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Thaumaturgia orElucidations of the
marvellous / by anOxonian
Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque H. Ey. C.H. de Sainte-Anne
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Oxonian, An (17..-18.. ; auteur de la "Thaumaturgia"). Thaumaturgia or Elucidations of the marvellous / by an Oxonian. 1835.
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TTMÏM~~M~M~ elucidations
of the marvellous.
E. Churton
London 1835
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ELUCIDATIONS OF THE MARVELLOUS.
THAUMATURGIA,
OR
BY
AN OXONIAN.
Bombnsteskept thé <WH's bird,Shut in thc pomtnc) or his swor<
And tnught him ?)) the cunninf: pntnhx,Ofpast and future moutttebanka."
/~M~6r<!f.
LONDON:
EDWARD CHURTON, 26, HOLLES STRËET.
MDCPCXXXV.
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LOK~O~:
6CHULX!: AKL CO. 13 FOLA~t) smEUT.
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CONTENTS.
I'n);c
CHARTER I.
Demonoiogy–Thé Devil, a most unaccountabte pcfson-
age–Who is hc ?–His predHcctton for oid wotHcn~
Tradhions concernhtg evil spints &c. 1
CHAPTER II.
~a~icandMa~tcatrites. J44
JcM'ish tna~i. 32
C'HAPTËR III.
On the s cvcrat !unds of nM{;ie. t0
Augury, or d!v!nnuons drawn frotn thc fHght an(! ~'c(!.
ing .of hirds. 46
At'Utipiccs, or divinations drawn from brute or hum:)))
sacrittCt's. ;')
Divisions of divination by thé aucients–prodigies, etc. 51
CHAPTER IV.
History of Or&ctps–Thc principn! ~ra cles of {uttitpnty. ;'<!
Thé oractc of Jupiter Hatumou.M
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Iv CONTENTS'
Page
The oracle of Detphos, ur Pythian Apo!to. 57
Cérémonies practised on consu!tin~orac!es.58Oracles often cqui vocal and obscure. 61
Urim and Thurumim.63
Réputation of oracles, how lost. 64
Cessation of oracles 66
Had démons any s!tare in the oracles ? 68
Of oracles, thé nrtifices of priests of fatse divinitica 70
CHAPTER V.
The British Druids, or magi–Origin of faines–Ancient
superstitions–Their skill in medicine, etc. 75
Thé British magi. 84
CHAPTER VI.
/Escu!apian tnystcnes, etc. 91
CHAPTER VII.
Inferior deities nttending mankind from thci r bir th to
thcirdcceasc.M
CHAPTER VIII.
Judicial astrology-its chetnica! appUcation to t!tp
prolongation of life nnd heatth–Atchymica! dc!n-
sions. 102
CHAPTER IX
Atchytn!catandastro!o~ic(dch!mera.114Thc Horoscope, a tale of thc stars. 124
Thé Fatcd Parricide an oriental tale of the stars.. 132
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CONTENTS. V
ePage
Application of astrology to thc prolongation of life, etc. 137
Advertiscment. ..146
Spring',Sunnner. .149
Autumn. influences of, 150
Ofthcwintcrqnarter.j .152
CHAPTER X.
Oneirocritica! presentiment, iMustrat.ing'the cau8<e<ïccts,
principal phccomcna) and definition of dreams, etc.. 154
CauseofJDrcatns.157
Poet!cat illustrations of ttte effects of thé imagination
indrcams.158
Principal phcnomena in drcamtng. < 162
DcHntHonofdrcatns. 170
CHAPTER XI.
On Incubation, or thc art of hea!ing hy visionary divi-
nation.178
CHAPTER XH.
Un amuicts, charnu tatismans–Phi!ters, theiroriginand hnag!mny efncacy, etc. 197
Amufets used by thc common peopte. 200
RcccntDcitics, caprices, and effects, of thé imaginatioo. 203
Doctriue of E8invia–Miracu!ous cures by tneans of
chHt'tn'amn!cts,ctc. .207
CHAPTER XHr.
On taHsnmna–somc curious natural ones, etc.. 214
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Vt\, CONTENTS.
l'nuc
CHAPTER XIV.
On thé médicinal powers a tt ributed to music by thé
ancienis.225
CHAPTER XV.
Présages, prodigies, presentiments, etc. 237
CHAPTER XVI.
Phenomcna of meteors, optic delusions, spectru, etc.. 251
CHAPTER XVII.
Etucidntion of some ancient prodigics. 261
Ma~icat pretensions of certain herbs, etc. 263
CHAPTER XVIII.
The practiccofObcah, or ncgrowitchcraft–charme–
their knowïcdge of vc~ctnbtc poison–secret poison-
tnpr.2
CHAPTER XI.X.
On thp origin nnd superstitions influence of rings.. ~00
CHAPTER XX.
CctcKtiat inHuGnecs–otncns–dimactct'ica–prcdotnma-
nations.–Lucky and nn!uc!<y days.–Empirics, etc. 305
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CONTENTS. VU
Page
Absurdités ofParacc!sus,nnd Van Hdmont, ..32~
CHAPTER XXI.
Modct'ncmph'icistn.336
CHAPTER XXIL
Thc Rosicrucians or Thcosophists. 357
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u
"THAUMATURGIA,
OR
ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS.
CHAPTERI.
DEMONOLOGY–THE DEVÏL, A MOST UNACCOUNT-
ABLE PRR80NAGK–WHO 18 HE ?–BI8 PREDtï<KC-
TtON FOR OLD WOMEN–TRADITIONS COKCERXiNG
ISVtL 6PIRÏTS, &C.
CHïLDREN and old women have been accustonied
to hear so many frightful thiugs of the clovcn-footed
potentate, and have formed such diabolical ideus
ofhis satanic majesty, exhibiting him in so rnany
horrible and monstrous shapes, that really it were
cnough to frighten Beelzebub himself, were he
by any accident to meet his prototype iti thc
dark, dressed up in thé several figures m which
imagination bas embodied him. And a s regardsmen themselves, it might be pregumed that t lie
devil could not by any
mëaD8terrify
theni h;Uf Ku
much, were they actually to meet und cun-
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B LU CI DAT ION S O P TH B MA RVELL OU S. 3
B 2
their heroes. The Jews and thé early chriatians
restricted the name of Demon to beings of a malig-nant nature, or to devils properly so called; aud
it is to the early notions entertained by this people,that the otittmes of later systems of demonology are
to he traced.
It is a question, we believe, not yet set at rest
by thé learned in these sort of matters~ whether the
word devil he singular or plural, that is to say,whether it be the name ofa personage so called,
standing by himself, or a noun of ïnuMtude. If it
be singular, and used only personal as a proper
name, it consequently implies one impérial devil,
moriarch or king'of the whole clan of hell, justly
distinguished by the term DEVïL, or as our northern
neighbours call him the muckie horned deil,"
and poetically, after Burns "auld Clootie, Nick,
or Hernie," or, according to others, in a broader
set form of speech, the devil iu heïl," that is,
the dcvil of a devil," or in scriptural phra-
seology,
the great red dragon," the Devil or
Satan." But we shall not cavil on this mighty
~otcntate's name much less dispute his identity,
notwithstanding the doubt that has been broached,
whether the said devil be a real or an imaginary
personage, in the shape. form, and. with the facul-
ties that have been so miracu~ousiy ascribed to him
for
If it sbould so fall out, as who cnn tell,But thcrc may be a God, a heav'n nnd hcU?Mankind had bcst copmdef wct!for fear It be too late whcn their nu8tak<"< appear.
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4 THAUMATURGIA, OR
Thé devil bas always, it would seem, been par-
ticularly partial to old women the most ugly and
hideous of whom he has invariably sekcted to do his
bidding. Mother Shipton, for instance, our famous
old English witch, of whom so many funny stories
are still.told, is evidently very much wronged in
her picture, if s he was not of the most terrible
aspect imaginable and, if it be true. Merlin, the
famous Welch fbrt~ne-teUer,
was a mostfrightful
figure. If we credit another story, he waa be-
gotten by old Mtc&" himself. To return,
howevcr, to the devil's agents being so infernally
ugly, it need merely be remarked, that fromtimc
immemorial, he bas invariably preferred such ~tOMa~
creatures as most beïied the human form divine."
Thé sybils, of w hom so mauy strange prophetie
things are recorded, are aH, if the Italian poets are
to be credited, represented as very old wornen and
as if ugliness w ere the ne ~/M ultra of beauty in old
age, they have given them all thé hideousness of the
devil himself. It will be seen, despite of all that
bas been said to thé disadvantugc of the devil, that
he bas very much improved in his management of~
worldly affairs so much so, that, instead of an
administration of witches, wizzards, magicians,
diviners, astrologers, quack doctors, pettifogging
lawyers, and boroughmongers, he has selected some
of the wisest men a s w ell as greatest fools of the
day to carry his plans into effect. His satanic
majesty seems atso to have considerably improvedin bis taste; owing, no doubt, to the present im-
4
proving state of society, and the universal diffusion
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ELUCÏDATtONS 0F THE MARVBLLOUS. &
of useful knowledge. Indeed, wo ao longer hear of
cloven.fboted devils, only in a metaphorical sensé–
fire and brimstone are extmctor nearly so; thé
emhers of hell and etemal damnation are chieft)
kcpt alive and blown up by ultras among thé seota-
ries who are invariably thé promoters of religiousfanaticism. Beauty, wit, address, with thé less
shacMed in mind, have supereedcd ail that wasfrightful, and terrible, od!ous,'ugly, and deformed.
This aubject is poetically and more bea~tifuMy tUns-
trated in the following demonological stanzas, which
are so appropriate to the occasion, that we cannot
resist quoting them as a further prelude to our
sub;ects
When the devil for wcighty despatchesWanted messengers cnnning and bold,
He pass'd hy thc bcautiftt! faces
And picked out thé ugly and old.
Of thèse he ntndc warlocka and wttchcs
To~rua of his crfttnds by night,,Till the o~'cr-wrou~ht ht~-rtddcn wretchea
Werc ns fit as t.hc devil to fright.
But whoever hns heen his adviser,As his Mngdotn tnercases in growth,
He now tnkea lais mcasurcs nn<ch wiscr,And trafics with beauty and youth.
DiagMis'd in thc wanton nnd witty,He haunta both thc church and thé court
And 8on)cthncs lie visits thc city,Whcre all thé best christians resort.
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6 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
Thns drcss'd up in fuU mnsqnerade,Hc.thc botdcr can range up and down
For he bctter can drh'e on his trade,In any onc's namc titan h!s own.
.To be brief, the devil, it âppears, la by far
too cunning stil l for mankind, and continues to
<nanage things in his own way, in spite of bishops,
priests, laympn, and new churches. He govems the
vicep and propensitiee of men by methods peculiarlyhis own; though evcry crime or extortion, subter-
fuge or design, whether it be upon the purse or the
person, will not make a man a devil; it must
nevertheless be confessed, that every crime, be its
magnitude or complexion what it may, puts the
crinuual, in some measure, into thé devil's power,and gives him an nscendancy and even a t it le to thé
delinquent, whbm he ever afterwards treats in a very
magisterial manner.
We are told that every man has his attendant
evil genius, or tutelary spirit, to execute the orders
of thé master démon–that the attending' evil angel~<eea every move we make upon thé board; wit-
nesses all our actions, and permits us to do mischief,
and every thing that is pernicious to ourselves
-that, on the contrary, our goud spirit,. actuated
by'more benevolent motives, is always accessary to
our good actions, and retuctant to t hose that are
bad. If this be thé case, it may be fairly asked,
how does it happen that those two contending spirits
do not quarrel and give each other Mack eyes and broken heada during their rivalship for pre-eminence s'
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ELUCÏDAT!OKS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 7
And why does thé evil tempting spirit so oft~n
prevail ?
Instead of literally answering thene difficult ques.
tions, it may be resolved into a good argument, as
an excellent allegory to represent the struggle in thé
mind of man between gQod and evil Inclinations.
But to takc them as they actually arer, and merely to
talk by way of natural consequence-for to argue
from nature is certainly thé best way to get to thé
bottom of the devil's etory,-if there are good and
evil spirits attending us, that is to say, a good
angel and a devil, then it is no unjust reproachto pay, when people follow the dictates of the
iatter, that the ~<?M~'N in <AeM, or that they are
devils! or, to carry the simile a point farther, that
asthegenerahty, and by far thegreatestnumberof
people follow and obey the evil spirit and not the
good one, and that the power predominating is allowed
to be thé nominating power, it must théa of course
be allowed that thé greater part of mankind have tlic
devil'in them, which brings us to thé conclusion of our argument and in support of which the followingstanzas corne ha-ppily to our recollection.F
Ta pcrsons and places !tp scnds his diaguiaes,And dresses up all tus banditti,
Who, as ptckpockcts flock to country aasixcs,
Crowd up to thé court and thé city.
Thpy're at every elbow, and every car,
And rcady at evcry call, Sir;Thé vtgUant scout, ptants his agents abont,
And bas sompthing to do wi th us all, Sir.
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8 T~AUMATUROIA, OR
In some he bas part, and some he bas who!e,
And of some, (like thé Vicar of ~a<w)
Jt can neither be said they hâve body or soul
And only arc devils in sbadow.
Thé pretty and witty. are devils in masqueThé beauties arc mere apparitions;
The humely alone by their faces arc known,
And thé good by their ugly conditions.
Thé beaux walk about l ike the shadows of mon,And w!<erevcr he leads them they follow
But tak'cn), and shak'cm, thcre's not one in ten
But's as light as a feather, and hollow.
Thus all bis a<r<tirs he drivea on in disguise,
And, he t ickles mankind with a feather,
Creeps in at one's car, and looks out at our eyes,And jumbles our sensés together.
He raises the vapours and prompts the desires,And to ev'ry dark dced holds the candie
The passions incarnes and the appctitc tires,
And takcs every thing by the bandle.
Thus lie walks up and down in complete masqueradcAnd with every company mixcs
Sells in pvery shop, works ut evcry trade,And ev'ry thing doubtful perplexes.
Thé Jewish traditions concermng~ evil spirits are
various, some of which are founded on Scripture,
some borrowcd f rom the opinions ofthe Pagans, some
are tables of their own invention, and some are alle-
goricaL
Thé demons of thé Jews were considered either as
thé distant progeny of Adam or Eve, resultingfrom an improper intercourse with supernatural
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ELUC! DATIONS OB' THE MARVEï<LOU8. 0
beings, or of' Cain. As the doctrine, however,
was extremely revolting to somè few of t he early
Christians, they maintaincd that demons were the
souls of departed human beings, who were stiH
permitted to interfere in the affairs of the Earth,
either to a ssist their friends or to persecute their
enemies. But this doctrine did not obtain.
About two centuries and a balf ago an attempt, in
a condensed form, was made,. to give thé various
opinions entertained of demons at an early date of
the christian era and it ~ras not un~il a much later
period of Christianity, that a more decided doctrine re-
lative to their origin and nature was established. These
tenets involved certain very knotty points respecting the
fall of those angels, who, for disobedieucé, had forfeited
their high abode m Heaven. The gnostics of early
christian times, in imitation of a classification of the
different orders of spirits by Plato, had attempted a
similar arrangement with respect to an hierarchy of
angels, the gradation of which stood as follows.
The first, and highest order, was named SERA-PHïNS; the second, CuERUBiNS; the third was the
order of TnRONNS the fqurth. of DOMINIONS thé
fifth, ofVm'fUHS the Stxth, of PowEKs; thé seveuth,
Of PRINCïPALÏTtES the eighth, of ARCHANOEL8
the ninth, and lowest, of ANGEL8. This fable was,in a pointed manner, censured by the Apostles yet
strange to say, it almost outlived the pneumatologistwof thé middie ages. Tliese schoolmen, in reference to
the account that Lucifer rebelled against heaven, and
that Michael the archangel warred against him, long
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t0* THAUMATURGIA, OR
agitated the momentous question, what order ofange~feU on thé occasion. At length it became thé prevail-
ing opinion that Lucifer was of thé order of Séraphins.It was also proved afber innnite research, that Agares,
Bc!tu!, and Barbatos, each of them depo?ed angels of
~reat rank, had been of the order of Virtues that
Be!eth, Focalor, and Phoenix, had been of thé order
of Thrones that Gaap had been of the or(!er of Pow"
ers, and Virtues; and MurmurofThronesandAngeïs.The pretensions of many noble devils were, likewise,
canvassed, and, in an equally satiefactory manner,
determined; a multiplicity of incidents connected therc-
with were arranged, which previously had been mattef'
of considerable doubt and debate. These sovereign
devils, to each of whom was assigned a certain district,
had many noble spirits subordinate to them whose
various ranks and precedence were settled with aU
the preciseness ofheraMic distinction:-there were, fQr
instance, devil.dukes; devil-marquiscs devil-earJs;
devil-knights dcvH-preeidents, devil-archbishops, and
bitihops prelatcs and, without question, devil.phy-
siciaus, and apothecarics.In the midd!e âges) when conjuration had attained
a certain pitch of perfection, and was regularly prac-
tised in Europe, devils of distinction were suppoped to
make their appearance undcr dccidcd forms, by which
they were as well recognised, as the head of any an-
cient iainity would be by lus crest and armoriai be~r-
ings. Thé chapes they wérc accustomed to adoptwere registered among their names and characters.
Although the leading tenets of Demonology may be
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ELUCIDATIONS OF THE MARVELLOUS. ït t
traced to thé Jews and early Christians, yet they were
maturcd by our early communications with the Moors
of Spain, w ho were the chief philosophers of the
dark ages, and betwecn whom ancï the natives of
France and Italy, a great communication existed.
Toledo, Seville and Salamanca, became the greatestschools of magie. At thé latter city prédilections on
the black art from a consistent regard to the solem<
nity of thé sabject were delivered within the walls of
a vast and gloomy cavern. The scboolmen taught
that all knowledge might be obtained from the assist-
ance of the fallen angels. They were skilled in the
abstract sciences, in the knowledge of precious stones,
in alchymy, in the various languages of mankind and
of the ïower animais in the BeUes. Lettrée, Moral
Philosophy, Pneumatology, Divinity, Magie, History,
and Prôphecy. They could controul the winds and
waters, and thé stellar influences. They could cause
earthqnakes, induce diseases or cure them, accomplishau vast mechanical undertakings, and release soûls
out of Purgatory. They could influence the passionsof thé mind, procure the reconciliation offriends or
of foes, engender mutual discord, induce mania,
melancholy, or direct thé force and objects of
human.aiection. Such was the Demonology taught
by ita orthodox professors. Yet other systems of
it were deviscd, which had their origin in the causes
attending thé propagation of christianity for it
must havé been à work of much time to cradicate
the ahnost universal helief in the pagan deities,
which had become so numeroUs as to fili cvery creek ·
and corner of thé universe with fabulous beings.
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12 THAUMATURGIA, OR
Many learned men, indeed, were induced to'side with
the popuïar opinion on the su~ect, and did nothingmore than endeavour to unite it with thcir acknow-
ledged Systems of Demohology. They taughtthatthe objecta of heathen reverence were fallen angelsin league with the Prince of Darkness, who, uutil the
appearance of our Saviour, had been allowed to rangeon the earth
uncontroUed, and to involve thé world in
apiritual darknes8 and delusion.
According to thé varions ran~s which thèse spiritsheld in the vast kingdom of Lucifer, they were 6unër-
ed, in their degraded state, to take up their abode in
the air, in mountains, in springs, or in s eas. But
although thé various attributes ascribed to thé Greek
and Roman deities, were, by the carly tcachers of
christianity, considered in the humble light of démon.
ineal delusions, yet, for many centuries they possessed
great influence over the minds of the vulgar. The
notion of every man being attended by an evil
genius was abandoned much earlier than thé far more
agreeabïe part of thé same doctrine which taught that,as an antidote to their influence, ench individual was
also accompanied by a benignant spirit. The nu-
nistration of angels," says a writer in the Athenian
Oracle, is certain but the manner Ao< is the knot
to be unticd." It waa an opinion of thé early philo~
Mphers that not only kingdoms* had their tutelary
guardians, but that every person had his particular
Thns thp Pcnatcs, or houMhotd gods presidcd ov~r new- born infants. Kvcry thing hnd ita gnardian or peculiar genhts: citica, groves, fuuntnins, 'hiUs, were att providcdwith kccpc~a of this kind, and to each man was fUtottfd no
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ELUCIDATIONS 07 T KB MARVE~OUS. 13
genius or good spirit, to protect and admonish him
through the medium of dreams and visions.. Such were
thé objects of superstitions reverence derived from the
Pantheons of Greece and Rome, thë~vhoÏe synod of
which was supposed to consist of demons, who were
atill activcly bestirring themselves to delude mankind.
But in the west of Europe, a host of other demons,
far more formidable, were brought
into play,
who had
their origin in Celtic, Teutonic, and even in Eastern
fables and as their existence, as yell as influence,
was ho!d!y asserted, not only by the early christians,
but even by the reformers, it was long before the
rites to which they were accustomed were totallyeradicated.
lesa than two-one good, the other bad ( Hor. Lib. Il.
Epiât. 2.) who attended him from'the cradle to thé ~rave.The Grceks caHcd them </c~oMjr. They were named ~rorttM-
from their supennteadio~humao uSaiM.
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14 THAUMATURGE, OR
CHA.PTER Il.
MAGIC AND MAGICAL ÏUTBS,. &C.
F~w subjccts present to a philosophie eye more
inatter of curious, importaDt an<t instructive rescarcit
than the natural history of religion. Some sort oï
religious service has been fbund to prevail i n all
nges and nations, from the most rude and barbarous
periods of human society, t to those of cultivation
and refinement. ÎM thc~e penods are to be tracedspecimens strongly murked wit!i exertions of the
feelings, and facéties of men in every situation
almost that cao be supposed. It is from the con-
temp!ation of thèse exertions that we leam what
sort of creature man is that wc discover the extent
of his powers, and the tendency of his desires
nnd that \ve hccomc acquainted with thé force of
culture and civilization upon him, by comparingthé degrec3 of improvcmcnt he !ms attaiaed in the
varions stages of society through whic!t l ie has
ptisscd.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARYBt<LOUS. t5
It seems to be a principle established by experience,that mankind in général h ave at no time been able,
by the opération of their own mntual powcrs, to
ascend in their inquiries to the grcat comprehensivefoundation of true religion,-the knowledge of a
first cause. This idea is too grand, too distinct, or
too refined for thé generality of thé hmnan race.
They are surrounded by sensible ohjects, and stronglyattached to them; they are in a great measure
unaccustomed to the most simple and obvious degreesof abstraction, and they can scarcely conceive any-
thing to have a 'real existence that may not become
an object nf their sensés. Possessed of such sen-
timents and viewp, they are fully prepared in em-
bracing.all thé follies and absurdities of superstition.
They worship every thing they either love or fear, in
order to procure the continuance of faveurs enjoyed,or to avert that resentment they may have reason to
dread. As their knowledge of nature is altogether
imperfect, and as many evcnts every moment present
themselves, upon which they c an form no theoretical
conclusion, they fly for satisfaction to the most simple, but most ineffectual of all solutions–thé agency of
invisible beings, with which, in their opinion, all
nature is nl!ed. Hence thé rise of Polytheismaûd local deities, which have overspread the face
of the earth,' under thé different titles of guardian
goda or tutelary saints. Hence màgnincent templesand splendid s tatues have been crected to aid the
imagination of votaries, nnd to realize objects of
worship, whîch, though supposed to hc always hovcr-
ing around, scidom condescend to become visible.
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1C THAUMATUROIA, OR
After obtaining some information conceming pré.sent objects, t!te next cause of solicitude and inquiryto the mind of man, i s to penetrate a l itt le into
the secrets of futurity. The same tnteÏary godswho bestowed their care, and exerted their powersto procure présent pleasure and happiness for mat~-
kind, were supposed not averse to grant them, in
this respect also, a little indulgence. Hence the
famous oracu)ar responses of antiquity hence the
long train of conjurera, fortune-tellera, astrologers,
necromancers~ magicians, wizards, and witches,
that have been found in all places and at all times
nor have superior knowledge and civilization
been sufficient' to. cxtirpate such characters, by
demonstrating the futility and absurdity of their
views.
Among the ancients, this superstition was a great
engine of state. The respect paid to omens', augurieaand oracles, was profound and- universal and the
persons in power monopolized the privilege of con-
sulting and interpreting them. They joined the people in expreesing their vénération; but there'
is little, reason to doubt that they conducted thc
responses in such a manner as best suited the pur-
poses of government. On this account, it would
not be difficult for the oracle to émit prédictions,
which, to aU those unacquainted with the secret,
would appear altagether astonishing and unaccount-
able. It would seem that this princtple alone ïs
aufficient to explain aU the pheuomena of ancient
oracles.
Though dcvination bas long ceased to be an
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-<
ELUCtDATÏONS 0F THE MAttVELLOUS.
c
instrument of government, abundance of designing
persons hâve not been wanting in latter âges, who
found much interest in taking advantage of thc
weal~ncss or credu!ity of their fellow creatures.
Against this pestilent and abandoned race of men,
most civilized countries have enacted penal laws.
But what rendered such persons peculiarly detest.
able in modem times,
was the communication which
they were supposed to hold with thc devil, to whom
they sold themselves, and from whom, in retum,
they derived their information. And by this prin-
ciple the penal statutes, instead of extirpating,
inf lamed the evil. They alarmed thé imaginationsof thé pcople they tcmpted them to impute the
cause of their misfortuncs and digappointmcnt to
the malice or resentmentofthcir neighbours; theyinduced t hem to trn&t to their suspicions, much
more than to their reason; and they multipliedwitches and wizards, by putting into possession of
every foolish informer thé means of ptinishment. In
several coimtries of Europe, these statutes still
subsist they were not abo~ished i n Britain till a
period sti ll at no gréât distance. Since the abolition
of persécution, thé faith ofwitchcraft has disappearedeven among the vulgar. It was long found inconsts-
tent with any considérable progrcss in philosophy.For thèse rcasons wc rcad, with somc dcgrcc of
astonishment, a treatisc on this cxplodcd subject, bya philosopher, an eminent physician~ a privy coun-
seller of thé thcn Etnpress Quecn, and a professor in thé univcrsity of Vienna. It was long doubtcd
whether thé professor was in eamest, but thc
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVEHOU8. 19
C2
craft. He proposes to prove, in the first place, that
such a communication does actually exist. He
quotes the Egyptian magicians, the witch of Endor,thé possessions mentioned in the New Testament,
and many more exceptiooable authorities from the
fathers, a nd.canons of the church. He is positivethé incantations of the Egyptian magicians were real
operations of infernal
agents, and that the accounts
of them, delivered by Moses, can admit no other con.
etr action.
May not the sincere believer in the divine au-
wthority of the scriptures reasonably hesitate con-
cerning this conclusion ?a Or rather, does not such
an interpretation justly expose revelation to re-
proach ?a The plain dictates of the best philosophy
are, that nothing is more simple, regular, and uni-
form than the ordinary course of nature and that
this course can neither be suspended nor altcred,
but by its author, nor can by him be permitted to
be interrupted by any inferior being, unless for thé
most important reasons. It d oes not appear what
good end could be gained, on thé part of Provi-
dence, by the permission of these magical en-
chantments, supposing them supernatural and if
we imagine the Devil to have acted spontaneously,with a v iew to support his power and influence,
he most manifestly erred in his design. Nothingcould be more impolitic than his appearance in a
field of combat, where he well knew hc must
sustain an jgnominious defeat. Or i f he workcd
enectually to support the power and influence of
his servants the magicians, he should bave counter-
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20 THAUMATURGE OR
acted, not repeated, the miraculous exhibitions of
Moses. That the magicians possessed no power
sufficient for this purpose is obvious, from their
not exerting it. That Pharoah expected no such
exertion from them is evident from his never re-
questing it, and from his application to Moses and
Aaron. Thé truth seems to be, that Pharoah con-
ceived Moses and Aaron to be magicians ÏUœ his
own. He wished to support the character of thelatter and hc concludcd this would be effectually
donc, if they could only fumish a pretence for
anirmiug that they had performed every wonder accom-"
plished by thc former. Without some such suppo-sition of collusion, two of the miracles attempted
by thé magicians are perfectiy absurd and contra-
dictory. They pretended to tum water into blood,
whcn t!tere was not one drop of water in aM the
land of Egypt, which Aaron had not previouslyconverted into that substance. They pretended to
send frogs o ver thé land of Egypt, when everycorner of it was
swarming with that loathsome
reptile. It is further remarkable that, w ith the
three first only of Moses's miracles they proposed to
vie on thé appearance of thé fourth, they fairly
resigned tlie contest, and acknowledged very honestlythat the hand of G od was vis ible in the miracles of
Mosca;–n plain confession that no supernatural
power opcr~tcd in their own.
De Haen considers thé case of thé witch of Endor
as an authority still more direct. He n~intains
that Samuel was actue.IIy called up, eithcr under
corporcal or fantastic form, and forctold Saul the
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THS MARVEHOUS. 21
fate of his engagements with the Philistines. Let
us attend to the circumstanccs of the story, and
examine whether it is absolutely necessary to Hâve
recourse to this supernatural hypothesis. Thc mind
of Saul was distracted and agitated beyond measure
by the most crit ical and alarming situation of his
anairs his distrcss was so gréât that, forgetting
his dignity and safety, he dismissed his attendantelaid aside his royal robes, was unable to cat bread,
and, dressed like the meanest of his people, he took
his journey to the abode of the conjurer. In this
state of miud, prepared for imposition, he arrives
during thé night at her residence. He prevails with
her, by much solicitation, and probably by ainple
rewards, to call up Samuel. To discompose still
further the disordered mind of Saul, she announces
the pretended approach of the apparition by a loud
acclamation, tells the king she knew him. whicli
till now she affected not to do, and describes the
resurrection of the prophet,
under the awful sem-
blance of God's rising out of the earth.
During all this time the king had seen nothing
extraordinary, either because he was not allowcd lightsufficient for that purpose, or was not admitted
within the sphère of vision. He entrcats an ac-
count of thé personage who approached, and the
conjurer describes the well-known appearance of
Samuel. The prophet sternly challenges thé kingfor disturbing his repose, tells him that David was
intended to be King of Israel, that himself would
be defeated by the Philistines, and that he and his
sons would fall in battle. Thé king enters into no
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22 THAUMATURGIA, OR
conversation with the apparition but unable any
longer to support his agitation, drops lifeless on
the ground. The conjurer returns to Sau!, presseshun to take s ome food which she had prepared.He at last complies and having finished his repast,
departs with his servants before the morning. The
whole of this scene, it is evident, passed in dark-
ness. It does notappear
that Saul ever saw the
prophet and it surely required no supematural
intelligence to communicate all thé information he
obtained. Thia would rcndily beauggestedbythe
despondency of thé king, the strength of his ene-
mies, and the disposition of thé whole people of the
Jews alienated from him, and inclined towards his
successor. The witch of Endor, therefore, might be a common fbrtune-teUer, and her case exhibits
no direct proof of supernatural possession.We do not pretend to account so easily for many
of the possessions recorded in the New Testament,
though few of these only are applicable to the case
of sorcery. We are well aware, that several writersof eminence, who cannot be supposed to entertain
thé least unfavourable sentiments of revelation,
have undertaken to explain these possessions,without having recourse to any thing supematural,
by representing them as figurative descriptions of
particular and local diseases.'
We mean not to adopt, or defend the views of
such authors, though we may perhaps be allowed
to observe that, were their opinions supported in a
satt~factory manner, christianity would lose nothing
by tlie attempt. It would be exempted, by this
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 23
means, from a l it tle cavilling and ridicule, to which
some of i ts enemies reckon it a t present exposed,and thé design cou]d not in the least derogatefrom its divinity, a s the instantaneoua cure of a dis-
temper cannot be considered îess miraculous than
the expu!s!on of the devil. At any rate, these
possessions are all extraordinary appearcd on some
most extraordinary occasion and from them, there-fore, no general conclusion can be drawn to the or-
dinary cases of common life.
We shall now translate a specimen of de Haen'8*
authorities, cxtracted from the fathers. The fbl-
lowing from Jerome will need no comment. This
father, in his life of St. Hilario thé hermit, relates
that a young man of the town of G aza in Syria,fëll deeply m love with a pious virgin in the neigh-
bourhood. He a ttacked her with looks, whispers,
professions, caresses, and all those arguments whieh
usually conquer yielding virginity but finding them
all ineffectual, he resolved to repair to Memphis,
the residence of many eminent conjurers~ and
implore their magie aid. He remained there for a
year, till he was fully instructed in the art. He
then returned home, exulting m his acquisitions,
and feasting his imagination with the luscious scènes
he was now confident of realizing. AU he had to do
was to lodge secretly some hard words and uncouth
Antonio de Hapn, S. C. R. A. Majestate a constHis ant!-
cis, et Archintri, medccina; in a!ma et antiquissimo univer-sitatc professoris pr!manj, piunum cruditorium socictutem
soci!, de magin libcr. Svo. Vicnna.
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24 THAUMATURGIE OR
figures, engraved on a plate of brass, below the
threshold of the door of the house in which the ladylived. She became periectiy furious, she tore her
hair, gnashed her teeth, and repented incessahtiy
the name of the youtb, w ho had been drawn from
her presence by thé violence of her despairing
passion. In this situation she was conducted byher relations to the cell of old Hilario. The devil
that possessed her, in consequence of thé charm,
began immediately to howl, and to confess the truth.
1 have suffered violence/' said he ~'1 have
been forced hither against my inclination. How
happy was 1 at Memphis, amusing my friends with
visions 0 the pains, the tortures which 1 suû~r Ï
You command me to dislodge, and 1 am detained
fast by the charm below the threshold.* 1 cannot
départ, uniess the young man dismiss me." So
cautions, however, was the saint, that he would not
permit the magie figures to be searched for, tiU he
had released the virgin, for fear he should seem to
have intercourse with incantations in performing thecure or to believe that a devil could even speak
truth. He observed only that demons are always liars,
and cunning to deceive.
De Haen imputes to the power of magie the
miractes,* as they are called, of the famous Apol-lonius Thyanaeus. He seems to entertain no
Many significations bave been at tached to the word
miracle, both by the ancients and modems. With ua a
tui radc is thé suspcnsion or v iolat ion of thé !aws of na-
ture and a miracle, w hich can be explained upon pbystcaÏ
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MLUCÏDATÏONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 25
scruple about their authority. As several of t he
enemies of revelation have held forth Thyanaeus as
a r ival of Jesus Christ, a specimen of h is perform-
ances may amuse our readers. During an assembly
of the people at Ephesus, a great f light of birds
approached from a neighbouring wood one bird led
ail the rest. There is nothing wonderful," says
Thyanaeus, to thé astonished people, in this
appearance. A boy passing along a particular street
has carelessly scattered in it some com which he
carried one bird has tasted the food, and generously
caUs the rest to partake thé repast." The hearers
pnncip!e8, ceases to bc such, Whatever surpassed their
comprehension was regarded by thé ancients as a tuiracte,and every extraordinary degree 'of information attained byan individual, as well as any unlookcd-for occurrence, was
referred to some peculiar interposition of thc dcity. Hence
among thé aucients, thc followers of (UHcrent divinitics, far
from denying thc miracles performed by their opponcnts,
admitted their reaHty, but endenvoured to surpass themand thtts in thé life of Zoroaster, wc find that able in-
novator frequently entering the tiats with hostile enchanters,
admitting but excecding thc wonderful works they per-
formed and thus a iso when thc thi rs t of power, or of
distinction, divided thé sacerdotal co~cges, similar trials of
skill would cnsuc, thé successfal combatant being con-
sidcrcd to derive his knowledge from thé more pawerful
god. That the science on which ench purty dcpended was
dcrived from expérimental physics, may be proved. 1. bythe conduct of thc Thamnaturgists, or wonder.workers
2. from what they themseh'cs had said conccrning magiethé gcnii invoked by thé tnagicians, sonetimes denoting
physical or chemical agents ctnptoyed, sometimes men who
cultivated the science.
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26THAUMATURGIA~ OR
repaircd to thé spot, and found the information
true.
Being called to allay a pestilence which ragcd at
Ephesus, he ordprcd an old bcggar to be burned
under the stones near thé temple of Hercules, as an
enemy t o thé gods. He commanded thé people
again to remove thé stones, that they might see
what sort of a nimal had been put to death. Theyfound not a man, but a dog. ïiie plague, however,
ceased.A mnrried woman of rank being dead, was carried
out to he burned in an open litter, followed by her
husband dies-olved in tears. Apollonius approaching,
requests him to gtop thé procession, and he would
put a n end to his grief. He asked the name of
thé womnn, touched her, and muttercd over her
some words. She immediately revived, began to
ppea~ and rcturned again to her own house. Fteury~who relates thé miracle, remnrks that some peopledoubted whether thé woman had bcen really dead,
as they had ohscrved something like breath issuefrom her mouth. Others imagined site had been
seized only with a tedious faint, and that the opera-tion of thé cold dews and damps upon her body
might naturally recover her. On Fteury's remark
de Haen most sagcÏy obsen'es, that thé personswho observed thé woman breathing could not surelyhave suppressed thé joyful ncws, and would certainlyhave stopped thé procession before thé philosopher àrrivcd.
De Haen's second attempt is to récite all the
élections that hâve been made against sorcery, and
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 2"f
to subjoin to each a distinct réfutation. There is
nothing in this part of the work that merits anyattention. He concludes in these words: I maythen with confidence afHrm, that the art of magiemost certainly exists. History, sacred and prophane
authority human and divine experiments the most
unquestionable and unexceptionable, ail concur to
demonstrate its reality."The last part of de Haen's work relates to the dis
covering and treating of magical diseases, to explainwhich seems to have been the chief purpose of the
author in composing his book. Much caution, he
observes, and attention are necessary on this head
and thé physician should not readily admit the im-
putation of witchcraft. No absence of the ordinary
symptoms, no uncommon alteration of the course
of the distemper, are sumcient to infer tins conclu.
sion, because thèse may arise from unknown natural
ca~s. What then a re the marks of certain in-
cantations ? De Haen holds the following to be
indisputable if, in any uncommon disease, there
sitall ~be found, in the stuffing of the cushions, or
cielings of the room in which thë patient lies, in
the feather or the chaff of his bed, about the
door, or under the threshold of his house, any
strange characters, images, bones, hair, secds, or
roots of plants and if upon the removal of these,
or upon conveying the patient into another apart-
ment, he shall suddenly recover or if the patient
himself, or his fricnds, shall be so wicked as to
call a w izzard to their aid, by whom the malady
shall bc rcmoved or if insects and animais which
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28 THAUMATURGIE OR
do not lodge in thé human body if stones, metals,
gïass, knives, plaited hair, pieces of pitch, be
ejected from particular parts of thé body, of greater
size, and wcight and figure, than could bc supposedto make thcir way through these parts, without
much greater demolition and delaceration of thé
passages in all these cases, the disease is unques-
t!onah!y ntagicaL"Thé author proceeds to enquire whether the phy-
sician may presume to remove the instruments of
incantation in order to relieve thé patient without
incurring thé accusation of impicty by interferingwith the implements and furniture of the devil
and conchides very fonna~y that, after approachingthem with all due ceremony and respect, after im-
ploring with suitahle devotion and ardonr, the pro.tection and direction of heaven in such a perilous
undertaking, he may attempt to intermeddle, and
may occasionaHy expect a successful issue.
Such are thé views, reasonings, and conclu-
sions of, at thc time, onc of the first physicians and
philosophers of Germany ;-views and reasoningswhich would have heen received with eagerness and
applause two hundrcd years a~o, but which the
philosophy and improvements of later t imes seem to
have banished to thé abodes of ignorance and bar.
barity.Thé origin of almost aU our knowledge may !)e
traced to thé earlier periods of antiquity. This is
pecuharty the case with respect to the arts denomi-
nated magical. There wcre few ancient nations,
howcver barbarous, which could not fumish many
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ELU CI DA TI OK8 0 F T HE MA RV ËLLO US . 29
individuals to whose spetls and encliantments the
power of nature and tlie mater ial world wcre sup.
posed to be subjected. Thé Chaldeans, the Egyp-
tinns, and indeed all the oriental nations were ae-
customed to refer all natural effects, for which theycould not account to the agency of demons, who
were believed to preside over herbs, trees, rivers,
mountains, and animais. Every member of the
human body was under their power, and all corpo-real diseases were produced by their malignity.For instance, if any happened to be affected with
a fever, little auxicty w as manifested to discover
its cause, or to adopt rational measures for its cure
it must no doubt have been occasioned by some evil
spirit residing in the body, or influencing', in some
mysterious way, the fortunes of the sufferer. That
influence could be counteracted only by certain ma-
gical rites hence thé observance of those rites soon
obtained a permanent establishment in the East.
Even at thé present day, many uncivihzed peoplehold that all nature is nUed with
genii, of which
some exercise a heneficent, and others a destructive
power. AH evils with w hich man is afBicted, are
considered thé work of thèse imaginary beings,whose favour must be propitiated by sacrifices, in-
cantations, and songs. Ifthc Greenlander be unsuc-
cessful in n~hing, the Huron in huuting, or in war
if even thé ëcarccly hait reasoning Hottentot
fitids evcry thing is not right in his mind, body, or
fortune, no time must be lost before thé spirit bc
invokcd. Aftcrthe rcmovnl of somc present evil,
thé ncxt stronge'-t desire in thé human mind is the
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30 THAUMATUROIA, OR
attainment of some future good. Tins good is often
beyond thé power, and still oftcner beyond the in-
clination of man to bcstow it must therefore be
sought from beings which are supposed to possessconsiderable influence over human aftairs, and
which being elevatcd above thé baser passions of
our nature, wcre thought to regard with peculiar favour all who acknowledged their power, or invoked
their aid hence the numerous rites which hâve,in ail ages and countries, been observed in con-
sulting guperior intelligences, and the equally nume-
rous modes in which their pleasure has heen com.
municated to mortals.
The Chaldean magi were chiefly founded on
astrology, and were much conversant with certain
animais, metals and plants, which they employedin all their incantations the virtue of which
was derived from stellar innuencc. Great attention
was always paid to the positions and the configura-
tions presented by thé celestial sphère and it was
only
at favouraMc seasons that thé solemn rites
were celcbrated. Those rites wcre accompanied with
many peculiar and fantastic gcstures, by lcaping,
clapping of hands, prostrations, loud crics, and not un-
frequently with uninteHigibIe exclamations. Sacrinces,
and burut oShrings were used to propitiate superior
powers but our knowledge of thé mngtcal rites
exercised by certain oriental nations, thc Jews only
exceptecl, is extremely limited. Ail thé books pro-
fesscdly written on thc subjcet, bave been swept
away by the torrent of time. We learn, liowever,
that thc professors among thé Chaldeans wcre ge-
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ELUCÏDATÏONS 0F THE MARVELÏ.OUS. 3i
nerally divided into three masses thc ~~c~
or charmers, whose office it was to removc present,
and to avert future contingent evils to conatruct
talismans, etc. Thé ~pc~cAe~ or magicians,
properly so called, who were conversant with the
occult powcrs of nature, and the supernatural world
and thé c~<M<~ï, or astrologers, who constituted byfar the most numerous and respectable class. And
from the assembly of thé wise men on thé occasionof the extraordinary dream ôf Nebuchadnezzar, it
would appear that Babylon had also her oneirocri-
tici, or interpreters of dreams–a spceies of diviners
indeed, t0 which almost cvcry nation of antiquity
gave birth.
Like the Chaldean astrologers, thé Persian magi,from whom our word magie is derived, belong to
thé priesthood. But the worship of the gods was
not their chief occupation they were also great pro.
ncients in t!ie arts. They joincd to thc worship of
the gods, and to thé profession of medicine and na.
tural magie, a
pretended familiarity with
superior powers, from which they boasted of deriving ah
their knowledge. Like Plato, who probably im-
bibed many of their notions, they taught that
demons hold a middle rank between goda and men
that tliey (thé demons) presided not only over divi-
nations, auguries, conjurations, oracles, and every
apccies of magie, but also over sacrifices, and
praycr, w ~ich in bcha]f of men is thus presented,
and rcndcrcd acceptable to thc gods. Indccd, ~e
austeritv of their lives* was well calculated to
AU thé thrcc ordcrs of Magi cnumcrntcd by l'orphyry,
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32 THAUMATURGIA, OR
strengthen thé impression which their cunning had
nlready m ade on the multitude, and to prepare thé
way for whatever impostures they might afterwards
practisc.We are less acquainted with Indian magie
than with that practised by any other Eastern
nations. It may, howevcr, be rensonably enoughinferred that it was very simUar to that for which
thé magi in gênera! were held in such high estima-tion a!though they were excludcd, as beings of too
sacred a nature, from the ordinary occurrences of
life. Thcir Brahmins, or Gymnosophists, were
regarded with as much reverence as thé magi, and
prohahly were more worthy of it. Some of them
dwe!t in woods, and others in t!te immédiate vicinityof cities. Their skill in medicine was gréât the
care which they took in cducating youth, in fami-
liarizin,g i t with gencrous and virtuous sentiments,
did them peculiar honour und their maxims and
discourscs, as recorded by historians, prove that
they wcre much accustomed to profbund rcncctionon the principics of civil po!ity, morality, religionand philosophy.
JEWiSH MAGï.
Of thc mnp-i of thc Jews, i t is provcd by Light.foot,~ that after their retum from Bnbylon, hnving
cntirely forsaken ido!atr)', and bcing no longer
tt'nbatain~tfrom u'inc «nf! ~otnef), :ttxt t,he ~rst of tht'sc
orders frotn nninud f<tod.Va!, ii. p. 287.
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ELUCIOATÏON8 OP THE MAHVELLOU8. 33
u
favoured with the gift of prophecy, they graduallyubandoned thcmselves, before the coming of onr
Saviour, to sorcery and divination. The Talmud,
still regarded w ith a reverence bordering on idolatry,abounds with instructions for the due observance of
superstitious rites. Aftdr their city and templewere destroyed, many Jewish impostors were highiyesteemed for their pretended skill in magie and
under pretence of interpreting dreams, they met
with daily opportunities of practising thé most
shamefui frauds. Many Rabbins were quite as well
versed in the school of Zoroaster, as in that of Moses.
They prescribed aU kinds of conjuration, some for
thé cure of wounds, some against thé dreaded bite
of serpents, and others against thefts and enchant-
ments. Their divinations were founded on the in-
fluence of thé stars, and on the operations of spiritg,
they did not, indccd, like the Chaldean magi, re-
gard thé heavenly bodies as gods and gcnii, but
they ascribcd to them a gréât power over thé ac-
tions and opinions of men.
The magical rites of the Jcws were, and indeed arcstill, chieny performed on various important occa.
siens, as on the birth of a child, murriages, etc.
On s uc h o cc as io ns thé evil spirits are supposed tu
be more'than usually active in their malignity, which
can only bc countcracted hy certain enchantments.*
Thcv hciieve that Lilis will cause ail their mâle
chiidren to die on thc cighth day aftcr their birth
~h'!s on thc twcnty-first.f Thc following arc thc
Sec T«!)!t. chap. viit. v. 2 !H)d2.
t E)u~, M(tuotcd hy Ucckcr.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THB MARVELLOUS. 35
D 2
us, when we consider the rooted malignity enter-tained by the Jews to the christian religion, and
this writer's attempt to appreciate the miracles of our
Saviour, by ascribing them to magical influence,
and by representing them as easy of accomplish-ment to all acquainted with the occult sciences.
Innumerable are the déviées contained in the
Cabala for averting possible evils, a s the plague,
disease, and sudden death. It directa how to
select and combine some passages of scripture,which are believed both to render supernatural
beings visible, a nd to produce many wonderful and
surprising e ffects. The most famous wonders have
been accomphshedby means of thé name of God.
Thé sacred word Jehovah is, when read with points,
multiplied by thé Jewish doctors into twelve. forty-
two, and seventy-two letters, of which words arc
composed t hat are thought to possess miraculous
energy. By thèse, say they, Moses slew thé Egyp-
tians by thèse Israel was preserved from thé des-
troying angel o f the wilderness by these Elijah
separated the waters of the river, to open a passagefor himself and Elisha, and by these it bas been as
duringly and impudently asserted, that our blessed
Saviour. the eternal Son of God, cast out evil spirits.The name of thé devil is likewise ueed in their
magical déviées. The five Hebrew letters of which
that name* is composed, exactly constitute the
There is no mention made of the word 7A'f<7 in theOld Testament, but only of ~<ï~M nor do wc mcct w!th it
m any of the heathen authors who say anything about thé
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36 THAUMATURC.IA, OR
number 361, one less than thc days of thc wliole
year. They pretended that, owing to thc wonder-
fu! virtue of thé number compriscd in thc name of
Satan, l ie is prevented from accusing them for an
cqual number of days hence thé stratagem before
alludcd to, for depriving thé devil of tlie power of
doing them any harm on the only duy on which thut
power is granted to him.
lu allusion to thé cabansts, Pitny says, Thereis another sect of magicians of wïnch Moses and
Latopea, Jews, w ere thc f irst authoM." It was thc
prevatiing opinion among thé Hebrcws, that thé
Cabala was delivered by God to Mosea, and thence
through a succession of âges, cvcn to thé tirnes of
Ezra, preserved by tradition oniy~ without thé he!j)of writing, in the same manner as thé doctrine of
Pythagoras was delivered by Archippus and LysiadcS)
whoitept pchools at Thcbcs in Grecce, whcrc thc
scho!arslcarnedaU their master's prccepts by heart,
und employed their memories in~teadofbooks. So cer-
tain Jews, dospising letters, all their learnin~
in memory, observation, and verbal tradition whence
it was ca!!ed by thcm Cabala, that is, a receivingft'otn onc to another by thé car an art ~aid to bc
very ancient and on!y hnown to tlie chri~tinns in
later timcs.
d~'i! in the signification atUtctK'd tn it ntuon~ cht-isthmsthat is, us a crcnturc re~ottcd front Cod. Thcn' <hcubgywent no fart)n;r than to evil gcnit, or démons, who hurassedand {'crsccutt'd xuuthind, though wc nt'c stit! an'are that
tnttny cxriuus oft~.nanu~ arc ~ivcn to the prince of dar!<-t)csa hu!h by ancient und tuodem wrhcra.
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ELUt'IDATIO~S 0F TUR MAUVKLL.OUS. 37
Thé Jews divided thé Cabala into three parts the
first containing the knowledge of Bresitlt, which
they call also cosmology, thc object of which is to
teach and explain thé force and cfficacy uf things
created, natural or celestial expounding also tlie !aw<.
and mysteries of thé Bible according to phi!o!-ophtcu!
reasons, which on that account differs little from
natural magie, a science m which King Solomon in
said to hâve excelled. We find, thercfbre, in thésacred histories of thé Jcw, that hc was wont to
<Uscoursc from thé cedar of thé forests of I~banon
to the low hy<-«op of thé valley t a s nbo of cattle,
birds, reptiles, and fish, all which contain within
t'hemselvcs a k ind of magical virtue. Moses also,
in his expositions upon thé Pcntatcuch, and most of
thé Talmudists, have followed thé rules of the same
art.
The other division of thé Cabala contains thé know-
ledge of things more sublime, as of divine and
angelical powers. the contemplation of sacred names
and charactcrs being 9 certain kind of symbolicaltheulogy, in which the letters, figures, numbers,
names, pointa, lines, accents, etc. are esteemcd to
contain thc significations of most profbund thingsand wonderful mysterics. This part again is twofold
–~M~K~tc~, handling t he nature of angels, thé
powers, names, characters of spirits and souls
departcd–and Tlicontantick, whic!i scarchcs into
thé mysterics of the Divine Majesty, his emanations,
his names, and Pc~acM/a, which hc who attains to
is supposed to be endowcd with most wonderfui
power. It was, they say, by virtue of this art, that
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38 THAUMATURGIA, OR
Moses wrought so many miracles that Joshua
commanded the sun to stand still that Elias ca~ed
down fire from heaven that Daniel the prophetmuzzhd thé lions' mouths; and that the tlu'ee.childi'cn
sang in the fiery furnace. And, w hat is more, thé
perfidious and unbelieving Jews, did not stick to aver,
that our Saviour himself wrought all his miracles
by virtue of this art, and that he discovered several
of its secrets, containing a variety of charms
against devils, and also, as Josephus writes, againstdiseases. As for my part," says Cornelius Agrippa,in aUusion to this subject," 1 do not doubt but that
God revealed many things to Moses and the prophets,which were contained under the covert of the words
of the law, which were not to be communicated to
the profane vuÏgar so for this art, which the Jews
so much boast of, which 1 hâve with great labour
and diligence searched into, 1 must aeknowledge it
to be a mere rhapsody of superstition, and nothing but a kmd of thcurgic magic before spoken of. For
if, as the Jews contend, coming from God, it did
any way conduce to perfection oflife, salvation of men,
truth of under~tanding, ccrtainly that spirit of truth,
which having forsaken the synagogue, is now come
to teach us all truth, had never concealed it a ll
this while from the church, which certainly knows
aH thosc things that are of God whose grâce,
baptism, anduther sacramentsof salvation, areper-
fect!y revealed in aU languagcs ;–for every languageis alike, so that thcrc be the samc piety ncither is
thcre any other n ame in hcavcn or on earth, bywhich we can be saved, but only thé name of Jesus.
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ELU CI DA TI ON S 0 F T HM MA RV ELLO US . 39
Therefore the Jews, most skilful in divine names,after thé coming of Christ, were able to do nothing,in comparison of their forefathers ;the Cabala of
the Jews, therefore, is nothing else, but a most
pernicious superstition, the which by collecting,
dividing, and changing several names, words, and
letters, dispersed up and down in the bible, at their
own good will and pleasure, and making one thing
out of another, they dissolve the members of truth,raising up sentences, inductions, and parables of
their own, apply thereto the oracles of divine scriptureto them, defaming the scriptures, and anirmmgtheir fragments to consist of them, blasphème the
word of God by their wrested suppositions of words,
syUablee, letters and numbers; endeavounng to
prop up their villainous inventions, by arguments
drawn from their own delusions."
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40 THAUMATUMÏA, OK
CHAPTER 111.
ON THE SEVERAL KINDS 0F MAGIC.
THE pretended art of producing, by thé assistance
of words and ceremonies, such events as are above
the natural power of men, was of several kinds, and
chiefly consisted in invoking the good and benevolent,
or thé wickcd and mahg-nMt spirits. The first,
whicli was called Theurgia, was adopted by the
wisest of the Pagan world, who esteemed this as
much as they despised thé latter, which they calledGoetia.
Theurgia was by the philosophers a ccounted a
divine art, which only servcd to raise thé mind to
higher perfection, and to exalt the soul to a greater
degree of purity and they who by means of this
kind of magie, were imagined to arrive at w hat is
called intuition, whcrein tliey enjoyed an intimate
intercourse with the deity, wcre believed to be in.
vested with divine power so that it was imagined
nothing was impossible for them to perform all
who made profession of this kind of magie aspired
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ELUCÏDATÏONS OP T HE MARVE HOUS. 4)
to this state of perfection. The priest, who was
of this order, was to be a man of u nblemished
morals, and aU who joined with him were bound to
a strict purity of ïife. They were to abstain from
woinen, and from animal food; and were forbid to
defile themselves by the touch of a dead body.
Nothing was t o b e forgotten in their rites and cere-
monies thé icast omission or mistake, rendered all
their art inencctual go that this was a constantexcuse for their not performing all that was requiredof them, though as their sole employment (after
having arrived to a certain degree of perfection, by
fasting, prayer, a nd othcr methods of purification)was the study of universal nature, they might gainsuch an insight into physical causes, as would enable
them to perform actions, that sliould nll the vulgar with astonishment and it is hardly to be doubted,
but this was ail the knowledge that many of them
aspired to. ln this sort of magie, Hermès Très-
megistus and Zoroaster excelled, and indeed it
gained great reputation among the Egyptians, Chal-deans, Persians, Indians and J ews. In times of
ignorance, a piece of clock-work, or some other
curious machine, was sunicient to entitle thé inventor
to the, works of magie and some have even asserted,
that thé Egyptian magie, rendered so famous bythe writings of thé ancients, consisted only in disco-
veries drawn from the mathematics, and natural
philosopliy, since those Greek philosophera who tra.
velled into Egypt, in ordcr to obtain a knowledge of
thé Egyptian sciences, retumed with only a know-
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42 THAUMATUROtA, OR
ledge of nature and religion, and some rational ideas
of their ancient symbols.But i t can hardly be doubted, that magie in its
grossest and most r idiculous sense was practisedin Egypt, at least among some of the vulgar, long
before Pythagoras or Empedocles travelled into that
country. Thé Egyptians had been very early ac-
customed to vary thé signification of their symbole,
by adding to them several plants, cars of corn. or
blades of grass, to express the different employ-ments of husbandry but understanding no longer their meaning nor the words that had been made
use of on thèse occasions, which were equally unin.
telligible, the vulgar might mistake these for ao
many oysterious practices observed by their fathers;
and hence they might conceive tlie notion, that a
conjunction of plants, even without being made
use of as a remedy, might b e of efficacy to preserveor procure health. Of these," adds thé Abbé
Pluche, they made a collection, and an art by
which they pretended to procure the blessings, and
provide against the evils of life." By thé assistance
of thèse, mon even attempted to hurt their enemies
and indeed the knowledge of poisonous or useful
simples, might on particular occasions givc sufficient
weight to their empty curses and innovations. But
these magie incantations, so contrary to humanity,were detestcd, and punished by almost all nations;
nor could they be tolerated in any.
Pliny, after mentioning an herb, thé throwing of
which into an army, it was said, was sufficient to
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BLUCIDATIONS OF THE MARVBHOU8. 43
put it to the route, asks, where was this herb when
Rome was so distressed by the Cambri and Teutones ?i'
Why did not the Persians make use of i t when
Lucullus eut their troops to pieces ?But amongst a!! the incantations of magie, the
most solemn, as well as the most frequent, was that
of calling up the spirits of the dead; this indeed
was the very acmé of their art and the reader cannot
be diapleased with having this mystery here eluci-dated. An affection for the 'body of a person, who
m his life time was beloved, induced the first natives
to inter the dead in a decent manner, and to add
to this melancholy instance of esteem, those wishes
which had a particular regard to their new state of
existence. Thé place of burial, conformable to the
custom of charactensing all beloved places, or those
distinguished by a memorable event, was pointedout by a large s tone or pillar raised upon it. To
this place families, and when thé concern was gene-
ral, multitudes repaired every year, when, upon
this stone, were made libations of wine, oit, honey,and nour and here they sacrinced and ate in com-
mon, having first made a trench in which they burnt the entrails of the victim into which the liba-
tion and the Mood were made to now. They beganwith thanking God with having given them life, and
providing them necessary food and then praisedhim for the good examples they had been favoured
with. From thcse melancholy rites were banished
all licentiousness and levity, and whilc other customs
changed, thèse continued the same. They roasted
the flesh of thc victim they had offerecl, and eat it
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44 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
in common, discoursing on the virtues of him thcycame to lament.
AH other fcasts were distinguished hy names
suitahie to t he ceremonies that attended them.
Thèse funeral meetings were simply called the
mânes, that is, thé assembly. Thus thé manes
and thé dead were words that became synonimous.In these
meetings, they imagined that
they renewed
their alhance with thé decea~ed, who, they supposed,had still a regard for thé concerna of their country
and family, and who, as a~ëctionate spirits, could
do no ]e~s than inibtm them of whatever was neces-
~ary for them to know. Thus, thé funera!s of thé
dead were at last converted into methods of divina-
tion. and an innocent institution of one of thé gross-est pieces of fbUy and superstition. But they did
not stop here thcy became so extravagantly cre-
dulous, as to believe that thé phantom drank the
Hbotions that had becn poured forth, while the
relations were feasting on the rest of thé sacrifice
round thé pit and from hence they became appre-hcnsive !est thé rest of thé dead should promiscuously
throng about this «pot to get a share of thé repast
they were supposed to be so fond of, and Icave
nothing for thé dear spirit for whom thé feast was
intended. They then made two pits or ditches,
into one of which they put wine, honey, water, and
flour, to employ thé generality of thé dead and
in thé other they poured thé b!ood of thé victim
when sitting down on t!ie brink, they kept off, bythé sight of tt~cir swords, thé crowd of dead who
had no ccnccrn in tlieir aÛairs, whi)c they called
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RLUCIDATiONS 0F THK M~RVELLOUS. 45
him by name, whom they had a mind to cheer and
consult, and desired him to draw ncar.*
Thé questions made by the living were vcry intelli-
gible but the answers of thé dead were not so easilyunderstood thé priests, therefore, and the magiciansmadeittheir business to explain them. They retiredmto
deep caves, where thé darkness and silence resembled
thé state of death. and there fastc(!, and lay upon thé
skins of thé beasts they had sacrificed, and then gavefor answer thé dreams which most anected them or
opened a certain book appointed for that purpose, and
gave thé first sentence that o(!ercd.t At other times
the priest, or any person who came to consult, took
care at his going out of thé cave, to listen to the first
words he should hear, and thèse were to be his ans-
wer. And though they had not thé most remotc
relation to thé nmtter in question, they were twisted
so many ways, and thcir sensé so viotcntty wrested,
that they made them signify almost anything they
picascd. At other times they had recoursc to a num-
Hotncr gh'cs thé 8:unc Hccnunt of U)Mc cercmonit's,whcti Ulysses nuscd thc son! of Tircsias; aud thé stunc
usages arc fonud in the pOt'nt (~' SiHus itatk'ns. And tothcsc ccrcmotttcs thc scriptnrcs ft'cqnenUy aHudc, wt)fn
thé !srnc!itM nre fnrbitt to )ti'~c)n)'tc ~x'n high pLtCcs.t Thf tna~icat shunht'rs producct! io thc cav'' ot' Tropho-
nins are justly nscrtbt'd to nx'dit'utctt hcvcmjj-~s. Hcrc, thc
votnt'y if hc cscapeJ \viUt iit'c, had his ht'idth h'rcparabh'
injurcd, f)nd thc whoL' c!nss ofiuUftchd drptuns and visions,thc c<F<'ctof snmc powt-rf'd n:ucutic actin~ u~on thc bodylifter the mind had ht'cn t'rc~i~pooed for a certain train of idcus.
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46 THAUMATURGtA, OR
ber of tickets. on w hich were some words or verses,
a nd these being thrown into an urn, the first t hat
was taken out was del iver ed to the family.* Heaith,
prospenty in woridly affaire, and ail that was inter-
mixed i n the good or e vil of this world were regulated
by thé responses or signs which these equivocal, not
to say less than absurd, means afforded, of prying into
thé womb of f uture event s.
AUOURY, OR DIVINATIONS DRAWN FROM THB
FLÏGHT AND FEEDING OF BÏRUS.
The superstitious fondness of mankind for searching
into futurity bas givcn rise to a n infi nite variety of
Thé sortes /)ra'M<?A~!Kp werc fatnous atnon~ the Greeks.
Thc method by which thèse tôt :; werc ccnducted wis tu put
so tnany I ct tc rs or even whotc words, into an urn to shake
thon togethcr, and throw the tn out and whntcver ahould
chance t o be tnade out in t hé arrangement of thèse letters or
words, cotnpcscd the answcr of thc oracle. Thc ancients
tdso made use of dice, drawing tickets, etc., Jn casting or
deciding rcsutts. ln tlie Old Testament we mect with m any
standing and perpemat laws, nnd a number of particutar
commands, prptertbtng and regulating the u se of them.
We are informed by thé Scripturc that whcn a succeasor
t o Judas in thc apostotatc was tobechoscn,th<; lot f ei l on
St. Mathtas. And thé gar<neut or coat without a sea<n of
our Saviour was lot ted for by thé Jcws. In Ciccro's time
this mode o f divination was nt n very low ebb. Thé M~M
~<MMfWc<p and .tor<c.y ~(r~t/~M~ which suc cc edcd thc sor tes
Pr«~M'~)M~, gave r isc to thé same mca ns use d among chris-
tians of casuaUy opening t hp sacrcd books for d irections in
important circumstanccs to ! car n the conac<tucnce of events
and what thfy had to fcar tunong thcir rulcrs.
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K LU CI DA TYO NS 0 F T HE MA RV ELLO U8 . 47
extravagant follies. The Romans, who were remark.
ably fertile in thèse sorts of demonological inventions,
suggested numerous ways of divination. With them
all Nature had a voice, and the most senaelesa beings,and most trivial things, the most trifling incidents,
became presages of future events; which introduced
ceremonies founded on a mistaken knowledge of an.
tiquity, the most childish and ridiculous, and which
were performed with all the air of solemnity andsanctity of devotion. Augury, or divinations founded
on the flight of birds, were not only considered bythe Egyptians as the symbols of the winds, but goodand bad omens of every kind were founded or rather
derived from t!ie flying o f the feathered tribe.
The birds at this time had become wonderfully wise
and an owl, to whom, for reasons not precisely known,
light is not so agreeubie as darknes~, could not pass
by the Windows of a sick person in the night, where
the creature was not oSended by the glimmerings of
a light or candie, but his hooting must be considered
as prophesying,
that the l ife of the poor
man was
nearly wound up.
Amongst thé Romans, thèse auguries were taken
usually upon an emincnce after the month of March
they were prohibitcd in consequence of the moulting
season having commcnced nor were they permitted
at thé waning of thé moon, nor at any time in the
aftemoon, or when thé air was the least runted by
wiuds or .clouds. The fceding of thé sacred chickens,
and thé manncr of their taking the com that was
o~'ered to them, w as the most common method of
taking thé augury. Observations were also made on
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48 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
the chattering or sihging of birds, ~the hooting of
crows, pies, owls, etc., and from thé running ofbeasts,
as heifers, asses, rams, hares, wolves, fbxes, weasels
and mice, when these appeared in uncommon places,crossed the way, or ran to thé right or left. They
also pretended to draw a good or bad omen from the
most tn~ing actions or occurrences of life, as sneez-
ing, stumbling, starting, numbness of thé little finger,
the tingling of thé car, the spilling of salt upon thetable, o r thé wine upon one's c!othes, thé occidental
meeting of a bitch with whelp, e tc. It was also the
business of the augur to interpret dreams, oracles,
and prodigies.
Nothing can be so surprising tlian to find so wise and
valorous a people as thé Romans addicted to such
cluldishfooleries. Scipio, Augustus, and many others,without any fatal conséquences, despiscd the sacred
chickens, and other arts of divination but when thé
générais hud miscarried in any enterprise, the peoplelaid thé whole blâme on tlie negligence with which
thèse oracles had been consulted: and if an
unfortunategeneral had neglectcd to consu!t them, thé blâme of
iiiiscarriage was thrown upon him who had preferrcdhis own forecast to that of t!ïe fowls while those who
made thèse Mnds of predictions a subject of raillcry t
were accounted impious and profane. Thus thcy
construcd, as a punishment of thé gods, thé defeat of
Chtudius Pulcher; who, when thé sacred chickens
rci'nscd to eat what was set before them, ordered them
to bc th row n into t!te sca If thcy won'tent," ~ait!
he, thcv stmil drink."
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BLUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVBLLOUS. ~9
E
ARUSPICES, OR DIVINATIONS DRAWN FROM
BRUTE, OR HUMAN SACRIFICES.
In the earlieet ages of the world, a sense of pietyand a regard to decency had introduced the custom
of never sacrificing to Him, whence all blessingsemanated, any but the soundest, the most healthy, fat
and beautiful animais which were always examined
with thé closeat and most exact attention. This
ceremonial, which doubtless had its origin in gratitude,or in some ideas of.ntness and propriety, atlength.
degenerated into tnning niceties and superstitiouscérémonies. And i t having been once imagined that
no favour was to be looked for f rom the gods, when
the victim was imperfect, the idea of perfection was
united with abundance of tnvinl circumstances. Thé
entrails were examined with peculiar care, and jf thé
whole was without blemish, their duties were fulfilled;
under an assurance that they had engaged the godato be on their side, they engaged in war, and in
the most hazardous undertakings, with such a conn-
dence of 8uccess, as had thé greatest tendency to pro-cure i t. AU the motions of the victims that were led
to the altar. were considered as so many prophecies.If the victim advanced with an easy and natural air,
in a etraight line, and without offering any resistance,
–ifhe made no extraordinary bellowing when he
received thé blow,-if he did not get loose from the
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30 TUAUM~tfUROÏA, OR
person who led him to the sacrifice, it was deemed 8
certain prognostic of an easy and nowing success.
Thevictint was knocked down, but before its he!!ywas ripped open, one of thé lobes oftheliverwas
allotted to those who offered the sacrifice, and the
other to the enemies of the state. That which was
neither blemighed nor withered, of a bright red, and
neither smaHer not' larger than it ought to be, pro-
gnosticated great prosperity to thoge for whom it wasset apart; that which was livid, amaïl or cormpted,
presaged t he most fatal mischiefs. The next thingto be considered was the heart, which was also
examined wïth the utmost care, as was the spleen/thé
gaIl, and the lungs and if any of thèse wcre let <a!I,
if they smelt rank or were Moated, livid or withered,
it presaged nothing but misfbrtunes.
After thé examination of the entrails was over, the
nre was kindled, and from this aïso they drew sevcral
presages. If the name was clear, if it mounted upwithout dividing, and went not out tiU the victim
wasentirely
consumed, this was a proof
that thé sa-
crifice was acceptcd but if they found it difficuIt to
kindle thé fire, if the flame divided, if it played around
instead of taking bold of the victim, if it burnt ill, or
went out, it was a bad omen< Thé business, how.
ever, of the Aruspices was not confined to the altars
and sacrifices, they had an equal right to explain ail
other portents. The Senate frequently consulted
them on the most extraordinary prodigies. The coï.
lege of thé Aruspices, as well a s thosc of thé other
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ELUMDATtONS 0F THK MAR~RLMUS. 611
E 2
religious orders, had their registers and records, such
as memorialsofthunderand Hghtning,~ theTuscan
histories,t ère.
DIVISIONS OP DIVINATION BY THE ANCÏKNT8–
PRODIOIES, ETC.
Divination was divided by the ancients into arti.
ficial and natural. The first is conducted by reason.
ing upon certain external signs, c onsidered as indi-
cations of futurity the other conaists in that which
presages things from a mere interna! sense, and
persuasion of .thé mmd, without any assistance of
signs and is of two kinds, the one from nature, and
the other by influx. Thé flrst supposes that the
sout, collected within itself, and not diffused or
divided among the organs of t he body, has from its
own nature and essence, some fore-knowledge of
Kcnnct's Roman Antiquities, Lib. XI, C. 4.
t Romu!u8~ who founded the institution of the Aruspices,
borrowed it Wom thé Tuscans, to w hom tbe Sonate after-wards sent twelve of the sons of thé principal nobiHty to he
instrncted in these myateHcs, and thé other cérémonies of
their religion. The origin of this act among thc people of
Tuscany, is related by Cicero in the following manner:
A. peasant, says be, ploughin~ in thé neld, bis ptough-share running pretty deep in the earth, turned up a clod, ffom
whencesprun~&chiM, whotaug'htbim and the other THScans
the art of' divination." (Cicero, De Dtvinat. 2.) Th!s
fable, un<bubtedty mcans no more, than that this chifd, said
to spring from thc clod ofeat'tb~ was a yonth of a very mean
and obscure birth, but i t is not known whether be was thé
author of it, or whctber he learnt i t of the Greeks or anyother nations.
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52 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
future things witness, for instance, what M seen m
dreams, ecstasies, and on the confines ofdeath. Thé
second supposes the soûl after the manner' of a
mirror to receive some secondary illumination from
thé presence of God and other spirits. Artificial
divination is also of two Mnds the one argues from
natural causes, as in the predictions of physioiansrelative to the event of diseases, from the tongue,
pulse, etc. Thé second the consequence of experi-men te and observations arbitrarily instituted, and'
is mostly superstitious. The Systems of divina-
tion reduceable under these heads are almost incal-
culable. Among these were the Augurs or those
who drew their knowledge of futurity frotn the
flight, and various other actions of birds; the
Aruspices, from the entrails of beasts; palmestry or
the Unes of the hands; points marked at random:
numbers, names, the motions of a scene, the air,
fire, the Preenestine, Homerian, and Virgilian lots,
dreams, etc.
Whoever reads the Romanhistona~
muet be
surprised at the number of prodigies whieh are con.
stantly recorded, and which frequently filled the
people with the most dreadful apprehensions. It
must be confessed, that some of these seem altogether
supematural; while much the greater part only
eonsist of some of the uncommon productions of
nature, which superstition always a ttributed to a
superior cause, and represented as the prognostica-
Particnlarïy Livy, Dionysius of HaMcarnMSus, Pliny,nnd Vn!erius MaxhnttS.
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JBLUCtDATÏONa OP THE MARVELLOU8. 53
tïon of aome impending misfbrtunes. Of this dass
may be reckoned the appearance of two suns, the
nights iUuminated by rays of light, the views of
nghting armies, swords, and spears, darting through
the air showers of milk, of blood, of atones, of
ashes, of frogs, beasts with two heads, or infants
who had some feature resembling those of the brute
création. These were all dreadful prodigies, which
filled the people with inexpressible astonishment, and
the Roman Empire with an extreme perplexity and
whateverunhappy circumstance followed upon,these,
was sure to be either caused or predicted by them.*
Nothing is more easy than to account for thèse pro-
ductions, wh!ch bave no relation to any events that may
h~ppen to fol low them. Thé appearance of two suns hMi!
frequentty happened in Engtand, as wel l as in other places,aad is only caused by the cloudg being placed in such a
situation, as to reflect the image of that luminary aoc-
turnal 6rcs, enHamed speara, Ëghtiog armies, werc no more
than what we call the Aurora BoreaHs or northerc lights,or ignited vapours floating in the air showers of stones, of
ashes, or of fire, were n o o ther than the etfccta of the
eruptions of sotne volcano at a considerable distance;showers of mi lk were catt sed by some qt<a!i~ in tbe air,
condensïng, and gtving- a whitish colour to thé water and
those of Mood are now well known to be only tbe red spots!ef6 upon thé earth, on s tones and leaves of trees, by thé
butternies wbich hatch in bot and sionuy ther.
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54 THArMATUROÏA,OR
CHAPTER ÏV.
HÏ8TOKY 0F ORACLES–THE PRINCIPAL ORACM8 OP
ANTtQUtTY.
Ft:w superstitions hâve been so famoua, and so
scductive to t he minds of tnen during a number of
âges, as oracles. ïn treaties of peace or truces, thé
Gréera never forgot to stipulate for the liberty of re-
«orting~ to crades. No colony undertoôk new settle.
ments, no w ar was declared, no important affair
begun, without first consulting the oraclee.
Ttte most renowned oracles were those of De!phps,
Dodona, Trophonius. Jupiter Hammon, and the
Clarian ApoHo. Some have attributed the oraclesof Dodona to oaks, othera to pigeons. The opinionof those pigeon-prophetesses was introduced by the
equivocation of a Theesaîian Word, which signified both a pigeon a nd a woman and gave room to the
fahl~, that two pigeons having taken wing from
T!)che9, one of them fled into Lybia, where it oc-
casioncd thé c8tab!is!nng of the oracle of Jupiter Hammon and thé othcr, having stopped in the
t~s of thc forcst of Dodona, informed the inhahi-
tants of thc ncighbouring parts, that it was Jupiter'sintention there should he an oracle in that place.
Herodotus has thusexplained
the fable thcre were
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BLUCÏDATÏONS OP THE MAKVKLLOUa. 5&
farmerly two Priestesges of Tlïebes, who were
carried off by Phenecian merchantN. She that was
sold into Greece, 8ett!ed in the foreat of Dodona,
whcrc gréat numbcrs of the ancient inhabitants of
Greece went to gather acorns. She there crected a
Itttlechapetatthefootofan oak, in honour of the
same Jupiter, whose priestess she had t)een, and
here it was this ancient oracle was estabHshed, which
in after times became so famous. Thé mannerof
delivering the oracles of Dodona was very singuiar.Therc were a great number of kettlc8 suspended from
trees near a copper statue, w hich was also sus-
pended with a bunch of rod& in its hand. When
the wind happened.to put it in motion, it struck the
first kettle, which communicating its motion to thé
next, a ll of them tingled~ and produced a certain
sound which continued for a long time after whiob
thé oracle spoke.
THB ORACLB OF JUPÏTER HAMMON.
.tThis oracle, which was in the désert, in the
midat of the burning sands of Africa, declared to
Alexandcr that Jupiter was his father. After several
questions, having asked if thé death of his father was
suddenly revenged~ thé oracle answcred, that the
death of Ph!!ip waa revenged, but that thé father
of Alcxander was immortaï. This oracle gaveoccasion to Lucan to put great sentiments in thé
mouth o fCato After the battle of Pliarsalia, when
Cefar bcgan to be master of t he world. I~abrenus
eaid t o Cato As wc hâve now so good an oppor-
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5C THAUMATURGE, OR
tunity of consulting so celebrated an oracle, let us
know from it how to regulate our conduct duringthis war. The gods will not déclare themselves
more willingly for any one than Cato. You have
always been befnended by thé gods, and may there-
fore have the confidence to converse with Jupiter.Inform yourselves of the destiny of the tyrant and
the fate of our country whether we are to preserve
our liberty, or -to lose the fruit of the war and you
may leam too what that virtue ;8 to which you have
been elevated, and what its reward."
Cato, fuU of the divinity that was within him, re-
tumed to Labrenus an answer worthy of an oracle
On what account, Labrenus, would you have me
consult Jupiter ? Shall 1 ask him whether i t be better
to lose life than liberty ? Whether life be a real good r
We have within us, Labrenus, an oracle that can
answer all these questions. Nothing happons but bythe order of God. Let us not require of him to re-
peat t o us what he bas suSSciently engraved in our
hearts, Truth has not withdrawn'into those désertsit is not graved on those sands. The abode of God is
in heaven, in thé earth, in thé sea, and in virtuous
hearts. God speaks to us by all that we see, by all that
surrounds us. Let the inconstant and those that are
subject to waver, according to éventa, have recourse
to oracles. For my part, 1 find in nature evcry thingthat can inspire tne most constant resolution. The
dastard, as well as the brave, cannot avoid death.
Jupiter cannot tell us more." Cato thus spoke, and
quitted thé country without consulting thé oracle.
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' EL UC IDA TI ON S 0 F THE ' MÂ RV ELLO U8 . 57
THE ORACLE OF DELPHOS, OR PYTHIAN APOM<0.
Diodorus Siculus, Plutarch, and several other au-
thors relate, that a herd of goats discovered the oracle
of Delphos, or of the Pythian Apollo. When a goat
happened to come near enough thé cavern, to breathe
air that passed
out of it, ehe returnedskipping
and
bounding about, and her voicearticulated some ex~- ·
ordinary sounda; which having been observed-bythe keepers, they went to look in, and were seized
with a fury which made them jump about, and fore-
tel future éventa. Coretas, as Plutarch tells, was
the name of the goat-herd who discovered the
oracle. One of the guardians of Demetrius, comiugtoo near the mouth of the cavern, was su~ocated bythe force of the exhalations, and
died ~uddenly. The
orifice or vent-hole of thé cave was cbvered with a
tripod consecrated to Apollo, on which thé priest-
esses, called Pythonesses,* sat, to fin thenoselveswith
the prophétie vapour, and to conceive the spirit of divination, with the fervor that made them know fu-
turity, and foretel i t in Greek hexameters. Plutarch
'Thé responscs here were dcttvcrcd by a young priestesacalled Pythia or Phoebas,' placed on a tripos, or stoo! withthree feet, called aiso cortinM, from the skin of the serpentPython with which itwas covered. Jt is unccrtain after « h<t6tnanner~hesc oracles were dcth'crcd, though Cicero supposesthé Pythoneait wna inspired, or rather intoxicatcd hy certain
vapeurs which asccnded from thé cave. Somc say that thé
PythoneM bcing once debauched, the oracles were aftcrwardsdelivered by an otd woman in the dress of a young maid.
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68 t:HAUMATURGïA, OR
says, that, on the cessation of oracles, a Pythonesswas so exœssively tormented by thé vapour, and
suffered such violent convulsions, that all the priestsran away, and she dicd soon after.
CEREMONÏK8 PRACTïSED ON CONSULTtNO ORACLES.
Pausania~ describeô thé ceremonies that were prac-
ticed for consulting the oracle of Trophonius. Kverym~ that went down into hia cave, never laughed his
whble life af ter. This gave occasion to the proverbial
saying concerning those of a melancholy air He
bas consulted Trophonius." Plato relates, that the
two brothers, Agamedes and Trophonius, having builtthe temple of Apollo, and asked the god for a reward
what he thought of most advantage to men, both
died in the night that succeeded their prayer. Pau-
eanias givca a quite different account. In tlie
palace there built for the King Hyrieus, they so laid
a stone, that it might be taken away, and in thé night
they crept in through the hole they had thus con-
trived, to stcal the king's treasures. The king
observing the quantity of his gold diminished, thoughno locks nor seals had been brol~en open, fixed trapsabout his co~ers, and Agamedes being caught in one
of them, Trophonius cutoS'bisheadtoprevent his
discovering him. Trophonius having disappearedthat moment, it was given out that the earth had
awaUowed him on the same spot; and impious supers~tition went so far as to place this wicked wretch in
the rank of the gods, and to consu!t his oracle with
ceremonies equally painful and mypteriottg,
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RLUCtDATiCNS 0F THE MARVRH.OU8. 59
Tacitus thus speaks of the oracle of the Clarian
Apollo Germanicus went to consult the oracle of Cla-
ros. It ic not a woman that delivers the oracle there,
as atMphos, but a man chosen out of certain familiea~
and alway s of Miletum. It is sufficient to tell him the
number and names ofthose who come to consult him;
whereupon he retires into a grot, and having taken
some water out of a well that lies hid in it, he an.
ewers you in verses to whatever you hâve thought of,
though this man is often very ignorant.Dion Cassius explaine the manner in which the
oracle ofNymphcca, inEpiru8,de!iveredit8re8ponses.The party that consulted took incenee, and having
prayed, threw tbe incense into the fire, the flame
pursued and consumed it. But if the a6air was not
to succeed, the incense did not come near the 6re, or
if it fell into the flame, it started out and ned. It
so happened for prognosticating futority, in regardto every thing that waa asked, except death and
ïnarriage, about which it was not allowed to ask any
questions.Those who consulted the oracle of Amphiarue, layon thé skins of victims, and received the answer of
the oracle in a dream. Virgil attesta the same thing
of thé oracle of Faunus in Italy.A govcmor of Cilicia, who gave )jttle credit to
oracles, and who was ohvays surrounded by unbeliev.
ing Epicureane sent a letter sealed with hie signet to
the oracle of MopsuB, requiring one of those answers
that were reccived in a dream. The messenger
charged with thé letter brought i t back in the same
condition, not having been opened} and informed
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60 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
him, that he had s een in a dream a very well made
man, who said to him Black' without the addition
of e ven another word. Then the govemor openingthé letter, assured thé company, that he wanted to
know of the divinity, whether he should sacrifice a
white or black bull.
In the temple of the goddess of Syria, when the
statue of Apollo was inclined to deliver oracles, it
deviated, moved, and wa8 full of agitations on i ts
pedestals. Then the priests carrying it on their
shoulders, it pushed and turned them on ail sides,
and the high-priest, interrogating it on all sor ts of
aSairs, if i t refused its consent, it drove thé priests
back if otherwise, it made them advance.
Suetonius says, that, some months before the birth
of Augustus, an oracle was current, importing, that
nature was. labouring at the production of a king, who
would be master of the Roman Empire; that thé
Senate in great consternation, had forbid the rearingof any male children who should be born that year,
but that the senators whose wives were pregnant,found means to hinder the inscribing of the decree in
thé public registers. ït seems that the prediction, uf
which Auguatus was only the type, regarded the birth
of Jesus Christ, the spiritual king of the whole world
or thatthe wicked spirit was willing, by suggesting this
rigorous decree to the Senate, to depose Herod and
by this example, to involve the Messiah in the massa-
cre that was made by bis orders of all the children of
two years and under. The whole world was then full
of thé coming of the Messiah. We see by Virgil'sfourth eclogue, that he applies to the son of the Consul
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BLUCIDATIONS OP THEMARVE~MUS, 61i
Asinins PoHio the prophecies which, from the Jews,
had then passed into foreign nations. This child
the object of Virgil's flattery, died the ninth day after he was born. Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus,
applied to Vespasian the prophecies that regarded the
Messiah.
ORAOLS8 OFTEN BQUIVOCAL AND OBSCURE.
tThe oracles. were often very equivocal, or so obs.
cure that their signification was not understood but
after the event. A few examples, out of a great
many, will be sufficient.
CroBsus, having received from the Pythoness, this
answer, that by passing thé river Halys, he would
destroy a great empire, he understood it to be thé
empire of his enemy~ whereas he destroyed his own.
The oracle consulted by Pyrrhus, gave him an answer,
which might be equally understood of the victory of
Pyrrhus, and the victory of the Romans his enemies.
Aio te ~ac!da, Romanos vincere posse.
The equivocation lies in the construction of the La-
tin tongue, which cannot be r endered in English.The Pythoness advises Crcesus to guard against the
mu!e.* The king of Lydia understood nothing of the
This answer of thé oracle bripgs to our recollection the
equHHy remarkaMe injunction of a modern seer to SirWiHiam
Windham, which is related in the memoirs of Bishop Newton.tn bis younger yenrs, when Sir W!am was abroad opon
his traveta, and wns at Venice, there was a noted fortune.
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62 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
oracle, which denoted Cyrus descended from two dif<
ferent nations, from thé Medes by Mandana his
mothcr, the daughter of Aatyages and by the Per-
sians by his father Cambyses, whose race was by fur
less grand and illustrions. Nero had for answer from
the oracle of Delphos, that seventy-three might prove
fatal to him, he b elieved he was safe f rom ail danger
till age, but, finding himself deserted by every onc,
and hearing. Galba proclaimed emperor, who was
seventy-three years of age, he was sensible of the
decottofthe oracle.
St. Jereme observes, that, if the devils speak any
truth, by whatever accident they always join Iles to it
and use such ambiguous expressions, that they may be
equally applied to contrary events.
teller, to whom great anmbors reaorted, and he among the
rest and thé fortune-teUer totd him, that hc must bewafe
of a whi te horse. After his return to England, as he was
WMtking by Chnring-Cross, he saw a crowd of people comingout and going in to a house, and inquired what was the meun-
ing of it, was informed that Duncan Cantpbe! the dmnbfortune-teller l ivcd there. Hio curiosity also led h!m in, and
Duncan CampbeH likewise told him that he muât bcware of a
whit~ hor se. It was 8omewbat extraordinary that two
fortune-tellers, one at Venice and the other in London, with.
out any communication, and at some distance of time, ahould
both happen'to hit upon the same thing, and to give thc vcrysame warning. Some ycars nfterwards, when he was taken
up in 1715,andcommittedtotheTower upon st~picion of
treasonabte practices, which never appeared, hia friends said
to him that bis fortune was now fultilled, the Hanovcr House
was thé white horse whereof he was admonishpd to bcware.
But some time after this, hc had a fal l from a white horsctand receivcd a blow by which he tost the sight of one of his
cyca."
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ELUCÏDATÎOKS 0F THE MARVRLLOU8. 63
OR!M AND THUMMÏM.
Whiist the Mse oracles of demons deceived the
idolatrous nations, truth had retired from among the
chosen people o f God. The septuagint have inter-
preted C/W~and.?%MM~tM, manifestation and truth,
~or~ t? a\~0€ta~ which expresses how different
those divine oracles were from the false and equivo.cal demons, It is said, in the Book of Numbers, that
Eleazar, the successor of Aaron, shall interrogateUrim in form, and that a resolution shall be taken
according to the answer given.Thé Ephod applied to the chest of the sacerdotal
vestments of the bigh-priest, was a piece of stun'
covered with twelve precious stones, on which the
names of the twelve tribes were engraved. It was
not allowed to consult the Lord by Urim and Thum..
mim, but for the king, thé president oftbe eanhedrim,
the general of the army, and other public persons,
:md on anairs that regarded thé general interest of the nation. If the affair was to succced, the stones of
thé ephod emitted a sparkiing light, or the high.
priest inspired predicted the success. Josephus, who
was born thirty-nine years after Christ, says tl iat it
was then two hundred years since thé atones of the
ephod had giver. an answer to consultations by their
extraordinary lustre.
The- Scriptures only inform us, that Urim and
Thummim were something that Moses had put in the
high-priest's breast-plate. Some Rabbins by rash con-
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<34 THAUMATURCIA, OR
jectures, have believed that they were two smaU
statues hidden within the breast-plate; others, the
ineffable name of God, gravedinamysterious-tnan-ner. Without designing to discem what has not
been explained to us, we should understand by Urim
and Thummim, the divine inspiration annexed to the
consecrated breast-plate.Several passages of
Scriptnre leave room to believe,
that an articulate voice came forth from the propitia-
tory, or holy of holies, beyond the veil of the tabef*
nacle, and that this voice was heard by the high-priest.If the Urim and Thummim did not make answer, it
was a sign of God's anger. Saul abandoned by the
spirit of the Lord, consulted it in vain, and obtained
no sort of answer. It appears by some passages of
St. John's Gospel, that in thé time' of Christ, the
exercise of thechief-priesthood, was still attended with
the gift of prophecy.
REPUTATION OF ORACÏ.BS, HOW LOST.
When men began to be better instructed by the
lights philosophy had introduced into the world, the
false oracles insensibly lost their credit. Chrysippus
filled an entire volume with false or doubtful oracles.
Œnomanus,* to be revenged of some oracle that had
When we come to consult thee," says he to Apollo,if thou seesc what is in the womb of futurity, why dost
thon use expressions wbich will not be understood ? tf thou
dost, thou takest pteaaurc in abusing us if thou dost not, be informed of us, and learn to speak more elearly. 1 tell
thee, that if thou mtendest an équivoque, thé Greek word
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 65
F
deceived Mm, made a compilation of oracles, to shew
their absurdity and vanity. But Œnomanus is still more
out of humour with the oracle for the answer which
Apollo gave thé Athenians, when Xcrxea was about
to attack Greece with aU the strength of Asia. The
Pythian declared, thatMinerva, the protectress of
Athens, had endeavoured in vain to appeasc thé
wrathof Jupiter yet that Jupiter, in complaisance with
his daughter, was willing the Athenians should aecure
themselves within wooden walls; and that Salamis
should behold the loss of a great many children, dead
to their mothers, either when Ceres was spread
abroad, or gathered together. At this Œnomanus
loses all patience with the Delphian God: This
contest," exclaims he, between father and daugh-
ter, is very becoming the déifies ' It is excellent
that there should be contrary inclinations and interests
in heaven! Poor wizzard, thou ar t ignorant who
the children are tliat shall see Salamis perish;whether Greeks or Persians. It is certain they must
either be one or the other but thou needest not havetold so openly that thou knowest not what. Thou
concealest the t ime of the battle under these fine
poetical expressions either w~c% Ceres is spreadabroad, or gathered together and thou wouldst ca-
whereby thou afHrmeat that Croesus shoutd overthrow a grentempire, was ill-chospn; and that it could signify notbing but CrûB~as conquering Cyrus. If things must necessarilycorne to pass, why dost thou amuse us with tby ambi~uitics ?What dost thou, wretch as thou art, at Delphi, cmploycd in
muttcring idle prophecies !See <'De;nonologia, or A~Mn~
AMo~/ct/~c revealed," p. 162.
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66 THAUMATCRGÏA, OR
jote us with such pompous language who knows not
that if there be a sea-nght, i t must either be in aeed*
time or harvest ? It is certain it cannot be io winter.
Let tbings go how they will, thou wilt secure thyself
by this Jupiter whom Minerva ia endeavouring to
appease. If the Greeks lose the battle, Jupiter
proved inexorable to the last if they gain it, whythen Minerva at
length prevailed.Eusebius has preserved some fragments of this
criticism on oracles by Œnomanus. H 1 might,"
says Origen, H have recourse to the authority of
Aristotle, aud thé Peripatetics, to make the Pytho-ness much suspected. 1 might e xtract from the
writings of Epicurus and his sectators an abundance
of things to discredit oracles and 1 might shew
that thé Greeks thcmselves made no great account of
them."
Thé reputation of oracles was greatly lessened
when they became an artifice of politics. Themis-
tocles~ with a design of engaging thé Athenians to
quit Athens, in order to be in a better condition toresist Xerxes, made thé Pythoness deliver an oracle,
commanding them to take refuge in wooden walls.
Demosthenes said, that the Pythoness philippised,to stgnify that she was gained over by Philip's pre-sents.
CESSATION OP ORACLES.
The cessation of oracles is attested by several
prophane authors, as Strabo, Juvenal, Lucien,
Sec DcMOMo~tc, p. 163.
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R LU Cï DATI ON S 0 F TH E MAR VE Mj OUS . C7
F 2
Lucan, and others. Plutarch accounts for the cause
of it, either that thé benefits of the gods are not
eternal, as themselves are; or that the genii who
presided over oracles, are subject to death or that
the exhalations of the earth had been exhausted. Itt
appears that the last reason had been alleged in the
time of Cicero, who ridicules it in his second book
of Divination, as if thé spirit of prophecy, supposed
to bc excited by subterranean efHuvia, had evaporated
by length of time, as wine or pickle by being keptis lost.
Suidas, Nicephorus, and Cedrenus relate, that
Augustus having c onsulted the oracle of Delphos,could obtain no other answer but this thé Hebrew
child whom all t!ie gods obey, drives me hence,
and sends me l)ack to hell get out of this templewithout speaking one word.' Suidas adds, that
Augustus dedicated an altar in thé Capitol, with the
following inscription
To tlie eldest Son of God."
Notwithstanding these testimonies, the answer of
the oracle of Delphos to Augustus seems very
suspicious. Cedrenus cites Eusebius for this oracle,
whicli is not now found in lus works and Augustus'
pérégrination into Greecc was eighteen years before
tlie birth of Christ.
Suidas and Cedrenus give an account also of
an ancrent oracle delivered to Thules, a king of
Egypt, which they say is well authenticated. Tins
king having c onsulted the oracle of Seraphis, to
know if there ever was, or would be, one so gréât
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C8 THAUMATURGtA, OR
as himself, received this answer First, God,
next thé word, and the spirit with them. They are
equally etcrnal, and make but one whose power will
never end. But thou, mortal, go hence, and think
that thé end of man's l ife is uncertain,
Van Dale, in his Treatise of oracles, does not be-
Heve that they ccased at the coming of Christ. He
relates several examples of oracles consulted till thé
death of Theodosius the Great. He quotes the
laws ofthe Emperors Theodosius, Gratian, and Valen-
tinian, against those who consulted oracles, as a
certain proof that the superstition of oracles still
existed in thé time of those emperors.
HAD DEMONS ANY 8HARE IN THE ORACLES ?
The opinion of those who believe that the demons
had no share in the oracles, and that thé coming of
the Messiah made no change in them and the
contrary opinion of those who pretend that thé in-
carnation of the word imposed a gênerai silence on
oracles, should be equally rejected. The reasonsappear from what lias l)een said, and therefore two
sorts of oracles ought to l)e distinguished, the one
dtctated by the spirits of darkness, who deceived
men by their obscure and doubtful answers, tlie
other thé pure artifice and dcceit of the priests of
false divinities.* As to the oracles given out by
Among thé more tcarocd~ it is a pretty general opi-nion that all thc oracics wcrc mere chents and impostttrcs ica!cn!ut<;d cither to serve the nvaricious ends of thc heathcn.ish pru'sta, or the political views of the princes. Bay!c
posithc!~ asscrts, that thcy were mere human artifices, in
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E LUC ID ATI ON S OP T HE MAR VE LLO US . 69
demons, the reign of Satan was destroyed by the
coming of the Saviour truth shut the mouth of false-
hood but Satan continued his old craft among Idola-
ters. AU the devils wcre not forced to silence at
the same time by the coming of the Messiah it
was on particular occasions that the truth of chris-
tianity, and the virtue of christians imposed silence
on the devils. St. Athanasius tells thé pagans,they have been witnesses themselves that thé sign of
the cross puts the devils to flight, silences oracles,
and dissipates enchantments.
This power of silencing oracles, and putting the
devils to night, is also attested by Arnobius, Lac-
tantius, Prudentius, Minutius, Felix, and scveral
others. Their testimony is a certain proof that
the coming of the Messiah had not imposed a
general silence on oracles.
Thé Emperor Julian, called the Apostate, con-
sulting the oracle of Apollo, in the suhurbs of
Antioch, the dcvil could make him no other answer,
than that the body of St. Babylas, buried in thé
neighbourhood, imposed silence on him. The Em-
peror, transported with rage and vexation, resolved
to revenge his gods, hy eluding a solemn prédic-tion of Chris t. He ordered the Jews to rcbuild the
temple of Jerusalem but i n beginmng to dig thé
foundations, balls of fire burst out, and consumed
which thé devil had no hand. In this opinion he is stronglysupportcd by Vau Da!e, a Dutch physictan, and M. Fonte.
nelle, who havecxpress!y writtcn on ~the subject/A'Z~cuMMo/~tt, op. citat. p. 159.
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70 THAUMATURGIA, OR
the artificers, their tools and materials. Theec
tacts are attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, a pagan,and thé emperor's historian and by St. Chrysostom,St. Gregory Nazinnzen, and Theodoret, Sozomen
and Socrates, in their ecclesiastical historiés. The
sophist Libanius, who was an enemy of the Chri&-
tians, confessed also that St. Babylas had silenced
the oracle of Apollo,
in the suburbs of Antioch.
Plutarch relates that the pUot Thamus heard a
voice in thé air, crying out The gréât Pan is
dead whereupon Eusebius observes, that the deatha
of the demons were frequent in the reign of Tibe-
rius, when Christ drove out the wicked spirits. The
same judgrnents may be passed on oracles as on
possessions. Jt was on particular occasions, by the
divine permission, that the christians cast out devils,
or silenced oracles, in thé presence and even by the
confession of the pagans themselves. And thus it
is we should, it seems, understand the passages of
St. Jerom, Eusebius, Cyril, Theodoret, Prudentius,
and other authors, who said, tl iat thé coming of Christ had imposed silence on thé oracles.
OF ORACLES, THE ARTIFICES OF PRIESTS OF FALSE
DÏVINiTthS.
As regards the second sort of oracles, which were
pure artifices and cheats of the priests of false divi-
nities, and which probably exceeded the numbers of
those that immediately proceed from demons, theydid not ceuse till idolatry was abolished, though
they had lost thcir credit for a considerable time
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ELUCIDAftOKS OP THE MAKVELLOU8. 7t
before thé coming of Christ. It was concerning this
more common and general sort of o racles that
Minutius Félix said, they began to discontinue their
responses, according as men began to be more polite.
But, howsoever decried oracles were, impostors
always found dupes the grossest cheats having never
failed.
Daniel discovered théimposture
of thé priests
of
Bel, who had a private way of getting into the
temple, to takc away the offered meats, and
made the king believe that the idol consumed them.
Mundus, being in love with Paulina, thé eldest of
the~riestesses of Isis, went and told her that the
go~Anubis, bcing passionately fond of her, com-
manded her to give him a meeting. She was after-
wards shut up in a dark room, where her lover
Mundus (whom she believed to be the god Anubis,)was c oncealed. TIlis imposture having been dis-
covered, Tiberius ordered those détestable priestsand priestcsses to be crucified, and with them lolea
Mundus's free woman, who had conducted the whole
intrigue. He also commanded tite temple of Isis to
be levelled with thé ground, her statue to be thrown
into thé Tiber, and, as to Mundus, he contented
himself with sending him into banis!iment.
T~hcophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, not only
destroyed the temples of the gods, but discovered
the cheats of the priests, by shewing that thé statues,
some of w hich were of brass, and others of wood,
were hoUow within, and Icd i nto dark passagesmade in the waM.
Lucius in discovering the impostures of t lie false
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72 THAUMATUROIA, OR
prophet Alexander, says, that thé oracles were
chiefly afraid of thé subtitties of the Epicureansand Christians. The false prophet Alexardcr some-
times feigned himself seized with a divine fury, and
by means of the herb sopewort, which he ehewed,
frothed at the mouth in so extraordinary a manner,
that the ignorant people attributed it t o t he power of the god he was possessed by. He had long
before prepared the head of a dragon made of linen,
which operied and shut i te mouth by means of a
horses hair. Hc w eut by night to a place where the
foundations of a temple were digging, and havingfound water, either of a spring or rain thatilad Bej~edtherc, he Idd in it a goose egg, in which heTtad
inclosed a little serpent that had just been hatched.
Thé next day, very early in the morning, he came
quite naked into thé strect, having on~y a scarf about
his midd!e, holding in his hand a scythe, and tossing
about his hair as thé priests of Cybele theo gettingon the top of a high altar, he eaid that the place was
happy to be honoured by the birth of a god. After-wards running down to thé place where he had hid
thé goosc cgg, and going into the water, he beganto sing thé praises of Apollo and ~Escutapius, and to
invite thé latter to corne and shew himself to men
with thèse words hc dips a bowl into the water and
takes out a mystcrious cgg, which had a god enclosed
in it, and when hc held i t in his hand, he began to
say that he held ~Esculapius, whilst all were eager to have a sight of this fine mystcry, he broke thé
egg, t and thé Ïit tle serpent starting out, twistecl
itself about his nngers.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVMLLOU8. ~3
Thèse examples shew clearly, that both christians
and pagans were so far agreed as to treat the greater number of oracles as purely human impostures.
From the very nature of things, much that now
serves for amusement must formerly have been
appropriated to a highcr destination. Ventriloquism
may be quoted as a case in point, affording & ready
and plausible solution of the oracular stones and oaks,of the reply which thé seer Nessus addressed to Pytha.
goras, (" Jamblichus, Vit. Pyth. xxxiii.) and of
the tree which at the command of the Gymnos-
ophists, of upper Egypt, spoke to Apollonius. The
voice," says Philostratus (Vit. Ap, xi. 5) was dis-
tinct but weak, and similar to thé voicenfawoman."
But thé oracles, at least if we ascend to thcir origin,were not altogether impostures. Thé pretended
interprétera of the decrees of destiny were frequently
plunged into a sort of delirium, and when inhaling
the fumes of some intoxicating drug or powerful gasor vapour, or drinking some beverage which produced
a temporary suspension of the reason, the mind
of the enquirer was predisposed to feverish drcams
Wc learn from Merodotus (iv. 75) that thc Scythiansand.Tartars intoxicated thettiscives by inhaling thé vapour ofa species of hcmp thrown upon rcd hot stones. And théodour oftttc sceds of hcnhanc a!one~ whcn its powcr is aug-mented by heat, produccs a choleric and quarreiaome dis-
position. in thosc who inha!c thc vapour arising from themin this state. And in the I)ictionnaire de Médecine)"(de I'Encyc!op<Mic Méthodique, vit. art. Jusqutatnne) in-stanccs are cluoted, the most remarkable of which ia, thatif a married pair who, though living in perfect harmony
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74 THAUMATURGIA, OR
if priestcraft were concerned in the interpretationof such dreams, or eliciting senses from thé wild
effusions of thé disordered brain of thé Pythoness,Science presided over thé investigation of thé causes
of this phrenzy, and thé advantages which thé
Thaumaturgists might derive from it. Jamblicus
states (de Mysterius C. xxix) that for obtaining a
revelation from theDelty
in a dream,
theyoungestand most simple creatures were the most proper
for succeeding they were prepared for it by magicalinvocations and fumigations of particular perfumes.
Poi'phyry declares that thèse proceedings had an
influence on thé imagination; JamMicus that they
rendered them more worthy of thé inspiration of thé
Deity.
cvety whercelse, could never remnin for a few hours in thé
room where they worked withottt quarrcH!ng. The apart-tttcnt of course was thought to be bewttched, unti! it was
discovcred that a considerable qunntttyofseeds ofhenbanc
were deposited
near thé stovc, which was the cause of their
daily dissensions, thc removat of which put an end to their
bickerings. Thé same effects that were produced by draughtsand fumigations woutd follow from thé application of
tinhnents, of Magicat Unctions," acting through the
absorbent system, as if they had bccn introduced into the
stomach allusions tothcsc ointments arc constantly recurringin ancicnï authors. ï'Jntostratus, in his l ife of ApoUoninB
(iii.5) states that the hodiea of bis companions, before bcingadmitted to thc tnystcrics of thc Indinn sages, were ruhbcdovcr with sa active an oil, that it apneared as if they wcro
hathcd with nre.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 73
CHAPTER V.
THE BRITISH DRUID8, OR MAGt–ORIGIN OF FAIRÏË8 –ANCIENT SUPERSTITIONS–THEtR SKILL IN
MEDECINE, &C.
THE British Druids, l ike the Indian Gymnoso-
phists, or the Persian Magi, had two sets of doctrines
thé first for thé initiated the second for the peuple.That there is one God the creator of heaven and
earth, was a secret doctrine of the Brachmans. And
thé nature and perfection of the deity were amongthe druidical arcana.
Among thé sublimer tenets of the druidical priest-
hood~ we have every where apparent proofs of tlieir
polytheism and the grossness of their religious idea?,
as represented by some writers, is very inconsistent
with that divine philosophy which has been considered
as a part of their character. These, however, were
popular divinities which the Druids ostensibly wor-
shipped, and popular notions whieh they ostensibly
adopted, in conformity with thé prejudices of the
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y6 THAUMATURGIA, OR
vulgar. Thé Druids well k new that the com-
tnon people were no philosophers. There is rea
son also, to think that a great part of thé idola-
tries were not sanctioncd by thc Druids, but after-
wards introduced by the Phœnician colony. But
it would be impossible to say how far the primitiveDruids accommodated thcmselves to vulgar supersti-
tion, or to separate their exterior doctrines andcérémonies from the fables and absurd rites of sub-
sequent t imes. It would be vain to attecnpt to enume-
rate thcir gods in thé eye of the vulgar they defied
everything around them. They worshipped thé spiritsof thé mountains, thé vallies, and thé rivers. Everyrock and every spring wcre either thé instruments
or thé objects of admiration. Thé moonlight vallies
of Danmonium were filled with the fairy people, and
its numerous rivers were the resort of genii.The fiction of fairies is supposed to have been
brought, with other extravagancies of a l ike nature
from the Eastem nations, whilst thé Europeansund christians were cngaged in the holy war such
at least is the notion of a n ingenious writer, who
thus expresses himself Nor were thé monstrous
embeUishments of enchantments thé invention of
romancers, but formed upon Eastern tales, brought
thencc by travellers from their crusades and pilgri-
mages, which indecd, have a cast peculiar to the
wild imagination of thé Eastern people.
Supplement to thé tfanslated preface to Jarvis's Don
Quixotc.
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ELU CI DA TI ONS 0 F T HE MA RV RL LOU 8. 77
That fairies, in particular, came from the East, we
arc assured by t!iat learned orientalist, M. Herbe!ot,
who tells us that thé Persians called thé fairies P~,
and the Arabs G'<?~ that according to the Eastem
fiction, there is a certain country inhabited by fairies,
called Gennistan, which answers to our ~f~
Mr. Martin, in his observations on Spencer's Fairy
Queen, is decided in his opinion, that thé fairiescame from thé East but he justly remarks, that
they were introduced Into thé country long before
thé period of the crusades. Thé race of fairies, he
informs us, was established in Europe in very early
times, but, ~o~ universally." The fairies were
confined to the north of Europe-to the M~MMM?%K~–
to thé J9W~A isles-to thé divisis o~c .B~c/M~.
They were unknown at this remote era to thé Gau!s
or the Germans and they were probably familiar
to thé vallies of Scotland and Danmonium, when
Gaul and Gcrmany were yet unpeopled either byreal or imaginary beings. The belief indeed, of
such invisible agents assigned to different parts of
nature, prevails at tliis very day in Scotland, Devon-
shire and Cornwall, regularly transmitted from thé
remotest antiquity to thé présent times, and totaUyunconnected with thé spurious romance of thé crusa-
der or the pilgrim. Hencc those superstitious notions
That thé Druids worshipped rocks, atones, and foun-
tains, and itnagutcd thctn inhabitcd, and actuatcd by «'t'~Hc
!'K/<<~eNc<'A'~M ~K'er ?'~tM~, mny p!ninty be inferrecl from
thcir stone monuments. These infcrior dcitics thé Cornish
caU<n~~M, or~<n' which answer to pcnii or fairies
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78 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
now cxisting in our western villages, where the
spriggian* are still believed to delude benighted
travellers, to discover hidden treasures, to influence
the weather, and to raise the winds. This," says
Warton, strengthens the hypotheses of the northem
parts of Europe being peopled by colonies from thé
east!"
Thé inhabitants of Shetland and thé Isles pour libations of milk or beer through a holed.stone, in
honour of thé spir it Brownie and it is probable thé
Danmonii were accustomed to sacrifice to thé same
spirit, s ince thé Cornish and the Devonians on thé
border of Cornwall, invoke to this day thé spirit
Brownie, on thé swarming of their bées.
Witli respect to rivers, it is a certain fact that thé
primitive Britons paid the!u divine honours even now,
in many parts of Devonshire and Cornwall, the
vulgar may be said to worship brooka and wells, to
which they rcsort at statcd periods, performingvarious ceremonies in honour of those consecrated
waters and tlie Highlanders, to this day, talk with
great respect of tbe genius of thé sea never bathe
in a fountain, lest thé clegant spirit that résides in
it should be offended and remove and mention not
thé water of rivers without prefixing to it the name
of excellent; and in one ofthc western islands the
inhabitants retained thé custom, to thé close of thé
and thé vutgar in Cornwat] still dincoursc of thon, as ofreat
betngs.Sec Macphcrson's Introduction to thé history of grcat
Bntain and !rc!und.
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ELU CI DA TI ONS 0 F TH B MA HV ELLO U8. ~9
last century, of making an annual sacrifice to thé
genius of thé ocean. That at this day the inhabitants
of India deify their principal rivers is a well known
fact the waters of thé Ganges possess an uncommon
sanctity and the modem Arabians, like the Ishma-
elites of old, concur w ith thé Danmonii in their
reverence of springs and fountains. Evcn the names
of thc Arabian and Danmonian weUs have a strikingcorrespondence. We have thé ~~M~-M~7; or thé
N~p~/bM~ and there are springs with similar
names in thc deserts of Arabia. Perhaps the vene.
ration of the Danmonii for fountains and rivers may be accepted as n o trivial proof, to be thrown into
the mass of circumstantial evidence, in favour of
their Eastern original. That the Arabs in their
thirsty deserts, should even adore tlieir wells of
springing water," need not excite oar surprise, but we may justly wondcr a t thé inhabitants of
Devonshire and Cornwall thus worshipping thé godsof numerous rivers, and never failing brooks, familiar
to every part of Danmonium.
Thé principal times of devotion among the Druids
were either mid-day or midnight. Thé officiatingDruid was cloathed in a white garment that sweptthe ground; on his head, he wore thé tiara; he had
the <ïn~M!MMMor serpcnt's egg, as thc ensign of his
order; his temples were encirc!ed with a wreath of
oak.leaves, and he waved in his hand the magierod. As regards thc Druid sacrifice there are vagueand contradietory representations. It is certain,
however, that they onered human victims to their
gods. They taught that the punishment of the
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80 THAUMATUBGÏA, OR
wicked Tnight be obliterated by sacrifices t o Baal .~
Thé sacrifice of t he black sheep, therefore, was
offered up for the souls of the departed, and various
species of charma exhibitcd. Traces of the holy
fires, and nre'worship of the Druidsf maybe observed
This ido!, which is ca lled by the Septuagint, Baal, is
menttoncd in othcr parts of scr ipture by othcr natncs. To
undcr st~nd wha t this god was, we May observe, that thé
(loi ties of thé Gre eks a nd Roma ns come f rom tbe East
and it is a tradition among the ancient and m odem hea thens
thatthts idol was a n obscure deity, which may ptead excuse
for not translating sonne passages concerning it and th is i s
agrceabtc to Hosen ( ix. 10). They M'c~< oM< into BH~~ Plceor,
and~w~<<AfM!~w~o ~ctf~MMtc. And it is thé opi-
nion of Jérôme, who qnotcs it frotn a n nncient t radit ion of the
Jews, that Baal /'A<'cr i s the P~tf~tM of thé Greeks and
Romans and ifyou look into thevut gar!atin (1 Kings xv.
13.) wc shaU find i t thus rendered, ~yn, <A<*A'tK~'fpMto~c~
Maachn, /!tM M&oMt &ct ?~ yMcpK) ~~< ~c Mt' no Aw~fr
<'< high /*rt~~cM in the Mcrt/?<'c.T o/' ~~t~. And he de-
stroyed thé grovc she had consecratcd, and hroke thé most
ntthy idot, a nd burnt it at thc brook ~c~'oM. Dr. Cmn-
berland inserts, that thc hnport of thé word ~<?or, or ~~<
~~<«r, is lie that t~hews hoastingly or pubUc!y, his nakcd-
ness. Womcn to avoid barrcnness, ~'ere to a it on this
filthy hnage, as thc sourc e of frMitfuhcsa for wbich Lac-
tantins and Augustine justly déride the hcathens.
Thcre was an awfu! mystcriousncss in thé original
Druid sacrince. Descantin~ ttpon the human sacrifices of vari-
ous countrics, Mr. Bryant informs us, that among the
nations of Cannan) the victims ~'rrc <~o.4<'?: tM a ~tt-M~nr
M!MH7tf! theirown children, and wha tsof vcr wa !< nearc&t
ancl dcarcst to them, wcrethuught the tnost worthyoHeriogtito thcir gods Thc Carthagenians, who ~' er p a cotony frotn
Tyre, carricd with them thc religion of thcir mothcr country
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t'
ELUCI DATIONS 0F THE MARVEU.OUS, 8t
G
in several customs, both of the Devonians and the
Comigh but in Ireland may still be seen the bolyfires in a!l their solemnity. The Irish call the month
ofMay ~c, or fire of Belus and the firet of
May Z~ or the day of Belus's fire. In an
old Irish glossary, it is mentioned that the Druids
of Ireland used to light two solemn fires every year,
through which all four-footed beasts were driven,as a preservative against contagious distempers.
The Irish hâve this custom at the present moment,
they kindle the fire in t he milking yards; men,
women, and children pass through or leap over it,
and their cattle are driven through the names of the
burning straw, on the ~r~ of Afay; and in the
month of November, they have also their fire feasts
when, according to thé custom of the Danmomans,' f
as well as the Irish Druids, the hills were enveloped
jn flame. Previously to this solemnity (on the eve
'.of November) the nre in every private house was
~xtinguished hither, then, the people were obliged
to resort, in order to rekindle it. The ancient
Persians named the m onth of November, ~4~' or
~~e Adur, according to Richardson was the angel
~presiding over that eïement, in consequence of
which, on the ninth, his name-day, thé countryMazed all around with flaming piles, whiist thé
~nd institutcd the same wofship in tho parts whcrc t!<('y
~were seated. Parents o~ered up their own chihh'en as
dearest to thetnscivcs, and therefore the more acceptable'tothe deity they HacnSced the fruit of their body for the
sin of their soul." The Druids, no doubt, were actuated~with tbe same views.
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83 TtIAUiMATURGIA, OR
noagi, by the injunction of Zoroaster, visitcd with
great solemnity ail the temples of fire throughoutthe empire which, on this occasion, were adorned
and Illumioated in a most splendid manner. Hence
our British illuminations in November had probablytheir origin. It was at this season that Baal <S'ctM~<!M
called the souls to judgment, which, accordingto their déserts, were assigned to re-enter the bodies
of men or. brutes, and to be happy or misérableduring their next abode on the earth.
The primitive christians, attached to their pagan
ceremonies, placed the feast of AU-Souls on the la
Samon, or the second of November. Even now the
pensants in Ireland assemble on the vigil of la Samon
with sticks and clubs, going f rom house to hp~se,
colïecting money, bread-cake, butter, cheese, eggs,etc., for the feast; repeating verses in honour of the
solemnity, and calling for the black shcep. Candies
are sent from house to house and lighted up on the
Samon. (The next day.) Every house abounds in thé
best viands thé master can afford apples and nuts are
eaten in great plenty thé nutshells are burnt, and
frotn the ashes many things are foretold. Hempseedis sown by thé maidens, who believe that, if they look
back, they shall see the apparition of their intended
husbandH. Thé girls make various efforts to read
their destiny thcy hang a smock before the fire at
the close of thé feast, and sit up all night concealed in
nne corner ofthe room, expecting the apparition of the
lover to corne down the chimney and turn the shimee:
they throw a bail o f yarn out of thc window, and
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ELUCIDATIONS OF THE MARVRLLOU8. 83
o 2
wind it on the ree] within, c onvinced that if they
repeat the Paternoster backwards, and look at thé
baïl of yam without, they s hall then also see his ap.
parition. Those who celebrate this ieast have numer-
ous other r ites derived from the Pagans. They dip
for apples in a tub of water, and e ndeavour to bring
up one with their mouths they catch at an apple
when stuck on at one of the e nd of a kind of hanging
beam, at the other extremity of which is f ixed a
Itghted candte, and that with their mouths oniy,
whikt it is in a circular motion, having their hands
tied bebind their backs.* jb
There is no sort of doubt that ~a<~ and ~'e wcre prin-
~cipat objecta of the ceremonies and adoration of thc Druids.
a Thc principal season of thèse, and of their <east8 in honour
;;pf Baal, was new year's day, when the sun began visiMy to
return towards us the custom is not yet at an end, the coun-
try people still burningontthc old ycar and welconting in thc
new by nres lighted on thé top of hills, and other high ptaccs.Thé next scason was thé month of May, when thé fruits of
thé earth began, in tbe Eastern countries, to be gathered,
~and thé first fruits of them consccrated to Baal, or to the
~Mn, whose benign ionuencc had ripencd them and o ne is
~a!mo8t persuaded that thc dance round the May pote, in that
montb, is a faint image of thé rites obscrved on such occa-
~sionst Thc ncxtgrcat festival was on thé 21st of June, when
~the suH) being in Cancer, nrstnppenrstogohackwardsand
~teavc u s. On t his occasion the Baalim used t o call thé
people together, and to light f ires on high places, and to
cause their sons, and their daughtcrs, and their cattle to pass
throngh the nre, caUing upon Baa! to btess them~ and not
forsake them.
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8~ THAUMATURGIA, OR
THE BRITISH MAGt.
The Druids, who were the tnagi of the Britons,
had an infinite number of ri tes in common with the
Persians. One of thé chief functions of thé Eastern
magi, was divination and Pomponius Me~a tells us,
that our Druida possessed the same art. There was
a solemn rite of divination among the Druids from
the fall of thé victim and convulsions of his limbs, or the nature and position of hia entrails. But the
British priests had various kinds of divination. Bythc number ofcriminal causes, and by the increase
or diminution of their own order, thcy predicted ferti.
lity or scurcity. From the neighing or prancing of
white herses, harnessed to a consecrated chariot-
from the turnings and windings of a hare let loose
from thc bosom of thé diviner (with a variety of
other ominous appearances or exhibitions) they pre-tended to determine the events of futurity.*
Of all creatures thé serpent exercised, in thé most
curious manner, thé invention of the Druids. To thefamous aM~M~Mw thcy attributed high virtues. The
aK~MMMM or serpent'8 egg, was a congeries of amall
snalœs rolled together, and incrusted with a sheU,
formed by thé saliva or viscous gum, or frotli of the
mother serpent. This egg, it secms was tossed into
thé air, by ttie hiBsings of its dam, and bcfore it fell
ln Devonshire and Cornwall it is still conaidcred on!
noua if a barc crosses a person on thc road.
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B LUC ÏD ATÏ ON 6 OP THE MA RV ELMU S. 85
again to the earth (where it would be defiled) it wa~
h to be received in the sagus or sacred vestment. The
person who caught the egg was to make his escape on
horseback, since thé serpent pursues the ravisher of
its young, even to the brink ofthe next river. Pliny,from whom this account is taken (lib. 29. C. 3.)
procceds with an enumeration of other absurdities re.
lating to the anguinum. This o~KïMM~ is in British
called G'/a~-M<?!
or théserpent
of ghtss
and the
same superstitious reverence which the Danmonii
universally paid to the angainum, is still discoverable
in some parts of Cornwall. Mr. Llhuyd informs us
that the Cornish retain a variety of charma, and
have still towards the Land'R-End, the amulets of
Maen'Magal and Gïain.nbider, which latter they call
Melprer, and have a charm for the snake to make it,
when they find one asleep, and stick a hazel wand
in the centre of her spiraB," or coUs.
Wc are informed by Cambden that, in most
parts of Wales, and throughout all Scotland and Com-
wall, i t is an opinion of the vulgar, that about mid-
summcr-eve (though in the time they do not ail agree)the snakes meet in companies, and tbat by joiningheads together and hissing, a kind of bubble is formed,
which thé rest, by continuai hissing, blow on till it
passes quite through thé body, when it immediately
hardens, and resembles a glass-ring, which whoever
finds shaH prosper in all his undertakings. The ringsthus generated arc called C'/c~M~~op~, or snake.
stones. They are smaU glass amulets, commonlyabout ha~f as widc as our finger rings, but much
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8C THAUMATURQIA~ OR
thicker, of a green colour usually, though sometimee
blue, and waved with red and white."
Carew says, that the country pLopIe, in Corn-
wall, have a persuasion that thé snakc's breatbing
upon a hazel wand produces a atone ring of blue
colour, in which there appears the yellow figure of a
snake, a nd that beasts bit and envenomed, being
given some water to drink wherein this stone has
been infused, will perfectiy recover the poison.*From the animal, the Druids passed to the vege-
table world and tliese also displayed their powers,whilst by the charma of the misletoe, the selago, and
the samopis, they preventcd or repelled diseases. From
the undulation or bubbling of water etirred by an oak
branch, or magic wand, they foretold events that were
to come. The superstition of the Druids is even now
retained i n the w estern counties. To this day, the
Cornish have been accustomed to consult their famous
weU at Madem, or rather the spirit of the well, res.
pecting their future destiny.
Hither," says Borlase, corne the uneaay, im- patient, and superstitious, and by dropping pinst or
pebblea into the water, and by shaking the groundround the spring, so as to raise bubbles f rom the
bottom, at a certain t ime of the year, moon and day,
Sec Carew's ~Mr~f~ of Cornwall. p. 22. Mr. Carew!md a stone-ring ofthia kind in his possession, and the per-son who gave it to him avowed, that '< he himself saw a partof the stick sticking in it/but ~c~tf~ oM~orf~t ~?</M/*says Mr. Carew.
t Thé same superstition still exista in Devonshire.
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ELUCÏDATïOKS OP THE MARVBLLOU8. 87
endeavour to remove their uneasiness: yct thé
supposed responses serve equally to encrease the
gloom of the melancholy, thé suspicions ofthejealous,and the passion of thé enamoured. The Castalmn
fountain, and many others among the Crecians were
supposed to be of a prophetie nature. By dipping a
fair mirror into a well, HM Patraeans of Grcece
received, as they supposed, some notice ofensmng
sickness or health from the, various ngurespourtrayedupon the surface. Thé people of Laconia cast into a
pool, sacred to Juno, c akes of bread c orn if the cakes
sunk~ good was portended if they swam, somethingdreadful was to ensue. Sometimes the superstitionsthrew three stones into the water, and formed their
conclusions from thé several tums they made in sink-
ing." The Druids were likewise able to communicate,
by consécration, the most portentous virtues to rocks
and stones, which could determine the succession of
princes or the fate of empires. To the Rocking or
Logan stone, several of which remain sti ll in Devon-
shire and Cornwall, in particular, they had recourse to
connrm their authority, cither as prophets or judges,'`
pretending that its motion was miraculous. These
~`v;religious rites were celebrated in consecrated places
and temples, in thé midst of groves. The mysterious
silence of an ancient wood diffuses even a shade of
horror over minds that are yet superior to aupersti-tious credulity. Their temple was seldom any other
-"v than a wide circle of rocks perpendicularly raised.
An artificial pile of large flat stone usually composcdthe altar; and thé whole religious mountain was
usually enclosed by a low mound, to prevent the in-
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88 THAUMATURGIA, OR
trusion of the profane. There was something in
the Druidical species of heathenism," exclaims
Mr. Whitaker, in a. style truly oriental, that was
well calcalated to arrest the attention and impress
the mind. The rudely majeatic circle of stones in
their temples, thé enormous Cromlech, the massy
Logan, the huge Carnedde, and the magnificent am.
phitheatre of woods, would aU very strongly lay hold
upon that religious thoughtfulness of soul, which has
ever been so n atural to man, amid aU thé wrecks of
humanity-the monument of his former perfectionThat Druidism, as existing originally in Devonshire
and Cornw all, was immediately transported, in all its
purity and perfection, from the East, seems extremely
probable.
Among the sacred rites of the Druids tl iere were
none more celebrated than that they uaed of the
misletoe of thé oak. They believed this tree was
chosen by God himself. Thé misletoe was what
they found but seldom whenever, therefore, theymet with it, they fetched it with great ceremony,and did i t on thé sixth day of the moon, with which
day they began both their months and their years.
They gave a name to this shrub, denoting that it had
the virtue of curing all diseases. They sacrificed
victims to it, believing that, by its virtue, the
barren were made fruitful. They looked upon it
likewise as a preservative against all poisons. Thus
do sevcral nations of the world place their religionin the observation of trines,
The Druids were also extremely superstitious in
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ELUCIDATÏONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 89
relation to the herb selago, which they reckoned a
preservative against sore eyes, and almost all mis-
fortunes. Another herb callcd samotis, which they
imagined had a virtue to prevent diseases among
cattle, they were very ceremonious about gathering.
'nie person was obliged to be clad in white, and was
not suffered to handie it and the ceremony was pre-ceded by a sacrifice of bread and wine.
The Druids had another superstition amongst them,in regard to their serpents' cggs, which they supposed
were formed o f thé saliva of many of those créa-
tures, at a certain time of the moon thèse they
looked upon as a sure prognostic of getting the
better of their enemies. These, with many other
ridiculous fooleries, were imposed upon the credulous
people, as they were very much attached to divina-
tion. The Druids regarded the misletoe as an an-
tidote against aU poisons, and they preserved their
selago against all misfortunes. The Persians had
the same confidence in thé efficacy of several herbs,
and used them in a s imilar manner. Thé Druids eut
their misletoe with a golden hook, and the Persians
eut thé twigs of G~c~, or A~M~ï,' called &MrMM, with
a peculiar sort of concentrated knife. The candidates
for the British throne had recourse to the fatal stone
to (letermine their prétendions; and on s imilar
occasions the Persians had recourse to thé Ar-
tizoe.
From every view of the Druid religion, Mr. Pol.
whele concludes that it derived its origin from the
Persian magi. Dr. Borlasse has drawn a long and
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90 TMAUMATURGtA, OR
elabortite parallel between the Druids and Persians,
where he bas plainly proved that they resembled
each other, as strictly as possible, in every particular
of religion.*
Sec accountof Dmidistu in Polcwhctc's Historical View:!
of Devonsturc, vol. 1.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. &]
CHAPTER VI.
~SCULAFÏAN MY8TERIE8, &C.
ApOLLO is said to have been one of the most gen-
tle, and at the same time, as may be inferred from
his numerous issue, one of the most gallant of the
heathen deities. The first and most noted of his sons
was ~Esculapius, whom he had by the nymph Cor-
onis . Some say that ApoUo, on account of her in.
fidelity, shot his mother when big with child with
him but repenting the tact, saved the infant, and
gave him to Chiron to be instructed in physic.~Others report, that as King Phlegyas, her father
was carrying her with him into Peloponnesua, her
pains surprised her on the confines of Epidauria
where, to conceal her shame, she exposed the in-
fant on a mountain. Thé <rM~, however is, that this
~Esculapius was a poor infant cast away, a dropt
Ovid, who rotâtes thc story of Coronis in his fancifut
wny, tells us that Corvus, or the raven, who discovered her
armour, had by Apollo, his featiters changed from &~cA to
wllite.
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92 THAUMATUttGlA, OK
child, laid in a wood near Epidaurus, by his unnatu.
ral parents, who were afterwards ashamed to own
him he w as shortly afterwards found by some
huntsmen, who, seeing a lighted flame or glory
surrounding bis head, looked upon i t as a prog-nostic of the child's future glory. Thé infant was
delivered by them to a nurse named Trigo, but thé
poets say he was suclded by a goat. He studied
physic under Chiron the centaur, by whose care hemade such progress in thé medical art, as gainedhim so high a reputation that he was even reported
to h ave raised the dead. His nrst cures were
wrought upon Ascles, King of Epidaurus, and
Aunes, King of Daunia, which last was troubled
with sore eyes. fn short, his success was so great,that Pluto, seeing tlie number of his ghosts daily
decrease, complained to Jupiter, who killed him
with his t hunderbolts. Such was his pronciency in
medical skill, that lie was generally esteemed the godof physic.
In the city of Tetrapolis, which belonged to the
Ionians, ~Escuhpius had a temple full of rare cures,
dedicated to him by those who ascribed their re-
covery to him and its waïls were covered and hungwith memorials of the miracles he had performed.
Cicero reckons up three of thé names of ~Escu.
lapius. The first thé son of Apollo, worshipped in
Arcadia, who inventcd thé probe and bandages for
wounds thé second the brother of Mercury, killed
by lightning and the third the'sonofArsippus
Arsione, who nrpt taught the art of tooth-drawing
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 93
nnd purging. Others make ~Esculapius an Egyp-tian, King of Memphis, antécédent by a thousand
years to the ~Escu!apins of the Gréées. The
Romans nunibered him among thé Dii Adcititii, of
such as were raised to heaven* by their merit, as
Hercules, Castor and PoIÏux. The Greeks receivcd
their knowledge of ~Escu~apius from the Phœnicians
and Egyptians. His chief temples were at Pergamus,
Smyrna, and Trica, a city of lonia, and the isle of Coos, or Cos in which al! votive tablets were hung
up,* shewing thé diseases cured by his assistance
but his most famous shrine was at Epidaurus, where
every five years in the spring, solemn games were
instituted to him nine days after the Isthmian games
at Corinth.
It was by accident that the Romans became ac-
quainted with iEsculapius. A p~ague happened in
Italv, the oracle was consulted, and thé reply was
that they should fetch thé god Esculapius from Epi-
daurus. An embassy was appointed of ten senators,
at thé head of whom was Q. Ogulnius. These de-
puties, on their arrivai, visiting thé temple of the
god, a. huge serpent came from under the altar, and
crossing thé city, went directly to their ship, and
lay down in the cabin of Ogulnius;t upon which
From these tablets, or votive inscriptions, Hippocrates is
saidto have collected his aphorisms.
t The'Romnns who sent for ~Escu!npius from Epidaurus,when their city was troubled with the p!nguc, say, that thc
serpent that wns worshippcd there for hint folloiveci thc
ambassadors of its own accord tu thé ship thnt transported
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94 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
they set sail immediatcly, and arriving in thé Tiber,
the serpent quitted the ship, and retired to a little
island opposite to the city, where a temple was
erected to the god, and the pestilence ceased.
Thé animats saqrinced to ~Esculapius were the
goat some say on account of his having been
nursed by this animal others because this crea-
ture is unhealthy, as labouring under a perpétuaifever. The
dog and the cock were sacrificed to
him, on account of their fidelity and vigilance the
ra.ven was also devoted to him for i ts forecast, and
being skilled in divination. Authors are not agreedas to his being the inventor of physic, some affirm-
ing he perfected that part only which relates to the
regimen of the sick.
The origin of this fable is as follows :-the public
sign or symbol exposed by the Egyptians in their
assemblies, to wam the people to mark the depth of
thé inundation of the Nile, in order to regulate their
ploughing accordingly, was the figure of a man with
a dog's head, carrying a pole with serpents twisted
round it, to which they gave the name of Anubis,~
Th<umt,t and /Rsculapma.~ In process of time, they
it to Rome, where it was placcd in a temple huHt in thc
isle called Tibcrina. ïn thts temple the sick pcop!c wcre
wont to lie, and whcn they fonnd thcmsctvcs no botter, theyrcvited ~scuh~pius so impaticntiy ungratcfut and pccvishwere ofwn thé nMtctcd, that they tnade no scrnptc to reproachthé very god who administered to thcir maladies.*From Hannobcach, wtnch~ in thePhœnicianianguage,
signifies thc &(f)-Act',or ~omo', Anubis.
This word signifies thé dog.From ~Kt. man, and M/c~/<, dog, comeN ~E~M~A, the
man-dog, or ~Escuiapius.
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NLUCIMATION8 0F THK MARVELLOUS. 93
made use of this représentation for a real king, who
by thé study of physic, sought the preservation of
his subjects. Thus the dog and the serpents became
thé characteristics of ~sculapius amongst the Ro-
mans and Greeks, who were entirely strangers to thé
original meaning of thèse hieroglyphics..
~Escuïapius was represented as an old man, with
a long beard, crowned with a branch of bay tree
in his hauds was a staff full of knots, about whicha serpent had twisted itself at his feet s tood an
owl or a dog-characteristics of the qualities of a
good physician, who must be as cunning as a ser-
pent, as vigilant as a dog*, as cunning and experi-enced a s an old bashaw, to bandle a- thing so diffi-
cult as physic. At Epidaurus his statue was of goldand ivory,* seated on a throne of the same materials,
with a long beard, having a knotty stick in one hand,
thé other entwined with a serpent, and a dog lyingat his feet. Thé Phliasians depicted him as beard-
less, and tlie Romans crowned him with a laurel,
to denote his descent fromApollo.
The knots in
his staff signify t!ie d!fncu!ties that occur in the studyof medicinc. He had by his wife Epione two. sons,
Machaon and Podalirius, both skillôd in surgery,and who are mentioned by Homer as having been
présent at the siège of Troy, and who were veryserviceable to thé Greeks. He had also two daugh-
ters, called Hygisca and Jaso.
This imngc was the work of Titrasymedes, thé son of
Arignotus, a nMtivc of l'nros.
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96 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
CHAPTER VII.
tNFERIOR DEITtES ATTENDïXG MANKIKD FROM
THEÎR HïRTH TO THEtR DRCEA8R.
IT would be almost an endless task to enter into
a detail of aU the infenor deities of the Gréées and
Romans our object heing to refer to such only as
preside over thé heatth of thé human race, every
part and parcel of whom had their presiding genius.
–Dunng pregnancy, thé tutetar powers were thé
god Pelumnus,~ and the goddesses Intet'cedonia.t andDevcrra.~ The import of the~e words scems to pointout the necesstty of warmth and c~eattliness to ladies
in this condition.
Besides thé superior goddesses Jemo-Lucien,
Diana Ilythia, and Latona, who all prcsided at the
Either from /)t7«H!, a pestle or from pello, to drive
away hccause hc procurcd a safe delivery.t She taught the art of cutting wood with a hatchet to
mnke fi res.
Thc inventrcss of brooms.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVEM.OU8. 0~
M
birth, there were the goddesses Egeria,* Prosa,t
and Manageneta,t who with the Dii Nixii,~ had
all the care of women in labour.
To children, Janus perfonned the office of
door-keeper or midwife and in this quality was
assisted by the goddess Opis or Ops ;)) Cuma rocked
the cradle, whi!e Carmenta sung their destinyLevana lifted them up from thé ground and
Vegetanus took care of them when they cried;Rumina*~ watched them while they suckled;
Polina furnished them with drink and Edura with
food or nourishment; i Osslago knit their bones,
and Camatf strengthened their constitutions. Nu-
dina~ was the goddess of children's purificationStilinus or Statanus instructed them to walk, and
Prom casting out thé birth.
t Aulus GeHius.
~E!inn.
Frotn <f~or, to strugg!c. Sec Auaonuts, IdyU 12.
tt Somcmake hcr the same with Rhea
or Vesta.Amon~ thc Romans thc midwife atways lnid the child
on the ground, and the father or somcbody appointed,lifted it up hcnce the expression of tollere /<&<'roa,to educatc
children.
This goddess had a temple nt Rome, and her o(!eringswerc rnUk.
t~ On t!te Kalcnds of June, SHcrtHces were ottercd to
Carna. of bacon and bean flour cakes; whence they wcrc
called FabanEC.
H Boys wcre named always on thc ninth day aftcr thc
birth, and girls on the eighth.
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98 THAUMATUROÏA, OK
kept them from falling Fabulina learnt them to
prattle the goddess Paventia preserved them from
frights and Camopna taught them to sing. Nur was thé infant, when grown to riper years,
left without lus protectors Juventas was the godof youth Agenoria excited men to action and the
goddesses Stimula and Strenua inspired courage aud
vivacity Hortaf inspired the fame or love of gloryand Sentra gave them the sentiments of probity and
justice Quies was thé goddesses of repose or ease4
and Indolena, or laziness, was deified by the name of
Murcia;§ Vacua protected the idle; Adeona and
Abeona, secured people in going a broad and re-
tuming ;)j and Vibilia, if they wandered, was so
kind as to put them in the right way Fessonia
refreshed the weary and fàtigued and Meditrina
healed the sicMy Vitula was thé goddess of mirth
and frolic; Volupia thé goddess who bestowed
pleasure;tt Orbona was addressed, that parents
might not love their offspring; Pellonia averted
mischief and danger and Numeria taught people to
Prom Pa~orem!i vcrtcndo.
t She !):tda tctupic at Rome which a!wa\'s stood open.Shc had a temple without. thc watts.
§ Murcia hnd her tcmp!c on Monnt Aventine.
)} From ~~t' to go away and M</<«,to conte.
Thp fMth'a! of this goddpss was in Scptctnbcr, when
the Romans drank ncw winc nnxcd wittt o!d, by way «f
physic.< From t~t~K/o,to !cap or advance.
tt From <w/t~<M, ptcasurc.
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ELU CI DA TI ONS 0 F THE MA RV ELLO U8 . 9<)
Il 2
cast and keep accounts Angerona cured the anguishor sorrow of t he mind Havres Martia secured
heirs the estates they expected and Stata or Statua
Mater, secured the forum or market place from nre
even the thieves had a protectress in Laverna;f
Averruncus prevented sudden misfortunes; and
Conius was always disposed to give good advice to
such as wanted it Volumnus inspired men with a
disposition to do well and Honorus raised them to preferment and honours.
Nor was thé marriage state without i ts peculiar defenders. Five deities were csteemed so necessar)',that no marriages were solemnized witliout askingtheir favours these were Jupiter-Perfectus, or the
Adult, Juno, Venus, Suadeïa,~ and Diana. Juga-tinus tied the nuptial knot Domiducus ushered the
bride home Domitius took care to keep her there, and
prevent her gadding abroad Maturna preserved the
conjugal union entire Virginensis§ loosed the bridle
zone or girdle Viriplaca was a propitious goddes~,
ready to reconcile thé married couple in case of any
accidentai difference. Matuta was thé patronesi-< of
In a great murrain which destroycd the!r cnttlc, thc
Romans invoked this goddcss, and shc rcinovcd thc piagne.t The image was a head without a body. Horace tncn-
tions her (Lib. 1. Epist. XV!. 60). Site hnd a templewithout the waHs, which gave thé nnmc to the Porta Laver-
nalis.
Thc goddcss of cloquence, or persuasion, who h<td
always a grcat hand in thc sncccss of courtship.§ She was n!so caHcd Cinxia Juno.
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100 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
matrons, no maid being suffered to enter her temple.The married was always held to be the only honourable
state for woman, during the times of pagan antiquity.The goddess Vacuna,* is mentioned by Horace
(Lib. ï. Epist. X. 49.) as having her temple at
Rome the rustics celebrated her festival in December,
after the harvest was got in (Ovid. Fast. Lib. XI).The ancients assigned the particular parts of the
body to particular deities the head was sacred to
Jupiter the breast to Neptune thé waist to Mars
the forehead to Genius thé eye.brows to Juno, the
cyes to Cupid the ears to Memory thé right hand
to Fides or Veritas thé back to Pluto the knees to
Misericordia or mercy the legs to Mercury the
feet to Thetis and the fingers to Minerva.f
Thé goddess who presided o ver funerals was
Libitina,' whose temple at Rome, the utidertakers
She was an old Sabine dcity. Some makc her the same
with Ceres; but Varro imagines her to be thé goddesa of
victory.
t From thia distribution arose, pcrhaps, the scheme of
our modem astrologers, w!t0 asstgn thc ditTcrcnt parts of
the hody to thc different consteHations, or signs of Zodiac
as thchcadtoArics, the ncck toTanrus, ttteshoutdersto
Cetnin!, tlie heart to Cancer, the breast to Léo, und so on.
Thc prctcndcd issues of astrology have becn aiways insepa-rnb!e from stctht!' influence, and thc xodiac bas ever bccn
U)c fruitful source of its solemn dctusions.
Some confound this goddcss with ï'roscrpine, othcrs
with Venus.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 10 t
furnîshed with all thé necessaries for the interment
of the poor or rich all dead bodies were carried
through the Porto Libitina; and the Rationes LibitinaB
mentioned by Suetonius, very nearly answer to our
bills of mortality.
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102 THACMATURGïA, OR
CHAPTER VIII.
JUDICIAL ASTROLOGY-ITS CHEMICAL APPLICATION
TO THE PROLONGATION 0F LIFE AND HEALTtf–
ALCHYMICAL DELUSIONS.
THE study of astrology, so nattering to human
curiosity got into favour with mankind at a very
early period,-especially with the weak and igno-
raut. The first account. of it we meet with is in
Chaldea and at Rome it was known by the name
of the Babylonish calculation," against which
Horace very wisely cautioned his readers.~ It wasdoubtless the first method of divination, and probably
prepared the mind of man for aU thé various methods
since employed of searching into futurity a briefview
therefore of the rise of this pretended science cannot
be improper in this place, especially as thé history of thèse absurdities is the best method of confuting them.
e nec Bnby!oniosTentaria numéros.–L!b. 1. ad Xî.
That is, conault not thé table!! of planetary calculationsused by astrologers of Babylonish origin.
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RLUCIDATK)N8 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 103
Others have ascribed the~ invention of this déceptionto the Arabs ;–be tins as it may. Judicial Astrology*has been too much used by the priests and physicians
of aU nations to encrease thcir own power and emo-
lument. They maintain that thé heavens are one
great book, in which God has written the history of
the world and in which every man may read his
own fortune and the transactions of his time.
In this department of astrotogy (judicial) we meetwith aU the idle conceits about thé horary reign of
planets, thé doctrine of horoscopes, the distribution
<~ the houses, the calculation of nativities, j~b~MM~,
lucky and urslucky hours, and other ominous fatalities.
They assert that i t had its rise from the same hands
as astronomy itself ;-that while thé ancient Assyrians,whose serene unclouded sky favoured their celestial~ob-
This conjectural science is dividcd into natural and
jud!cia!. The first is confined to the study of exploringnatural efiects, as change of wcathcr, winds and storms-
hurricanes, thunder, fioods, earthquakcs, and thc like. tn
this sensé it is admitted to be a part
of natural phiioaophy.It was under this view that Mr. Good, Mr. Boytc, and Dr.
Mcad ptcadcd for its use. The first endeavours to account
for thc diversity of seasons from thc situations, habitudes,and motions of the planets and to explain an infinity of
phenonena by the contemplation of t hé s tars. The
honourabie Mr. Boyle admitted, that ali physical bodics
arc inftuenced by the heavenly bodies; and the doctor's
opinion, in his trcatisc conccrning thc power of the sun and
tnoon, ctc.-is in faveur of the doctrine. But thèse prédic-tions and influcnce arc ridiculcd, nnd entirc!y cxptodcd bythc most estcctncd modern ptntosophcrs, of which thc
rpader rnay hâve a tcarned spccitncn in Rohautt's Tract.
rhysie. pt. H. c 27.
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104 THAUMATURGIA, OR
servations, were intent on tracing the paths and
periods of thé heavenly bodies, they discovered
a constant settled relation or analogy between them
and things below hence they were led to conclude
these to be thé fates or destinies (Parcee) so much
taiked of, which preside at our birth, and disposeof our future state.
Thé Egyptians, who derived their astrological su-
perstitions from the Chaldeans, becoming ignorant of the astronomical hieroglyphics, bY degrees looked
upon thé names of the signa as expressing certain
powers with which they were invested, and as indi-
cations of their several offices. Tlie sun, on account
of its splendour and enlivening influence, was ima.
gined to be the great mover of nature thé moon
held the second rank of powers, and each sign and
constellation a certain share in thé guvernment of
the world. The ram, (Aries ) had a strong in-
fluence over the young of the floeks and lierds the
balance, (Libra ) could inspire nothing but inclina-
tions to good order and justice and the scorpion,
(Scorpio ït~) to excite only evil dispositions. In short,
each sign produced the good or evil intimated by its
name.
Thus, if a child happened to be born at thé in-
stant when the first star of thé ram rose abovc the
horizon, (when, in order to give this nonsense the
air of a science, thé s tar was suppose(t to have its
greatest influence,) he would bc rich in cattle and
he who shouM enter tlie world undcr thé crab,
would meet with nothing but disappointments,
and all his affairs go backwards and downwards.
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ELU CI DA TI ONS O F TH E MA RV ELLO U8. ~5
Thé people were to be happy whose king entered
thé world under the sign Libra but completely
wretched if he should light under the horrid sign
scorpion. Persons born undcr capricom (~f) es-
pecially if the sun at the sarne time ascended thé
horizon, were sure to meet with success, and rise
upwards like the wild goat and tlie sun wliich then
ascends for six months together. The lion, (Léo <~)
was to produce heroes and the virgin (Virgo ï~ )with her ear of com to inspire chastity, and to unite
virtue with ahundance. Could anything he more ex-
travagant and ridicutous
Thé case was exactly the same with respect to thé
planets, whose innuence is only founded on thc wild
supposition of their being the habitations of the pre-tended deities, whose names they bear, and the fabu-
lous characters thé poets have given them. Thus,
to Saturn, they gave languid and even destructive
influences, for no other reason but because they had
been pleased to make this planet the residence of
Saturn, who was painted with grey hairs and ascythe. To Jupiter they gave thé power o f be-
stowing crowns and distributing long life, wealth,
and grandeur, merely because it bears thé name of
the father of life. Mars was supposed to in-
spire a strong inclination for war, because it was be-
lievedto be the residenceof the god of war. Venus p
had thé power of rendering men voluptuous and fond of
pleasure, 'because they had becn pleased to give it thé
name of o ne who by some was thought to he the
mother of pleasure. Mercury though almost
always invisible, would never have been thought to
superintend tlie property of states, and the a~airs of
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10~ THAUMATURGIA,OR
wit and commerce, had not men, without thé least
reason, given it thé name of one who was supposedto be the inventor of civil polity.
According to Astrologers, thé power of thé ascend.
ing planet is greatly increased hy that of an ascending
sign then thc benign influences are all united, and
fall together on t he head of all thc happy infants
who at that moment enter the world yet can any-
thing be more contrary to expérience, which sliewsus, that the characters and events produced by per-sons bom under the same aspect of thé stars, are so
far from being alike, that they are directly oppo-site.
What completes the ridicule," saystheAbbéLa
Pluche, to whom we are obliged for thèse judicious
observations, is, that what astronomers call the
first degree of thé ram, the balance, or of sagita-
rius, i s no longer the first sign, wh~ gives fruit-
fulness to the flocks, inspires men with a love of
justice, or forms thé h ero. It lias been found that
all the celestial signs hâve, by dcgrces, receded from
the vernal cquinox, and drawn back to thc East
notwithstanding this, thé point of the zodiac that
cuts thé cquator is still ca!!cd thc first degree of the
ram, though thé nrst star of the r am be thirty de-
grees beyond it, and all thc other signa m the same
proportion. When, thcrefore, any one is said to be
born under ttie nrst degree of the ram, it was in
reaHty one of the degrees of pisces that then came
above the horizon and when another is said to be
born with a roya! soul and heroic disposition, be-
cause at his birth the planet Jupiter ascended the
horizon, in conjutiction with the first star ofsagitary,
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ELUCI DATIONS OP THE MA~VELLOUS. 107
Jupiter was indeed at that time in conjunction with
a star thirty degrees eastward of sagitary, and in
good truth it was the pemicious scorpion that presidedat thé birth of this happy, this incomparahle child."
And so i t would, as Shakspeare says, U if my mo-
ther's cat had kittened. This," says our saga-cious bard, is the excellent foppery of the world,
that when we are sick in fortune, (after the surfeit of
our own behaviour) we make guilt of our disasters,
the sun, the moon, and the stars as if we were
villains by necessity fools, by heavenly compulsionknaves, thieves, and treachers, (traitors) by spherical
predominance drunkards, liars, and adulterers, byan enforced obedience of planetary Innuence and
aU that we are evil in by a divine thrusting on an
admirable evasion of a whoremaster to lay his goatishtricks to the charge of a star My father com-
pounded with my mother under the dragon's tail
and my nativity was under Ursa major so that i t
follows 1 am rough and treacherous.–Tut 1 should
have been that 1 am, had the maidenliest star in thefirmament twinkled at my bastardizing." Thus it is
evident, that astrology is built upon no principles,that it is founded on fables, and on influences void
of rea~ty. Yet absurd as it is, and even was, it
obtaincd credit; and the more it spread, thé greater
injury was done to the cause of virtue. Instead of
the exercise of prudence and wise precautions, it
substituted superstitious forms and childish practicesit enervated the courage of the brave by apprehen-sions grounded on puns, and encouraged thé wicked,
by making them lay to thé charge of a planet
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!03 THAUMATURGIA, OR
thosc evils which oniy procceded f rom their own
depravity.But not content with such absurdities, which
destroycd thé very idea of liherty~ they asserted that
these stnrs, which had not thé least connection with
mankind, governed aU the parts of thé human body,and ridtcutousïy affirmed that thé ram presided over
thc head, the hu!l over thé gullet, the twins over
thé hreast, théscorpion
over thé entrails, the fishes
over the feet, etc. The jugg!ea of astrology have
becn admirably ridiculed by Butïer in thé followingHnes
Some hy tlie nose with fumes trepan *cn),Aa Dunstan did thé deviFs grannam;Others, with characters and words,Catch 'en], as men in nets do birdsAnd somc with symbols, signs, and tricks,
Hn~rav~d in planetary nicks,Wtth their own ~nfiuencc will fetch 'cmDown from their orbs, arrest and catch *emMakc 'cm dépose and answer toAt!
questions, cre
they let them
go.Hombastus kcpt a devins bird
Shut in the pumme! of his sword,And taught him a!! thé cunning pranksOf past and future mountebanks.
//M</<& part ii. canto 3.
By mcans of thé zodiac, astrologers prctended to
account for the various disorders of the body, which
were supposcd to bc in a good or had disposition,
according to thé different aspects* of these signa.
o By aspect is to bc understood an angle formed by the
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ELUCIDATI ONS OP THR MARYELLOUS~ 109
To mention only one instance, they pretended that
great caution ought to bc used in taking medicinc
under Taurus, or thé bull because, as this animal
chews his cud, the person would not be able tokeep it
in his stomach.
Each hour of thé day had also i ts presiding star.
The number seven, as being that of the planets, became of mighty consequence. Thé seven days in
the week,-a period of time handed down by tradi.tion, happened to correspond with the number of
the planets and therefore they gave thé name of
a planet to each day and from thence some daysin the week were considered more fortunate or un-
lucky than thé rest and hence seven times seven,
called thé climacterical period of hours, days, or
yenrs, were thought extremely dangerous, and to
have a surprising effect on private persons, thé for-
tunes of princes, and thé government of states.
Thus the mind of man became distressed by imagi-
nary evils, and the approach of thèse moments, in
themselves as harmless as thé rest of their lives, bas by thestrengthof the imagination, brought on the
most fatal enects.
Nay, thé influence of thé planets were extended
to thé bowels of thé earth, where they were sup-
posed to produce metals. From hence it appearsthat when superstition and folly are once on foot,there is no setting hounds to their progress. Gold,
as a mattor of course, must bc the production of the
rays of two ptancts meeting on the enrth, able to exécutesome nutural power or innuence.
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HO THAUMATURQtA~OR
sun, and thé couformity in point of colour, bright-
ness, and value, was a sensible proof of it. By the
same mode of rcasoning, thé moon produced all the
silver, to which it was related by colour Mars, all
the iron, which ought to be thé favourite métal of
thé god of war. Venus presided over copper, which
she might be well supposed to produce, since it was
found in abundunce in the isle of Cyprus, the sup-
posed favourite residence of this goddess. In the
same strain, the other plancts presided over thc
other metals. The languid Saturn domineered over
the lead mines, and Mercury, on account of his
activity, had tlie superintendency of quicksilver while it was t he province of Jupiter to preside over
tin, a s t his was the only métal !cft him, it would
appear, a Mnd of Hobson's choice."
This will explain thé manner in which the metals
obtained the names of the planets and from this
opinion, that each planet eng~endered its own peculiar
metal, they at length formed an idea that, as one
planet was more powcrfui than another, thé metal
produced by thé weakest w as converted into an-other by thc prcdominating influence of a stronger orb.
Lead, though really a metal, and as pcrfcct in its
kind as any of thc rest, was con<.idered oniy haïf
a métal, which, in conséquence of thc !anguid in-
fluences of old Saturn, was left impcrfcct and,
therefore, under thc auspices of Jupiter, itwas con-
verted into tin undcr that of Venus, into copper and aL last into gold, undcr somc particu!ar aspectsof thc sun. Frum hcnce, at length, arose t ï)c
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ELUCÏDATÏONSOP THH MARVELLOU8. ttt 1
extravagant opinion of thé alchymists, who, with
amazing sagacity, endeavoured to find out means for
hastening t!)ese changes or transmutations, which, as
they conccived, the planets performed too slowly.The world, however, became at length convinced that
thé art of t hc alchymist was as ineffectual as the
influences of thé planets, which, in a long succession
of ages, h ad never been known to change a mine
of lead to that of tin or any other metal.~The first author we are acquaintcd with who talks
of making gold by thé transmutation of one metal,
t)y means of an aicahestf into another, is Zozimus
tlie Pomopohte, who lived about the commencement
of the fifth century, and who bas a treatisc express
upon it, called, The divine art of making goldand silver," in manuscript, and is, as formerly, in the
library of the King of France.
As regards the universal mcdicine, said to dépendon alchemical research, we discover no earuer or
Those who wish to rcad a curions monument of thé
folHes of thc fdchymists, may c~nsutt the diary of E!ias
As!nno!e, who is rather the historian of this vain science,than an ndcpt. It tnay amuse literary lcisurc to tnrn ovcr his quarto'vo!umf, in which hc hati coUectcd thc works of
scvcrat Eng!ish atchytnista, to which lie bas Rubjoined bis
cotntncntury. It atTords curious spcconcns of Kosicrucian
tnystcrics and he rcjntcs storics, which vie for tbc tnira-
culous, with tbc Mitdcst fancios of ~rabian invention.
t Atcahcst, in chcanstry, (an ohM'ctc tcrat,) means .t
most pure nnd univcrsid tncnsirumn or dissoh'cnt, withwhich some chonists hâve prctcndcd to rcsutvc ait bodh'sinto their first cieiiients, and pcrform other extraoniioaryand unaccountabtc operatious.
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112 THAUMATUROIA. OR
plainer traces than in this author, and in ~Eneas
Gazeus, another Greek writer, towards the close of
the same century nor among thé physicians and
materialists, from Moses to Geber thé Arab.f who is
supposed to have lived in the seventh century. In
that author's work, entitled the Philosopher's
stone," mention is made of medicine that cures all
leprous discases. This passage, some authors sup-
pose, to have given the nrst hint of the matter,
though Geber himself, perhaps, meant no such thing
for, by attending to the Arabie style and diction of
this author, which ahounds in allegory, it is highiy
probable that by man he means gold, and hy leprous,or other diseases, the other m etals, which, with re-
lation to gold, arc aU impure.The origin and antiquity of alchymy hâve been
much controverted. If any credit may hc placed on
legend and tradition, it must be as old as thé flood-
nay, Adam himself it; represented to have been an
alchym ist. A great part, not only of the heathen
mythology, but of thé Jewish Scriptures, are
supposed to refer to it . Thus, Suidas~ will 'hâve the
In this writer wc find thefo)!owin~p<t8sage:" Suchas ure Kk!c(! in thc ways of nature, can tnk<' 8t!ver nncl tin,and chnnging thcir natm'c, can txrn then! into gold." Healso tells us that he was wont to ça!! hhnsctf a ~o/?Mc~cr nnd a c~Mtt~.
't- 'l'he principal nuthora on alchymy nre Gcbcr, thc Arab,Friar Bacon, Su!!y, John and I'inacHn!)cndus, Basil Va!cn-
tinc, Pnracelsus, Vnn Xuchtcf, nnd Scndirogius.Corrin~ins caUsthis statctncnt in question, nnd asks !tow
Suidas, who Ih'ed but Hve hundred yctirs between then!,
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ELUCIDATÏON80FTHE MARVELLOU8. H3
fable of the pliilosopher's stone to be alluded to in
thé fable of thé Argonauts and others find it in thé
book of Moses, as well us in otber remote places.
But, if the era of the art be cxamined by thé test of
history, it w ill lose much of i ts fancied antiquity.Thé manner in which Suidas accounts for thé total
silence of alchymy among thé old writers is, that
Diodesian procured aM thé boo~s of the ancient
Egyptians to be burnt and that it was in thesethé great mysteries of chemistry were contained.~
Kercher asserts, that thé theory of the philosopher'sstone is deHvered at !arge in tlie table of Hermès,
and thé ancient Egyptians were not ignorant of the
art, but declined to pro"ecute it.
should know what happcnefici~ht hundrcd years before him ?To which Borrichius the Dane, ansuers, that he had learntitnf Eudonus, He!!adh)s, Zozhnus, P<unphi!ius, and othcrs,as Suidas !tin)sctf relates.
Itdocs not appear that the HgypHans transmuted goldthey had ways of scpat'ating it frotn all kinds of bodics,from the
very mud of thé
Nitc, and stones of ail kinds
but,adds Kercher, thcse secrets were ncvcr written down, or made pub)ic, but con~ned to thc royal famity, and handeddown tradittonaUy frotn father to son.
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U4:W7.'I.
THAUMATURGE, OR
CHAPTER IX.
ALCHYMICAL AND A8TROÏ<OGÏCAL CHIMKRA.
HAVtNG so far expiained the fragile basis on which
human knowledge may be said to have depended,
during thé obscurity and barbarity of thé middie
ages, w hen the progrcss of true knowledge was ob-
structed by thé most ahsurd fancies, and puerileconceits when conjectures, caprices, and dreams
supplied thé place of thé most useful sciences, and
of thé most important truths, the subsequent illu-
strative reflections may serve as a guide to direct theattention of the reader to other delusions, which arose
out of the general chaos.
Chemistry, a science so essentially requisite to
explain thé phenomena of k nown and unknown
substances, was studied chieny by jugglers and fana-
tics ;–their systems, replete with metap!iy~ical non-
sense, and composed of the most crude and hctero-
geneous materials, served rather to nourish super-stition than to establish facts, and iUustrate useful
truths. Universal remédies, in various forms, met
with strenuous advocates and deluded consumers.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MAttVELLOUS. Ï!5
i 2
The path of accurate observation and experimentwas forsaken instead of penetrating into the myste-rious recesses of nature, they bewildered themselves
in thé labyrinth of fanciful spéculation they over-
stepped t hé bounds of good sense, modesty, and
truth and thé blind led the blind. The prolonga-tion of life too was no longer sought for in a manner
agreeable to thé dictates of nature even this inter-
esting branch of human pursuits was rendered sub-servient to chemistry, or rather to the confused
system of alchymy. Original matter was considered
as the elementary cause of all beings, by which they
expected literally to work miracles, to transmute the
base into noble metals, to metamorphose man in lus
animal state by chemical processes, to render him
more durable, and to secure him against early de-
cÏine and dissolution. Millions of vessels, retorts,
and phia!s, were either exposed to thé action of tlie
most violent artificial heat, or to the natural warmth
of the sun or else they were buried in some dnng-
hill or other fetid mass, for the purpose of attractingthis original matter, or obtaining it from putresciblesubstances.
As the meta called gold always bore the highest
value, these crude philosophera concluded, from a
ridicutous analogy, t hat its value with respect to
the preservation of heaith and the cure of diseases,
must likewise surpass that of all other remedies.
Thé nugatory art o f dissolving it, so a s to render i t
potable, and to prcvent it from ugain being converted
into met-il, employed a multitude of busy idiots, not
only in concealed corners, but in thé splendid labo.
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!l6 THAUMATLRGÏA, OR
raties of the great. Sovcreigns, magistrales, coun-
sellors, and impostors, struek with thé common
frenzy, entcred into friendship and alliance, formed
private fraternities, and sometimes procpedcdto such
a pitcli of extravagance, as to Involve themseîves
and their posterity in ruinons dehts. Thé real
object of many was, doubtiess, to gratify their ava-
rice and désire of aggrandisement aithough this
sinister motive was conceuled under thé specious pretext of searching for a remedy that should serve
as a t inctnre of life, both for thé healthy and dis-
eased, yct some among thèse whimsical mortals
were actuatcd by more honourable motives, zealous
onlv for the intercst of truth, and thé well-being of
their feHow créatures.
Thé cummon people, in some countries, particu-
larly Italy, Germany, und France often denied theni-
selves the commun necessaries of life, to save as
much as would purcliase a few drops of thé tincture
of gold, which was on~ered for ~a!e by some su.
perstitious or fraudulent chemist and so tho-
roughiy persuaded were they of thé efficacy of this
remedy, that it afforded them in every instance the
most confident and on!y liol)e of rccovery. These
hencncial effects were positively promiscd, but were
looked for in vain. AU subduing death would not
submit to be bribed with go!d, und diseasc rcfused
to hold any intercourse with that powerfui deity, who
présides over thé industry and commerce of all na-
tions.
As, however, these diversified and almost number-
Ic~s cxpcnmcnts were frcquent!y productive of
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KLUCIDATIOXSOF THE MAHYEÎ.LOUS. 117
useful inventions in arts and manufactures and, as
many chemical remédies of real value were thereby
accidentally discovered, great and almost générâtattention to thèse bold pro~ectors was constantly
kept alive and excited. Indecd, we are indebted to
their curious observations, or rather perhaps to
chance, for scvera! valuaMe mcdicines, thé excellence
of which cannot be disputcd, but which, neverthe)css,require more précaution in their use and applica-
tion, and more perspicuity and diligence in investi-
gating their nature and properties than thé original
preparers of such articles ~vere ab!e or willing to
a~brd. AU their endeavours to prolong life, byartificial means, c ould not be attended with bene-
ficial effects and the application of thé remédies
titus contrived, must necessarily, in many cases,
have proved detrimental to the healtli of the
patient.In proof of tins assertion, it will he sunicient to
give
a alight s ketch of thé difîbrent views and
opinions of thé gold-makers, Hosicrucians, manu-
facturers of astralian salts, drops of life, and tinc-
tures of gold, hunters after thé philosopher's stone,
and other equ:u!y absurd chimera.
Some of thèse extravagant enthusiasts fancied
that life resembled a flame, from which thé bodyderived warmth, spirit, and animation. They endea-
voured to cherish and increase thé flame, and sup.
plied thé body with materiais to feeti it, as we pour ni! into a burning lamp. Others imagined they had
discovered something invisible and incorporea! in thé
air, that important médium which supports the life
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118 TEIAUbIATUItOIA, OR
of man. They pretended to catch, refine, reduce,
and materialize this indefinaltle sometiling, so that
it might !)e swallowed in thé form of powders,
and drops that, by its penctrating powers, it might
insinuate itself into the whole animal frame, invi-
gorate, and consequent!y qualify it for a longer duration.
Others again were foo!ish enough to
indulge a no.tion that they could divest themselves of the proper-
ties of matter during titis life; that in this manner
they might be defended against the graduai ap-
proaches of dissolution, to which every animal bodyis subject and that thusibrtined, w~thout quittingtheir terrestrial tabernaclc, tlicy could associate at
plea~ure with thé inhahitants of thé spiritual world.
Thé sacred volume itself was interpreted and com.
mented upon hy alchymists, with a view to render
it subservicnt to tlieir iutended designs. Indisput.able historical facts, recordcd in this invaluable book,
were treated by them as hieroglyphical symbols of
chemical processes and the fundamental truths of
the christian religion were applied, in a wanton and
blasphémons manner, to thé purposes of making gold,and distilling the elixir of life.
The world of spirits was also invaded, and sum.
moned, as i t were, to contribute to thé prolongationof human life. Spirits were supposed to have thé
dominion of air, fire, carth, and water; they were
dh'ided into distinct classes, and particular services
ascribed to cach. The nmlevoleut spirits were
opposed and countcracted by various meatis of pré.
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ELU CJD ATI ON8 0 F T HE MA RV EÏ <M U8 . !!p
vention thé good and tutelary were obliged to
submit to a s ort of gentle, involuntary servitude.
From invisible !)eings were expectcd and demanded
visible mcans of assistance–riches, heaith, friends,
and long life. Thus thc poor spirits were profanely
maltreated, nay, sotnetimes severely punished, and
even mieerably flogged in enigy, when they betrayed
symptoms of
disaffection, or w ant of
implicit fea!ty.As men had thus, in their weakness and folly, for.
saken t!te bounds of this terrestrial sphère, it will
easily be believed, that, with thé help uf an exube.
rant imagination, they would make a transition to the
higher regions-to thé celestial bodies and the stars
to which, indeed, they ascribed no less a power thati
that of deciding the destinies of men, and which,
consequently, must hâve had a considerable sharc in
shortening or prolonging the duration of human life-
every nation or kingdom was subjected to thé domi-
nion of its particular planet thé time ofo whose
government was determined and a number of ascen.
dant powcrs were fictitiously contrived, with a viewto reduce, under its influence, every thing which was
produced and born under its administration. Thé
professors of astrology appeared as thé confidents of
thèse invisible rulers, a nd the interpreters of their
will they were well versed in thé art of giving a
respectable appearance to this usurped dignity. Pro-
vided they could but ascertain thé hour and minute of
a person's birtit, they cottfidently took upon them.
selves to predict bis mental capacities, future vicissi-
tudes of life, and the discascs he would be visited with,
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!~0 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
together with thé circumstances, the day and hour
of his death.*
The following prédiction, and the v erificat ion of i t are
of ho r éce nt i t date, that wc cannot resist giving it a place in
our pages. In thc account of the late Captain Ftindcr'a
voyage of discovery, is thc mctanchoty relation of the loss
of the master, Mr. Thi<}t!c, witti seven othcrs, in a hoat, on
theinhoapitabtc
shorcs of Terra Austra!!a. To titis narrative,
thé following note is subjoined, which we shat t hèr e qnotc in
Captain F Hndc r' s own wor ds This evening, Mr. Fowlef,
thé lieutennnt, to! d me a c ir cumstancc which t hought very
extraordinary, and it aftcrwnrds provcd to bc more so.
Whi tc we were Iying at Spithead, Mr. Thi stle was one day
waiting on shore, and having notbing else to do, went to a
certain otd man, natucd Pine, to have his fortune told. Thé
cunning ma!! informed him that hc was going on a long
voyage, and that thc ship, on arriving at ber destination,
wnntd hpjoincdbyanothcrvcaHc!. Thatsuehwas intended, he
might hâve !parnt privately but he adde d that Mr . Thisttc
would hc !ost before thé other vcssei joined. As to thé man-
ncr of his loss the tnngtcian rc fuscd to givc any information.
My boat's crcw, lic-aring what Mf. Thtsdc Mtid, wcnt to con-
sut t thc wisc man, a nd af tc r thc prcfatory information ofa
long voyage thcy wcrc told that thcy woutd be shipwrccked,
but not in the ship tltcy M'erc goinp out in whcther thcywou!d csotpe and return to Engtand, ht' was notpennitted to
revent. This tnlc Mr. Thisttc oftcn told at thc mess-table;and 1 remar~cd, with some pain, in a future part o f thf
voyage, that ct'cry tune my boat 's crew wcnt t o cmbark i n
the Lady î~ctson, titcrc was som e dcgrcc of appréhension
a mon~t thon), thot thc t ime of thc prcdictcd shipwrcck was
arrivcd. 1 tnakc no comment, ( saysCapt.Pi inder s, ) uponthis story, but to r ec ommc nd a cotntnander, if possible, to
prevent any o f hi s crow front consutting fortunc-tcUers.–
It should bo obser ve d that, strangc as it nmy appcar, every
particuittr of thèse predictions came exactly to pass, for the
master and his b oat's crew wcrc f os t bef ore thc Invcstigator
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ELUCïnATIOKS 0F THE MARVKLLOUS. 12!
Not otdy thé common people, but persons of
the highest rank and stations, nay, even men the
most distinguishcd for thcir rank and abi!ities, did
homage to thosc gods of thcir idolatry," and !ived
in continuai dread of their occult powers. 'With
anxious countenance and attentive ears, they listened
to the cantrip causions of thèse pretended oracles,
which prognosticated thé bright or gloomy days of futurity. Even physicians were soHcitous to qualifythen)se!ves for appointments no less lucrative than
respectable :-they forgot, over the dnzzitnghoards of
Mammon, that they are peculiarly and professedly the
pupils ofimture.–Thc curious student in the univer-
sities found everywhere puMic lecturers, who under-
took to instruct him in the profound arts of divination,
chiromancy, and thé cf/f/.
Among other instances, thé following anecdote is
related of thé noted Thurneisen, who, i n the se-
venteenth century, was invested, at Berlin, with the
respectable ofnce~ of printer to ttie court, hookseltpr,
almanack.maker, a<?tro!oger, chcmist, and first physi-cian. Me~sengera daily arrived from tlie most res-
pectable houses in Germany, Po!and, Hungary,Denmark, and even from Ëngland, for thé purposeof consu!ting him respecting thé future fortunes*
of their new-born infants, acquainting him with the
was joincd hy the Lady Nctson, from Port-Jnckson andwhen thc former ship was condcn)m;d, thc people cmbarkedwith thcir conttnnndcr on bourd thé Porpoisc, which waswrfckcd on n cumt t'ccf, and ninc of the crew wcrc tost.
In M70, the passion for horoscopes and <xpounding the
stars, prcv)u!cd in France among thé first rank. The ncw-
born child was usuaHy presented nakcd to thc astrologer,
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Ï32 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
hour of thé nativity, and soïiciting liis advice and
directions as to their managetnent. Many volumes of
this sing~ujar correspondence are still preserved in the
royal library at Berlin. The business of this fortunate
adept increased so rapidly, that he found it necessaryto employ a number of subaltern assistants, who,
together with their master, realized considerable for-
tunes. He died in high reputation and favour with
his superstitions contemporaries.The famous Melancthon was a believer in udicinl
astrology, and an interpreter of dreams. Richelieu
and Mazarin were so superstitions as to employ and
pension Morin, anothcr pretender to astrology, who
cast thé nativities of these two able politicians. Nor
was Tacitus himself, who generally appears superior to superstition, untainted with this folly, as may be
seen from his twenty-second chapter of the sixth book
of his Annals.
In the time of the civil wars~ astrology was in
high repute. The royalists and the rebels hud their
astrologers as well as their soldiers and thé predic-tions of the former had a gréât influence over the
latter. When Charles tlie first was imprisoned,
Lilly, thé famous astrologer, was consulted for the
who rend thé first linpnmcnts in its forcbpnd, nnd the trans-verse Unes in its hands, nud thencc wrotc duwn its future
dcatiny. Cathmine de Médicis cnrricd Henry IV, when a
chi!d, to old Nostradmnus, witoantiqnarics cstccm more forhittChronicle of Provence than for his vaticinnting powers. The
«ight of the rct'crcd seer, with Mheard Mhich stteatned likea ntctcor in the air," terrified thé future hcro, who dreadeda whipping from so gnn'c a persona~c.
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KLUCÏDATIONS OF THE MARVRLLOU8. 123
hour that should favour his escupe and in Burnet's
History of his own Times, there is a story which
strongly proves how much Charles II was bigottedto judicial astrology, a man, tliough a king, wttose
tnind was by no means unenlightened. The most
respectable characters ofthe age, Sir William Dugdale,Elias Ashmo~e,* Dr. Grew, and others, were mem-
bers of theastrological club. Congreve's
character
of Foresight, in Love for Love, was then no uncom-
mon person, though the humour, now, is scarcely
intelligible. Dryden cas:t thé nativities of his sons
and what is remarkable, his prédiction relating to his
son Charles, was accomplished. The incident beingof so late a date, one might hope that it would have
been cleared up but, if it be a fact, it must be a!ïow.
ed that i t fonns a rational exultation for its irrational
adepts. Astrologers were frequently, as may easily be understood, put to t hcir wit's end when their
predictions did not corne to pass. Great winds were
foretold, by one of t he craft, about the year 1586.
No unusual stortns. however, happened. Bodin, to
save tlie reputation of thé art, applied it as a figure to
<~Thé Chntdean Sages were nearty put to the route by a
quarto pack of artillery, Ored on thcm by Mr. John Chnntber,in t6~i. Apollo did not use Marsyns more inhumaniythanhis scourging peu 'this mysticat race; and his personalities!nadcthem8orc)yfee!it. However, nNorwtch knight, thé
vct'y Quixotc of Astrology, arrayed in thé enchanted armout'of his occult authors, cncottntercd this pagan in a most
state! carousaL He came forth with" A Defence of Judi.cia! Astrologye, in answer to a trcatise !atc!y pub!ished byMr. John Chatnbcr. By Christopher Knight. Printed at
Cambridge, 16M."
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t24 THAUMATURGIA, OR
semé rcvo!utions in thé state, of which there were
instances enough at that time.
At thé commencement of the !8th century, the il-
/MMMMa/ a sect of astrologers, had excited considér-
able sensation on thé continent. BIending philoso-
phy with enthusiasm, and uniting to a knowledge of
every chemica! process a profound acquaintance with
astronomy, their influence over thé superstitious feel-
ings of thé people was prodigious; und in many in-
stances thé mfatuation was attended with fatal conse-
quences. We shaH relate thé Mlowing, as nearer
home than many now before us.
THE HOROSCOPE, A TALE uF THE 8TAKS.
On thé summit of St. Vincent's rocks, in thé
neighbourhood of Clifton, ïooking on tlie Avon, as
it rolïs its !azy courses towards the Bristol Channel,
stands an edifice, known by the name of Cooke's
Folly." It consists of a single round tower, and
appears at a distance rather as the remnnnt of some
extensive building, than a complete and permet edi-fice, as it now exists. It was built more than two
centuries ago, by a man narned Maurice Cooke
not, indeed, as a strong hold from thé arms of a
mortal enemv, but as a refuge from the evils of
destiny. He was thé proprietor of extensive estâtes
in the neighbourhood and while his lady was
pregnant with her first child, as she was one evening
walking in their domains, she encountered a strange
looking gipsey, who, pe~tering her for ahn~, re-
ceived but a sma!l sum. The man turned over thé
coin in his hand, and imp!ored a larger gift .
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RLUCïDATIONS OP THE MARVRLLOU8. H5
That," said thé lady, will buy you food for the
présent."
Lady," said the gipsey, it is not food for the
wretched body thnt 1 require the herhs ofthe field,
and the water~ of thé ditch, are good enough for
that. 1 asked your alms for higher purposes. Do
not distrust me, if my bearing be prouder than my
garments do not doubt the
strength of
my sunken
eye, when 1 tell you that 1 can read thé skies as theyrelate to thé fute of men. Not more fami!iar is h is
hornbook to thé scholar, than are thé !ieavcns to my
knowledge."
"What, thou art anastroïoger?"Aye, lady!
my fathers were so before me, even in thé times
when our people had a home amidst thé pyramids of
the mighty-in tl ie t imes when you a re told the
mightier prophets of thé Israehtes put the soothsayersof Egypt to confusion idle t ales but if true, all
reckless now. Judah's scattered sons are now deso-
late as ourselves; but they bend and bow to the
laws and ways of other land-we remain in thé sternstedfastness of our own."
If then," returned the lady, 1 give thee more
money, how will it be applied ?"That is not a courteous question, but 1 will
answer it. The most cunning craft~man cannot
work without his tools, and somc of mine are broken,
which 1 seek to repair anothcr crown will be
enough.Thé lady put thé required sum into his hand, und
at thé same time intimated a desire to have a spéci-men of his art.
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186 THAUMATUKGÏA, OR
Oh! to what purpose should that be?a why,
why seek to know thé course of futurity ? destinyruns on in a sweeping and resistless tide. Enquirenot what rocks await your bark the knowledgecannot avail you, for caution is useless against stern
necessity. Truly, you are not likely to get rich
by your trade, if you thus doter custotners. It
is not for wealth 1 labour 1 am alone on thé earth,
and have none to love. i w ill not mix with théworld lest 1 shouM learn to hâte. This present ia
nothing to me. It is in communion with thé spiritswho have lived in the t imes that are past, and with
the stars-those historians of the times to corne–that
1 feel aught of joy. Foola sometimes demand the
exertions of my powera, and sometimes 1 gratifytheir childish curiosity. Notwiihstanding 1 lie
under the imputation of folly, 1 wiU beg that you
predict unto me the f ate of thé child winch 1 shalt
bear. Wel!, you have obliged me, and 1 will
comply. Note the precious moment at which it
entera the world, and soon after you shall sec meagain."
~Vithin a week the birth of an lieir awokc the
clamorous joy o f the vassale and summoned thé
strange gipsey to ascertain thé necessary points.Thèse learned, he returned home and thé next day
presented Sir Maurice with a scroll, containing the
following lines
Twenty time8 shati Avon's tideIn chains of glistening icf be ttcd–
Twenty times thc woods of LcighStmU wave thcir branches tncrrti
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ELU CI DA TI ONS 0F T HK MA RV HLLOU S. !~7
Jn spring burst forth in mantic gay,And dancc in snmmer's scorching rayTwenty times shat! antumn's frown,Wither an their green to hrown– And stit! thech!!() of yestcrdaySha!I !augh the happy hour away.Thttt period past, nnothcf sunShn!! not his annual journey run.
Before a secret silent foe,
Stt)t!l strike that boy a deadty blow.Such, and sure his fatc shaH bpSeck not to change tus destiny.
The knight read it and in that age, when astro.
logy was considered a science as unerring as holy
prophecies, it would have been little less than infi-
delity to have doubted the truth of the prediction.Sir Maurice, however, was wise enough to withold
thé paper from his lady and in answer to lier in-
quiries, continually a sserted that the gipsey was an
impostor, and that the object of his assurning the
character was merely to increase her alms.
Thc fated child grew in heaith and beauty andas we are thé most usually the more strongly at-tached to pleasures in proportion to the brevity of
continuance, so did the melancholy fate of his son
more nrmiy fix h im in the heart of Sir Maurice.
Often' did the wondering lady observe the countenance
of her husband with surprise, as watching thé en-
dearing sportiveness of the boy, his countenance, at
first brightened by thé smile of paternal love, gra-
duaMy darkcned to deepest grief, till unable to sup-
press his tears, he would cover the child with
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128 THAUMATUttGïA, OK
caresses, and rush from thc room. To aU inquiries,Sir Maurice was silent, or returned evasive unswers.
We shaH pass over thé infuncy of young Walter,
and resume tlie narrative at the period in which hc
cntcred into his twentieth vear. H!s mother was
now dead, and had left two othercluidren, hoth girls,
who, however, shared lit tle of thcir father 's love,
which was almost exclusively fixed on Walter, and
appeared to encrease iu strength as the fatal t ime
grew near.
It is not to be supposed that hc t ook no precau.tion against tlie predicted evcnt. Sometimes hope
suggestcd that a mistake might hâve bcen made iu
thé horoscope, or that thc astrologer might have
overlooked some sign which made the circumstancc
conditional aud in unison with thé latter idea hc
determined to crect a strong building, where, duri!)gthé year in which his doom was to be consumated,
Wniter might remam in solitude. He accordingly
gave directions for raising a smgïe tower, peculiarly
formed to prevent ingrcss, except by permission of i ts inhabitants. Thé purposc of this strange building,
however, hc kept secret and his neighbours, after
numerous vain conjectures, gave it thé name of
"Cookc'sFoUy."
Walter, himsclf, was kept entirely ignorant of the
~u!)ject, and all his inqmries werc answercd wit!i
tears. At icngth d~ towc)' was compictcd, and
furnished with all thiugs uecesaary for comfort and
convcnicnce and on thc c\e of Waltcr 's completinghis twentieth year, Sir Maurice ~hewcd him thé
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BLUMDATION8 0F THE MARVKLLOUS. !29
K
gipsey's scroU, and begged him to make use of thé
rctreat prepared for him till the year exj)i!'ed.
Wa!ter at nrst treated thé matter lightly, laughedat thé prophecy, and dechn'ed he would not !ose a
year's liberty if aU thé astrologers in thé world were
to croak thcir ridiculous prophecies ag-ainst lum.
Seeing, however, his father so earnestly bent on thp
matter, his résolution began to give way, a nd at
length he consented to thé arrangement. At six the
followlng morning, therefore, Walter entered thc
tower, which he fastened within as strongly as iron bars
would admit, and -winch was secured outside in a
manner equally firm. He took possession of his
vohjntary prison with me!anchoty feenng~, rather
occasioned by the loss of présent pleasure, than thé
fear of future pain. He sighed as he looked uponthé wlde domain before him, and thought how sad
would it be to hear the joyous horn summoning his
companions to~thé chase, and find himself prevente(ifrotn attending it–to hear thc winter wind howhng
round his towcr, and rushing betwccn thé rocksbcnoath him, and miss thé chcerfui song and merry
jest, which were wont to make even thc b!ast a
pleasant sound. Certainty his time passed as plea-
~antly as circumstances permitted. He drew up in
a basiœt, at his meal hours, every luxury which the
season produced. His father and sisters daily con-
versed w ith him from below, for a considerable
time; and the morris-danccrsoften raiscd his latiglitei-
by their grotesque movements.
Wceks and months thus passed, and Waltcr still
was well and cheerful. His own and hfs sistcrs'
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130 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
hopes grew more hvely, b ut the anxiety of Sir
Maurice increased. Thé day drew ncar which was
to restore his son to his arms in conndent sccnrity~
or to ftdnï thé prédiction which left him without an
heir to his name aud honours.
On the preceding afternoon Walter continually
endeavoured to c hccr his parent, by speaking of
what he would do on the mnrrow dcsired hi$ sisters
to send round to all their friends, that he mightstretch his i imbs once more in thé merry dnnce and
continued to taÏk of thé future with much confidence,
that even Sir Maurice caught u spark of hope from
the fiery spirits of the youth.
Asthenightdrew on, and his s isters were about
to leave him, promising' to wake him at~ix by it
song, in answer to their usual inquiry ifhe wanted
anything more that night, Nothin~ said he,
and yet the nig-ht fee!a chiïly, and 1 hâve !ittle
fuel ïeft–send me one ntore ~gg'ot." This was sent
him, and as he drew it up, This," said he. is thé
last time 1 shaH have to dip for my wants , hke an
old woman for water tlank God i for it is
wearisome work to the arm."
Sir Maurice sti ll Jingered under the window in
conversation with his son, who at ïcngtti complainedof being cold and drowsy. Mark," said he, as
he closed the window, mark fnthcr. M ars, the
starofmy~tG, h)oks smilingly to-ni~ht, a!lwiUbe
welL" Sir Maurice Ïoo!<cd up–a dark c!oud spot
suddenly crosscd t!ic planet, and !ie sbuddered at thé
omen. The anxious father could not leave thé spot.
Siecp hc knew it w as vain to court, and hc therefbre
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BLUCIDATtO~S O? THE MARVBLLOUS. 131
K 2
determined to remain where he was. Thé reflexions
that occupied his mind continuaHy varied at one
time he painted to himself the proud career of his
high spirited boy, known and admired among thé
mighty of his time a moment after he saw the pre.diction verified, and thé child of his love lying in the
tomb. Who can conceive his feelings as hour
dragged
after hour, while he walked to and fro,
watching the b!aze of the nre in the tower, as it
brightenpd and sunk again–now pacing thé court
with hasty steps, and now praying fervently for the
preservation of his son The hour came. Thé ca-
thedral beU struck heavy on the fatlier's heart, which
was n ot to be lightened by the cheerful voices of his
daughters, who came running full of hope to thé
foot of the tower. They looked up, but Walter was
not there ;-they callcd his name, he answered not.
Nay," said thé youngest, this is only a jest lie
thinks to frighten us, but 1 know he is safe." A
servant had brought a ladder, which he ascended,
and he looked in at the window. Sir Maurice stoodimmoveabte and silent.-He looked up, and the man
answered the anxious expression of his cyes. He
is asleep," said he. He is dead murmured the
father.
The servant broke a pane of glass in thé window,
and opening thé casemcnt, e ntered the room. The
father, changing his gloomy stedfastness for frenzied
anxiety, ïlished up thé ladder. Thé servant had
thrown aside the curtains and thc clothcs, and dis-
playcd to thé eyes of Sir Maurice, his son lying dead,a serpent twined round his arm, and his throat co-
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~2 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
vercd with b]ood. The reptiïe had crept up the
fag'~ot last sent him, and fuInHed the ;)ro~<To this happy e nbrt of the imagination in faveur
ofpning' into futurity, nmy be added, with thé same
intention,
THK PATKD PARRYCtDE i Aî<: ORIENTAL TALE 0F THE
8TAU8.
ihmhim wasunh'cr~nHy
cetebmted ~r his riches
and mag'nidcence. Mis arnnes were formidable, his
victorics sp~cndid, a nd J)i8 trcasury inexhaustih!e.
Hc enjoycd, moreover, what was ton t!~ousand times
more sohd and mnre va!uah!c than riches–ihc love
and vénération ofhi:? su~ccts aud he had a beautifu!
young wife, in whose cndcaring tendcrnegs atone he
couïd find happiness–if happiness could be found on
earth. Aîl thèse advanta~cs enti~cd Ïhrahhn to thé
appeHation of the Sotomon of his âge and yet Ibra.
him wa8 not happy. A son was wanting to crowu
jns felicity. In vain did a heart formcd for au the
charities of thc weddcd statc, cndeavour to supplythe rcfu~ of nature, by thé adoption of a son in vain
did gratitude endcavonr to dcceive his heart, bycnrc!<.
geswhich any other wonid havcthous'ht to be the natu-
rai en'as.ions ofnha!sen~ibi!ity, ofnha! piety and a~ec-
tion thatheartince~ant!yperccivcd a solitude within
itself. Even thé consolatory vivions of hope began to
~row !es8 fréquent, whcM heavcn at ïapt heard His
prayers. AIa8 in thé very instant that Fortune gra-tiner our ibndcst wishes, she often bctray~ u~ and
her smUe" are a thousand times more fata! than hcr
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ELU CJ DA T1 0N8 O P THE MA RV ELLO U8. 133
frowns. The birth of the prince was celebrated
throughout thé empire by thé customary pubHc dé-
monstrations of juy. The felicity of Ibrahim was
complete. He was perpctuaHy revo!ving in his mind
thé sentiments and hopes which the nation would
form of the royal infant. Scarce was he born, when
paternal solicitude embraced, as it were, his whole
life.Impatient
to know his destiny, that solicitude
plunged into futurity, determined, if possible, to
wrest from time, the secrets of whicî~ he was the
hoary.headed ~uardian.In Ibrahim's dominions were some sages particu-
larly Itonoured w ith the confidence of heaven. He
commanded them to eonsult thé stars, and to reporttheir answer. TremMc, said thé sages; thou
unfortunate father, tremble Never before have thé
skies presented such inauspicious omens. Let him
fly; let this son. too dear to you, ny let him avoid,
if possible, thé meeting with any savage beasts. His
ssvcnth year is the fatal one; and if he should happen
then, to escape thé misfortune ihat hangs over him,ah do not wish him to live. His father, his very
father, will not be able to escape from the hand of a
parricide."This answer threw the sultan into thé deepest con-
sternation. He did not sink, however, into absolute
despondency his courage soon revived. He deter-
mined to take all t!ie precautions which paternaltenderness cou!d suggest, to defeat the prediction of
the astrologers. He, therefore, caused a kind of
suhterranean palace to be made on thé summit of a
lofty mountain. The labour and expense of thé exca..
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!34 THAUMATURGE, OR
vation was prodigieux. Extensive wa!~H wcrc ~brmed,
with a varicty of apartmentp, in which every thingwas provided that could contribute to the convenicn-
ces, and even thc luxuries of life. In this magnin-cent cavern, Ibrahim, as i t were, inhumed his son,
together with his governess, of whose care and fidelitvhe had no doubt. Provisions were constantly carried
thither at stated periods. Thé king forgot not a sin.
gle day to visit thé mountain that contained his bcloved treasure, and to he satisned of his safety with
his own eyes. With what delight did he behoM the
growing beaut!es of his son With what p~ea8urcand rapture did he Jisten to his spnghtiy saillies of
wit, his smart rcpartecs, and those pretty Mo~~swbich a father, in particular, is fond to recollect and
to repeat at which the most rigid gravity may smile,
and which are worth a!Ï the understanding of riper
years. He w as perpetuauy counting thé Itours and
minutes that he had to spend with bis son and he
incessantly rpproached himself, for not secing him
more frequently.Shah Abbas, for such was bis namc, at lengthreachpd his se~'enth year, that fatal ycar, which
Ibrahim would fain have delayed, cvcn fit the expense
of his crown. He wou!d never !eavc Itis son a minute.
But, f~as is i t possible to cscapc our destiny ?
Summoncd one dny to hi'< pH!ace by affairs of the
most pressing exig'cncy, Ï}e !pft the mountain with
extrême rcluctance. Never had Shah Abbns ap.
pearcd wore nminb!e in his father's eyea, never had
Ibrahim nppenrcd more a~cctionate to his son Each
was tormented by an uneagy sensation, an unaccount'
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HLUCÏDATÏONS 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 135
able prescntiment that tlicy were to meet there no
more! 1
Some robhers were hunting wild beasts thé
ardeur of thc pursuit brouglit them to this mountain.
A lion that flecl from them, perceived thé sabterra-
ncous passsage, and took refuge in it. Thé robhers,
who durst not follow him, waited, however, for the
sequel of this udventure. On a sudden, they heard a
vtolcnt scream, and presently all was silent. Thissilence sug~ested to them, that the cuvern now con-
tained, not a living créature, but thé lion. Theythrew down a quantity of stones, which soon put an
end to the existence of the formidable animal. Theythen descencled into the cavern, securing tbemselves
from ail furtiier danger from thé lion by cutting off
lus head. Wandcring through every part of this
subtcrraneous palace, they were astonished at the
prodigious riches which they beheld. They perceiveda slauglitered woman: tins was thé prince's governess.
Byher side lay a child coveredwith blood, who shew-
ed, however, some
signs of life.
They examined his
wounds: t!)cy f ouud not one of t t~cm dangerous.The captain of thèse banditti, after stripping thé
cavcrn of its valuable corttents, dressed thé young
prince's wounds himsclf, and c~ccted a cure. The
growing qualities of Shah Abîmas endeared hirR to the
chief, who adopted him as his son, and distinguished
Itim as such by all the tenderness of a paternal heart.
Some years had clapsed ~ince Ibrahim had first
deplorcd the l osa of a son, who, having becn con.
stantiv ignorant of tlie natnc and titles of lus father,
had been unal)le toexplain
his origin to thc robbers,
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t36 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
was soon to become their chipf. Such were the un-
nccountable caprices of fortune, which Icd t o thé
compktion ofthe prophecy, that had destined him to
hecome oneday a parricide. Ibrahimwaswontto
divert his grief by the pÏcasurcs of thé chase and
this exercise soon became aiîoost his only occupation.One evening that !te bad straycd, with a very sonder
escort, into the defiles of a very soiitary mountain, a
troop of rohbers rushcd upon him. Thé combat for sometime was furious. An an'ow pierced the !dn~it excitecl thé spirit of vengeance h) his attendants~
and they fbught, determined to conquer or die.
They werc soon victorious. The murderer was taken,
and conducted to thé metropolis, that he might un-
dcrgo the punishment due to his crime.
Ibrahim, on the bed of death, summoned thé astro-
logers to attend him, and thus addreesed them ï
was to hâve perished, yuu told me, by thé hand of a
son but it i s thé hand of a rohber that bas inflicted
thé Mow/ Sire," answcrcd the sages, fbrbear
to seek an cxplanation~ The robber"They
proceed no further. Thé young robber appcars, and
relates his history. Ibrahim, whilc he bowed in sub-
mission to God, and adored His Inscrutabic decrees, blessed Him a~o for having restorcd his son and the
tears which he saw now from tbc eyes of Shah
Abbas, werc a consotation in his dyin~ moments.
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KLUCIDATION8 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 137
APPLICATION 0F A8TROLOCY TO THE PROLONGATION
OFLIF1'C.
Astrology was also made subservient to the means
of prolonging human life but how an art which
détermines thc fate of mortals, and ascertains the
impassable limits of thé grave, could consistcntly bc made subservient to such a.
purpose, we arc
rather at a lof-s to conccive, unkgs accounted for
as follows. Thé teachers of divination maintained,
that not only men, but aU natural bodies, plants,
animais, nay even who!e countries, including every
place and fnmily, were under the govemment of
some particular planet. As soon as the mastcrs of
the occult science had discovered by ttieir tables,
under what consteHation the misfortune or distcmper
ofany personorigit~tcd, nothingfarthcrwasrequired,than that he should remove to a dwe!ling ruled byan opposite planet, and confine himsetf exclusively
to such articles of food anddrin~aswerc under thc
influence of a dînèrent star. Inthisartincmimanner
they contrived to form a systcm, or peculiar classi-
fication of planets, namely, Lunar, Solar, Mercurial
and thé like-and hence arose a confused map of
dictated rules, which, when considered with référence
to thé purposes of hcaith, cïeanliness, exercise etc.
form remarkable contrasts to those of thé Greeks.
But this préventive and repulsive method was not
merely 'confined to persons who suffered under some
bodily disordcr even individuals, who enjoyed a
good state of heaith, if an unlucky constellation
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138 THAUMATURCIA, OR
happened to forebode a severe di~ease, or any otber
misfortune, were directed to c housc a pluce of resi-
dcnce InUm'nccd bv a more iriendiv star-or to adoptsuch aiment oniy, us being undcr the auspices of a
propitious star, might cotinteract the maligaantinfluence of its antagonist.
Jt wa~ niso pretty generally believcd and maul-
tamcd, that a sort of intimate relation orsympathy sub.
sisted bctween metals and p]ants
hcnce thc nattes of
thé latter werc given to thé former, in order to dcnote
this supposed connexion and a~nity. The eorrcspond-
ing metals wcre me~ed into a common mass, under
a certain planet, and were formed into small medaÏs,
or coins, with the firm persuasion, that hc who
carried such a pièce about his person, mig!tt cou.
fidently expect thé whole favour and protection of thé
planet, thus represented,* Thus wc perçoive how
easy the transition is from one degree of folly to
anotber; and this may help to account for the shock-
ing delusions practised in thé manufacturing and
weariug of mctaUic amulets of a peculiar mould, to
which were attributed, by a sort of magie influence,thé power and protection of thé respective planetthese charms were thought to posscss virtue gunicient
to overrule the bad effects prcsaged by an unluckyhour of birth, to promote to places of honour and
profit, and to be of potent cnicacy in matters of
commerce and matrimony. Thé German soldiers, in
thé dark and superstitious ages, bclieved that if thé
ngure of Mars, cast and engravcd under tlie sign of
Viftc Amulcts passitn.
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ELUCinATtONS 0F T!!K MARVELLOUS. 139
the Scorpion, wcrc worn about thé neck, it would
r ende r them invulneraltle, and insure success to their
military enterprises–hence the r ea eon why amulets
were then found upon every soldier, either MUed in
battle or talœn prisoner.
We shaH so far concède thèse observations on tlie
chimem of ustrology and medicine with thé following
remarks in the ~vords of Chamber against Kni~ht's
work,* which détends this fanciful science, if science
it may be caned. It demonstrates nothing while
it défends ever y thing. It confutes, accord ing to
Lilly's work, a vo!nminous quarto monument of thc
folly of tlre age, wnsso!d originally for fourguineas; i t i s
enti tled Christ inn Astrology," modcstly treatct!, in thtce
books, by W!UiHm Lilly, s tude nt in Astrology, 2nd. cdit!on
!(i59. Every page isembojtishcdwtth a horoscope which,
sitting on the pretending tt'ipod, lie cxplnins with thc utmost.
t'aciiity. Thcre is also Il portrait of t his arch rogne and
star gaxer, an admirable inustration for I~nvatcr. As to
LiHy's gréât skil l in prnphccy, there goes a p~c)~a~~nt story
r elated by akinsmnnofDr.C)tsc,tn8 succcssor–nntnpty~
thnt a person ~anting to consuh him on n ccrtinn point
coming t o hi s h onse one tnorning, LiHy hint8c!fgoit!g to thé
door, saw a pièce of ntthy citrnon which some one, who had
more wit than tnanncrs, hnd tcft thcre and hcing much
offcndcd a t i ts nnsightty appearance wisttcd hearti!y he did
but know who had t rca tcd hnn in that manncr hy Icaving
such an nnwp!cotne !cgney, n8 i t were, in his vcry t4!etli,
that hc mi~ht punish thcm accordingly which his custonK'r
ohservin~ when the conjurer dema nded his business, Ko-
thing at au, snid hc, for rm sure if you can~t f ind ont
who bas dented yonr own doo< it is imp ossible you
shou!d discover anything rctating to tne/' n nd with this
canstic rcmark lie lufthim.
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HO THAUMATURGÎA, OR
Knight's own ideas it allèges a few scattered facts in
faveur of astrological productions, wh!ch may be
picked np in that Immenslty of fablingwhich disgrâces
history. He strenuousiy dénies, or ridicules, what
the greatest writers have said of this fanciful art,
while he lays great stress on sume passages from
obscure authors, or what is worse, from autliors of no
author!ty.Thé most pleasant part~ however, is at
the close where he défends thé art from thé objectionsof Mr. Chamber by récrimination. Chamber had
enriched himself by mcdlcal practice, and when he
charges thé astrologers hy merely aiming to gain a
few beggarly pence, Sir Christopher catches fire, and
shews by his quotations, that if we are to despise an
art hy its professer:; attempting to subsist, or for the
élections which may be raised against its vital prin-
ciples, we ought by this argument most heartily to
despise tlie médical science, and medical men he
gives all hère he can collect against physic aud phy-
sicitms, and from the confessions of Galcn and Hip-
pocrates, Aviccnna and Agrippa, medicine is madeto appear a vainer science than cven astrologyItscif.
Lilly's opinions, and lus pretended science, were
such favourites ofthc age, tliat thc learned Gataker*
The Rcvcrend and learned Thotnns ftatxkcr, with whotn
Li!!y WH8engaged it) a dispute, in his Annotations on the
tenth chaptcr of Jcretniah and 10 th verse, caUcd him u"b!ind buxxHt'd,and Li!!y rcncc'tcd again on his anta-
gonist in his ~/H)<M<?~c&ro~MA. Air. G<:takcr*3 reply wasuntitled Thotna!! Gatakcr, B . I ). his Vindication of theannotation by him publit<hcd uj)on thèse words, "thus saith
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THK MARVRLLOUS. 141
wrote profpsscdly against this popular delusion. ~t
the head of his star.expounding û'iends, LiUy not oniv
fbrmaHy rephed to, but pcrsccuted Gataker a nnuaHv
in his prédictions, and c ven struck at his ghost, when
beyondthe grave. Gataker died in July 1C54, andLilIy,
having written in his almanack for t hat ycar, f or the
month of August, the foUowing barbarous latin
Une–
Hoc in tum~o. jacct pn'sbytcr et nebttJo
Hcrc in this tutnb HcH a prcsbytt'r and a knavc,
had the impudence to assert, that he had j)re.
dicted Gataker's death But the truth i~, it wns un
empty epitaph to the J~odgings to let it stood
einpty, reader, for t tic ~rst passenger that tlic itn.
morta! fet'ryman siion!d cnrry ovc r t !)c Styx.
But hcar that arch impostcr 0!d Patridge of more
thé Lord," (Jcr. x. 2~ ngainHt thc scurntous «spcrstoxs of
that grand impostf)rWH!iatn L!!)y; ns a!so n~ninst <))c
varions expositions of tH'o clf his a dvoca tc s M f John Swan,
andanother by !) in t c itcd but not n iunc d. Tn~ctho' withthé Annotations thctnschcs, M'herein thc prctcndL'd grounds
of judiciary «strotogy, and thc scr iptnrc proof s produc~'d
to it, are discusscd :u)d t'ct'ntcd. London, ! 653, i n 4t h part
192. Our author mnking animndvcrsions on this pic-ce
inhis'Kn~tishMcrIin, 1().')4 prodnccdnthird pit 'cc ft'O)))
Mr. Gatakc! c a! h' d a Discour sc «potcgcticttt, wht't'cix
Li!s tc\vd, a nd lond tics in h is Mcr!io or Pasqui! for
ÏG:)4, aredcarty !nid opfn; h isshamc h' ss déser tion ofhis
own causc'fnftherdiscovt'rcd, his abotninahic shtndcrs fnHy
rcfutcd, and his nudicious and M~r~M tnind, incitin~
to a ~encrât massacre of Cod'~ ministcrs, fro.n tus own pcn,
cvidcntty known, etc. Londun 16j4.
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142 THAUMATUROIA, OR
modern date whose ~t/pr~ appear t o have no end.
The prnctiec of astrology is dividedinto spéculative
andtlieoretical." (Astrouomyandjudicud astt'ology).The first teaches us how to know the stars und
planète, and to nnd their places and motions. Tlie
second directs us to the knowledge of thé influence
and opérations of thé stars and phmets upon subhmary
bodies, andwithout this last thé former is of Httte
use. Astronotnycannot direct and inform usofthesecret influences and operations of thé stars and
planets, without thé assistance of thé most ~/<~<?
art of astrolo~y. For astronomy is conversant about
the suhject of this art, and doth furni~h thé astrologer with matter whereon to exercise his judg~ment, but
astrology disposes this matter into prédictions, or
rational conjectures, as time and occasion require."Thé practice agamis subdivided intotwo parts, or
quadripartite, as Ptolorny (Hb. 2) déclares the first
considers the général state of thé world, and from
ccHpses and cornets, great conjunctions, annual revo-
lutions, quarterly ingrcssions and lunations, also thérising, cnhnmating', and settin~ of thé nxed jStars,
together with thé configurations of thé pianets both
to thé sun nndamong themselves, judgment is
deduced, and thé astrotoger doth frame his annua!
predictions of all sen~itive and végétative things Ivingin thc air, carth, or watcr of plague, plenty, tïuarth,mutations of thé air, wars, peacc, and other generalaccidents of countrics, provinces, cities, etc.
The second of thèse subdivided parts, in particu-hu', respecta only thé privatc state of cvery singleman and woman, which must hc pcrjEbrmcd frotu thc
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RLUCIDATÏON8 OP THK MARVELLOUS. 143
"chôme of thé nativity, the knowlcdgc of which is of
most excellent use to all persons. Therefbrc let the
nativities of children be diligently observed for the
future, that is to say, t!ic day, hour, and minute of
birth as near as can be, which will be of use to the
astrological physician, for thé most principal conjec-ture of the malignity of thé disease, whether it be
curable, or shall end with dcath, dépends upon the
knowledge of thé nativity and very rarely any dis-
sase invades a person, but some unfortunate direction
of the luminarics or ascendant to thé body, or beams
of m~iguant pïanets prcceded thé samje, or did then
operate, or at lcast sorne evil révolution, profec-tion or transit, which cannot bc discovered by anyother way but by astroiog'y. Moreover, i t would be
convenient that thé truc time ofthe nrstfaHing sick
be obscrved precisely, and by that, together with the
nativity, be judiciousiy comparcd, thc physician shall
gain more credit than by all !ns <~hcr ski)! and
hercin, the astrolo~er's foresight shuJt often contra-
dict thé judgmcnt of thc physician for when thc
astrologer forete!!s a phlegnmtic man, that at such a
time he shaH he afllicted with a choleric disease, thé
doctor will perceive by lus j)hysicai symptôme thé
astro!o~er, from his know!cdc~e in more secret causes
of nature, bath exeelled hhn in his art.
Now if God AImi~hty do not countcrmand or
check thc ordinary course of nature, or thé nmttcr of
elementary bodies hère below be not unproportion-
able, and thcreby unapt to reçoive their impressions,there is no reason why, in a natural aud physical ne-
ce~ity, astrological predictions should not succced
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t~ THAUMATUHQIA, OR
and take effect, and by how much the knowledgewhich we hâve by thé known causes ia more démons-
trative and infallible than that which we have either
by s igns or enects, so much by this companton doth
Ai<tro!ogy appear worthy to be preferred before
Phystc." Cardan, who was an excédent physicinn~aith If by the art of Astrology he had not better
attained to thc knowledge of lus diseases, than thc
physictau that would ha.ve administcred to him
by his
skt! he l~d heen assm'cd!v cured by death, rather
llum preserved alive by physic. (Vide h)! Comment.
upon PtoL Quidrepart.) From hencc it appenrs i t is
neceas~ry that thé physician should be skilful in as.
trolo~y, but on thé contmry, c~ ~MOt'M ~Mo MOM
~~f~cMrnM~ evcry astrologer cannot hc a physicianif thé nativity be but precisely known, ot ' if, but
/f~ <if&MW or S!~o~t~ and withal sume not-
able accidents of sickness, danger ofdrowning, peril
by fire, marriage, or other, thé like accidents may bc
forcscen."
Thé astrologers were a set of cunning, cqni vocal
rogue'< j: thé more cautious of w hom oniy uttcrcd
thcir prognostications in obscure and ambiguous !au-
guage, which might he apphed to all thitt~s, timcs,
princes, and nations whatever. Anahnanac~maker,
a Spanish friar, predicted, in clear and précise words,
thé death of Henry t hé Fourth of France and
Pierre, though he had no faith in ~tar-gaxing, yct,ahn'med at wbatcver mcnaced thé l ife of a belovcd
sovcrei~n, consulted with some of thé kin~'s friends,
and had thc Spanish ahnanac!aidbcforch~Majc<-ty,who cont'tcou~y thain~cd them fnr tbcir so~icitudc,
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ELUCÏDATIONS 0F THR MAKVELLOUS. 145
L
bututterly slighted the prediction the event oc-
curred, and in the following year, the Spanish L~
spread h is own farne in an new almanack. This pré-dic tion of thefriar, was the result either of hia being
acquainted with the plot, or from his being m ade an
instr ument for the purposes of those who were.
Cornelius Agrippa r ightly designates ast rologers
a perverse and prepo8t$cou8 generation of men, who
profess to know future things, but in the meantime are
altogether ignorant of past and present and under-
taking to tell ail people most obscure and hidden
secrets abroad, at the same time, know not what
happens in their own houses."
But this Agrippa for profoundAnd soltd lying, was renown'd
The Ant!tropo80phus, and Floud,And .~acob Behmcn, understoodKncw many an mnuict and chann
That would do neither good nor harm.
Ho un(lerstood the speech of birda
As well as they themselves do wordsCould tell wbut subtlest
parrots mean
Thut speak and think contrat, cleanWhnt membcr ' ti s of whom thcy talk,
\Vhy thcy cry, ropc ~watk, knave, watk.
He conid foretcll whàtevcr was
By consequence to corne to paHSAs death of great men, altérations,
Discascs, battles, inundations
AU this without th' cctipsc o* th* sun,
Or.dreadfui comet, hc hath donc
By inward light, a way as good,And casy to be uudcrstood
But with more lucky bit than those
That use to make thc stars dépose
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Ï40 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
As if tbey were consenting toAM miachief !n the worïd men do <
Or like the devil, did tempt and 8way *ctnTo rogueries, ànd then betray 'cm.
We shall conclude our astrological atrictures with thé
following advertisement, which a~M'dsasilneasattn-
cal specimen of quackery a~8 to be met with. It is
extraeted from poor Ro~m's" almanack for 1~73
and may not be without i ta use, to many at the pre-sent day. Wé will vouch for.it being harm!e88, but,
as we are not in the secret of a ll that it contains,
our readers must endeavour to get the information
that may be wanted, on certain important points,from other quarters. It w ill shew, however, that
the almanack astrobgera did not live upon the best
terms, but like their predecessors, were constantly
abusing and attacking each other.
ADVBRTÏ8KMENT.
The best time to eut hair. How moies~and dreams
are to be interpreted. When most proper season to
bleed. Under what asBjjt~ of the moon bcst to draw
teeth, and eut corns. Tatring of nails, on what day
unlucky. What the kindest sign to graft or inocu-
late in to open bee-Mves, and kill swine. How
many hours boiHng my Lady Kent's pudding requires.With other notable questions, fully and faithfully re-
sol,ved, by me Sylvester Patridgc, student in physicand astrology, near the Gun in Moornelds<"
Ofwhom likewise may be had~at reasonable rates,
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F T HE MARVE LL OU8. !47
trusaes, antidotes, elixirs, love-powdere. 'Washes for
freckles, plumpers, glass-eyes, false calves and noses,
ivory-jaws, and a new receipt to tum red hairintoblack.
Old Robin's almanack was evidently the best of the
time, and free from ail the astrological cant with
which Patridge's Merlinus Liberatus was ~Hed
against which Poor Robin did not a l it tle declaim.
The motto to his title runs thus
We use wcathcr-wise predictions Nor any such-like airy fictionsBut (whieh we think is much the best)Write the plein truth, or crack a jcstAnd (without any further pretence)Confess we write, and think of the penceFor that's the aini of all wbo write,Profit to guin, mixed with detight.
Poor old Robin attacked the astrologers of his daywith no litt le vehemence How different a task is
it," says he, for man to behave so in this world as
to please
all the
people
that inhabit it Ï A man who
makes use ôf his best endeavours to please every bodyis sure to please but very few, and by that means
displease a great many which may very possibly be
the case with poor Robin this year. But (be that as
it will) old Bob is sotnetimea well pleased, when
rogues, prick-eared coxcombs, fbols, and such like,
are the most displeased at him be it therefore
known, that it is only men of sense and integrity,
(whether they have much money or no money) that
he bas any, (the least) regard for 1 see very plainty~that an humble man is (generally) accounted base if
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!4S THAUMATURGIA, OR
otherwise, he is esteemed p~OM~; a bold look is looked
upon as ~MtfpMcc if modest, (then to be sure) he must
be hypocritical; if his behaviour is grave, it is owingto a ~~?M~ of temper if affable, he is but ~M~e
regarded if strictly just, then cruel must be his cha.
racter but, if merciful and forbearing, then (of conse.
quence) a siïïy, sheepiah-headed fooî! Now, 1 chal-
lenge all thé A88.TROLOGER8 andcoKjuRBRs, through.
out thé whole kingdom, to deinonistrate that allthe whimsey-headed opinions whSh different men
retain of different actions, together with their beingso vastly different at different times, one from another
1 say, 1 call upon them At.L to prove, that they are
(wholly) owing to the STARRY influences There
being, (1 believe) ïn general as many different ideas
and conceptions in the mind of mankind, as there are
vat'iety of complexions and counteuances."
His observations on the fourpunequal quarters of the
year, as he terms them, are no less satirical, humorous,
and full of truth, and so much in opposition" with
others of the trade, that poor old Robin, in good sense
and trite remarks, carries away the palm from ail his
predecessors and contemporaries; indeed, he is so little
of an astrologer, that, instead of consulting thé an-
gles, aspects, conjunctions and trines, of the planeta~he is vulgar enough to attach more importance to thé
t~bstantia~s and doings of this nether world. We
présent our readers with the following as a spécimen,
which, though in his usual way, a little rough-mouth.ed, oceasionally is free from that almanack-cant which
characterises thé vocations of his fellow-labourers
in the same ncid.–
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ELU CI DA TI ON S OP THE MA RV ELM US . 149
SPRING,
which, being the most delightfui season in the whole
year, as it comes the next after a long and coldwinter
makes it a s welcome as it is delightful for now the
lengthening days afford full time for every body but
drunkards and watchmen to nnish their respective
day's works by day-light, besides some time to spare
to watk abroad, to see the fine new livery with whichDame Flora has now dscked out M other Earth. In
the opening of the Spring, when all nature begins to
recover herself, the same animal pleasure which makes
the bird sing, and the whole brute creation rejoice,rises very sensibly in the hearts of mahkind. This
quarter will bring w hole shoals of mackerel, and
plenty of green pease likewise gooseberries, cherries,
cheese'cakes, and custards.
But, let us now moralize,-and improve these
vernal delights into real virtue; and, when wennd
within ourselves a secret satisfaction arising f rom the
beauties of the creation, may
we consider to whom we
stand indebted for all these various gratifications and
entertainments of sensé who it is that opens thus
his hand, and fil!s the world with good But so
Boon as this quarter is ended; i. e. there, or then,
or thereabout, for in this case a day or two can break
no great squares-I say this quarter (as usual) will
be followed by the
SUMMER,
when, and at which time the days will hâve attained
their greatest, and consequently the nights the
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t50 THAUMATURGïA, OR
shortest lengths. June, in which month this quarter is said to begin, will retain some likeness, if not ex'
hibit thé perfections of the Spring but the two next
succeeding months will perhapa have lésa vigour, buta grcater degree of heat for, as they pass on, theywill be ripening the fruits of the earth whiist the
Dog star is shooting hie rays amongst, the industrious
farmer will have business enough uponhishanda for
now heexpects
to be reaping
andgathering together the returns of his labour but then he muât expect,
nevertheless, to bear the heat and burthen of the day.This quarter very justly represents a man in the
full vigour of health and strength the beauty of the
Spring is gone The strength of Summer is of short
continuance It will very soon be succeeded by Au-
tumn thus, and thus (0 reader) do then consider,
hast thou seen the seasons, two, three, or four times
return in regular succession remember that the -t ime
is coming, when all opportunities of this sort will
be for ever hid from thine eyes remember if forty
years have passed thee, 1 say, 1 would have thee
remember, that thy spring is gone, thy sunomer al-most spent 1 Have then, therefore, a very serious
retrospective view of thy past, and, (if it please God)a fixed resolution to amend thy prolonged life then
being now arrived almost on the eve of
AUTUMN
which begins this year (as usual) when, or then, or
thereabouts, thé time thé Summer quarter ends–
namely, when the nights begin to grow longer and the
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BLUOÏDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 151 J
days shorter this is the time when the barns are
nUed with wheat, which soon mustbe thrashed out, in
order to be sowed again. This also is the time when
thé orchards abound with fruits of the kind, and conse.
quently thé properest time to make cider.
Lamentable now must be the case of those poor women who, in this quarter, happen to long for green
pease or strawberries for 1 dare assure them, upon
the ~OMP~ word o f an astrologer, that they can getnone on this side of next Easter. Some now-abouts
under the notion of soldiers, shall sally out at night
upon Pullen, or perhaps lie in embuscade for a ropeof onions, as if they were Welsh freebooters. Loss
of time and money may be recovered by industry but to be a fool-born, or a roguein nature, are di-
seases incurable.
Remember that in any quarter of the year, this is
almost always a certain presage of a wedding, when
an parties are agreed, and the parson in readiness
and then you must be sure to have money in readiness
too, or your intended marnage may happen to provea miscarriage. But those who are able to pay for
tying the knot, when it i s fairly tied, may go home to
dinner and be merry go to the tavern and be merry
go to supper a nd be merry rise next morning and
be merry and let the world know, that a married life
is a p!entinil life, when people have good estates a
fruitful life when they have many children and an
happy Jife, when man and wife love each other as they
ought to do, and never quarrel nor disagree~
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t52 THAUMATURMA~ OR
OP THE WINTBR QUARTES.
But now cornes on thé cold, dirty, dithenng, pout~
ing, rainy, shivering, frcezing, blowing, stormy,
blustering, cruel quarter called winter; the very
thoughts of it are enough to fright one but that it
very luckily happens to be introduced (this year) by
a good, fat merry Christmas yet it is the luat and
worse, and very much resemMos extreme old age
accompanied by poverty this quarter 18also prettymuch like Pbaroah'D lean kine; for it generally (we
find) eats up and devours most of thé produce of
the preceding seasons: now thé sun entering the
southern tropic, affords us the least sbare ofhis light,and consequently the longest long nights yet,
nevertheless, in this unconofortahïe quartcr, you may
possibly pick up some crumbs ofcomfbrt~ provided
you have good health, good store of the ready Rhino,
a good wife, and other good things about you and
especially a good conscience for then the starry
influences muât necessarily appear very bemga, not-withstanding the inclemency of thé weather for in
such cases there will be frequent conjunctions of sir-
loins and ribs of beef aspects of legs and shonlders of
mutton, with refrenations of loins of veal, shining near
thcwatery triplicity ofplumb-porridgc–togetherwithtrine and sextile of minced pies; collared brawn from
tbe TJrsus major, and sturgeon from Pièces–a!I for
the honour of Christmas and 1 think it is a much
pleasanter sight than a Covent-Garden comedy~ to see
a dozen or two of husbandmen, farmers~ and honest
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ELUCÏDATÏONB OP THE MARVELLOUS. 153
tenants, at a nobleman's table (who never raised their
rents) worry a sirloin, and hew down, (I mean eut
up) a goose like a !og while a good Cheshire cheese,and plenty of nappy ale, and strong March beev,washes down the merry goblets, sets all their wit
afloat, and sends them to their respective homes, as
happy as Mngs.
And now, -kind loving rcadcrs, evcry one,God send y'a good nc\v"ycar, when thé old one 's gone.
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i54 THAUMATUROIA, OR
CHAPTER X.
ONE!ROCRtT!CAL PMSBNTtMRNT, ILLUSTRATtKC THE
CAUSK, EFFECTS, PRINCIPAL PHENOMHNA, AN!)
DEFINITION 0F DREAMS, ETC.
As we shall have to epcat: o f the art practised
through the medium, ternied incubation, of curing
diseases, it may be proper tu say something pre-
viously o n the interpretation of dreams throughwhose agency these cvents were Stud to be realized.
Oneirocridcs, or interpreters of dreams, were
called conjecturcrs, a very fit and proper name for
these woridly wise men, according to the following
lines, translatcd from Euiipides–
He that conjectures least amise
Of all, the best of prophcts is.
To the delusion of dreams not a f cw of t he an-
cient philosophers lent themselves. Among thèse
werc Democritus, Aristotle, andAis follower The-
mistius, Siresius thé Platonic who so far relied on
dreams which some accident or other brought about,
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 1&&
that they thence endeavoured to persuade men there
are no dreams but what are founded on realities.
For, say they, as the celestial influences producevarious forma and changes in corporeal matter, so
out of certain influences, predominating over the
power of the fancy, the impression of visions is
made, being consentaneous, through the dispositionof the heavens, to the eSëct produced more espe-
cially in dreams, because the mind, being then at
liberty from ail corporeal cares and exercises, more
freely receives the divine innuences it happens,therefore that many things are revealed to~thetnthat are asleep. which are concealed from them that
are awake. With these and such reasons it is pre-tended that much is communicated through the
medium of dreams
When soft sleep the body iays at ease~And from the heavy mass the fancy frees,
Whate*er it is in which we take delight,And think of most by day we dream at night.
The transition from sleep is very natural to thatof dreams, the wonderftil and mysterious pheno-mena of that state, the ideal transactions and vain
illusions of the mind. According to Wolfius, an
eminent philosopher of Sileaia~every dream origi-nates in some sensation, and is continued by the
succession of phantoms but no phantasm can arise
in the mind without some previous sensation. And
yet it is not easy to confirm this by expérience, it
being often difficult to distinguish those slight sensa-
tions, which give rise to dreams, from phantasms,
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156 THAUMATPRGtA, OA
or objects of imagination.* The series uf phantasmewhich thus constitute a dream, seems to be accounted
for by the law of the imagination, or association of
ideas though it may be very difficult to assign the
cause of every minute dinerence, not only in di6e-
rent subjects, but in the same, at different times,
and in ditferent circumstances. And hence M.
Formey, who adopta the opinion of Wolfius, con-
cludes, that those dreams are supematural, which
either do not begin by sensation, or are not con-
tinued by the law of imagination.t
Th~ opinion is as old as Aristotle, who asserted,
that a dream is only the ~a~ra~a or appearance of
things, excited in the mind, and remaining after
the objects are removed.~ The opinion of Lucretius,
transïated in our motto, was likewise that of Tuï!y.$Locke also traces the origin of dreams'to previoussensations. The dreams of sleeping men, saysthis profound philosopher, are ail made up ofthe
waking man'a ideas, though for the most part
oddly put together."[( And Dr. Hartley, who ex- pïains ail the phenomena of the imagination by his
theory of vibrations and associations, says, tbat
dreams are nothing but the imaginations or reveries
of sleeping men, and that they are deducible from
<' Wo!6us, Psycho!. Empir. Scct. 123.
t M~m. de l'aead. de Berlin, tom. ii. p. 316.
Arist. de insomn. cap 3.
§ QutB in vita usurpant hommes, cogitant, curant,vident quaeque agunt vigilantes, agitantque, ea cuique msoMMo acc!dnnc. De Diu.
H Ksaav on Human Understandiny, book, chap. i. scct Î7.
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BLU CI DA TI ON S O P TH E MA RV ELLO US . J57
three causes-viz, thé impressions and ideas lately
received, and particularly those of thé preceding
day, the state of t he body, more especially ofthe
stomach and brain, and association.~
Macrobius mentions five sorts of dreams. ist.
vision-2nd. a discovery of something between
sleeping and waking-3rd. a suggestion cast into our
fancy, called by Cicero, w~MM;–4 th. an ordinarydream–and fifth, a divine
apparition or revelation
in our sleep such as wëre thé dreams of the
prophète and of Joseph, as also of the Eastern
Magi.
CAUSE OF DREABIS.
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 i llu-
minated while they sleep. Aristotle refers the
cause of them to common sense, but placed in the
fancy. Averroes, an Arabian physician, places it
in the
imagination
Democritus as~'ibes i t to l it tle
images, or representations, separated from the things
themselves Plato among thé specifie and concrete
notions of the soul Albertus to the superior in-
fluences, which continually flow from the sky, J
through many specifie channels.
Some physicians attribute the cause of dreams to
vapours and humours, and the affections and cares
of persons prédominant when awake for, say they,
by reason of the abundance of vapours, which are
Obs. on Man, vo!. 1, scct. 5.
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158 THAUMATURGIA, OR
exhaÏcd in consequence of immoderate feeding, the
brain is so stu6ed by it, that monsters and strange
chimera are formed, of which the most inordinate
eaters and drinkers furnish us with sufficient in-
stances. Some dreams, they assert, are govemed
partly by the temperature of thé body, and partly
by the humour which mostly abounds in it to which
may be added thé apprehensions which have preceded
the day before and which are often remarked in
do~, and other animais, which bark and make a
noise in their sleep. Dreams, they observe, pro-ceed from the humours and temperature of the
body we see the choleric dreams of fire, combats,
yellow colours, etc. the phiegTnatic of water baths,
of sailing on thé sea the melancbolics of thick
fumes. déserts, fantasies, hideous faces, etc. theythat have the hinder part o f their brain clogged,with viscous humours, called by physicians Ephialtes
incubus, dream that they are suSbcated. And
those who have the orifice of their s tomach loaded
with malignant ~umouts, are aorig'hted with strangevisions, by reason of those venemous vapours that
mount to the brain and distemper it.
POBTÏCAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE KFFECT8 OF THE
IMAGINATION :N DREAMS.
Were we to enter more profbundïy into thé
mysterious phcnomcna of dreams, our prcsent
lucubrationsmightbecome too abstruse; and, after
ail, no philosophical nor satisfactory account can be
given of them. Such of our readers therefore, as
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MLVCïDATtOKS 0F THE MARVEH.OU8.
may wish for a more minute inquiry into the opi-
nions above stated, we beg leave to refer to thé
respective authors whom we have ah'eady quoted.
Tlie reader, who ie fond to find amusement even lu
a serious subject, from the scenes bf nocturnal ima-
gination, will be glad, perhaps for a moment, to
he transported into the regions of poetic fancy.
And here we f ind tbat the fancy is not more sportive
in dreams, than are the poets m thei r descriptionsof her noctumal vagaries.. On the enects of the
imagination in dreams, thé following effusion, put
into the mouth of thé volatile Mercurio, is an a d-
mirable illustration
0, then sec, Queen Mab bas been with you.She is the fancy's midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate stone
On the fore.Bnger of an Atderman,
D~awn with team of little atomies,
Athwart mcn*8 noses as they lie asleep: s
Her waggon spokes made of long spinncrs' legsThé covet' ofthc wings of grasshoppers
The traces of the sinallest 8p!der's web
The coUars of thé moonshïne's watcry bcatnsHer whip of cricket~ bonc thé laah of film
Her wnggoncrp a smaH grcy coated gnat, Not half so big as a round little worm,
Prickt from thé !azy 6ngcr ofa maid.
Her chariot is an cn)pty hnzel nut,Made by tlie joiner squirri!, old grub,Time ont of mind thé fairies' coachmakcrs
And.m this state she galops n ight by night,Tbro* lovera* brains, and thcn tbcy drcau) of love
On courticra* knees, that dream on curtsics straitO'er iawycrs* nngpra, who strait drcam on fccs
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~CO THAUMATURGIA, OR
O'cr tadicsiips, who strait on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plague,Because thcir brcattt with aweetmeats tainted are.
SomctitMea ahe gallops o 'er a tawycr'8 nosCt
AndthendrcamsheofsmeMtn~oHtaBaittAnd sotnetimps comeN shc with a titbe-pi~ taH,
Tickling the parson as hc lies as!cepThen dreRma hc of another bencRce ·.
Sometimes ahe driveth o'cr a so!d!cr*s ncck
And then hc drcama of cutting forci~n thronts,Of breachcs, antbuscades, Spanish btadcs,
Of hea!ths five fathont deep and then anon
Drums in his cars, at which hc starts and valces,
And being thus frightcd, swears a pray'r or two,
And steeps again.
Lucretius, and Petronius in his poem on thc
vanity of dreams, had preceded our immorta l
bard in a description of the elffects of d reams on
dtBerent k inds of persons. Both the passages hère
alluded to, only serve to shew thé vast supertority
of Shakspeare's boundless genius: their sense is
thus tidmirably expressed by Stepney
At dead ofnight itupcvial reason slccps,
And fancy vith hcr train, her rcvcis kcpps.Thcn airy phantoms a mix'd scène display,Of what wc heard, or saw, or wish'd by dayFor monory thosc images retuins
Which passion form'd, and still thc strongest rcigns.Huntsmcn rencw thc chasc they lately run,
And gct)crats(!ght ngain their battles won,
Spectres andfairics haunt the murdcrer~adrcatns;
Grants and disgrâces arc the courtier's thcn~es.
The n)Mer spies a thicf, or n new hoard
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Mt.CCIDATÏONS OP THM MARVELLOUS. !(3ï 1
M
The c it 's a knight the aycophant a lord,
Thus fancy's in the wild distraction lost,
With what wc most abhor, or covet most.
Honours and state before this phantom fall JFor steep, Ïike death, its imnge, equals a!
Chaucer in his tale of the Cock and Fox, has a
fine description, thus versified by Dryden
Dreams arc but interludes which fancy makes sWhcn inonarch reason sieeps, this mimic wakes
CotMpouods a medley of disjointed things,A court of coblers and a mob of hingB
Light fumes are merry, grosser fumes arc aaft
Both arc the reasonable août run madAnd many monstrnua forms in stcep we see,That neither were, or are, or e'er can be.
Sometimes forgotten thiogs, long cast behind,
Rush forward in the brain, and corne to mind.
The nurse's legends are for truth received,And thé man dreams but what the boy believed,Sotnettnoes we but rehcarse a former play,
` The night restores our actions doop by dayAs hounds in sleep will open for their prey.
In short, thé farce of dreams is of a pièceIn chitncras aU aud more absurd or less.
Shakspeareagain
1 talk of dreams,
Which a re the children ofan id!e brain,
Begot of nothing but vain phantasy,Which is as thin of substance as thé air,
And more inconsistant than the wind.
Nor must Mil ton be omi tted-
°x !n thé août
Arc many lesser faculties, that serve
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162 TR AUMATURGIA, OB
ReMon as cMef among these Fancy next
Her office holds; of all external things,Wbich the five watchfut senses represcnt,She forma imaginations, airy shapea,Wbich reason joining, or diejoining, frames,And all tbat wc afHrm, or what dcny, or call
Our knowledge or opinion then retires
Into her private cell, w!ïen nature resta.
Oft in her absence mimic fancy wakes,To imitate
her but
misjoining shapes,Wi!d works produces oft, butmost in dreama
111 matching words or deeds, long past or taie.
PRINCIPAL PHENOMENA IN DREAMING.
From these practical descriptions let us proceedto take aviewofthe principal phenomena in dreaming.And first, Mr. Locke's beautiful modes of which will
greatly illustrate the preceding observations.
When the mind," says Locke, turns its view
inward upon itself, and contemplâtes its own actions,
thinking i s the first that occurs. In it the mind
observes a great variety of modifications, and fromthence receives distinct ideas. Thus the perception,which actually accompanies, and is annexed to any
impression on thé body, made by an extemal object,
being distinct from all other modifications of thinking,furnishes the mind with a distinct idea which we
call ~~Ma~M; which ie. as it were, the actual
entrance of an idea into the understanding by the
sensés.
The same idea, wheQ it occurs again without the
operation of the like object on the extemal sensory,
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ELUCIDAT!ON8 OPTHE MARVBM.OU8. t63
is ?'c)MCM&ro~c<?.' if it be sought after by the mind,
and wi th pain and endeavour found, and brought
again in view, it is ?'eco~c~o~ if it be held there
long under consideration, it is c~p~~o~; when
ideas noat in our mind without any r eflexion or
regard of t hé understanding, it is that which the
French call ~cne;* our language bas scarce a
name for i t. When the ideas that oSër themselves
(for as 1 have observed in another place, while we
are awake, there wi ll always be a train of ideas
succeeding one another in our minds) are taken
notice of, and, as i t were, registered in the memory,
it is attention; when the mind, with great eamest-
ness, and of choice, fixes its view on any idea,
considers it on all sides, and will not be called off
by the ordinary solicitations of other ideas, it i s what
oThereisapheoomenoninthe mind, which, though it
happen to us while we are perfectly awake, yet approachesthc nearest to sleep of any 1 know. lt i s called the Reverie,
or, as some term it, thé AroM'M ~!t< a sort of middle statc betwcen waking and steeping in which, though our eyesare open, our sensés seem to be entlrely shut up, and we are
quite insensible of every thing about us, yct we are a ll the
while engaged in a musing indolence of thought, or a supine
and loHïng kind of roving from one fairy scène to another,
without any self-command; from which, if any noise or
accident rouse us, we wake as f rom a real drenm, and arc
often as much at a loss to te ll how our thoughts were em-
ployed, as if wc had waked from the soundest sleep. This
is frequently caUed </fceMMa~, sometimes a&aeHcc, a thingoften observed in iovprs and people of a melancholy or
indeed speculat ive turn.–fbr~c~ D<a/o~<p< concenH~
<Mca<<oM, t~. 255.
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!64 THAUMATURMA, OR
we call intention or study. ~p<~ without dreaming
is rest f rom all t hese and dreaming itself, is thé
having of ideas (while the outward sensés are stopped,80 that they receive not outward objecte with- their
usual quickness) in the mind, not suggested by any
external objects, or known occasion, nor under any
choice or conduct of the understanding at all, and
whether that which we call ecstasy, be not dreaming
with the eyes open, 1 leave to be examined."Dr. Beattie, in his Dissertations moral and cnti-
cal," bas an ingenious essay on this subject, in which
he attempts to ascertain, not so much the e~M~!< as
the final causes of the phenomenon, and to obviate
those superstitions in regard to it, which have some-
times troubled weak minds. He labours, with great
earnestness, to shew, that dreams may be of use in
thé way of physical admonition that persons, who
attend to them with this view, may make importantdiscoveries with regard to their health that they may be serviceable as the means of moral improvement
that, by attending to them, we may disccrn our pre-dominant passions, and receive good hints for thé
regulation of them that they may have been in-
tended by Providence to serve as an amusement to
the mental powers and that dreaming is not uni-
versal, because, probably all constitutions do not re-
quhc such inteUectuaI amusement. In observations
of this kind, we may discover the ingenuity of fancyand the Ragacity of conjecture. We may find amuse-
ment in the arguments, but we look in vain for satis-
faction. Nature, certainly, does nothing in vain,
yet w e are far from thinking, that man i s able, in
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MAHVELLOUS. 165
every case, to discover her intentions. Final causes,
perhaps, ought never to be the subject of human spé-
culation, but when they are plain and obvions. To
substitutc vain conjectures, instead of thé designs of
Providence, on subjects where those designs are
beyond our reach, serves only to furnish matter for
the cavils of thé sceptical, and the sneers of the licen.
tious.Among the many striking phenomena in our
dreams, it may be observed, that, while they last, the
memory seems to l ie wholly torpid, and thé under-
standing to b e employed only about such objects as
are then presented, without comparing the presentwith the past. W hen we sleep, we often converse
with a friend who is either absent or de~d, without
remembering that the grave or the ocean is between
us. We float, like a feather, upon the wind for we
find ourselves this moment in England, and thé next
in India, without reflecting that the laws of nature
are suspended, or inquiring how the scene could have
been so suddenly shifted before us. We are familiar
with prodigies we accommodate ourselves to every
event, however romantic and w e not only reason,
but act upon principles, which are in thé highest de.
grée absurd and extravagant. Our dreams, more-
over, are so far from being the effect of a voluntary
effort, that we neither know of what we shall dream,or whether we shall dream at all.
But sleep is not the only time in which strange and
unconnected objects involve our ideas in confusion.
Besides the certes of the day, already spoken of, we
have, in a moral view, our M~:n~-<~<?a~, which
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166 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
are not less chimerical, and impossible to be realized,
than the imaginations of the night.
Night visions may befnendOur wahing dreams are fatal. How 1 dreamtOur cvaking dreams are fatal. How I dreamt
Of things impossible (could sîcep do more ?)
Of joys perpétuai in perpétuai changeOf stable pleasures on the tossing wave
Eternal sunshine in the storms of lifeHow richly were my noon-tide trances hung,With gorgeous tapestries of pictur~d joysTill at deaths' toi!
Startinglwoke, and found myself undone.
Many of the fabulous stories of ghosts or appari-tions have originated unquestionably in dreams.
There are times of slumber when we are aensiMe of
being asleep. When the thoughts are much trou-
bled," says Hobbes, and when a person sïeepswithout the circumstance of going to bed, or pullingo~ his clothes, as when he nods in hia chair, it i s
very difficult to distinguish a dream from a reality.On the contrary, he that composes himself to sleep, in
case of any uncouth or absurd fancy, easily suspectsit to have been a dream. On this principle, Hobbes
haa ingeniously accounted for the spectre which is
said to have appeared to Brutus and the well-known
story told by Clarendon, of the apparition ot the duke
of Buckingham's father: will admit of a similar sotu.
tion. There was no man at that time in the king-dom so much the topic of conversation as the duke r
and, from the corruptness of his character, he was
Leviathan, part. 1. c. 1.
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E LUC ID ATI ON S 0 F THE MA RV RL LOU 8. 167
veyy likely to faU a sacrifice to the corrnptness of the
times. Sir George Villiers is said to have appearedto the man at midnight-there is therefore the great-est probability that the man was asleep and the
dream acrighting him, made a strong impression,
and was likely to be repeated.
History fumishes us with numerous instances of a
forecast having been communicated through the me-
dium. of dreams, some of which are so extraordinaryas almost to shake our belief that the hand of Provi.
dence is not sometimes evident through their instru-
mentality. Cicero, in his first book on Divination, tells
us, that Heraclides, a clever man, and who had been
a disciple of Plato, writes that the mother of Phalaris
saw in a dream the statues of the gods which she had
consecrated in the house of her son and amongother things, it appeared to her, that from a cupwhich Mercury held in his hand, he had spilled some
blood from it, and that the blood had scarcely touched
the ground, than rising up in large bubbles it nUed
the whole house. This dream of the mother wasafterwards but too truly verified in thé cruelty of the
son. Cyrus dreamt that seeing the sun at his feet,
he made three different unsuccessful attempts to layhis hand upon it, at each of which it evaded him.
The 'Persian Magi who interpreted this dream told
him that these three attempts to seize the sun signifiedthat he would reign thirty years. This predictionwas verified he died at the age of seventy, having
begun to reign when he was forty years old.
There is doubtless," says Cicero, somethingeven amoug barbarians which marks that they possess
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168 THAUMATUR6YA, OR
the gift of presentiment and divination. The Indian
Calanus mounting the flaming faggot on which he was
about to be burnt exclaimed O what a fine exit from
life, when my body, l ike tbat of Hercules, shall be
consumed by the fire, my spirit will freely enjoy the
~ight.' And Alexander having asked if he had anythingto say, he repHed, Yes, 1 shall soon see you," which
happened as he foretold, Alexander having died a few
days afterwards at Babylon. Xenophon, an ardent dis.
ciple of Socrates, relates that in the war which he made
in faveur of young Cyrus, he had some dreams which
were followed by the most miraculous évente. Shall
we say that Xenophon does not speak truth, or is too
extravagant? What! eo great a personage, and sodivine a spirit as Aristotle, can he be decelved S Or
does he wish to deceive others, when he tells us of
Eudemus of Cyprus, one of his friends, wishing to gointo Macedonia, paesed by Pheres, a ce!ebrated town
in Thessaly, which at that t ime was under thé domi-
nion of the tyrant Alexander; and that having faïten
very sick, he saw in a dream a very handsome young
man, who told him that he would cure him, and that
the tyrant Alexander would shortly die, but as to
himself, he would return home at the end of five
ycars. Aris totle remarks that the two first predic-tions were, indecd, soon accomplished that Eudemus
recovered, and that the tyrant was killed by his wifë's
brothers but that at the expiration of five years, the
time at which it was hoped Eudemus, accordmg to
the dream, was to rctum to Sicily, his native country,news were receivcd that he had been killed in a corn.
bat near Syracuse; which gave rise to another inter.
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EÏ~UCYDATIONS OP THM &ÏARVKLLOU9. !69
pretatioh of the dream, namely, that, when the spi-
rit or soul of Eudemus left his body, it went thence
straight to his own house.–A cup of massy gold
having beenstolen from the temple of Hercules, this
god appeared m a dream to Sophocles three consecu-
tive times, and pointed out the thief to him; who
was put to the torture, confessed the delinquency,
andgave up
thecup.
The temple
afterwards re-
ceived the name of Hercules Indicator.
An endless variety of similar instances, both from
aneient and modern history, might be adduced of the
singularity of dreams, as well as their instrumentalityin revealing secrets which, without such agency, had
lain for ever in oblivion these, however, are.sufficientfor our purpose here and the occurrence of one of a
vcry recent date, comiected with the discovery of the
body of the murdered Maria Martin, in the red barn,is sti ll fresh in the recollection of our readers. That
there is a ridiculous infatuation attached by some peopleto dreams, which have no meaning, and whichare the
oHspringa of the day's thoughts, even among personswhose education should inform them better, particu-
larly among the fair sex, cannot be denied indeed, a
conversation seldom passes among them, but some
inconsistent dream or other, f orm a leading feature
of their gossip and doubtiess is with them an hy-sterical symptom.
Sometimes in our sleeping dreams, we imagineourselves' involved in inextricable woe, and enjoy at
waking, the ecstasy of a deliverance from it. And
such a deliverance," says Dr.Beattie, H will every good
man meet with at last, when he is taken away from
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~0 THAUMATURGtA, OR
thé evils ofHfe, and awakes in the regions of everlast-
ing light and peace looking back upon the world and
its troubles, with a surprise and satisfaction similar in
kind (though far higher in degree) to that which we
now feel, when we escape from a terrifying dream,
and open our eyes to the sweet serenity of a summer
mqrning." Sometimes, in our dreams, we imaginescenes of pure and unutterable joy; a nd how
much do we regret at waking, that the heavenly vi-sion i s no more But what must the raptures of the
good man be, when he enters the regions of immor-
tality, and behoids the radiant fields of permanentdelight The idea of such a happy death, such a
sweet transition, from the dreams of earth to the
realities of heaven, is thus beautifully described by
Dryden, in his poem entitled Eleohora
Sbe passed serencly, with a singtc breathThis moment perfect hcatth, the next was deathOne aigh did her eternal bliss assure =So little penance oeeds when souls are pure.
As gentte dreams our waking thoMghta pursueOr, one dream past, we slide into a newSo close they follow and such wild order kecp,Wc tbink ourselves awake and arc asleep;So softly dcath aueeeeded life in her sShe did but dream of heuven and she was there.
DEFINITION OP DREAM8.
Dreams are vagaries of the imagination, and
in most instances proceed from external sensationa.
They take place only when our sleep is unsound,
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 17! I
in which case the brain and nervous system are
capable of perfbrming certain motions. We seldom
dream during the first hours of sieep; perhapsbecause the nervous fluid M then too much exhaust-
ed but dreams mostly occur towards the mom-
ing, when this Suid bas been, in some measure,
restored.
Every thing capable of interrupting the tranquillity
of mind'and body, may prpduce dreams auch are
the varions kinds of grief and sorrow, exertions of
the mind, affections and passions, crude and un-
digested food, a hard and inconvenient posture of
the body. Those ideas which bave lately occupiedour minds or made a Uvely impression upon us,
generally constitute the principal subject of a dream,and more or less employ our imagination, when we
are asleep.Animais are likewise apt to dream, though seldom
and even men living temperately, 1 and enjoying a
perfect state of health, are seldom disturbed with
this play of the fancy. And, indeed, there are examplesof lively and spirited penons who never dream at
all. The great physiologist HaUer considera dream-
ing as a symptom of disease, or as a stimulatingcause, by which the perfect tranquillity of the senso-
rium is interrupted. Hence, that sleep is themost refreshing, which is undisturbed by dreams,
or, at least, when we have the distinct recollection
ofthem. Most of our dreams are then nothing morethan sports of the fancy, and derive their originchiefly from external impressions almost everything we see and hear, when awake, leads our ima-
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172 THAUMATURGtA, OR
gination to collateral notions or representations,
which, in a manner, spontaneously, and without the
Icast eSbrt, associate with extemal sensations, The
place where a person whom we love formerly resided,a dress similar to that which we have seen her wear,
or the objects that cmployed her attention, no sooner
catch our eye, than she immediately occupies our mind.
And, though these images associating with external
sensations, do not arrive at complete consciousnesswithin the power of imagination, yet even in their
latent state they may become very strong and per-manent.
Cicero furnishes us with a etory of two Arcadians,
who, travelling togcther, arrived at Megara, a
city of Greece, betwcen Athens and Corinth, where
one of them lodged in a friend's house, and thé
other at an inn. After supper, the person who
lodged at the private house went to bed, and falling
asleep, dreamed that his f riend at the inn appearedto him and beggcd his assistance, because the inn-
kecper was
going to kill him.
The man immediatelygot out of bed much frightened at thé dream but
recovering himself, and falling asleep again, his
friend appeared to him a second time, and desired
that, as he would not assist him in time, he would
take care at least not to let his death go unpunishedthat thé innkeeper having murdered him had thrown
his body into a cart and covered it with dung he
therefore beggcd that he would be at thé city gatein the morning, before thé cart was out struck
with this new dream, lie went early to thé gâte, saw
thé cart, and asked the driver wlmt w as in it; the
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ELUCtDATIOXS 0F THE MARVELÏ.OU8. !73
driver immediately fled, thé dead body was taken
out of the cart, and thé innkeeper apprehended and
executed.
It is very frequently observed, that in a dream a
series of representations is suddenly inteiTupted, and
another series of a very dirent kind occupies its
place. This happens as soon as an idea associates
itself; which, from whatever cause, is more interest-
ing than that immediately preceding. The last then
becomes thé prevailing one, and determines the
association. Yet, by this too, the imagination is
frequently reconducted to the former séries. Thé
interruption in the course of the preceding occur-
rences is remarked, and the power of abstracting
similarities is in search of the cause of this irregula-
rity. Hence, in such cases, there usually happenssome unfortunate event or other, which occasions
the interruption of the story. The representing
power may again suddenly conduct us to auother
series of ideas, and thus the imagination may be led
by thé subreasoning power before defined, from onescene to another. Of this kind, for instance, is
the following remarkabic dream, as related and
j explained in the works of professor Maas of HaHe
Idreamedonce," says he that the Popevisitedme. 'He commanded me to open my desk, and
carefuUy examined all the papers it contained.
While he was thus employed, a very sparMingdiamond fell out of his triple crown into my desk, of
which, however, neither of us took any notice. As
soon as thé Pope had withdrawn, 1 retired to bed, but was soon obliged to rise, on account of a thick
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174 THAUMATURGIA,OR
smoke, the cause of which 1 had yet to learn.
Upon examination 1 discovered, that the diamond
had set fire to the papers in my desk, and burnt them
to ashes."
On account of the peculiar circumstances by which
this dream was occasioned, it deserves the followingshort anaïysis. On the preceding evening,"
says professor Maas, 1 was visited by a friend
with w hom 1 had a lively conversation, upon JosephIInd's suppression of monasteries and convents. With
this idea, though 1 did not become conscious of it in
my dream, was associated the visit which the Pope
publicly paid the Emperor Joseph at Vienua, in
consequence of the measures taken against the clergyand with this again was combined, however faintly, the
representation of thé visit, which had been paid me
by my friend. These two events were, by the
subreasoning faculty, compounded into one, accord-
ing to the established rule-that things which agrée
in their parts, also correspond as t o t he whole;-
hence the
Popes visit, was
changed into a
visitmade to me. The subreasoning faculty then, in
order to account for this extraordinary visit, fixed
upon that which was the most important objectin my room, namely, the desk, or rather the paperscontained in it. That a d iamond fell out of the
triple crown was a collateral association, which
was owing merely to the representation of the desk.
Some days before when opening the desk, 1 had
broken the glass of my watch, which 1 held in my
hand, and the fragments fell among the papers.
Hence no farther attention was paid to the diamond,
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. H'5
being a representation of a collateral aeries of things.But afterwards the representation of the sparklingstones wu again excited, and became the prevailing
idea; hence it determined thé succeeding associa-
tion. On account of its similarity, 1 it exci ted, the
representation of fire, with which it was confounded
hence arose fire and smoke.-But, in the event,
the writings only were burnt, not the desk itself;
to which, being of comparatively less value, the
attention was not at aH directed." It is farther
observable, tbat there are in the human mind certain
obscure representations, and that it is necessary to
be convinced of the reality of these images, if we
are desirous of perceiving the connexion, which
subsista among the operations of the imagination.Of the numerous phenomena, founded on obscure
ideas, and which consequently prove their existence,
we shall only remark the following. It is a well
known iact, that many dreams originate in the im-
pressions made in the body during sleep; ànd they
consist of analogous images or such as are associatedwith sensations that would arise from these impres-
sions, during a waking state. Hence, for instance,
if our legs are ptaced in a perpendicular posture, we
are often terrined by a dream that implies the im-
minent danger of falling from a steep rock or préci-
pice. The mind must represent to itself thèse exter.
nal impressions in a lively manner, otherwise no
ideal picture could be thos excited but, as we do
not become at all conscious of them, they are but
faintly and obscurely represented.If we make a resolution to rise earlier in the
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ï76 THAUMATURGIA, OR
morning than usual; and if we impress the déter-
mination on our mind, immediately before going to
rest, we are almost certain to succeed. Now it is
self-évident that this success cannot be ascnbedto the efforts of the body, but altogether to the mind,
which probably, during sleep perceives and computesthe duration of time, so that it makes an impressionon the body, which enables us to awake at an ap-
pointed h our. Yet aïl this taltes place, withoutour consciousness, and the reesprentations remain
obscure. Many productions of art are so complicated,
that a variety of simple conceptions are requisite to
lay the foundation of them yet. the artist is almost
entirely unconscious of these individual notions.
Thusa peMon peribrms a piece of music, without
being obliged to reflect, in a consciousmanner, on the
signification of the notes, their value, and the order
of the nngers he must observe nay even without
clearly distinguishing the striogs of the harp, or
the keys of the harpsichord. We cannot attribute
this to the mechanism of the body, which mightgradually acc'istoïn i tself to the accurate placing of
the fingers. This could be app!ied only where we
place a piece of music, frequentty practised but it is
totally inapplicable to a new piece, which is played
by thé professor with equal faciHty, though he bas
never seen it before. ïn the latter case there must
arise, necessarily, an ideal représentation, or an act
of judgment, previous to every motion of the
nnger.Thèse arguments, we trust, are sutncient~ to evince
the occurrence of these obscure notions and repre-
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BLUMDATtONSOFTHEMARVELLOUS.
N
sentations, from which a~ our dreams' originate.
Before, however, we close this subject, we shall
relate the following extraordinary dream of the
cehbrated Galileo, who at a very advanced age had
lost his sight. In one of his walks over a beautiful
plain, conducted by his pupil Troicelli, the venerable
sage related the fallowing dream to him. Once,"
said he, my eyes permitted me to enjoy the charmsof these fields. But now, since their light is extin.
guished, these p!easures are lost to me for ever.
Heaven justly inflicts the punishment which was
predicted to me many years ago. When in p~son,and impatieïitty languishing for liberty, 1 began to
'be discontented with thé ways of Providence Coper*nicus appeared to me in a dream his celestial spiritconducted me over luminous stars, and, in a threaten-
ing voice, reprehended me for having murmured
againsthim, at whose~~ aU these worlds had pro,ceeded from nothing. A timc shall corne (said he)when thine eyes shall refuse to assist thee m con.
templating thèse wonders."
We shall now proceed to notice the subject of
dreams in another point of view-that is, as being
employed as a medium of d ivination in the cure
of diseases, in which the fancies of the brain
appear, in reality, to as little advantage as they do
with reference to any other considerations in which
such pretended omens exist.-
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!78 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
C HAPTER XL
ON !NCCBATÏON, OR TUB ART OP HEAMNO BY
VtSÏONARY DIVINATION.
MEDtcïNE unquestionably ranba among the most
ancientofaHhuman sciences. In the infant state of
society, when aimplicity of manners characterised
the purBuits of mankind, medical assistance was
little w'anted but when the nature of man degene-
rate~ and vice and luxury corrupted his habits of
innocence and temperance, diseases sprung up which
those aids alone could check or eradicate. The
knowledge of them at first could not fail to beempirical and precarious. The sick were placedin the high ways, that traveUers and passers by
might assist them with their counsci and a t lengththe priesthood al)propriated this privilege exclu-
sively to themselves,
It was not merely the sacerdotal dignity which
rendered them objects of awc a nd révérence to the
illiterate multitude the priests were regarded as the
depositaries of science and Icarning; and proved
themselves as skilful as they wcrc successfui~ in
cemcuting thcir inauence by those arts which were
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KLUCÏP ATÏ ON8 OP THR MARVEt.LOUS. t79
N 2
best calculated to incarne thé prejudices of the vulgar in their favour.
It is the work of ages to wean men and nations
from popular illusions, and the deep.rooted opinionstransmitted from sire to son it cannot therefore
surprise us, that even when the inteUectual encrgy of
Greece was signalizing itself by efforts which have
commanded the admiration of after ages, it should
sim remain a popular dogma in medicine that persons labouring under bodily infirmity, might be
thrown into a state of charmed torpor, in which,
though destitute of any previous medical knowledge,
they would be enabled to ascertain the nature of their
malady, as well as of the diseases of others, and
devise the means of their cure." Upon this dogmawas founded the mystery of incubations, or the art
of healing by visionary divination.
It is not our object here to discuss whether a
man can be capable of divination such a power,
however, waa assigned to him, not only by the
vulgar, but
by
the
greater
number of the philoso-
phical sects of antiquity; and it does appear to
savour a little of temerity, that Epicurus and thé
cynics should have ventured to reject a beUef so
universally and strenuously maintained, and restingon an innuity of traditions and accounts of prophets,in whom Greece had abounded from her earMcct
times, aud of whose divine gift of prophecy thé
nrmest conviction was currently entertaincd. ~Es-
chylus, Plutarch, Apuleius, and other Greek authors,
bear ample testimony of this persuasion, and tell us
that by uncommon and irregular motions of the body
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tSO THAUMATURGÏA, OR
intoxicating vapours, or certain holy ejaculations,men might be thrown into an enchanted trance in
which, being in a state between sleeping and waking,
they were unsusceptibîe of external impressions and
obtaming a glimpse of futurity, were gifted with the
power of prophecy. Here their allusion, however,
only concems the celebrated d ivinations of the
Pythia.* We must therefore, probe somewhat
deeper, in order to iUustrate that species of divination
which was the result of dreams, and a source of
divination on the nature of diseases and their remedies.
This kind of superstition was in no less acceptationthan the former among the ancients, whose templeswere constantly crowded with the sick, and rever-
berated with their supplications for divinatory dreams,
which were regarded as an immediate gift from thé
gods. Indeed, the celestial origin of dreams was
universaHy admitted by the rations of antiquity,and thence also their efficacy as oracles. Nothingcould be more natural than such an idea. From
thc crude and imperfect notions which long pre-vailed with respect to the soul, i t was scarcely
possible for them to ascribe the impressions, which
their memory retained of thé creation of their fancy
The Pricstcss of Apollo, by whom he dettvcred oracles.She was cnHed l'ythia from the god him8e!f, who was
styled A~oUo Pythîus, from lus staying the serpent Python.The Pricstcss was to be a pure virgin. She sat on thecovercle or lid of a braxen vcssc!, mountcd on a tripod,ànd thence, after a violent euthusiastn, she d.'Hvcrpd his
oracles i. e. she rehearscd a few ambiguona and obscure
verses, which were taken for oracles.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP T HK MAR~E M~OUS. t8!
during their slumbers, to the instrumentality of their
own conceits they could not fail therefore to impute
them to the interposition of some foreign agent, and to
whbm more naturally could they refer them than to
a divinity ? When awake, they imagined themselves
ahvays attended by thé gods in person, and ascribed
every thought, and resolved every ap~arance or
accident, which deviated from thé common course of
nature, to the immédiate influence of a superintend-
ing deity. It was under such impressions that so
many nations originally rested their belief in divina-
tory dreams. The records of antiquity therefore
abound in instances (for the greater part of an early
date) where the actions of men have been the result
of a dream, whose conceit was entirely at variance
with the real state of their anairs. It was not long before the diversity of dreams awakened their atten-
tion some w ere connected and simple, others were
obscure, and made up of curious fancies, thoughnot incapable of being resolved by the windings and
turnings of allegory.It w as no unnatural transition from the received
belief in dreams, to the idea that they might become
the medium of seeking instruction from the godshence the institution of oracles, whose responseswere given in dreams and thé addition of sleepingchambers to many temples, such as those in Epidaurus
andatOropos. Here it was, that after pious cere-
monies and prayers, men laid themselves down in
expectation of dreams when the expectation was
realized, though thé dream prove~ ever so confused
or intricate, thé dreamer always succeeded in recon-
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t82 THAUMATURGIA, OR
ciling it t o h ia c ircumstances his own belief and
priestly wiles, readily enected the solution. The
conceit of dreams, according to the votary's wishes,
was so powerfally promoted by the preparatoryinitiation he had nndergone, that it would have
been somewhat cxtraordinary had he been altogether
disappointed. He was generally anxious to -in-
crease the ~ame of his divinity by his dream,
and possessed a high veneration and deep im-
pression of thé miracles which that divinity had
wrought. With these predispositions he resorted to
the temple, where he had a whole day before him
to ponder on his malady, and on every sort bf
remedy that might have been suggested to him how
natural was it, therefore, for hie busy imaginationto fix, in his sleep, upon one particular remedymore forciMy than upon another ? Add to this, the
solemn ionely hour of night was the appointed hour
for his sleep, which was preceded by prayer and
other inspiring ceremonies, that would naturally
elevate his
devotion to the highest pitch. He hadalso previously perambulated the temple, and with a
iTiH heart surveyed the offering& of those whose sick'
4tess had departed from them.
If aU these préparations were unavailing, the
officiants of the temple had still means in reserve,
by which the credulous should be thrown into that
bodily etate which was indispensable to the divinatory
deen.: of these, soeceeding instances will be here-
after~H'oduced. In those days, there wcre however,
some men from whom the somniferous faculty was
withheld they were, therefbre, admonished to repeat
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ELU CI DA TI ON S O P T HE MA RV EH .OU 8. t83
their prayers and oblations, in order to win the
divinity's faveur: and the ultimate and customary
resort waa, if auccess did notcrown his persévérance,to pronounce it a tulœn, that such patients were an
eyesore to the divinity.Frdm this divinatory aleep, arose the vulgar expres-
sions in Greece e~o~tCto~cK, and e~~ot~t~crt?.* The latin
terms are MCM~~ and incubatio; an exact translation
of the Greek words. It. appeara, therefore, that the
Romans and Greeks were equally acquainted with the
Institution; though we find but very little mention
made of it by the Latin writers, yet this is no argu-ment against ita prevalence among the Romans, as
we are left with as acanty accounts of many other
superstitions which were in vogue amongst them.
It is higMy probable that i t was not by any means so
popular in Rome as in Greece and the cause of this
may, perhaps, be found in thé reflecting dispositionand sober character of the haughty Roman, to which
the light and vo!atHe temperament of the Grecian,
formed so striking a contrast..That incubation was a ready means of diving into
the future, needs no demonstration. Although its
practice was chieny resorted to in cases where medi-
cal aid was desired, it was still made use of in everyother case, in which the ancient oracles wcre con-
sulted. Whether it arose in Greece, or migrated
Thèse words are but iti explained by thé best Greek
Lcx!cogT!tphcra. Servius ad Virg. ~En. vi!. 88, saysIneubare ~licuntrcr l~ro~rie leic, qui dormiu~et aecipienrla./?tCM&a~ Tertullian de Anima, C. 49, thence OCC)~te?M/0~WMa. Tcrtuuian de Anima, C. 49, thence catis thptn
/MeM~a<o)'c~/aMor«w.
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!84 THAUMATUROïA, OR
thither from the East, is a point with which the an-
cients have left us unacquainted, though they advert to
its prevalence amenât those who were called barba-
r ians. Strabo bas several instances of it, and partieu-
larly mentions a place in the Caspian sea, where such
an oracle existed he aïso ~ates, in his celebrated
account of Moses, that this law~giver laid it down, in
common with the priests'of Esculapius, that to those
who led a c haste and virtaous life the deity wouldvouchsafe prophetical visions in his sanctuary but to
those who were of idle and impure habits, they would
be denied.t
Pomponius Mela even mentions a savage nation, in
the interior of Africa, who laid themselves down to
sleep on thé grave-atones of their ancestors, and
looked upon 'the dreams they had on those spots as
oracles from the dead.~ We shall see, hereafter,
that this superstition was equally indigenous amongthe Egyptians. Although it be doubtful whether the
Greeks owed this species of divination to their own
invention or not, its existencemay
at least be traced
as far as the earliest âges of tueir history notwith-
atanding no positive mention of it has been made
either by Homer or the authors following him.
The oracular powcr of dreams, and the sanctuaries
where they are supposed to be dispersed, have been
diffusely treated of in the compilations of Van Dale and
otherlearned writers. These species of oracles were in
Lib. XI. p. 108. Paria, fol. 1620.
t Ibid. lib. XV!. p. 761..De Bhu orbis. !ib. ï. cap. 1.
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ELU CI DA TI ONS O P TH E MA RVELL OU S. Ï85
high estimation, even in the most enlightened and
flourishing periods of Greece it is.somewlia.t singu-
lar, however, that no peoplechenshedthem more
dèvoutly than the Sparta-ns~ who depended altogether
upon oracles in their weightiest affairs of state. Of
alt the civilized nations of Greece, Sparta always
approved herself the most superstitions her advance-
ment was rather the effect of her policy,
t han of
any stimulus given to her civilization by science.
This consideration will enable us to account for the
powerful influence which, even in the latest stages of
Lacedemonian story, attached to the responses of
Passiphœ, a local goddess of Thalame, but little
known beyond the confines of Laconia. The extent
of their influence is particularly evident in the historyof Agis and Cleomenes.*
The greater part of these somnambulistic oracles
were ascribed to persons who had distinguished
themselves as great dreamers when on earth. In old
times there was a description of prophets who pre-
tended to prepare themselves for the foreboding of future events through the medium of sacred dreams.
They wcreclassed under the appellation ofO~tpowXot~to which rank thé most celebrated Vates of the heroic
age belonged. In this way it was that a sacred spotwas dedicated to Calchus, whence he gave his res-
<
Plutarch apud Agis et Cicomea. Cicero (de Div. I.c. 48) prpbably anudcs to this oracle, when he says, that théEphori of Sparta wcre accustomcd to sleep ia thé temple of
Pasipha: on state etncrgenc!es. Therc wasasimitar oracleiï? thé neighbourhood of Thidame, not fur from ~Etylum,sacred to Ino.
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186 THAUMATUttGÏA, OR
penses in dreams after his decease this spot lay in
Daunia, on the~coast of the A driatic. The suppli-cant'a offices began with the offering up of a ram, on
whose skin he laid himself down, and in this situa-
tion, received the instruction he sougbt for.' Am.
philocus, a contemporary soothsayer, who accom.
panied the Epigoni in the first Theban war, had a
similar oracÏe at Mallos, in Cilicia, which Pausanias
asserts, even at the close of the second century, tohave been the most credible of his age tt i s also
mentioned by Dion Cassius, in his history of Commo.
dus.t
The most famous, however, of this cïass of oracles,
was titat of Amphiaraus, the father of Amphilocus,which was one of the five principal oracles of Greece
he had signalized himself as a sapient soothsayer in
the first Theban war and his ora<tle was situated at
Oropos, on thé borders of Bœtia and Attica. Of a ll
others th is deserves our most particular attention, ae
it was resorted to more frequently in cases of infir.
mity and disease, t ban in any other circumstances.His responses were always deli~ered in dreams, in
whose interpretation, as he wae the nrat to possessthat faculty. Pausanias says he received divine
honours. Those who repaired to Amphiaraus's ora.cle to supplimte his aid, laid themselves down in the
manner we hâve just related, after several preparatorylustrations and sacrifices, on the skin of a ram slain
Strabo, lib. V!. p. 284.
t Pauaanias, 1, 35.
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KLUC!DAT!ONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. îS~
in honour of the god, and awaited the dreams, which
were to unfold the means of their different cures.
Lustrationsand''sacnnces were not, however, thé
only preparatives ibr inducing thé visionary disposi-
tion. The priests subjected the patients to various
others, which Miilostratns afBrms* to have been very
instrumental towards rendering the sieeper's mind
clear and unclouded. Part of these preparatives con-sisted in one day's abstinence from eating, and three,
nay, even in some cases, fifteen days' abstinence
from wine, the common beverage of the Greeks.
This was the practice also with other oracles; nor
were the priests in the meantime insensible to their
own interests on these occasions for those who were
cured by Amphiaraus's revelations were permitted to
bathe in the saered waters of a fountain, into which
they were enjoined to cast pieces of gold and silver,
which were destined, most probably, to sweeten the
labours of his officiants.
The oracles,
whose intervention was principally
or
aÏtogether sought for the healing of the sick by means
of divination founded on dreams, were scattered over
Greece, Italy, Egypt, a nd other countries. As
regards thnse of Egypt, it may be remarked, that
atthpugh many of the Egyptians believed there
were thirty-six démons, or aerial deities, e ach of
whom had the care of a certain portion of the human
frame, and when that portion was diseased, would
heal it ôn the patient's eamest prayer, yet a variety of
their oracles, such as those of Serapis, Isis, and
De vita Apoll. Thyan. 11. 37.
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!88 THAUMATURGE, OR
Phthas, the Hephaestos ofthe Greeks, appertained to
the class, which is the present object of our inquiry.The .oracle Serapis was situated near Canopus} it
was visited with thé highest veneration by thé
weaJthiest and most illustrious Egyptians, and con-
tained ample records of miraculous cures which that
god had performed on sleepers.* Isis, it i s said,
effected similar cures in her lifetime, whence it
became her oiHce, in her after state of deification,to reveal in dreams the most efficacious remedies to
the sick. Tndeed the healing powers of this ~oddesBwere such, that, as we are told by Diodorus,t the
remedies she prescribed never faHed of their effect,
and that convalescents were daily seen returning fromher temple, many of whom had been abandoned as
incurable by the physicians.The third oracle of t he sick w as consecrated to
Phthas, and lay near Memphis, but it is seldom
mentioned by the ancients. t
In Italy there existed two oracles, whose responses
were imparted in dreams, before thé worship of Esculapius was introduced from Greece. One of
them oiily belongs to this place, that of the physician
Podahrus, in Daunia,$ which is mentioned by
Strabo, hb. xvii. p. 801. Anian. Expcd. A!ex.vi i. 6.
t !a Egypt lib. 1. 25.
Galen de comp. Med. p. Gen v. 2.
§ Podatirius and Machaon, thc two sons of Esculapius.The state of tucdictoe at the timc of the Trojan war was vcryhnpcrfcct, as we find cxctnp!i(!ed by thèse two acting as
surgeons general to thé Grccian ar<ny. Thcir simple prnctice
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVN~OUS. t8Q
Lycophron.* Subséquente i t i s well known incuba-
tion was practised after the Grecian form in the
Roman temple of ~Esculapitis on the Ineula Ti-
benna.f
This description of oracles abounded throughout
Greece the most memorable of which was that on
the Asiatic coast, between Trat tis and Nyssa, which
is more particularly described by Strabo than anyother~ .Not far from the town of Nyssa, says he,
there is a place called Charaka, where we find
a grove and temple sacred to Pit tto and Proserpine,
consisted ehieHy tn extracting dMts orarrows, in staunching blood by some infusion of bitter herbs, and sometimes theyadded charms or incantations which seemed to be a poetical
way of hinting, that frequently wounds wcre healed or diseases
curcd in a manner unaccountable by anyknown properties theycould d iscover e ither in the e~ccts of their rude remedies,or in thé then known powers of the human body to relieve
itself. In Homcr'8 description of the wound which Ulysses,when young, received in his thigh from the tusk of an en-
raged wild boar, thé infusion of blood was stopped bydivine incantations and divine songs, and some sort of band-
age which must have acted hy pressure, If any virtue couid
have acted as a charn!, thé vcry verse that describes thé
wound might have as good a right to such a claim as anyothcr but, in what manner thé surgeons ofnacient Greece,
bcfore'the discovery of thé c ircula tion of the blood, might
app!y bandages for thé purposcs bere tncntioned, is not easily
explaiued; though doubt!css thèse bandages must have acted
like a tourniquet, which is now the most cffectual remedyfor compressing a wounded artery, and thereby stopping an
heinorrhage.~A!exand. 1050.
tSuet. Claid. c.28.
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190 THAUMATURGIA, OR
and close to the grove a subterraneous cave, of a
most extraordinary nature. It is related of it, that
diseased persons, who have faith in the remedies pre-
dicted by those deities, are accustomed to resort to i t
and pass some time with experienced priests, who
reside near the cave. These priests lay themselves
down to sleep in the cave, and afterwards order such
medicine as have been revealed to them there, to
be furnished to their patients in the temple. Theyfrequently conduct thé sick themselves ioto the cave,
where they remain for several days together, with.
out touching a morsel of food nor are the profanewithheld from a participation in the divinatory sleep,
though this is not permitted otherwise than under
the controul, and with the sacred sanction, of the
priests. There is, however, nothing more surprisingabout this place than that it is esteemed noxiou and
fatal to the Aco~~y.* This last remark of our geo-
grapher, proves how jealous the priestly physicianswere of their medical monopoly, and how fearful
lest the saner part
of mankind should detect and
expose the pretended virtues of their medical
sanctuary.We have hitherto mentioned the name of ~EscuJa-
pius but casually, though there was no god of anti-
qnity more celebrated for curing every species of
mahdy by the incubatory process. He was particu-
jarly designated by thc Greeks as "thé sender of
dreams," O~tpo~o~Tro~ nor could any other deity boast of so great a number of those oracles. The
Strabo. lib. xiii. Pausan. lib. ii.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THB MARVELLOUS. 1~1 1
moat distinguished of thèse was the oracle of Epi.
daarus, in the Argivian territory from which spot'his worship extended over a great proportion of the
o!dworld;–hither, asbeing thé place ofhis birth
and the site of his richest temple, crowds of sick
persons constantly repaired in quest of dreams. The
saccess attending them was diligently set forth on
every wall of thé
temple where thé <<~M~B ~o~<p
recorded the names of those who had been healed,
the nature of their maladies, 'and the cure which thé
god prescribed. Similar circumstances are related
of his Temple at Triccœ, in Thessaly, where Escula-
piuawas held in great veneration at a very early
period there appears also to have been another such
temple either a t or near Athens,* where we must
look for the scene of the ridiculous cure which Aris-
tophanes makes ~EscnIapitM to perform on the blind
god of riches. Though there is undoubtedly a rich
vein of the burlesque in the Plutus of the Grecian
dramatist, yet we may gather much concerning our
present subject from the scene in which thé slave,who had attended Plutus in thé Temple, relates the
whole process of his mastcr's wife. Here also the
night was the chosen period of incubation. Before
the signal for sleep was given, the officiants of the
temple extinguisbed aU the lights in the sick men's
chamber; thus involving thcm in a solemn stillness
and obscurity lughiy favourable to the work in hand,
but in a particular manner to the subterfuge of thé
'SchoHaadPtut.v. 621.
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t92 THA.UMATURGÏA, OR
priests, who enacted thé nocturnal apparition of
~Esculapius to lus sick client.
This passage in Plutus is certainly the earliest
circumstantinl relation we possess of thé practice of
this species of incubation.* The Hcensepermitted to
Grecian comedy was such as to authorise the ridicule
and contempt of the most popular deitics we a re
not, therefore to conclude from thé scenès that there
were many unbelievers, or that this ancient systemof cure had Bunk into disrcpute for thé history of
our comedian'a gréât contemporary, Hippocrates,
informs us, that at this very time thé temple of
~Escu!apiu8 at Cos abounded in tablets, on which the
sick attested the remedies that had been revealed to
them during incubation, and that he himself was
higniy indebted to them fur much of his medical
knowledge.
Were it not authenticated by thé most undeniable
testimonies, it would appear ineredible that the im-
postures of the disciples of ~Esculapius, and the
common faith in his regenerative powers, shouldhave survived with equal potency and acceptation
during the ages immediately succeeding thé Christian
era. It must not however, be forgotten, that these
were thé times also, when an infinity of superstitiousof every description disgraced thé Roman worid;
although it would have appcared a nccesBary con-
sequence, that their prevalency should have been
.cheeked by the increasing détermination of learningand science.
a Attstoph. Plut act. !i. se. 6. mut ni. Bc2.
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BLUCÏDATION8 OP T HE MARVE LL OUS. t93
0
If at this period the number of dreaming patientshad.fallen off at Cos and Epidaurus, the deflciencywas ampiy compensated by thé growing popularity of
j<Eacutapiua's shrines at Rome, Pergamus, Ataea,
MaHos, and other places, where the ancient rituals
were faithfully preserved. The highest magistratesin thé Roman states not only countenanced, but
patronised the superstition Marcus Aurelius, by the
friendship with which he honoured the PapMagonian
imposter Alexander, and Caracalla, by the journeyhe undertook to Pergamus, to obtain the cure o f a
disease which inflicted him. This Alexander, the
Cagliostro of his age, whose memoira have been
handed down to us by Lucian, made shift to father a
new species of juggling upon thé ancient process of
incubation for he pretends that i t was.necessary for
him to sleep for a night in the sealed scrips which
con~ain the queries he was to have resolved for those
who visited his oracle.* During this interval hc
dexterouely opened the scrips;' and sealed them
up again pretending that the responses which hedelivered to thé querists in the morning, had been
revealed to him by the deity in a dream.
The priests of j~Escalapius possessed a never failingsource of information on the recipes or votive
taMcts with which these temples abounded. Thèse
were sometimes cngraven on pillars, as at Epidaurusof which Pausanias says there were six remaining in
lus time, and besides these, one in particular removedfrom thé rest, o n which it was recorded that Hip.
Luciani, oper. t. ii. ed Reitzii.
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Ï9~ THAUMATURGÏA, OR
polytus had sacrificed twenty horses, in retom for his
having been restored to life by him. Five memoriats
only of this kind bave reached thé present age. One of
them is to be found in the beginning of Galen's fifth
book de Compos. medic. it is taken from the templeof Phthas, near Memphis, and is the least interestingof the whole. Its subject is the use of the Diktam.
nus, borrowed from Heras of Cappadocia, a médical
writer, frequently quoted by Galen. The remainingfour are much more important they were engraven
on a marble stab~ of Inter date at Rome, and are
thought, with much probability, to have belonged to
thé ~Escutapian temple in the Insula Tiberina. Thé
present tranglation, in which some errors either of
thé artist or copyist are rectified, ia extracted from
thé first volume of Gruter 's Corp. Inscriptionum.The narrations are perspicuous and laconic.
t. "in these latter days, a certain blind man, byname Caius, had this oracle vouchsafed to him-
that he should draw near to the altar after the
manner of one who could see then waïk from rightto left, lay the nve fingers of his right hand on the
altar, then raise up his hand and place it on his eyes.'And behold the multitude saw the blind man openhis eyes, and they rejoiced, such sp!endid miracles
should signalize thé reign of our Emperor Anto-
ninus."
2. To Lucius, who was so wasted away by
pains in bis side, that all doubted uf his recovery,
!t is often called by anttquaries Tabella ~a~~to~a
f/~w/ 3A{~fM, as itwas fi rtit preservcd inthe collection.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F TKB MAKVEt.LOUS. t95
o 2
the god gave thie respoosc Approach thou the
altar take ashes from it, mix them up with wine
and then lay thyself on thy sore side.' And the man
recovered, and openly returned thanks to the godamidst the congratulations of the people."
3. fi To Julian who spitted blood, and was givenover by every one, the god granted this response
Draw near, 'taïœ pine apples from off the altar, and
eat them with wine for three days. And thé man got
well, and came and gave thanks in the presence of the
people."4. A blind soldier, Valerius Aaper by name, re-
ceived this answer from the god that he should mix
the blood of a white cock with milk, make an eyeointment therewith, and mb his eyes with it for
three days. And lo thé blind recovered his sight,and came, and publicly gave thanks to thé god."
The success with which thé Priests of ~EscuÏapiuscarried on their impostures, and thé popularity which
their dexterous management, no less than thé vulgar
credulity obtained for them, will cease to surprise uson maturer consideration. It could not be a difficult
task for them to give the minds of their patientswhatever bias was best adapted to their purposes.These credulous beinge passed several days and nightsin the temple, and their imagination could not fail
to be powerfully impressed with what was diligentlytold them of the prescriptions and cures of ~Escula*
pius nor fo retain during their slumbers many lively
impressions of their meditations by day their priestly
nurses too were neither so blind to their own in-
terests, nor so careless of their reputations as to omit
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!96 THAU5ÎATURGÏA, OR
the prescribing of such modes of~iet and medical
remedies as were calculated to appease their patienta*
aumsrmgs. Besides which~ however delusive and
empiricaÏ their outward cérémonials and bold preten-sions might bave been, wc should remember, that
priests, having some acquaintance with the science 'of
medicine, were generally selected to otnciate on those
spots where the incubitary process* was the order of
the dny. To this acquaintance were added theresults of daily experience, and the frequent oppor-tunities which the incessant demands of the infirm
upon thcir 8Mn afforded them of correcting- previouserrors and improving their practical knowled~eof gradually ascertaining thé various kinds and
appearances of human disorders; and o f digestingsuch data as w ould enable them, with the least
possible c hance of failure, to pre~cribe the modes
of cure and treatment suitable to thé various stagesand species of thé apphcant's ma!adies. With such
meanp, it would have been not a little singular if the priests of ~Esculapius had faited in convert-
ing the popular veneration to his credit and their own
emolument.
It is sonu'what singulnr, that C!ccro's treatisc on
dh'inntion, as well as thc wot'ks of Hippocrates and Gn!en,should bcso dcstttutc oftnfonnaHon on thcsubjcctof atnodcof cure whtchwnsof such )ott{? standing, and so un!vcrx:t!!y pst<'emed. Frotn thc two last, one should nt least hâve ex-
pected sontcthtng more sotisfactory C'O!) bc!ng tlse bh'th*
place ofthe one, and !'crgatnus ofthe other.
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ELUCIDA/HONS OF THE MARVELLOUS. 197
CIÏAPTER XII.
ON AMULETS, CHARMS, TALISMANS–PHÏTLBR8, THEIR
ORÏGÏN AND IMAGÏKARY EFFÏCACY, ETC.
AMULET8 are certain substances worn about thé
neck or other parts of the body, under the supersti~tious impression of preventing diseases, of curing, or
removing them.
The origin of amulets may be traced to the moat
remote ages of mankind. In our researches to d is-
cover and fix thé
period when remedies were first
employed for thé aHeviatton of bodily suffering, we
are soon lost in conjecture or mvolved in fable.
We are unable, indeed, to reach thé period in .any
country~ when the inhahitants were destttute of
medical resources, and even among the most uncul-
tivated tribes we find medicine cherished as a blessingand practised as an art. Thé feelings of the stiSerer,
and the anxiety of those about him, must, in the
rudest state of society, have incited a spirit of in-
dustry and research to procure ease, the modification
of heat and cold, of moisture and dryness and the
régulation and change of diet and habit , must
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t98 THAUMATURO!A-, OR
intuitively have suggested themselves for the relief
of pain and when these resources failed, chayms,
amulets, and incantations, were the natural expedi.ents of thé barbarians, ever more inclined to indulgethé de~sive hope of superstition than to l isten to the
voice of sober reason.
Traces of amulets may be discovered in very early
history, though Dr. Warl)urton i~ cvidently in error
whcn he fixes thé origin of these magical instrumentsto the age of the Ptolomies~ whieh was not more
than three hundred years before Christ. This
assertion is rcfuted by Galen, who informs us the
Egyptian Kmg Nechepsus, who lived 630 years before Christ, had written, that a green jasper eut
into thé form of a dragon surrounded with rays, if
applied extemally, would strengthen the stomach
and organs of digestion. Tbis opinion, moreover,
is supported by scripture for what were thé earringswhich Jacob buried under the oak of Sechem, as
related in Genesis, but a mulets. And Josephus in
his antiquities of the Jews,* informs us that Solomon
discovered a plant efficacious in thé cure of epilepsy,and that he employed the aid of a chM'm. for the
purposcs of assisting its virtues. The ro~t of the
herb was concealed in a ring, which was applied to
thenostrUsofthedemoniac; and Josephus remarks
that he saw himself n Jewish priest practise thé art
of Solomon with complete success in the presence of
thé Emperor Vespasian, his sons and the tribunes of
the Roman army. From this art of Solomon, exhibited
L!b. viti. chap. 2. 5.
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RLU C! DA TJO NS OF T HB MA RV ELLO U8 . i99
through the medium of a ring or seal, we have the
Eastern stories which celebrate thé seal of Solomon,
and record the potency of his sway over thé various
orders of demons or ofgenii, who were supposedto be the invincible tormentors or benefactors of the
human race.
Nor were such means confined to dark and barba-
rous ages. Theophrastus pronounced Pericles to be
insane m consequence of seeing him with an amuletsuspended from his neck. And in the declining era
of the Roman Empire, we find this superstitiouscustom so général that the Emperor Caracalla was
induced to make a public edict, ordering, that no
man should wear any superstitious amulets about his
person.AU remedies working as i t were sympatheticany,
and plainly unequal to the effect, may be termed
amulets; whether used at a distance by another
person, or carried immediate!y about thé patient.
By the Jews, amulets were called A~Mpa, and bythe Greeks phylacteries. The latins caued them
amuleta or ~a<Mra the catholics ~MtM eM, or con.
secrated relies and the natives of Guinea ~M.Various kinds of substances are employed by different
people, and which they venerate and suppose capableof preserving them from danger and infection, as
weU as to remove disease when present. Plutarch
says of Pericles, an Athenian general, that when a
friend came tb see him, and inquired after his health
lie reached out his hand and shewed him his amulet
by which he meant to intimate thé truth of bis illness,
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200 THAUMATURGIA, OR
and, at thé same time, the confidence he placedin these popular remedies.
Amulets are still prevalent in catholic countries at
the present day; the Spaniards and Portuguepemaintain their popularity. Among the Jews they are
equally venerated. Indeed, there are few iostances
of ancient superstition some portion of which has not
b?en preserved, and not unfrequently hâve they been
adopted by men of otherwise good understanding, who plead in excuse, that they are innoxious, cost little,
and if they can do no good, they can do no harm.
Lord Bacon, whom no one can suspect of igno-
rance, says, t hat if a man wear a bone ring or a
planet seal, strongly believing, by that means, that he
might obtain his mistre8&, and that it would preservehim unhurt at sea, or in abattle, it would probablymake him more active and ïesa timid as the auda-
city they might inspire would conquer and bind
wcaker minds in thé exécution of a peculiar duty.
AMULËTS USRD BY THE COMMON PEOPLE.
A variety of things are worn about the person bythe common people for the cure of ague and, uponwhatever principle it may be accounted for, whether
by the imagination or a natural termination of thé
disease, many have apparently been cured by them,
where thé Pcruvian bark, thé boasted specinc, had
previously failed. Dr. WiUis says that charma resist-
ing agues have often been applied to the wrist with
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BLUCÎDATION8 OP THE MAUVKLLOUH. 201
succcess. ABRACADABRA, written in a peculiar
manner, that is, in thé form of a cone, it is said, has
cured the ague the herb lunaria, gathered by
moon-light, bas, on some high authonties, performed
surprising cures. Perhaps it was gathered during the
invocating influence of the following charm, which
may be found in the l2th book, chap. xiv. p. 177
of Scot's discovery of witcheraft," which is headed
thus
Another charme that M~C~ use at ~P gathering of
their medicinai Aey&s."
Htn!c be thou holy herbe,
Growing in the ground,And in thc mount Calvaire
First wert thou found.
Thou art good for many a sore,And hea!cst many a wound,In thè name of awect Jésus1 takc thee from thé ground.
We are told that Naaman was cured by dipping
seven times in the river Jordan. Certain formalities
were also performed at the pool of Bethesda.
Dr. Chamberlayne's anodyne necMaces, were, for
a length of time, objects of thé most anxious
materna! solicitude, until their occult virtues
became loat by thé reverence for them being
destroyed; and those which succeeded them have
long since run their race or newly so.
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202 THAUMATURGIA, OR
The grey l imewort was at one time sapposed to
have been a specinc in hydrophobia-that it not oniycured those labouring under this disorder, but by
carrying it about the person, it was reputed to possèdethc extraordinary power of preventing mad dogs from
biting them. Calvert paid dévotions to St. Hubert
for the recovery of his son, who was cured by this
means. The son also perfbrmed the nccessary rites
at the shrine, and was cured not only of the hydro- phobia but of the worser phrensy with which his
father had instilled him." Cramp-rings were aï~o
used and eeIsMus to this day are tied round the
legs as a preventive of this spasmodic affection and
by laying sticks across the floor, on going to bed,
cramp bas also been prevented. Numerous are the charme and incantations used at
the present day for the removal of wart8, many cases
of whtch are not a little surprising. And we are told
by Lord Verulam, who is allowed to have been as
great a genius as this country ever produced, that,
when h e was at Paris,
he had above a hundred warts
on his hands and that the English ambassador's
lady, then at court, and a woman far above supersti-
tion, removed them ail by only rubbing them with
the fat s ide of the rind of a piece of bacon, which
they afterwards nailed to a post, with thé fat aide
towards thé south. In five weeks, says my Lord,
they were all removed. The following are his Lord-
ship's observations, in his own words, relative to the
power of amulets. After deep metaphysical obser.
vattons on nature, and arguing in mitigation of
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ELUCIDATIONS Of THE MA&VELLOUS. 203
sorcery, witchcraft, and divination, effects that far
outstrip thé belief in amulets, lie observes We
should not reject all of this kind, because it is not
known how far those contributmg to superstition,
depend on natural causes. Charms have not the power
from contract with evil spirits, but proceed whollyfrom strengthening the imagination in the s ame
manner that images and their influence, have pre-
vailed on religion, being called J~pm a different wayof use and application, sigits, incantations, and
spells."
ECCBNTRMÏTIE8, CAPRICES, AND EPFECT8, 0F THE
IMAGINATION.
A certain writer, apologizing for the irregularitiesof gréât gémi, delivers himself as follows The
gifts of imagination bring the heaviest task upon the
vigilance of reason and to bear those faculties with
unerring rectitude or invariable propriety, requires a
degree of ~nnness and of cool attention, which doesnot always attend the higher gifts of the mind. Yet,
difficult as nature herself seems to have reduced the
task of regularity to genius, it is the supreme coDso-
lation of duUness, to seize upon those excessea, which
are the overnowings of faculties they never en-
joyed. Are not the gifts of imagination mistaken
here for the strength of passions ? Doubtless, where
strong passions accompany great parts, as perhaps
Langhornc's Life of Mr. Collins.
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204 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
they often do, the imagination may encrease their
force and activity but, where passions are calm and
gentle, imagination of itself should seem to have no
connict but specuïatively with rcason. There, indeed,
it wages an eternal war and, if not contracted and
strictty rcgulated, it will carry the patient into endiess
extravagancies. The term patient is here properly used,
because men, under the influence of imagination, are
most truly distem~ercd. Thé degree of this distem- per will be in proportion to the prevalence of imagi-nation over reason, and, according to this proportion,amount to more or Jess of the whimsical but when
reason shall become, as it were, extinct, and imagina-tion govern alone, then thé distemper will be mad.
ness under thé wildest and most fantastic modes.
Thus, one of those invalids, perhaps, shall be all
sorrow for baving been most unjustly deprived of the
crown though his vocation, poor man be that of a
school.master. Another, like Horace's madman, is
a~ joy and it may secm even cruelty to cure him.
The opérations
andcaprices
of théimagination
are
various and endiess and, as they cannot bc reduced
to reguhtrity or system, so it is highiy improbablethat any certain mcthod of cure should ever be found
out for them. It bas generally been thought, that
mattcr of fact might most successfully be opposed to
thé delusions of imagination, as being proof to thc
sensés, and carrying conviction unnvoidably to the
understanding but we rather suspect, that thé un-
derstanding or reasoning faculty, bas little to do in all
thèse cases ut least so i t should seem from the two
foUowingfact~ which are by no means badly attested.
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ELUCIDATIONS OF THR MARVRLLOUS. 205
Fienus, in bis curious little book, de FÏr~a 7Ma.
~<?Mt<:OMM,records from Donatus the c ase of a man,
who fancied his body encreased to such a size, that
he durst not attempt to pass through the door of his
chamber. The physician believing that nothing could
more cnectuauy cure this error of imagination, than
to ehew that the thing could actually be done, caused
the patient to be thrust forcibly through it who.
struck with horror, and falling suddenly into agonies,
complained of being crushed to pièces, and expiredsoon after.~
The other case, as related by Van Swieten, in his
commentaries upon Boerhaave, is that of a learned
man, who had studied, till he fancied his legs to be of
glass in consequence of which he durst not attemptto stir, but was constantly under anxiety about them.
His maid bringing one day some wood to the nre,
threw it caretessiy down; and was severely repri-manded by her master, who was terrified not a little
for his legs of glass. The surly wench, out of all
patience witb his megrims, as she called them, gavehim a bÏow with a log upon thé parts affected; which
so enraged him, that he instantly rose up, and from
that moment recovered thé use of his !egs.–Wasreason concerned any more hère or was it not rather
one blind impulse acting against another ?
Imagination has, unquestionabïy, a most powerfuleffect upon the mind, and in aU thèse miraculous
cures, is by far thé strongest ingredient. Dr. Strother
says, Thé influence of the mind and passions works
° Rcvcrii Praxis McdicM, p. 188.
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206 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
upon the mind and body in sensible operations like a
medicine, and is of far the greater force than ex-
ercise. The countenance betmys a good or wick-
ed intention; and that good or wicked intention
will produce in different pereons a strength to en-
counter, or a weakness to yield t o the prepond-
erating side." Dr. Brown says, Il Our looks disco-
ver our passions, there being mystically in our faces
certain characters, which carry in them the motto of our soûls, and, therefore, probably work secret effects
in other parts." Tins idea is beautifully illustrated byGarth in his Dispensatory, in the following lines
Tttus pa!er ïooks impetuous rage procïaint,And chilly virgins redden into Hame.
See cnvy oft transformcd in wan disguise,And tuirth sits gay and smiMng io the eyes,Oft our complexions do the soul declare,And tell what passions in the featurcs are.
Hcncc 'tis wc look thé wond'rous cause to find,How body acts upon impassive mind.
On thé power and pleasure of the imagination,from thé pleasures and pains it admini<-tcrs here
below, Addison concludes that God, who knows all
the ways of afflicting us, may so transport us hère.
after with such beautiful and glorious visions, or tor-
ment us with such hideous and ghastly spectres, as
might even of themselves suffice to make up the
entire heaven or hell of any future being.
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ELUCIDATI ONS OP TUE MARVELLOUS. 207
DOCTRINE 0F EFFLUVIA–MÏRACULOU8 CURES BY
MEAN8 OP CHARMS, AMULET8, ETC.
Dr. Willis, in his Treatise on nervous disorders,
does not hesitate to recommend amulets m epilepticdisorders. Take," says he, some fresh peony
roots, eut them into square bits, and hang them round
the neck, changing them as often as they dry." îtisnot improbable that the hint wâs taken from this
circumstance for theanodyne necklaces, whicli, some
time ago, were in such repute, as the Doctor, some
little way further on, prescribes the same root for the
looseness, fevers, and convulsions of children, duringthe time of teething, mixed, to make it appear more
miraculous, with some elk's hoof.
St. Vitus's dance is said to have been cured bythe afflicted pcrson pnying a visit to the tomb of thé
saint, near Ulm, every May. Indeed, there is no
little reason in this assertion for exercise and change
of~ir will
change many obstinate diseases. The bite
of thé tarantula is cured by music and this only bycertain tunes. Turner, whose ideas are so extrava.
gantly absurd, w here he asserts, that the symptomsof hydrophobia may not appear for forty years after
thé bite of thé dog, and who maintains that thé
slaver or breath of s uch a dog is infectious and
that men bitten by mad dogs, will bite like dogs
again, and die mad although he laughs at the ano-
dyne necklaces, argues much in the same manner.
It is not, indeed, so very strange that thé emuvia
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208 THAUMATURGIA, OR
from external medicines entering our bodies, ehould
effect such considérable changes, when we see the
efficient cause of apoplexy, epilepsy, hysteries, plague,and a number of other disorders, consista, as it were,
in imperceptible vapeurs.–BJood.stone (Lapis ~Eti-
tes) fastened to the arm by some secret means, is
said to prevent abortion. Sydenham, in the iliac
passion, orders a live kitten to bc constantly applied
to the abdomen others have used pigeons split alive,
applied to the soles of the feet, with success, in pes-tilential fevers and convulsions. It was doubtiess the
impression that relief might be obtained by extemal
agents, that the court of king David advised him to
seek a young virgin, in order that a portion of the
natural heat might be communicated to his body, and
give strength to the decay of nature. Take the
heart and liver of the fish and make a smoke, and the
devil shall smcM it and née away." Dnring thé pla.
gue at Marseilles, which Bebrt attributed to the larvae
of worms infecting thesaUva, food,and chyle; and
which, he says, "wcre hatched by the stomach,took their passage into the blood, at a certain size, hinaer-
ing thé circulation, affccting the juices and solid
parts." He advised amulets of mercury to be worn
in bags suspended at ihe chcst and nostri!?, e ither as
a safeguard, or as mcana of cure by which mcthod,
through thé a~t~tt;p/!M.9 of thc pores, effluvia spe-
cially destructive of all venomous insects, were re-
ceived into thé blood. An illustrious prince,"Belort says, by wearing such an amulet, escapedthe small-pox."
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E LUC ID ATI ON S OP T HE MA RV ELMU S. 209
r
Clognini, an Italian physician, ordered two or three
drachms of crude mercury to be worn as a defensive
against the jaundice; and aÏso as a preservative
against the noxious vapours of inclement seasons
It breaks," be observes, and conquers the dînè-
rent figured seeds of pestilential distempers floating in
the air; or else, mixing with the air, kiUs them
where hatched." By others, the power of mercury,in thèse cases, bas been ascribed to an élective faculty
givcn out by the w armth of thé body, wlûch draws
out the contagious particles. For, according to this
entertained notion, all bodies are continually emitting
efliuvia, more or less, around them, and some whe-
ther they are internai or external. The Bath waters,
for instance, change the colour of silver in the pocket
of those who use them. Mercury produces thé same
e~ect i Tartar emetic, rubbed on the pit of the
stomach, produces vomiting. Yawning and laughing
are infectious so are f ear and s hame. The sight of
sour things, or even the idea of them, will set the
teeth on edge. Small-pox, itch, and other diseases,are contagious if so, say they, mercurial amulets
bid fair to destroy thé gcnn of some complaints
when used only as an external application, either by
manual attrition, or w om as an amulet. But medi-
cated or nbt, ail amulets are precarious and uncertain,
and in thc care of diseases are, by no means, to be
trusted to.
Thc Barhnry Moors, and generally throughout the
Mahommedan dominions, thc people are strikinglyattached to charms, to which, and nature, they leave
the cure of almost every disorder and this is the
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2ÏO THAUMATUROtA,OR
most strongly impressed upon them from their belief in
prédestination, which, according to their creed, stipu-lates thé evil a man is to suffer, as well as the length of
time it is ordained he should live upon the land of hia
forefathers cotisequently they imagine that any inter-
ference from secondary means would avail them uo-
thing, an opinion said tohaveheenentertained by Wil-
liam III, but one by no means calculated for nations,
liberty, and commerce upon the principle that when
the one was entrenchcd upon, men would probably bemore sudden in their revenge, and disHke physic and
occupation and when actuated with religious enthu-
siasm, nothing could stand them in any service.
Thé opinion of an old navy surgeon,* on the sub-
ject, is worth recording hère. A long and intense
passion on one object, whether of pride, love, fear,
anger, or envy, we see have brought on some uni-
versal tremors on othera, convulsions, madness, me.
lancholy, consomption, hectics, or such a chronical
disorder as has wasted their flesh, or their strength,as certainly as 'the taking in of any poisonous drugs
would have donc. Anything f.'ightful, sudden, or aurprising, upon soft, timorous natures, not onlyshews itself in the continuance, but produces some-
times very trouMcsome consequences-for instance, a
parUamentary fright will make even grown men
A<?~r~ themspives, scare them out of their wits, turn
thé hair grcy. Surprise removes the hooping cough
looping from precipices or seeing wheels turn swiftly
John Ailkin, autbor ofthe Navy Snrgcon, !743. Sec
!)ctnocotog!a, p. 64 et seg.
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KLUCJDATÏOK80F THH MARVELLOC3. SU
P 2
will give giddiness. Shall then these little accidents,
or the passions, (from caprice or humour, perhaps,)
produce those effects, and not be able to do anything
by amulets ? No as the spirits, in many cases, resort
in plenty, we find where thé fancy determines, giving
joy and gladness to the heart, strength and fleetness
to thé limbs, and violent palpitations. To amulets, un.
derstrong imagination, is carried with more force to a
distempered part, and, under these circumstances,its natural powers exert better to a discussion.
The cures compassed in this manner," says our
author, are not more admirable than many of the
distempers themselves. Who can apprehend bywhat impenetrable ïnethod the bite of a mad dog,
or tarantula, can produce these symptums ? Thc
touch of a torpedo numbness ? If they are al.
.lowedtc do these, doubtless they may theother;
and not by miracles, which Spinoza denles tbc
possibility of, but by natural and regular causes,
though inscrutable to us. Thé best way, therefore,
inusing amulets,
must be insquaring
them to the
imagination of patients let thé uewness and sur.
prise exceed thé invention, and keep up the humour
by a long scroll of cures and vouchers; by these and
such means, many distempers have been cured.
Quacks again, according to thcir boldness and wayof addressing (velvet and infallibility particularlv)command success by striking thé fancies of a n au.
dience. If few, more sensible than the rest, sec
tlie doctor's miscamagcs, and are not easily gulledat first sight, yet, whcn they see a man is never
ashamed, in time, jump in to his assistance."
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212 TUAUMATURGI A, OR
There ia much truth and pertinence in some of the
above remarks, and they apply nearly to the gênerai
practice of the présent day. The farces and whims
of people require often as much discrimination on
the part of the physician as the disease i tself. Thoae
who know best how to flatter such caprices, are fre-
quently the best paid for their trouble. Nervoua
diseases are always in season, and it is here that
some professional dextcrity is pardonable. Nature,
when uninterrupted, will often do more than art but our inability upon all occasions to appreciate t!ie
efforts of nature in the cure of discases, must alwaysrender our notion, with respect to the powers faith,
habÏe to numerous errors and deceptions. There is.
in fact, nothing more natural, and at the same time
more erroneous, than to tay the cure of a disease to
thé door of the last medicine that had been pres-cribed. By thèse means the advocates of amu~ets
and charms, have evcr been enabled to appealto the testimony of what they are pleased to call
experience in justincation of their pretensions, and
egre~ioua superstitions and cases which, in truth,
ought to have been classed, or rather designated,as lucky escapes, have been triumphantïy punedoff as skilful curea and thus, medicines and mc-
dicaï practitioncrs, have alike receivcd the meed
of unmerited praise, or the stigma of unjuat censure.
Of all branches of human science, medicine is one of
thc most interesting to mankind and, accordin~'yas it is erroneou~y or judiciously cu!tivated, is ovi-
dently conducivc to thé prejudice or welfnre of the
pub!ic. Of how great consequence is it, then, that
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KLUMDATÏONS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 2~3
our endeavours should be exerted in stemming the
propagation of errors, whether arising from ignorance,
or prompted by motives of base cupidity, in givingassistance to thé disseminations of useful truths, and
to the perfection of ingénions discoveries.
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214 THAUMATURGIA, OR
CHAPTER XÏH.
ON TAH8MANS-–SOME CUMOUS, NATURAL ONE8, ETC.
THB Egyptian amulets are not so ancientasthe
Babylonian talismans, but in their uses they were
exactly simitar. Some little figures, supposed to have
been intended as charms, have beçn found on several
mummies, which, at various times, have been broughtto Europe. Plutarch informa us that the soldiers
wore rings, on which the representation of an insect
rcsemMingourbeetle, wasinscribed; and we learn from
~HUan, that the judges had always suspended round
their necks a small figure of Truth formed of eme-raids. The superstitions belief in thé virtues of ta-
lismans is yet far from being extinct, the Copths,thé Arabians, thé Syrians, and, indeed, almost aU the
inhabitants of Asia, west of the Gangcs, whether
christians or mahometans, still use them against
possible evils.
There is little distinction between talismans, amu-
leta and thé gree-grees of the Africans as regardstheir pretended efficacy though there is some in their
external configuration. Magical figures, engravenor eut under superstitious observances of thé cha'.
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RLUCIDATIONS OP THR MAKVRLï.OUS. 215
racterisms and configurations of the heavens, are
called talismans to which astrologers, hermetical
philosophers, and other adepts, attribnte wonderful
virtues, particularly that of calling down ceîestial
influences.*
The talismans of thé Samothracians, so famous of
old, were pieces of iron formed into certain images,and set in
rings. They were
reputed as
preservativesagainst all kinds ofevils. Therewere other talismans
taken from vegetables, and others from minerais.
Three kinds of talismans were usually distinguishedlst. thé <M~oMOM!ca~ known by the signs or con-
etellations,of the heavens engraven upon them, with
other figures, and some unintelligible characters
2nd. thé magical, bearing very extraordinary figures,with superstitious words and names of angelsunheard of 3rd. thé M~ talismans, which consist
of signs and barbarous words; but without any
superstitious ones, or names of angels.
It has been aseerted and maintained by some
Rabins, that tbe brazen serpent raised by Mosesin the wilderness, for thé destruction of thé serpentsthat annoyed thé Israelites, was properly a talisman.
AU thé miraculous things wrought by ApolloniusTvanseus are attributed to the virtue and influence of
<a~MOM~ and that wizard, as he is called, is even
said to be thé inventor of them. Some authors take
Thé authof of a book, entitkd ?~M<ïM ~t<
pronounccs (t tnlisntM to be the seal, ~gtn'e, ctiaracter, or pronounccs B talisman to be the scal, figure. chaructcr, or
image of a lieavenly sign, constellation or planct, engravenon a sympathetic stone, or on a métal correspondtng to thé
star, etc. in order to receive its influences.
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816 THAUMATURGIA, OR
several Runic medats,BQeda!a, at least, whose in-
scriptions are in the Runic characters,–for talismans,
it being notorious that the northem nations, in their
heathen state, were much devoted to them. M.
Keder, however bas shown, that the medals hère
spoken of are quite other things than talismans.
It appears from the Evangeïists~ that, when
St. Paul, after he had been shipwrecked, and escapedto the island of Malta, a viper fastened on his hand
as he was Ïaying a bundle of sticks, he had gathered,on the fire and that, by a miracle, and to the gréâtastonishment of the spectators, inhabitants of the
island, he not only suffered no harm, but also cared,
by the divine power, the chief of the island, and a
great number of others, of very dangerous mala-
dies. There romain stiil m that island, as so many
trophies gained by the Apostle over that venemous
beast, a great many small atones representing the
eyes and tongues of serpents, and considered for
several centuries past, as powerful amuleta againstdinerent sorts of distempers and poisons. As the
virtue of thèse stones is stiU much boasted of by the
Maltese, and as some, on the contrary, maintain that
they are tbe petrified teeth of a nsh called lamia, it
will not be irrelevant here to relate some observations
from the best authors on this interesting subject, so
much to our purpose.It is said that tbose eyes and tongues of serpents
arc onty found by the Maltcse when they dig into the
earth, which ia whitish throughout thé island, or
Acts of the Apost!ps, chnp.
xxvi!i. v. 3.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 817
draw up atone, especially about the cave of St. Paul.
This stone is so soft, that, like clay, it may be eut
through with any sharp instrument, and made to
receive easily digèrent figures, for building thé walls
of their houses and mmparts; but, when it bas been
imbibed with a sufficient quantity of rain or weU
water, it changes into a Hint that resists the cuttingof the
sharpest instrument whence the houses that
are built of i t in thé two cities, appear as hewn out
of one solid rock, and become harder, the more they
are exposed to thé inclemencies of the weather.
Thia hardness may, with good reason, be ascribed
to the sait of nitre, which contracta a certain vis-
cidity from the rain wherewith it is mixed, and
which easily penetrates into thèse atones, because
their substance is spongy and cretaceous, and
adheres to the tongue as hartshom.
It is in these stones that not only the eyes and
tongues of serpents are found, but aiso their viscera
-and other parts as lungs, liver, heart, spleen, ribs,
and so resembling life, and with such naturalcolours,
that one may weU doubt whether they are the work
of nature or art; the figure of the eyes and tongues is
very dinereot. Some are elliptic, but, for the
greater part round aome represent an hemisphere,others a segment, o thers an hyperbola. The glos.
sopetrœ are naturally of a conic figure, representi ng
acute, obtuse, regular, and irregular cones. Theyare also of different colours, especially the eyes; for
some of them are of an ash-colour, others liver
colour, somebrown, others blackish but these, as
most rare, are most esteemed. Bracelets are
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318 THAUMATUROïA, OR
frequently made of them and set i n gold: some
representing an entire eye with a white pupil, and
thèse are the most beautiful. Several are l ikewise
found of an orange colour.
Thé virtues attributed hy the Maltese to those eyesand tongues, and to the white earth which is found
m the island, particularly m St. Paul's cave, and
which is kept for use by the apothecaries, as the
Americanbole, are very singular; for they reckonthem not only a preservative against all sorts of
poison, and an efficacious remedy for those who have
taken poison, but also good in a number of diseases.
They are taken internally, infused in water, wine,
or in any other convenient liquor or let to lie for
some hours in vessels made of the white earth; or
the white earth is taken itself dissolved in those
liquors. The eyes set as precious atones in rings,
and so as to touch immediately the flesh, are worn
by the inhabitants on the fingers but thé tonguesare fastened about the arm, or suspended from thé
neck.Paul Bucconi, a Sicilian nobleman, treated this
notion of the eyes and tongues of serpents as a mere
vulgar error and maintaina that they either constitute
a particular species of stone produced in the eartb,
orinthestonesofthe island of Malta, a s in their
matrix or that they are nothing m ore than the
petrified teeth of some marine 6sh which is also the
opinion of Fahius Columna, Nicholas Steno and other
physicians and anatomists.
It seems to this noble author that the glossopetra:should be classed in the animal kingdom, because,
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ELUCIDATI ONS OF T HE MARVELLOUS. 3t9
being burnt, they are changed into cinders as bones,
before they are rcduced into a c alx or ashes,
whilst calcincd stones are immediately reduced into
a calx. He further says, that the roots of t hé
glossopetrse are often found broken in different ways,which is an évident argument that they have not
been produced by nature, in the place they are digged
out of, because nature forms other fossils, figuredentirely in their matrix, without any hurt or muti-
lation. Add to this, that thé substance ~ia digèr-
ent in different parts of thé glossopetrae solid at
thé point, less solid at the root, compact at the
surface, porous and fibrous in the interior besides,
the polished surface, contrary to the custom of nature,
which forms no stone, whether common or precious,is polished and, lastly, the figure that varies
different ways, as well as the size, being found great,
broad, triangular, narrow, small, very smaU, pyra-
midal, straight, curved before, behind, to the rightand to the left, in form of a saw with small teeth,
fumished with great jags or notches, and frequently
absolutely pyramidal without notches; all these
particulars faveur his opinion. But, as he thence
believes he bas proved that thé glossopetrss should
not be classed amongst stones, so also what he has
said may prove that they a re the natural teeth of
those fishes, which are called, by lithographers,
lamia, aquila, requiem, (shark) etc. and therefore
there scarce remains any reason for a further doubt
on this head.
There are representations of curiosities, which weshall give an account of from the Ephemerides of
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220 THAUMATURGtA, OR
thé Curious. It is customary to see at Batavia,
in the island of Java, thé figure of serpents ica-
pressed on thé shel!s of eggs. Andrew Cleyerus;a natm'a~st of considérable note, says, that when he
wasat Batavia in !679, he had seen himself, on the
4th of Septembcr, an egg newly laid by a hen, of
the ordinary size, but representing very exactly,
towards thé summit of the other part
of the shell,
thé figure of a serpent and all i ts parts, not only the
Uneamenté of the serpent were marked on the surface,
but the three dimensions of thé body were as sensible
as if they had been engraved by an able sculptor, or
impressed on wax, plaister or some other !ike tnatter.
One could see very plainly the head, ears, and a
cloven tongue starting out of t he throat the eyeawere sparkling and resplendent, and represented so
perfectly the interior and exterior of the parts of the
eyc, with their natural colours, that they seemed
to behoÏd with astonishment the eyes even of the
spectators. To account for this phenomenon, it may
be eupposed that, the hen being near laying, a
serpent presented itself to her sight, and thather
imagination, etrack thereby, impressed the figureof the serpent on the egg that was ready to press
out of the ovarium.
An egg equally wonderfuï, J was laid by a hen at
Rome on the t4th. of December, !680. The
famous cornet that appeared then on the head of An-
dromeda. with other stars, were seen represented on
ils shcH. Sebastian Scheffer say~, tl iat he had seen an
egg with thé representation of an eclipse on it. Signor
MagHabecchi, in his ïetter to the academy of the
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THR MARVELLOUS. 22!
Curious, on thé 20th. of October 1683, bas thèse
words; ~'Lastmonth 1 had s ent mefromRome,
a drawing of an egg found at Tivoli, with the im-
pression of thé sun and tlie transparent comet with
a t~vistedtail."
There are also representations of Indian nuts, or
small cocos, with thé head of an ape. Thé nut
bas bcen exactly engraved in the Ephemerides of
theCunous, both as to size and form, and coyered with
its shell, as expressed there by cyphers and other
figures which represent. the same nut stripped of its
covering, and exhibiting thé head of an ape. This
nut seems pretty much like the foreign fruit described
by Clusius, Exoticorum lib. a, which John Bauhin
(Hist. Plant. Universal Lib. 3) retaining the descrip-tion of Clusius, calls, a nut resembling the areca,
and which C. Bauhin (Pinac. l ib. 11. sect. 6) calla,
the fruit of the fburteenth of Palm-tree, that bears
nuts, or a foreign fruit of the same sort as the
areca.
This fruit with its shell, is, as Clusius says, an
inch and a ha!f in length, but is somewhat more than
an inch thick. Its s hell or membraneous covering,is about the thickncsa of thc blade of a knife, and
outwardiy of an ash colour mixed with brown.
Clusius was in t!ie right to say, that thc shell of
this nut was formed of several fibrous parts, but those
fibres resemble rather those of thé shell of a coco,
than thé nbrous parts of thé back of the areca nut,
He, moreover, has vcry properly observed, that this
shell is armed, at its lower part, with a double calyx
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222 THAUMATURGIA, OR
and that the opposite part terminâtes in a point but
it is necessary to observe, that this point is not
formed by the prolongation of the shell, as the Dgurehe bas given of it seems to specify but that from
the middle of the upper part of the fruit, there jutsout a sort of small needie.
Thé shell being taken off, thc nut is found to be
hard, ligneous, oblong, of unequal surface, furrowed,
und of a chesnut yellow. One of its extremities is
roundish, and the other, by thé reunion and pro.
longation of three sorts of tubercles, ter minates in a.
point those protubérances being sa formed, that the
middiemost placed between thé two others, bas the
appearance of a nose, and the two lateral protube-rances resemble ~at lips. On each sidc of that
which formB what we caU the nose, a smaïl hole or
nook is perceived, capable of containing a pea: but does not penetrate deep, and is surrounded with
black filaments, sometimealike eyc-brows and eye-
lashes, so that thé nut on that side resembÏes an
ape or a hure.This /M~ ~K!'d', or sport of nature, bas a very
prctty effect, but is oftener found in stones than other
substances. A great variety of such rare and singu-
lar productions of nature may be seen at the Britieh
Muséum but nothing can be more cxtraordinury in
this respect than what is related concerning the agateof Pyrrhus, which represented, naturally, Apollo
holding a lyre, with thé nine muses distinguishedcach by their attributes. In ail probability, there is
great exaggeration in this fact, for we see nothing of
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELMPS. 223
the kind that comes near this perfection. However,it is said, that, at Pisa, in the church of St. John,
there is seen, on a stone, an old hermit perfectly
painted by nature, sitting near a rivulet, and holdinga bell in his hand and that, in the temple of St.
Sophia, at Constantinople, there is to be seen, on a
white sacred marble, an image of St. John the Bap-
tiat, c~oa~ed with a camel's skin, but so far détective
that nature has given him but one foot.There is an instance in the Mercury of France, for
July 1730, of some curious sports of nature on in-
sects. The rector of S t. James at Land, within a
league of Rennes, found in the month ofMarch, 1~30,
in the church-yard< a species of butterfly, about two
inches long, and half-an-inch broad, having on its
head the figure of a death's-head, of the length of
one nail, and perfectly imitating those that are repre-sented on the church omaments which are used for
the office of the dead. Two large wings were spottedlike a pall, and thé whole body covered with a down,
or black hair, diversified with black and yellow, bear-ing some resemblance to yeUow.
These freaks of nature are equally extended to
animate as to inanimate bodies; and thé human
epecies, as well as thé brute creation, aSbrds uumer-
ous spécimens, not only of redundance and deficiencyin her work, but a variety of other phenomena not
well understood. The march of intellect, however, it
is to be hoped, will be as successful in this instance,as in obliterating the hobgoblins of astrologers and
quacks w ho so long have ruled thé destiny aud health
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224 THACMATUROÏA, OR
of their less sagacious feUow-creature8;and when
the public shall hecome persuaded of the advantageawhich science may derive from occurrences simiÏar to
those wc sha~I enumerate in thé next chapter, ït will
be more disposed to offer thcm te the consideration of
scient!nc men.
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KÏ.UCIDATÏOKS OP THE MARVEH<OU8. 225
0
CHAPTER XIV.
ON THE MEDICINAL FOWERS ATTRIBUTED TO MUSIC
BY THR ANCÏKNT8.
TH K power of music over thé human mind, as well
as its influence on the animal creation, has been va-
rionsly attested; and its curative virtues have been no
less extolkd by the ancients.* Martianus Cape~aassures us, that fevers were removed by songs, and
that Asclepiades cured deafness by the sound of the
trumpet. Wonderfut indeed that thé same noise
which would occasion deafness in sorne, should he a
specifie for it in othcrs It is making the viper cure
its own bite. But, pcrhaps Asclepiades was thé in.
vcntor of thc <?roM~/coK, or ear-trumpet, whieh has
bccn thought a modern discovery or of thé speaking-
tnntipct, which is a kind of cure for distant deafness.
Thèse wouM .be admirable proofs of musical powcr !t
Dr Curncy's History of Music.
t it has bccn assertcd by scvcrat modems, that deaf peoplecan hcar b~'st in a gréât noise perhaps to prove thut Greek
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226 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
We have the testimony of Plutarch, and several other
ancient writers, that Thaletas the Cretan, delivered
the Lacedemonians from the pestilence by thé sweet.
ness of his Ivre.
Xenocrates, as Martianus CapeUn further informs
us, employed the sound of instruments in the cure of
maniacs; and Apollonius Dyscolus, in his fabulous
history (Historia Commentitia) teUs us, from Theo-
phrastus's Treatise upon Enthusiasm, that music is a
sovereign remedy for a détection of spirits, and di-
sordered mind and that the sound of the flute will
cure epHepsy and thé sciatic gout. Athenaeua quotesthe same passage from Theophrastus, with this addi-
tional circumstance, that, as to the second of these
disorders, to render the cure more certain, the flute
should p!ay i n the Phrygian mode. But Aulus
Gellius, who mentions this remedy, seems to adminis.
ter it in a very different manner, by prescribing to
the flute-player a soft and gentle strain, M modulis
/c/M&M~ aays he, tibicen incinet for the Phrygian
mode was remarkably vehement and furious.This is what Cœhus Aurelianus ca~s loca dolentia
decantare, enchanting the disordered piaces. He even
tells us how the enchantment is brought about uponthese occasions, in saying that the pain is relieved by
causing a vibration of the fibres of the amicted part.
noise could do nothing which the modern cannot operat<* as
c(Tcct<!)ti!y and Dr. WiUis in particular tells us of a ladywho could bear only whUe a drum was beating, in so muchthat her husband, thc account says, hircd a drummer asher servant, in order to enjoy the ~casures of her conversa-tion.
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RLUr'ÏDATIOXS OP THE MARVELMU8. 22~
Q 2
Galen speaks senousïy of playing the flute on the
suffering part, upon the principle, we suppose, of a
medicated vapeur bath.
Thé sound of t he flute was likewise a spécifie for
the bite of a viper, according to Theophrastus and
Democritus, whose authority Aulus Gellius gives for
his belief of the fact. But there is nothing more extra-
ordinary among thé virtues attributed to music by theancients, than what Aristotle relates in i ts supposed
power of softening thé rigour of punishment. The
Tyrhen!ans, says he, never scourge their slaves, but
by thé ~ound of flûtes, looking upon it as an instance
of humanity to give some counterpoise to pain, and
thinking by such a diversion to lessen the sum total
of the punishment. To this account may be added a
passage from Jul. Pallus, by which we learn, that in
the ~n~c~ïcs, or vessels with three banks of oars, there
was always a tibicen, or flute-player, not only to
mark the time, or cadence for each stroke of the oar,
but to sooth and checr the rowers by the sweetuess
of the melody. And from this eustom Quintilian
took occasion to say, that music is thé gift of nature,
to enable us thé more patiently to support toil and
labour.*
These are the principal passages which antiquity
fumishes, relative to the medicinal effects of music
in considering which, reliance is placed on the judg-
Many of thé ancients speak of music as a recipe for
every kind of matady, and it is probable that thé Latin was
~M'ctMfTc, to chano away pain, <MC<~arc to enchant, and our
own word incantation, came from the medical use of song.
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228 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
ment of M. Burette, whosc opinions will come with
thé more weight, as he had not only long made thé
music of thé ancients his particular study, but w as a
physician by pro~BMion. This in a disserta-
tion on thc subject, bas examined and discussed manyof the stories above related, concerning the effects of
music in thé cure of diseases. Ile aHows it to be pos-
sible, and even probable, that music, by reiterated
strokes and vibrations given to the nerves, Sbres, andanimal spirits, may be o f use in thé cure of certain
diseases yet he by no means supposes that the music
of thé ancients possessed tins power in a greater
denrée than thé modem music, but rather that a verycourse and vulgar music is as likely to operate e~ec.
tuaUy on such occasions as thé most refined and per-fect. The savages of America pretend to performthese cures by the music and jargon of their imper-fect instruments and in ApuMa, where the bite of
thé tarantula is pretended to bc curcd by music, which
excites a desire to dance, it is by an ordinary tune,
very coarsely performed.*BagHvi rennes on the doctrine of c~uvia, by as-
crihing his cures of thé bite of thc tarantula to thé
pceuliar undu]ation any instrument or tune makes bvits strokes in thé air; which, vibrating upon thé
external parts of thé patient, is communicated to thc
M. Burette, v ith Dr. ~!('< Bajf!h'i, nnd aH the
Icarncd ofthcirtunc throu~hout Ktn'oi'c, scon to hâve cntcr-
Unned no tioubt of this fact, nh!c!t, hoM'cvct', philosophie)~und cur!ou!} t'nquhcrs hnvc sinct; found to hc built uponfrand nnd faHac~. Vide Serrao, ~7/n 7'H~f~/&/a o t'cro~h/aM.gio di ~tf~~a.
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KL UC :! DA TÏ ON 8 O P TH E MA RV ELLO US . 229
whole nervous system, and produccs that happy alte-
ration in the solids and nuids which so effectually con-
tributes to the cure. The contraction of the solid",
he says, imprcsscs new mathematical motions and
directions to the nuids in one or both of which is
seated all distempers, and without any other help than
a continuance of faith, will alter their quality a phi-
losophy as w onde~ul and intricatc as the nature of
thé poison it is intended to expel but which, how-
ever, supplies this observation, that, if thé particles of
sound can do so much, the enluvia of amulets may do
more.
Credulity must be very strong in those who be-
lieve it possible for music to drive away the pesti-lence. Antiquity, however, as mentioned above, re-
lates that Thaletas, a famous lyrïc poet, contemporarywith Solon, was gifted with this power but i t is im-
possible to render the fact credible, without qualifyingit by several circumstances omitted in the relation.
In the first place, it is certain, that this poet was re-
ceived among thé Lacedemonians during the plague, bycommand of an oracle that by virtue of this mission,
all the poetry of thé hymns which he sung, must have
consisted of prayers and supplications, in o rder to
avert thé anger of the gods against the people, whom
hc exhorted to sacrinccs, expiations, purifications, and
many other acts of devotion, which, however super.
stitious, could not fail to agitate the minds of the mul.
titude, a nd to produce nearly the same effects as
public fasts, and, in catholic countries, processions, as
at present, in times of danger, by exalting the courage,and by animating hope. The disease having, pro.
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230 THAUMATUROIA, OR
W!th hymns divine the joyous banquet ends,Thé PoBMS !en~then'd till the sun descendaThc Grecks restor'd, thc gratcful notes probngApoMo hâtées and approves the song.'
For the poet in thèse lines seems only to say, that
Apollo was rendered favourable, and had delivered
the Greeks from the scourge with which they were
attackcd, in consequence of Chriseis having been
restored to her father, and of sacrifices and oSerings.M. Burette thinks it easy to conceive, thatmusic may be really efiicacious in relieving, if not in removing,the pains of sciatica and that independent of thé
greater or !e8s skill of thé musician. He supposesthis may hc cnected in two different ways first, by
flattering the ear, and diverting the attention; and,
secondly by occasioning oscillations and vibrations of
thé nerves, which may, perhnps, give motions to thé
humours, and remove the obstructions which occasion
Pope's translation of the Uiad, Bock L
bably, reached its highest pitch of toalignity when
il.the musician arrived, must afterwards have become
less contagious by degrees till, at length, ceasing of
itself, by the air wafting away the aeede of infection,
aud recovering its former purity, the extirpation of
the disease was attributed by the people to the music
of Thaletas, who had been thought the so~e mediator,
to wboïn they owed their happy deliverance.
This isexactly
what Plutarch meana,
who teHa the
stôry and what Homer meant, in attributing the cura-
tion of thé pïague among the Greeks, at the siege of
Troy, to music
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ELUCIDA TIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 23 i
this disorder. In this manner the action of musical
sounds upon the fibres of the brain and animal spirits,
maysometimessoften and alleviate the sufferings of
epileptics and lunaties, and calm even the most vio-
lent fits of these two cruel disorders. And if a nti-
quity abords examples of this power, we can opposeto them some of thé same kind said to have been
effected by music, not of the most exquisite sort.
For not only M. Burette, but many modern philoso-
phera, physicians, and anatomists, as well as ancient
poets and historians, have believed, that music bas
the power of affecting, not only the mind, but the
nervous system, in such a manner as will give a tem-
porary relief in certain diseases, and, at length, even
operate a radical cure.
In the Memoira of the Academy of Sciences for
1707 and 1708, we meet with many accounts of dis.
eases, which, after having resisted and bained all the
moat efficacious remedies in common use, had, at
length, given way to the soft impressions of harmony.
M. de Mairan, in t ire Memoira of the same Aca-demy, 1737, reasons upon the medicinal powers of
music in the following manner It is from the
mechanical and involuntary connexion between the
organ of hearing, and the consonances excited in the
outward air, joined to the rapid communication of
the vibrations of this organ to the whole nervous
system, that we owe the cure of spasmodic dis-
orders, and of fevers attcnded with a delirium and
convulsions, of which our Memoirs furnish many ex-
amples."Thé late learned Dr. Branchini, professor of physic
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ELU CI DA TI OMS 0F THE MA RV HL LOU S. 233
Farinelli, thé famous singer, was s ent for to
Madrid to try the egect of his magical voice on the
king of Spain. Hie Majesty was absorbcd in the
deepest melancholy; nothing could excite an emotion
in him he lived in a state of total oblivion of life
he sat in a darkened chamber, entirely given up to
the most distressing kind of madness. The physiciansat first ordered Farinelli to sing in an outer room and
for the first day or two this was done, without pro-ducing any effect on thé royal patient. At length it
was observed, that the king, awakening from his stu-
por, seemed to listen on the next day tears were
seen starting from his eyes the day after he ordered
the door ofhis chamber to be left open, and at lengththe perturbed spirit entirely left our modern Saul, and
the Me~c~a~ music of Farinelli effected what medi-
cine itself had denied.
After fhod," says Sir William Jones,* when
the operations of digestion and absorption gives so
much employment to the vessels, t hat a temporarystate of mental
repose, especially in hot
climates,must be found essential to health, it seems reasonable
to believe that a fcw agreeable airs, either heard or
played without effort, must have ail thé good effects
of sieep, and none of its disadvantages; putting, as
Milton says, the soM~in tune' for any subsequent ex..
ertion an experiment often made by myself. 1 have
been assured by a credible witness, that two wild an-
telopes often used to corne from their woods to the
place where a more savage beast, Serajuddaulah, en.
o Sec a curious Dissertation on tbe muaica! modes of theHindoos by Sir W. Joncs.
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234 THAUMATURGIA, OR
tertained himsclf with concerts, and that they list-
ened to the strains with the appearance of pleasure,till the monster, in whose soûl there was no music,
shot one of them to display his archery." A learned
native told Sir William Joncs that he had frequentlyseen the most venomous snakes leave their holes upon
hearing tunes on a flute, which, as he supposed, gavethem peculiar ddight.
Of thé surlnlsing effects of music, the two fbUow-ing instances, with which we shall close these re.
marks, are related in thé history of the Royal
Academy of Society of Paris.
A famous musician, and great composer was taken
ill of a fever, which assumed the continued form,
with a gradual increase of the symptoms. On the
second day he fell into a very violent delirium, al-
most constantly accompanied by cries, tears, terrore,
and a perpetuai watchfulness. Thé third day of his
delirium one of those natural instincts, which make,
as i t is said, sick animais seek out for the herbs that
are proper to their case, set him upon desiring ear-
nestly to hear a little concert in his chamber. His
physician could hardïy be prevailed upon to consent
to it. On hearing the first modulations, the air of
his countenance became serene, his eyes sparkled with
a joyful alacrity, his convulsions absolutely ceased, he
shed tears of pleasure, and was then possessed for
music with a scnsibiïity he never before had, nor
after, when he was recovered. He had no fever du-
ring thé whole concert, but, when it was over, he
relapsed into his former condition.
Thé fcver and delirium were always suspended du-
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HLUCIDATtONS OP THB MARVELLOUS. 835
ring thé concert, and music was become so necessaryto the patient, that at night he obliged a female re.
lation who sometimea sat up with him, to sing and
even to dance, and who, being much afflicted, was
put to great difficulty to gratify him. One night,
among others, he had none but his nurse to attend
him, who could sing nothing better than some
wretched country ballads. He was satisfied to put up
with that, and he even fbuhd some benefit from it.At last ten days of music cured him entirely, without
other assistance than of being let blood in the foot,which was the second bleeding that was prescribedfor him, and was followed by a copious evacuation.
This account was communicated to the Academy
by M. Dodart, who had it well authenticated.
The second instance of thé extraordinary effect of
music is related of a dancin~-master of Alais, in the
province of Languedoc. Being once over-fatigued in
Camival time by the exercise of bis profession, he
was seized with a violent fever, a nd on thé fourth
or fifthday,
f eU into atethargy,
which continued
upon him for a considerable time. On recoveringhe was attacked with a furious and mute delirium,wherein he made continuai efforts to jump out of bed,
threafened, with a shaking head and angry counte-
nance, those who attended him, and even ail that were
present and he besides obstinately refused, thoughwithout speaking a word, all thé remedies that were
presented to him. One of the assistants bethoughthimself that music perhaps might compose a dis-
ordered imagination. He accordingly proposed it to
his physician, who did not disapprove the thought,
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~30 THAUMA'iUnOÏA, OR
but feared with good reason the t'idicuïe of thé exe-
cution which might still have been innnite~y greater,if thc patient should happen to die under thé opera-
tion of such a rcnicdy.A frieud of thé dancing master, w ho seemed to
dtst'cgard the caution of thc physician, and who could
p!ny on thé violin, seeing that of thé patient hanging
up in thc chamber, laid ho!d of it, and played directly
for him the air most farnihar to hhn. Me was criedout agninst more than the patient who lay in bcd,
confined in a atraight jac~et and somc were ready to
make him desist; when the patient, immediately sit-
ting up a s a man agreeably surpriscd, attemptcd to
caper with his arms in unison with thé music'; and on
his arms beingheld, he evinced, by the motion of his
head, thé p!easurc he felt. Sensible, however, of the
enects of thé violin, he was suffercd by dc~reca to
vield to thé movemcnt he was desirous to pcrfbrm,–
when, strange as it may appear, his furious fits abated.
In short, in the space of a quarter of an hour, the
patient fell into a
profbund siecp, and a
salutarycrisis in the intérim ycscucd him from aU danger.
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KLUCtDATIOXS OF THE MARVELLCU8. 237
CHAPTER XV.
PRESAGES, t'ROMQES, PRESENTiMENTS, ETC.
TuR common opinion of cornets being thé présagesof evil is a n old pagan superstition, introduced and
entertained among Christians by their prejudice for
antiquity and which Mr. Bayle says is a remuant
of pagan superstition, convcyed from father to son,
evcr since the first conversion from paganism; as
well because it lias taken deep root in thé minds of
men, as because Christians, generally speaking, nre
as far gone in the fbUy of nnding présages in evcry
thing, as infidels themselves. It may he ensilyconccivcd how thé pagans might he hrou~Iit stcd.
fustly to I~ehcvc that comets, eclipses, and t!iunder-
storrn~, were tlie forerunners of catnmities, whcn
man'sstrong
inc!ination for tïie marve~ous is consi-
dercd, and his insatiable curiosity for prying into
future cvcnts, or what is to come to pass. This de-
sire of.pccping intofuturity, bas as ah'cady been
shown, bas givcn birth to a thousand difÏcrent
kinds of divination, au ahke whimsical nnd imper-
tinent, which in thé Imnd~ of thé more expertand cunning bave been made most important and
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238 THAUMATURGÏA~ OR
mysterious tools . When any one has been rogue
enough to think of making a penny of the simplicityof his neighbours, and has had the ingenuity to
invent somcthing to amuse, the pretended ffteulty of
foretelling things to corne, hua always been one of the
readiest projects. From hence always the assump-tion of judiciary astrology. Those who first beganto consult thé motions of the heavens, had no other
design in \'tcw than thé enriching their minds with
so noble a knowledge and as they had thcir genius bent on the pursuit of useful knowledge, they never
dreamed of converting astrology or a knowledge of thé
stars to thé purpose of picking thé pockets of the cre-
dulous and ignorant, of whose blind side advantage was
taken by these sideral sages to turn them to account by
making them believe that the doctrine of thé stars
cornprehended the knowlcdge of aU things that were,
or are, or ever shall be eo that every one, for his
money, mtght corne to them and have their fortune
told.
The better to gull thé world, the Star-gazers assert
that thé heavcns are the book in which God has writ-ten thé destiny of all things and that it is only
necessary to learn to read tins book, which is simplythe construction of the stars, to be able to know the
whole history of what is to corne to pass. Verylearned men, Origen and Plotinus among the rest,
were let into thé secret, and grew so fond of it, that
thé former,~ willing to support his opinion by some-
thing very solid, catches at thé authority of a n Apo-
° Eusob. Praep. Evang. 1.6. c. 9.
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EL UC IDA TI ON S O P TH B MA RV ELL OU S. 239
cryphal book, ascribed to the patriarch Joseph,where Jucob is introduced speaking to his twelve sons
1 hâve read in thé register of heaven what shall
happen to you and your children. But comets
were the staple commodity that tumed principauy to
account. In compliance, however, with the impres-sions of fear which the strangeness and excessive
length of these stars made upon mankind, the Astro-
logers did not hesitate to proaounce them of a malign
tendency; and the more so when tliey found they
had, by this meaus, made themselves in some degree
necessary, in consequence nf the impatient applica-tions that were made to them as from the mouth of
an oracle, what particular disaster such and such a
comet portended.
Eclipses furnished more frequent occasions for the
exercise of their talent. From this worthy precedentof Judicial Astrology, others took the hint and in-
vented new modes of divination, such as Geomancy,
Chiromancy, Onomancy, and the like till thé world
by degrees became so overruu with superstition, thatthe least trifle was converted into a presage or pre-
sentiment and the more so when this kind of know-
ledge became the business of religion; and when thé
substance of divine worship consisted in the ordinan-
cea of Augurs who, to make themselves necessary in
the world, were ohliged to keep up and quicken mcn's
apprehensions of the wrath of God, took special care
to cultivate cornets, and bring it into a proverb, that
Legi in tabutis cceti queecun~ue contingent vobis etF~liis vestris.
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240 THAUMATUKGtA, OR
so many cornets so many calamities." They knew,
as Livy expresses it, that i t was best to nsh in trou-
bled waters, where, speaking of a contagious dis-
temper, which, from the country villages, spread over
the city, occasioned by an extraordinary drought in
thé year of Rome 326, he observes how, at last, it
infected the mind,* by the management of those who
lived in the superstition of the people so that no-
thing was to be seen or heard cxcept some new fangledceremony or other in every corner. The devil,"
as Bayle says, who had a hopefut game on't, and
saw superstition the surest way to get himscif wor-
shtpped under the name of thé false gods, in a hun-
dred various ways, aH criminal and abominable in the
sight of thé sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, never
faUcd, on the appearance of any rare meteor, or un-
commun star, to exert his imposing arts, and make
idolators believe, they were the signs of divine wrath,
and that they were aU undone unless they appeasedtheir gods by sacrifices of men and brute heasts."
Politicians have also lent a helping hand to give
présagea a reputation, as an cxcencnt scheme, either
to intimidate thé people, or to raise their drooping
spirits. Had thc Roman soldiers bcen frec thinkers,
Drusus, thé son of Tiberius, had not been eo fortunate
as to queU a despcrate mutiny among thé logions of
Pannonia, who utterly rcfuëpd to obcy his commands i
but an eclipse, which cnticaDyintervened, broke thcir
Npc corpnra modo nn'cct~ tnho, sod :mintc's quoquc
muhiptt'x re!)~io, et p~rnqttc cxtt'rna inva~it, novcs rttns sx-
crtûcnndo vntictnandoqot', inft'rcntibus in dontos, quibus
qua'st.ui snnt captt supcrsthtonc aninn. L. 4, dcc. 1.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 24 t
R
refractory spirits to such a degree, that Drusus, who
managed their panic fear with great dexterity and
address, did what lie liked with them.
An eclipse of the moon put the army of Alexander
the Great into such a consternation, some days before
thé battle of Arbela, that thé soldiers, under thé im-
pression that heaven was against them, were veryreluctant to advance and their devotion turning to
downright disobedience, Alexander commanded the
Egyptian at3trologers, who were the deepest versed in
the mystery of thé stars, to give their opinions of this
eclipse in the presence of all the oflicers of his army.Without giving themselves much trouble to explainthé physical cause which it was their interest to con-
ceal from the people, the wise men declared that thé
sun was on the side of- thé Grecians, and the moon
for the Persians and that this planet was never in an
eclipse, but i t threatened them with some mighty dis-
aster of this they quoted several ancient examples
among the Mngs of Persia, who, after an eclipse, had
always found their gods unpropitious in the day of battle. Nothing," says Quintus Curtius,* is so
effectual as superstition for keeping thé vulgar under.
Be they cver so unruly aud inconstant, if once their
minds are possessed with thé vain visions of religion,
they are all obédience to thc soothsayer, whatcver
becomes of the general." Thé answer of thé Egyp-tian astrolpgers being circulated among thé soldiers,
restored their confidence and their courage.On another occasion Alexander, just before hc
Tacit. Annal. lib. 1, et ib. 4, cap. 10.
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2~2 THAUMATUMÏA, OR
paased the river Granicus, observing the circumstance
of time, which. was the month Dcsius, reckoned unfbr-
tunate to the Macedonians from all antiquity. it made
the soldiers ~neIancho~y be immediately ordered this
dangerous month to be called by the name of that
which preceded it, well knowing what power and in-
fluence vain religious scrupics have over little and ig-
norant minds. He sent private orders to Aristander
his chief soothsayer, just o~ering up a sacrifice for ahappy passage, to write on the liver of the victim
with a liquor prepared for that purpose, that thé gods
had granted the victory to Alexander." The notice
of this mirac!e filled the men with invincible ardour
and now they rent the air with acclamations, exclaim-
ing that thé day was their own, since thé gods had
vouchsafed them such plain demoMstrations of their
faveur. Thé history, indeed, of this mighty con-
queror, affords more such examples of artifice, thoughlie alw&ys a~cted to conquer by mere dint of hravery.But what is still more extraordinary, this very hero,
who palmed so often such tricks upon othcrs, was
himself caught in his turn. as being well as excee~ngty
superstitious by fits. We say nothingofThemistocIes~
who, in thé war between Xerxes and the Athenians,
despairing to prevail upon his countrymen by force of
reasoning to quit their city, and betake thernselves to
8e:t, set aH thé engines of religion to work forgedoracles, and prooured thé priests to circulate amongthc peuple, tbat Minerva hadnedfrom Athena, and
had taken the way which led to thé port. Philip of
Ptut&rcb in hia !tfe.
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E&UCïDATtONS OP T IiE MARVE LL OU8. 243
R 2
Macedon, whose talent Jay ia conquering his enemies`~i
by good intelligence, purchnsed at any price, had as
? many oracles at command as hc pleased aud hence
Demosthenes justly suspecting too good an under-
standing between Philip and thé De~phian priestess,rallied her with so much acnrnony upon her partialityto that prince. It is eqtially obvious how the same
? reasons of state, which kept up thé popu!ar supersti-tion for other prodigies, should take care to encourage
f it with regard to cornets and other celestial appear'ances.
Pancgyrists hâve also donc their parts to promotethé superstitton of j~rcsag~es, as weU as thé flatteringof poets and orators. When a !iero ia to be found
and extoUed, they exdaim~ that ail nature adores ~w
~C exerts M~O~ powers to serve him that
~<? M:OM~Mat his inisfor tunes, ~'OMMr~ /0~ ~br~%«K~ <0 the ?0~ C~ WO~, M~,
N/!M?Or~ ~0 possess A/7Mlonger, keaven, ~~C~ M~
~o~, ~a~ out M~~ etc. With this hyperbote
M. Balzac regaled Cardinal Richelieu, addin~, that~~O~C~ ? minister, MM!M~C/ nature MC~OM the
stretch God gives him first by promise, and makes
~ïM the M~pc~a~OM o/' o~p~. For this he was attacked
by thé critics, but he defcnded himself aneging',that other panegyrics had gone some notes higher
he, for example, among' the ancicnts, who said of
certain great sou~ that a ~ the orders of heaven
called ~p~cy <o fancy a fine <~<~ for ~~M, and
that illustrious nation who wrotc that the p~r~f~ mind
H'~ wrapt in ~P~ CO~M~O?!, ~M~ big M~ the vast
~~M, ~pM coMCP~</ suck a y~~ as Cardinal
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244 THAUMATUKGIA, OK
Geor~. 1. t Suetonius in vita Cœsnfis.
~~o~od' Why could not this same writer have
thought of one example more, such as that of the
prieat who told the Emperor Constantine that divine
~'OM~P/tCP, not COM<PK~!<~ y?M/~M~ him for the CM-
pire of world, Aof~~tc~ ~Mp~ ltis soul, w~ïcA
should CM<P ~M ?'~M ~P~t~M K~ ~M only son.
Thus have flatterers geized themostsurprismg tmtural
effects to enhancc their hero's glory. and make thcir court to greut mon. Thé poets ofthe time ofAugus-tus vied with each othcr in persuading the world
that the murder of JuHus Ca?sar was the cause of all
the prodigics that followed. Horace, for instance, in
one of his odes, attempts to prove that thé overSow-
ings of rivers were reckoned among bad presHges;and prétends that thé Tiber had not committed all
those ravages, but in complaisance to his wife IIia,
who was bent on thé death of h is tdnsnum Ca'sar
and that all the othcr calamities which subsequenUyaQlicted or threatcned thé Roman empire, werc thé
conséquences of his assaesination. ÏfVn'~iÏmaybe
creditcd,* thé s un was so tronblcd nt thé death of
Csesar that it ~vent into deep mourning, and so
obscured his beams, that the world wtis a!armcd Ïcst
it never should appear again. In thc mean time, no
sooner was the cornet observed, which followed thia
murder, tha n a no th er ?ct of natterers pretcndcd that
it was CsMar's soûl rcccived into thé order of thc
Gods and they dcdicated a temptef to the cornet,
and set up thé image of Cn'sar with a star on his
forehead.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOU8. 245
It appears from the sermons of thé ancient fathers,
that the Christians of that time believed they gave
gréât relief to thé moon !n a n echpse, hy raising
hideous shouts to thé skies, which they imagined re-
covered her out of her fainting fit, and without which
she must inevitabïy have expired. St. Ambrose, the
author of the 2l5th sermon de ~Hporc, bound upwith those of St. Austin, and St.
Eloy, Bishop of
Noyon, declaim particutarty against this abuse. It
appears also from thé HomUica of St. Chrysostom,St. Basil, St. Austin, and others, that thé Christians
of their days drew several kinds of presagea from per-sons sneezing at critical times from meeting a cat, a
dog, or an iU.looking (squinting) woman, a maiden,
one bliud of an eye, or a cripple on being caught bythé eloak on stepping out of a door, or from a sudden
catch in one's joint or limb.
St. Eloy tells his people plainly, that whoever paysattention to what hc m&ets at his first going out or
coming in, or to any particular voice. or to thé chirp-
ing of a bird, is so far a Pagan. Indeed, aU thèse,and innumerahle others of the same description of su-
perstitions among Christians, are remnants of ancient
pagaaism as they have been denounced hy t!te cen-
sures of popes, provincial councils, synodiefil decrees,
and other grave authorities. And, though there were
not such a c!oud of witnesses, there would be no diffi.
cutty in proving the disease of pagan origin. For,
independent of those who preached the gospel of
our Saviour, having never promu)gated such notions,
we Icarn from scveral ancient authorities, that the
Gentiles had aIl thèse superstitions in the highest re.
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246 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
gard. It waa one gênera! opinion among them, tliat
the ecïipses of thé moon were the conséquence of cer-
tain magie words by which sorcerers could wrench her
from thé skies, nnd drag her neur enough the earth to
cast a 6'otby spittle on their herbs--one of the prin-
cipal ingrédients in their incantations. To rescue the
moon from the supposed torture she was in, a nd to
frustrate the charm, it was necessary to prevent her
from hearing thé magie words, by drowning in noise
and hideous outcries, for which purpose thé peopleused to assemble during an eclipse of thé moon with
~OM~~ music, such as frying pans, brazen vessels, old
tin kettles, etc. According tu Pietro della Valle, the
Persians k eep up the same ridiculous ceremony to
this day. It is likewise, according to Tavemier, ob-
served in the kingdom of Tunquin, where they ima-
gine the moon to be, at that time, struggling with a
dragon. It is to t he same source tbat we owe the
imaginary raging heat of the dog-star-the pretended
presages of several evils ascrihed to eclipses, and all
the allusions of astrology.In a treatise 'written by Abogard, Bishop of Lyons,
in 833, composed to undeceive a world of people, who
were persuaded that there were enchanters who could
command thunder, and hail, and tempest, to destroy
the fruits of the earth and that they drove a great
trade by this mystery with the people of a certain
country called Magonia, who came once a ycar, sail.
ing in large fleets through the air, to freight with the
blighted corn, for which they paid down ready money
to the enchantera. So little was this matter doubted,
that one day the bishop had enough to do to save three
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ELU CI DA TI ONB OP T HE MA RV BLLO US . 247
men and a woman from being stoned to death, the
people insisting- they had just fallen overboard from
one of these aëria! shipf.We do not here examine whether, in those days,
the peopiciiterally were more superstitious and credu-
lous than in the days of paganism. It is enough to
say, that they were of very easy belief and hence
men began
to write their histories in théstyle
of
romance, mixing up a thousand fables with the
deeds of great men, s uch as Roland, nephew to
Charlemagne which M suited the taste of tbe age,that no book would afterwards go down in any other
style–witness, for instance, thé Manual of Devo-
tions by James de Voragine, archbishop of Genoa,
composed towards the latter end of thé thirteenth
century; and in which Melchior Canus, a learned
Spanish bishop, is so scandalized .in his eleventh book
of Common Places..Another doctor of divinity,~
speaking of thé depraved s tate of the times, says,It was the error, or rather folly, of some of the an-
cients, to think, that in writing thé actions of illustri-oua men, the style must sink, unless theymixed up with
it the ornaments, for so they called them, of poeticalfiction, or something of this sort and, consequently,thus blended truth with fable." This being the pre-
vailingfashion ofthetimes, weare inc~ned to believe,
that in the historiés of thé crusades, many apocryphal
subjects are introduced, which ought, consequently,to be read cum grano salis. This is decidedly thé
Petaeus, in Galfredo MonimetenBt.
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248 THAUMATOMtA, OR
opinion of Père Maimbourg," who, after the relation
of the battle of Iconium, won by Frederick of Bnrba-
rossa, tt90, says, What was chiefly wonderful after
this battle, was thé conquérons sustaining little or no
loss, which most people ascribed to thé particular pro-tection of St. Victor and St. George. names oftenest
invoked in the Christian army, which many of them
said they saw engaging at the head of thé squadrons.Whether in reality there might be something in i t ex-
traordinary, which has often happened, as the Scrip-tures inform us or whether, by often hearing of
celestial squadrons appearing at thé battle of Antioch
in thé nrst crusade, warm imaginations possessedwith thé belief, and penetrated with these ideas,
formed new apparitions of their own, but sure it is,
that onc Louis Heifenstein, a gentleman of reputation,and far from a visionary~afnrmed to thé emperor, on his
oath~ and on thé vow of a pilgrim devoted to the holy
scpulchre and the crusade, that he o/~ saw G'co~c
C&a?y<' the Aca<%of the ~M<M~OM, GM~~K<f the enemyto ~?~ which was afterwards confirmed by the
Turks themselves, owning
thatthey
saw sornetroopsin white charge in the first ranks in the Christian
army, though therc were really none of tliat livery. No one, 1 know, is bound (continues P. Maimbourg)to belicvc visions of this kind, subject for the most
part to notorious illusion but 1 know too, that an
historian is not of his own authority, to reject them,
especially when supported by such remarkable testi-
Hist. Crusade, 5.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP T HE MARVE LL OU8. 249
mony. And though he be at liberty to believe
or not, yet he has no regret, by suppressing them,
to deprive tbe reader of bis liberty, when he meets
with passages of this kind, of judging as lie thinks
fit." This reflection (says Bayle) from so celebrated
an historian, not suspected of favouring the Hugonot
ineredulity, is a strong presumption on my side.
The abuse of presentiments
bas been carried to the
very Scriptures. We are told, that the manner of
Tamerlane giving bis blessing to his two sons, by
bowtng down the head of the etder, and chucMng the
youngest undcr the chin, was a presage of the éleva.
tion of thé latter in prejudice to thé former, was
grounded on thé 48th chapter of Genesis, wbere
Jacob is represented !aytng his right hand on the head
of thé younger, fbrseemg by inspiration that he would
be the greater of the two. Mcanwhile there is a dif-
ference between thé two benedictions. The Tartar,
wholly destitutc of the knowledge of future events,
did not diversify thé motion of his hands, on purpose
to e stablish a presage and God never vouchsafingthis knowledge to infidels, did not guide bis bands in
a particular manner to form a presage of what should
befal his chHdren ;–wbereas Jacob, on the cootrary,filléd with the spirit of prophecy, whereby he saw tbe
fortunes of his children, directed bis words and ac-
tions uccording to this knowledge; by which means
both bccame présages.
Présages, presentiments, and prodigies, might be
multiplied ad innnitum. Whoever reads the Roman
historians wiU be surprised at their number, and
which frequently fil led the people with the most
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2.~0 TIIAUMAT(IRGIA, OR
dreadfut appréhensions. It must be confessed, that
some of these seem altogetlier supernatural while
much the greater part only consist of some of the
uncommon productions of nature, which superstition
always attributed to a superior cause, and representedas thé prognostications of eome impending misfor-
tunes. Of this class may be reckoned the appearanceof two suns the nighta illuminated by rays of
light the views of fighting armies swords andspears darting through the air; showers of milk, of
blood, of stones, of ashes, or of fire and thé birth of
monsters, of children, or of beasts who had two heads
or of infants who had some feature resembling those
of the brute creation. These were all dreadfui prodi-
gies which filled the people with inexpressible asto-
nishment, and the whole Roman empire with an ex-
treme perplexity and whatever unhappy event fol-
lowed, repentance was sure to be either caused or pre-dicted by them.
Nothing is more
easy than to account for thèse
produc-tions, wh!ch hâve no relation to any cvcnts, no more than
cornets, that may happen to foUow thcm. Thé appearance of
two suns bas frequently hsppened in England, as well as inother places, and is only caused by the c!ouds being placed in
such a situation as to rcnect tho image of thut luntinarynocturnal fires, innamed spears, fighting armies, were no more
than whatwccaHaurora boreaUs, northcrn!ights, orinaatced
vapours floating in tlie air; showersof stones, of ashes, or of
ftre, wcrc no other than thé cnccts of thé eruptions of samevolcano 8t a considcrabtc distance. Showern of mi!k were
only caused hy some quality in thc air condensing and givinga whitish colour to thé water, etc.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 2'H 1
CHAPTER XVI.
PHENOMKNA OF METEORS, OPTIC DELU8IONS,
8PECTRA, ETC.
THE meteors known to the ancients were called
A«~7r~? Ht8o< Bolides, Faces, Globi, etc. from par-
ticular di~recces in their shape and appearance,and sometimes under the général term of cornets. In
thé PhUoMphical Transactions, they are called, indis-
criminately, fire-balls, or fiery meteors; and names
of similar import have been applied to them in thedifferent languages of Europe. Thé most material
circumstances observed of such meteors may be
brought tinder the following heads 1. Their général
appearance. 2. Their path. 3.Theirshapeor6gure.
4. Their light and colour. 5.Theirheight. 6. The
noise with which they are accompanied. 7' Their nre.
h. Duration, 9'Theirvelocity. Under thèse dinerent
heads meteors have been investigated by the scrutiniz.
ing of philosophy, and many superstitious notions, longentertained concerning them, entirely exploded. Mete-
oric phenomena, i t bas been demonstrated, all pro-
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252 THAUMATUROÏA~ OR
ceed from onc common cause–irregularity in thé
density of the atmosphere. When the atmosphericfluid is homogeaous and of equal density, thé rays of
lightpasa without obstruction or alteration in their
shape or direction but when they enter from a rarer
into a denser medium, they are refracted or bent out
of thcir course; and this with greater or less ef-
fect according to the dirent degrees of density in the
média, or thé deviation of thé ray from thé perpendi-cutar. If thé second medium he very dense in pro-
portion, thé ray will be both refracted and reHected
and thé ohjcct from which it proceeds, will assume a
variety of grotesque and extraordinary shapes, and
it will sometimes appear as in a reflection from a con-
cave mirror, dilatnd in size, and changed in situation.
The following striking effects are known to pro-ceed from this simple cause.
The first is the mirage, secn in the desert of Africa.
M. Monge, a member of the National Instituts, ac-
companicd the French army into Egypt. In the desert,
between Alexandria and Cairo, the mirage of the blue
skywas inverted, and so mingled with the sand below,
as to impart to thé desolate and arid wilderness an ap-
pearance of thé most rich and beautiful country.
They saw, in aU directions, green islands, surrounded
with extensive lakes of pure and transparent water.
Nothing could be conceived more lovc~y and pic-
turesque than this landscape. On thé tranquil surface
of thé lakes, thé trees and houseg, with which the
islandc were covered, were strongty reflected with
vivid hues, and the party hastened forward to enjoythe cool refreshments of shadc and stream, which
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KLUCtDATIOXS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 253
thèse populous villages profcrred to thcm. When
they arrived, the lake, on whose bosom they nuated,
thé trees, among whose foliage theywereembowered,and thé people who stood on the shore inviting their
approach, had all vanished, and nothing rcmained but
an uniform and irksome desert of sand aud sky, with
a few naked huts and ra~ged shrubs. Had they not
been undeceived by their nearer approach, there was
not a nmn in thé French army who would not have
sworn, that the visionary trees and lakes had a real
existence in the midst of the desert.
Thé same appearance precisely was observed byDr. Clarke at Raschid, or Rosetta. Thé city seemed
surrounded by a beautiful sheet of water, and so cer-
tain was his Greek interpreter, who was acquaintedwith thé country, of this fact, that lie was quite in-
dignant at an Arab, who attemptcd to explain to him,
that it was a mere optical delusion. At length, theyreached Rosetta in about two hours, without meeting
any water and, on looking back on thé sand they
had just crossed, i t seemed to them, as if they had just waded t!irough a vast blue lake.
A similar déception takes place in northcrn cïi-
matcs. Cities, battlements, houses, and all the ac-
companiments of populous places, are seen in deso-
late régions, where life goes out, and where human
foot bas never trod. When approached they vanish,
and nothing remains but a rugged rock, or a mis-
shapen iceberg.
Captain Scoresby, in bis voyage to the arctic re"
gion?, on the coast of East Greenland, constantly saw
those visionary cities, and gives some highly curious
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254 THAUMATUROJA, OR
plates of thé appearances they presented. They
resemMed thé real ciliés seen on the coast of HoUand,
where towers, and battlements, and spires, bosomed
high in tufted trees," rise on thé level horizon, and
are seen floating on the surface of the sea. Among
the optic deceptions noticed by Captain Scoresby, was
one of a very singular nature. His ship had been
separated by the ice, from thut of his father for some
timc and he w as looking for her every day, withgreat anxiety. At Icngth, one evening, to his utter
astonishment, hc saw her suspended in the a ir in a n
inverted position, traeed on the horizon in the clear.
est colours, and with thé most distinct and perfect
représentation. He sailed in the direction in which
he saw this visionary phcnotnenon, and actually found
his father's vessel by its indication. He was divided
from him by immense masses of icebergs, and at such
a distance that it was quite impossible to have seen
thé ship in her actual situation, or seen her a t all, if
her spectrum, or image, had not been thus raised se-
veraldegrees
abovc thé horizon into thesky, by
this
most cxtraordinary refraction, in the same manner as
the sun is often seen, after he is known to have set,
andactuaHy sunk far below thé line of direct vision.
The 7~~ ~o~a~H are further illustrations of thia
optic delusion. This phenomcnon is seen at the
Pharo of Mcssina, in Sicily, under certain circum-
stances. The spectator must s tand with nie back to
thé east, on an clevatcd place bchind thé city, com-
manding a view of thc bay, and imving thé moun-
tains, like a wall, opposite to him, to darken the back
ground of thé picture no wind must be abroad to
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BLUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 255
ruffle the surface of the sea and the waters must be
pressed up by currents, as thcy sometimes are, to a
considérable height in the middle -of thestrait, nnd
present a slight convex surface. When aU these
circumstances occur, as soon as thé sun rises over
thé heights of the Calabrian shore, a nd makes an
angleof45"with the horizon, all theobjectsontheshore at Reggio arc tmnsferred to the middle of the
strait, and seen distinctly on thé surface of thé water,
forming an immoveablc landscape of rocks, trees, and
houses, and a moveable one of men, horses, and
cattle these are formed into a thousand separate
compartments, presenting most beautiful and ever
varying pictures of animate and inanimate nature, on
the swelling surface of thé water, broken by the cur-
rents, present separate plates of convex mirrors to
reflect them; they thcn as suddenly disappear, as the
broad aquatic mirror of the current passes on.
Sometimes the atmosphere is so dense that the
objects arc seen, like Captain Scoresby's ship,
snatched up into the regions of the air, thirty or fortyfeet a bovc the level of thé sea and in cloudy wea-
ther, nearer to the surface, bordered with vivid pris.matic colours. Sometimes colonades of temples and
churches, with cross'crowned spires, are all repre-sented as noating on the sea, and by a sudden changeof représentation, thc pillars arc curvcd into arcades,and thé crosses are bent into cre~cents, and all the
edifices of thé floating city undcrgo the most extra-
ordinary and fantastic mutations..A!I these imagesare so distinct, and producc objects Feemingly as
palpable as they are visible, as sensible to touch as to
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256 THAUMATURGIA, OR
sight, that the people of the country arc nrmiy per~suaded of their reaHty. They consider the edifices as
the erichanted palaces of thé fairy Morgana, and thé
movingob)ects~as l ivingthings which inhabitthem.
Whenevcr the optic phenomenon occurs, they meet
togcthcr in crowds, with an intense cunosity, mixed
with awe and apprehension, which is not removed byan acquaintance with those natural causes, by which
Mr. Swinburn and other foreign
travellers, who have
witnessed thé scene, are able to account for it.
Thé lakes of Ireland are equally susceptible of pru.
ducing those vivid delusions, and the imagination of
the people, as lively as that of thé Sici!ians, cbthss
them with an equal reality. Thcre is scarcety a loch
in that country, in which thé remains of cities have
not been at various times discovercd and many meu
have been met with who would solemnïy swear they
saw, and who no doubt did see, representations of
them in certain states of thé atmosphère. The most
celebrated is that which occurs on thc lake of Kil-
larney. This romantic sheet of water is bounded on
one side by a semi.circlc of mgged mountains, and outhe otiier by a ~at mora~s, and thé vapour generatedin the masK, and broken by thé mountains, continuaUy
represent thé most fantastic objects and often those
on shore arc transfc!red to thé watcr, hke thc Fata
Morgana.
Many of thé rocks are distinguiabcd for their
markcd and !engthcned cchoes, a nd the structure,
which in acoustics reflects sounds to the ear, from
a point from whcnce they did not corne, reflects.
images on the cyc, from a place very different from
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ELUCIDATIONS O? THE MARVELLOUS. 257
8
where the objecta stood winch produced them. Fre.
quently men riding along shore, are seen as if theywere moving across thé lake, and this bas given rise to
the story of O'Donougho. This celebrated chieftain
was, according to the tradition of the couDtry, en-
dued with the gift of magie and, on one occasion,
his lady requested him to change his ahape, that she
might see a proof of it. lie complicd, on condition
that she would not be terrified, as such an effect onher must prove fatal to h im. Her mind failed her,
however, in the experiment, and at the sight of some
hotïiMe figure Ite assumed, she shrieked, and he dis-
appeared through the window of his castle, which
overhung thé lake. From that time he continues an
enchanted being, condemned to ride a horse, shod
with silver, o ver thé surface of the lake, till his
horse's shoes are worn out. On every May morn.
ing he is visible, and crowds assemble on thé shore to
see him. Many a~rm they hâve seen hhn and one
person relates many particulars of his apparition, that
thé déception must have
procceded from some real
object, a m:m riding along shore, and tmnsferred to
thé middle of the water by thé optic delusion of thé
Fata Morgana.But perhaps thé most wonderful, and apparently
preternatural effect arising from this cause, is thé
~p~rc of ~<? //fn'/j ~fcM/~MM~ in Hanover. Tliere
is one particular hill, caUcd thé Bt'ockcn, in which
he appcars, terrifying thc crcdulou~, and gratify-
ing the curious to a very high degree. TIic most
distinct and intcrcsting uccount is givcn by Mr.
Hawe, who hin)"elf was a witncs:- to it, Hc had
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258 THAUMATUMttA, OR
climbed to the top of the mountain thirty times, and
had been disappointed, but he persevered, and was at
lengfli highly gratified. The sun rose about four
o'clock in n s'erene sky, free from ciouds, aud its rays
paased without obstruction, over another mountain,
caUcd thc Heinschoe. About a (~un'ter past tive he
looked round to see if tbe sky was clear, and if
there was any chance of his wttnessmg what he so
ardently wished, when
suddenly he saw the Achter.
manshoe, a human figure of monstrous size turned
towards him, and glnring at him. While gazingon this gigantic spectre with woader mixed with
an irreptessiMe feeling of awe and npprehension, a
~udden gust of wind nearly carried off bis own hat,
aud he clappcd his hand to his head to detain it, when
to his great deHght thé colossal spectre did the same.
He then changed his body into a variety of attitudes,
all which the figure exactly imitated, but at length
suddenly vanished without any apparent cause, and
again as suddenly appeared. He caUed the land-
lord of the inn, who had aceompanied him, to stand
besidc him, a nd in a l ittle time two correspondent
figures, of dilated size, appeared on thé oppositemountain. Thcy saluted them in various ways bydifferent movetnents of their bodies, all which thc
giants rcturncd with perfcct politeness, and then va-
nished. A traveller now johx'd Mr. Ha~'c and the
inakecpcr, and they kcpt &teadily looking for their
acrial frienda, when they guddenly appeared againthree in number, who all performed exactly the same
movctnents as their correspondent s-pcctators. Havingconttnued thus for sotnc time, appcaring and disap-
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 259
s 2
pearing alternately, sometimes faintly, and sometimes
more distinct, they at length faded away not again to
retum. They proved. however, that thé preterna-
tural spectre, which had so long filled the countrywith awc and terror, was no unreal being, still less
an existence whose appearance suspended the oro~
nary laws of God and Nature that, on the contrary,it was thé simple production of a common cause,
exhibited in an unusual manner, but as regular an
effect, and as easy to be accounted for, as the reflec-
tion of a face in a looking glass.This constitution ofthe atmosphere, and its capabi-
Uty of dilatin~ objects, and attering their position byrenection and refraction, will easily account for many
phenomena which have been considered miraculous
and preternatural in early ages, by thé ignorant and
in our own, by thé weak and superstitious. Such was
probably thé origin of thé crosses seen by Constan-
tine and Constantius in tlie first âges of Christianity,and such was that of thé cross which appeared in thé
sky in France, to which so many bore a ttestation. Alarge cross of wood, painted red, had been erected
beside thé church, as a part of thc ceremony theywere performing. !n thé winter, whcn the air is
most' frequently condensed by cold, and its different
struta of various degrces of tenacity, on a clear
evening after rain, when particies of humiditv, still
floating in thé air gives it grenter power of reflection
and refraction, when thc sun was settiug, and his
horizontal beams found most favourable to producemctcoric phcnotncna, thé spectrum of this woodcn
cross was cast on thé concave surface of some atmos-
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260 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
pheric mirror, and so reflected back to the eyes of the
spectators from an opposite place, retaining exactlythé same shape and proportions, but d ilated in size,
and changed in position and it was moreovcr tingedwith red, the \'cry colour of the object of which it
was the reflected image. This delusive appeurancecontinued till the sun was so far sunk below thé
horizon, as to afford no more light to i llumine the
object, and thc
image ceased when thé
rays were no
longer distinctly reflected.
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Bf/UClUATtONS0F THR MARVELLOUS.2611
CHAPTER XVII.
ELUCtDATION 0F 80ME ANCIENT PHODIGIES.
MANv of thé prodigies recorded by thé ancients,
admit of a natural explanation and an attentive
cxamination will show that a small number of causes,
which may be discerned and developed, will serve
for the explanation of nearly thé whole of them.
There arc two rcasons for our believing accounts
of prodigicsï. Thé number and agreement of thèse account?,
and the confidence to which thé obscrvers and wit-
ncsses are cutitled.
2. Thé possibility of dissipatin~ what is wonderful,
by ascertaining~ny one of thé principal causes which
migbt have given to a natural fact a tinge of the
marvellous.
Now, as regards the first reason, the ancients have
recorded various occurrences for instance, a shower
of quicksilvcr a t Rome is mentioned by Dion Cassius,
in thé year t97 of our cra, and a similar event is
related under the reign of Aurcïian. If we attend
to phenomena taking place in our time, such as a
shower of blood, tremendous hail stones weighing
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~C3 TUAUMATUHUIA, OR
a pound each, and containing a atone within thcm
showers of frogs, and other ahnost unaccountable
occurrences, we must consign them to, thé annals
in which science has inscrted thc tacts, she lias recog-
nizcd as such, without as yet pretending to explainthem."
Respecting thé second reason, the deceptive ap-
pearanec whtch nature sometimes assumes, the exag-
geration, almost unavoidahie, by partitilly informed
observers, of t he details of a phcnomenon, or i ts
duration improper, ill-understood, or badly trans-
lated expressions, figurative language, and a prac-tical style erroneous explanations of emMematical
représentations apologues and allegories adoptedas real facts. Such are thé causes, whtch, smg~y or
together, have frequently swonen with prodigiousfictions thé page of history and it is by carefully
removmg this envelope, that e~ucidutions must be
sought of what has hitherto been improperly and
di~dainfully rejectcd. A few examples will illustrate
thèse several positions.Thé river Adonis being impregnated, during cer-
tain scasons, with ~otumes of dustorai~ed from the
red soi! of that part of Mount Libanus near wliieh it
flows, gave rise to thé fabie of the periodical effusion
of thc Mood of Adonis. There is a rock near the Is~and
of Corfu, which bears thé resemblance of a shipunder sai! thé ancients adapted thé story to the
phenomenon, and recognised in i t the Phenician
ship, in which Ulysses r eturned to his country,convcrted into stone by Neptune, for having carried
away the ~layer of bis son Polyphcmns. A more ex-
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVKLLOU8. 263
tensive acquaintance with thé océan, bas shown that
this appearance is not unique a similar onc on the
coast of Patagonia. lias more than once deceived both
French and English navigators i and rock Dunder,
in the West Indies, bears a resemblance, at a distance
equally illusive. There is another recorded by Cap-tain Hardy, in his récent travels in Mexico, near the
shore of California.; and the story of the Hying
Dutchman, is founded on a similar appearanceat the Cape of Good Hope, connected with a t ra-
dition w hich has been long current there among
the Dutch colonists. Another instance is afforded
by the chimscra, the solution of which cnigma. as
given by Ovid, is so fully substalltiated by the very
intelligent British ofncer who surveyed the Caramania
a few years since. Scylla the sea monster. which
devoured six of the rowers of Ulysses, M. Salverte,
a recent compiler on the marvellous, is temptedto regard as an overgrown polypus magnified bythe optical power of poetry, though we are disposedto
give the credit to an
aUigator, or its
mate, a cro-
codile and this occurrence is not 80 fictitiously repre-
sented, as it is supposed to be.
MAOICAÏ. PRBTRNSÏO'OS OF CERTAIN HËRB8, ETC.
In the enumcration of plants possessing magical
propcrties, Pliny mentions those which, accordingto Pythagoras, have thé property of concealing water.
EÏsewhere, without having resource to magie, he
assigns to hemp an analogous quality. According to
him, the juice of this plant poured into water becomcs
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264 THAUMATURGIA, OR
suddenly inspi~sated and congealed. It is probable
enough, that hc indicated a species of mallow, thé
hcinp-lcavcd marsh-mallow, of which thé mucila-
ginous juice produces this eiïect to a certain point,nnd an eIÏcct which may also be obtained from every
vcge~Me as nch in mucUage.Of vegetaMe productions, many produce mtox~-
cating effccts, such us berries of the night-shade,*
scammouy, and various species of fungi. These
unquestionuMy have bcen made subservient to de..
monoÏogicai purposes t which, w ith thé ignorant,have passcd o~' for supernatural agency. The priests,to whom thé little comparative learning of the
dark ages attached. kuew well how to impose uponthé credulous but imposition was not always their
object; nn extcnt of benevolence prevailed which
contemplated thé relief of their fellow creatures
afflicted with sickncss.
It was maintained by thé Egyptians that, besides
thé gods, there were mauy démons which communi.
cated with mortals, and which were often rendered
The bcrrics of thé belladonna or dcadty nightshade, produce, when catcn, a fmicus madncss, followed by sleep,which !osts for twcnty.four hours. Such (trttgs as produpententat stupefactton, wtthoutintpairing thé physical powers,
tnay hâve givcn rise to thé accounts of nten being trans-
formed into brutes, so fréquent in what arc dpnota!natedthe fabutons writcrs, whiic thc cvancsccnt but exquisite
joyR of an opposite description, an nnticipittion of what
implicit obédience M'otdd ensurc tltent for cvcr, produccdb!ind, fnriou! devoted adhérents to any phHosophica! specu-!ator, who woutd vcntnrc to try so desperutc an experi-ment.
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E LUC ID ATI ON S O P TH E MA RV ELL OU S. 265
visible by certain ceremonies and songs; that geniiexercised an habituai and powerful influence over
every particle of matter i that thirty-six of thèse
beings presided over thé various members of thé
human body and thus, by magical incantations, it
might be strengthened, or debilitated, afflicted with,
or delivered from disease. Thus, in every case of
sickness, the spirit presiding over thé aiBicted part,
was first duly invoked. But thé magicians did nottrust solely to their vain invocations they were
well acquainted with thé virtues of certain herbs,
which they wisely cmployed in their attempts at
healing. Thèse herbs were greatly esteemed such,
for instance, as thé cy/ïoc<y~a/M, or, as the Egyptiansthemselves termed t!ie o~ which was used as
a preventive against witchcraft and the nepentheswhich Helen presented in a potion to Menelaus, and
which was believed to be powerful inbanishingsadness,and in restoring thé mind to its accustomed, or even
to greater, cheerfulness, were of Egyptian growth.But whatever may be thé virtues of such herbs, theywere used rather for their magical, than for their
médicinal qualities; every c ure was cunningly as-
cribed to thé presiding démons, w ith which not a
few hoasted that they were, by means of their art,
intimatcly connected.
There can be no question, as attested by the
The Rowon trcc or Moxntain aah, is used by the
Scottish peasantry with thc santé view and a stnntt twig of
it is scwcd up in thé cow's tail, to préserve thc animal and
its producc from thé mnucnce of witchcs and wadocka.
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266 THAUMATURGIA, Ott
earliest records, that thé ancients were in possessionof many potent remédies. Melampus of Argos, the
most ancient Greek physician with whom w e are
acquaintcd, is reputed to have cured one of thé
Argonauts of barrcnne~s, by ex!)ibiting the rust of
iron dissolved in wiue, for the space of ten days.Thé same physician used hellebore as a purgativeon thé dau~htcrs of King Proteus, who were labour-
ing uïïder hypochondriasis or melancholy. Bleeding
w~a also a remedy of very early origin, and said
to have been first suggested by the hypopotamusor sea horse. which at a certain time of thé year was observed to c ast itself on thé sea shore, and
to wound itself among the rocks or stones, to relieve
its plethora. Podalerius, on his retura from the
Trojan war, cured thé daughter of Damaethus, who
had fal!en from a height, by bleeding her in both
arms. Opium, the concrète juice of the poppy, was
known in thé earliest ages and probabty it waa
opium that Heten mixed with wine, and gave to
thé guesta of Menetaus, under thé expressive name
of N~<?M~p, to drown thcir cares, and encreasetheir hilarity This conjecture, in a considerable de-
gree, is supported from the fact, that Homer's Ne-
penthe was procured from thé Ëgyptian Thebes,
whence thé t incture of opium, according to the
nomenclature of thc pharmacopeia about fifty years
ago, and still known by this name in the older
writcrs nnd, if Dr. Darwin may be credited, the
Cuniacnn Syhil never aat on thé portending tripodwithont first swallowing a few drops of juice of the
cherry.!aurel.
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B LU CI DAT ION S O F TH E MA H.V t. LLO U8. 26~
There is every rcason to believe that the Pagan
priesthood were under thé influence of some narcotic
preparation during thé display of their oracular
power, but thé effects produced would seem rather to
resemble those of opium, or perhaps of stramonium,
than of prussic acid, which the cherry-laurel water is
known to contain.
The priests of thé American Indians, says Mo-
nardur, whenever they were consutted by the chief
gentlemen, or caciques, as they are called, took certain
leaves of the tobacco, and cast them into the tire, and
then received the smoke thus produced by them into
their mouths, which caused them to fall upon thé
ground. After having remained in this position for
some time in a state of etupor, they recovered, and
delivered thc answers, which they pretended to have
received during the supposed intercourse with the
world of spirits.The narcotic, or sédative influence of the gardon
radish, waa known in thé earliest times. In the
fables of antiquity wc read, that, after thé death of Adonis, Venus, to console herself, and repress her
desires, lay down upon a bed of lettuces. The sea
onion, or squill, was administered by thé Egyptians,in cases of dropsy, under the mystic title of the eyeof Typhon. Thé practices of incision and scarinca-
tion, were emptoyed in thé Greek camp at the siegeof Troy and thé application of spirits to wounds,
was likewise understood for we nnd Nestor applyinga poultice compounded of cheese, onion, and meal,
mixed up with thé winc of Pramnos, to the wounds
of Machaon.
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268 THAUMATURGtA, OR
To bring some inactive substance into repute, as
promising Home cxtraordinary, nay, wonderfui medi.
cinal propcrties, requires only thé sanction of a few
gréât names and when once cstahhshed on such a
basis, ingcnuity, argument, and even experiment,
rnay open their otherwise powerful batteries in vain.
tn this manner all the quack medioncs, cver heM in
any estimation, got into repute. And thé same vulgar
préjudice, w!uch induces people to retain an accus-
tomed remcdv upon bare aggcrtion and presumption,cithcrof ignorance or partiality, wi!Ï,in like man-
ncr, oppose thc introduction of any innovation in
practicc with asperity, and not unfrequentîy with a
quantum gunicit of scrutiny nnd abuse, nnless, indeed,
it bc supportcd hy authorities of still greater wcightand considération.
The htstory of many articles of diet, as well as me-
dicine, amply prove how much their réputation and
fatc have dependcd upon some authority or other.
Ipecacuanha hnd been importcd into England for
many years, before 1-lelvetius, under the patronage of Louis XIV, succecdcd in introducing it into practicein France; and, to thé Qucen of Chapes II., we are
indebted for thé introduction of that popular heverage,
tea, into England. Tobacco has suffered as manyvariable vicissitudes in i ts famé and character. It
has becn successively opposed and commended by
physicians, condemned and praised by pricsts and
kins~, and propcrtbcd and prctcctcd by govcrnments,untu, at ïcngtb, this once ins!gnlncant production ofa
little ixiand, bas succeeded in propagating itself through
e\'cry c'hmatc and country. Nor ïs thc historv of the
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F TIIE MARVELLOU8. 2G9
potatoe Icss remarkable or less strikingly illustrative
of thé imperious influence of authority. This valuabic
plant, for upwards of two centuries, received an un-
prccedented opposition from vulgar prejudice, which
a11 the philosophy of the age was unable to dissipate,until Louis XtV. wore a bunch ofthe flowers of thé po-
tatoe, in thé midst uf his court, on a day of mirth aud
festivity. Thé people then, for thé first time. ob-
sequiously acknowledged its utihty, and began to
express their astonishment at the apathy which
had so long prevailed with regard to its generalcultivation.
Another instance may be fumished of overbearing
authority, in giving celebrity to a medicine, or in
depriving it of that reputation to which its virtues
entitle it, is seen in the history of the Peruvian bark.
This famed medicine was imported into Spain by the
Jesuits, where it remained seven years, befbrc a trial
was given to it. A Spanish priest was thé f irs t to
whom it was administered, in the year ï639, and
even then its use was extremely hmited; and itwould undoubtedly have sunk into oblivion, but for
the supreme power of the church of Rome, under
whose protecting auspices it gained a temporary tri-
umph over thé passions and prejudices which opposedits introduction. Pope Innocent X. at thé interces-
sion of thc Cardinal de Lugo, who was formerly a
Spanish jesuit, ordered thé bark to be duly examined,
and on thé favourab~c report, which was thc result of
this examination, it immediately rose into high favour
and celebrity.The root of thé male fern, a nostrum for thé cure
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~70 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
of the tape worm, waa secretly retailed by Madame
Noufleur. Tins secret was purchased by Louis XV.
for a considérable sum of money. It wa& not until
this eventthat the physicans discovered, that thé same
retncdy had been administered in the same complaint
by Galen. Thé history of popular remedies in the
cure of gout, is equaHy illustrative of this auhjcct.Thé Dukeof Portland's celchrated powder was nothingless than thé ~cactK~MrpoM of CBeHus
AureHaMUs, or
the MM~o~ <?~ efMoAM~ccM/aM~<c ~<?Hpr~M~ of ~tiua,
the receipt for which, a friend of his grace brought
wit!i him from Switzerland, into wluch country, in aU
Hkeïihood, it had been introduced by thé early médi-
cal writers, who had transcribed it from thé Grcek
volumes, soon after their arrivât into the western partof Europe.~
Thé active ingredient of a no less celebrated prepa-ration for the same complaint, thé ~OM M~<~c~<f~ de
Husson, a mcdicine brought into ~ashion by M. de
Hueson, a mititary officer in the service of Louis XVf
bas been dii-covered to be the meadow sa~ron. Upou
~earchin~ after and trying thé properties of this hcrb,it was observed tliat similar e tfccts in thé cure of the
gout wcrc a~cribed to a certain plant. called hermo-
dach'Hus, by Oribasius (un eminent physician of the
4th century) aud yEtius, who nourished at Alex.
andria towards thc end of thc 5th ccntury, but more
particuiarly by Alexander of TraUc~ a physician of
Asia Minor, whose prescription cousi~tcd of hermo-
daclyllu-.q, gingcr, pupper, cummin sced, aniseed, and
° Sec Phannacotogta, by Dr. Paris.
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BLUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 271 â
scammony, which he says will enable those who take
it to walk immediately. On an inquiry being imme-
diatcly set on foot for thé discovery of this unknown
plant, a specimen of it w as procured at Constanti-
nople, a nd it actnaHy did turn out to be a species of
meadow saffron, thé colchicum auttimnaleofLinnœus.
The celebrated fever powder of Dr. James was evi-
dently uot his original composition, but a n Italiannostrum, invented by a person ofthe name of LisÏe
a receipt for the preparation of which is to be ibund
at length in Colborne's complete English Diepen~aryfor the year !756. Thé various secret preparations of
opium which have been extolled as the discovery of
modem days, may be recognised in the works of
ancient authors . The use of prussic acid in thé cure
of consumptions, lutely suggested by M. Magendie, at
Paris, ia little more than thé revival of thé Dutch
practice in this diaorder for Linn~us inforn~ us,that distiUed ~aure! water was frequently used in thé
cure of pulmonary consumption.~We shaH conclude thèse observations with a few
remarks on what are tcrmed patent ~K~c~M, Mo~-
trums, or yMf/c~ M!C<~N, and their boasted preten-sions in general. There is, in fact, but one state of
perfect healtlï, yet the deviatious from this state, and
thé général species of diseases are almost inhnite.
Hence it will casily be under~tood, that in thé classes
of medical remedies, thcre must likewise he a great
variety, and that some of them arc cvctt of oppositetendencies. Such arc both thé warm and cold bath
Vide "AtHenctatcs Acadctnicœ vu!. 4.
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2~2 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
considered as medical remedies. Though opposite to
each other in their sensible effects, each of them mani-
fests its medical virtues. yet only in such a state of
thé body as will admit of using it with advantage.From thèse premises, it is evident that an uni versai
rcmcdy, or one t~at possesses healing powers for the
CM~po/'a~~c~M, is, in fact, a non.entity, a mere
delusion, the existence of which is physicaUy impos-
sible, as thé mere idca of such a thing invoh'es a con-tradiction. How, for instance, can it be eonceived,
that thé same remedy should he capable of restoringthe tone of the museular fibres, when they are re.
laxed, and also have the powerof relaxing them when
they are too rigid that it should coagulate the fluids
when in a s tate of résolution, and again attenuate
them when they are too viscid that i t should mode-
rate thé nerves when in a state of preturnatural spn-
sibility, and likewise restore t hem to their proper
degree of irritability when they are in a contrarystate.
The heïief in an universal remcdy bas long been
abandoned, even among thé vulgar, and long explodedin those classes of society, which are not influenced
by prejudice, o r tinctured with fanaticism. It is,
however, ~incerciy to hc regrcttcd, that the daily press
continues to he inundatcd with advertisemcnts and
thnt the lower, and less informed class of thé commu-
nity, arc still imposed upou by a get of privileged im.
postors, who frequently puzzle thé intelligent to de-
cide, whether thé impudence or thé indu~tt'y with
which they endeavour to establish thé reputation of
their respective poisons, be thé most prominent fea-
ture in their chamctcr.
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ELU OI DA TI ON S O P THE MAR VE t.L OU 8. 273
T
In illustration of this last observation, it may fur-
ther be observed, that most of the nostrums adver-
ttMd as cough drops, etc., are preparations of opium.
similar, but inferior, to the well-known paregoric
elixir of tbe shops, but disguised and rendered more
deÏeterious by the addition of heating and aromatic
gums. The injury which may be occasioned by the
indiscriminate employment ofsuchmedicines might be
very serious and irremediable, as is w eU known toevery person possessing the smallest portion of médi-
cal knowledge. The boasted, though groundless pre-
tenaions of certain illiterate empirics to cure diseases
which hâve eluded the skill and penetration of the
faculty, is another absurdity into which people of good
common sense have been most woefuHy entrapped.
The leseons of expérience ought to prove the most
useful, as purchased at the greatest trouble and ex-
pense but if people choose to mn over a precipicewith their eyes open, they leave themselves nothingto regret, and the public less to lament, by their fall.
It waq justly
observed
by the
sagacious
and intelli-
gent Bacon, that a reflecting physician is not di-
rected by the opinion which thé multitude entertain
of a favourite remedy, but that be must be guided bya sound judgment and consequently, he is led to
make very important distinctions between those thingswhich only by their name pass for médical remedies,
and others, which in reality possess healing powers."We avail ourselves of the quotation, as it indirectiycensures the conduct of certain medical practitioners,who do not scruple to recommend what are vulgarlycalled patent and other quack preparations, the com.
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2?4 THAUMATUROIA, OR
position of which is carefully concealed from the
puMic. Having acquired their unmerited reputation
by mère chance, and being supported by the most
refined artifices, in order to deïudc the unwary, we
are unable to corne at the évidence of perhaps nine
tentha of those who have experienced their fatal
effects, and who are now no longer m a situation
to complain.From universat remedies or panaceas, to nos-
trums and specincs, auch, for instance, as prétendto cure the M~e disease in every patient, is easyand natural. With the latter also, impositions of
a dangerous tendency arc often practised. It may be asked how far they are practicably admissibïe,
and in what cases thcy are wholly unavailing Thé
answer is not difficult. In those diseases, wliich
in every instance dépend upon the same cause, as
in agues, the smaU-pox, measlcs, and many other
contagions distempers. thé possibihty of specifics,in a limited sense, may be rationally, though hypo-
thetically admitted. But in either maladies, the
causes of which dépend on a variety of other con-current circumstances, and thé cure of which in
diSerent individuals, frcquently requires very oppositeremédies, as in dropsv, various species of colds,
thé atmost infinite variety of consumptions, etc.
a specinc remedy is a!i imposition upon thé com-
ïnon sensé of mankind. Those who a re but itn-
perfeetly acquainted with t lic variuus causes from
which thé same disorder ori~inates in different indi-
viduals, can never entertain such a vulgar and dan-
gcrous notion. They will easily perceivc, how much
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ELUCIDATIONS 0~ THE MARVELLOUS. 275
T 2
de pe nd s up on ascertaining with precision, thé seat
and c ause of the complaint, before any medicine
¡ c an be presented with safety or advantage :-even
life and death are, we are sorry to add, too often
decided by the first steps. Different constitutions,
different symptoms, and stages of diseasc, au requiremore or less a separate considération. What is
more natural than to place confidence in a remedy,
which bas been known to afford relief to others
in thé same kind of disposition ? Thé patient anx-
iously enquires af ter a person who has been aniictcd
with thé same maïady he is eager t o k now the
remedy that has been used with success his friend
or neighbour imparts to him the wished for intelli-
gence he is determined to give the medicine a
fair trial, and takes it with confidence. From what
bas been stated, it will not be dinicu!t to conceive,
that if his case does not exactly correspond with
that of his friend, any chance remedy may prove
extremely dangerous, if not fatal.
Hence it becomes evident, that thé results arcnot to be depended upon, nor the chance risked.
Thé physician is obliged to employ all his sagacity,
supported by his own experience, as well as by that
of his predecessors and yet hc is often under the
necessity of discovering, from thé progress of thé
disease, what he could not derive from the minutest
researe!i. How then can it be expected, that a
novice in thé art of hcaling should be more suc-
cessful, when the who!c of Ilis m ethod of cure is
either tlie impu!se of thé moment, or thé effect of
his own credulity ? It may be there.fore truly said,
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276 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
that l ife and death are frequently entruated to
chance
The late Dr. Huxham, a physician of some emi-
nence in hia day, t when speaking of Asclepiades,the Roman empiric, says This man from a <
c~M~* turned ~Ay~ctOM, and set htmsetf up to op-
pose ail the physicians of his time and the noveltyof the thing bore him out, as it frequently doth
the quacka of thé present time and ever will while
the MM!/oW<y o~' the world are /bo~ In another
place, he curioualy contrasta the too timid practiceof some regular phystCtans, with the hazardous treat-
ment, which is the leading feature of quacks The
timid, low, insipid practice with some, is almost
as dangerous as the bold, unwarranted empiricismof others time and opportunity, never to be r e<
gained, are often lost by the former while with
the latter, by a bold ~M~, you are sent off the stagen a moment.
From w hat has been said, it may confidently be asserted~ that a universal remedy still remains
as great a desideratum as the philosopher's etoneand either can only obtain credit with thé weak-
minded, the credulous, or thé fanatic. One of
the most unfortunate circumstances in the historyof such medicines, is the insinuating and dangerous
method, by which they are puffed into notice. And
as we have lit tle of thé benencini effects which they
daily must producc. by being promiscuouaïy npp!ied,
pcopie attend only to tite extmordinary instances,
perhaps not one in fifty, where tbey have afforded
a temporary or apparent relief. It is well known,
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KLUCÏDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 277
that thé more powerful a remedy is, the more per-
manent and dangerous must be i ts effects on the
constitution especially if it be introduced like many
patent medicines, by an almost indefinite encrease
of the dose. There is another consideration, not
apt t o strike those who are unacquainted with the
laws of the animal economy. When it is intended
to bring about any remarkable change in the system
of an organized body, such means are obliged to be employed as may contribute to produce that changewithout affectin g too violently the living powers,or without carrying their action to an improper
length. Indeed, the patient may be gradually ha-
bituated to almost any stimulus, but at the expenceof a paralytic stroke on an impaired constitution.
Such are among the melancholy effects of impostureand credunty Were it possible," says a learned
authority, to collect all the cases of sacrifices
to the mysterious infatuation,, it i s probable that
their number would exceed the enormous havoc made
by gunpowder or the sword." Another reputablewriter makes the following terse remark on this
subject "As matters stand at présent, sayshe, it is easier to cheat a m an out of his life,
thari of a shilling and ahnost impossible either to
detect or punish the onender. Notwithstanding this,
people still shut their eyes, and take every thing
upon trust, that is administered by any pretender to medicine, without daring to ask him a reason
for any part of his conduct. Implicit faith, everywhere else the object of ridicule, is still sacred here."
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2~8 TBAUMATUROIA, OR
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE PRATICR OP OBBAH, OR NEURO WtTCHCRAPT–
CHAKM8–THKïR KNOWLRDGE OP VEOBTABLE PO!-
80N6–SECRKT POtSONtNO.
OBBAH, a pretended sort of witchcraft, arising from
a superstittoua credulity, prevailing among the ne-
groes, bas ever been considered as a most dangerous
practicc, to auppress which, in our Weat India colo-
nies, thé sevcrest laws bave been enacted. The
Obeah is considered as a potent and most irreMStiMe
speH, withering and paralyzing, by indiscribable ter-
rora and unusual sensations, thé devoted victim.
One ncgro who dcsires to bc revenged on another,
and is afraid to make an open and manly attack
on bis adversary, bas usua~y rccourse to thia prac-ttcc. I~ike the witches* cauldron in Macbeth, it is
a combination of many étrange and ominous things.Earth gathered from a grave, human blood, a pieceof wood fastened in thé shape of a coffin, the feathers
of the canon crow, a enake or aïligator's tooth,
pièces of egg-sheïl, and other namelesa ingredients,
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 279
compose thé fatal mixture. The whole of these
articles may not be considered as absolutcly necessary
to complete the charm, but two or t hree are at leaat
indispensable.*
It will of course be conceived, that the practicc
of OBEAH eau have little e~ct, uniess a negro
la conscious that it is practised upon him, or thinks
80 ; t for, as thé whole evil consista in the terrors
*Variouactymo!ogics have been suggested for the word obi.
Mr. Long, in a paper transmittcd severat years since, by thé
agents of Jatnaica to thé Lords of the Commit tee of Privy
Council, and hy thé latter auhjoined to the report on thé stavc
trade, expresses h!mself on th!a subject as follows From
the learned Mr. Bryant's commcntary on the word OpH,we obtain a vcry probable etymo!ogy
of thc term 'a serpent,in the Egypttan l<tngnttge, was called JM& or 0& 0&<cM,'is sti ll thé Egypt!an natoe of a serpent,' Moses, in the
natnc of God, forbMs the lsraelitea to inquire of the demon
Ob, w!t!ch is transhtcd in our Bible, charmer or wizzard,~MMa~of aut <orc</<M~ The w oman of Endor is c alled
Oub or 0&, trans!ntcd Pythonissa and OM&~M (he cites
HorusApollo)
was thé name of thc BaaiUsk or royat
ser-
pent, emblem of the sun, and an ancicnt oractalar deityof Afr!ca. Thc!r ctymo!ogy, if admitted, connects t lie mo-
dern superstitions of thc w cst o f Africa, with the ancient
ones of t!te cast of that continent, from which source thcyhave also hecn spread in Europe. Thcy are humble parts of thc
great System which is adorncd with thc fables of Osiris and
Jsis nnd thcy comprise not only thc Obi of Africa, but thc
wi tchcraft of our own country. That superstition is everywhere conncctcd with the worship of thé serpent, and with
thc moon and thc ca t. Sku!!8 and tce th of cats are amongthc principal ingrédients of thé African churms or 0&
t Mr. Long gives the following account of thé furniture
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280 THAUMATURCtA, OR
of a superstitious imagination, it is o f l ittle conae*
quence whether it ho practised or not, i f he only una.
gines that it is. But if the charm iaila to take hold of
the mind of the proscribed person, another and more
certain expedient is resorted to–thé secretly ad.
of the bouse of an Obi-woman, or African witch ioJataaica;
The whole inetde of the roof, (which was of thatch) and
every crevice of the waUs wore atuck with thé implements
of her trade, consMttog of raga, feathers, bonca of cats, and
a thouaand other articles. Examining forther, a large eafth-
en pot or jar, close covered, contained a prodtg!oua quantityof round baUs of carth or clay, of various ditnenatonSt largeand small, whitencd on thé outside, and variously com-
pounded, eome with haïr aod rags, or feathers of aU sorts,and Btrongty bound with twïae others blended with thé
upper section of the sku1ls of~ats, or set round with cats'
teeth and claws, or with human or doga* teeth, and Borne
g!as8 beods of d ifferent coiours. Thcre wcrc a teo a great
many egg-she!!s filled with a vtscoMs or gummy substance,the qualities of which wero neglected to be examined and
many little bags fi lled with a variety of articles, tbe par-ticulars of which cannot, at this distance of time, be recol-
Ïected.~ Shakespeare
and Dryden,
bave icft ua poeticalaccounts of the composition of European 0&~ or charma,
with which, and with more httttorical descriptions, the above
may be compared. The tnidni~ht hours of thé profcssors of
Obi, are atso to be compared with the witches of Europe.
Obi, therefore, !B thé serpent-worship. Thé Pythoness,at Delphos, was a~Obt-woman. With thé serpent-worship
isjoined that of thé sun and moon, as thé govcrnors of thé
visibte world, and embïcms of thé male and female nature
of thé godhead and to thé cat, on account of ber nocturnal
prow!iaga, ia ascribed a mysterious retationahip to the moon.
The dog and thc wolf, douMess for the « âme reason, are
similarty c~rcumatauced.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVEM.OU9. 281 1
ministering of poison to him. This saves the répu-tation of the sorceror, and enecta the purpose he
had in view.
An OBBAH man or woman (for i t is practised
by both sexes) is a very dangerous person on a
plantation and the practice ôf it is made felony
by law, punishable with death where poison has been
administered, and with transportation wbere only
the charm has been used. But numbers have, and
may be swept off, by its infatuation, before the crime
is detected for, strange as i t may appear, so much
do the negroes stand in awe of those 0&<?~A pro-
fessors, so much do they dread their malice and
their power, that, though knowing the havoc theyhave made, and are still making, they are afraid
to discover them to the whites and, others perhaps,are in league with them for sinister purposes of mis-
chief and revenge.A negro, under the infatuation of Obeah, can only
be cured of bis terrors by being made a Christian
refuse him this boon,
and he sinks amartyr to
imagined evils. A negro, in short, conpiders him-
self aa no longer under the influence of this sorcerywhen he becomes a christian. And instances are
kriown of negroes, who, being reduced by the fatal
influence of Obeah t o the lowest state of dejectionand debility, f rom which there were little hopesof recovery, have been surprisingly and rapidiyrestored to health and cheerfulness by being baptizedchristians. The negroes believe also in apparitions,and stand in great dread of them, conceiving that
they forbode death, or some other great evil, to
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282 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
those whom they visit in ehort, that the spiritsof the dead corne upon thé carth to be revengedon those who did them evil when in life. Thus
we sec, that not only from the remotest aotiquity, but even among slaves and barbarians, the belief
in aupematural agencies bas been a popular creed,
not, in fact, confined to any distant race or tribe
of pcople and, what is still more surprising, there
is & singular and most remarkable identity in the
notion or conception of their infernal ministry.In the British West Indice the negroes of the
windward coast are called MandtM~op~, a name which
is here taken as descriptive of a peculiar race or na-
tion. There seema reason, however, to believe, that
a jMo~t~o or 3f<M~M~-man, is properly the same
with an Obi-man. A late traveHer in Brazil gives us
the following anecdotes of the Mandinga and JMaM~M-
~Me~o of the negroes in that country. One day,"
says Mr. Koster, the o ld man (a negro named
'ApoUinario) came to me with a face of dismay, to
show me a ball of leaves, tied up with a plant caUed
c~<~ w hich lie had found under a couple of boards,upon which he slept, in an out-house. The ball was
about the size of an apple. 1 coutd not imagine what
bad caused his alarm, until he said that i t was Ma~-
~M~c which had been set for thé purpose of killing
him and he bitterly bewailed lus fate, t hat at his
age, any one sliould wish to hagten his death, and to
carry him from this world, before our lady thoughtfit to send him. 1 knew that two of thé black wo-
men were at variance, and suspicion fell upon one
ofthcm, who was acquainted with the old~M~a-
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVBLLOU8. 283
~«MM of Engenho Velho thercfore she wns sent for.
I judged that the Mandinga was not set for Apollona-
rio, but for the negress whose business it was to
sweep the out-house. 1 threatened to confine the
suspected woman at Gara unless she discovered the
whole affair. She said the Mandinga was placedthere to make one of the negresses dislike her fellow-
slaves, and prefer her to the other. The bail of
Mandinga was formed of five or six kinds of leavesof trees, among which was the pomegranate leaf;
there were likewise two or three bits of rag, each of
a peculiar kind ashes, which were the bones of some
animals and there might be other ingredients be-
sides, but thèse were what 1 could recognize. This
woman either could not from ignorance, or would not
give any information respecting the several things of
which the ball was composed. 1 made this serious
matter of the Mandinga, from knowing the faith
which not only many of thé negroes have in it, but
also some of the mulatto people. There is another
name for this kind of charm it is called/o, andthe initiated are called /<?~~cro~ of these there was
formerly one at the plantation of St. Joam, who be-
came so much dreaded, that his m aster sold him to
be sent to Maranham.
Speaking of the green-beads (contas verdas) which
are another object of superstition in South America,
and of the reliance placed upon them by thé Valen-
toens, a IawIess description of persons among the
colonists of Brazil; the same author gives us this fur-
ther view of thé .M<Mf~M~o~ and their charms.
These men," says he, Il wore on their necks strings
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~4 ~MA<!MAT<A, <~
of ~fft'M ht'~dM, w!<!ch hn<! <r'tth('f cu~o ffon) thc cf~t
~f A(r!~M, ~ttrh~thf wondcfftt! propcfty f~ convcyh~in Mhff'ty th<?!r p~M~H thr<M<~h tdt dci~ftp~ of
~n! or w~rc <:h<n<t«''dhy th<! M<n«!!n~f!r<m, Affi~tt
H~f<'crt fM, wh~ htMi h~« hroo~ht ov(' to tho ~r~Hn
Mo H!nvcH, «t«! <n M't't <'(Ht<hn«'<! thf pfo!)!h!t<'d pf~'t«M' ~f hnpMft!n~ <htH v!r<w tu t!)'n. Vhtf<<tR hw!
ht'fin <M:~«a!nt<'<! w!th ~(~nc ~f th<! tn~'n, Hn~ WHHftnn!y
pf~hund~d nf ~he Vtft«cH f)f thf ~r~nt hf'adt;, Whon< ('8pt'<'fK<'<! my d~tiht~ of tho <'fHc<i<;yof thc !MXi<!M,
H~nnHt <nnn!t haM w< dhM'd, b~ <Ut~<'f ~M'
but t:h< wuM p~,y nxrt~h'd with it."
~~t hrht~H thcM' ~t~n~H frottt th« O~'thtm~
ft~'f <~ the Amax~t~ ï WtM )tt<«f<n''d/' H~o <«n'
ttuth~r, thut < M~ f<t~t<j ff~n Afr!f:M h)tt
H««x; hav~ ff~tnd t!t<r w~y f~r~ thc <~ff!h'ttM, <~t(J
!cn pti~ int~ f<<t~!t!on hy thf ~M~ Mf.
H~utht'y h{<~ M!M< ~<v~t <tt< w~'u'<nt ~f tlm "~fc<
Rt~ncMuf th<! A~tM~onM," in h!~ ht~~y of ~fMx! vol.
h p. t~.
ÏM fihnth~r p!(MM', Rn!n(; trHv~!<!r prc~htH us wit!<
th<* ~aH~M~M~r~ tn th~ ~tt 'w ch<tf<M;f ~h~ff~r ~ff
nnK~ T!~ M<t!«!tn~<t<r«a t<f<! ~«touH, Mtnon~oth<t!' <<'atH, for han<ht~ pni~m~ «n<t!{<'<t, <Ht<! f~r~
by ~a~!<:«!<tf n<)!M'Mof tunt'H, <'<dt th~M! t'<'ptt!m! fr<tfn
thotr !<«!<'n, an<! tftuhc tt«'tf< aM'<'tnh!<! nf~tMd th~t,
~'h<'Mi fo~!<~<'rf) pr~HO to r«t<d<-f hth'~hwt~ th<! h!t<
~fen~t'o, t~ pf'r~nh wh~ Mtttontt <~ th<r <'hMfms t<tt(i
M;)'f~«)n!cM. <~n<!«f(h''nt<«!<~ whtch <H<t(!«pt<'dfftf thh) p!<rjx)w< tH thttt nf~Uowht~ )tth!n<!f~tak<:to cf&w!
~v<'f th<' h<'<«!, f<M'< (u«! nh'Mthh'fo rif' thc p<n v/h~
<{} ~<; ~'«~~ ~'oAr~, <:nr<:<! nf on~kc;~ ttt) th~y
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KM~M~'f! 0~ THK MAttVt~~MHM, 8~6
t~M <t. Thf; nw«cr «f thc Mx~c t'cpcatc ccr~un
MMfn~r of wwdH (!unt~ thc opf'rMttMt, <~ wiuch, thé
<M<'Mn!«~, if tht'y <'o~t«ht ~ny, !« ~y !~<~wn t~ th~
ht!tiat<!<i. Thc f<ttt!c'(~«t~<? tH Hmd to !M', Mhovc «H
«ther ~<cc<ff). thc tftUMtHUMCcptthtc uf attention tu th''
ttt<t<'H of fh<: M<t<x!in~t<roM, Thc ~~w wc~ont~ <
f)hou!d not h~vf: ft~tted upun thé nuthonty of <~M' «f
tw~ (tttthor~, t hâve hcttrd thctn f('jx'Mt(!~ by
vcrH! ih<Hv!d«a!u, attd ov<'n w~nc tn<'n of <'<ht':Ht«)nhnv<' MjM~n «f th<' r~p<~<MJ<'<HcfM'yof tt<~ t(~t<; ~r«~<~
~fthc M(«)di«~«< t~w, <Mtfth~y wcn' M~newhftt 8t«j~"
~d ht th<'tr h<tff <)('!t. ~'h('K<! n!<'n d~ ct!ft<i«tty
p!<t</~tt'<4<~c ~«ihM Mnd v<'fy <h'xt<'f<~tH!y." ~1~' «'t~tc
W~tcf <iÏM<toh!<('rv<'H, Ot<<! of th~ «t~x:n wh~tn 1
h<ftdhtn'd w<th thc pton~ttt~n of jM~ttMritj!, h~d «ne
h'~ t~nch t!<«~cr thutt thf! <~ht;r. Th~ WMM~c~M-
H!ottf<~ hc t~~d toc, ~y thc htt~' t~ M mt.th'f~xt!~ hc
MKtd ho htt<i !n ~w~ ~'<<m thu hit~H uf Mnnt«:H by<'efta!n ~~w/<~ ~~M, o!' Mu<t<!h<~))<r~, ft~d had
(herc~~f n~t ~t{<'<! hxt that thc Ht~on waM
Ktr~)~ hc ht«i «ut ~;K<'{tp<'<ir<~<'tvit~ ««tnc h<j«ryf<~n) ti«! hitc.
~cavct, xt h<M Af«~n< M<'f'~mn<<u, Ha/M, ~'h~'f<'
iH <A)t~ih<;<'f'~t <~ t«'«p<<' whu tr~vct ah~)~ h< t,h<'
<M~n)ry, <Jh'f! M<mdht~u.<f~'«, (th<'Mc «r<' Mahotft'
tn<;d!t!m;) tjf'y <!un<~ w'<; <!x'y~o ft'unt ph«~'t«
pht<'< <)<«)wh' t< (h"/ ~nd «t<y f'ht<'fn f'r p<)!c, wh~fn
th'y thitth thcy (;!<« <n«h<' any thit~ th<'y t(t!«' «pih<;h <ih<'d<' mnx' <)««' ~tth )h<-tn, «nd <««! «'
~~j, «N<iM<t<«')tnt< cxf~ 'd fr«t« th<'tf) f~r whi<'h
th':y <n«h': <h<!«t p~y.On th<x, <tt<d <~t)t'< t)~«~t<~<M, <h<' Wt~td~yM' </i'w/
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~86 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
is applied to a house whence oracles are delivered
but it is also used for a charm or obi. They them-
selves, (the natives ofthe coast) says the author, tast
quoted, "a!wny? wcar ~~ce-~rc~, or charma, which
tbey purchase of the ~~R~~OM, to guard them
against the effects of certain arms, or of poison, and
on which they place thé utmost reliance. They have
one against poison another against a musket an-
other against a sword and another against a knifeand, indeed, against almost every thing that theythink can hurt them. Mandingo priest, or gris gris
merchant, that is, a seller of charms, which carried
about a person, secure the wearer from any evUs,
such as poison, murder, witchcraft, etc. To this
priest 1 had made eomc handsome présents, and he,
in return, gave me twelve gris. gris, and assored me
that they would inevitably secure me from all danger,at thé same time he gave me directions how to dis-
pose of them. Some were to be carried about my
person one secretly placed over each archway an-
other kept
under
my pillow,
and another under thé
door of the house 1 was then building." Thé Byu-
g~s hohi these peoplc in great révérence, and say that
they t~k with God.'
Mr. Long, in his history of thé Wcst Indies, states
that, under thc général n ame of Obi.men is t ilso
included thc class of ~M/ men, or tho~c who, bynncans of a narcotic poison, made with thc juice of
an hcrb (said to bc thé branc'hed Cah~uc, a appelésof solanum) which occasions a trancc of a certain
dumtion, endcavonr to convince thc deluded spceta-'tors of their powcr to reannnutc dead bodies.
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ELUCIDATIOXS 0F THE MAUVELLOLS, 2 87
Additional particulars of this superstition preserved
by Labat, Edwards, and othcrs, are to he joined with
those now produced;* but after all, the questions to
bc solved are, wbether Obi, Mandinga, and gree gree,are usually words of similar import, and whether
those who are conversant in them are all alike, priests
of one system of religious faith and worship, or whe-
ther the one does not belong to thé worship of a good
power, and the other to tliat of an evil one.It is remarkaMe, that wïu!e thé Etymology of Obi
bas been sought in thé names of ancient deities of
Egypt, and in that of thé serpent in the language of
the coast, the actual name of thé evil deity or Dcï~
in the same language, appears to have escaped atten-
tion. That name iswritten by Mr. Edwards, OMoM<?yand thc hearer of it is describcd as a malicious deity,thé author ofaUevil, the inflictor of perpétuai diseases~
and whose anger is to be appeased only by human
sacrifices. This evil deity i s the Satan of our own
Thé superstition
of Obi was never genern!!y
rcmarkcd
upon in the British Wcst Indies till t!te yenr 1760, whcn, after an insurtcction in Jamnica, of the Coromnntyn ot*Go!d Coast
ncgrocs,it~'asfonnd that !t had hccntnndc an instrumentfor promoting that disturbancc. Att old Ccromantyn npg~ro,thé chief instigator and oracle ofthc insnrgents of thp parishof St. Mary, in which the insorrection brokc ont, who hadndtninistcrcd the ~c~eor sok'tnn oath to thc conspirators,and fnrnishcd thctowithanutgica! préparation, Mhich wns tumakc t~tctn invutnerabh', was nt that thnc apprchnndcd and
punishcd, and a !aw was enncted for thé suppression of the
practice, uncler which several cxatnp!cs wcrc H!ndc, txtt~'ith.out cn'ccting fnr many ycars, nny diminution of thé evil
soxght to be rctncdicd.
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288 THAUMATURGIA, OR
faith; and it i s the worship of Satan which, in
all parts of the world conatitutes the essence of
sorcery.ïf this name of 0&&o~ bas any relation to thé Ob
of Egypt, and if t he Ob, both anoiently in Egypt,and to this day in thé westof Africa, signines a eer-
pent," what does this discover to our view, but that
Satan bas thé name of N~p?!~ among the Negro na-
tions as well as among those of Europe ?i' As to h owit bas happcned that the serpent, which, in some
systems, is thé emblem of the good spirit. is in others
the emblem of thé evil one, that is a topic which be-
longs to a more extenaive enquiry. This is enough for
our présent satisfaction to remember that the profes-sion of, and belief in sorcery or witchcraft, supposesthe existence of two deities, the one, the author of
good, and the other the author of evil; the one wor-
shipped by good men for good things, and for good
purposes and thé other by bad men for bad thingsand purposes and that this worship is sorcery and
thé wor~hippers
sorcerers.
It will bc secït above, t!mt sincc African charms
are toprevcnt evil, nnd othcrs to procure it, thé first
be~ong; to the worsbip, aud a rc derived from thé
powcr, of thc good spirit and the second arc from
the oppc&ite source. It is to be concbidcd, thcn,
tbat thé superstition of Obi is no othcr than tbc prac-ttcc of, and hc1ief in thé worship ofOMo~ or O&OMt,
thc evil dcity of thc Africans, thé nct'pcnt cf Africa
untï of ~urupc, and thc o!d i-crpcnt and Satan of thé
scripturct and t!mt thé witchcraft of thé ncgrocs is
evidcntly t!tc samc with our own. It might indeed
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ELU Cï DAT ÏOK S 0 F T HE MAR VE LLO U8 . 2S9
u
be further shown, that the latter have their temporarytransformations of men into alligators, wolves, and thé
like, as the French have their ïoups-garoux, thé
Germans their war-wolves, wolf-men, and the rest.*
Thé negroes practising obeah are acquainted with
some very powerful vegetable poisons, which they use
on these occasions, and hy which they acquire much
extensive credit . Their fetiches are their household
gods, or domestic divinities; oneof whom is supposedto preside over a whole province, and one over every
family. This idol is a tree, the head of an ape, a bird,
or any such thing, as their fancy may suggest. The
negroes have long been held famous in t he act of
secret or slow poisoning.If doubts and difficulties envelope the discovery of
poisons, whose distingaishing character is the rapidityof these effects, how much greater must be the uncer.
tainty when we are required to ascertain the adminis-
trations of what are called slow poisons. This subject,
!n Kostcrs's travels in Brazil, we read of a negro whowas reported by one of his <fc!!ow8to bccome occasionally/o~ ~<MK~or wolf-man. 1 asked him," said thé author,
to expÏMin when he said, that thé man was attimes trans-
formcd into an animul, of thc size of a calf with thé figure of
a dog;" and in thé African memoranda is an account of a
negro who professed and even believed to have thé powcr of
transforrning htmsetf into an alligator, in which statc he de-vourcd nwn. Upon being qucstioned by Captain Beavcr, he
answcrcd, can change mysc!f into an aHigator, and haveoften donc it. But though these tnay bc genuinc Africun
superstitions, and not such as have been introdnecd by thé
Portugucse, yct it is certain there ia no part of Ëtnope tuwhich they do not cquatty bclong.
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390 THAUMATURCïA, OR
indeed, is so closely entwined with popular supersti-
tions, that it is difficult to separate truth from falsehood.
In Italy, for example, it was formerly said, that poisonswere made to destroy life at any statcd period–froma few h oms to a year. This, however, tums out to
be a mere fiction and, it is well understood, thnt we
know of no substances that will produce death at a
determinate epoch. Thé following case of the late
Prince Charles ofAugu8tenhurgh,neverthcïesg, showsthat thé idea of slow poison is still very prévalent,even among thé physieians of continental Europe.
Prince Charles of Augustenburgh, Crown Prince
of Sweden, and thé predecessor of Bernadette, in that
station, fell dead from his horse on thé 22nd of May,
t8i0~ while reviewingiroopsin Scania. His death,
during that stormy period of pnb!ic affairs, excitcd
great attention, and an opinion soon spread abroad
that he had been poisoned. Thé Mn~ ordcred a judi-cial investigation and it appeared that Dr. Rossi,
the physician of the lute Prince, had, without direc-
tions, procceded
to
inspect the
body twcnty-four hours
after death that hc had pcrformed tbis opération with
great negligence, omitting many things which the
!aw prcscnted, which the assisting physicians proposed,and wliieit w ere essential to rendcr it satisiactorvand finally, that the coats of the stomach, instcad of
being prescrved and submitted to chemical analysiswere, according to his own acknowiedgmcnt, thrown
away. The royal tribunal adjudged him to be deprivcdof his appointmcnt, and to be bnnisbed from the king-dom. This decision would not of course diminish the
suspicion ah'cady cxcited and among othcr physieians,
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BLUCIDATïOXS O P THE MARVELLOUS. 291
u 2
who were consulted on the case, M. Lodin, professor of Medicine at Lynkoping, presented two mémoire,
in which he stated it as his opinion, that a ~oK~o~oMuf a vegetable nature, and probably analogous to the
aqua <&/aM:c, had been administered to thé Prince,
and that this had caused the apopletic fit of which he
died. His reasons were
Ï. That thé Prince had always enjoyed good health
previous to his arrivai in
Sweden, and, indeed, had not
been ill, until after eating a cold pie at au inn, in Italy.Hc was shortly after seized with violent vomiting,
while thé rest of t he company experienced no 1!!
effects.
2. The Prince was naturally very temperate.3. Ever since he arr ived in Sweden he had expe-
rienced a loss of appetite, with cholic and diarrhoea
and
4. That on dissection, the spleen was found of a
black colour and in a state of decomposition, and the
liver induratcd and dark coloured. Whilst during life
he had experienced no symptoms corresponding to
these appearances. Dr. Lodin confesscd, however,that he was unacqnainted with the effects that indicate
thé administration of a slow poison, but thought the
previous symptoms were such as might be cxpcctedfrom it.
For the credit of the profession, this conjectural
opinion met with decided reprobation from other
medical men. It appeared that thé Prince had, for
several days previousiy, been suhject to giddiness and
pain in the head, and that aU thé symptoms were
readily rcferable to a simple case of apoptexy, while
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292 TBAUMATUROÏA, OR
the appearances on dissection showed that fap!d ten-
dency to putrefaction, which is frequently observed in
similar cases.
The public are highïy Indebted to professor Beck-
man for a very elaborate article, in which he bas con-
centrated nearly all that is known concerniog secret
poisoning. Of this we shall hère present our readers
with an abstract, as peculiarly adapted to the demo-
noÏogy of medicine, aided with some facts from other
sources.
Professor Beckman considers it unquestionable,that thé ~nc!ents were acquainted with this kind of
poigon, and thinks tbat it may be proved from the
testïmony of Plutarch, QuintUian, and other respecta- ble authors. Thé former states that a s low poison,which occasioned heat, a cough, spitting of blood, a
consumption, and weakness of intellect, was adminie-
tcred to Aratus of Sicyon. Theophrastus speaks of a
poison prepared from aconitc, which could be mode-
mted in such a munner as to hâve e~ect in two or
three months, or at thé end of a year or two years
and he also relates, that Thrasyns had discovered amethod ofpreparingfrom other p!ants a poison which,
given in smal! doses, occaeioned a certain but easy
death, without any pain, and which could be kepthack for a long time without causing wcakness or
corruption. Thé last poison was much used at Rome,
about two hundred y cars bcfore thé christian era.
At a ïatcr period, a female named Locusta, was the
agent in prcparing thèse poisons, and she destroycd.'in this way, at the instigation of Nero, Britannicus,
son of Agrippina.
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RLUCIDATIONS 0F T HE MARVKLL OUS. 293
The Carthagenians seem also to have been acquaintedwith this act of diabolical poisoning and they are
said, on thé authority of Aulus Gellius, to have
administered some to Regulus, the Roman general.
Contemporary writers, however, it must be added,
do not mention this.
The principal poisons known to the ancients were
? prepared from plants, and particularly aconite, hem-
lock, and poppy, or from animal substances; and
among the latter none is more remarkable than that
obtained from the sea-hare (Z.<~MS marinus or ~py~a
<M of the system of nature). With this, Titus is
said to have been dispatched by Domitian. They do
not seem to have been acquainted with the common
n~!nera~ poisons.In the year 1659, t during the pontificate of
Alexander VII, i t was observed at Rome, that many
young women became widows, and that many hus-
banda died when they became disagreeable to their
wives. The govemment used gréât vigilance to
detect the
poisoners, and
suspicion at
length fell
upona society of young wives, whose president appearedto be an old woman, who pretended to foretel future
events, and who had often predicted very exactly the
death of many persons. By means of a craft)' female
their practices were detected the whole society were
arrested and put to thé torture, and the old woman,
whose name was Spara, and four others, were publicly
hanged. This Spara w aa a Sicilian, and is said to
have acquired her knowledge h'om Tofania at Palermo.
Tophania, or Tofania, was an infamous woman,
who resided first at Palermo and afterwards at Naples.
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294 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
She sold the poison which from her acquired the
Dame of Aqua deHa Toffana ~it was a!so called
Acquetta di Naloli, or ~c~Me~(ï alone), but she dis-
tributed her preparation by way of charity to such
wives as wished to hâve other husbands. From four
to six drops were sufficient to destroy a man and it
was asserted, that the dose could be so proportionedas to operate in a certain time. Labat says, that
Tofania distributed her poison in small glass phials,with this inscription-Manna of St. ~c%o~<M of Bavi,
and ornamented with the image of thé saint. She
Hved to a great age, b ut was at last dragged from a
rnonastery, in which she had taken refuge, and put to
the torture, when she confessed her crimes and was
strangled.In no country, however, has the art of poisoning
excited more attention than it d id in France, about
the ycar IG~O. Margaret d'Aubmy, wife of the
Marquis de BrinviUier, wns the principal agent in »
this horrible business. A needy adventurer, named
Godin de St. Croix, had formed an acquaintance with
the Marquis during their campaigns in the Netherlands –became at Paris a constant vis itor at his house,
where in a short t ime he found means to insinuate
himself into the good grâces of the Marchioness.
It was not long before this Marquis died; not,
however, until their joint fortune was dissipated.Her conduct, in openty carrying on this amour, in.
duced her father to have St. Croix arrested and sent
to the Bastile. Bere he got acquainted with an
Italian, of thé name of Exili, from whom be learnt
the art of preparing poisons.
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ELUCIDATtOXS OP THE MARVJSLLOU8. 295
After a year's imprisonment St. Croix was released,
when he flew to the Marchioness and instructed her
m the art, in order that she might employ it in better.
ing the circumstances of both. She assumed the ap-
pearance of a nun, distributed food to the poor, nursed
the sic!t in thé Hôtel Dieu, and tried the strength of
her poisons, undetected, on these hapless wretches.
She bribed one Chaussée, St. Croix's servant, to poi-
son her own father, after introducing him into hisservice, and also her brother, and endeavoured to
poison her sister. A suspicion arose that they had
been poisoned, and the bodies were opened, but no
detection followed at this time. Their vil~inous
practices were brought to hght in the following man-
ner :-St. Croix, when preparing poison, was accus-
tomed to wear a glass mask but, as this happenedonce to drop off by accident, he was suffocated and
found dead in his laboratory. Government caused
the effects of tliis man, w ho had no family, to bc
examined, and a list of them to be m ade out. On
searching them, t here was found a s mall box, to
which St. Croix had anixed a written paper containing
areqùest, that a fter his death it might be deliveredto the Marchioness de Brinvillier, who resides in the
street Neuve St. Paul, as every thing it contains
concerns her, and belongs to her alone and ae,
besides, there is nothing in it that can be of use to
any person except her and in case she shall be dead
before me, to burn it, and every thing it contains,
without opening or aitering any thing and in order
that no one may plead ignorance, 1 swear by God,
whom i adore, a nd aU that is most sacred, that
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296 TBAUMATURGIA, OR
1 advance nothing but what is true. And if my
intentions, just and reasonable as they are, be
thwarted in this point, Ï charge their consciences
with it, both in this world and the next, in order that
1 mayunload mioe.protesting thatthis is my last will.Donc at Paris, this 35th May, in the afternoon, 1672.
De Sainte Cro~
Nothing could be a greater inducement to have it
opened, than this singular pétition, and that being
donc, there w as found in it a great abundance of
poisons of every kind, with labels, on which their
enects proved, by expérimenta on animais, were
marked. The principal poison, however, was corro-
sive sublimate. When the Marchioness heard of the
death of her lover and instructor, she was desirous to
have the casket, and endeavoured to get possession of
it by bribing the officers of justice; but as she failed
in this, she quitted thé kingdom. La Chaussée, how-
ever, continued at Paris, laid claim to the propertyof St. Croix, w as seized and imprisoned, confessed
more acts of villainy than was su&pected, and was in
consequence broke alive upon the wheel, in 1673.– The Marcbioness fled to England, and from thence
to Liege, where she took refuge in a convent. Des-
grais, an officer of justice, was dispatched in pursuitof her, and having a ssumed the dress of an Ahbé,
contrived to cntice her from this privileged place.
Among her effects at the convent therc was found a
confession, and a complete catalogue of all her crimes,
in her own hand-writing. She was taken to Paris,
convicted, and on the l6tb of July, 16~ publicly
beheaded, and afterwards burnt.
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ELUCïDATiONS OP THE MARVBLLOU8. 297
The practice of poisoning was not, however, sup-
pressed by this execution, and it was asserted, that
confessions of a suspicious nature were constantlymade to the priests. A court for watching, search.
ing after, and punishing prisoners was at length es-`
tablished in 1697, under the title of chambre de poison,or chambre ardente. This was shortly used as a state
engine, against those who were obnoxious to the
court, and the namcs of individuaÏB of the first rank, both male and female, were prejudiced. Two fëmales,
la Vigreux and la Voison were burnt alive, by order
of this court, in February, 1680. But it was abolished
in the same year.Professor Beckman relates the following, as com-
municated to him by LinnaBUS Charles XI, King of
Sweden, having ruined several noble families by
seizing on their property, and having, after that,
made ajoumey to Torneo, he fell into a consumptive
disorder, w hich no medicine could cure. One dayhe asked his physician in a very earnest manner what
was the cause of his illness. The physician replied,Your Majesty has been loaded with too many
maledictions. Yes," returned the king, 1 wish
to God that the reduction of thé nobilities' estates had
not taken place, a nd that 1 had never under taken a
joumeytoTorneo." After his death his intestines
were found to be full of small ulcers.
There has been a great diversity of opinions as to
the nature of these poisons. That prepared by Tofa-
nia appears to have been a clear insipid water, and
the sale of aqua for tis was for a long time forbidden
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298 THAUMATUROIA, OR
in Rome, because it was considered tlie principal in-
grédient. This, however, is not probable.In Paris, the famous poudre de succession (also a
secret poison) was at onc time supposed to consist of
diamond dust, powdered exceedingly fine and at
:mother time, to contain sugar of lead as thé principal
ingrédient Haller was of this last opinion. In thé
casket of St. Croix were found sublimate, opium,
regu!u8 of antimony, vitriol, a nd a large quantity of
poison ready prepared, the principal ingredients of
which the physicians were not able to detect. Garelli,
plivsician to Chartes VI, King of the Two Sicilies, at
thé time when Tofania was arrested, wrote to thé
celebrated HoSman. that thé Aqua Tofania was no.
thing else than crystallized arsenic, dissolved in a
large quantity of water by decoction, w ith the addi-
tion, (but for what purpose we know not) of the herb
€~M~/ar«ï, (probably thé ~r~MK~ Cymbalaria).
And this information he observes, was communicated
to him by his impérial ma;esty himself, to whom thé
judicial procedure, confirmed by the confession of
thé criminal, was transmitted. But it was objected tothis opinion, that it dinercd from the ordinary effects
of arsenic, in never betraying itself by any particular
action on thé human body.
Thc Abbé Gagliani, on theother hand, asserts that
it is a mixture of opium and cantharides, and that the
liquor obtained from its composition, is as limpid as
rock water, and without tastc. Its effects are slow,
and almost imperceptible. Beckman appeare to fa-
vour this idea, and suggcsts that a similar poison
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E LUC ID ATI ON S 0 F T HR MA RV ELLO US . 299
ïs used in the East, under the name of powst, beingwater that had stood a night over thé juice of pop-
pies. It is given to princes, whom it is wished to
despatch privately and produces Ïoss of strengthand understanding, so that they die m the end, torpid
and insensible.*
The following extract will show that secret poison-
ing has penetrated into the forests of America. The
celebrated chief, ~&ïcA&~ of the Omawhaws, gained
great reputation as a medicine man his adversaries
feU rapidiy before his potent spells. Hie medicine
was arsenic, furnished him for this purpose by the
villainy of thé traders."t
Bcckman, vot 1, p. 74 to 103.
t Sce Major Long's expedition, vol. 1. p. 226.
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300THAUMATURGE OR
CHAPTER XIX.
ON THK ORMÏN AND SUPBR8TïT!OUB ÏMPLUNNCE
OFBïNOS.
THE ancient magicians, amongother pretended ex-
traordinary powers of accomplishing wonderful things
by their superior knowledge of the secret powers of
nature, of the virtues of plants and mtneraÏs, and of
the motions and influence of the stars, attached no
smaH degree of myatic importance to rings, the en-
gin of which, their matter and uses, together with
the supposed virtues of the atones eet in them, a~brd
a suh}ect squaring so much with our design, a nd sodesen'ing of notice from the curious, that no apologyneed be made for discoursing on them.
According to the accounts of the heathen mythoîo-
gists, Prometheus, who, in the first times, had disco-
vered agréât number of secrets, having been deUvered
from thé charma, by which he was fastened tu mount
Caucasus for stealing fire from heaven, in memory or
acknowledgment of the favour he received from Jupi.
ter, made himscif of one of those chains, a ring, in
whose coUet he represented thé figure of part of the
rock where hc had been detained-or rather, as Pliny
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVBMOU8. 301
says, set it in a bit of the same rock, and put i t on
his finger. This was the first ring and the first atone.
But we otherwise learn, that the use of rings is very
ancient, and the Egyptians were the first inventors
of them which seems confirmed by the person of
Joseph, who, as we read (Genesis. chap, xi.) for
having interpreted Pharoah's dream, reccived not only
his liberty, but was rewarded with his princes ring,
a collar of gold, and the superintendancy of Egypt.Josephus, in the third hook of Jewish antiquities
says, the Israélites had the use~of them after passingthe Red Sea, because Moses at his return from Mount
Sinai, found that they had forged the golden calf from
their wives' rings, enriched with precious atones.
Thé same Moses, upwarda of 400 years before thé
wars of Troy, permitted the priests he had esta-
blished, the use of gold rings, enriched with
precious stones. 'nie high prieat wore upon his
ephod, which was a kind of camail, rich rings, that
served as clasps a large emerald was set and
engraved with mysterious names. The ring he wore
on his finger was of inestimable value and celestial
virtue. Had n ot Aaron, the high priest of the He-
brews, a ring on his finger, whereof the diamond, byita virtues, operatcd prodigious things ? For i t changedits vivid lustre into a dark culour, whcn the Hebrews
were to be punished by deatit for their sins. When
they were to fait by thé sword it appeared of a blood
colour if they were innocent it sparkicd as usual.
It is observable that thé ancient Hebrews used
rings even in the timc of the wars of Troy. Queen
Jezebel, to destroy Nabath, as it ia related in the first
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302 THAUMATURGtA, OR
Book of Kings, made use of thé ring of Ahab, King of
the Israelites, her husband, to seal the counterfeit
letters that ordered the death of that unfcrtunate
man. Did uot Judah, as mentioned in the 38 tb chap.ter of Genesis, abuse his daughter'in.law, Thamar,
who had disguised herself, by giving her his ring and
bracelets, as a pledge of the faith he had promiscdher?
Though Homer is silent in regard to rings, both in
his Iliad and Odyssey, they wcre, notwithstanding,used in the time of thé Greeks and Trojans and from
them they were received by se\ erat other nations. The
Lacedemonians, as related by Alexander, ab. Alexan-
dro, pursuant to the orders of their king, .Lycurgus.had only iron rings, despising those of gold either
their king was thereby willing to retrench luxury,or to prohibit the use of them.
The ring was reputed, by some nations, a symbol of
libernlity, esteem, and friendship, particularly amongthc Persians, none being permitted to wear any, cxccpt
they were givcn by thé king himself. This is wl)atmay also be remarked in thé perron of Apolïoniua
Thyaneus, as a token of singular esteem and libera-
lity, received one from thé great larchas, prince of
thé Gymno~ophi~ts, who were the ancient priests of
India and dwelt in forests, as our ancient bards
and druids, where they applied themselves to thc
study of wisdom, and to thé spéculation of the heaven
and stars . This philosopher, by the means of that
ring. learned every day thc secrets of nature.
Though thé ring found by Gygcs, shephcrd to the
King of Lydia, has more of faMc tban of truth in it,
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 303
it will not, however, be amiss, to relate what is said
conceming Hcrodotus, CœHus, after Plato and Cicero,
in the third book of his Offices. This Gyges, after a
gréât flood, passed into a very deep cavity in the earth,
where having found in the beiïy of a brazen horse,
with a large aperture in it, a human body of enormous
size, he puUed from off one of the fingers a ring of
surprising virtue for the stone on the collet rendered
him who wore it invisible, when tlie collet was turnedtowards the palm of thé hand, so that the party could
sec, without being seen, a ll m anner of persons and
things. Gyges, having made trial of its eSicacy,
bethought himself that it would be a means for ascend-
ing thé throne of Lydia, and for gaining thé Queen
by it. He succeeded in h is designs, having killed
Candaules, h er husband. The dead body this ring
belonged to was that of an ancient Brahman, who, m
his time, was chief of that sect.
The rings of the ancients often served for seals.
Alexander thé Great, a fter the death and defeatof
Darius, used his ring for eeahng thé Setters he sent into~
Asia, and his own for thèse he sent to Europe. It i i<
customary in Rome for thé bridegroom to send thé
bride, before murriage, a ring of iron, without either
~tohe or collet, to denote how lasting their union oughtto be, and thé frugality they were to observe to.
gether but luxury herein soon gained ground, and
there was a necessity for moderating it. Caius Marius
did not wear one of gold till his third consulshipand Tiberius, as Suetonius says. made some réfuta-tions in the anthority of wcaring rings for, be.
sides the liberty of birth, he required a considérable
revenue, both on the fathcr and grandfather's side.
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304THAUMATUROtA, OR
In a Polyglot dictionary, pubHshed in the year t625,
by John Minshew, our attention was attracted by the fol-
lowing observations, underthe article" RtNoFiNQKR."
–-Vêtus versicuhs singulis digitis Annulum trebuens
Miles. Mercator. Stultus. Maritus. Amator. Pollici
adscribitur Militi, seu Doctor. Mercatorem a pollice
secundum, stultorum, tertium. Nuptorum vel studios-
orum quartum. Amatorum ultimum."By which it appears, that the fingers on which annuli
were anciently wom werc directed by thé calling, or
peculiarity of the party. Were it
A soldier, or doctor, to him was assigned the thumb.
A sailor, the finger next the thumb.
A fool, the middle finger.A married or diligent perqon, the fourth or ring finger.A lover, thé last or little finger.The medicinal or curative power of rings are numc-
rous and, as a matter of course, fonnded on imaginar~'
qualities. Thus thé wedding ring rubbing upon that
~ttle
abscess called the stye, which is frequently seen
on the tarsi of thé eyes, is said to remove it. Certain
rings are worn as' talismans, either on the nngers or
suspended froin the neck the efficacy of which may
he referred to thé effects usually produced by thèse
charms.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 30&
x
CHAPTER XX.i
CELESTÏAL ÏNFLURNCË8 –OMEN8 –CMMACTER!C8
PRËDOMINATION8––MCKY AND UNLUCKY DAYS–
EMPIRIC8, &C.
AsTROMGERs, among other artiftces, have used their
best endeavours, and cinpioyed aU thé rnles of their
art, to rendcr those years of our âge, which they caU
clunactencs, dangerous and formidable.
The word chmactcrtc is derived from thé Greek,
which meansby a scale or ladder, and implics acritical
year, or a period in mati's âge. wherein, according to astrologica~ju~ing, there is somc notable alter-
ation to arise in thé body, and a person stands in great
danger of death. Thc first c limacteric is thé seventh
ycar of a man's life the others are multiples of thé
first, ag2t,49,5G,63, and 84, w hich two last arc
called the grand cinnactcrics and the danger more
certain. Thc fnundation of this opinion is accouutctt
for by ~Inrk Ficinns as follows :–Thcrc is a ycar, hc
tells us, assi~rtcd for each planet to ruic over thc bodyof a man, each of his turn now Saturn being the most
~!((/c/tc< (mah~nant) ptanct of nll, cvery scvcnth
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30C THAUMATURGIA, OR
year, w hich Mïs to its lot, becomes very dangerous
especially those of sixty.three and eighty-fbur, when
thé person is already advanced in years. According
to this doctrine, somc hold every seventh year an
established climacteric but others only allow the title
to those produced by multiplication of tbe c!intactenca!
space by an odd number, 3, 0, 7, U, &c. Others ob-
serve every ninth year as a climactenc.
Cjimacteric ycars are pretended, by some, to befatal to poUtica! bodies, which, perhaps, may be
granted, when they are proved to be so more than
to natural ones for it must beobvious that thereason
of such danger can by no means be discovered, nor
thé relation it can have with any other of thé numbcrs
above mentioned.
Though this opinion haa a great deal of antiqnityon its side Aulus Gelïius says–it was horrowed from
thc CImIdcans, who possibïy might reçoive it from
Pythagoras, whose philosophy teemed much in num-
ber~, and who imagincd a very extraordinary virtue
in thc number r. The principal authors on climacte-
rics are–PIato, Cicero, Macrobius, Aulus Gellius.
Among thé ancien ts–Ar~a!, Magirus, and Sohna-
theus. Among thé modems–St. Augustine, St.
Ambrose, Beda and Boethius, all countenance the
opinion.Therc is a work extant, though rather scarce, by
Hevelius, under thc title of ~~MM~ C'oc/c~cM~,
whcrcin hc describes the Ïo~s hc i?ustaincd by his
cbscrvatory, &c. being burnt; wh ch it would appear
happcncd in his grand chmacteric, of which he w as
c'tt'emely apprehensive.
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KLUMUATIOK8 0F THR MAK.VELLOU8. 307
x 2
Astrologers have also brought under their inspectionand controul thé days of thé year, which thcy have
presumed to divide into ~K~ and M/~c~ daye
calling even the sacred scriptures, and the common
belief of christians, in former ages, to their assistance
for this purpose. They prétend that the fourteenth
day of thé first mouth was a blessed day among the
i. Israelites, authonsed, as they prétend, hy thé several
passages out of Exodua, v. 18In thé fir st yKo/ on the fourteenth day of thé
month at even, ye shaH eut unleavened bread, untit
the one and twentieth day at even," v. 40. Now,
thé so~ourmng of thé children of Israel, who dwelt in
Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.4t. And it came to pass, at the end of the four
hundred and thirty years, even thé self same day it
came to pass, that all thé hosts of thé Lord went out
from the land of Egypt."42. It is a night to be much obscrved unto the
Lord for bringing them out of t hé laad of Kgypt;
that is that night of the Lord to be observed of allthe children of Israel, in their générations."
5 And it came to pass, the self same day, that
the Lord did bring the c hildren of Israel out of the
land of Egypt by their armies." Aiso Z<put~cM~,
c~. 53, v. 5. In thé fourteenth day of the first
month at even, is thé Lord's passover." A~M~
~a~. 2~, tG. Four hundred and tlui'ty year:)
being expired of their dwelling in Egypt, cven in
thé self ame day thcy departed thcncc."
With regard to cvil days and times, AstrologcMrefer to ~MMs. c/ 5, v. 13. thercforc, thé pra-
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308 THAUMATURGIA, OR
dent shall kecp silence in that time, for i t is an evil
time," and cA~. 6, v. 3, Ye that put far away thc
evil day, and cause thé seat of violence to corne near;"
a~o 7~~t 37, t\ to, Thcy shaU not be a~hamed in
thé evil time and in thé days of famine, they sha!!
he satisned and /crcw~, c~tp. 46. v. 21, AIso
hcr hired men are in thé midst of her, likc fatted
bnUocks, for they arc also turncd back and are fled
away togethcr they did not stand because the day of theh' calamity was corne upon them, and thé time of
their visitation." And to Job cursing thé day of his
birth, from thé first to the cleventh verse. In connrtna-
tion ofwhich may a~sobe quoted a calendar, extracted
out of several ancient Roman Catholic prayer books,
written on veHum, before printing was invented, in
which werc insertcd thc unfortunate daya of each
month, which it would bc supernuous to cite hère.*
Roman History sufficiently proves that thé nature
of lucky and unlucky days owes its origin to Paganism:
whcrc it i s mentioned, that that very day four years,thé civil wars were begnn by Pompey, thé father
('œsar tnade an e nd of them with his son, Cneius
Pompeius being 8~ain and that thé Romans counted
thc !3th of Fcbruary an unlucky day, because, on
that day they were ovcrthrown by the Gauls at Alba
and thc Fabii attacking the city of the Recii, were uU
s!ain, with thé exception of one man; alsofrom thé
ctdcndar of Ovid's F;~torutn," ~r~ crat MPMSïR
Gr<t'c~ oM~tM~t~: nnd from !ïoracc, Buok 2n(!.
Ode 13, curi?in~ thc trcc that had ncurly faï~en upon it;
Ï~ ~6.s' f~.
St'c !)cn!o'to!og):), hy J. S. F. p. 40.
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ELUCÏDATtOXS 0F THE MAKVHLLOUS. 300
Thé Pagans believed there were particular montha
and days which carried something fatal in them
thuse, for instance, upon which thé state pcrhaps had
loat a great battle and under tins impression, they
never undertook any enterprise on thèse days and
months. Thé twenty-fourth of February in the Bi-
sextilc years was considered so unlucky. that Valen-
tinian (~MWtaM, Marcell. ~&. 26. ca~. 1.) bcingelected Emperor upon durst not appear in public
under the apprehension of suffering thé fatality of
the day. Many other particular days might be quot-ed upon which generals of armies have constantly
been favoured with fortune. Timoleon (Co~. A~o~)won aU his famous battles on his birthday. Soliman
(DMfpr~c)'. Hist. des T~rc~ won the battic of Mohac,
and took thé fortress of Belgrade, and, according to
some historians, thé Isle of Rhodes, and thé town of
Buda on the 26th of August. But we find, inlikc
manner, thé same day lucky and unlucky to the same
people. Ventidius, at thé head of thé Roman army,routcd thé Parthians, and 8~ew their young kingPacorus who commandcd them, on thé same day that
Crassus, another Roman gênerai, had been slain, and
his whoïc army eut in pieces by thé same people.LucuUus having attacked Tigranes, king of Armenia,
notwithstanding thé vain scruples of his officcrs, who
desired him to heware fighting on that dny, which
was noted in thé Roman calendar as an unlucky one,
ever since the fatal overthrow of the Romans by thé
Cimbri but he, (Lucullus) despising thé superstition,
gained one of the most mémorable battles recorded
in Roman history, and changed thé destiny of thé
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310 THAUMATURGtA, OR
daVt as he promised thosc who would have dissuaded
him from thé enterprise. And Valentinian's unlucky
day was that on which Charles V, another Roman
Empcror, promised himself thé best good fortune.
Friday is dcemed an unlucky day for engaging in any
particular busineas, and there are few, if any, captainsof ships who would sail from any port, on this day of
the week for their destination.
The fishermen who dwell on the coaats of the Baltic
never use their nets between All-saints and St Mar-
tin's they would then he certain of not taking anynsh through thé whole year they never r~h on St
BÏaise's day. On Ash Wednesday thé women neither
sew nor knit, for fear of bringing misfortune upon
their cattle. They contrive so as not to use fire on
St. Laurence's day; hy taking this précaution they
think themselves secure agninst fire for the rest of thé
year.This prejudice of lucky and unlucky days has ex.
isted at aU times and in aH nations but if know!edge
and civilization have not removed it, they have atleast diminished its influence. In Livonia, however,
thc people are more than ever addicted to the most
superstitious idem; on this gubject. In a Riga journal
(~~Mc~p .S~Mn~r, No. 3657, anno 1822, ed!ted
hy M. Sonta~) thcre are severat passades re!ative to
a letter from heaven, and which isno othcr than a ca-
talogue of h~cky and unlucky days. This letter is in
générât circulation every body carries it about him,
and though strictly forbidden by the police, the co-
pies are multiplied M profugely as to increase the evil
all attcmpts to destroy which have hitherto failed.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 311 1
Amongthe country people this idea is equivalent to thé
doctrine of fatality and if they commit faults or
even crimes, on the days which arc marked as un-
lucky, they do not consider themselves as guilty, be*
cause they were predestined.The night of certain birds, or thé meeting of certain
animais on their first going out in the morning, are
with them good or bad omens. They do not hunt onSt. jMark's, or St. Catherine's day, on penalty of
being unsuccessful all thé rest of the year. It is a
good sign to sneeze on Christmas day. Most of
them are so prepossessed against Friday, that theynever settle any important business, or conclude a
bargain on that day in some places they do not even
dress their children. They do not like vis its on
Thursdays, for it is a sign they shall have trouble-
some guests the whole week.
In some districts of Esthonia, up the Baltic, when
the shepherd brings his nocks back from thé pasture, in
spring for the 6rst time, he is sprinkled with water from
head to foot under the persuasion that this makes the
cattle thrive. The malignity of beasts of prey is be-
lieved t o be prevented by dcsignating them not bytheir proper names, but by some of their attributes.
For instance, they cal! the fox' Aa~M~ (grey coat)the bear, layjatyk (broad-foot), etc. etc. They also
fancy that they can oblige thé wolf to take another
direction by strewing salt in his way. The howlingof wolves, cspeciaUy at day-break, is considered a
very bad omen, predicting famine or disease. In
more ancient times, it was imagined that these ani-
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3t2 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
mais, thus asked their god to give them food, which
he threw them out of the clouds. When a wolf
seizcs auy of their cattle, they eau oblige him to
quit his prcy, by dropping a piece of money, their
pipe, hat, or anv other article they hâve about
them at the time. They do not permit the hare
to be often mentioncd, for fear of drawing it into
their corn-fields. To make hene lay eg~s, they beat
them with an old broom. In families where the
wife is the eMest child of her parents, it has been
observed that they always seU t~~e first calves, being
convinced, that, if kept, they would not thrive. To
apeak of insects or mischievous animais at meal-times,
is a sure way to make them more voracious.
If a tire breaks out, they think to stop its fury
by throwing a black hen into the flames. This
idea, of an expiatory sacrifice, offered to a mâle.
volent and tute~ary power, is a remnant of paganism.Various other traces of it a re found among the
Esthonians for instance, at the beginning of their
meals, they purposely let fall a piece of new bread,or some drops of liquor from a bottle as an offer-
ing' to thé divinity.It is very offensive to the peasants, for any one
to look into their wc~s they think i t will cause thé
wells to dry up.When manna is carried into thé fields, that wh ich
faHs from thé cart is not gat~~ered up, lest mis.
chicvous insects and blights corne upon the corn.
When an old housc is quitted for a new one
they arc attentive in noting thé first animal that
dies. If it be an animal with hairy fect, the sign
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ELU CI DA TI OK 8 0 ~ TH E MA RV ËLLO US . 3!3
ï8 good but if with nakcd feet, some fbwt. for
instance, there will be mouming in thé house it i s
a sign of misery a nd bad success in all theh' under-
takings. These, with a scrupulous adhérence to luckyand unlucky days, are the prevailing popular super-stitions in thé three duchies a great number of
which, especially among the Esthonians, are conneeted
with their ancient mythology.In reading that pleasant volume, by the late Sir
Humphrey Davy, entitled Salmonia, i t is impossiblenot to be struck with his remark respecting omens,
which is here briefly noticed, with an account of
others, w hich it is imagined have not yet found their
way far into print, in order to account for such
seeming absurdities.
The search after food,* as we agreed on a
former occasion, is the principal cause why animais
change their places. Thé différent tribes of wading birds always migrate when rain is about to takc
place
and 1 remember once in
Italy, having
been
long waiting, in thé end of March, for thé arrivai
of double snipe, in thé campagna of Rome a great
n!ght appeared on thé third of April, and thé day
after, heavy rain set in, which greatly interfered
with my sport. Thé vulture, upon thé same prin-
ciple, follows armies and 1 have no doubt that the
augurv of the ancients was a~good deal founded
upon' the observation of tlie instinct of birds. Therc
are many superstitions of thé vulgar owing to the
same source. For anglers, in spring, it is always
Sec Magazine of Nntnrat His~ory, Apri!, 1830.
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3t4 THAUMATURGIE, OR
uniuckly to see single magpies but two may always be regarded as a favourable omen and the reason
is, tlmt in cold and stormy weather, one magpieabne Ieaves the nest in searcli of food, the other
remaining sitting upon the eggs of thé young ones
but, when two go out togethcr, i~ is only when
thé weather is mild and warm, and favouraMc for
~s!ung.
This reasoning will, in general, be found correct,and may be applied tu solve many of thé supersti-tions in thé country; but thé case of thé magpieis entitled to a l it tle more consideration. The pian-
net, as we caH her in the North of England, is
thé most unlucky of all birds, to see singly at any
time this, nowever, does not often happen, cxcepta short t ime during incubation they cither appear in pairs or in families but even this last appear-ance is as atarming to our grandmothers. The fol-
lowing distich shows what each forbodes One
sorrow, two mirth, threc a wcdding, four death.'
This bird, indced, appears to have takcn thé same
place with us, as an omen of evil, that the owl
had amongst the ancients . The nurse is often heard
to déclare that she has lost aU hopes of her chargewhen she bas ohscrved a piannct on thé housc-top.
Another préjudice, indulged even by our good
wives, is that of dcstroying thé fcatlicrs of thé pigeoninstcad of saving thctn tu stuff beds, etc. They say,tliat if they werc to do so, it would only prolongthé sunerings of thc dcath-bed aud when these
are more thaa usually sévère, it is attributed to
this cause, and tlic reason given because thé bird
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELÏ.OUS. 3!5
bas no ~aU/ is tj& thcm quite conclusive, but to nie,
perfectly irrc!evant and unsatisfactory. A belief
amongst boyg, t hat to hnrm or d!stut'b the nests
of the rcdbreast or swallow is unlucky, appears very
général throughout thé kingdom and thé keen bird-
nester, who pridcs himself on the quantity of eggs blown and strung bead-fashion, hère often gets mor-
tified by finding lus trophies destroved hy thé housc-wife who considers their presence as anecttng thé
gafety of her crokery ware. This belief may have
been encouraged, if n ot invented, for a humane
purpose but how are we to account for thé efficacyof the Irish stone in curing swellings caused byvenonaous reptiles, bv merely being rubhed upon thé
part aChcted ? Thé fullest faith in thé practice ap-
pears to have prevailed in the country at no distant
period, and is yet far from extinct. The swallow and
the cuckoo are generally hailed as harbingers of springand summer, but, perhaps, many of our readers
are not aware that i t is
only lucky to licar the
cuckoo,for the first time in thé scason, upon soft groundin contradistinction to hnrd roads, and with moneyin thé pocket, wh!ch thé youngstcr is f~agely advised
to be sure then to tum over. Perhaps thé season
of thé year may satisfactorily explain all these oh.
servances. Several superstitious customs are men.
tioncd rcgarding bées, some of which arc not
practised in thé north yet it ia fuHy believed that
thé death of thé stock of h ives too often foretells
tîte nittin~ o f the bce-master. Wet cold years,
unfavouraMe to t hé insccts, ure a!so equally so
to the farmer upon thin clays, which border the
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3!6 THAUMATUKGtA, OR
moors, where bées are mostly ~t. Has the use
of thé monntain ash, rowan tree* [Pyrus aucuparia,
G'<rWM<?~] as a charm against witcheraft, ever beeu
accountcd for ?r The Mief in its emcacy must be
very o!d i f we are to credit some of Shakspeare's
commenti~tors, who givc this word as the true readingin Macbeth, instead of Aroint thee, witch
It often happons that the careless observer bas,
for thé first time, his attention called forcibly tosome appcarance of nature by accidentai circum-
stmces if at all superstitious, he immediately pro-
gnosticates thé most disastrous conséquences from
that which a little observation would have convinced
him was but a phenomenon a little more conspicuousthan usuaL Thé northern lights are said to have
caused much consternation when first observed and
they hâve Ïately been viewed with more than or-
dinary interest, as it appears f rom thé Newcastle
C~ro~c/p, thé last autumn (1830), when they were
more than usually brilliant, some of thé inhabitants
of Weardule
were convincedthey saw,
on one occa-
sion, very distinct!y, thé figure of a man on a
white horse, with a red sword in his hand, move
across the heavens and arc, no doubt, now certain
that i t foi-etold thé present eventfnl times. Even
this belief may be accounted for on such accidentât
coincidenccp, or even phtïosophically, t by assumingas a fact that this phenomenon is the result of a n
electrical change in thc atmosphère, and that such
a change tistially précèdes rain. Now, if such hap-
pen in spring o r in summer, and before such a
quantity of min as is f ound to affect the harvest,
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVhLLCUS. 3!~
it may too often betokcn ~carcity, discontcnt, and
turbulence, as such arc thé times when aU griev.
ances, e ither real or imaginary, are brought for-
ward for redress. The origin of the superstitionof sailors, of nailing a liorse-slioc to thé mast,
is to me unaccountuble, unïess i t may have bcen,
like thé following t rial of thé credulity of the
superstitious by some person for amusement :–Sai-lurs sometimes make a considérable pecuniary sa-
crifice for thé acquisition of a chitd's eaul, thé
retaining of which is to infaUibIy preserve them from
drowning.Some years aga, a pretty widc district wasalarmed
by an account of thé beans [Faba vulg~ris var.
equina] being laid the wrong way in the pod that
year, which most ccrtainly foreboded something ter-
rible to happen m a short thne, and this producedmuch consternation amongst those who allow their
imaginations to run r iot. The whote of thé terrible
omen was this the eye of thé beau was in thé
pod towards the apex, instcad of being towards
the footstalk, as might appear at first sight t o be
its natural position and some were scarcely con.
vinced that this was thé natural position of thé
beans in the pod evcr since the creation, even
on being shown thé pod o f thé prcccding year with thé secd in thé samc position.
·
As yct, however, 1 fear we must sum up in thc
words of Davy
7~ But how canyo~cxphun
such nbsurditics
as Friday being an unlucky day, and t!ic tcrror of
~plUing salt, or meeting an old wo~na~l p
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ELUCIDATÏONS OP THU MARVELLOUS. 319
was four t imes fortunate to Charles the fifth. That
Wednesday was a fortunate day to Pope Sixtus thé
fifth for on a Wednesday he was bom, on that day
made a monk, on the same day made a generalof his ordcr, on that day created a Cardinal, on
that day elected Pope, and aïso on that day in-
augurated. That Thursday was a fatal day to Henry
the eighth, King of England, and his posterity,for he died on a thursday King Edward the
sixth on a Thursday Queen Mary on a Thursday
and Queen Ehzabeth on a Thursday.The French have observed that the fcast of Pen-
tecoste had becn lucky to Henry III, King of France
for on that day he was born, on that day elected
King of Potand, and on that day he succeeded his
brother Charles IX, on the throne of France.
There are critical days observed by physicians,in continued fevers, a doctrine which has been con-
firmed by the united testimony of De Haen and
Cullen and these are the 3rd. 5th. 7th. 9th. 1 ith.i4th. !7th. and 20th. By critical days are meant,
any of thé above days, on which the fever abatcs
or terminates favourably, or on which it is ex-
acerbated or terminates fatally. Natural astrology is confined to thé study of
exploring natural effects, in w hich sense it is ad-
mitted to be a part of natural philosophy. It
was -under this view that Mr. Goad, Mr. Boyle,and Dr. Mead, pleaded for its use. The nrst en-
deavours to account for thé diversity of seasons from
thé situations, habitudes and motions of thé planetsand to explain an infinity of phenomena by the
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320 THAUMATURCÏA, OR
contemplation of thé stars. Thé Honourablc Mr.
Boyïe admitted, that aiï physical bodies are in-
nuenccd by thé heaventy bodies and Doctor Mead's
opinion, in his trentoe concertung the power of the
sun and moon, etc. is in favour of the doctrine.
But thèse predictions and influences are ridiculed
and cntirely exploded by thé most csteemed modern
phUosophers, of which the rcader may have a learned
specimen in Roimu!t'a, Tractât. Physic, part H*c. 27.
Thédiseases of men, women, and children were
supposed nt times to be more immediately caused
by the influence of thé seven ptanets. In order
to comprehend this exploded doctrine, we shall hère
set down thé prctended governing and days, at what
time they are supposed to hâve thé most ia~uence
0 Sol, or thé snn governs on Sunday.
D Luna, or the moon, Monday.
Murs, Tuesday.
Mercnry, Wednegday.Jupiter, Thursday.
Venus, Friday.
Saturn, Saturday.
Saturn reigning, is said to cause cold diseases, as
thé ~out, kpro?y, pa!sy, quartan agucs, dropsics,
catarrhs, cohis, riteumatisms, etc.
Jupiter causes cramps, numbnc~s, in~ammations of
thé liver, hcad-ac!)cs, pains in thé shou!ders, Hatu-
ïency, inHatnmntot'y fevers, a nd aU digère 'icaueed
by putréfaction, opop!exy, and quinaies.
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F T HE MARVELLOU8. 321
Y
Mars, acute fevers and tartan agues, continuai and
intermitting fevers, imposthumes, erisepelas, car-
buncles~ fistulas, dysentery, and similar hot and
dry diseases.
Soî causes rheums in the eyes, coldness in the
stomach and liver, syncope, catarrhs, pustular erup-
tions, hysterics, eruptions on the lower extremi-
ties.Venus causes sores, ïlentery, hystcria, sickness at
the stomach, from cold and moist causes, disorders
of thé liver and lungs.
Mercury causes hoarseness and distempers in thc
sensés, impediments in thé speech, falling sickness,
coughs, jaundice, vomiting, catarrhs.
The moon causes palsy, cholic, dropsy, imposthumes,
dysenteries, and all diseases arising from obstructed
circulation.
The means laid down for the prevention of thèse
diseases are rational enough, at Icast some of tbem,
such as tempérance, moderate bleeding (whcther or not indicated we are not told,) thé use of taxatives at
seasonable times, w hen a friendly planet, opposite to
the marnant planet you were born under, bas
dominion, by which the effèct of i ts innuencc will be
much abated, and a power given to nature to opposeits malevolency, which, if well heeded, may bc
a main prevention of dungerous diseases." Thus
every planet in the heavens carries with it a discased
aspect, without, as i t would appear, possossing any
repelling or sanative powers to c orrect or ward off
thc sicMy influence it is supposed to entertain ovcr
the life aud limbs of frail mortals thut, in the sense
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322 THAUMATURGïA, OR
of this absurd doctrine, or rather jargon, when Ju..
piter has dominion, i t will be necessary to bleed and
take calomel to guard against (not to attack it when
it has taken p~ce) innammation of the liver and
when Mars presides, to send immediately for Van
Butchel to frighten away an imaginary nstu!a–ab«
surd and ridieulous nonsense, too prevalent even at
the present day for what can bleeding and phy-sicking at thé spring and fall of thé year be called
but operations without reason, under suppositionsstellar influence. Observe also to gather all yoar
physic herbs in the hour of the fr iendly planet,that temporises with what you wcre born under, and
in so doing they will have more strength, power, and
virtue to operate in the medicines but neitherphysicnor bleed on the third of January, the last of April,the first of July, the first of August, and the last
and second day of October for those astrologers,with whom physicians jom, conclude it perilous, byreason of the bad influence then reigning and if it
change not the distemper into another worse, it will
augment it, and put the party in great danger of
death, if Ac or NAc in ~~CMc bc not lucky. to escape."I t wotdd be a waste of words to offer a single com-
ment on such egregious stu~P–"do not bleed on
the third of January," nor on such and such a day,
(as if there could be stated times for bleeding
beyond those which are indicated by thé presence
of di8case, and requiring such evacuation,) is a
practice we believe peculiar only to astrologers,and those who belicve in sucli dcmonological cant.
1t is no less, liowever, a singular fact that men
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EL UC IDA TI ON S O P T HB MA RV ELLO US . 323
y 2
distinguished in every other respect for their learn.
ing, should most particularly have indulged in the
superstition of judicial astrology. At thé presenttime a belief in such subjects can only exist with
those who may be said to ~ave no beliefat all for
mere traditional sentiments can hardly be said to
amount to a belief.
It was astronomy that gave r ise to judicial as-
trology, which, o~ring an ample field to enthu-
siasm and imposture, was eagerly pursued by many
who had no scientific purpose in view. It was con-
nected with various juggling tricks and deceptions,affected an obscure jargou of language, and insinu-
ated itself into every thing in which the hopes and
fears of mankind were concerned. Thé professors of
this pretended science were at 6rst generally personsof mean éducation, in whom low cunning suppliedthe place of knowledge. Most of them cngaged in
the empirical practice of physic, and some through
the credulity of the times, even arrived at a degreeof eminence in it yet although the whole foundation
of their art was ibUy and deceit, they nevertheless
gained many proselytes and dupes, both among thé
well-infbrmed and the ignorant.About thé middie of the seventeenth century, the
passion for horoscopes and expounding the stars pré.vailed in France among people of the first rank.
Thé new-born chiîd was usually presented nakcd to
the star-exponnder, who read the first Hneamcnts on
its forehead, and tl ie transverse Unes in its hands,
and thence wrote down its future destiny. It lias been
reported of several persons famous for their astrologi-
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324 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
cal skill, that they have suffered a voluntary death
merely to verify their own predictions. It is curious
to observe thé shifts to which these wise MeM were
frequently put when thcir prédictions were not veri-
fied. Great winds aC one time were predicted by a
famous adept in the art, but no unusual storms hav.
ing happened, to s ave the reputation of the art,
the prediction was applied nguratively to some revo'
lutions in thé state, of which thcre were instancesenough at that time.
The life of the famous Lilly thé astrologer, and
the Sidrophel of Butler, written by himself, is a
curious work, containing much artless narrative, but
at the same time, so much palpable imposture, that i t
is difficult to know when hc is speaking what he
really believes to be the truth. In a sketch of the
state of astrology in his day, the adepts whose cha-
racters he has drawn were the lowest miscreants of
thé town. They al!, indeed, speak of each other as
rogues and impostors among whom were Booker,
(~eorge Wharton, and
Gadbury, who
gained a liveli-
hood by practising on the credulity of e ven men of
learning so late as t650 to the !8th century. în Ash-
mole's l ife an account of thege artful impostors may bc read. Most of them had taken the air in the
pi!!ory, and others had conjured themselves up to the
gallows.To thé astrobgers of the 17th century, the quacks and
impostors of thé beginning of the 9th are onïy cqual.
Quackery and astrology, the latter of which often served
as a mask to thé former, appear to have bcen at one
time a kind of Castor and PoUux quackery, how-
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELLOUS. 325
ever, it would seem bas outlived astrology, for there
are more who would swallow the nostrum of the
quack than the flatulent bolus of the fortune-tellers.
Both still have their votaries, One Grigg, a poul-terer in Surrey, was set in thé piUory at Croyden,
(Temp. Edw. IV,) and again in thé Borough, for
cheating people out of their money by pretending tocure them with charma, by simply looking at thé
patients, or by practices sti ll more absurd and ques-tionablc. Of such doctors there is no lack. This
kind of pmctice offers one of the finest fields for
déception of any species of empirical delusion held
out to the public at thé present day. Such indeed is
thé infatuation and credulity of thé ignorant that,we are confidently assured, a notorious German
quack had within one year 80 many half-guinea
applications that be netted ~2000 and that the
glass bottles in which the precious nostrums were con.
veyed from the sanctum sanctorum of the mendacious
empiric in high Germany, who made his début in
this country by hawking about Dutch drops, amounted
to as many two-pences. To those of either sex, who
are weak-minded enough to trust their l ives to the
rash artifices of an ignorant pretender who affects to
discover an occult quality in thé constitution of thé
patient denoting thé existence of some internai com.
plaint beyond that which less cquivocal symptoms
sufficiently present to the eye ~nd knowledge of thé
regular practitioncr–we ca~ only say that wc con-
çoive them to be justly punished in the loas of their
money, and tbe consequent ruin of their health.
In Stow's Chronicle we find that one of thèse said
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326 THAUMATURGIA, OR
gentlemen was set on horseback, his face towards
the tail, which he held in his hand in the manner of a
bridie, while with a collar significative of his
offence, dangling about his neck, he made a publieentrée into the city of London, conducted by Jack
Ketch, who afterwards did himself the honour of
scourging and branding the impostor, previous to
banishment, which completed his sentence. In the
reign of James I, a terrible sweep was made amongthe quacks and advertising gentry. The councH
dispatched a warrant to the magistrates of the city of
London, to take up all reputed quacks, and bringthem before the censors of t he collège, to examine
how properly qualified they were to be trusted, either
with the Umbs or l ives of his majesty's lieges. This
ïs all that is required at the present day. Let the
legielature controul this department instead of the
college of physicians, who, as a body, can boast of
as large an allowance of licenscd ignorance as any
corporate set of men in existence. We say nothing
of surgery, for this branch of knowledge leaves theworld generally something to look at, hence so few
pretenders to it but physic buries ail ils blemishes
with the unfortunate victim.
The country, even in this age of progressing wis.
dom, is deluged with quack medicines, which credu-
loua people say are not directed against the constitu-
tion, but only agaiost thé pocket, and that they are too
insipid to do either good or harm but were this the
case, there would hâve been no occasion for the exem.
plary punishments with which it is recorded quacksof all sorta have at various t imes been visited.
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E LUC ID ATI ON S 0F T HB MA RV ELL OU S. 327
Pe it known, there can be no such thing Invented
by tnan as an universal remedy to prevent or cure
nll kinds of diseases becauee that which would
agree with one constitution would disagree with
another differently organised and a quack nos-
trum, such as we see daily advettised, may cer-
tainly agree at one stage of a disease, but might
go far in killing the patient at another. Besides,all these boasted specinca have been found to be
either inert, ineffectual, or dungerous, and every
pretender to them, in times less enlightened by the
general march of intellect, has been convicted either
of gross ignorance or dishonesty. No one can vouch
with certainty for any particular kind of medicine,-
that it will agree with this or that individual, until
acquainted with his peculiar constitution con.
sequently it is the heighth of absurdity to pré.scribe physic for a man without a knowledge of
such circumstances to direct him. Amuleta, talis-
mans, charms, and
incantations, are innocent
andinnoxious, and may impose only on crcdulity with-
out any other untoward consequence, leaving the
patient in the same state in which he was found
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
philosophy.Butler is said to be the author of the following
character of a quack and who c an read it without
being astonished at the prophetie intelligence with
which it abounds, and which, unfortunately, ad-
mits of a too close anulogy w ith some very
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328 THAUMATURGIA, OR
récent and untoward events, in the annals of
modern empiricism, He is a medicine-monger,
probatioaer of receipts, and Doctor Epidémie he
is perpetuallv putting his medic!nes upon their trial,
and very often finds them cuiMY op MANSLAUOHMB,
but still they have some trick or other to corne off,
and avoid buming by the hand of the hangman. He
prints his trials of skill, and challenges dcath at
so many several wcapons that, though he is sureto be foMed by every one, hc cares not for,
can 6~ get maney, ~c sure <o yet o~ for
it is but posting~ up diseases for poltroona in all the
public places of the town, and daring them to meet
him again, and his credit stands as fair with the
rabble, as c ver it did. He makes nothing
~< will undertake to cure
them and tic one hand behind him, with so much ease
and freedom, that his patients may surfeit and
get d runk as o ften as they please, and follow their
business without any inconvenience to their heaith
or occasions
and recover witb so muchsecrecy,that they shall never know how it comes about.
He professes no cure no pay," as well he may.for if nature does thé work, hp is paid for it
if not, he neithcr wins nor loses and like a
cunning rook lays his bets so arifu~y, that. Jet
thé chance be what it will, he either wins or
saves. He cheats thé rich for their money,and the poor for charity, and, if either succeed,
both are pÏeased, and he passes for a very justand conscientious man for as those that pay nothing
ought at least to speak well of their entertainments,
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E MCI DA TI ON8 0F TH E MA RV SLLO U8 . 329
their testimony makes way for those who are a ble
to pay for both. He finds lie bas no reputation
among those that know him, and fears he is never
like to have, and, thet'efore, posts up his bills, to
see if he can thrive botter amongst those who
know nothing of him. He keeps his post con-
tinually, and will undertake to maintain it agaiust
aU the plagues of Egypt. He sets up his tradeupon a pillar, or the corner of a street–Thèse
are his warehouses, where ail he has is to be seen,
and a great deal more for he that looks further
finds nothing at aU."
ABSURDITIKS OF PARACKMUS, AND VAN HELMONT.
Although some of the firs t chemists were men of
Mnse and leaming, yet after that chemistry began to
lie fashionable and much in vogue, there were some
of its professors, who although men of an uncommon
tum of genius, were as great enthusiasts, both in the
chemical and medical arts, as any other men
ever were in religion. They not only pretended to
transmute some of the baser metals into gold, con-
trary to the nature of things-and if they could
hâve succeeded in that impossible work, it would
bave rendered gold as plentiful, cheap, and less
valuable than iron, because it is less fit for
instrumenta and mechanical uses but theyalso pretended iufallibly to cure ail diseases,
by some of their new invented chemical ma.
chines –a thing equally as impossible as thé other,
and shewcd their ignorance of thé causes and na-
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330 THAUMATURGIA, OR
turc of diseasea. As those who a re the most
ignorant are generally thé greatest boasters, we
find tbat none o f t hem were more so, than that.
vain, boasting, paradoxical enthusiast ParaceÏBUs,
who had acquired great riches by curing a cer-
tain diseuse with a mercurial ointment, the know-
ledge of which secret he is s aid to have atoîen
from Jacobus Berengarius, of Caipo, in his travels
thither. He was w ithal so illiterate, t hat he said
phiïosophy could be taught in n o language but high
Dutch but the true reason was, that he neither
understobd pliilosophy nor any other language. He
also boasted that he w as in possession of a nostrum
which would prolong man's life to thé age of Me-
thusaleh, though he died himself at the age of forty-seven. He lived in the fifteenth century. The cures
he wrought were deenoed so surprising in that age,that he was supposed to have recourse to super"natural aid. In a picture of him a t Lumley Castïe,
he is represented in a close black gown, with both
hands on a great sword, on whose hilt is inscribed
the word Azot. This was the name of his j~K~M~
epirit, that he kept imprisoned in the pummel, to
consult on émergent occasions. The circumstance
is thus alluded to by Butler
Bombastps kept thc Devil's Bird
Shut in thp pumme! of bis swordAnd taught hhn a!! thc cunning pfanka,Of past and future mountebnnks.
Paracelsus was succeeded by bis schoïar van Hel-
mont, who had much more learning, but was as
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n!<UC!DATÏ ONS OP T HE MARVELLOU8. 331
great an enthusiast, both in the chemical and médical
arts as his master, and embraced most of his para-doxical opinions and, having more technical term",
he frequcntly used them rather to dazzle and con-
found the understandings of his readers, than to
inform their judgments. By thus giving his writings
a mystical air of wisdom, he rendered them obscure,
and sometimes unintenigible conséquente, more
easily imposed them upon the public and vulgar,as sublime and useful truths. He also vainly boasted
that he could cure any fever in four days' time,
by sweating the patient w ith one draught of h is
iamous nostrum, the jP~CMpt~MN Diaphoreticus ~o'
racelsi and further adds, that no man can de-
serve thé name of a physician, who cannot cure anyfever in four days' time." He, however, admita,
that he sometimes added a li ttle theriaca (treacle)
and wine to it which last, he says, is not onlya great cordial, but as a vehicle, is a proper mes-
senger to be sent on such an errand, as it knows
the rbad, i s w ell received wherever it goes, and
readily admitted into the most private apartmentsof the human body." Hence we believe that wine
is not only a good natured, but an intelligent being
though it sometimes deprives men of their senses
for a time, when they take too much of it and
hence we see also a specimen of our author's method
of reasoning and writing.Van Helmont, like his great master, also boasted,
that he could cure all inûammatory and other fevers,
and e ven a pleurisy, without either blecding, vomit-
ing, purging, clysters, or blisters and he quarrelled
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332 THAUMATURCtA, OR
so much with the two !aat, that he calls cïysters a
beastly remedy," and eaya that blisters were invented
by a wic~ed spirit, whom he caHs Moloz, thoughBeeï~cbub might hâve been as good a name, since
Dr. Baynard wittily observed, that he believed he
was only a great cantharid. And both He!mont and
thé Doctor wereso far right, that blistering was then,
as well as now, much abused and in truth they are
much oftener applied than is either necessary or useM.
Thus thèse two eminent chemists, and toc many of
their followers, frequently imposed their writings
upon thé unguarded reader, and themselves upon the
vulgar, for men of profound knowledge in the medi-
cal art, and as great adepts in chemistry and being
puned up with the high opinion entertained of their
ncw art, o r new medicines, and their own great
wisdom, they rejected thé philosophicat theory of
medicine by Galen and Avicenna, then so much in
vogue. They were right in doing this and mighthave done
great service to mankind, if
they had
not set up their own imaginary chemical theory in
its place, which was neither founded upon observa-
tions', nature, nor reason, and had no existence but
in their own vain imaginations. Thus they supposeda malignity which caused all diseases, as well in-
nammatory as other fêlera, aad which was to bc
fbrced out of thé body by sweating, with their hot
therapeutics they, thercfbrc, attacked all fevers
with this chemical ammunition, and attempted to
carry them with fire and storm, prescribing ttie
pra~cipitatus diaphoreticus and sweatipg regimen,
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ELUCIDATIONS 0F THE MARVELI.OU8. 333
which must have been fatal to many, and no doubt
would have been so to many more, if van Helmont
had not allowed his patients to dilute the medicine
with a thin diet, which rendered the calorific méthod
Jess fatal. But, as the learned Dr. Friend judiciously
remarks, if any did escape after that hot regimen, it
was through a fiery trial.
Thus the chemists, without any rational theory, or regard to nature, and what she indicated or did
without duly considering how the morbid matter, which
caused the disease, was to be concocted and fit ted
to be carned off by some critical evacuation or
how to assist nature to bring that crisis on, accord-
ing to the Hippocratic method ;–witliout consideringthé benef it of the rational, cooling, antiphlogistic
practice of thé Arabians-they introduced their
sudorific regimen instead and this regimen was soon
after brought into use in England, and most other coun-
tries, where i t contlnued to be thé practice for many
years afterwards, as
may be seen
by thé authors of
those timcs, until the judicious a nd honest Dr. Sy-denham wisely rejccted and exploded it, introducingthe rational method of Hippocrates and the cooling
regimen of tlic Arabiana, which he secms rather to
hâve taken ex ~M re et ratione from nature and rea-
son, than from thé works of the Arabian physicians,with which he appears not to have been acquainted,as he- never mentions them.
Van Helmont had several other famous nostrums,
with which he pretcnded to perform wonders, as
quacks have donc in ail ages, and as some do now
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334 THAUMATUROIA, OB
for cmpiricism was never more in fashion tban at the
present day, aud the chemical art bas supplied them
with many more arcana and nostrums than the an-
cients had in ail thcir antidotes and theriacas,
etc. since chemistry was made subservient to
medicine. Van Helmont, neverthelesa was a learned
Tnan, and acquired a grcat name and reputation, at
least for some time but, as ncither his theory nor
his practice were founded on nature and reason, nor confbrmable to them, the more judicious physicianssoon saw their errors, as well as the fullacy of his
new invented chemical terms and unmeaning phrases,which only coatained the shadow and not thé substance
of the médical science therefore both his chemical
theory and hot regimen, togethcr with bis writings,sunk soon after his death, into a state of merited
oblivion.
Notwithstanding that the science of chemistrywas greatly improved by thèse extraordinary men,
who invented or discovcred many useful remédies,
which they introduced into thé practice of mcdiciuein a no less extraordinary manner, and there-
hy pointed out the way fur othcrs to follow theni
yet wc must aUow that thé more able and learned
cbemists have greatly enriched and improved the
materia medica since, by making many curious
expc;riments, and thereby discovenng several new
and ven' efficacious mcdicincs, not only from tbe
semi.mcta~s, mercury and antimony, und the various
chemical préparations from them, but from tbe more
permet metals, and sonie other minerul bodies, as
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EL UC 1D ATI ON8 O P TH E MAR VE LLO US . 335
well as from a great variety of remédies which are pre-
pared both from vegetable and animal substances, as
salts, oiis, essences, spirits, tinctures, elixirs, extracts
and many more needless hère to be mentioned, but
all of which are known to physicians. For aU
these we are indebted to the chemists who
ftret invented and introduced them into practice
although thé use and application, as well as themethods of administering them to the sick, to cure
various other diseases tha!i those they were first used
for, has been greatly improved by several learned
and ingenious physicians.
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336 THAUMATUROÏA, OR
CHAPTER XXI.
MODERN BMPïBïCISM.
ÎN 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 dark.
We allude to thé bold and a rtful designs of impos-
ture, and particulary medical !~po~Krp. Daily areseen illiterate and audacious empirics sporting witil
the lives of a cred~ous puMic, that seem obstinateiyresolved to shut their ears against all tlie suggestionsof reason and
experience. The host of
empirics,înountebanks, and self'dubbed hygeists, which in-
fest the metropolis, and the tinctures, cordh~s, pills,
balms, and essences, so much extolled by thcir re-
tnilers, and swallowed by the public, arc indeed so
many proofs of the credulity of the nge, that to 8uythé Jeast, the march of intellect bas evidently made a
~K~~ in tlis direction.
Thé celestial beds, thé enchanting magnetic powers
introduced into this country by Mcssmer, a Gcrman
quack, and his numerous disciple?, the prevailing in-
di~erence to aU dietetic précepte, thé singular im.
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ELUCIDATIONS OF THN MARVBMOPS. 337
z
position practised on many ~emales, in persuadingthem to wear the iuert acromatic belts, the strangeinfatuation of the opulent in paying nve guineas for
a pair of metallic tractors, not worth sixpence, the
tables for blood-letting, and other absurdities still
inserted in popular almanacs, (against all the ruies of
common seuse)–ail these yield in nothing to the ab-
surdities and superstitious notions conveyed throughthe medium of astrology, dreama, and other ludicrous
though by far more imposing and interesting chan-
nels. Thé temple of the gulls is now thronged with
votaries as much as that of superstition formerly was
human reason is stil l a slave to t hé most tyran-nical préjudices and certainly, there is no ready
way to excite general attention and admiration,
than to deal in the mysterious and the marvellous.
The visionary system of Jacob Bôhman has lutterly been revived in some parts of Germany. The ghostsand apparitions which had disappeared from the times
of Thonmaius and Swedenborg, have again left
their graves, to thé great terror of ianaticism. New propheta announce their divine mission, and, what is
worse, find implicit believers The inventors of accr~
medicine's are rewarded by patents, and obtain no
small celebrity while some of thé more conscien-
tioue, but less fortunate adepts, endeavour to amuse
the public with popular systems of medicine.
One of the most dazzHng and successful inventors
in modem times, was Mcssmer, who commenced his
carcer of medical knight-errantry at Vienna. His
house was the focus o f high life, the rendezvous of
thé gay, where the young and opulent were enlivened
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338 THAUMATURGIA, OR
and entertained with continuai concerts, routs, and
illuminations. ~t a great expence, he imported into
Germany the first JE/a~MOMtccfrom this country he
established cabinets of natural curiosities, and la-
boured constantly and secretly in his chemical
laboratory so that he acquired the reputation of
being a great alchemist, a philosopher studiously
employed in thé most useful and important re-
searches. lu J706, he first publicly annoMncedthe
object and nature of his secret labours :–aU his
discoveries centered in the magnet, which, accordingto his hypothesis, was the best and safest remedyhitherto proposed against all diseases incident to the
human body.This declaration of Mcssmer excited very général
attention the more so as about the same t ime he
established a hospital in his own house, into which
hc admitted a number of patients gratis. Such (ns.
intere8tedne88 procurcd, as might be expected, no
small addition to his famé. He was, besides, fortu-
nate in gaining
over many celebrated physiciana tohis opinions, who lavished the grentest cncotniums
on his new art, and were instrumental in connnu-
nicating to t lie public a number of succcssfui ex-
periments. This seems to hnve surpassed the ex-
pectations of Mcssmer, and induced him to extend
his original plan further than it is likely he first in.
tended. Wc find him soon after assuming a more
dogmatical and mysterious air, whcn, for thé pur-
pose of shining exclusive!y, hc appearcd in the cha-
racter of a M~c~M :-his pride and egotism would
brook neithcr cqual nor compctitor.
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ELU CÏ DA TÏ ONS O P THE MARVELLOUS. 339
z 2
The common loadstone, or minéral magnet, which
is so well Itnown, did not appear to him sufficiently
important and mysterious-he contrived an unusual
one, to the enect of whioh he gave the name of
animal M<c< After this, he proceeded to a
still bolder assumption, every~'here giving it out,
that the inconceivable powers of this subtile fluid were
centered in his own person. Now, the mona.-drama
began and Messmer, at once the hero and choms of
thé picce, performed his part in a masterly manner.
He placed thé most nervous, hystérie, and hypocon-driac patients opposite to him and by the sole act of
stretching forth his finger, he made them feel the most
violent ahoc~s. The effects of this wonderful power excited universal astonishment its activity and péné-tration being confirmed by unquestionable testimonies,
from which it appeared, that blows similar tothosegiven
by a blunt iron, could be imparted by the operator,while he himself was separated by two doors, nay.
even by thick walla. The very looks of this prince of
jugglers had the power to excite painful cramps andtwitches in his eredulous and predisposed patients.
This wonderfai tide of success instigated his inde-
fatigaMe gcnius to bolder attcmpts, especially as lie
had. no sévère criticism to apprehend from the su-
pcrstitious multitude. He rounclly asserted things of
which lie offered not thé least shadow of proof and
for thc truth of which !ie had no other pledge to offer
but his own high reputation. At onc time he could
communicate his magaetic power to paper, wool, silk,
breadt leather, stoncs, water, etc., at anothcr hc
agscrted that certain individuals possessed a greater
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340 THAUMATUROtA, OR
degree of susceptibility for this power than others.
It must be owned, however, that many of his contem-
poraries made it their business to cncounter his extra-
vagant pretensions, and réfute his dognmtical asser-
tions with the most convincing arguments. Yet, he
long enjoyed the triumph of being supported by blind
followers, and their increasing number compïetely
overpowered the suffrages of reason.
Messmer, at length perceived that in his native coun-
try, he should never be able to reach the point which
he had fixed upon, as the termination of his magneti-cal career. The Germans began to discrédit his
pompous daims; but it was only after repeated~iÏm'es in some promiaed cures, that he found him-
self under the necessity of seeking protection in Paris.
Thcre he met with a most flattering reception, being
caressed, and in a manner adored by a nation which
has always been extravagantly fond of every new thing,whimsical and mysterious. Messhter well knew how
to tum this natural propensity to the best advantage.
He addressed himself particularly to the weak; tosuch as wished to be considered men of profound know-
ledge, but who, when they were compelled to be silent
from real ignorance, took refuge behind the impene-trable shield of mystery. The fashionable levity, the
irrésistible curiosity, and thé peculiar t um of the Pa-
risians, evcr solicitous to bave something interestingfor conversation, to keep their active imagination in
play, were exactly suited to the genius and talents of
thé inventor of animal magnetism. We need not
wonder, therefore, if he availed himself of their moral
and pbysical character, to ensure a ready faith in his
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THM MARVELLOU8. 341
doctrines, and success to his pretended experimentsin fact, he found friends and admirera wherever he
madc his appearance. His first advertisement was
couched in the following high.sounding terms
Behold a discovery which promises unspeakaMe
advantages to the human race, and immortal famé to
its author Behold thé dawn of an universal revolu-
tion 1 A new race of men shall arise, shall overspreadthe earth, to embellish it by their virtues, and render
it fertile by their industry. Neittier vice nor igno-
rance, shall stop their active career they will know
our calamities only from the records of history. The
prolonged duration of their life will e nable them to
plan and accomplish the most laudable uudertakings.The tranquil, the innocent gratifications of that
primeval age will be restored, wherein man laboured
without toil, lived without sorrow, and expired with-
out a groan Mothers will no longer be subject to
pain and danger during their pregnancy and child-
birth their progeny
will be more robust and bravethe now rugged and diflictilt path of éducation will be
rendered smooth and eas~ and hereditary complaintsand diseases will be for ever banished from the future
auspicious race. Fathers rejoicing to see their poste-
rity of the fourth and fifth generations, will only droplike fruit fully ripe, at the extreme point of âge 1
Animais and plants, no less susceptible of the magne.tic power than man, will be exempt from the reproachof barrenness and the ravages of distempcr. The
flocks in the fields, and the plants in the gardons, will
be more vigorous and nourishing, and the trecs will
bcar more beautifui and grateful f ruits. Thé human
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342 THAUMATURGIA, OR
race, once endowed with this elementary powcr, will u;;
probably rise to still more sublime and astonishingenectsof nature: who indeed is able to pronounce,with certainty, how far this aalataiy influence mayextend ?"
What splendid promises What rich prospects
Messmer, the greatest of philosophers, the most vir-
tuous of men, the physician of mankind, chalitably `r opens his arms to all his fellow-mortals, who stand in ?
need of comfort and assistance. No wonder that the
cause of magnetism, under such a~ zealous apostle,
rapidly gained ground, and obtained every day large `
additions to the number of its converts< To the gay,the nervous, and the dissipated of all ranks and âges,it held out the most flattering promises. Men of the
first respectability interested themselves in behalf of
this new philosophy they anticipated in idea, the
more happy and more vigorous race which would pro-
ceed, a s it were, by enchantment, from the wonderful
impulsive powers of animal
magnetism. The French
were so far seduced by thèse flattering appearances,as to offer the German adventurer thousand
livres for the communication of his secret art. He
appears, however, to hâve understood his own interest
better than thus to dispose of his hypothetieal pro-
perty, which, upon a more accurate investigation
might be objected to, as consisting of unfair articles
of purchase. He consequently retumed the followinganswer to thé credulous French ministers:
That Dr. M. considered his art of too great im-
portance, and the abuses it might lead to, too danger-ous for him at present to make it public that he
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOU8. 343
must therefore reserve to himself the time of its pubH-cation, and mode of introducing it to general use and
observation-that he wouidnrst take proper measures
to initiate or prepare the minds of men, by excitingin them a susccptibility of this gréât power; and that
he would then undertake to communicate his secret
gradually, which he meant to do without hope of
reward."
Messmer, too politic to part.with his secret for so
small a premium, had a better prospect in view and
his apparent disintercstedness and hesitation servcd
only to sound an over-curious public, to allure more
victims to his delusive practices, and to retain them
more m'mly in their implicit belicf. Soon after this
he was easily prevailed upon to institute a private
society, into which none were admitted, but s uch as
bound themeelves by a vow to perpétuai secrecy.~ese pupils he agreed to instruct in his important
mysteries, on condition of each paying him one ~MM-
dred louis. In thé course of six months, having had
not lésa than three hundred such pupils, he realized a
fortune of thirty thousand louis.
It appears, however, that thé disciples of Messmer
did not adhère to their engagement we find them
separating gradually from their professor, and
establishing schools for the propagation of lus system,with a view, no doubt, to reimburse themselves for
the expenses of their own initiation into thé magnetis-
ing art. But few of them having understood the
terms and mysterious doctrines of their foreign
master, every new adept exerted himself to excel his
feUow.Iabourers, in additional explaaations and in-
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344 TBAUMATUKOïA, OR
ventions others, who did not possess, or could not
spare the sum of one hundred louis, were indus-
triousiy employed in attempts to discover the secret,
by their own ingenuity and thus arose a great variety
of magnetical sects. At length, however, Messmer's
authority became euspccted his pecuniary acquisitionswere now notorious, and our humane and disinterested
philosopher was assailed with critical and satirical
animadversions fron~ every quarter. The fertility of
his procesa for medical purposes, as well as the bad
conséquences it might procure in a moral point of
view, eoon became topics of common convcraïttioQ,
and ultimately even excited the apprehensions of
government. One dangerous effect of magneticalassociations was, that young voluptuaries began to
employ this art, to promote their l ibidinous and des-
tructive designs.Matters having assumed this serious aspect, the
French government, much to i ta credit, deputed four
Tespectable and unprejudiced men, to w hom were
afterwards added four others of great learning andabilities, to inquire into, and appreciate thé merits of
the new discovery of animal magnetism. These
phiÏosophers, among whom we find the i llustrious
namea of Franklin and Lavoisier, recognised, indeed,
very surprising and unexpected phenomena in the
physical s tate of magnetized individuals but they
gave it as their opinion, that the powers of imagina-
tion, and not animal magnetism, had produced these
ciÏects. Sensible of the superior influence, which the
imagination can exert on the human body, when it is
effectually w rought upon, they perceived, after a
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E LUC ID ATI ON S 0 F TH B MA R\ 'ELLO U8 . 345
number of experiments and facts frequently repeated,that contact, or touch, imagination, imitation, and
excited M~st~t~ were the real and sole causes of
these phenomena, which had so much confounded
the illiterate, the credulous, and the enthusiastic
that this hoasted magnetic element had no real ex-
istence in nature, conaequently that Messmer himself
was either an arrant impostor, or a deluded fa-
natic.
Meantime, this magnetic mystery had made no
small progress in Germany. A number of periodi-cal and other publications vindicated its claims to
public favour and attention and some litérary
men, who had rendered themselves justly celebrated
by their former writings, now stepped forward as bold and eager champions in support of this myaticatdoctrine. The ingenious Lavater undertook long
journies for the propagation of magnetism and som-
nambulism and what. manipulations and other ab-
surdities were not practised on hysterical young la-
dies in the city of Bremen ?i' It is farther worthyof notice, that an eminent physician of that place, in
a recent publication, does not scruple to rank mag-netism among médical r emedies It must, never-
theless, be confessed, that the great body of the
The art of exciting sieep in persons undcr the influenceof an!n)al mM~nctism, with a view to obta!n or ratlier cxtort
during this artitic!at slecp, their verbal declarations nnd di-rections for curing the diseases of both body and mind.
Such, indeed, was the rage for propagating this mysticalnonsense, that even thc pu!pit was occasionnlly resorted to,in order to make, not fair penitents, but fuir prosélytes.
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346 THAUMATURÛiA, OR
learned, throughout Germany, have endeavoured, by
strong and impartial criticism, to oppose and réfute
animât magnetism, considered as a médical system.And how should it be otherwise, since it is highlyridiculous to imagine that violent agitations, spasms,
convuïsions, etc. which arc obviousïy symptoms of a
diseased state of body, and which must increase ra-
ther than diminish the disposition to nervous diseascs,
can be the means of improving the
constitution
and ultimately of prolonging human tife ?a Every at-
tentive person must have observed, that too fréquentintercourse between nervous and hypochondriac pa-tients ia infectious and i f this be the case, public
asseaiMies, for exhibiting magnetised individuals,
can neither be 8aie nor proper. It is no small proof of the good sensé of thé people o f this country,
though they have at different times fallen into nearlysimilar delusiuns, that the professors of anin~ mag-netism did not long maintain their ground they
were soon exposed to public ridicule on the stage,and shortly became annihilated in thcir own absurdi-
ties.
Other plans for the prolongation of life, little less
absurd than animal magnetism, which have, like
every other imposture, fretted their hour," deserve
to be noticed. The French and G ermans have longstood pre-eminent in the empirical world, thoughthe merit of ingenious and more plausible emana-
tions of genius may fairly be attributed to thé latter.
Animal magnetism physiogoomy, a rational thoughmMacious science phrenobgy, a doctrine aboundingwith many singular manifestions, and possessing
<'ft.
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVELLOUS. 347
claims not to be put down by mere force of prejudice,are a!! of German origin.
The Count St. Germain, a Frenchman, realized
large sums, by vending an artificial tea, chiefly com-
posed of yellow saundera, senna leaves, and fennel
seed, which was puffed off under the specious appel-lation of Tea for prolonging life which, at that time,
was swaJIowed with such voracity aU over the con-tinent, that few could subsist without it. Its celé-
brity was of short duration, and none evcr lived long
enough to realize ita effets.
The Chevalier d'Ailhoud, another brazen-faced
adventurer, presented the world with a powder,which met with so large and rapid a sale, that he
soon accumulated money enough to purchase a whole
county. This famous powder, however, instead of
adding to the means of securing a long and healthy
life, is well known to produce constant indisposition,and at length to cause a most miserable death being
composed of certain drugs of a poisonous nature,though slow in their opération.
Count Cagliostro, styled the luminary of modern
impostors and debauchees, prepared a very common
stomach elixir, which was sold at a most exorbitant
priée under the name of &a~M of It was
pretended, with the most unparalleled effrontery,
that, by the use of this medicine, the count had
lived above 200 years, and that he was rendered
invulnerable against every species of poison. These
bold assertions could not fail to excite very generalattention. During bis résidence at Strasburg, while
descauting, in a large and respectable company, on the
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348 THAUMATURGIA, OR
virtues of his antidote, his pride m et with a very
mortifying check. A physician who was présent,and who had taken part in the conversation, quittingthe room privately, went to an apothecary's shop,and ordering two pills of equal size to be made,
agreeably to his directions, suddenly appearcd again before the count, and thus addressed him
Hère, my worthy count, are two pills thé one
contains a mortal poison, the other is perfeetly in-nocent choose one of these and swallow it, and ï
engage to take that which you leave. This will be con-
sidered as a decisive proof of your medical skill, and
enable the public to ascertain the efficacy of your ex-
tolled elixir." The count took the alarm, made a
number of apologies, but could not be prevailed uponto touch the pills. The physician swailowed both
immediately, and proved by his apothecary, that they
might be taken with perfect safety, being only made
of common bread. Notwithstanding the shame of
this detection, Cagliostro still retained numerous advo-
catesby circulating unfounded reports, and concealinghis real character by a variety of tricks.
The inspired tather Gassner, of Bavaria, ascribed
ail diseases, lameness, palsy, etc, to diabolical agency,
contending from the history of Job, Saul, and others
recorded in sacred writ, that Satan, as the grand
enemy of mankind, has a power to embitter and
shorten our lives by diseases. Vast numbers of
credulous and weak-mindcd people nocked to this
fanatic, with a view of obtaining relief which he
never had the means to administer. Multitudes of
patients, amieted with nervous and hypochondriacal
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ELUCtDAT! Ot!8 OF THE MARVBLLOU8. 349
complaints, besieged him daily being aU stimulated
by a wild imagination, eager to view and acknow-
ledge the works of Satan Men eminent for their
ïiterary attainments, even the hatural philosophersof Bavaria, were hurried away by the stream, and
completely blinded by sanctified imposture.It is no less astonishing than true, t hat so !ate as
1794, a Count
Thun, at
Leipzig, pretended to
per-form miraculous cures on gouty, hypochondriacal,and hysterical patients, merely by the imposition of
his s acred hands. He could not however raise a
great number of disciples in a place that abounds with
so many sceptics and unbelievers.
The commencement of the nineteenth century has
been equally pregnant with imposture. The delu-
sions of Joanna Southcoat are too fresh in the rc-
collections of our readers to require notice here
yet, strange to say, this fanatical old woman had
her adherents and disciples many of them, in other
respects, were keen and sensible men nor has the
delusion altogether evaporated, though t hé sect is
by no means powerful or strong tlie first ifn-
pressions are sti!l retained by her half irantic
and ridiculous devotees, who are only to be met
with among tlie very lowest and illiterate orders of
society.The farce of thé convert of NewhaU, near Chelms.
fbrdt is of still more recent date. Hère we hâve a
miracle performed by thé holy Prince Hohenlohe,
'at a distance of at least three hundred miles.from
thé presence of his patient. Hearing of the wonder.
ful cures performed by this priuce, one of the nuns
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350 THAUMATURGIA, OR
in the above convent, who had been ainicted for a
considérable length of time with a swelling and in-
flammation cxtending from the ball of the thumb
along the fore arm, and up as high a s the arm"
pit, wrote to Prince Hohenlohe–having previously been nttendcd by the most eminent practitioners in
London without any apparent benent–to relieve her
from her sufferings. This he willingly undertook
to do, but accompanied his consent with an mjunctionthat she should offer up her prayers on a certain day
(May 3, t824,) held in reverence by the catholics,
and at a certain hour, promising that he would be at
his devotions at thé same time. AU this, the ar8icted
nun attended to immediately after her prayers,she experienced a tingling Reneation along the arm,
and from that instant the cure rapidly advanccd until
thé diseased limb became as sound as the other. °
The days of priestcraft and superstition, i t was
hoped, had been fast fleeting away before the lu-
minous rays of science, even in those countries where
religious juggling had been most fostered and prac-tised. But for any man in this country to bc~ieve
that such a miracle can be wrought by human
agency, is of itself an awfully convincing proof that
he is ignorant of the Scriptures, and that lus own
mind is likely to become a prey to thé wildest
cilimeras. Prince Hohenlohe's notoricty however
as a worker of miracles was not confincd to Newhall.
His mighty prowess cxtended to thé emerald isle
and scvcral cures were performed at as great, or
even fit a greater distance, than that wrought at
NcwhaU, and merely a t thé sound of his orisons.
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ELUCÏDATÏONS 0F THE MARVRLMUS. 351
We hear of no miracles being wrought by, or upon
protestants consequently we leave them to the
gloom of the eloister, whence they emanated, and
where only they c an be o f use in a cause which re-
quires the aid of stratagem to support it.
A taste for the marvellous seems to be natural to
man in every stage of society, and at almost every
period of life it cannot, therefore, be much a matter of astonishment, that, from the earliest ages of the
world, persons have been found, who, more idle and
more ingenious than others, have availed themselves
of this propensity, to pbtain an easy livelihood by
levying contributions on the euriosity of the public.Whether this taste is to be considered as a proof of
thé weakness of our judgment, or o f innate inqui-
sitiveness, which stimulâtes us to enlarge the sphèreof our knowledgc, must be left to thé décision of
metaphysicians it is sumcient for our present pur-
pose to know that it gave rise to a numerous class
of impostors in the shape of quacks, mouutcbanhs,
poison'swaUowers, nrc.eaters, and piU-mongers.
TIiere is another class of adepts, such as sleiglit of
hand performers, sïack rope dancers, teachers of uni-
mals to perform extraordinary tricks in short, those
porsons who delude thé senses, and practise harmiess
deceptions on spectators, included under the common
appellation of jugglers. If thèse arts served no othcr
purpose than that of mere amusement, they yet mcrit
a certain dcgrec of encouragement, as aSbrding at once
a cheap and Innocent diversion jugglers of this
class frequently exhibit instructive experiments in na-
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352 THAUMATURGIA, OR
tural ~hiîosophy, chemistry, and mechanics thus the
solar microscope was invented from an instrument
to reflect shadows, w ith which a savoyard nmused a
German populace and thé celebrated Sir Richard
Arkwright is said to have conceived the idea of the
spinniag machines, which have so largely contributed
to the prosperity of thé cotton manufactories in this
country, from a toy which he purchased for his child
from an itinerant showman. These deceptions have, besides, acted as an agreeable and most powerful an-
tidote to superstition, and to that popular belief in
miracles, conjuration, sorcery, and witchcraft, which
preyed upon the minds of our ancestors and the
effects of shadows, electricity, mirrors, and the mag-
net, once formidable instruments in the hands of in-
terested persons, for keeping the vulgar in awe, have
been stripped of their terrors, and are no longer
frightful in their most terrine fbrms.
ON THN TRANSPUStON OP BLOOD FROM ONE ANIMAL
TO ANOTHER.
At a timc when the shortness of human life was
imputed to a distempered state of thc blood when
ail diseaaes wprc aacribed to this cause, witliout at-
tending to the whole of what relates to thé moral
and physical nature of man, a conclusion was easilyformcd, that a radical r emoval of thé corrupted blood, and a complete renovation of the entire mass
by substitution was both practicable and enectual.
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BhUCÏDATI ONS 0F TUE MARVELLOUS. 353
2 A
The spéculative mind of man was not a t a loss to
devise expédients, to e<ïect this desirable pnrposcand undoubtediy one of the boldest, most extraordi-
nary, and most ingenious attempts ever made to
!engthen the period of human life was made at this
time. We allude hère to the famous scheme of ~a/
~Mto~ or of introducing the blood of one animal
into that of another. This curious discovery is at-
trihuted to Andréas Libaviùs, professor of medicine
and chemistry in thé university of Hailc, who, in the
year J6!5, pub!ic!y recommended expérimentât
essays to ascertain the tact.
Libavius wns an honcst and spiritcd opposer of
thé Thcosophic system, founded by the bombastic
Paraccisus, and supportc(i by a numerous tribe of
credulous and frantic foHowers. Although he was
not totaUy exempt from the fouies of that age, since
lie beheved in tbc transmutation of metats, and
suggested to his pupi!s thé wonderful power of po-
table gold, yct lie distinguished rational alchcmyfrom the fanatica! Systems thcn in repute, and zeal-
ously defe!tded thé former against tlie disciples of
Ga!en, a s well as those of Paraceisus. .Île made a
numbcr of important discoveries in chemistry, and
wasunqucstionably
t!ic first professor in Germanywho gave chcmical lectures, upon pure principtesof affinity, unconnected with thé extravagant notions
of thc titcosophists.Thé first experiments retative to the transfusion
of the hbod, nppcur to hâve becn made, and that
with gréât prupricty, on t!'c lower animais. The
blood of the young, healthy and vigorous, was trans-
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354 THAUMATURG1A, OR
ferred into the old and infirm, by means of a delicate
tube, placed m a vein opened for that purpoae.
The effect of this opération was surprising and im-
portant aged and decrepit animai were soon ob-
served to become more lively, a nd to move with
greater case and rapidity. By thé indefatigable cx-
ertions of Lower, in England, of Dennis in France,
and of Moulz, Hoffman, and others in Germany,
this artificial mode of renovating thé Hfc and spiritswas successfully continued, and even brought to some
degrce of perfection.Thé vein usually opened in the arm of a patient
was resorted to for thé purpose of transfusion into
this a small tube was placed in a pcrpendtcuïar
direction thé same vcin was then opened in a healthy
individual, but more frequently in an animal, into
which another tube \vas forccd in a rechning direc-
tion both small tubes wcrc thcn s lid into one
another, and in that position thé délicate ar t of
transfusion was safely pcrfbrmcd. Whcn the opéra-
tion was completed, the vein was tied up in thé samemanner as on blood-letting, Sometimes a quantityof blood was drawn from tlie patient, previously to
thé experimenttaking place. As few persons, how-
evor, were to be found, that would agree to part
with thcir hlood to others, recourue was generally had
to animais, and most frequently to thé calf, the
lamb, and thé stag. These bcing laid upon a table,
and tied so as t o be unable to move, the operation
was performed in thé manner before dcscribed. In
somc instances, the good enects of thèse experiments
wcrc évident and promising, while thcy excitcd the
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BLUCïDATtOMS 0F TttE MAKVELLOUS. 355
2 A 2
greatest hopes of the future improvemcnt and pro-
gress of this new art. But thé unceasing abuses
prnctised by ho!d and inexpcrt advcnturcrs, togcthcr with the great number of cases, which proved
unsuccessful, induced thé differetit govcrnmcnts of
Europe to put an entire stop to thé pract!ce, bythé strictest prohibitions. And, indeed, while thc
constitutions and mode of living among men di~r
so materially as they now do, this is, and ever
must remain, an extremely hazardous and cquivocal,if not a desperatc remedy. The blood of everyindividual is of a peculiar nature, and congenialwith that of thé body only to which it belongs,and in which it is generated. Hence our hope of
prolonging human life, by artificial evacuations and
injections, must necessarily be disappointed. It
must not, however, be supposed, that thèse, and
similar pursuits during thé ages of which wc treat, as
well as those which succeeded, were solely or chiefly
followed by mere adventurers and fnnatics. The
greatest geniuses of those times employed thcir wits
with thc most leamed and eminent men, who deemed
it an object by no means be!ow their considération.
Thé method of supplying good for unsound teeth,
t!iough long laid aside, in consequence of thé danger with which thé practice was attended, by the com-
munication of disease from an unhealthy to a healthy
person,-was at one time as much the rage as the
transfusion of blood. This practice, notwithstandingthe objections which stand opposed to it, might,
nevertheless, be adopted with success on many occa-
sions, could
persons enjoying a sound and wholesome
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35C THAUMATURGtA, OR
state of hody be found to answer thc demand, how-
ever unnatural it may nppear. A few untoward cases
soon raised the hue and cry against thé conttnun~ce
of thé practicc. as in thc transfusion of blood, thoughthc latter bas recently been attempted in the case
of an individual cxhausted bv excessive hcrmorrage
with a success winch nnswered thé expectation.There is l ittle doubt that both the transfusion of
bbod, and engraftiug or transplanting of teeth, are
capable, with judgment and d~crimmadon, of beingmade aubscrvicnt in a varicty of cases though thé
chances of gênerai success militate against thèse expe-
rimcnts for it is the unalterable plan of nature to
procced gradually in hcr operations aU outrageand extravagance being a t variance with her es-
tablished laws.
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RLUCIDATIOXS 0F T:!E MARVELLOUS. 35~
c~CHAPTER XXII.
THE ROSÏCRUCÏA~S OR THEOSOPHtSTS.
Ttns remarkablc sect was founded upon the doc-
trines of Puracelsus, during the latter part of the
~ixteenth, and thé bcginning of the sevcnteenth cen-
turies . Thé society was known by thc namc of the
Roscncrucians or Rosccrucians and as it has not
hoen withoutits followers and propngators in different
shapcs, cven to the present ~mc, we shall hère
présent thé reader with a concise account of the
origin and tencts of that fanatical sect.
The first intimation of thc existence of this order
we find announced to the worid in a book publishedin the German langua~c, in the year tC!4, with
the following title, 7%p K/ïïfp~a/ MM~~p/!pra/ Re-
/unM H~oM of the world, <<~t'~r t~ an ~ccoMM< of
~P ~HOM~ ~Cr/H~ ~C ~OM'/«'TMC<f< The
work contains an intimation, that thc mcmbers of
thé society had bccn secretly cngaged for a cen-
tury preccding, 1 and t!iat thcy liad corne to the
knowledge of many great and important secrets,
which, if communicated to thé world, would promotethé happincss of man.
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358 THA~MATUROIA, OR
An adv(!nturer of the name of Christian Ruseu-
kreuz is said to have founded this order, in the
fourteenth century after having been previously ini-
tiated in,the sublime wisdom of the east, duringhis travels in Egypt and Fez. From what we are
.enaMed to Ïearn from this work. the intention of
thé ~tmder~and the nnal aim of the society, appear to have been the accumulation of wealth and trea-
aures, by means of secrets known only to the mem-
bers and by a proper distribution of thèse treasurcs
among princes and potentatcs, to promote the grandscheme of the society, by ptoducing a generalrevolution of all things." In their confession
of faith," there are many bold and singular dogmas
among others, that thé end of the world is at hand
that a general refonnation of men and manners
will speedily take place that the wicked shall be
expelled or subdued, thé Jcws converted, and the
doctrine of Christ propagated over the whole earth.
Thé Rosencrucians not only believed that these cvents
must happen, but they also endeavoured to acceleratethem by unremitted exertions. To their faithfnl
votaries and followers. they promised abundance of
celestial wisdom, unspeakable riches, exemption 6'om
disease, an immortal state of man of ever blooming
youth, and above all thé ~~oso/!Acr~ stone.
Leaming and improvement of thé mind were,
by this order, considered as aupernuous and despised.
They found aU knowledge in the Bible this, how-
ever, has been supposed rather a pretext to
obviate a charge, which was brought against them,
of not believing in the christinn religion. The truth
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ELUCIDATIONS OP THE MARVEHOUS. 359
is, they imagined themselves superiorto divine re.
velation, and supposed every useful acquisition, everyvirtue to be derived from the influence of the Peityon the soûl of man. In this, as weM as in manyother respects, they appear to be followers of Para-
celsus, whom they profess to revere as ~~ëssenger of thé divinity. Like him, they pretend td cure ail
diseases; through ~/a:<A and thé power of thé ima-
gination, to heal the most mortal disorders by atouch, or even by simply looking at thé patientaThé universal remedy was likewise a grand secret
of the order, thé discovcry of which was promisedto all its faithful members.
It would be unnecessary to euumcrate any more
of such irnpious fancies, if the founder of this still
lurking sect, now partly revivified, had not asserted,
with astonishing effrontery, that human life was
capable of prolongation, like a cre kept up by com-
bustible matter, and that he w as in t hé possessionof a secret, which could vcrify this assertion. It
is évident, howevcr, from the testimony of Libavius,a man of <tDquestionab!e veracity, that this doughty
champion in medical chemistry, or rather alchemy,
Paraceisu~ notwithstanding his bold assertions, died
as before observed, at Sulzburgh in Germany, in
thé Hospital of St. Stephen's in 1541 and that
his death was chiefly occasioned by thc singular and desolate mode of life, w hich he had for a longtime pursued. When a competent knowledge of
thé economy of the human frame is wanting, to
enable a man to discriminate between internal and
external causes and eSects~ i t will be impossible
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360 THAUMATURGÏA, OR
to ascertain, or t o counteract, thé dînèrent causes
hy which our health is dcranged~ This cvidcntly was
thé case with Puraceisus, and many other lifc-pro'
longers who have succeedcd him and should a
fortunate individual cvcr nx upon a rcmcdy, pos-
sessing thé power of chccking disease, or Icngtheningout human existence (an expectation never to be
jcaHzcd) hc w ill be mdebtcd to chance alone for
thc discovery. This has heen the c ase in all âges,and still remains so.
Remedies, from time to time, have been devised,
not mcrely to serve as nostrums for all diseascs, but
also for thc pretended purpose of prolonging life.
Thosc of the lattcr kind hâve heen appUed with a
view to resist or check many operations of nature,
which insensihiy consume the vital heat, and other
powcrs of life, such as respiration, muscular irrita-
tion, etc. Thus, from the implicit credulity of some,
and thé exubérant imagination of othcrs, observation
and experimente, howcver incompatibic with sound
renson and philosophy, have been multiplied, withthé avowcd design of establishing proo~, or repu-tations of this or that absurd opinion. In this
manner have fanaticism and imposture falsified
thé ptainest truths, or forged thc most uufounded
and ridiculous claims insomuch that one glariue in-
consistency bas been employed to combat another, and
folly bas succeeded folly, till a fund of materials bas
been transmitted to posterity, sufficient to form a
concise history on this subject. Men in all ageshâve set a just value on life and in proportionto thc means of cnjoyment, this value has been
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EL UC IDA TI ON S 0 F THE MA RV ELL OU S. 361
appreciated in a greater or less degree. If the gra-tification of thc sensual appetitc formed thé principal
object of living, its prolongation would be t o the
epicure, us desirable as thé prospect of au exis-
tence to be enjoyed beyond thé limits of the grave,is to thé moralist and thc belicver.
The désire of longevity appears to he inhérent
in ail animated nature, and particularly in thé hnman
race it is intimately cherished by us, through thé
whole duration of our existence, and isfrequcntly sup-
ported and strengthened, not only hy justifiablcmeans, b ut also by varions kinds of collusion.
Living in an age when every branch of human know.
ledge is reduced to popular Systems when thé vigilsof reason are hallowed at thé shrinc of cxperiment and
observation ;–though we behold in thc immense varietyof things, thé utter usetessncss of attcmpting tu
renovate a shattered constitution, or of improving a
sound one to last beyond a certain period wc never-
thcless observe that in thc inconceivahle waste of ele-
mcntary particles thcre prevails thé strictest economy. Nothing is produced in vain, nothing consumcd without
a cause. We clearly perceive that aiï nature is united
by indissoluble ties, that every individual thing ex-
ists' for thé sake of another, and that no one can
subsist without i ts concomitant. Hence we concludc,
that man himself is not an insulatcd being, but
a nccessary link in thé great chain, which con-
nccts the universe. Nature is our safcst guide,and she will be so with greater certainty, as we
become bettcr acquainted with her operations,
cspecially with respect to those particulars which
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36& TMAUMATUttGtA, ETC.
LOKDON:
S CH ULZ B A ND C O. , 1 3, POL A~D STREE T.
THEEKD.
more nearly concern our physical existence. Thus,
a source of many and very extensive advantagcswill bc opened thu~, w e shn!! rench onr ori-
ginal destination–namety, that of living long and
in thé enjoyment of sound health, to which, if purityof morals hc addcd, thé best hopes may be enter-
tained of n happy state, in a future worid, where
its inhabitants never (lie.
8/13/2019 Thau Matur Gia
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