An Essay on Demonology 19

An Essay on Demonology 19

It is but a few years since, a farmer at Kennebunk, observing his

cattle to be affected with some fatal disease, conceived the idea that

they were bewitched, and fixed his suspicion on a poor widow who had

become insane in consequence of the death of her husband at sea. He

was so confident of her guilt, that he went to her lonely cottage, and

with his ox goad, beat and abused her in a cruel manner. It is not

under our salutary laws that a crime so atrocious can pass with

impunity. The culprit was prosecuted and received the merited

punishment.

 

The family of M'Farlain, of Pembroke, were remarkable for peculiarity

of character and manners. About the year 1789, Seth M'Farlain

attracted the notice of the neighborhood by being supposed to be under

the influence of witchcraft. He became an object of wonder and

commiseration to some, and of curiosity and ridicule to others.

Hundreds of people thronged round his house from time to time, gazing

with astonishment at his supposed personal sufferings; inflicted, as

he pretended, by a certain old hag in the neighborhood. He was desired

to visit the woman at her house, but before he could reach the door,

his limbs would fail him, and he would fall to the ground. His body

was occasionally distorted and convulsed, he would utter the bitterest

complaints of pain and distress, which he ascribed to the presence of

the hag, although she was invisible to all but himself. He consulted

Judge T--r, to know whether he would be culpable in law if he should

kill a witch. The Judge observing Seth on the bed with a club,

swinging his arms to and fro, to keep off the witch, was willing to

humor the whim, and procured a gun, and loading it with some pieces of

silver, enjoined on Seth to take a sure aim when the witch again made

her appearance. Accordingly, Seth pointed the gun to the door where

she usually entered, and hung up her bonnet, and at the proper time

he discharged his piece. The discharge shattered the door in pieces,

but the cunning witch dodged her head at the moment he pulled the

trigger!

 

 

 

 

OMENS AND AUGURIES.

 

 

In ancient times, especially among the Greeks and Romans, omens and

auguries were considered as of great importance in the common concerns

of life; but having their origin in ignorance and superstition, they

vanished before the light of philosophy and wisdom. But so late as the

first part of the last century, the belief in fairies, hobgoblins,

witches, and omens, prevailed almost universally among the

superstitious part of the community; and even some of superior rank

and condition in life, were under the influence of these chimerical

fancies.

 

The following were among the lucky and unlucky omens.

 

The flight of singing birds, or the manner of feeding of birds and

chickens, portended good or evil, according to particular

circumstances. The act of sneezing was ominous of good or evil,

according to the number at the time, or the place. If, when a servant

is making a bed, she happens to sneeze, no person can sleep in it

undisturbed, unless a part of the straw or feathers be taken out and

burnt. Nothing could insure success to a person going on important

business, more effectually than to throw an old shoe after him on

leaving the house. If there be in company thirteen persons, the

devil's dozen, some misfortune will befall one of them. To spill salt,

at table, is very ominous, and the ticking of the small insect called

a death-watch, foretels death, and the screech-owl at midnight, some

terrible misfortune. These, and many other silly fancies, have been

keenly satirized by Addison, in the Spectator. To find a horse-shoe

was deemed lucky, more especially, if it be preserved and nailed on

the door, as this prevents the annoyance of witches. This, probably,

was the origin of the practice continued in our times, of nailing

horse shoes on the masts of vessels, against the enchantment of

witches. The omens are extended to particular days in the week.

Friday, for instance, is considered an inauspicious day for the

commencement of any undertaking. It is seldom that a seaman can be

prevailed on to commence a voyage on that day. An account has been

published of some person, who, desirous of eradicating this prejudice,

ordered the timber of his vessel to be cut on Friday; her foundation

laid, her launching, and the engaging her crew, on Friday, and finally

he ordered her to sail on Friday. But it was remarkable and

unfortunate, that neither the vessel nor crew were ever heard from

afterwards. This, however, is no proof that Friday is more likely to

produce disasters than any other day in the seven. We know that all

events are under the control of Divine Providence, and it is

inconsistent with reason to imagine, that fatality will attend

undertakings because they were commenced on any one particular day.

 

That singular genius, Lord Byron, was among those who indulged the

superstitious notion, that Friday is an unlucky day. In Moore's Life

of Byron, may be found the following.

 

'Among the superstitions in which he chose to indulge, the supposed

unluckiness of Friday, as a day for the commencement of any work, was

one by which he almost always allowed himself to be influenced. Soon

after his arrival at Pisa, a lady of his acquaintance happening to

meet him on the road from her house, as she was herself returning

thither, and supposing that he had been to make her a visit, requested

that he would go back with her. "I have not been to your house," he

answered; "for just before I got to the door I remembered that it was

Friday; and not liking to make my first visit on a Friday, I turned

back." It is even related of him, that he once sent away a Genoese

tailor, who brought him home a new coat on the same ominous day. With

all this, strange to say, he set sail for Greece on a Friday; and,

though by those who have any leaning to this superstitious fancy, the

result may be thought but too sadly confirmatory of the omen, it is

plain, that either the influence of superstition over his own mind was

slight, or, in the excitement of self devotion under which he now

acted, was forgotten.'

 

In Lord Byron, we have an example of the fatal consequences which

sometimes ensue from prejudices against any particular purpose or

object, being instilled into the youthful mind. Of all his prejudices,

he declared the strongest was that against bleeding. His mother had on

her death bed obtained from him a promise never to consent to being

bled. When on his own death bed, therefore, he pertinaciously opposed

the operation, contrary to the united and earnest entreaties of his

physicians, and it was delayed till too late to afford him the desired

relief.

 

History furnishes one signal instance of a successful enterprise

commenced on Friday. It was on that day that Christopher Columbus

sailed from the port of Palos on his first voyage of discovery; and it

was on Friday that he landed on an island never before seen by

European eyes. Of all events recorded in modern history, this is

incomparably the most important.

 

A curious and melancholy instance of aberration of intellect, occurred

on board the ship President, on her outward bound passage to

Charleston. She encountered very heavy weather, and one of the sailors

stated to his shipmates that he was convinced the storm had arisen

entirely in consequence of his wicked course of life, and that the

offended majesty of heaven could only be appeased by his immediately

precipitating himself into the sea. In vain was every argument urged,

and every endeavor made, on the part of the captain and his officers,

to induce him to relinquish his purpose. One evening he ascended the

main rigging, and putting off a part of his attire, threw himself

headlong into the deep. When the ship was returning to this city, a

storm of considerable violence arose, which called forth all the

superstition of the mariners, and a cry became universal that she

would go down unless 'Sam's' chest was thrown overboard. A Scotchman

was among the most bigoted portion of the crew, and having more dread

of the elements than the captain, he, by some means or other, procured

the chest of poor 'Sam,' and entombed it in the grave of its owner.

The storm almost immediately abated; calmness reigned upon the face of

the waters, and a fine breeze wafted them to the mouth of the harbor.

Here, however, the wind became unpropitious, and a squall from the

land drove them off. Discontent again manifested its influence, and a

general search took place to ascertain whether anything belonging to

the suicide remained. After the forecastle had been duly searched, an

old shoe was discovered, and hastily yielded up as a sacrifice to

Eolus. The wind again subsided, and a fair breeze brought them into

port; the whole scene without doubt, confirming their minds in the

superstition they had cherished.--_N. Y. J. of Commerce._

 

On board of a ship, Capt V. master, it became necessary in the night,

to reef the topsails; the sails were lowered, and the reef tackle

hauled out, when the sailors ascended the mast; but to the surprise of

the captain, they soon came down in great terror, crying out that the

devil was in the top, they knew him by his horns, flashing eyes, and

grisly beard. No commands or threats from the captain could avail, to

induce them to make another attempt. All other orders they were

willing to obey, but to encounter the devil on the topmast was too

much. The affair began to grow serious, for the topsail was quivering

and shivering in the wind. The captain and officers resolved with

courage to ascend, but they, too, were driven in terror to the deck.

It was now agreed, be their fate what it may, to wait till the

morning; when by daylight it was discovered, that an old goat was

seated on the top, with its glaring eyes staring the seamen in the

face. It appeared that the goat was sleeping on the halliards while

coiled in a tub, and was by that means hoisted up to the top without

the knowledge of any one.

 

The Roman Catholics have been educated in the full persuasion that the

devil appears in bodily form, and often in the high style of some

great personage. I have more than once listened to an honest Irish

Catholic while gravely relating the manner in which Satan appeared on

horseback with a splendid retinue, and took possession of a

gentleman's palace in Ireland, after the massacre of the Romish

priests. His majesty having taken possession of the palace, a

Protestant minister was sent to drive him to his own abode, but he was

received with a laugh and sneer, as possessing no power. But at length

a Catholic priest, who had been secreted in a cavern during the

massacre, was sent, and he no sooner entered than the devil in a

fright, flew up the chimney, carrying an iron pot from over the fire,

and in passing out carrying off the top of the chimney. The Irishman

entertained not the least doubt of the reality of the transaction; and

added that the chimney still remains in the same state, no one daring

to mend it.

 

Some old seamen admire to be considered as being on familiar terms

with the devil. The following story has often been related by sailors

in the full belief of its truth.

 

A sailor sold himself to the devil, on condition that he should enjoy

all the good things and pleasures of this life for fifty years, when

he would give himself up; but the devil was to perform any one thing

which the sailor might desire before he surrendered. At the expiration

of fifty years, Satan came for his man. The sailor acknowledged that

the time had expired, but one thing was to be done. Satan was required

to pump the sea dry, but the cunning son of Neptune had so placed the

pump that the water from it flowed directly into the sea again. The

devil was so enraged at this cunning artifice, that he gave him a

tremendous blow with his tail and vanished in a cloud of smoke and brimstone.