The Mysteries of All Nations | Page 3

transferred to the Turks and Kafirs--The Moon's
Controlling Power--Time reckoned by Moons--A Strange
Story--Heathen Gods--Thor's Palace--Thor's Power--Frigga's

Abilities--Description of Seater or Crodo 99
* * * * *
NAMES OF MONTHS, WHENCE DERIVED.
CHAPTER XIV.
Names of Months, whence derived--January--First of January, how
kept--New Year Gifts--February--Sacrifices for purging Souls--Second
of February--Virtue of Candles--Shrove Tuesday--Eating
Pancakes--Partaking of Brose--Choosing a Valentine--March--April
dedicated to Venus--First of May--May Poles and May Fires--Dispute
between Men and Gods--Superstitious Customs in
Scotland--Superstitious Ceremonies in England--June
Marriages--July--August--September--October--Hallow-e'en
Ceremonies--December--Christmas Trees and Gifts--The
Misletoe--Privileges in Leap Year--Yule Log--Christmas Festivities
110
* * * * *
MIRACLES PERFORMED BY HOLY PERSONS, AND THE
INFLUENCE OF SACRED RELICS.
CHAPTER XV.
St. Peter, and Simon the Magician--Clement's Miracles and Death--St.
Agnes--A Miraculous Circumstance--St. Blase's Power--St. Agatha's
Holy Life--St. Patrick's Missionary Labours, and Expulsion of Reptiles
from Ireland--St. Germanus stilling the Raging of the Sea--St. David
and the Welsh Leeks--Stirrup Cup and Origin of "Pledging"--Elfrida's
Treachery and Remorse--St. Benedict's Power--St. Dunstan cured by an
Angel--The Æolian Harp--St. Columba's Prophecy concerning
Iona--Sacred Ducks of Ireland--St. Paul binding a Dragon--Saints and
Frogs--Friars and Jesuits--Father Mark proof against Fire--Virtue of
Holy Water--St. Noel's Imprecation--St. Boniface--Pope Silvester
assisted by Satan--Necromancing Popes--St. Januarius's Blood--St.

Anthony's Conflicts with the Devil--St. Anthony's Hog and Bees--A
Tradition concerning Melrose--St. Cuthbert--A Princess swallowed up
by the Earth--Monk Waldevus's inexhaustible Stores--Holy
Relics--Rusticus and his Hog 130
* * * * *
POETS AND SUPERSTITION.
CHAPTER XVI.
Prophetic Verse--The Bardi--Bards maintained by Noblemen--Queen
Elizabeth and the Bards--Effects of Prophetic Sayings and of Pipe
Music--Messages to another World--Voices of Deceased Friends heard
in the Gale--Human Forms in the Clouds--Evenings in the
Highlands--Michael Scott--Constant Work for Evil Spirits--Stemming
the Tweed--How the Eildon Hills were formed--Ropes of Sand--Scott
and his Magic Books buried at Melrose--Ossianic Poems--Stories by
Bards 150
CHAPTER XVII.
Shakspeare--An Outline of his Composition--"The Tempest"--Miranda
beseeching Prospero to allay the Wild Waters--Ariel's Readiness to
serve his Master--The Witch Sycorax--Caliban's Evil Wish--Neptune
chased--"Midsummer Night's Dream"--Exploits of a Fairy--Doings of
Puck--Titania and her Attendants--Ghosts and
Spirits--Song--"Macbeth"--Weird Sisters--Macbeth's Doom--Witches'
Caldron--Macbeth admonished by Spirits--"Antony and
Cleopatra"--Dreadful Apparition--King's Death avenged 161
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Poet Gay--The "Spell"--Hobnelia--Lubberkin--Spells resorted
to--Valentine Day--Ladybird sent on a Message of Love--Virtue of
United Garters--Gipsies' Warnings--Knives sever Love--Story of
Boccaccio--Apparition of a Deceased Lover--Poems by

Burns--"Address to the Deil"--"Tam o' Shanter" 173
CHAPTER XIX.
Sir Walter Scott--His Belief in Superstition--How his Tales of Fiction
are composed--A Town-Clerk frightened by an Apparition--A Ghost
that did not understand Erse, but could communicate in Latin--Lovel
and Edie Ochiltree--Discovery of Hidden Treasure--"Rob
Roy"--Fairies' Caverns--Supposed Apparition in the Trossachs--Elfin
People at the Firth of Forth--A Minister taken away by Fairies--Dame
Glendinning's Tale--Lines from "Marmion"--A Fairy
Knight--Mysterious Steed 187
CHAPTER XX.
Lord Byron taught Superstition--Byron and the Maid in Green--Bridge
of Balgonie--Byron's Fear to ride over it--His Belief in Unlucky Days
and Presentiments--Socrates's Demon--Monk Lewis's
Monitor--Napoleon's Warnings--A Sorrowful Tale--Byron's Fortune
told by a Sibyl--Hebrew Camyo--Abracadabra--Loch-na-Garr--Oscar
of Alva--Byron's last Instructions 197
CHAPTER XXI.
Tale by Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd--Aikwood Castle--The Witch
Henbane--Imps demanding Work--Michael Scott--Curious
Sport--Dreadful Threat--Rats transformed into the form of
Men--Inventor of Gunpowder--Summoning Evil Spirits--Latin the
Language best understood by Satin and his Emissaries--Holy Signs and
Charms--Effects of a Friar's Blessing--Magic Lantern--Michael Scott's
Subscribed Conditions--Imps' Song--Dreadful Storm--Warlocks'
Hymn--Eildon Hill 210
CHAPTER XXII.
Allan Ramsay--"The Gentle Shepherd"--Bauldy the Clown--Mause the
reputed Witch--Praying Backwards--Sad Misfortunes--Supposed Power

of the Devil to raise the Wind and send Rain and Thunder--Sir William
disturbed--Symon's Announcement--Promise to gain a Lassie's
Heart--Witches' Tricks--Longfellow's "Golden Legend"--"Song of
Hiawatha" 218
* * * * *
MONARCHS, PRIESTS, PHILOSOPHERS, AND SUPERSTITION.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Superstition--Commencement of Monarchy in Scotland--King Fergus I.
crowned on the Fatal Stone of Destiny--Signs, Assistance of Spirits,
Magicians, and Fortune-tellers--Natholocus sends a Friend to consult a
Cunning Woman--Her Prediction--Constantine and Maxentius--A
Heavenly Cross--A Famous Standard--Queen Guanora's Grave--Fear of
St. Martin--The Church's Belief in Departed Saints--Relics
venerated--King bewitched by Witches of Forres--Evil Signs--Sea
Monster in the Don--Kenneth III. killed by an Infernal Machine--Virtue
of Precious Stones--Weird Sisters--Consulting a Pythoness--Predictions
by Druids--Domitian's Death foretold by Astrologers--Simon
Magus--A Platonic Philosopher--The Emperor Julian instructed in
Magic 234
CHAPTER XXIV.
Louis XI. and the Astrologer--A King's Enchanted Cap--David I. and
the Mysterious Stag--Merlin the Magician--Prophecies concerning
Queen Elizabeth and Mary--Dragon Caverns--Predictions of
Evil--Changing a King's Love--The Holy Maid of Kent--Nobles put to
Death for keeping company with Sorcerers--James I. of England and
the Witches--Tranent Witches and Warlocks--Wise Wife of
Keith--Two Hundred Witches sailing in Sieves--Raising Storms--Witch
and Warlock Convention at Newhaven--Meeting of Witches at North
Berwick--Witches tortured in Holyrood--The Devil's Mark--Bothwell's
Fortune told--Witches and their Associates burned 242

CHAPTER XXV.
Cromwell in league with the Devil--Cromwell consulting
Astrologers--Memorable Days in the Life of Cromwell--Duke of
Hamilton warned of his Fate--Peden's Predictions--Traditions
concerning Peden--John Brown the Martyr--Linlithgow Loch
Swans--Hereford Children--Great Comet--Conjunction of Saturn and
Jupiter at Eventful Periods--Solomon's Power 254
* * * * *
THE DRUIDS.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Druids laid claim to Supernatural Power--Representations of the Sun
and Moon--Belief of