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Article THE UNIVERSALITY OF SUPERSTITION. ← Page 13 of 20 →
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The Universality Of Superstition.
Eve , expecting that the image of their future husband will appear ancl gather it . Gay , in one of his pastorals , says" At eve last midsummer no sleep I sought , But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought ; I scattered round the seed on ex * side
ery , And three times in a trembling accent cried : ' This hemp-seed with my virgin hand I sow , Who shall my true-love be , the crop shall mow . ' I straight looked back , and if my eyes speak truth , With his keen scythe behind me came the youth . "
A similar interesting experiment was performed by burning nuts , as described by the same poet" Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame , And to each nut I gave a sweetheart ' s name ; This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd , That in a flame of brightest colour blaz'd ; As blaz'd the nut , so may thy passion grow , For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly gloAv . "
Among the ignorant , a bible ancl key , and various other means of divination , are partially believed in still . Examples of presages Avhich have arisen from phenomena of nature are to be found in the " seers" ofthe Highlands and Western Isles , the " xA * raiths" of the Lowlands ( known as swarths in Cumberland , and as waffs in Northumberland ) , and
the Irish " fetches . " These have often originated in mirages caused by atmospheric refraction . The seer is to be considered as in general the deceived , and not the deceiver—since Dr . Johnson testifies that their prophecies are to a considerable extent involuntary , and that no profit is sought or expected . The Ode , on the " Popular Superstitions of the Highlands , " by Collins , has the folloxving on this class of
prophets" How they , whose sight such dreary dreams engross With their own vision oft astonished droop , When , o ' er the wat ' ry strath or quaggy moss , They see the gliding ghosts' unbodied troop . Or , if m sports , or on the festive green , Their destin'd glance some fated youth descry , Who now , perhaps , in lusty vigour seen , shall lamented die
And rosy health , soon . " A minister in Ross says of his parishioners in 1792— " with them the belief of the second-sig ht is general . " AValdron tells us , that the inhabitants of the Isle of Man had faith in the appearing of the funeral procession of the fated party , to the seer , before death ; and that his oxvn serx'ants xvere in the habit of anticipating his return , unknoxvn to them , by having
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Universality Of Superstition.
Eve , expecting that the image of their future husband will appear ancl gather it . Gay , in one of his pastorals , says" At eve last midsummer no sleep I sought , But to the field a bag of hemp-seed brought ; I scattered round the seed on ex * side
ery , And three times in a trembling accent cried : ' This hemp-seed with my virgin hand I sow , Who shall my true-love be , the crop shall mow . ' I straight looked back , and if my eyes speak truth , With his keen scythe behind me came the youth . "
A similar interesting experiment was performed by burning nuts , as described by the same poet" Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame , And to each nut I gave a sweetheart ' s name ; This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd , That in a flame of brightest colour blaz'd ; As blaz'd the nut , so may thy passion grow , For 'twas thy nut that did so brightly gloAv . "
Among the ignorant , a bible ancl key , and various other means of divination , are partially believed in still . Examples of presages Avhich have arisen from phenomena of nature are to be found in the " seers" ofthe Highlands and Western Isles , the " xA * raiths" of the Lowlands ( known as swarths in Cumberland , and as waffs in Northumberland ) , and
the Irish " fetches . " These have often originated in mirages caused by atmospheric refraction . The seer is to be considered as in general the deceived , and not the deceiver—since Dr . Johnson testifies that their prophecies are to a considerable extent involuntary , and that no profit is sought or expected . The Ode , on the " Popular Superstitions of the Highlands , " by Collins , has the folloxving on this class of
prophets" How they , whose sight such dreary dreams engross With their own vision oft astonished droop , When , o ' er the wat ' ry strath or quaggy moss , They see the gliding ghosts' unbodied troop . Or , if m sports , or on the festive green , Their destin'd glance some fated youth descry , Who now , perhaps , in lusty vigour seen , shall lamented die
And rosy health , soon . " A minister in Ross says of his parishioners in 1792— " with them the belief of the second-sig ht is general . " AValdron tells us , that the inhabitants of the Isle of Man had faith in the appearing of the funeral procession of the fated party , to the seer , before death ; and that his oxvn serx'ants xvere in the habit of anticipating his return , unknoxvn to them , by having