The Mysteries of All Nations | Page 5

Divine Will--How St. Consortia became a Nun--Hieroglyphic Texts--Divination among the Jews--Plutarch on Oracles--Malthus' Belief in Oracles--A Missionary's Opinion--Sibylline Oracles--Alectoromantia--Belomancy--Cleromancy--Napoleon's Belief in Cleromancy 362
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SIGNS, OMENS, AND WARNINGS.
CHAPTER XLI.
Crying in Youth--Image of Opis--Man born to Trouble--Bacon's Belief in Presages--Dugdale's Foresight--Sir Thomas More's Power to judge of Passing Events--Erasmus at the Tomb of Becket--Sir Walter Raleigh's Predictions--What Tacitus foresaw--Solon's Predictions--Cicero's Predictions--Knox's Predictions--Queen Mary and Darnley--Death of Thomas Maitland and of Kirkaldy of Grange predicted--Regent Murray warned against going to Linlithgow--The Human Body a medium for discovering Future Events--Death Warnings--Appearance of Spirits 372
CHAPTER XLII.
Ornithomancy--Mohammed's Pigeons--Cock-crowing--Sacred Geese--Phenomenon at Rome--Divination by means of a Sieve--Capnomancy--Catoptromancy-- Dactyliomancy--Cledonism--Onomancy--Names--Romans toasting their Mistresses--How Success in War was ascertained--Loss of Ships' Colours--Regimental Standards--Consecrated Banners--Battle of the Standard--A Highland Superstition 380
CHAPTER XLIII.
Caution of our Ancestors--Magpies--Flight of Birds--Swarming of Bees--Howling of Dogs--Lowing of Cattle--Crowing of Cocks--Stockings wrong side out--Sign of a Letter coming--Sneezing of a Cat--Various Signs and Omens--How to prevent Ill Luck--Reputed Witches--Print of a Caldron, what it denoted--Unlucky to pass over a Balance--When not to pare your Nails--Touching a Dead Body--Funeral Processions--Storks--How to Sit--Marriages--A Prophetic Rhyme--Wedding Ring--Throwing Slippers, Besoms, Salt, and Rice after Newly-married Persons--Charms for Bridegrooms and Brides--Mothers and Children--Rules to be observed at Baptisms--How to treat Young Children 387
CHAPTER XLIV.
Sweeping Floors--New Year and Christmas--"First-Foots"--Weather Prognostications--How to secure Favourable Gales--Superstitious Customs--Corpse of one guilty of Felo-de-se--Finding of Persons who die unseen--Superstitious Belief of Russian Seamen--Ancient Customs of Scotland--Friday an Unlucky Day for commencing an Important Undertaking--Friday as a Marriage Day--Anecdote of a Ship called "Friday"--Loss of the Ship "Amazon"--Sunday a Favourable Day for commencing a Voyage--Lawyers and Clergymen, how looked upon by Sailors at Sea--Rats deserting a Ship--Whistling to raise the Wind--Legend of Vanderdecken or the Flying Dutchman--A Grandfather's Axe--Other Signs and Warnings 393
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AMULETS AND CHARMS.
CHAPTER XLV.
Amulets and Charms among the Chaldeans, Jews, and Persians--Amulets among the Greeks and Romans--Ecclesiastics forbidden to wear Amulets and Phylacteries--Pericles' Amulet--Lord Bacon's Opinion of Charms--Effect of Music--Yawning and Laughing, Fear and Shame--Diseases cured by Charms--Philosophers' Opinions of Amulets--Mr. E. Chambers on Amulets--Poets on Enchantments--A Dairymaid's Charm--A Charm sent by a Pope to an Emperor 401
CHAPTER XLVI.
Ear-rings buried by Jacob--Solomon's Belief in Spells--Reginald Scot's Recipe for preserving Cattle--What Mr. Pennant says on Charms--Images Powerful Charms--The Egyptians' Confidence in Amulets and Charms--Evil Eye--Cold Iron--Holy Things used as Charms--Filing of St. Peter's Keys--Lustral Water--Uses of Snow--Keys of a Consecrated Building--Virtue of Consecrated Bread--Various Methods of securing Love--Indian Charms--Cure for Corns--Simple Plan for getting rid of a Troublesome Person--Curing the Hooping-cough, etc. 409
CHAPTER XLVII.
Horse Shoes used as Charms--Spitting on Money to secure Luck--Fortunate Persons to deal with--Professor Playfair on Superstition--The Lee Penny--Divers Charms--A Seer's Prescription--Grose on Sorcerers, Magicians, and Witches--Irish Shamrock--Praying to Swords--Irish Superstition--Smugglers and Brigands addicted to Superstition--Superstition in the East--Arab Charms--Ladies' Arts 415
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Earl of Derby's Death--A Queen Enchanted--Image of a young King--Belgrave on Charms--Childebert's Device for detecting Witches--Witch Burned--Witch Ointment--Men-Wolves--Church Authorities' Instructions to Inquisitors--Killing by a Look or Wish--The King of Sweden and his Witches--Witches' Help in War--Witches causing a Plague--Cattle Poisoned--Various Charms--An Angel's Charm to Pope Leo--Physicians' Faith in Charms--Inescation--Insemination--Egyptian Laws--Curing the King's Evil 421
CHAPTER XLIX.
Precious Stones regarded as Objects of Virtue--Extravagance in Jewellery accounted for--Abraham's Precious Stones--Altars called Living Stones--Rod of Moses--Sacred Rings and Belts--The Month of one's Nativity has connection with one or other of the Precious Stones--Kings of England hallowing Rings--Ring preserved in Westminster Abbey--Iona Relics--The Green Stone of Arran--A Crystal kept as a Charm--A Conjuring Beryl--Prophetic Stones--The Coronation Stone or Stone of Destiny 429
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TRIALS BY ORDEAL.
CHAPTER L.
Trials by Ordeal resorted to in Ancient and Modern Times--Ordeal by means of Hot Iron--Plunging the Arm into Boiling Water or Oil--Walking Blindfold in Dangerous Places--Weighing a Witch--Extending the Arms before a Cross--Swallowing Consecrated Bread--Ordeal among the Hindoos--Touching a Dead Body--An Inquest, how conducted long ago--Dead Henry's Wounds--Sir George M'Kenzie's Opinion of Trial by Ordeal--Sir K. Digby on Trial by Ordeal 438
CHAPTER LI.
A Popular Story--Theatberge, wife of Lothaire--Forbes's Memoirs--Trial by Wager of Battle--When Trial by Wager of Battle ceased--Trial by Jury--Court of King's Bench deciding the Legality of Trial by Battle--Sir Walter Scott's Illustrations of Superstition and Trial by Battle in Olden Times 445
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CURSES AND EVIL WISHES.
CHAPTER LII.
Curses, Excommunication, and Anathemas--Dir?, the Executioners of Vengeance--Interment of Excommunicated Persons--Excommunication among the Hebrews--Last Degree of Excommunication sometimes followed by Banishment or Death--Form of Excommunication used by Ezra and Nehemiah--The Greek Church annually excommunicates Roman Catholics--The Druids resorted to Excommunication--Bishops excommunicating Rats, Mice, Caterpillars, and other Insects and Vermin--The Pope's Claim--Napoleon I. excommunicated--Victor Emmanuel excommunicated--The Inquisition and its terrible Doings--The Pope's Fearful Curse--Mr. Donald Cargill excommunicating the King and Nobles--Indulgences, Pardons, and Penance 453
CHAPTER LIII.
St. Adelbert's Curse--Complexion of Blackamoors attributed to a Curse of Noah--False Accusation, and its Results--Ancestors of the Whelphs and Guelphs of Germany--An Interesting Legend--A Gipsy's Curse--A Cruel Father and Husband--Morrar-na-Shean--Restoration of Three Daughters--A Grateful Father--Ancestors of the