The Mysteries of All Nations | Page 7

James Grant
the Temples--Anne Bodenham foretelling how a Law Plea would be decided--Strange Proceedings--Discovering Concealed Poison--Performing Spirits--Ride to London through the Air--Impenitent Witch 538
CHAPTER LXIV.
Paying Blackmail to Witches--Demon of Tedworth--A Persecuted Family prayed for--Unaccountable Sounds and Sights--Drummer found guilty of Sorcery--Raising Storms--A Wizard in Cromwell's Army--Aldermen's Children bewitched--Man kissed to Death--Witch unable to say the Lord's Prayer--A Taunton Witch--Bewitched Cattle--Mode of discovering a Witch--Selling a Soul to the Devil--Witch Executed--A Song of the Seventeenth Century 547
CHAPTER LXV.
Elizabeth Style's Confession--Signing a Covenant with Blood--Alice Duke, Anne Bishop, and Mary Penny--Somerset Witches--Running backwards round a Church--Compact with Satan--Accusation against Sarah Morduck--A Judge's Opinion of Witchcraft--Supposed Sufferer from Witchcraft prayed for in the Church, and a Subscription raised for him--Falsely accusing a Woman of Witchcraft--Witch and Stolen Plate--Charm for Sore Eyes--Flames issuing from a Bewitched Person's Mouth--Tormenting a Witch--Jane Wenham's Witchcrafts and Trial--The last Persons who suffered in England for Witchcraft--List of Persons who suffered as Witches 552
CHAPTER LXVI.
Scotchmen and Englishmen in America--Superstition in the Back Settlements--Witchcraft in New England--Rev. Cotton Mather's View of Witchcraft--Judges and Witnesses overawed by Witches--Bewitched Persons prayed for--Trial of Susan Martin--Absurd Evidence--Witchcraft in Sweden--Commission of Inquiry--Day of Humiliation appointed on account of Witchcraft--Threescore and Ten Witches in a Village--Children engaged in Witchery put to Death--The Devil bound with an Iron Chain--An Angel's Warning Voice--Witch assaulting Ministers--Witches' Imps--Butter of Witches--Witches Punished--Horse Burned 558
CHAPTER LXVII.
Superstition in France--Pope John XXII. celebrated in the History of Sorcery and Magic--A Bishop skinned alive and torn by Horses for Witchcraft--King Philippe and Superstition--Extracting Teeth without Pain--Berne Witch--Sorcerers in Navarre--Demoniacal Operations--Witches meeting their Deserts--Maria Renata's Witchcrafts--Nuns possessed of Devils--Jeanne D'Arc--Credulity of France and England--Fairies of Domremi--Charmed Tree--Sparkling Spring--Jeanne's Heavenly Mission--Maid at the head of Troops--Her Achievements--Siege of Orleans--Great Victories--Dauphin Crowned--Heroine Betrayed--Charmed Sword--Jeanne's Surrender--King's Ingratitude--Great Rejoicing at the Maid's Downfall--Attempt to Escape--Trial and Condemnation--Maid Burned--A White Dove rising from her Ashes 564
* * * * *
SUPERSTITION IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
CHAPTER LXVIII.
Generality of Superstition--The Church and Superstition--St. Mourie--Various Modes of Superstition--Charms--Lucky and Unlucky Times--Sailors' and Fishermen's Delusions--Weddings, Funerals, and Baptisms--Spae-wives--May Dew--Holy-days--Kirk-session Records--Fort-William Fisherman--Dipping in Fountains--Lochmanur--Holy Well of Kilvullen--Well of Craiguck--Superstition in the Highlands--Warlock Willox--Superstition in Dundee 572
CHAPTER LXIX.
Ghost at Sea--Ghosts in Edinburgh--Fear of Ghosts in Glasgow--Fortune-telling--Choice of Lovers, how decided--Irish Story--How a Ghost settled a Land Question--Prophecy respecting the Argyll Family--Yetholm Gipsies--Curses--Superstition among Fishermen--Superstition among Seamen--Providing for the Dead--A Warning--Blood Stains--Hallow-e'en at Balmoral--Faith in Dreams, etc. 583
CHAPTER LXX.
Lizzie M'Gill, the Fifeshire Spae-wife--Predicting a Storm--Servants alarmed--Prediction fulfilled--Adam Donald, an Aberdeenshire Prophet--His Predictions and Cures--His Marriage--The Wise Woman of Kincardineshire--The Recruiting Sergeant--High-spirited Lady--Charmed Ring and its Effects--Elopement and Marriage--An Enraged Father--Life in America--Strong-minded Women 597
CHAPTER LXXI.
Superstition at Chelmsford--Woman Bewitched--Old Zadkiel--Incantation in Somerset--Turning the Bible and Key--Woman assuming the form of a Hare--Ruling the Stars--Superstition in London--How to preserve Children from Disease--Dreams fulfilled--Virtue of Holly and Ivy--Legend concerning the Tichborne Family--Romantic Divorce Case 608
CHAPTER LXXII.
Spiritualism--Spiritualism not a new Delusion--Phantoms at a Seance--Juggling of a Medium--Unsuccessful Effort at a Vulgar Deception--Spiritualists Exposed--A Medium's Deception discovered--Foolish Exhibitions--Russian Peasants and their House Spirits--Spirits' Care over Persons and Property--Death, Pestilence, War, and other Evils foretold by Spirits--A Suggestion 622
CHAPTER LXXIII.
Superstition in Roman Catholic Countries--Miracle-working Images, etc.--Image paying Homage to the Virgin Mary--Madonnas at Trastevere--Miraculous Cures--Superstitious Ceremony at Dieppe--Blessing the Neva--Superstitious Belief of Napoleon's Mother--Trust in Amulets--Zulu Superstition--Witchcraft forbidden by Great Britain--Eating Fetish--Superstition among the Ashantees--Endeavour to prevent the Advance of the British Army--Shah of Persia's Talismans--Indian Princes consulting Fortune-tellers--Procuring Rain in India--Mysterious Lights on the River St. Lawrence--The Queen of Hearts--Superstition in America--Superstitious Artists--Hogarth's last Picture, "The End of all Things" 629

THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF SUPERSTITION.
CHAPTER I.
Rise and Progress of Superstition--The Serpent--Cain's Departure from the true Worship--Worship of the Sun, Moon, and Stars--Strange Story of Abraham--The Gods of Antiquity--Ether, Air, Land, and Water filled with living Souls--Guardian Angel--Cause of the Flood--Magic--How the Jews deceived the Devil--A Witch not permitted to live--Diviners, Enchanters, Consulters with familiar Spirits and Necromancers proved a Snare to Nations--Charms worn by the Jews--Singular Customs and Belief--Prognostication--Allegorical Emblems--Marriage Customs--Divers Ceremonies at Death and Burials--Divination among all Nations--Observers of Times--Opinion concerning the Celestial Bodies--Power of Witches--Wizards--Necromancers' Power to call up the Dead.
Superstition has prevailed in every generation and country in the world. There are people who think that even Adam and Eve were tainted with this hateful delusion, and that their offspring of the second generation entertained opinions opposed to true religion. That man, soon after the Creation, became acquainted with and yielded to the doctrine of devils, scarcely admits of doubt. Those who conversed with our first parents must have learned from them the circumstances connected with the temptation, fall, and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. It is not unreasonable, then, to suppose that the serpent was looked upon at an early period as something more than an ordinary earthly reptile. One can imagine Adam and Eve, when wandering in perplexity and fear, after their first great sin, starting at the
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