The Mysteries of All Nations | Page 5

Circles--Throwing Old Shoes--Figures on Shoes--A Hangman's
Soul--Directions for raising Ghosts and Spirits 339
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Josephus' Account of Astrology--Antediluvians acquainted with
Astrology--Astrology after the Flood--Magicians in various
Nations--Compact and Confederation with Spirits--Feats of
Magicians--A French Priest in compact with the Devil--Married to
Venus--Turning Leather into Gold--A Novice in Magic destroyed by a
Spirit--Principles of Magic--Lilly the Astrologer--Lilly consulted by
Royalists--Astrological Predictions 349
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Judicial Astrology--Reading the Heavens--Lucky and Unlucky
Days--Highland Superstitions--Climacterics--Astrologer and Charles
IX.--Influence of the Moon--Official Air-gazers--Sacrificing to
Planets--Dryden's Faith in Astrology--Dryden calculating the Nativity
of his Children 356
* * * * *
DIVINATION AND ORACLES.

CHAPTER XL.
Divination--Heathen Gods giving Signs--Sortes Pr[oe]nestinæ--St.
Augustine's View of Divination--Sortes Sanctorum--Divination in the
Greek and Latin Churches--Declarations of the 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
* * * * *
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
* * * * *
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
* * * * *
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