numerous and1 as a matter of course1 founded on imaginary qualities4 ,thus the wedding ring rubbing upon that little abscess called the stye1 which is frequently seen on the tarsi of the eyes1 is said to remove it4 ,certain rings are worn as talismans1 either on the fingers or suspended from the neck2 the efficacy of which may be referred to the effects usually produced by these charms4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,celestial ,,influences--,,omens--,,climacterics--, ,predominations--,,lucky ,,and ,,unlucky ,,days--,,empirics1 ,c4 ,astrologers1 among other artifices1 have used their best endeavours1 and employed all the rules of their art1 to render those years of our age1 which they call climacterics1 dangerous and formidable4 ,the word climacteric is derived from the ,greek1 which means by a scale or ladder1 and implies a critical year1 or a period in a man's age1 wherein1 according ,ficinusological juggling1 there is some notable alteration to arise in the body1 and a person stands in great danger of death4 ,the first climacteric is the seventh year of a man's life2 the others are multiples of the first1 as #ba1 #di1 #ef1 #fc1 and #hd1 which two last are called the grand climacterics and the danger more certain4 ,the foundation of this opinion is accounted for by ,mark ,ficimis as follows3--,there is a year1 he tells us1 assigned for each planet to rule over the body of a man1 each of his turn2 now ,saturn being the most maleficient 7malignant7 planet of all1 every seventh year1 which falls to its lot1 becomes very dangerous2 especially those of sixty-three and eighty-four1 when the person is already advanced in years4 ,according to this doctrine1 some hold every seventh year an established climacteric2 but others only allow the title to those produced by multiplication of the climacterical space by an odd number1 #c1 #e1 #g1 #i1 c4 ,others observe every ninth year as a climacteric4 ,climacteric years are pretended1 by some1 to be fatal to political bodies1 which1 perhaps1 may be granted1 when they are proved to be so more than to natural ones2 for it must be obvious that the reason of such danger can by no means be discovered1 nor the relation it can have with any other of the numbers above mentioned4 ,though this opinion has a great deal of antiquity on its side2 ,aulus ,gellius says--it was borrowed from the ,chaldeans1 who possibly might receive it from ,pythagoras1 whose philosophy teemed much in numbers1 and who imagined a very extraordinary virtue in the number #g4 ,the principal authors on climacterics are--,plato1 ,cicero1 ,macrobius1 ,aulus ,gellius4 ,among the ancients--,argal1 ,magirus1 and ,solmatheus4 ,among the moderns--,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,ambrose1 ,beda and ,boethius1 all countenance the opinion4 ,there is a work extant1 though rather scarce1 by ,hevelius1 under the title of ,annus ,climactericus1 wherein he describes the loss he sustained by his observatory1 c4 being burnt2 which it would appear happened in his grand climacteric1 of which he was extremely apprehensive4 ,astrologers have also brought under their inspection and controul the days of the year1 which they have presumed to divide into lucky and unlucky days2 calling even the sacred scriptures1 and the common belief of christians1 in former ages1 to their assistance for this purpose4 ,they pretend that the fourteenth day of the first month was a blessed day among the ,israelites1 authorised1 as they pretend1 by the several passages out of ,exodus1 v4 #ah3-- ,in the first month1 on the fourteenth day of the month at even1 ye shall eat unleavened bread1 until the one and twentieth day at even1 v4 #dj4 ,now1 the sojourning of the children of ,israel1 who dwelt in ,egypt1 was four hundred and thirty years4 #da4 ,and it came to pass1 at the end of the four hundred and thirty years1 even the self same day it came to pass1 that all the hosts of the ,lord went out from the land of ,egypt4 #db4 ,it is a night to be much observed unto the ,lord for bringing them out of the land of ,egypt2 that is that night of the ,lord to be observed of all the children of ,israel1 in their generations4 #ea4 ,and it came to pass1 the self same day1 that the ,lord did bring the children of ,israel out of the land of ,egypt by their armies4 ,also ,leviticus1 chap4 #bc1 v4 #e4 ,in the fourteenth day of the first month at even1 is the ,lord's passover4 ,numbers1 chap4 #bh1 v4 #aj4 ,four hundred and thirty years being expired of their dwelling in ,egypt1 even in the self same day they departed thence4 ,with regard to evil days and times1 ,astrologers refer to ,amos4 chap4 #e1 v4 #ac4 ,therefore1 the prudent shall keep silence in that time1 for it is an evil time1 and chap4 #f1 v4 #c1 ,ye that put far away the evil day1 and cause the seat of violence to come near2 also ,psalm #cg1 v4 #ai1 ,they shall not be ashamed in the evil time2 and in the days of famine1 they shall be satisfied2 and ,jeremiah1 chap4 #df1 v4 #ba1 ,also her hired men are in the midst of her1 like fatted bullocks1 for they are also turned back and are fled away together2 they did not stand because the day of their calamity was come upon them1 and the time of their visitation4 ,and to ,job cursing the day of his birth1 from the first to the eleventh verse4 ,in confirmation of which may also be quoted a calendar1 extracted out of several ancient ,roman ,catholic prayer books1 written on vellum1 before printing was invented1 in which were inserted the unfortunate days of each month1 which it would be superfluous to cite here4#adb ,roman ,history sufficiently proves that the nature of lucky and unlucky days owes its origin to ,paganism2 where it is mentioned1 that that very day four years1 the civil wars were begun by ,pompey1 the father2 ,caesar made an end of them with his son1 ,cneius ,pompeius being slain2 and that the ,romans counted the #acth of ,february an unlucky day1 because1 on that day they were overthrown by the ,gauls at ,alba2 and the ,fabii attacking the city of the ,recii1 were all slain1 with the exception of one man2 also from the calendar of ,ovid's ,fastorum1 ,aprilis erat mensis ,graecis auspicatissimus2 and from ,horace1 ,book #bnd1 ,ode #ac1 cursing the tree that had nearly fallen upon it2 ille nefasto posuit die4 ,the ,pagans believed there were particular months and days which carried something fatal in them2 those1 for instance1 upon which the state perhaps had lost a great battle2 and under this impression1 they never undertook any enterprise on these days and months4 ,the twenty-fourth of ,february in the ,bisextile years was considered so unlucky1 that ,valentinian 7,ammiam4 ,marcell4 lib4 #bf4 cap4 #a47 being elected ,emperor upon it1 durst not appear in public under the apprehension of suffering the fatality of the day4 ,many other particular days might be quoted upon which generals of armies have constantly been favoured with fortune4 ,timoleon 7,corn4 ,nepos7 won all his famous battles on his birthday4 ,soliman 7,duverdier4 ,hist4 des ,turcs7 won the battle of ,mohac1 and took the fortress of ,belgrade1 and1 according to some historians1 the ,isle of ,rhodes1 and the town of ,buda on the #bfth of ,august4 ,but we find1 in like manner1 the same day lucky and unlucky to the same people4 ,ventidius1 at the head of the ,roman army1 routed the ,parthians1 and slew their young king ,pacorus who commanded them1 on the same day that ,crassus1 another ,roman general1 had been slain1 and his whole army cut in pieces by the same people4 ,lucullus having attacked ,tigranes1 king of ,armenia1 notwithstanding the vain scruples of his officers1 who desired him to beware fighting on that day1 which was noted in the ,roman calendar as an unlucky one1 ever since the fatal overthrow of the ,romans by the ,cimbri2 but he1 7,lucullus7 despising the superstition1 gained one of the most memorable battles recorded in ,roman history1 and changed the destiny of the day as he promised those who would have dissuaded him from the enterprise4 ,and ,valentinian's unlucky day was that on which ,charles ,v1 another ,roman ,emperor1 promised himself the best good fortune4 ,friday is deemed on unlucky day for engaging in any particular business1 and there are few1 if any1 captains of ships who would sail from any port1 on this day of the week for their destination4 ,the fishermen who dwell on the coasts of the ,baltic never use their nets between ,all-saints and ,st ,martin's2 they would then be certain of not taking any fish through the whole year3 they never fish on ,st ,blaise's day4 ,on ,ash ,wednesday the women neither sew nor knit1 for fear of bringing misfortune upon their cattle4 ,they contrive so as not to use fire on ,st4 ,laurence's day2 by taking this precaution they think themselves secure against fire for the rest of the year4 ,this prejudice of lucky and unlucky days has existed at all times and in all nations2 but if knowledge and civilization have not removed it1 they have at least diminished its influence4 ,in ,livonia1 however1 the people are more than ever addicted to the most superstitious ideas on this subject4 ,in a ,riga journal 7,rigaische ,stadblatter1 ,no4 #cfeg1 anno #ahbb1 edited by ,m4 ,sontag7 there are several passages relative to a letter from heaven1 and which is no other than a catalogue of lucky and unlucky days4 ,this letter is in general circulation2 every body carries it about him1 and though strictly forbidden by the police1 the copies are multiplied so profusely as to increase the evil all attempts to destroy which have hitherto failed4 ,among the country people this idea is equivalent to the doctrine of fatality2 and if they commit faults or even crimes1 on the days which are marked as unlucky1 they do not consider themselves as guilty1 because they were predestined4 ,the flight of certain birds1 or the meeting of certain animals on their first going out in the morning1 are with them good or bad omens4 ,they do not hunt on ,st4 ,mark's1 or ,st4 ,catherine's day1 on penalty of being unsuccessful all the rest of the year4 ,it is a good sign to sneeze on ,christmas day4 ,most of them are so prepossessed against ,friday1 that they never settle any important business1 or conclude a bargain on that day2 in some places they do not even dress their children4 ,they do not like visits on ,thursdays1 for it is a sign they shall have troublesome guests the whole week4 ,in some districts of ,esthonia1 up the ,baltic1 when the shepherd brings his flocks back from the pasture1 in spring for the first time1 he is sprinkled with water from head to foot under the persuasion that this makes the cattle thrive4 ,the malignity of beasts of prey is believed to be prevented by designating them not by their proper names1 but by some of their attributes4 ,for instance1 they call the fox hallkuhl 7grey coat7 the bear1 layjatyk 7broad-foot71 etc4 etc4 ,they also fancy that they can oblige the wolf to take another direction by strewing salt in his way4 ,the howling of wolves1 especially at day-break1 is considered a very bad omen1 predicting famine or disease4 ,in more ancient times1 it was imagined that these animals1 thus asked their god to give them food1 which he threw them out of the clouds4 ,when a wolf seizes any of their cattle1 they can oblige him to quit his prey1 by dropping a piece of money1 their pipe1 hat1 or any other article they have about them at the time4 ,they do not permit the hare to be often mentioned1 for fear of drawing it into their corn-fields4 ,to make hens lay eggs1 they beat them with an old broom4 ,in families where the wife is the eldest child of her parents1 it has been observed that they always sell the first calves1 being convinced1 that1 if kept1 they would not thrive4 ,to speak of insects or mischievous animals at meal-times1 is a sure way to make them more voracious4 ,if a fire breaks out1 they think to stop its fury by throwing a black hen into the flames4 ,this idea1 of an expiatory sacrifice1 offered to a malevolent and tutelary power1 is a remnant of paganism4 ,various other traces of it are found among the ,esthonians2 for instance1 at the beginning of their meals1 they purposely let fall a piece of new bread1 or some drops of liquor from a bottle as an offering to the divinity4 ,it is very offensive to the peasants1 for any one to look into their wells2 they think it will cause the wells to dry up4 ,when manna is carried into the fields1 that which falls from the cart is not gathered up1 lest mischievous insects and blights come upon the corn4 ,when an old house is quitted for a new one they are attentive in noting the first animal that dies4 ,if it be an animal with hairy feet1 the sign is good2 but if with naked feet1 some fowl1 for instance1 there will be mourning in the house2 it is a sign of misery and bad success in all their undertakings4 ,these1 with a scrupulous adherence to lucky and unlucky days1 are the prevailing popular superstitions in the three duchies2 a great number of which1 especially among the ,esthonians1 are connected with their ancient mythology4 ,in reading that pleasant volume1 by the late ,sir ,humphrey ,davy1 entitled ,salmonia1 it is impossible not to be struck with his remark respecting omens1 which is here briefly noticed1 with an account of others1 which it is imagined have not yet found their way far into print1 in order to account for such seeming absurdities4 ,the search after food1#adc as we agreed on a former occasion1 is the principal cause why animals change their places4 ,the different tribes of wading birds always migrate when rain is about to take place2 and ,i remember once in ,italy1 having been long waiting1 in the end of ,march1 for the arrival of double snipe1 in the campagna of ,rome2 a great flight appeared on the third of ,april1 and the day after1 heavy rain set in1 which greatly interfered with my sport4 ,the vulture1 upon the same principle1 follows armies2 and ,i have no doubt that the augury of the ancients was a good deal founded upon the observation of the instinct of birds4 ,there are many superstitions of the vulgar owing to the same source4 ,for anglers1 in spring1 it is always unluckly to see single magpies2 but two may always be regarded as a favourable omen2 and the reason is1 that in cold and stormy weather1 one magpie alone leaves the nest in search of food1 the other remaining sitting upon the eggs of the young ones3 but1 when two go out together1 it is only when the weather is mild and warm1 and favourable for fishing4 ,this reasoning will1 in general1 be found correct1 and may be applied to solve many of the superstitions in the country2 but the case of the magpie is entitled to a little more consideration4 ,the piannet1 as we call her in the ,north of ,england1 is the most unlucky of all birds1 to see singly at any time2 this1 however1 does not often happen1 except a short time during incubation2 they either appear in pairs or in families2 but even this last appearance is as alarming to our grandmothers4 ,the following distich shows what each forbodes3--',one sorrow1 two mirth1 three a wedding1 four death4' ,this bird1 indeed1 appears to have taken the same place with us1 as an omen of evil1 that the owl had amongst the ancients4 ,the nurse is often heard to declare that she has lost all hopes of her charge when she has observed a piannet on the house-top4 ,another prejudice1 indulged even by our good wives1 is that of destroying the feathers of the pigeon instead of saving them to stuff beds1 etc4 ,they say1 that if they were to do so1 it would only prolong the sufferings of the death-bed2 and when these are more than usually severe1 it is attributed to this cause1 and the reason given 'because the bird has no gall' is to them quite conclusive1 but to me1 perfectly irrelevant and unsatisfactory4 ,a belief amongst boys1 that to harm or disturb the nests of the redbreast or swallow is unlucky1 appears very general throughout the kingdom2 and the keen bird-nester1 who prides himself on the quantity of eggs blown and strung bead-fashion1 here often gets mortified by finding his trophies destroyed by the housewife who considers their presence as affecting the safety of her crokery ware4 ,this belief may have been encouraged1 if not invented1 for a humane purpose3 but how are we to account for the efficacy of the ,irish stone in curing swellings caused by venomous reptiles1 by merely being rubbed upon the part affected8 ,the fullest faith in the practice appears to have prevailed in the country at no distant period1 and is yet far from extinct4 ,the swallow and the cuckoo are generally hailed as harbingers of spring and summer1 but1 perhaps1 many of our readers are not aware that it is only lucky to hear the cuckoo1 for the first time in the season1 upon soft ground in contradistinction to hard roads1 and with money in the pocket1 which the youngster is sagely advised to be sure then to turn over4 ,perhaps the season of the year may satisfactorily explain all these observances4 ,several superstitious customs are mentioned regarding bees1 some of which are not practised in the north2 yet it is fully believed that the death of the stock of hives too often foretells the flitting of the bee-master4 ,wet cold years1 unfavourable to the insects1 are also equally so to the farmer upon thin clays1 which border the moors1 where bees are mostly kept4 ,has the use of the mountain ash1 'rowan tree' ,pyrus aucuparia1 ,gaertner1 as a charm against witchcraft1 ever been accounted for8 ,the belief in its efficacy must be very old if we are to credit some of ,shakspeare's commentators1 who give this word as the true reading in ,macbeth1 instead of ',aroint thee1 witch6' ,it often happens that the careless observer has1 for the first time1 his attention called forcibly to some appearance of nature by accidental circumstances3 if at all superstitious1 he immediately prognosticates the most disastrous consequences from that which a little observation would have convinced him was but a phenomenon a little more conspicuous than usual4 ,the northern lights are said to have caused much consternation when first observed2 and they have lately been viewed with more than ordinary interest1 as it appears from the ,newcastle ,chronicle1 the last autumn 7#ahcj71 when they were more than usually brilliant1 some of the inhabitants of ,weardale were convinced they saw1 on one occasion1 very distinctly1 the figure of a man on a white horse1 with a red sword in his hand1 move across the heavens2 and are1 no doubt1 now certain that it foretold the present eventful times4 ,even this belief may be accounted for on such accidental coincidences1 or even philosophically1 by assuming as a fact that this phenomenon is the result of an electrical change in the atmosphere1 and that such a change usually precedes rain4 ,now1 if such happen in spring or in summer1 and before such a quantity of rain as is found to affect the harvest1 it may too often betoken scarcity1 discontent1 and turbulence1 as such are the times when all grievances1 either real or imaginary1 are brought forward for redress4 ,the origin of the superstition of sailors1 of nailing a horse-shoe to the mast1 is to me unaccountable1 unless it may have been1 like the following trial of the credulity of the superstitious by some person for amusement3--,sailors sometimes make a considerable pecuniary sacrifice for the acquisition of a child's caul1 the retaining of which is to infallibly preserve them from drowning4 ,some years ago1 a pretty wide district was alarmed by an account of the beans ,fba vulgris var4 equina being laid the wrong way in the pod that year1 which most certainly foreboded something terrible to happen in a short time1 and this produced much consternation amongst those who allow their imaginations to run riot4 ,the whole of the terrible omen was this3 the eye of the bean was in the pod towards the apex1 instead of being towards the footstalk1 as might appear at first sight to be its natural position2 and some were scarcely convinced that this was the natural position of the beans in the pod ever since the creation1 even on being shown the pod of the preceding year with the seed in the same position4 ,as yet1 however1 ,i fear we must sum up in the words of ,davy3-- ,phys4 ,but how can you explain such absurdities as ,friday being an unlucky day1 and the terror of spilling salt1 or meeting an old woman8 ,poiet4 ,these1 as well as the omens of death-watches1 dreams1 etc4 are founded upon some accidental coincidences2 but spilling of salt1 on an uncommon occasion1 may1 as ,i have known it1 arise from a disposition to apoplexy1 shown by an incipient numbness in the hand1 and may be a fatal symptom2 and persons dispirited by bad omens sometimes prepare the way for evil fortune1 for confidence of success is a great means of insuring it4 ,the dream of ,brutus before the battle of ,philippi probably produced a species of irresolution and despondency which was the principal cause of his losing the battle2 and ,i have heard that the illustrious sportsman1 to whom you referred just now1 was always observed to shoot ill1 because he shot carelessly1 after one of his dispiriting omens4 ,hal4 ,i have in life met with a few things which ,i have found it impossible to explain1 either by chance coincidences1 or by natural connections1 and ,i have known minds of a very superior class affected by them--persons in the habit of reasoning deeply and profoundly4 ,the number of remarkable events that happened on some particular days1 have been the principal means of confirming both pagans and ,christians in their opinions on this subject4 ,for instance1 ,alexander who was born on the sixth of ,april1 conquered ,darius1 and died on the same day4 ,the ,emperor ,basianus ,caracalla was born1 and died on the sixth day of ,april4 ,augustus was adopted on the #aith of ,august1 began his consulate1 conquered the ,triumviri1 and died the same day4 ,the christians have observed that the #bdth of ,february was four times fortunate to ,charles the fifth4 ,that ,wednesday was a fortunate day to ,pope ,sixtus the fifth2 for on a ,wednesday he was born1 on that day made a monk1 on the same day made a general of his order1 on that day created a ,cardinal1 on that day elected ,pope1 and also on that day inaugurated4 ,that ,thursday was a fatal day to ,henry the eighth1 ,king of ,england1 and his posterity1 for he died on a thursday2 ,king ,edward the sixth on a ,thursday2 ,queen ,mary on a ,thursday2 and ,queen ,elizabeth on a ,thursday4 ,the ,french have observed that the feast of ,pentecoste had been lucky to ,henry ,,iii1 ,king of ,france for on that day he was born1 on that day elected ,king of ,poland1 and on that day he succeeded his brother ,charles ,,ix1 on the throne of ,france4 ,there are critical days observed by physicians1 in continued fevers1 a doctrine which has been confirmed by the united testimony of ,de ,haen and ,cullen2 and these are the #crd4 #eth4 #gth4 #ith4 #aath4 #adth4 #agth4 and #bjth4 ,by critical days are meant1 any of the above days1 on which the fever abates or terminates favourably1 or on which it is exacerbated or terminates fatally4 ,natural astrology is confined to the study of exploring natural effects1 in which sense it is admitted to be a part of natural philosophy4 ,it was under this view that ,mr4 ,goad1 ,mr4 ,boyle1 and ,dr4 ,mead1 pleaded for its use4 ,the first endeavours to account for the diversity of seasons from the situations1 habitudes and motions of the planets3 and to explain an infinity of phenomena by the contemplation of the stars4 ,the ,honourable ,mr4 ,boyle admitted1 that all physical bodies are influenced by the heavenly bodies2 and ,doctor ,mead's opinion1 in his treatise concerning the power of the sun and moon1 etc4 is in favour of the doctrine4 ,but these predictions and influences are ridiculed and entirely exploded by the most esteemed modern philosophers1 of which the reader may have a learned specimen in ,rohault's1 ,tractat4 ,physic1 part ,,ii4 c4 #bg4 ,the diseases of men1 women1 and children were supposed at times to be more immediately caused by the influence of the seven planets4 ,in order to comprehend this exploded doctrine1 we shall here set down the pretended governing and days1 at what time they are supposed to have the most influence3 ,symbol3 ,sol ,sol1 or the sun governs on ,sunday4 ,symbol3 ,luna ,luna1 or the moon1 ,monday4 ,symbol3 ,mars ,mars1 ,tuesday4 ,symbol3 ,mercury ,mercury1 ,wednesday4 ,symbol3 ,jupiter ,jupiter1 ,thursday1 ,symbol3 ,venus ,venus4 ,friday4 ,symbol3 ,saturn ,saturn1 ,saturday4 ,saturn reigning1 is said to cause cold diseases1 as the gout1 leprosy1 palsy1 quartan agues1 dropsies1 catarrhs1 colds1 rheumatisms1 etc4 ,jupiter causes cramps1 numbness1 inflammations of the liver1 head-aches1 pains in the shoulders1 flatulency1 inflammatory fevers1 and all diseases caused by putrefaction1 apoplexy1 and quinsies4 ,mars1 acute fevers and tartan agues1 continual and intermitting fevers1 imposthumes1 erisepelas1 carbuncles1 fistulas1 dysentery1 and similar hot and dry diseases4 ,sol causes rheums in the eyes1 coldness in the stomach and liver1 syncope1 catarrhs1 pustular eruptions1 hysterics1 eruptions on the lower extremities4 ,venus causes sores1 lientery1 hysteria1 sickness at the stomach1 from cold and moist causes1 disorders of the liver and lungs4 ,mercury causes hoarseness and distempers in the senses1 impediments in the speech1 falling sickness1 coughs1 jaundice1 vomiting1 catarrhs4 ,the moon causes palsy1 cholic1 dropsy1 imposthumes1 dysenteries1 and all diseases arising from obstructed circulation4 ,the means laid down for the prevention of these diseases are rational enough1 at least some of them1 such as temperance1 moderate bleeding 7whether or not indicated we are not told17 the use of laxatives at seasonable times1 when a friendly planet1 opposite to the malignant planet you were born under1 has dominion1 by which the effect of its influence will be much abated1 and a power given to nature to oppose its malevolency1 which1 if well heeded1 may be a main prevention of dangerous diseases4 ,thus every planet in the heavens carries with it a diseased aspect1 without1 as it would appear1 possessing any repelling or sanative powers to correct or ward off the sickly influence it is supposed to entertain over the life and limbs of frail mortals2 that1 in the sense of this absurd doctrine1 or rather jargon1 when ,jupiter has dominion1 it will be necessary to bleed and take calomel to guard against 7not to attack it when it has taken place7 inflammation of the liver2 and when ,mars presides1 to send immediately for ,van ,butchel to frighten away an imaginary fistula--absurd and ridiculous nonsense1 too prevalent even at the present day2 for what can bleeding and physicking at the spring and fall of the year be called but operations without reason1 under suppositious stellar influence4 ,observe also to gather all your physic herbs in the hour of the friendly planet1 that temporises with what you were born under1 and in so doing they will have more strength1 power1 and virtue to operate in the medicines2 but neither physic nor bleed on the third of ,january1 the last of ,april1 the first of ,july1 the first of ,august1 and the last and second day of ,october2 for those astrologers1 with whom physicians join1 conclude it perilous1 by reason of the bad influence then reigning2 and if it change not the distemper into another worse1 it will augment it1 and put the party in great danger of death1 if he or she in this case be not lucky to escape4 ,it would be a waste of words to offer a single comment on such egregious stuff--do not bleed on the third of ,january1 nor on such and such a day1 7as if there could be stated times for bleeding beyond those which are indicated by the presence of disease1 and requiring such evacuation17 is a practice we believe peculiar only to astrologers1 and those who believe in such demonological cant4 ,it is no less1 however1 a singular fact that men distinguished in every other respect for their learning1 should most particularly have indulged in the superstition of judicial astrology4 ,at the present time a belief in such subjects can only exist with those who may be said to have no belief at all2 for mere traditional sentiments can hardly be said to amount to a belief4 ,it was astronomy that gave rise to judicial astrology1 which1 offering an ample field to enthusiasm and imposture1 was eagerly pursued by many who had no scientific purpose in view4 ,it was connected with various juggling tricks and deceptions1 affected an obscure jargon of language1 and insinuated itself into every thing in which the hopes and fears of mankind were concerned4 ,the professors of this pretended science were at first generally persons of mean education1 in whom low cunning supplied the place of knowledge4 ,most of them engaged in the empirical practice of physic1 and some through the credulity of the times1 even arrived at a degree of eminence in it2 yet although the whole foundation of their art was folly and deceit1 they nevertheless gained many proselytes and dupes1 both among the well-informed and the ignorant4 ,about the middle of the seventeenth century1 the passion for horoscopes and expounding the stars prevailed in ,france among people of the first rank4 ,the new-born child was usually presented naked to the star-expounder1 who read the first lineaments on its forehead1 and the transverse lines in its hands1 and thence wrote down its future destiny4 ,it has been reported of several persons famous for their astrological skill1 that they have suffered a voluntary death merely to verify their own predictions4 ,it is curious to observe the shifts to which these wise men were frequently put when their predictions were not verified4 ,great winds at one time were predicted by a famous adept in the art1 but no unusual storms having happened1 to save the reputation of the art1 the prediction was applied figuratively to some revolutions in the state1 of which there were instances enough at that time4 ,the life of the famous ,lilly the astrologer1 and the ,sidrophel of ,butler1 written by himself1 is a curious work1 containing much artless narrative1 but at the same time1 so much palpable imposture1 that it is difficult to know when he is speaking what he really believes to be the truth4 ,in a sketch of the state of astrology in his day1 the adepts whose characters he has drawn were the lowest miscreants of the town4 ,they all1 indeed1 speak of each other as rogues and impostors2 among whom were ,booker1 ,george ,wharton1 and ,gadbury1 who gained a livelihood by practising on the credulity of even men of learning so late as #afej to the #ahth century4 ,in ,ashmole's life an account of these artful impostors may be read4 ,most of them had taken the air in the pillory1 and others had conjured themselves up to the gallows4 ,to the astrologers of the #agth century1 the quacks and impostors of the beginning of the #aith are only equal4 ,quackery and astrology1 the latter of which often served as a mask to the former1 appear to have been at one time a kind of ,castor and ,pollux2 quackery1 however1 it would seem has outlived astrology1 for there are more who would swallow the nostrum of the quack than the flatulent bolus of the fortune-tellers4 ,both still have their votaries4 ,one ,grigg1 a poulterer in ,surrey1 was set in the pillory at ,croyden1 7,temp4 ,edw4 ,,iv17 and again in the ,borough1 for cheating people out of their money by pretending to cure them with charms1 by simply looking at the patients1 or by practices still more absurd and questionable4 ,of such doctors there is no lack4 ,this kind of practice offers one of the finest fields for deception of any species of empirical delusion held out to the public at the present day4 ,such indeed is the infatuation and credulity of the ignorant that1 we are confidently assured1 a notorious ,german quack had within one year so many half-guinea applications that he netted #bjjj2 and that the glass bottles in which the precious nostrums were conveyed from the sanctum sanctorum of the mendacious empiric in high ,germany1 who made his debut in this country by hawking about ,dutch drops1 amounted to as many two-pences4 ,to those of either sex1 who are weak-minded enough to trust their lives to the rash artifices of an ignorant pretender who affects to discover an occult quality in the constitution of the patient denoting the existence of some internal complaint beyond that which less equivocal symptoms sufficiently present to the eye and knowledge of the regular practitioner--we can only say that we conceive them to be justly punished in the loss of their money1 and the consequent ruin of their health4 ,in ,stow's ,chronicle we find that one of these said gentlemen was set on horseback1 his face towards the tail1 which he held in his hand in the manner of a bridle1 while with a collar significative of his offence1 dangling about his neck1 he made a public entre into the city of ,london1 conducted by ,jack ,ketch1 who afterwards did himself the honour of scourging and branding the impostor1 previous to banishment1 which completed his sentence4 ,in the reign of ,james ,i1 a terrible sweep was made among the quacks and advertising gentry4 ,the council dispatched a warrant to the magistrates of the city of ,london1 to take up all reputed quacks1 and bring them before the censors of the college1 to examine how properly qualified they were to be trusted1 either with the limbs or lives of his majesty's lieges4 ,this is all that is required at the present day4 ,let the legislature controul this department instead of the college of physicians1 who1 as a body1 can boast of as large an allowance of licensed ignorance as any corporate set of men in existence4 ,we say nothing of surgery1 for this branch of knowledge leaves the world generally something to look at1 hence so few pretenders to it2 but physic buries all its blemishes with the unfortunate victim4 ,the country1 even in this age of progressing wisdom1 is deluged with quack medicines1 which credulous people say are not directed against the constitution1 but only against the pocket1 and that they are too insipid to do either good or harm2 but were this the case1 there would have been no occasion for the exemplary punishments with which it is recorded quacks of all sorts have at various times been visited4 ,be it known1 there can be no such thing invented by man as an universal remedy to prevent or cure all kinds of diseases2 because that which would agree with one constitution would disagree with another differently organised2 and a quack nostrum1 such as we see daily advertised1 may certainly agree at one stage of a disease1 but might go far in killing the patient at another4 ,besides1 all these boasted specifics have been found to be either inert1 ineffectual1 or dangerous1 and every pretender to them1 in times less enlightened by the general march of intellect1 has been convicted either of gross ignorance or dishonesty4 ,no one can vouch with certainty for any particular kind of medicine1--that it will agree with this or that individual1 until acquainted with his peculiar constitution2 consequently it is the height of absurdity to prescribe physic for a man without a knowledge of such circumstances to direct him4 ,amulets1 talismans1 charms1 and incantations1 are innocent and innoxious1 and may impose only on credulity without any other untoward consequence1 leaving the patient in the same state in which he was found2 but so much cannot be said for quacks and quack-medicines which frequently remove their deluded victims far beyond the reach of either physic or philosophy4 ,butler is said to be the author of the following character of a quack2 and who can read it without being astonished at the prophetic intelligence with which it abounds1 and which1 unfortunately1 admits of a too close analogy with some very recent and untoward events1 in the annals of modern empiricism4 ,he is a medicine-monger1 probationer of receipts1 and ,doctor ,epidemic2 he is perpetually putting his medicines upon their trial1 and very often finds them ,,guilty ,,of ,,manslaughter1 but still they have some trick or other to come off1 and avoid burning by the hand of the hangman4 ,he prints his trials of skill1 and challenges death at so many several weapons2 that1 though he is sure to be foiled by every one1 he cares not3 for1 if he can but get money1 he is sure to get off2 for it is but posting up diseases for poltroons in all the public places of the town1 and daring them to meet him again1 and his credit stands as fair with the rabble1 as ever it did4 ,he makes nothing 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 992--but will undertake to cure them and tie one hand behind him1 with so much ease and freedom1 that his patients may surfeit and get drunk as often as they please1 and follow their business without any inconvenience to their health or occasions2 and recover with so much secrecy1 that they shall never know how it comes about4 ,he professes no cure no pay1 as well he may1 for if nature does the work1 he is paid for it2 if not1 he neither wins nor loses2 and like a cunning rook lays his bets so artfully1 that1 let the chance be what it will1 he either wins or saves4 ,he cheats the rich for their money1 and the poor for charity1 and1 if either succeed1 both are pleased1 and he passes for a very just and conscientious man3 for as those that pay nothing ought at least to speak well of their entertainments1 their testimony makes way for those who are able to pay for both4 ,he finds he has no reputation among those that know him1 and fears he is never like to have1 and1 therefore1 posts up his bills1 to see if he can thrive better amongst those who know nothing of him4 ,he keeps his post continually1 and will undertake to maintain it against all the plagues of ,egypt4 ,he sets up his trade upon a pillar1 or the corner of a street--,these are his warehouses1 where all he has is to be seen1 and a great deal more2 for he that looks further finds nothing at all4 ,,absurdities ,,of ,,paracelsus1 ,,and ,,van ,,helmont4 ,although some of the first chemists were men of sense and learning1 yet after that chemistry began to be fashionable and much in vogue1 there were some of its professors1 who although men of an uncommon turn of genius1 were as great enthusiasts1 both in the chemical and medical arts1 as any other men ever were in religion4 ,they not only pretended to transmute some of the baser metals into gold1 contrary to the nature of things--and if they could have succeeded in that impossible work1 it would have rendered gold as plentiful1 cheap1 and less valuable than iron1 because it is less fit for instruments and mechanical uses--but they also pretended infallibly to cure all diseases1 by some of their new invented chemical machines2--a thing equally as impossible as the other1 and shewed their ignorance of the causes and nature of diseases4 ,as those who are the most ignorant are generally the greatest boasters1 we find that none of them were more so1 than that vain1 boasting1 paradoxical enthusiast ,paracelsus1 who had acquired great riches by curing a certain disease with a mercurial ointment1 the knowledge of which secret he is said to have stolen from ,jacobus ,berengarius1 of ,caipo1 in his travels thither4 ,he was withal so illiterate1 that he said philosophy could be taught in no language but high ,dutch2 but the true reason was1 that he neither understood philosophy nor any other language4 ,he also boasted that he was in possession of a nostrum which would prolong man's life to the age of ,methusaleh1 though he died himself at the age of forty-seven4 ,he lived in the fifteenth century4 ,the cures he wrought were deemed so surprising in that age1 that he was supposed to have recourse to supernatural aid4 ,in a picture of him at ,lumley ,castle1 he is represented in a close black gown1 with both hands on a great sword1 on whose hilt is inscribed the word ,azot4 ,this was the name of his familiar spirit1 that he kept imprisoned in the pummel1 to consult on emergent occasions4 ,the circumstance is thus alluded to by ,butler3-- ,bombastes kept the ,devil's ,bird ,shut in the pummel of his sword2 ,and taught him all the cunning pranks1 ,of past and future mountebanks4 ,paracelsus was succeeded by his scholar van ,helmont1 who had much more learning1 but was as great an enthusiast1 both in the chemical and medical arts as his master1 and embraced most of his paradoxical opinions2 and1 having more technical terms1 he frequently used them rather to dazzle and confound the understandings of his readers1 than to inform their judgments4 ,by thus giving his writings a mystical air of wisdom1 he rendered them obscure1 and sometimes unintelligible2 consequently1 more easily imposed them upon the public and vulgar1 as sublime and useful truths4 ,he also vainly boasted that he could cure any fever in four days' time1 by sweating the patient with one draught of his famous nostrum1 the ,praecipitatus ,diaphoreticus ,paracelsi2 and further adds1 that no man can deserve the name of a physician1 who cannot cure any fever in four days' time4 ,he1 however1 admits1 that he sometimes added a little theriaca 7treacle7 and wine to it2 which last1 he says1 is not only a great cordial1 but as a vehicle1 is a proper messenger to be sent on such an errand1 as it knows the road1 is well received wherever it goes1 and readily admitted into the most private apartments of the human body4 ,hence we believe that wine is not only a good natured1 but an intelligent being2 though it sometimes deprives men of their senses for a time1 when they take too much of it3 and hence we see also a specimen of our author's method of reasoning and writing4 ,van ,helmont1 like his great master1 also boasted1 that he could cure all inflammatory and other fevers1 and even a pleurisy1 without either bleeding1 vomiting1 purging1 clysters1 or blisters2 and he quarrelled so much with the two last1 that he calls clysters a beastly remedy1 and says that blisters were invented by a wicked spirit1 whom he calls ,moloz1 though ,beelzebub might have been as good a name1 since ,dr4 ,baynard wittily observed1 that he believed he was only a great cantharid4 ,and both ,helmont and the ,doctor were so far right1 that blistering was then1 as well as now1 much abused2 and in truth they are much oftener applied than is either necessary or useful4 ,thus these two eminent chemists1 and too many of their followers1 frequently imposed their writings upon the unguarded reader1 and themselves upon the vulgar1 for men of profound knowledge in the medical art1 and as great adepts in chemistry3 and being puffed up with the high opinion entertained of their new art1 or new medicines1 and their own great wisdom1 they rejected the philosophical theory of medicine by ,galen and ,avicenna1 then so much in vogue4 ,they were right in doing this1 and might have done great service to mankind1 if they had not set up their own imaginary chemical theory in its place1 which was neither founded upon observations1 nature1 nor reason1 and had no existence but in their own vain imaginations4 ,thus they supposed a malignity which caused all diseases1 as well inflammatory as other fevers1 and which was to be forced out of the body by sweating1 with their hot therapeutics2 they1 therefore1 attacked all fevers with this chemical ammunition1 and attempted to carry them with fire and storm1 prescribing the praecipitatus diaphoreticus and sweating regimen1 which must have been fatal to many1 and no doubt would have been so to many more1 if van ,helmont had not allowed his patients to dilute the medicine with a thin diet1 which rendered the calorific method less fatal4 ,but1 as the learned ,dr4 ,friend judiciously remarks1 if any did escape after that hot regimen1 it was through a fiery trial4 ,thus the chemists1 without any rational theory1 or regard to nature1 and what she indicated or did2--without duly considering how the morbid matter1 which caused the disease1 was to be concocted and fitted to be carried off by some critical evacuation2 or how to assist nature to bring that crisis on1 according to the ,hippocratic method2--without considering the benefit of the rational1 cooling1 antiphlogistic practice of the ,arabians--they introduced their sudorific regimen instead2 and this regimen was soon after brought into use in ,england1 and most other countries1 where it continued to be the practice for many years afterwards1 as may be seen by the authors of those times1 until the judicious and honest ,dr4 ,sydenham wisely rejected and exploded it1 introducing the rational method of ,hippocrates and the cooling regimen of the ,arabians1 which he seems rather to have taken ex ipsa re et ratione from nature and reason1 than from the works of the ,arabian physicians1 with which he appears not to have been acquainted1 as he never mentions them4 ,van ,helmont had several other famous nostrums1 with which he pretended to perform wonders1 as quacks have done in all ages1 and as some do now3 for empiricism was never more in fashion than at the present day1 and the chemical art has supplied them with many more arcana and nostrums than the ancients had in all their antidotes and theriacas1 etc4 since chemistry was made subservient to medicine4 ,van ,helmont1 nevertheless was a learned man1 and acquired a great name and reputation1 at least for some time2 but1 as neither his theory nor his practice were founded on nature and reason1 nor conformable to them1 the more judicious physicians soon saw their errors1 as well as the fallacy of his new invented chemical terms and unmeaning phrases1 which only contained the shadow and not the substance of the medical science2 therefore both his chemical theory and hot regimen1 together with his writings1 sunk soon after his death1 into a state of merited oblivion4 ,notwithstanding that the science of chemistry was greatly improved by these extraordinary men1 who invented or discovered many useful remedies1 which they introduced into the practice of medicine in a no less extraordinary manner1 and thereby pointed out the way for others to follow them2 yet we must allow that the more able and learned chemists have greatly enriched and improved the materia medica since1 by making many curious experiments1 and thereby discovering several new and very efficacious medicines1 not only from the semi-metals1 mercury and antimony1 and the various chemical preparations from them1 but from the more perfect metals1 and some other mineral bodies1 as well as from a great variety of remedies which are prepared both from vegetable and animal substances1 as salts1 oils1 essences1 spirits1 tinctures1 elixirs1 extracts and many more needless here to be mentioned1 but all of which are known to physicians4 ,for all these we are indebted to the chemists who first invented and introduced them into practice2 although the use and application1 as well as the methods of administering them to the sick1 to cure various other diseases than those they were first used for1 has been greatly improved by several learned and ingenious physicians4 ,,footnotes3 #adb ,see ,demonologia1 by ,j4,s4,f4 p4 #dj4 #adc ,see ,magazine of ,natural ,history1 ,april1 #ahcj4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,modern ,,empiricism4 ,in one respect we have but very little occasion to extol our own enlightened age at the expence of those ages which are so frequently and justly termed dark4 ,we allude to the bold and artful designs of imposture1 and particularly medical imposture4 ,daily are seen illiterate and audacious empirics sporting with the lives of a credulous public1 that seem obstinately resolved to shut their ears against all the suggestions of reason and experience4 ,the host of empirics1 mountebanks1 and self-dubbed hygeists1 which infest the metropolis1 and the tinctures1 cordials1 pills1 balms1 and essences1 so much extolled by their retailers1 and swallowed by the public1 are indeed so many proofs of the credulity of the age1 that to say the least1 the march of intellect has evidently made a faux-pas in this direction4 ,the celestial beds1 the enchanting magnetic powers introduced into this country by ,messmer1 a ,german quack1 and his numerous disciples1 the prevailing indifference to all dietetic precepts1 the singular imposition practised on many females1 in persuading them to wear the inert acromatic belts1 the strange infatuation of the opulent in paying five guineas for a pair of metallic tractors1 not worth sixpence1 the tables for blood-letting1 and other absurdities still inserted in popular almanacs1 7against all the rules of common sense7--all these yield in nothing to the absurdities and superstitious notions conveyed through the medium of astrology1 dreams1 and other ludicrous though by far more imposing and interesting channels4 ,the temple of the gulls is now thronged with votaries as much as that of superstition formerly was2 human reason is still a slave to the most tyrannical prejudices2 and certainly1 there is no ready way to excite general attention and admiration1 than to deal in the mysterious and the marvellous4 ,the visionary system of ,jacob ,bhman has latterly been revived in some parts of ,germany4 ,the ghosts and apparitions which had disappeared from the times of ,thomasius and ,swedenborg1 have again left their graves1 to the great terror of fanaticism4 ,new prophets announce their divine mission1 and1 what is worse1 find implicit believers6 ,the inventors of secret medicines are rewarded by patents1 and obtain no small celebrity2 while some of the more conscientious1 but less fortunate adepts1 endeavour to amuse the public with popular systems of medicine4 ,one of the most dazzling and successful inventors in modern times1 was ,messmer1 who commenced his career of medical knight-errantry at ,vienna4 ,his house was the focus of high life1 the rendezvous of the gay1 where the young and opulent were enlivened and entertained with continual concerts1 routs1 and illuminations4 ,at a great expence1 he imported into ,germany the first ,harmonica from this country3 he established cabinets of natural curiosities1 and laboured constantly and secretly in his chemical laboratory2 so that he acquired the reputation of being a great alchemist1 a philosopher studiously employed in the most useful and important researches4 ,in #agff1 he first publicly announced the object and nature of his secret labours3--all his discoveries centered in the magnet1 which1 according to his hypothesis1 was the best and safest remedy hitherto proposed against all diseases incident to the human body4 ,this declaration of ,messmer excited very general attention2 the more so as about the same time he established a hospital in his own house1 into which he admitted a number of patients gratis4 ,such disinterestedness procured1 as might be expected1 no small addition to his fame4 ,he was1 besides1 fortunate in gaining over many celebrated physicians to his opinions1 who lavished the greatest encomiums on his new art1 and were instrumental in communicating to the public a number of successful experiments4 ,this seems to have surpassed the expectations of ,messmer1 and induced him to extend his original plan further than it is likely he first intended4 ,we find him soon after assuming a more dogmatical and mysterious air1 when1 for the purpose of shining exclusively1 he appeared in the character of a magician3--his pride and egotism would brook neither equal nor competitor4 ,the common loadstone1 or mineral magnet1 which is so well known1 did not appear to him sufficiently important and mysterious--he contrived an unusual one1 to the effect of which he gave the name of 'animal magnetism'4 ,after this1 he proceeded to a still holder assumption1 everywhere giving it out1 that the inconceivable powers of this subtile fluid were centered in his own person4 ,now1 the mona-drama began2 and ,messmer1 at once the hero and chorus of the piece1 performed his part in a masterly manner4 ,he placed the most nervous1 hysteric1 and hypocondriac patients opposite to him2 and by the sole act of stretching forth his finger1 he made them feel the most violent shocks4 ,the effects of this wonderful power excited universal astonishment2 its activity and penetration being confirmed by unquestionable testimonies1 from which it appeared1 that blows similar to those given by a blunt iron1 could be imparted by the operator1 while he himself was separated by two doors1 nay1 even by thick walls4 ,the very looks of this prince of jugglers had the power to excite painful cramps and twitches in his credulous and predisposed patients4 ,this wonderful tide of success instigated his indefatigable genius to bolder attempts1 especially as he had no severe criticism to apprehend from the superstitious multitude4 ,he roundly asserted things of which he offered not the least shadow of proof2 and for the truth of which he had no other pledge to offer but his own high reputation4 ,at one time he could communicate his magnetic power to paper1 wool1 silk1 bread1 leather1 stones1 water1 etc41 at another he asserted that certain individuals possessed a greater degree of susceptibility for this power than others4 ,it must be owned1 however1 that many of his contemporaries made it their business to encounter his extravagant pretensions1 and refute his dogmatical assertions with the most convincing arguments4 ,yet1 he long enjoyed the triumph of being supported by blind followers1 and their increasing number completely overpowered the suffrages of reason4 ,messmer1 at length perceived that in his native country1 he should never be able to reach the point which he had fixed upon1 as the termination of his magnetical career4 ,the ,germans began to discredit his pompous claims2 but it was only after repeated failures in some promised cures1 that he found himself under the necessity of seeking protection in ,paris4 ,there he met with a most flattering reception1 being caressed1 and in a manner adored by a nation which has always been extravagantly fond of every new thing1 whimsical and mysterious4 ,messmer well knew how to turn this natural propensity to the best advantage4 ,he addressed himself particularly to the weak2 to such as wished to be considered men of profound knowledge1 but who1 when they were compelled to be silent from real ignorance1 took refuge behind the impenetrable shield of mystery4 ,the fashionable levity1 the irresistible curiosity1 and the peculiar turn of the ,parisians1 ever solicitous to have something interesting for conversation1 to keep their active imagination in play1 were exactly suited to the genius and talents of the inventor of animal magnetism4 ,we need not wonder1 therefore1 if he availed himself of their moral and physical character1 to ensure a ready faith in his doctrines1 and success to his pretended experiments3 in fact1 he found friends and admirers wherever he made his appearance4 ,his first advertisement was couched in the following high-sounding terms3 ,behold a discovery which promises unspeakable advantages to the human race1 and immortal fame to its author6 ,behold the dawn of an universal revolution6 ,a new race of men shall arise1 shall overspread the earth1 to embellish it by their virtues1 and render it fertile by their industry4 ,neither vice nor ignorance1 shall stop their active career2 they will know our calamities only from the records of history4 ,the prolonged duration of their life will enable them to plan and accomplish the most laudable undertakings4 ,the tranquil1 the innocent gratifications of that primeval age will be restored1 wherein man laboured without toil1 lived without sorrow1 and expired without a groan6 ,mothers will no longer be subject to pain and danger during their pregnancy and child-birth3 their progeny will be more robust and brave2 the now rugged and difficult path of education will be rendered smooth and easy2 and hereditary complaints and diseases will be for ever banished from the future auspicious race4 ,fathers rejoicing to see their posterity of the fourth and fifth generations1 will only drop like fruit fully ripe1 at the extreme point of age6 ,animals and plants1 no less susceptible of the magnetic power than man1 will be exempt from the reproach of barrenness and the ravages of distemper4 ,the flocks in the fields1 and the plants in the gardens1 will be more vigorous and nourishing1 and the trees will bear more beautiful and grateful fruits4 ,the human race1 once endowed with this elementary power1 will probably rise to still more sublime and astonishing effects of nature3 who indeed is able to pronounce1 with certainty1 how far this salutary influence may extend8 ,what splendid promises6 ,what rich prospects6 ,messmer1 the greatest of philosophers1 the most virtuous of men1 the physician of mankind1 charitably opens his arms to all his fellow-mortals1 who stand in need of comfort and assistance4 ,no wonder that the cause of magnetism1 under such a zealous apostle1 rapidly gained ground1 and obtained every day large additions to the number of its converts4 ,to the gay1 the nervous1 and the dissipated of all ranks and ages1 it held out the most flattering promises4 ,men of the first respectability interested themselves in behalf of this new philosophy2 they anticipated in idea1 the more happy and more vigorous race which would proceed1 as it were1 by enchantment1 from the wonderful impulsive powers of animal magnetism4 ,the ,french were so far seduced by these flattering appearances1 as to offer the ,german adventurer thirty thousand livres for the communication of his secret art4 ,he appears1 however1 to have understood his own interest better than thus to dispose of his hypothetical property1 which1 upon a more accurate investigation might be objected to1 as consisting of unfair articles of purchase4 ,he consequently returned the following answer to the credulous ,french ministers3 ,that ,dr4 ,m4 considered his art of too great importance1 and the abuses it might lead to1 too dangerous for him at present to make it public2 that he must therefore reserve to himself the time of its publication1 and mode of introducing it to general use and observation--that he would first take proper measures to initiate or prepare the minds of men1 by exciting in them a susceptibility of this great power2 and that he would then undertake to communicate his secret gradually1 which he meant to do without hope of reward4 ,messmer1 too politic to part with his secret for so small a premium1 had a better prospect in view2 and his apparent disinterestedness and hesitation served only to sound an over-curious public1 to allure more victims to his delusive practices1 and to retain them more firmly in their implicit belief4 ,soon after this he was easily prevailed upon to institute a private society1 into which none were admitted1 but such as bound themselves by a vow to perpetual secrecy4 ,these pupils he agreed to instruct in his important mysteries1 on condition of each paying him one hundred louis4 ,in the course of six months1 having had not less than three hundred such pupils1 he realized a fortune of thirty thousand louis4 ,it appears1 however1 that the disciples of ,messmer did not adhere to their engagement3 we find them separating gradually from their professor1 and establishing schools for the propagation of his system1 with a view1 no doubt1 to reimburse themselves for the expenses of their own initiation into the magnetising art4 ,but few of them having understood the terms and mysterious doctrines of their foreign master1 every new adept exerted himself to excel his fellow-labourers1 in additional explanations and inventions3 others1 who did not possess1 or could not spare the sum of one hundred louis1 were industriously employed in attempts to discover the secret1 by their own ingenuity2 and thus arose a great variety of magnetical sects4 ,at length1 however1 ,messmer's authority became suspected2 his pecuniary acquisitions were now notorious1 and our humane and disinterested philosopher was assailed with critical and satirical animadversions from every quarter4 ,the fertility of his process for medical purposes1 as well as the bad consequences it might procure in a moral point of view1 soon became topics of common conversation1 and ultimately even excited the apprehensions of government4 ,one dangerous effect of magnetical associations was1 that young voluptuaries began to employ this art1 to promote their libidinous and destructive designs4 ,matters having assumed this serious aspect1 the ,french government1 much to its credit1 deputed four respectable and unprejudiced men1 to whom were afterwards added four others of great learning and abilities1 to inquire into1 and appreciate the merits of the new discovery of animal magnetism4 ,these philosophers1 among whom we find the illustrious names of ,franklin and ,lavoisier1 recognised1 indeed1 very surprising and unexpected phenomena in the physical state of magnetized individuals2 but they gave it as their opinion1 that the powers of imagination1 and not animal magnetism1 had produced these effects4 ,sensible of the superior influence1 which the imagination can exert on the human body1 when it is effectually wrought upon1 they perceived1 after a number of experiments and facts frequently repeated1 that contact1 or touch1 imagination1 imitation1 and excited sensibility1 were the real and sole causes of these phenomena1 which had so much confounded the illiterate1 the credulous1 and the enthusiastic2 that this boasted magnetic element had no real existence in nature1 consequently that ,messmer himself was either an arrant impostor1 or a deluded fanatic4 ,meantime1 this magnetic mystery had made no small progress in ,germany4 ,a number of periodical and other publications vindicated its claims to public favour and attention2 and some literary men1 who had rendered themselves justly celebrated by their former writings1 now stepped forward as bold and eager champions in support of this mystical doctrine4 ,the ingenious ,lavater undertook long journies for the propagation of magnetism and somnambulism3#add and what1 manipulations and other absurdities were not practised on hysterical young ladies in the city of ,bremen8 ,it is farther worthy of notice1 that an eminent physician of that place1 in a recent publication1 does not scruple to rank magnetism among medical remedies6 ,it must1 nevertheless1 be confessed1 that the great body of the learned1 throughout ,germany1 have endeavoured1 by strong and impartial criticism1 to oppose and refute animal magnetism1 considered as a medical system4 ,and how should it be otherwise1 since it is highly ridiculous to imagine that violent agitations1 spasms1 convulsions1 etc4 which are obviously symptoms of a diseased state of body1 and which must increase rather than diminish the disposition to nervous diseases1 can be the means of improving the constitution and ultimately of prolonging human life8 ,every attentive person must have observed1 that too frequent intercourse between nervous and hypochondriac patients is infectious2 and if this be the case1 public assemblies1 for exhibiting magnetised individuals1 can neither be safe nor proper4 ,it is no small proof of the good sense of the people of this country1 though they have at different times fallen into nearly similar delusions1 that the professors of animal magnetism did not long maintain their ground2 they were soon exposed to public ridicule on the stage1 and shortly became annihilated in their own absurdities4 ,other plans for the prolongation of life1 little less absurd than animal magnetism1 which have1 like every other imposture1 fretted their hour1 deserve to be noticed4 ,the ,french and ,germans have long stood pre-eminent in the empirical world1 though the merit of ingenious and more plausible emanations of genius may fairly be attributed to the latter4 ,animal magnetism2 physiognomy1 a rational though fallacious science2 phrenology1 a doctrine abounding with many singular manifestions1 and possessing claims not to be put down by mere force of prejudice1 are all of ,german origin4 ,the ,count ,st4 ,germain1 a ,frenchman1 realized large sums1 by vending an artificial tea1 chiefly composed of yellow saunders1 senna leaves1 and fennel seed1 which was puffed off under the specious appellation of ,tea for prolonging life2 which1 at that time1 was swallowed with such voracity all over the continent1 that few could subsist without it4 ,its celebrity was of short duration1 and none ever lived long enough to realize its effects4 ,the ,chevalier d',ailhoud1 another brazen-faced adventurer1 presented the world with a powder1 which met with so large and rapid a sale1 that he soon accumulated money enough to purchase a whole county4 ,this famous powder1 however1 instead of adding to the means of securing a long and healthy life1 is well known to produce constant indisposition1 and at length to cause a most miserable death2 being composed of certain drugs of a poisonous nature1 though slow in their operation4 ,count ,cagliostro1 styled the luminary of modern impostors and debauchees1 prepared a very common stomach elixir1 which was sold at a most exorbitant price under the name of balm of life ,it was pretended1 with the most unparalleled effrontery1 that1 by the use of this medicine1 the count had lived above #bjj years1 and that he was rendered invulnerable against every species of poison4 ,these bold assertions could not fail to excite very general attention4 ,during his residence at ,strasburg1 while descanting1 in a large and respectable company1 on the virtues of his antidote1 his pride met with a very mortifying check4 ,a physician who was present1 and who had taken part in the conversation1 quitting the room privately1 went to an apothecary's shop1 and ordering two pills of equal size to be made1 agreeably to his directions1 suddenly appeared again before the count1 and thus addressed him3--,here1 my worthy count1 are two pills2 the one contains a mortal poison1 the other is perfectly innocent2 choose one of these and swallow it1 and ,i engage to take that which you leave4 ,this will be considered as a decisive proof of your medical skill1 and enable the public to ascertain the efficacy of your extolled elixir4 ,the count took the alarm1 made a number of apologies1 but could not be prevailed upon to touch the pills4 ,the physician swallowed both immediately1 and proved by his apothecary1 that they might be taken with perfect safety1 being only made of common bread4 ,notwithstanding the shame of this detection1 ,cagliostro still retained numerous advocates by circulating unfounded reports1 and concealing his real character by a variety of tricks4 ,the inspired father ,gassner1 of ,bavaria1 ascribed all diseases1 lameness1 palsy1 etc1 to diabolical agency1 contending from the history of ,job1 ,saul1 and others recorded in sacred writ1 that ,satan1 as the grand enemy of mankind1 has a power to embitter and shorten our lives by diseases4 ,vast numbers of credulous and weak-minded people flocked to this fanatic1 with a view of obtaining relief which he never had the means to administer4 ,multitudes of patients1 afflicted with nervous and hypochondriacal complaints1 besieged him daily2 being all stimulated by a wild imagination1 eager to view and acknowledge the works of ,satan6 ,men eminent for their literary attainments1 even the natural philosophers of ,bavaria1 were hurried away by the stream1 and completely blinded by sanctified imposture4 ,it is no less astonishing than true1 that so late as #agid1 a ,count ,thun1 at ,leipzig1 pretended to perform miraculous cures on gouty1 hypochondriacal1 and hysterical patients1 merely by the imposition of his sacred hands4 ,he could not however raise a great number of disciples in a place that abounds with so many sceptics and unbelievers4 ,the commencement of the nineteenth century has been equally pregnant with imposture4 ,the delusions of ,joanna ,southcoat are too fresh in the recollections of our readers to require notice here2 yet1 strange to say1 this fanatical old woman had her adherents and disciples2 many of them1 in other respects1 were keen and sensible men2 nor has the delusion altogether evaporated1 though the sect is by no means powerful or strong2 the first impressions are still retained by her half frantic and ridiculous devotees1 who are only to be met with among the very lowest and illiterate orders of society4 ,the farce of the convert of ,newhall1 near ,chelmsford1 is of still more recent date4 ,here we have a miracle performed by the holy ,prince ,hohenlohe1 at a distance of at least three hundred miles from the presence of his patient4 ,hearing of the wonderful cures performed by this prince1 one of the nuns in the above convent1 who had been afflicted for a considerable length of time with a swelling and inflammation extending from the ball of the thumb along the fore arm1 and up as high as the armpit1 wrote to ,prince ,hohenlohe--having previously been attended by the most eminent practitioners in ,london without any apparent benefit--to relieve her from her sufferings4 ,this he willingly undertook to do1 but accompanied his consent with an injunction that she should offer up her prayers on a certain day 7,may #c1 #ahbd17 held in reverence by the catholics1 and at a certain hour1 promising that he would be at his devotions at the same time4 ,all this1 the afflicted nun attended to2 immediately after her prayers1 she experienced a tingling sensation along the arm1 and from that instant the cure rapidly advanced until the diseased limb became as sound as the other4 ,the days of priestcraft and superstition1 it was hoped1 had been fast fleeting away before the luminous rays of science1 even in those countries where religious juggling had been most fostered and practised4 ,but for any man in this country to believe that such a miracle can be wrought by human agency1 is of itself an awfully convincing proof that he is ignorant of the ,scriptures1 and that his own mind is likely to become a prey to the wildest chimeras4 ,prince ,hohenlohe's notoriety however as a worker of miracles was not confined to ,newhall4 ,his mighty prowess extended to the emerald isle2 and several cures were performed at as great1 or even at a greater distance1 than that wrought at ,newhall1 and merely at the sound of his orisons4 ,we hear of no miracles being wrought by1 or upon protestants2 consequently we leave them to the gloom of the cloister1 whence they emanated1 and where only they can be of use in a cause which requires the aid of stratagem to support it4 ,a taste for the marvellous seems to be natural to man in every stage of society1 and at almost every period of life2 it cannot1 therefore1 be much a matter of astonishment1 that1 from the earliest ages of the world1 persons have been found1 who1 more idle and more ingenious than others1 have availed themselves of this propensity1 to obtain an easy livelihood by levying contributions on the curiosity of the public4 ,whether this taste is to be considered as a proof of the weakness of our judgment1 or of innate inquisitiveness1 which stimulates us to enlarge the sphere of our knowledge1 must be left to the decision of metaphysicians2 it is sufficient for our present purpose to know that it gave rise to a numerous class of impostors in the shape of quacks1 mountebanks1 poison-swallowers1 fire-eaters1 and pill-mongers4 ,there is another class of adepts1 such as sleight of hand performers1 slack rope dancers1 teachers of animals to perform extraordinary tricks2 in short1 those persons who delude the senses1 and practise harmless deceptions on spectators1 included under the common appellation of jugglers4 ,if these arts served no other purpose than that of mere amusement1 they yet merit a certain degree of encouragement1 as affording at once a cheap and innocent diversion2 jugglers of this class frequently exhibit instructive experiments in natural philosophy1 chemistry1 and mechanics3 thus the solar microscope was invented from an instrument to reflect shadows1 with which a savoyard amused a ,german populace2 and the celebrated ,sir ,richard ,arkwright is said to have conceived the idea of the spinning machines1 which have so largely contributed to the prosperity of the cotton manufactories in this country1 from a toy which he purchased for his child from an itinerant showman4 ,these deceptions have1 besides1 acted as an agreeable and most powerful antidote to superstition1 and to that popular belief in miracles1 conjuration1 sorcery1 and witchcraft1 which preyed upon the minds of our ancestors2 and the effects of shadows1 electricity1 mirrors1 and the magnet1 once formidable instruments in the hands of interested persons1 for keeping the vulgar in awe1 have been stripped of their terrors1 and are no longer frightful in their most terrific forms4 ,,on ,,the ,,transfusion ,,op ,,blood ,,from ,,one ,,animal ,,to ,,another4 ,at a time when the shortness of human life was imputed to a distempered state of the blood2 when all diseases were ascribed to this cause1 without attending to the whole of what relates to the moral and physical nature of man1 a conclusion was easily formed1 that a radical removal of the corrupted blood1 and a complete renovation of the entire mass by substitution was both practicable and effectual4 ,the speculative mind of man was not at a loss to devise expedients1 to effect this desirable purpose2 and undoubtedly one of the boldest1 most extraordinary1 and most ingenious attempts ever made to lengthen the period of human life was made at this time4 ,we allude here to the famous scheme of transfusion1 or of introducing the blood of one animal into that of another4 ,this curious discovery is attributed to ,andreas ,libavius1 professor of medicine and chemistry in the university of ,halle1 who1 in the year #afae1 publicly recommended experimental essays to ascertain the fact4 ,libavius was an honest and spirited opposer of the ,theosophic system1 founded by the bombastic ,paracelsus1 and supported by a numerous tribe of credulous and frantic followers4 ,although he was not totally exempt from the follies of that age1 since he believed in the transmutation of metals1 and suggested to his pupils the wonderful power of potable gold1 yet he distinguished rational alchemy from the fanatical systems then in repute1 and zealously defended the former against the disciples of ,galen1 as well as those of ,paracelsus4 ,he made a number of important discoveries in chemistry1 and was unquestionably the first professor in ,germany who gave chemical lectures1 upon pure principles of affinity1 unconnected with the extravagant notions of the theosophists4 ,the first experiments relative to the transfusion of the blood1 appear to have been made1 and that with great propriety1 on the lower animals4 ,the blood of the young1 healthy and vigorous1 was transferred into the old and infirm1 by means of a delicate tube1 placed in a vein opened for that purpose4 ,the effect of this operation was surprising and important3 aged and decrepit animals were soon observed to become more lively1 and to move with greater ease and rapidity4 ,by the indefatigable exertions of ,lower1 in ,england1 of ,dennis in ,france1 and of ,moulz1 ,hoffman1 and others in ,germany1 this artificial mode of renovating the life and spirits was successfully continued1 and even brought to some degree of perfection4 ,the vein usually opened in the arm of a patient was resorted to for the purpose of transfusion2 into this a small tube was placed in a perpendicular direction2 the same vein was then opened in a healthy individual1 but more frequently in an animal1 into which another tube was forced in a reclining direction2 both small tubes were then slid into one another1 and in that position the delicate art of transfusion was safely performed4 ,when the operation was completed1 the vein was tied up in the same manner as on blood-letting4 ,sometimes a quantity of blood was drawn from the patient1 previously to the experiment taking place4 ,as few persons1 however1 were to be found1 that would agree to part with their blood to others1 recourse was generally had to animals1 and most frequently to the calf1 the lamb1 and the stag4 ,these being laid upon a table1 and tied so as to be unable to move1 the operation was performed in the manner before described4 ,in some instances1 the good effects of these experiments were evident and promising1 while they excited the greatest hopes of the future improvement and progress of this new art4 ,but the unceasing abuses practised by bold and inexpert adventurers1 together with the great number of cases1 which proved unsuccessful1 induced the different governments of ,europe to put an entire stop to the practice1 by the strictest prohibitions4 ,and1 indeed1 while the constitutions and mode of living among men differ so materially as they now do1 this is1 and ever must remain1 an extremely hazardous and equivocal1 if not a desperate remedy4 ,the blood of every individual is of a peculiar nature1 and congenial with that of the body only to which it belongs1 and in which it is generated4 ,hence our hope of prolonging human life1 by artificial evacuations and injections1 must necessarily be disappointed4 ,it must not1 however1 be supposed1 that these1 and similar pursuits during the ages of which we treat1 as well as those which succeeded1 were solely or chiefly followed by mere adventurers and fanatics4 ,the greatest geniuses of those times employed their wits with the most learned and eminent men1 who deemed it an object by no means below their consideration4 ,the method of supplying good for unsound teeth1 though long laid aside1 in consequence of the danger with which the practice was attended1 by the communication of disease from an unhealthy to a healthy person1 was at one time as much the rage as the transfusion of blood4 ,this practice1 notwithstanding the objections which stand opposed to it1 might1 nevertheless1 be adopted with success on many occasions1 could persons enjoying a sound and wholesome state of body be found to answer the demand1 however unnatural it may appear4 ,a few untoward cases soon raised the hue and cry against the continuance of the practice1 as in the transfusion of blood1 though the latter has recently been attempted in the case of an individual exhausted by excessive hermorrage with a success which answered the expectation4 ,there is little doubt that both the transfusion of blood1 and engrafting or transplanting of teeth1 are capable1 with judgment and discrimination1 of being made subservient in a variety of cases2 though the chances of general success militate against these experiments2 for it is the unalterable plan of nature to proceed gradually in her operations2 all outrage and extravagance being at variance with her established laws4 ,,footnotes3 #add ,the art of exciting sleep in persons under the influence of animal magnetism1 with a view to obtain or rather extort during this artificial sleep1 their verbal declarations and directions for curing the diseases of both body and mind4 ,such1 indeed1 was the rage for propagating this mystical nonsense1 that even the pulpit was occasionally resorted to1 in order to make1 not fair penitents1 but fair proselytes4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,rosicrucians ,,or ,,theosophists4 ,this remarkable sect was founded upon the doctrines of ,paracelsus1 during the latter part of the sixteenth1 and the beginning of the seventeenth centuries4 ,the society was known by the name of the ,rosencrucians or ,rosecrucians2 and as it has not been without its followers and propagators in different shapes1 even to the present time1 we shall here present the reader with a concise account of the origin and tenets of that fanatical sect4 ,the first intimation of the existence of this order we find announced to the world in a book published in the ,german language1 in the year #afad1 with the following title1 ,the universal and general ,reformation of the world1 together with an account of the famous fraternity of the ,rosencrucians4 ,the work contains an intimation1 that the members of the society had been secretly engaged for a century preceding1 and that they had come to the knowledge of many great and important secrets1 which1 if communicated to the world1 would promote the happiness of man4 ,an adventurer of the name of ,christian ,rosenkreuz is said to have founded this order1 in the fourteenth century after having been previously initiated in the sublime wisdom of the east1 during his travels in ,egypt and ,fez4 ,from what we are enabled to learn from this work1 the intention of the founder and the final aim of the society1 appear to have been the accumulation of wealth and treasures1 by means of secrets known only to the members2 and by a proper distribution of these treasures among princes and potentates1 to promote the grand scheme of the society1 by producing a general revolution of all things4 ,in their confession of faith1 there are many bold and singular dogmas2 among others1 that the end of the world is at hand2 that a general reformation of men and manners will speedily take place2 that the wicked shall be expelled or subdued1 the ,jews converted1 and the doctrine of ,christ propagated over the whole earth4 ,the ,rosencrucians not only believed that these events must happen1 but they also endeavoured to accelerate them by unremitted exertions4 ,to their faithful votaries and followers1 they promised abundance of celestial wisdom1 unspeakable riches1 exemption from disease1 an immortal state of man of ever blooming youth1 and above all the philosopher's stone4 ,learning and improvement of the mind were1 by this order1 considered as superfluous and despised4 ,they found all knowledge in the ,bible2 this1 however1 has been supposed rather a pretext to obviate a charge1 which was brought against them1 of not believing in the ,christian religion4 ,the truth is1 they imagined themselves superior to divine revelation1 and supposed every useful acquisition1 every virtue to be derived from the influence of the ,deity on the soul of man4 ,in this1 as well as in many other respects1 they appear to be followers of ,paracelsus1 whom they profess to revere as a ,messenger of the divinity4 ,like him1 they pretend to cure all diseases2 through faith and the power of the imagination1 to heal the most mortal disorders by a touch1 or even by simply looking at the patient4 ,the universal remedy was likewise a grand secret of the order1 the discovery of which was promised to all its faithful members4 ,it would be unnecessary to enumerate any more of such impious fancies1 if the founder of this still lurking sect1 now partly revivified1 had not asserted1 with astonishing effrontery1 that human life was capable of prolongation1 like a fire kept up by combustible matter1 and that he was in the possession of a secret1 which could verify this assertion4 ,it is evident1 however1 from the testimony of ,libavius1 a man of unquestionable veracity1 that this doughty champion in medical chemistry1 or rather alchemy1 ,paracelsus1 notwithstanding his bold assertions1 died as before observed1 at ,sulzburgh in ,germany1 in the ,hospital of ,st4 ,stephen's in #aeda3 and that his death was chiefly occasioned by the singular and desolate mode of life1 which he had for a long time pursued4 ,when a competent knowledge of the economy of the human frame is wanting1 to enable a man to discriminate between internal and external causes and effects1 it will be impossible to ascertain1 or to counteract1 the different causes by which our health is deranged4 ,this evidently was the case with ,paracelsus1 and many other life-prolongers who have succeeded him2 and should a fortunate individual ever fix upon a remedy1 possessing the power of checking disease1 or lengthening out human existence 7an expectation never to be realized7 he will be indebted to chance alone for the discovery4 ,this has been the case in all ages1 and still remains so4 ,remedies1 from time to time1 have been devised1 not merely to serve as nostrums for all diseases1 but also for the pretended purpose of prolonging life4 ,those of the latter kind have been applied with a view to resist or check many operations of nature1 which insensibly consume the vital heat1 and other powers of life1 such as respiration1 muscular irritation1 etc4 ,thus1 from the implicit credulity of some1 and the exuberant imagination of others1 observation and experiments1 however incompatible with sound reason and philosophy1 have been multiplied1 with the avowed design of establishing proofs1 or reputations of this or that absurd opinion4 ,in this manner have fanaticism and imposture falsified the plainest truths1 or forged the most unfounded and ridiculous claims2 insomuch that one glaring inconsistency has been employed to combat another1 and folly has succeeded folly1 till a fund of materials has been transmitted to posterity1 sufficient to form a concise history on this subject4 ,men in all ages have set a just value on life2 and in proportion to the means of enjoyment1 this value has been appreciated in a greater or less degree4 ,if the gratification of the sensual appetite formed the principal object of living1 its prolongation would be to the epicure1 as desirable as the prospect of an existence to be enjoyed beyond the limits of the grave1 is to the moralist and the believer4 ,the desire of longevity appears to be inherent in all animated nature1 and particularly in the human race2 it is intimately cherished by us1 through the whole duration of our existence1 and is frequently supported and strengthened1 not only by justifiable means1 but also by various kinds of collusion4 ,living in an age when every branch of human knowledge is reduced to popular systems2 when the vigils of reason are hallowed at the shrine of experiment and observation2--though we behold in the immense variety of things1 the utter uselessness of attempting to renovate a shattered constitution1 or of improving a sound one to last beyond a certain period2 we nevertheless observe that in the inconceivable waste of elementary particles there prevails the strictest economy4 ,nothing is produced in vain1 nothing consumed without a cause4 ,we clearly perceive that all nature is united by indissoluble ties1 that every individual thing exists for the sake of another1 and that no one can subsist without its concomitant4 ,hence we conclude1 that man himself is not an insulated being1 but a necessary link in the great chain1 which connects the universe4 ,nature is our safest guide1 and she will be so with greater certainty1 as we become better acquainted with her operations1 especially with respect to those particulars which more nearly concern our physical existence4 ,thus1 n source of many and very extensive advantages will be opened2 thus1 we shall reach our original destination--namely1 that of living long and in the enjoyment of sound health1 to which1 if purity of morals he added1 the best hopes may be entertained of a happy state1 in a future world1 where its inhabitants never die4